Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fitness

Help me find a good exercise book to listen to on my trip.

whoaali — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:00:54 -0800

My exercise routine is not yielding me results. I want a book (preferably one that I can download on audible) that will fill in the many gaps in my excercise/fitness knowledge. For about the past nine months I have been attempting to lose about 15 - 20 pounds and tone up. I'm a 27 year old female. BMI hovers around 25, but basically healthy weight.

I initially did a lot of power yoga (very intense classes which worked me harder than I've ever worked before). They left me starving and sore. After about 4 months of this I had lost no weight and could only see minimal results. I switched to going to the gym and doing primarily cardioand this has been more successful. My appetite is under control and I've lost about 7-9 pounds, but I feel as flabby as ever.

A month and a half ago I sprained my ankle really badly and couldn't exercise at all, however the weight loss continued at the same (possibly faster?) pace as when I was going to the gym. This leads me to believe my current exercise regime is doing nothing for me (I've been losing weight by counting calories) and I want to learn what I'm doing wrong and how I can have a more effective workout. Granted I am not naturally athletic at all, but I still think I could be getting some tangible results from all the hours of exercise I've put in.

I'll be driving about 15 hours over the next week and want to download a book or 2 that will help fill in my exercise knowledge. Here is a rough idea of what I'm hoping to learn.

- How to exercise efficiently.
- Cardio vs Weight Lifting
- Supplements, are they even worth it?
- Eating before and after exercise (and how does this mesh with a low calorie diet approx. 1500 calories a day)
- Is there any point in building muscle if it's covered in fat?
- Weight lifting - reps, weight etc

I'm particularly interested in books that have a practical approach and are aimed at beginners. I'm not looking to become a weight lifter or a world class athlete, I just want to jiggle less!

Downward Dog is not for me...

TrickyLib — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:58:12 -0800

Can anyone give me recommendations for yoga dvds that do not contain downward facing dog poses? I really do not enjoy this position for reasons I don't want to explain here. I tried taking a yoga class at my park district, but there was so much downward dog I ended up quitting after just three classes.

I'm looking for a good set of free weights for my apartment. Any suggestions?

decrescendo — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:15:21 -0800

I'm looking for a good set of free weights for my apartment. Any suggestions? I'm looking to buy some free weights to use in my apartment. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I've seen PowerBlocks advertised before but I've never seen them in person.

Anyone have any ideas?

Or should I just finally suck it up and go to the gym? I seem to be avoiding that for some reason. I feel like I want to be a little more in shape before I take the gym plunge. Is that stupid?

Self-conscious perfectionist wanting to change so she can train better

Chrysalis — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:24:38 -0800

Please help me be less self-conscious at the gym This is really sabotaging my workouts. I've training for 4 years now (various gyms) and am still ridiculously self conscious about it. The gym I'm currently at is both a normal fitness and a boxing gym, and I use both sections every day. In my boxing training, if any of the pro boys are training at the same time as me I get self-conscious of my technique and fitness, despite the fact that they've all been lovely and helpful. I'm currently trying to get my conditioning back after a bit of a lay-off from injury and I'm so embarrassed about my fitness/strength at present. I find I sometimes avoid working on my weaknesses or doing exercises that are difficult for me or unfamiliar (even when I totally need to do them) because I'm embarrassed about how bad I am at them and don't want anyone to know - which is totally self-defeating. Or I'll try to do them at home rather than at the gym so no-one else sees. Because there's only one other girl boxer at the gym (and she doesn't train with the same group as me) people sometimes really *are* looking at me, more for curiosity than anything else, and when it happens it throws me off a bit.

Also, when my trainer puts me through a really tough workout sometimes I waste energy being afraid that maybe I won't get through it and will have to stop - which is my biggest fear. This is even worse when other people are there but even when I'm training by myself I'm always terrified that I won't be able to complete a challenge I've set myself.

I want to stop being so self-conscious and feeling like I have to be really good at everything cos I can actually feel it lowering my energy levels and it's not what I should be focussing on. And I know if I keep doing these things I will eventually become good at them, but how can I stop feeling like an idiot in the mean time? Even when I was using the weights room I was self-conscious of the fact that I wasn't lifting much weight, I know everyone has to start somewhere but I felt embarrassed and it put me off doing it.

I guess my main concern is being bad at something/failing, especially in front of other people. How can I get past this?

Some weightlifting queries

miraimatt — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:42:27 -0800

How often should I lift weights? and when I do, how much weight should I lift to achieve my goals? Right now I try to work out four to five times a week, doing either 45 minutes of cardio and some weightlifting or just 60 minutes of cardio.

Question #1) I've heard before that you should wait two days after lifting weights to allow your body to recuperate and build muscle and such. Does this mean that I should wait before lifting weights using those muscles again, or lifting any weights again? Would it be detrimental/not useful to do some upper body weightlifting one day and some lower body weightlifting the next day?

Question #2) This question is kinda vain, but I'm kinda short, stocky, and as a result of some time spent doing lower body focused activities like running & such, I think my upper body should be larger compared to my lower body. Am I correct in thinking that in order to achieve this, but keep things good fitness-wise, I should be doing a significantly higher number of reps of a significantly lower weight when I do lower body weightlifting exercises?

For what it's worth, I'm about 20lbs away from being within the acceptable BMI range.

Joint pain after treadmill usage

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:46:43 -0800

YANMD (or my personal trainer) but I need advice on a cardio workout that will help me lose weight and also not kill my joints. Difficulty: I am quite overweight...my BMI is just shy of 60 I have lost 50 lbs (yay me!) but still have a ways to go. To keep the momentum on my weight loss, my wife and I joined a gym this past weekend.

Living in a small town our gym options were limited and we settled for a Snap Fitness which has no 2 year contracts, is reasonably priced, and consists of a number of bikes, ellipticals, treadmills, and some nautilus-type weight equipment.

I am gunning for an hour workout a day, and as my goal is to build endurance and lose weight I'm focusing on cardio. My plan for these early days was 30 minutes on the bike and 30 minutes on the treadmill.

On Sunday, our first day working out, I did a bit over 30 minutes on the tradmill, my heart rate held around 140, and my average was just under 3MPH. I was happy with that result...it was a well paced walk, which is what I could handle at this point.

I quit after the treadmill, not moving on to the bike, because after stopping I realized I was in a lot of pain. It wasn't muscle pain, which is what I anticipated, but instead it was severe joint pain, focused in my ankle and my knee. My feet also ached.

I took some Advil and resolved to go back the next day, but the pain actually worsened the more time passed. It's now been over 48 hours and I'm still on a heavy Advil rotation and have not returned to work out as standard walking is quite painful at the moment.

(background: despite my weight I have no history of joint problems, and my feet do normally bother me if I walk a good distance of a couple miles, but never my ankles and knees like this).

I'm not sure if I should "push through the pain" and hop back on the treadmill, if I should just focus on the stationary bike for a while and do 60 minutes on the bike completely foregoing the treadmill, or if there is a better option.

Suggestions would be most appreciated.

Are kettlebells really a viable fitness regimen?

piedmont — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:47:21 -0800

Will a kettlebell regimen take me from 'skinny fat' to relatively in shape? I'm currently what's considered a healthy weight for my height, but there's hardly any muscle mass there. There was at one point, but two years of sitting on my duff at an office job have proved significantly less active than the construction and serving jobs I held prior to this. I've been running 12-15 miles a week, which has helped, though not much.
I'm not looking to get 'ripped' or anything, I just want to be able to do things like help friends move without embarrassing myself.

Looking at previous questions indicates that a kettlebell workout program might remedy this.
Would this be a somewhat quiet workout? I'm in an upstairs apartment, and work evenings, this is a must.
What weight should I start with? The websites I've found give conflicting info.
Where can I get setup on the cheap? Target wants $50 for a 20lb weight. This seems steep, though I could be wrong.

How do I optimize bio-availability and absorption of nutritional supplements?

jerwilkins — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:06:22 -0800

How do I optimize bio-availability and absorption of nutritional supplements? [(figure I'll cross-post this at ImmInst, but you guys are rather sharp so couldn't hurt to break in the new MetaFilter account :)] Question regarding bioavailability and absorption of supplements across a multi-factor spread Factors:
* Fasted state
* Positive nutrient interaction (e.g., take with fats, take with other compounds, take alone)
* Negative nutrient interaction (i.e., Don't take with X)
* Before/after weight training

Longevity supplement regimen:
* 500mg trans-resveratrol
* 3g EPA/DHA fish oil
* 1g Krill oil
* 4000 IU Vitamin D3
* Multivitamin (Biolife)

Fitness supplement regimen:
* Stinging Nettle Root
* Zinc Magnesium Calcium Complex
* Creatine monohydrate
* BCAAs

Anything off the top? Would love if there were a good wiki recommendation on nutraceutical optimization and interactions, but so far haven't found anything.

Make me fitter!

Petrot — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:57:11 -0800

Can I improve my cardiovascular fitness within 2 weeks, from an already fairly acceptable level? I am an intermittent runner, running about 30-40mins per session, but the sessions being maybe once a week, up to maybe 3 times a fortnight. My pace is generally 7-7.5mph.

In just over two weeks I have to perform a Multi-stage fitness test. (Up to level 10.2) I will be able to do it. But it needs to be done comfortably well. This I'm not so sure about.

In the next two weeks, can I raise my cardiovascular levels significantly?
Will I be able to do this by running almost every day? What is the best way to do this well, and safely?

I have read this previous AskMe about raising cardiovascular levels, but it deals with raising levels from very low in more than a fortnight.

Any advice is great appreciated!

Help me get bent

mippy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:24:19 -0800

I've started taking yoga classes through work, and am really enjoying it. What books and resources are recommended to help me continue after the sessions end? There seems to be so many out there... If it helps, the type of yoga I'm learning is sivananda (I think). I'm obviously a beginner and not enormously fit, but it would be great to have something I can do at home as well as in a class. Oh, I'm in the UK so I must be able to get hold of the books over here!

Fit to Snowboard

Foam Pants — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:15:11 -0800

I'm going to learn to snowboard this winter. I have at least a month to prepare. What sort of exercises and activities can I do to increase my fitness for this activity? I have access to a gym, skating rink, hiking, biking, etc., and a recently acquired snowboard that is sitting in my livingroom. From what I have read in past askmetafilter questions on somewhat similar topics, maybe I should start going to the skating rink. What do you think of yoga (which is an option)? Should I be trying to increase my aerobic fitness with some running? I have to admit, I am a bit of a chicken shit to try longboarding and there is no surfing.

Is Green Tea Good for You even when it's cold?

lynnie-the-pooh — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:09:17 -0800

I heard Green Tea is extremely good for you. If I drink it cold, will it give me the same benefits as hot green tea? I like the Snapple Green tea drink you can get in a glass bottle and you drink it cold. Thanks, Lynnie-the-pooh

Mild sickness, when must you rest and when is it okay to maintain normal activity?

JoannaC — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:33:32 -0800

Recovering from lingering sinus infection, when can I work out again? I am a teacher exposed to tons of germs on a regular basis, but I am pretty healthy. I get sick maybe once a year, and I am having it now. I had a small cold a few weeks ago, it seemed to clear up for a day or two, then it came back and my ears felt like they were under water. A few days later they started hurting. I went to a walk-in clinic and was diagnosed with a sinus infection. That was two weeks ago. I feel mostly okay, but my throat is still scratchy and my neck is still a little sore.

I am itching to get back to my fitness routine (I was rocking a Tae Bo rotation) but don't want to make things worse. I think the reason the cold escalated in the first place was because I didn't slow down and take proper care of myself. But it has been going on three weeks already, and I feel like if I wait until I am 100%, I will be waiting forever because I have asthma and these things tend to linger in me. And due to my job, I am just exposed to so much stuff. Surely, since I feel mostly okay, it's safe to start it up again? How do I know when I should be taking it easy so I don't make things worse and when it's okay to just carry on?

Spandex is not a right

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:25:51 -0800

Knee surgeries, spinal injuries and systemic arthritis. No heath insurance. This has stopped me from moving around very much. Now I'm Rubenesque. There's been a ton of advice on exercise, but none of it seems to be aimed towards the movement impaired. Yoga has been helpful for regaining some mobility, but isn't helping with weight loss. My diet has been designed by a nutritionist, and I stick to it...about 1200 calories a day, with allowances for desserts sometimes. It's not an "eat less, fatty" situation, so please, let's avoid that conversation.

What I need is direction towards some exercises for people who cannot run, sprint, jog, bounce up and down, lift their arms above their head, or do any of those other things that I used to be able to do. Any (non-pharmaceutical) suggestions for controlling pain from said exercise would be welcome.

I think once I lose about 50 pounds, the pressure will be off my knees and back, and more vigorous exercise will be possible, but how do I lose that 50 pounds without aerobic workouts?

i am fat and happy, and want to be less fat and more happy

radiosilents — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:58:01 -0800

lazy slacker who dislikes people wants to start home fitness routine. the wii and some "move your butt" titles are less money than, say, a nordic track, but... what's the best return on investment in in-home fitness equipment for the money?

i understand that motivation is the primary concern, and i think that not having to sweat in front of other people will resolve my lack of drive.

i'm not terribly overweight or terribly unfit, but i'm not exactly running marathons, either. i'm looking for an entry-level experience that will possibly inspire me to want to pursue further avenues.

a wii + some fitness titles w/ a balance board will run somewhere around the $350 range. the excercise equipment i've been looking at online (treadmills, recumbent bikes, the aforementioned nordic track) seems to start around $700 and go up rapidly from there. i also know that a step, some freeweights, and one of those giant ab balls would give me all the workout i need, too, if i knew how to properly use them all, but i'm also not sure rolling around with a giant ball is quite where i'm at yet (though i admit it looks intriguing).

what do you have in your house? how happy with the results have you been? how much did it cost? how long have you been using it?

i'm also interested in people who have integrated the wii into their fitness routines, and what impact they think it's had on their overall fitness. i've googled quite a bit and seen some of the opinions out there, but i'm always interested in what the hivemind thinks.

i see an awful lot of friends with expensive equipment that they use as a coat rack or "place to stack things". i'd like to avoid that, so i suppose a followup question would be what equipment would you NOT recommend? what failed you, let you down, didn't work as advertised?

The free market will cull the weak.

Weebot — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:24:13 -0800

I remember reading about some weightloss study where they explicitly paid people to lose weight on a per pound basis, to moderate success (I think they averaged just over 10 pounds lost among participants). That led me to wonder if there have been any studies done regarding jobs that require a certain level of physical fitness as a condition of employment, such as modeling, acting, dancing, sports, military service, etc. Anyone know of any? I'm really just interested in any research into how powerful that payment incentive is for people (considering things like "The Biggest Loser", I imagine the answer is that it's very powerful), as well as what negative behavioral effects it creates (steroid use and eating disorders come to mind). So then...is there any research to be had?

Fitness level for body fat scale

jclovebrew — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:30:29 -0800

My body fat measuring scale requires me to give it parameters: Age, Height, Gender, and Fitness Level (1, 2, or 3). What should I enter for fitness level? The instructions just say something like "enter your fitness level on a scale from 1 to 3". Does anyone have a similar product and have a rule of thumb for this?

Taking the outdoor stairs in Portland - where to go and what to do?

TomSophieIvy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:29:13 -0800

Portland exercise question: where are the good places to do stairs/stair work in the Rose City? What am I getting myself into? As part of my soon to be implemented exercise regimen I would like to do some stair work. Not necessarily like in a sports stadium but somewhere with a lot of steps and maybe some scenery as well. I live close in N/NE - I would assume most places would be around the West Hills, but maybe there are some not so well known places off my radar.

Bonus points for anyone who has suggestions about routines, etc. for doing stair work. Easy to overdo? Stretching beforehand? Workout versus running? Should I carry my wife on back while doing this? Footwear recommendations (because it seems like the footstrike is going to be much different than regular running)? Things to do with my arms? Thank you!

"Soft in some places, lumpy in others. It's ghoulish. You are a ghoul."

The Whelk — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:24:51 -0800

My Disgusting Body And You: For reasons I can't divulge, I will be appearing nude in public come November. What can I do in a month so I look my naked best? I don't have a gym and really can't afford one, and my time is going to be pretty tight for the first two weeks in October... 1- I'm a 25 year old 220 pound dude shaped like Judah Friedlander.

2- I kinda went to hell this summer for work and other reasons. I'm pale, my upper body strength is shot completely and my clothes are starting to rebel. My motivation to move around has been nil, hence doing the nude thing to force myself to do something.

3- I already eat pretty well, not a whole lot of processed food and lots of veggies. More than willing to cut out the big things like beer and bread and fried foods. My problem is that I'm never hungry. Ever. I eat maybe one meal a day. Everyone says you have to eat little meals to up your metabolism but I just can't force myself to eat that much.

4- As I said before, no gym, but a big empty floor and 2 ten pound weights. Also, cause of the money situation, I can't do classes or anything that costs money.

5- Anything else I should be doing Right Now to ensure I look Super Great Naked in a month? Start scrubbing off the foot calluses or full body moisturizing or what?

Teach me how to run

mazienh — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:13:45 -0800

I want to take up running. Thinking about training for a 5K as a goal to keep me motivated. Advice, alternate suggestions, tips? I am pretty much a couch potato and want to change that.

I have two small children, so joining a gym seems logistically difficult. Plus the machines intimidate me. We have a treadmill in our garage, and a safe neighborhood, so while I'm open to other suggestions, running seems an accessible and simple entry to a more fit self.

But I've never done it. I've read a bit about proper form, etc but want to know - if you're a runner, how did you start? Tips and advice (and encouragement!) greatly appreciated.

As I awoke one morning from a troubled dream, I found myself with winged feet.

Lieber Frau — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:20:43 -0800

Runningfilter: A minor miracle of transformation. I could barely run at all, but last night I ran 2 miles. Why might this have happened, and have you ever had a similar experience? In late April or early May, I started a run/walk couch to 5K program. As I progressed, I was repeatedly disappointed with my results and frustrated by setbacks. For some reason, I could not run for more than 6 minutes, tops, even after being on the program for several months. After 6 minutes, and more often, 4 minutes, my chest would feel like it was going to explode, and I would run out of breath. This continued happening no matter how many times I ran a week. In addition to that, I kept getting shin splints and the pain would keep me out of the program for days at a time. Finally, I said fuck it, gave up running, and joined Crunch.

That was in late July. Yesterday night, I wanted to work out but didn't want to go to the gym, so I decided to try running again. I stepped out the door and started jogging at a medium pace. Five minutes in, I realized I had been running for five minutes. "Hmm," I thought. "This is interesting. Last time I ran, I couldn't make it four minutes without a problem, but I just passed five, and I'm feeling fine." Ten minutes in, I thought the same thing. Fifteen minutes in, I was amazed. I thought "let's try and see if I can make it to 20". Twenty-five minutes later, I stopped running. Not because I felt bad, but because I didn't want to push my luck. I was not heaving and gasping for breath. In fact, I felt great. I checked when I got home, and I ran around two miles. And my shins felt fine.

I have never run a mile in my life. Not even in gym class. In high school, I weaseled my way out of the dreaded Mile. Knowing I was allergic to dandelions, I rubbed a big bouquet of them on my face and purposely suffered an asthma attack. (true story!) The last time I tried running, in July, I couldn't make it four minutes. I couldn't make it around the track at the park. And I would have gotten shin splints almost immediately.

What gives? It was like waking up and discovering I could fly. Two miles! I wasn't exhilarated til much later, after I stopped being confused. What could have possibly happened in those two months?

Here is my list of possible factors in this miraculous transformation:

1) I quit smoking (i was a light smoker, a pack every 2 weeks or so) in March of 2009. However, ten years ago when I did not smoke, I had similar shortness of breath when running, so I do not think smoking is the only issue. But, perhaps my lungs have repaired themselves more since July.

2) I suffer from allergies and I live with a cat who exacerbates them. In August, discovering that my lungs were working at a much diminished capacity, my allergist put me on Allegra and a nasal inhaler and I banished the cat from my bedroom. This has greatly improved my sleep (I used to wake up coughing every night). Perhaps this has helped my breathing.

3) I make it to the gym at least twice a week, sometimes three times, and when I'm really good, four. I have been for the last couple weeks training on an elliptical machine on a pretty grueling setting. Perhaps this was the conditioning that got me in good enough shape to run for over 20 minutes.

4) I have radically altered my diet to be pretty low cal. This started in late June if I remember correctly. For the most part, I only eat vegetables, yogurt, and low cal grains during the day, then a sensible dinner.

5) When I was running the Couch to 5K program, I obsessively checked my stopwatch and flicked from mp3 to mp3 on my iPhone. This time, I put on a nice long mixtape and didn't worry about time or changing tracks. I just settled into the rhythm of the run, and was startled when I happened to notice how long it had been. Perhaps I reduced the stress factor, and was able to relax and just run.

I can't wait to try and repeat this experiment. But I'm still baffled as to how I did it. Has anything like this ever happened to any of you before? Do you have any ideas how it might have happened to me?

Curious Yoga Novice Seeks Guidance

EatTheWeak — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:55:21 -0800

Tips, advice, recommendations, insight, cautions, suggestions and matters unforeseen concerning the addition of yoga to my fitness regimen. I'm considering adding yoga to my weekly exercises. I know very little about the practice, but what I've come to understand about it makes it sound quite appealing indeed. From what I've heard, yoga can help one build strength, burn fat, build flexibility, ease joint pain, ease anxiety and stress and is, on the whole, a tremendous benefit to one's overall health.

However, what I don't know about yoga could fill a stadium. I've come to understand that yoga is practiced in several variations and sub-variations, some of these variations call for special equipment, that there are mats and appropriate clothing to consider, that there are a dizzying number of books, websites and videos available, and, well, it's all more than a little overwhelming. I was hoping the hivemind could help me find the ideal way to add yoga to my fitness regimen.

I am a thirty-year-old male at an average level of fitness. I do, however, struggle a bit with some stiffness and inflexibility in my hips and lower back. My current workout routine includes a lot of compound-movement weight training and resistance band exercises, favoring work on large muscle groups rather than bodybuilder-style muscle pinpointing. I ride my bike everywhere and, starting in October, plan to also add lap-swimming to my routine. The weights happen 3-4 times a week and the cycling is just about daily.

My overall fitness goals are the building of muscle, the burning of fat, increasing overall energy and the suppression of sedentary hazards such as depression and anxiety. My goals for adding yoga, aside from those just mentioned and, assuming I understand its potential benefits correctly, would be to drastically improve my flexibility and balance as well as control sundry aches and pains.

What I would like to know from you, AskMe, is how shall I set about as a yoga beginner? Is it best to dive right into a formal class, or to first learn some basics so I'm not the stiff, unbalanced buffoon tipping over in the back of the studio? Which yoga variant is best-suited to my goals? What clothing and equipment will I require? What books, websites and videos do you recommend? What qualities distinguish the best yoga instructors, groups and studios? Is yoga compatible with my current routine and exercise schedule - if not, what needs adjusting? And what do you wish you would have known when you first made yoga a part of your life?

Thank you very much for your help.

I want to start dancing...

lemonade — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:35:24 -0800

I want to start dancing---just for me, for stress relief and mood enhancement and flexibility. Recommend some DVDs to teach me routines and give me ideas for my own? I found these two dancing-yoga videos on you-tube, and I love that idea -- while I could eventually (laboriously) copy their routines...are there DVDs out there that teach routines like this? I have been doing yoga for a long time, so I'm sure this is within my capability.

And how about your favorite DVDs for dance routines in general--belly dancing, latin, hip-hop?

I found this thread and plan to try the videos, but please give me more -- I'm not necessarily looking for good cardio here, just some fun.

How do I tell the difference between being overweight and impatient, and exercise-induced asthma?

Jaie — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:56:11 -0800

Joined a gym a few months ago. We often jog 400m as a warm-up. I say "we" but in actual fact I can't do it. About halfway through I lose all ability to breathe properly - I think I may be taking very shallow breaths, but it's hard for me to tell exactly what happens. I feel like I can't get enough air, there's a lot of breathy noises, and I get hot as blazes. I ran pretty consistently a few years ago, but always indoors - the one time I tried running outdoors was a complete failure.

Did a little research on exercise-induced asthma today. Yes, I have pre-existing allergies and eczema, live in an urban area and workout outdoors, all of which fits for asthma. Oh, and my live-in boyfriend smokes, although only outside. But I'm also late 30s and probably 50 pounds over my ideal weight. (Not that I am completely out of shape, having taken 3 or 4 bellydance classes a week for a year or two.)

The trainers at the gym think I should just be patient, but they aren't outside with me to hear what I think of as wheezing (but which may only be loud breathing).

My question to you: I know YANMyD, but if you were, should I come see you? Or should I give it more time? And if it only happens when I run outside, how is a doctor going to diagnose it anyway?

Another type of pull down

parmanparman — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:04:33 -0800

Men: I really need your cross-training workout clothing recommendations. I have started spending about 2-3 hours a day in the gym in my quixotic quest to eat chocolate again and the ride-up factor in my polyester shorts is becoming a major burden. Shirts, shorts, other equipment that will make long hours at the gym pleasant and comfortable are gratefully accepted. Please: no fitness tips!