Q. I’m a very fit and active 57-year-old – I still enjoy running and do the odd half-marathon. The only problem is I suffer from pain around the sides and back of my knees. That’s easily manageable, but is it time for me to swap running for something more sedate?
A. There are arguments for both sides. Firstly, I believe it’s worth taking some time to consider what makes us happy and unhappy in life. If you love running and can accept that it might lead to faster degradation of a pre-existing condition, but are prepared to put up with that because of the joy you get from it, then by all means run.
On the other hand, it’s important to remember that a pre-existing condition will not get better – and will only get worse from running.
Knee conditions and injuries can be managed, but this takes an enormous amount of input
As a result, this may limit your ability to move without pain in five, ten or 15 years’ time.
Knee conditions and injuries can be managed, but this takes an enormous amount of input.
Something that could be of great benefit is a foam roller. Regular stretching and physio will also help ensure that any long-term problems can be kept in check.
But remember: if your movement is impaired in any way while running, or the day after, then you must stop. It’s then time to focus harder on the massage and physio side of things and to switch to another cardio exercise – until the pain has gone when you try to run again.
Q. I’ve heard the best way to shed pounds is to do weights, not cardio. But I have no idea how to start. Which weights should I buy? I’m a 40-year-old, 11-stone female.
A. The long-held conventional thinking about weight loss was very much geared around using cardiovascular exercise, such as running and aerobics, to burn calories. The theory was that you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb of body fat.
However, we now know the most successful way to lose weight is to turn your body into a machine that’s constantly burning calories, whether you’re moving or not. So, where does weight-training fit in? Lifting weights or using resistance (your own body weight as a weight, for example in Pilates) engages many more of your muscle fibres than cardiovascular activity.
I suggest women generally start with a set of two 3-5kg dumbbells and men with a set of two 10-12kg weights
Overloading the muscles makes them slightly damaged – and when the body repairs them, they become stronger.
Many women are scared of weight-training as they fear they will become ‘bulked up’. This rarely happens, and it’s vital for women over 40 to do some form of weight-training as well as cardio.
If you are starting out, then there are a few key things to remember. First, always warm up. A few minutes on a bike or another piece of cardio equipment will get your blood pumping. A good rule is to break a light sweat.
I suggest women generally start with a set of two 3-5kg dumbbells and men with a set of two 10-12kg weights.
There are many online videos that can show you useful routines, and a number of gym classes, such as circuits and body pump, involve weights. Make sure you keep doing cardio too, though. While weight-training increases your potential to burn, cardiovascular training actually uses that potential to burn calories more quickly.
Royal ballet a good start for George
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince George pictured together on his first day of school
Our future King will soon be donning his ballet shoes and pirouetting around to a live pianist, it emerged last week.
Thomas’s, the £17,000-a-year school where Prince George started on Thursday, says ballet is a compulsory part of the curriculum for children up to the age of seven.
And rightly so – ballet is an excellent discipline that we can all benefit from. Forget Billy Elliot and fluffy tu-tus – think improved hand-eye co-ordination, better spatial awareness, and strong core muscles, hips and thighs.
Many gym chains now offer barre classes, which is most likely what George will be doing. I think it’s a great idea.
Standing desks – feted as must-haves for sedentary office workers – may not be the cure-all we thought.
A Canadian study claims workers who stand all day are more prone to heart disease and vein and back problems.
The vein aspect might be true, but overall this sounds like nonsense. Standing boosts the circulation and, in turn, energy levels. Yes, if you stand completely still, a small amount of pressure might be created in the veins, but nobody does that.
What seems to have been forgotten is that jobs involving standing tend to be worse paid, and that people in lower socio-economic groups often have a poorer diet, smoke and are more likely to be obese – all things that lead to a host of health problems.
The price of supersizing your takeaway? An early grave
Do you always ‘go large’? If so, the old adage of ‘a moment on the lips and a lifetime on the hips’ might be truer than you think.
So-called ‘upselling’ – the term used to describe the way fast- food chains, coffee shops and restaurants offer or even encourage us to buy bigger portions – is feeding the nation’s obesity crisis, experts warned last week.
The Royal Society for Public Health says this ‘drip-drip’ effect leads to us consuming an extra 17,000 calories – and potentially gaining 5 lb over a year.
So-called ‘upselling’ is feeding the nation’s obesity crisis, experts warned last week
Few of us realise just how hard it is to burn off calories. It usually involves a lot more effort than we think.
For example, opting for a large rather than a small portion of fries could add 250 calories to your meal – and would take about 40 minutes of running to burn off.
A large Starbucks latte with semi-skimmed milk is 248 calories, whereas if you choose a small cup it’s only 143 – and those few extra sips will take you about 20 minutes to run off.
Maybe, rather than just taxing sugar, we should be making standard sizes smaller before we eat ourselves into an early grave.
Seeking promotion? Do half an hour of yoga, we were told last week. Just 25 minutes of stretching and mindfulness not only makes us more ambitious but boosts brain function, emotional control and energy levels, it’s said. And I agree.
I’m such a firm believer in meditation and mindfulness that I run a session every weekend for my staff and practise it twice a week myself. It won’t make all the stresses of life disappear, but it can make them easier to deal with. Yoga and/or meditation gives you time to be calm, and a chance to slow down and stretch. This lowers stress levels, which can only be good.