Q&A: Questions and Answers

What did you do to heal your knees without surgery?
Stacey W. Palm Desert, Ca.

I had been running between twenty and twenty-five miles a week when my left knee started to swell up and cause me pain. For a while I just wrapped it, kept running and iced it afterwards. Before too long even walking on the treadmill was beginning to hurt. I saw several different doctors who all told me to stop running. Friends who weren’t runners also told me to stop running. If you’re a runner, you know there’s no other feeling like the runners ‘high’.....So I thought. One of the doctors suggested that I start riding a bicycle. My first ride was only eleven miles, but there was no pain in my knees. I also started specific weight training exercises to strengthen the muscles around my knees. A couple of years later I tried running, just to see if I could, and I ran two miles with NO pain at all. I’m still running....and cycling....and hiking....along with other exercises.......all without knee pain or surgery.
Nickie

Wasn’t it rather drastic, to go from a size12 to a size 4? Do you think every woman should be a size 4? With all the pressures on young woman to be thinner aren’t you perpetuating that myth?
Carrie P. Palm Springs, Ca.

Absolutely not! My goal was not to get into a size 4. All I knew is that at the age of thirty-eight I was in a size 12, having knee problems, feeling old, fat and ugly and overall my self-esteem was below zero. I just knew I had to do something about it. I started doing some things that felt good. I heard somewhere that in order to have self-esteem one has to do esteem-able things; things that make you feel good about yourself. I started to exercise; I changed my eating habits. Next thing I knew I didn’t feel old, fat or ugly......and I just happened to be in a size 4. I knew plenty of women who are happy with themselves in a size 12.....I’m just not one of them.
Nickie

Do you work with a private trainer? What should I look for when hiring someone?
Jason H. Cathedral City, Ca.

Yes, I have used private trainers in the past, but I am not currently working with someone.
Here is what I suggest when shopping for a fitness trainer: shop around.

1.  If you are able to, hire different trainers for a single session. This gives you some idea of the persons style, if you like their suggestions, are they really interested in your goals or do they have a hidden sales agenda, etc.
2. What type of certifications, training and background does the person have. Trainers run the gamut; there are those who were once competitive bodybuilders. Some were gymnasts, and some just like to work out. Find one that fits you. There are plenty to go around.

1. Ask them if they have a general ‘format’ they work off of. Are they mainly into lifting weights? Do they do more balance, conditioning and core work? What are there specialties?
2. Depending on your sensitivities, you may want to consider age and gender. Personally, I wouldn’t want a twenty-year-old male training me the same way he would train a peer.{I am a forty-four-year-old peri-menopausal female.}
3. Because of my history of being overweight, I would rather have a trainer who has had similar issues. At the same time, I want a trainer who also works out.
4. Of course, ask they what they charge.

The question I’m asked most frequently when I disclose that I eat mainly vegan lifestyle is,
“Where do you get your protein?” 

There are a lot of protein sources other than meat. Beans, such as black, garbonzo and kidney. Most people won’t eat beans because of the amount of carbohydrates that are involved or they just don’t like them. If I was watching my weight I may cut these foods out of my dinner meal, but I would still include them. However, because of the amount of exercise I do, I do not limit my carbohydrate intake at all. I simply substitute the beans. For example, for dinner I may have steamed brown rice and vegetables with one of the beans listed above. I also include protein powders, vegan brown rice and/or soy protein. I mix this with either Almond Breeze or Rice Dream - a milk substitute. There are always options.

MORE QUESTIONS 

1. 1) What can I do to keep my new year fitness resolutions?

This is not as simple a question as it first appears. Here are the real questions:

1. What are you willing to do to achieve your fitness goals?
2. Are you willing to follow a food plan?
3. Do you like working out in a gym? Or would you rather work out at home?
4. Ask yourself if you even like to work out. If you don’t then what will motivate you, if you knew exercise would get you the results you wanted?
5. What are your motivations for your fitness resolutions?

MORE ANSWERS

The number one answer to achieving any goal, fitness or otherwise, is to be realistic when setting your goals. Break down the long term goal into shorter ones. For example, if you’re going to set goal for the end of the year, break it down into monthly and weekly goals. When setting goals in this fashion it is more likely you will achieve them; thus giving you a sense of accomplishment.

1. What are you willing to do to achieve your goal? Since ninety percent of weight issues can be solved with a change in diet, the real question is: Are you willing to follow a food plan?

When beginning a new food plan, the plan has to be one you can follow and are willing to follow. Eating and living healthy are about a change in lifestyle. Crash diets don’t work! Sooner or later you return to your old eating habits. What you really need to do is find healthy eating habits that are going to work for you. Weight watchers work for some people while the South Beach diet may work for others. The point being, there is a solution with a lot of options. You just have to find the one that fits for you. The occasional chips with lunch is not out of the question. Eating a whole bag of chips for lunch does not work in any eating plan.

1. Do you like working out at a gym? Or would you rather work out at home? Do you even like working out?

There are literally thousands of exercise videos, from core training to yoga to buns of steel. Again, you have to find the one that fits for you. If you don’t want to go to the gym, start walking, or riding a bicycle. If you don’t know where to start, ask a friend, your doctor, e-mail or call me. (I would love to talk to you!) You can always hire a trainer for a one time training session. (See previous questions on what to look for when hiring a private trainer). Remember, the worst thing you can do for the body is.....NOTHING! So do it!

1. Do you have a hard time keeping a workout commitment to yourself?

If this is your question, you might benefit from ‘training with a buddy’. Find a friend to walk with, or exchange exercise videos with. Be creative in your workouts. Sometimes it’s easier to get out of bed to go walking when you’ve already committed to someone other than yourself to do so. If you have difficulty getting up, even to meet a friend for a walk, then hiring a trainer may be the best answer for you.

1. Lastly, what would motivate you to keep your fitness goals? Depending on your goal, these suggestions may be helpful:
2. Put a picture of yourself on the refrigerator.
3. Record your fitness goals and accomplishments.
4. Keep a food journal.
5. Keep a fitness journal.
6. Find a support system - friends, families, co-workers - whomever will be encouraging of your new, fit, healthy lifestyle.
7. Join a support group - Overeaters Anonymous, for example.
8. Seek help from a nutritionist, acupressure , your physician, or other non-conventional help, such as Reiki.
9. Keep healthy snacks available.
10. Have a food plan available when traveling.
11. The use of visualization and other meditation techniques are also helpful.

NOTE: If you have other suggestions that may be helpful send me an e-mail and I’ll be glad to include them. Or if you have a question you would like answered, I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you all for your questions. If you have a question for me please e-mail me at: nickienicolas@yahoo.com
Thank you, Nickie