Are there exercise limits?

January 13, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 73-year-old retired man in good physical condition. I work out at a gym three times a week. On the odd days, I stay active by walking, mowing, cutting brush, hiking, skiing, etc. I am seven pounds overweight BMI-wise, 172 pounds and 68 inches tall. I take 20 mg Lipitor to keep my cholesterol down (138 hg/dL). My HDL is 63, LDL 60. I also take Plavix for a suspected TIA eight years ago.

My situation is this: At the gym I warm up and stretch for 20 minutes. Then I do aerobics on the exercise machines (treadmill, bike, elliptical, etc.) for 45 minutes. I monitor my heart rate and try to keep it between 150 and 165 but occasionally I like to “sprint” which gets my heart rate up to 180. During all of these aerobic exercises, I feel strong with NO heart problem indicators — chest pain, dizziness, numbness, tunnel vision, blue lips and nails, or weak knees.
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Is one exercise workout better than another?

October 22, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My husband and I disagree as to which regimen of exercise is less hard on the joints and more beneficial to the body in the long run. He uses cross fit/circuit training workouts and I use Pilates workouts with separate mild cardio workouts. We are both in our mid 30s and I feel like an advanced cross fit workout is tough on the back and joints (which my husband has been known to complain about), but he feels an advanced Pilates workout is just not enough to stay fit.

What do you think?

DEAR READER: For the sake of readers who may not fully understand the differences in exercise, home timed circuit training consists of 8 to 10 different exercises that might include lunges, [Read more…]

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Eat before or after exercise?

September 10, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I walk about two miles every morning to keep in shape. I’ve developed a paunch and what my wife calls a bicycle tire around my middle. To get rid of the paunch and tire, is it better to do the morning walk on an empty stomach or to walk after I’ve eaten something?

Twenty years ago, I would run three or four miles every morning right after I got up, consuming nothing but water, and it seemed to work fine.

DEAR READER: The key words here are “twenty years ago.” Unfortunately, our metabolism changes as we age, and what worked then for most of us probably won’t work as easily now.
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Daily Column

October 7, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
My 12-year-old son has been bugging me to get him a Nintendo Wii. He reasons that it is not like other gaming systems because body movement is required to play the games, thus he will be exercising while playing video games.

I am hesitant to get him the system because I don’t really believe that one can exercise while playing video games. In your opinion, does a Nintendo Wii provide adequate exercise or is going outside and playing sports and such, better? Please help so I can end this battle once and for all!

DEAR READER:
The answer depends on how the games are played.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) did a study on just how many calories are burned during certain Wii games (before the Wii fit was introduced). The study was carried out by a team [Read more…]

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Increase strength slowly

February 4, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am 83 years old and need to increase my strength in order to complete my work. Can you help me? I will appreciate any information you can give me.

DEAR READER: As we age, we become weaker. This can be frustrating. I suggest that you seek out a fitness center and begin a program to strengthen your muscles. Most centers have trainers to help guide clients.

I recommend that you start with low impact exercises such as water aerobics which provides resistance and strengthening. In addition, the water reduces wear on the joints. It is also important to know your limits and not push too hard. Injuries can occur easily as we age.
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