Ask the Patch Pro: Answering Fitness Questions
Our panel of experts are waiting in the comments to answer all your questions about fitness in the latest installment of Ask the Patch Pro.
Let's talk about fitness.
Everyone wants to get, or stay in shape, but many people have questions about just how to go about doing that. We want to help.
In our newest edition of "Ask the Patch Pro" we want to find the answers to all sorts of fitness questions. How do I make time to work out? What workouts can I do in just 30 minutes? What's a good diet plan? How can I work out at home?
We at Patch don't have the answers to those (and your) questions, but not to worry. We've compiled a crack team of experts to help us out. Meet the experts:
- Kristin Porlier: Maximized living doctor
- Tracy: Mother who has lost 60 pounds
- Lori Stock: Chiropractor
- Kristen: A certified fitness professional
- Carrie E: Exerciser and dieter
Got a question? Ask below!
Carrie E.
8:40 am on Thursday, August 9, 2012
Sometimes having an hour or more to workout is tough. I found a great tool on YouTube to help me with shorter, high burn workouts I can do at home. My favorite is ZWOW (Zuzana Light). She has several condensed workouts that are easy to follow along, plus she has a very motivating personality. The best part is it's free!
Tamara Duncan
8:49 am on Thursday, August 9, 2012
For a while, we dieters were told that "grazing" all day, or at least planning healthy snacks regularly between meals was good -- it was supposed to keep the metabolism revved up. Now I heard recently that some professionals are saying that the old-fashioned three square meals a day is best. The advice seems to change every day! How do you know what's best?
Carrie E.
9:23 am on Thursday, August 9, 2012
Tamara, I've tried both and for me it worked best to eat 5-6 times a day (3 meals and 2-3 small snacks). Meals being around 400-500 calories each and snacks around 100 calories. My personal experience has been that it isn't so much the number of times you eat as it is the amount and types of food. I highly, HIGHLY recommend keeping a food diary. I use My Plate at Livestrong.com. I type in what food I ate and it keeps track of the nutritional information for me. It is important to know how many calories you're consuming versus how many calories you are burning. You must create a deficit of calories in order to lose weight.
Joe Barker
9:08 am on Thursday, August 9, 2012
How important is a routine? Sometimes I have more free time during the morning (weekends) other times at night (during the week). Should I just stick with working out at night, or is it OK to go at random times?
Carrie E.
9:22 am on Thursday, August 9, 2012
Most experts will tell you that the best time to work out is first thing in the morning. My schedule doesn't accommodate that theory so I workout in the evenings after work during the week and mid-mornings on the weekend. It has worked well for me. I don't think a rigid schedule is important. I think consistency in making time daily is the key. As long as you are finding time each day (regardless of whether it is an hour or 15-30 minutes) is most important. Just get your workout in, don't stress about it being at a certain time.
Nicole Gattas
10:10 pm on Thursday, August 9, 2012
Do you feel warm ups and cool downs are necessary? If I only have 30 minutes, I want to get right to it to maximize my time.
Carrie E.
7:13 am on Friday, August 10, 2012
Warm ups are crucial to prevent injury. If you only have 30 minutes I suggest a 10 minute warm-up. Jumping rope is an excellent way to warm up all of your muscle groups. Old school jumping jacks work well. The good part about these types of warm ups is that they get your heart pumping which gets your metabolism burning. Some other great warm up exercises are burpees, up-downs, squats, or jumping lunges. I personally don't recommend jogging as a warm up if you are short on time. It is a good exercise but you don't get the maximized results that you do with the exercises I mentioned.
Carrie E.
7:21 am on Friday, August 10, 2012
@Nicole - I'm sorry, I didn't address cool-downs. Here's my two cents. Your heart rate is going to return to its resting state on its own. In my opinion it doesn't really need you to slow down your work out to accomplish that. I will say this though, if your workout consisted heavily of muscle training or if you performed your reps to exhaustion, make sure you stretch those muscles afterward. On a 30 minute work out you probably only need a couple minutes to do that. If you prefer not to eat into your available time with stretching, just make sure you take some time later in the day, maybe before you go to bed. Stretching helps lengthen your muscles which will lead to a leaner stronger muscle as it recovers from your workout.