June 24th, 2008 — activities, exercise, gym, injury, wellness
Our ankles are actually pretty fragile little joints and you may not realize just how fragile until you sprain one. Nobody likes walking around on crutches, but there are a few ways that you can make sure that your ankles stay strong and that you avoid this common injury. Let's get started!
1. Always stretch first.
We can't say it enough, even though you have heard it all before. If you don't want to injure your ankles, you're going to have to stretch before you exercise. Even a few minutes will get you limbered up and will reduce your risks for spraining that joint. Take the time before every workout to adequately stretch out every part of your body, including your ankles. They will definitely thank you for it.
2. Wear the right kind of shoes.
Not many of us run on a treadmill in stilettos, but with some of today's workout shoes, you might as well. It is vital to have proper footwear that offers support. Make sure that you are purchasing the right kind of shoe to help increase your chances of avoiding a sprain. For example, a true tennis shoe is made for playing tennis - not basketball. It will not have the kind of support you need for jumping and running around like that.
If you don't want to have a whole closet full of shoes, try to find a really good pair of cross trainers that will allow you a wide variety of exercises. By getting the right kind of shoe, you'll be able to exercise longer and you won't be in pain. All of your joints will thank you for that.
There is one more thing to consider about shoes before we move to the next point. While it may not be the case 100% of the time, you do normally get what you pay for. A pair of cheap athletic shoes will not provide you with the same support as a more expensive shoe. There's a reason these shoes are so expensive. They are designed to help you perform better and reduce the risk of injury. You can look at this way, you can spend a few more dollars now on better shoes, or you can spend a lot more getting your ankle fixed after you sprain it.
3. Strengthen your ankles.
A lot of us have weak ankles, but there are some exercises that you can do to strengthen up those ankles and reduce your risks of injuries. Some of the best include resistance band flexes with your feet as well as the old tried and true heel raise. Keep at it until your ankles feel as strong as the rest of you.
4. Tape it.
If all else fails and you have very weak ankles, taping can be the answer. Never attempt to tape your own ankles if you don't know what you're doing. Have a sport's therapist train you on the right way to wrap, or you could make a sprain worse if you do get injured. The problems with taping ankles are that it is time consuming, incurrs on going costs for tape, you have to shave your ankles to do it right, and do even get me started on removing the tape.
An alternative in the same vein is to wear a high quality lace up ankle guard. This was a highly recommended suggestion on my college basketball team and something I had been doing since early high school. An example of such a high quality brace is McDavid Ankle X Ankle Brace.
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June 9th, 2008 — activities, exercise, goals
If you're trying to turn your life around and start getting more exercise, that first step you take will be the hardest. It's always hard to make a change and stop taking the easy way out, but you're going to have to stay committed if you want to achieve your goals. Whether you're trying to lose weight or you just want to get a healthier lifestyle, exercise is the most important thing you can do. Here's how to take that first step.
1. Make it easier.
We already know how hard it can be to change yourself from a coach potato overnight. However, there are some methods that you can use that will keep you motivated and make it easier to get active. Here are a few tips. Start off by finding an exercise that you actually like. If you enjoy shopping, go to the mall and walk around. You can window shop while you get some exercise. If you like to play basketball, get some friends together for a quick game. By making it fun, you're making it easier and you'll be less likely to get discouraged.
2. Keep your eye on the prize.
You need to set yourself up to win by setting goals that are at first easy to attain. Once you've transitioned into that active lifestyle you can set more difficult ones, but you need to get over that first hump before you can do that. Set some easy goals, like being able to walk for ten minutes without getting winded. Once you achieve that, you'll have a greater sense of satisfaction and you'll be motivated to keep going. If you get derailed, don't quit! Just go back and start again. It's only failure if you refuse to try again.
3. Enlist the help of a friend.
It's all too easy to make excuses when it's just us. However, if you get a friend to help you, it's a lot harder to back out. Just make sure that you're not picking a friend that is an enabler. You want someone who's going to challenge you to keep going. If this doesn't sound like any of your friends, you may need to seek the help of a personal trainer. They can help keep you motivated and on track to achieve your goals.
4. Set up a plan that's easy to follow.
If you work a lot, chances are by the end of the day you're pretty wiped out and exercising is the farthest thing from your mind. In this case, try to get your workout done in the morning or at lunch time when you still have energy. Instead of wiping you out for the rest of the day, you'll actually find that you're more energized.
These are just a few tips that can help you achieve an active lifestyle with a lot less stress. Never forget why you want to get healthy. It will help keep you on track towards your goals and make it easier.
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May 30th, 2008 — Meals, about, activities, diet, exercise, goals, gym, motivation, weigh in, weight loss
After 6 weeks on the medically assisted weightless program JumpStart medicine with Dr. Sean Bourke, I have lost 46 pounds in 45 days (just over a pound a day... Wow!) This week I lost 7.1 pounds and I am ecstatic to have achieved 109.2% of my goal. I have been feeling great, but the larger dose of Phentermine caused me to get light headed nearly to the point of passing out several time this week. (In addition to Phentermine, I have a weekly Methionine, Inositol, and Choline (MIC) Injection and daily I take Chromium, a multivitamin, B6 and B12 supplements.) I have decided I wanted to reduce the dose of Phentermine back to 30 mg (from 37mg). I had much less trouble with portion control on the higher dose, but the risk of passing out and falling is not worth it... I am 6'10" and that is a long way to fall.
Having over-achieved my goal of 6.5 pounds (the previous goal was set to 6.5 to make up for missing a 5 pound weekly goal several weeks ago.) I am setting a more modest goal this week of 5.4 pounds. Why 5.4? :) My weight at this weight was 344.4, so if I succeed I will weigh an even 339. Here's to a great week in the past and a great week upcoming.
Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)... Clicking the image will open to a larger image.
I didn't get a chance to work out as much as I would have liked because of work consideration... I didn't swim, play volleyball, or golf this week. I did play basketball twice and go on several walks... I am going to try and get to the gym for volleyball or basketball 5 times this week, I plan on playing (walking carrying my golf bag) at least 1 round of golf, and I would like to swim more than a few laps.
I plan to continue trying to eat less fat free cheese and more lean protein. I have been getting my dairy with a double tall non-fat no-foam latte from Starbucks.
I have not tried to stop my intake of caffeine, but my consumption of caffeine is drastically curtailed from where it was. (I need that morning java and coffee with skim milk just isn't the same.)
Good luck to all that are working on losing the weight...
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May 19th, 2008 — about, healthy eating, moderation, motivation, nutrition, rewards, weight loss, wellness
I have been tagged by Fat Man Unleashed to write a 6 word memoir. His was Be About It!
My 5 word memoir is Healthy, Happy, Wealthy, and Wise.
At the end of the day, this is how I will remember my life.
- Healthy -- this one is pretty self explanatory, but it does require work to get there from here. I am currently perfectly healthy, however I know that without choosing to lose weight and exercise regularly NOW that will not always be the case. It will be the case and I am committed to losing the weight and maintaining the healthy lifestyle. I have had a wonderful first 30 some odd years and I intend to have another healthy 100 or so in front of me.
- Happy -- I have met the woman of my dreams, I have a wonderful child, I played basketball in college, I am good at and enjoy my job, enjoying every minute, doing what I enjoy, experiencing the best things in life, fulfilled.
- Wealthy -- In spirit and eventually monetarily. Content. Wanting for nothing.
- Wise -- At least in my own mind.
And now it is my turn to tag a few people to write their own 6 word memior
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July 21st, 2007 — exercise, weigh in
I went to the gym this morning and played basketball and lifted upper body weights...
I also weighed in pre workout with clothes.
372... I weighed 370 after my workout still fully clothed.
I am very happy with that, but just a little skeptical... I weighed in last Saturday at 372 only to weigh 375 on Wednesday... Here's hoping. My goal for this week is 365 so I need to stay focused.
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