225 Fitness Adviser

Nickie Jordan operates Recfit, a business that includes personal training, motivational speaking and corporate wellness consulting. Look for Nickie and Recfit on Facebook. For further tips check out her “fitness tips” section on hollyclegg.com, visit her website, nickiejordan.com, and look for her column in regular issues of 225. Send your questions for Nickie to [email protected].

Q. “Any tips for keeping joints and muscles safe as a beginner runner? Last few weeks have been a blur of C25K & Epsom.”
–@DixieLustBlog, via Twitter
A.Thank you for the great question. Yes, there are many ways to protect those muscles and joints. First, make sure you have proper running shoes for training, use those shoes specifically for running, and remember to replace them when they start to break down. You want the proper fit and model for your running style.

A 5K (3.1 miles) is actually a pretty fast race, so I assume you are doing some speed work in your training. After some of your more intense workouts you can do some ice massage if you feel like some muscle tearing has occurred. Take some small Dixie cups, fill them with water, and freeze them. You can tear away the top of the cup, exposing about an inch of ice, and use the exposed ice to do a deep massage on your sore muscles. This will help to reduce that acute inflammation.

Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen can help with inflamed tissue, and you can use Mineral Ice or capsaicin creams for some of the more chronic aches. It looks like you are already familiar with Epsom soaks.

Take a proactive approach and eat healthy foods that help fight inflammation. Our local best-selling food writer, Holly Clegg, has a great cookbook for arthritis (Eating Well to Fight Arthritis). I’m not suggesting you have arthritis, but if you are getting sore, you are probably experiencing some form of inflammation. Eat foods that will help combat inflammation naturally, such as fatty fish, whole grains, dark leafy greens, nuts, soy, low-fat dairy, peppers, tomatoes, beets, ginger, turmeric, garlic, onions, olive oil, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and tart cherries. Obviously there are more, but this gives you an idea of the wide range of foods that can help combat inflammation.

The most important tip of all, though, is make sure you are training your whole body in a logical progression–and in every angle. Do cross training, including some weight training–for example, leg extensions in a couple of different angles can help to protect your knees; some stretching and ankle work will help protect your ankles. Walk on the outside of your feet for 10-15 steps out and back, then walk on the inside, on tippy toes and on your heels, 10-15 reps up to three sets.

For your hips do some cross over stretches. Stand with feet crossed and bend to the opposite side of the crossed leg.

Watch Nickie demonstrate this answer in the video below!

Q. “I’m 57 years old, and in the last nine months I have put on 7-8 lbs. in my midsection. Why? I have not changed any of my life habits. Diet, meds and exercise have stayed the same … why is this happening and what can I do about it? I am so frustrated!!”
–Susan Wilkins
A.Susan, I am sure it is quite frustrating for you! The bad news is, I cant give you an exact reason why, but I can give you some suggestions for how to potentially deal with it.

First of all if “nothing has changed,” that could be part of the problem … it may be time to change a few things. Tweak your diet and your exercise; your medications may also need to be reassessed, so talk to your doctor if you think they are contributing to your weight gain.

Add some new moves to your exercise routine–perhaps more intervals and low-impact cardio, add more stairs, park further away in parking lots … little changes can add up.

As far as your food, keep a food and drink diary for three days. Record all food and liquid intake. This will allow you to see if you are really aware of what is going into your body and when. Research shows that when you record what you eat, you eat a much healthier diet. What do you have to lose? Oh, I know–those extra 7-8 lbs.! You may be eating more than you are aware of, or the wrong foods. Good luck!

Note: These answers are informational only. Always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.