If you’re not exactly sure what moderate exercise intensity is supposed to feel like, you’re not alone.  Many people don’t truly understand how exercise intensity is measured.  Today, I’ll remedy that by teaching you why it is important to exercise at a certain intensity and how to measure it, so that you can get the most out of your workouts.

Here is the Karvonen formula as I promised: (MHR-RHR)*intensity)+ RHR = Target Heart Rate

Announcement: Being Healthy for Busy People, my audio show, is a Podcast Awards finalist! Thank you to everyone who nominated my show.  I am very excited about being a finalist!  Daily voting will begin on November 13th and will run till November 30th.  If you have time, please go and vote for my podcast under Health/Fitness as many days as you can!  Thank you!

If you haven’t yet, please subscribe through iTunes.

References used while researching this show are sparkpeople.com, Mayo Clinic, and about.com.

Photo by mysza831 via Flickr

Today I am bringing you another Q&A show.  Since the last two have been so well received, I’m going to continue putting out one of these Q & A shows every month or two, as long as I keep getting lots of questions. Answering them in a podcast seems like the best way to go because if one person has a question, there are probably at least a few more with the same question that didn’t ask.  This way all of them get the answer all at once.

In this show, we will answer questions about what the perfect running form is and about gaining weight when beginning exercise. And we also have a comment about the struggle to be healthy when others are trying to sabotage you.

The 2009 Nominations for the Podcast Awards are open! If you like this show, please head on over to podcastawards.com and nominate it under the “Health/Fitness” category:

Podcast Name: Being Healthy for Busy People
Podcast URL: http://www.beinghealthy.tv/media/podcast/

Being a finalist will help bring more awareness to my podcast. I greatly appreciate your time and nomination!

Some references I used while researching this show are Runner’s World and about.com.

The video podcast for this week is:

1. Apple vs. Pear Shaped

The blog posts for this week are:

1. October Is Also National Physical Therapy Month!
2. Healthy Halloween Treats Are Tricky!

If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

Photo by mikebaird via Flickr

Larry is an avid runner training for his first marathon, which is coming up in September.  Unfortunately, he is having some difficulty with his training.  The weather is just too hot where he lives, making it hard to run.  Lately, the temperatures have been over 100 F (38 C). Despite that, Larry needs to train for his upcoming race.  The problem is that his body is not taking the hot weather well.  Whenever he runs in the heat, he runs slower than he is used to and does not feel well.  He just does not know how to cope with running in hot weather.

Larry’s challenge is common.  Most runners don’t run their best on hot days.  But luckily there are ways to prepare for hot weather runs, so that you run faster and feel better during them.  That is important because running in hot weather can put you at risk for heat disorders, such as dehydration and heat stroke.  So, it is very important to take precautions before running.

How should I prepare for running in the heat?
Here are 5 things that you should consider before running in hot weather.

1. Schedule runs to avoid the heat: Avoid running between 10am and 4pm, when the sun is most intense.  The best time to run is in the early morning, especially right before sunrise, when the temperature is at its coolest.  If running in the morning is not possible, then after sunset is the next best thing.  However, in some places, that might not be a good option because the temperatures might not cool down enough until quite late at night.
2. Stay Hydrated: It is important to stay hydrated to avoid heat disorders.  Dehydration can cause fatigue and muscle cramping.  So, drink fluids prior to, during and after your run.  You should drink before you feel thirsty or your mouth becomes dry.  By then you are already at least slightly dehydrated.  If you plan on going for a run longer than 30 minutes in hot weather, part of your fluid intake should be a sports drink in order to replenish some of your lost electrolytes, such as sodium and minerals.
3. Wear appropriate clothing: Wear loose fitting, light colored clothing and avoid tight-fitting, dark colored cotton that absorbs the sun’s light and does not allow heat to escape.  Specialized running clothes that wick moisture away from your skin are best because they help to cool you when running.  These specialty clothes are more expensive, but they are well worth it on hot days.  If you need to save money, wait for a sale.
4. Protect yourself from the sun: Wear a hat, a pair of sunglasses and apply a waterproof sunscreen.  The sunscreen should be at least SPF 15, and both the sunscreen and sunglasses should protect against both UVA and UVB rays.
5. Pour water over your head and body: If you are overheating, a good way to cool down is pouring water over your head and body.  The water helps you to dissipate heat faster. (Don’t do this with your sports drink. You’ll get all sticky.)

Sometimes, these precautions aren’t enough to overcome the heat.  If you experience nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, confusion, difficulty breathing, headaches, muscle cramps and/or dizziness, either slow down or stop running depending on the severity of the symptom.  If the symptoms persist, seek medical help because you could be suffering from a heat disorder that requires treatment.

The bottom line:
Running in hot weather is not ideal, but there are ways to make it a safer, more enjoyable experience.  So, run during the coolest time of the day, stay hydrated, protect yourself from the sun and wear appropriate clothing.  You can have a fun, safe run if you take the appropriate precautions!

You decided that it is time to start lifting weights, so you joined a gym.  Now you are not sure where to start.  Some of your friends say that free weights are the only way to go, while others only use the machines.  So, which should you choose?

For years now a heated debate has raged over just this question and both sides have arguments with merit.  Both free weights and resistance machines build strength.  However, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

What are the advantages of using free weights?
There are many good reasons why free weights might work better for you than resistance machines.  Here are some of the advantages:

1. More versatile: You can work practically any muscle through almost any angle and range of motion, which is great for coming up with an enormous variety of exercises.
2. Less bulky and cheaper: Machines tend to be expensive and bulky.  A basic set of dumbbells and barbells, on the other hand, take up a lot less space and won’t hurt your pocketbook as much.  In fact, a simple pair of adjustable dumbbells is enough to allow you to perform an impressive array of strength training exercises.
3. Improves balance and coordination: Unlike a machine, lifting free weights requires balance and coordination because there is nothing to guide your movement.  Your muscles not only have to work to lift the weights, they have to work to keep the weights stable as well.
4. Recruits more muscle groups: While machines isolate specific muscles, free weights use more muscles for each exercise because they require additional muscles for stabilization.  As a result, lifting free weights may promote quicker and better strength gains, since more muscles are worked with each exercise and in slightly different ways.

What are the disadvantages of using free weights?
Even though free weights have many advantages, they also have some disadvantages.

1. May require a spotter: With light weights you should be fine, but safely lifting heavy weights requires a spotter.
2. More potential for injuries: Weights sometimes slip while being picked up, exercised with or put away, potentially resulting in injury.
3. Proper technique is essential: It is important to learn how to lift free weights correctly to prevent strain or injury.  And it takes time to master lifting techniques, especially if you will be lifting heavy weights.  If that is your goal, consider hiring an exercise specialist to show you how to lift properly and to work with you on several occasions to insure that you have the technique mastered.

What are the advantages of resistance machines?
Machines definitely have their place in the strength training world.  Here are some of their advantages:

1. Easy to use: Machines guide your movements, which makes it easier to learn to use them properly. They can also be adjusted quickly and easily.
2. Safer: Weights are held in place by stacks.  That reduces, but doesn’t eliminate the risk of injury due to improper form.  It also eliminates the chance of injury due to a dropped weight.
3. Muscles are isolated more efficiently: Machines allow you to target specific muscles through their full range of motion without using other muscle groups for stabilization.

What are the disadvantages of resistance machines?
Of course, machines do have some disadvantages as well:

1. Not functional to everyday movements: Machines target specific muscles, while in our day-to-day activities we use multiple muscle groups together.
2. Some machines don’t fit: Some machines might not fit all body sizes.
3. Need a variety of machines: You need multiple machines to workout all your muscles and obtain a good workout.  That can take up a lot of space.
4. Expensive: Machines cost a lot, which means that to get access to most of them, you need a gym membership.

So, which one should I choose?
Safety is the number one priority when lifting weights.  So, if you are new to lifting, a recreational athlete or an elderly person, you should probably stick to machines for most of your exercises.  They are safer.

However, if you lift weights regularly, the best thing to do is to incorporate both free weights and resistance machines into your workout.  The different styles of exercise equipment challenge your muscles in different ways.

The bottom line
There truly is no right answer for everyone.  You should use whatever equipment is available to you that you can use safely and comfortably because both free weights and resistance machine will get you stronger.  The important thing is that you lift weights!