Ask the MisFits

He's a veteran reporter, digging up the latest fitness news. She's an irreverent columnist with a knack for getting people off the couch and into the gym. Together, they're here to handle your worst work-out dilemmas and exercise questions.

Vicky Hallett and Howard Schneider are the MisFits, The Post's fitness writers. Howard was online Tuesday, May 20 to take questions.

The transcript follows

Discussion Archive.

MisFits Archive.

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Howard Schneider: Morning everyone...Lots to chew on this week...For anyone who was in Fredericksburg over the weekend, I'm sure you'll agree that the first Marine Corp Half Marathon went well -- smoothly organized and great entertainment along the route...I especially liked the woman in colonial dress ringing a big iron triangle. Inspiring...I finished in just over two hours, which I am sure will draw scorn if our elite runner is out there lurking, but it was ahead of the goal pace I had set for myself so that felt good...

This week's column talks about the new home fitness test that the President's Council on Physical Fitness released last week...Anybody taken it yet? Did you manage to beat Denise Austin's score?

And of course plenty to talk about in the Post's series this week on childhood obesity...

So fire away. I am flying solo this week (Vicky's on vacation). So apologies in advance if the answers roll out more slowly...

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Reston, Va.: Hi,

I'm a 24-year-old female, 5-5, 128 pounds. I walk an hour (to work) 5x a week, and do an additional hour of cardio plus weights 4-5x a week. I also generally eat about 1,200 calories/day. However, my waist is 36 inches, and I can't seem to lose it! I know this is unhealthy, so what am I doing wrong here? All my working out only seems to make me lose weight from other areas, which emphasizes my large waist even more. PLEASE HELP!

Howard Schneider: Morning Reston...Well the good news is your heart is no doubt in pretty good shape and your BMI is smack in the middle of the health range...The waist is a bit above the 34 inch guidline (40 inches for men)that has been associated with increased health risks...

Keep in mind that all of these guidelines and averages are just that -- overall recommendations that may apply more or less to given individuals. Body Mass Index, for example, is notoriously inaccurate for people who have built a lot of muscle. In your case, is the extra size in your waist from fat, or is that just your body's architecture? You might want to have your body fat checked before you get too upset because your weight overall and your workout routine sure seem pretty good...

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Washington, D.C.: Whats the deal with calorie counters on exercise equipment...are they accurate? If I do 30 minutess on the elliptical at my gym it tells me I burned 500 calories and I don't feel particularly gassed. Then I do 30 minutes on the exercise bike, feel completely wiped out and its counter tells me I've burned only 210 calories. Ditto for the treadmill, I feel like I'm working harder but the counter tells me I'm burning fewer calories. So how accurate are these things? Should I depend on them, or let my body tell me how hard I'm working?

Howard Schneider: Morning...A couple of points to address:

A)All of these pieces of equipment use different sets of muscles, so depending on the conditioning of those muscles you are going to feel like you're working more/or less intensely...Most standard exercise bikes tend to really focus on the quads, for example, so it is easy to feel like you are working overly hard because that muscle is being driven to the exclusion of others(as opposed to spin bikes,which are better designed to spread the work)...But in fact, you are burning fewer calories because less of your body is involved.

B)The calorie counters are based on population averages...The closer (further) you are to the norms, the more (less)accurate they will be...The error will fall within a range, but if this is something you want to track closely best idea is to invest in a heart rate monitor...

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Arlington, Va.: Hi there! Can you tell me if the concept of splitting your 60 minutes a day of cardio into two sessions really is effective? They say it takes 30 minutes for your body to even begin to tap into your fat stores. So how can 2 30 min sessions be effective? I ask because, I love to work out, but find it hard to take too long of a lunch break. So, I thought if I worked out for 30 at lunch and 30 after work, that'd be just as good, but am worried it won't help with weight loss. THANKS!

Howard Schneider: Morning Arlington...The latest guidance from groups like the American Council on Sports Medicine is that the benefits of exercise do accumulate from session to session through the day, as long as the session is at least about ten minutes long. So in theory two thirty minute sessions should give you about the same outcome as a sixty minute session...Your body is always using a mix of energy sources, fat being one of them...There is not a magic switch at thirty minutes which turns that on. It takes a few minutes for the aerobic system to warm up, but nothing close to half an hour....

One caveat to the above that I can think of: if you limit all your workouts to thirty minutes, you'll kind of limit your endurance gains...Maybe some longer sessions on the weekend?

Also, thirty minute sessions are great for interval workouts -- hard, short bursts of effort -- which really promote the weight loss...

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Washington, D.C.: Hi -- I hurt my knee somehow, probably while running, and now I need to figure out a more mixed-up cardio workout. I have some exercise videos and I think I might order more (any suggestions would be great!). I don't want to join a gym all that much. I just wonder if there is any other cardio that gives you the same workout as running? I never feel like these exercise videos really work me out like running does. But I need to save my knees! Thanks.

Howard Schneider: What was the injury? What'd the doc say? Are you out of running for good or just temprarily?

Overall, there's no reason to move indoors...This area has a great network of bike trails and a great biking community. I have met several people who took up the sport because of back/knee/other problems they sustained doing other types of exercise...Biking is a great workout -- and as you get stronger will match much of what you accomplish by running (there's a good debate here, however, about the healthy/hurtful effects of joint impact...)

And don't forget swimming -- public pool season is about to ramp up, and if you don't want to join a gym you might find a neigbhorhood club...

Also, as Vicky likes to point out, rowing -- either in a machine or in an actual BOAT!!! -- is a great workout that is easier on the knees....

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Upstate N.Y.: Hi. I was just wondering what your thoughts are on the new WiiFit. Can it compare to outdoor exercise, exercise at a gym, or even that which one would get doing "Dance Dance Revolution"?

Howard Schneider: I wrote about this a few months back. As an alternative to the couch, sure. Among senior citizens being encouraged to move at all, sure.

Can it compare to being outside, where our bodies are designed to function? No. Can it compare to a gym, where you can actually punch a punching bag or lift a weight, or carry your weight on your legs, no.

It's a diversion and probably great for rehab purposes, but your muscles and ligaments and joints are not going to get the same benefit from swinging at nothing...

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Winter Park, FL: Where can one go to get body fat tested? I've heard the calipers are the best, but my gym only uses a hand-held computer system. I'd rather not deal with going to the doctor and paying a co-pay.

Thoughts?

Howard Schneider: Look around for a sports medicine/training clinic or a nutritionist...You may have to pay but it won't be as expensive as a doctor's visit...We wrote about body fat testing equipment a couple of weeks ago. In general, all of these methods have a certain error involved (including the calipers)...The value of the test is in seeing trends. If your gym has a handheld machine it may (or may not) be close to your actual body fat, but it will give you a number to watch over time to track your progress...In fact, it may be better just to use that since you can easily get repeat readings over time, which is really what's important for trending...

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Back to the stinky clothing question...: I am contemplating going directly to work from the gym in the morning, however, the one thing holding this up is my sweaty gym clothes. I sweat a ton when I workout and I'm worried that stuffing my sweaty gym clothes into a little plastic bag for 8-10 hours will cause all kinds of problems. Any ideas/advice for dealing with something like this? I would hate to have to throw away gym clothes because they get all moldy/stanky from sitting wet in my gym bag all day.

Howard Schneider: Open to audience advice on this one, but I would not think a few hours in a bag is going to ruin your clothes...I found one reference that said mold spores will not germinate until about 12 hours...Might try keeping a bit of vinegar in the bag...Just dont open it for you co-workers at the end of the day...

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NY, NY: Good morning.

I'm working my way down from 301 pounds -- down to about 250 now. I have access to various machines - a stationary bike, a treadmill, an elliptical machine, a stairmaster, and a universal gym. I can also walk several miles each day.

Lately, both my weight loss and improvements in general fitness have plateaued. Do you have any ideas on how to get them started again? How many calories should I have each day? Thanks.

Howard Schneider: That's great progress, New York -- congratulations...

Plateaus are common -- everybody hits them. They occur because your body has become conditioned to particular exercises at a particular intensity. The solution: mix it up and pick some new activities (that's the fun part), and prepare to work harder (not so fun)...In essence, you need to convince your metabolism that you're now taking another step foward -- and it needs to adapt again...

Over the past year I feel like I went through two pretty distinct phases: The first was very machine focused, and, in retrospect, feel like it sort of reestablished some basic aerobic fitness. But the weight loss did stall. What pushed it along again was moving to body weight activity --- running in favor of the elliptical, for example, and running outside in favor of the treadmill...Actual biking versus the stationary...So, for example, if you are already walking, try to incorporate some short bouts of running, then over time lengthen them out...

As to the calories, are you talking about calories you are eating or an exercise goal? The key there is just to balance -- keep what you consume a few hundreds beneath what you are using. DONT starve yourself -- if you are really exercising hard, you need to keep yourself fueled...The weight will come off over time...

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For Reston, VA: Reston, VA -- If your height/weight and caloric intake are accurate AND you overtrain as much as you do (Weights 4 - 5 times per week?!, Cardio two hours a day?!), you are severely undernourished. Your body may even be in starvation mode, which may explain your abdominal bloating. Get thee to a nutritionist (or a doctor) -- STAT!

Howard Schneider: This is in response to our earlier poster who was worried about her waistline...

Brings in another perspective -- i.e., it is possible to overdo things...

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massages!!: Hey Misfits! I'm an extremely active person and workout A LOT. Over the weekend I got a deep tissue massage that left me feeling amazing! I feel so much looser and way more energized, not to mention how relaxing it was. I know there are lots of benefits to massage, but the prices are a bit steep for me to get one as often as I'd like. I was wondering if you (or any of the chatters) knew of any resources where I could find a good deal for massages? The one over the weekend ran me about $140 total. I'd like to keep getting them on a semi-regular basis so that I can reap the benefits instead of having them every once in a blue moon. Thanks!!

Howard Schneider: I'll toss this one out to the crowd. I guess the secret is the "deep tissue" part and which spas or clinics do that...As a test I just called Sport and Spine Rehab, which has several clinics in the region. Their Fairfax branch charges 90 bucks for an hour or 50 bucks for thirty minutes, and the receiptionist said she thinks the prices are even a bit lower in Maryland...So there are better deals out there...Anyone know of options?

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Laurel, Md.: Can you recommend a good heart rate monitor? I think I want to get one, but just shopping around on Amazon, none of them say "counts calories". Does it have to have a chest strap?

Howard Schneider: I have been using the Polar F11 for about a year now and been happy with it...They should all have a calorie counter (have you gone to the "specifications" link on Amazon; that usually provides more detail)...The chest strap is the norm, but some are now using fingertip devices that measure from there...I have had no experience with them and have not read any reviews...

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Anonymous: I am 56-years-old and have not had a regular exercise routine. I live way out in the country and going to a gym is not a feasible things for a regular routine. Can you suggest the best way to get started. Should I seek the help of a trainer? Are there good sites to evaluate your current fitness? Are there good Web sites with a list of exercises or routines? Thanks. I don't even know how to get started.

Howard Schneider: No reason you can't get things done at home...How are the roads in your area? Would you be comfortable running or biking on them? If you want to stay indoors, you could invest in a few pieces of equipment -- some dumbbells, a medicine ball, a Swiss ball -- and find plenty of workouts online. There are plenty of books and videos to guide you as well...And if you can afford a few sessions with a trainer -- and have one willing to do house calls -- better yet. You'll learn a lot about how to structure your own workouts...

As to getting started: think of something you want to try to do -- run, bike, swim, dance, etc. -- then start teaching yourself how to do it in a systematic way that you find challenging...

For evaluating fitness, the presidents council on physical fitness just released a home test, which you can find at www.adultfitnesstest.com

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Re: Massage on the cheap: For the person looking for a cheaper massage, look up a massage school in the area. I know of one in Arlington - you can't guarantee who will work on you (and it's all massage students), but the prices can't be beat (I think $20/hour, if I remember correctly). I'm sure there are others in the area you can check out. Just something to consider.

Howard Schneider: Advice from the field....

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Washington, DC: I think that there's a massage school in upper NW (Potomac something...) that offers reduced-price massages by their students.

Howard Schneider: And again...

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Washington, D.C.: I recently took up running and rather enjoy it. I typically run 40 minutes or about 3 miles. Should I be doing the interval workouts for less time? I wouldn't mind losing weight but I think I've taken to the running more for the time to decompress and let my thoughts wander.

Howard Schneider: Depends on if you want to run faster or not...That's a goal you'll have to decide on for yourself. A forty minute run is great for general health...If you want to work harder, intervals are good and have been shown to aid weight loss and boost your aerobic capacity. If you want to learn to run faster then you'll want to include what are called tempo workouts -- time goals interspersed in your usual workout...You are currently running about 12:20 miles...So in your case maybe after warming up try to do a half mile in 5:45...Then run easy for the same amount of time...Then another half mile at the faster pace...Over time, you'll find yourself able to sustain that faster pace for longer periods of time...

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DC: I just read an article that discouraged weight lifting for the purpose of gaining muscle to increase resting calorie burning.

Any thoughts?

Howard Schneider: Discouraged because....There is a debate about how much increase in resting metabolism you can actually hope for by increasing muscle. The discussion revovles around the next difference in calories burned by muscle versus fat. The pound for pound difference is not that great (a few percent)...And since fat also requires calories to sustain it, losing a large amount of weight might actually decrease your resting metabolic rate (the amount of calories required to sustain yourself...)

But there are plenty of other reasons to lift weights, and even if the contribution to resting metabolic rate is small it is still a consideration...

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Howard Schneider: Running out of time here....Sorry we did not get to everbody...Hope you'll all try out the new fitness test...And be sure to tune in next week...

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