Ask The Expert - September 2008

Welcome to the Ask the Expert Archive for September 2008. Please feel free to browse through all the questions that have been asked by our customers and answered within this month. Remember if you have a question, click here and ask the Team. We welcome any questions related to Mens Health and Supplements, and you can be sure that if we don’t know the answer we will research it for you and e-mail over as soon as we can.

Q. I have been told that drinking milk before my games is not healthy. Is this true?

A. Unless you are lactose intolerant, there is no good reason not to drink milk. It is a great source for carbohydrates and protein. I% or skim milk even has little or no fat making it even healthier. Having your milk or yoghurt up to 2 hours before a competitive event will help you boost your blood sugar. The protein will kick in with additional fuel later.

Q. I am very interested in Creatine supplements. Will creatine supplements help all athletes?

A. Creatine supplements might not help all athletes. However, if you were training to gain speed, strength, and muscle mass, creatine would be great for you. If you are an athlete with low natural levels of creatine, then creatine will be necessary for you.

Q. Hi, Miracles for men. I can become a deeply depressed individual and was wondering if running and weight training can help me take care of my depression. My doctor keeps insisting that I should take up some physical activity but I do not know how to start. Do you have any ideas on how I can do that?

A. It is good to see that you are at least able to realise that you need to do something about your depression. That is the first step. It is true that consistent physical activity does help people reduce any anxiety or depression.

Though running is great, you should be more concerned with consistent day-to-day activity. You should look for alternatives to running. For example on Monday walk for 30 minutes, on Tuesday run for 30 minutes, on Wednesday you can do stretch exercises and then do 30 minutes of weight training on Thursday. The idea is to be consistent and do the exercises at the same time.

To keep you from keeping bored, do the exercises in a pleasant environment and be more concerned with enjoying yourself rather than your heart rate or speeds.

Keep your training goals modest and recognise any improvements you make. Always reward yourself for reaching your goals and you will be well on your way to a happier you.

Q. I just love running and every since I took it up, I feel better and more relaxed. However, I am worried about my running style. I think I am always bobbing up and down and do not feel very comfortable with my running style. How can I improve my running style?

A. Miracles for Men are very glad that you feel better after exercising. It is true that consistent exercise will make anyone feel better and less depressed.

As for your running style, you should first make sure that you feel comfortable and economical when you are running. There are very many running styles but you should find the one that makes you feel most comfortable.

Try hill running. Running up a hill is used by top athletes to improve their knee lift and use of arms. It is also very good for your heart. Run tall with your head upright and hips tucked directly under your torso. Run with short strides without leaning forward. Hill running will greatly improve your form.

Keep your forearms at 90 degrees to your upper arms and parallel to the ground. Keep the arms close to your body and do not cross them in front of your belly button. With your thumbs tucked lightly in your index fingers and your palms facing each other, run tall and relaxed and do not worry about your bobbing. You might actually not be bobbing as long as your body feels relaxed while running.

Q. How can I know that I am improving in my training? I seem to run and weight train a lot but I do not know if I am doing better or worse.

A. The simple answer to this is keeping a goal. Training is a life changing experience and just like any other life projects that you do, you will need to have goals to measure your success.

First thing to do is to write down a very precise goal. Make sure you write it down. A goal that is written down motivates you to perform. A goal that is precise is actually more achievable than an ambiguous one. For example, compare the goal “I want to lose weight “to “My goal is to lose 10kgs in 2 months”. The second goal will lead to more action.

Keep your goals simple and to the point. Do not bother with goals that even excellent athletes have a problem achieving. There is nothing wrong with telling your spouse or friends about your goal. They are likely to push you to achieve it.

Q. Running is great but what tips does Miracles for Men have to improve my hill work? It can get a bit depressing trying to run hills.

A. We understand that running hills is not the simplest thing anyone can do. However, if you are going to improve on your training, hill running is essential. Have you tried running hills with your friends? Hills can be very lonely but a few friends or a running club can motivate you to do it.

To make hills less frightening, take walk breaks in your hill run. Try walking the hill the first few times and slowly add running to your program. After a few walks up a hill, you will be more motivated to run them. At the top of the hill, introduce a spurt of speed.

Look for hills deliberately. Hill running is usually a mental exercise. If you search for the hill deliberately, you will be less fearful. Run in short equal paces and look about 20 to 30 feet away. Remember every step you take is a step closer to the top of the hill.

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