Monday, January 23, 2012

Any Questions?

Full article here.

13 comments:

Alice said...

That is definitely full of win!!!

Dr. Mama I just want to say thank you for teaching/making me want to run. I started out running 4 years ago (after reading your posts) and was barely able to run 30 minutes straight even at an agonizing slow pace. I ran off and on during the first 3 years, until last year, something finally clicked and I started to look forward to my runs.

Yesterday I ran my first half marathon, and just wanted to let you know that I thought about you and your posts here during and after the race. If it weren't for you planting the running seed in my head, I wouldn't be here with an oh so shiny metal today.

Here is to many future runs/races to come and hopefully in 45 years of time, my quads will be like that triathlete!

Warmest regards,

Forever Maggot

Jennifer said...

Whoa. I haven't even clicked over to the article yet, and WHOA.

I'm a happy maggot, FWIW. :-) Started running last July, and am now running 4 miles 3 or 4x/week, albeit slowly. What has amazed me is that going *slowly* really works well for me. I wish I had heard this revolutionary idea years ago.

I had a knee injury as a teenager that has resulted in weak triceps because I never did the exercises that are supposed to help the condition. So these pictures speak to me.

I've never clicked with an exercise routine, but I find that I generally want to go out and run. My brain will try to gum up the works and suggest that it's too much work, but somehow my shoes are on and I'm out the door. It's only been 6 months, but I'm planning on sticking with it. Thanks for making this mentally do-able! Apparently it was physically possible all along ;-)

Jo said...

YAY. That's all.

And a million thanks, of course.

(Hey my PT said I could run this week!)

Anonymous said...

Pretty sure I look like the middle guy, despite being half his age.
This is seriously scaring me into getting off my arse and doing something about it. (Just not running :P)
I think I am going to print that out and stick it on my fridge or something.

Lobster said...

It's a big difference and all, but this is a post-hoc analysis of volunteers who were able to continue recreational athletics as they aged. Given the small sample size and the selection mechanism it's entirely possible that this is an atypical group.

snozma said...

That's a muscle?

What the hell IS that?

When I say this, I imagine you bonking me on the head: As an argument, that's not very scientific. Sample size? Hello?

(You know I'm just being a jerk, right? The causal relationship is pretty obvious in this case, having been proved elsewhere.)

I have a lot of adipose tissue, woman! What do we do if being a triathlete doesn't seem realistic. Right now I am exercising a pathetic 1/2 hour a day.

Believe me, I feel like crap when I don't exercise. Also believe me, I don't take very good care of myself. I would give myself a B-. I exercise, lazily. I never eat fast food but eat all kinds of crazy fattening things like guacamole in huge quantities. Most of my adipose tissue seems to respond to my horrible, truly awful sleep habits which will kill me probably before everything else does.

I'm just trying to establish that I am slow and lumbering so you can see the challenge that triathletism poses.

So--what's your advice?

Run, right?

Every day? For how long?

What do you when you are injured? (I had sort of built up some stamina and then severely sprained my ankle and now it's such a long climb back--I went ahead and tried to run on it and I really messed things up that way.)

What does a super busy plump non-athletic person do specifically? I am sure I am speaking for a ton of moms here.

And I mean: I WILL DO IT. But I need to be realistic and figure up back up plans for when my leg is purple and twice its normal size or I've got plantar fascitis, etc. (This is not a one time thing. I am seriously accident prone.)

I am worried this sounds rhetorical like I am saying 'but it's impossible for me.' But really this is more like--'I'm always trying and here's what screws me up. Any advice?'

DoctorMama said...

Yay, Alice and Jennifer! Truly, keeps me going to hear this. (Yay Jo too, but you already knew that.)

Lobster: no doubt. And I certainly don't look like #1 myself. (Women don't anyway, and I'm not that fit.) My point is, 40 and 70 don't have to be all that different, provided you can exercise somehow. And the best way to make sure you can exercise when you're 70 is to exercise when you're 40. No guarantee - bad things happen - but the weaker you get, the more likely you are to get hurt at some point. (Though you can start at any age. I have been berating my 70 year old mother because she recently went on a trip to Europe and she had to sit out on a lot of activities. There's nothing wrong with her except laziness.)

snozma: I'm only going to smack you upside the head for one thing: "Run ... Every day?" NO! NOT every day! Running is for every OTHER day only. (Unless you want to get injured, JO.) Exercising half an hour a day is far from pathetic ... IF you're sweating. If you don't break a sweat, it doesn't count in my book. "What does a super busy plump non-athletic person do specifically?" Just get off your ass. There is such a difference between people who do nothing and people who do something. Swim, bike, run, T-tapp (?not even sure of the spelling of that one, but it has a lot of fans). Take a yoga class, a spin class, whatever class the Y has that doesn't cost a lot. MOVE.

Adipose (fat) tissue is allowed. Lack of muscle? NOT ALLOWED. If you hit the point where you're too big to move, you're in trouble. If you don't move for whatever reason, you're in trouble.

You don't have to look like #1 or #3. But you don't want to look like the middle guy. How does he even walk?

snozma said...

You're kidding. I have HUGE ASS MUSCLES.

I guess I meant--very big muscles. But my ass muscles are also huge. I have exceedingly sizable muscles everywhere.

That's it? Just move? I can totally do that!

Also run every other day--that is what I do.

Yes, I sweat but not in yoga. I actually sweat very little. I go in the sauna for a loooong time and I barely sweat. I don't seem to create a lot of perspiration. But I sweat slightly when I do my lazy things and I definitely get HOT when I jog at my extremely slow pace.

I have to say that those pictures are inspiring and terrifying and I'm not going to forget them--Someday when I'm 80 and forcing myself to hobble up some hideous hill I'll be seeing them in my head.

DoctorMama said...

You go, you curvaceous, muscular, glowy thing you, snozma.

Jennifer said...

Those pictures make me want to quit my job and train full time for triathlons.

Another happy maggot here! I am planning to run my first half marathon in February... and all because I came across your website one day four or five years ago.

Anonymous said...

Random cold-weather running question: I have a nice assortment of cleverly-wicking warm running gear now, but what do I put on my face to avoid the wicked wind-burn? My regular moisturiser is just not cutting it, and I'm starting to realize why so many runners have those battered, weathered-looking faces.

Diane Evans said...

Question: my muscles have atrophied due to inactivity/ bedrest (sever depression). Up until last year, I was active (I ran, swam, worked with weights, skiied vigorously all season and taught skiing as well. I am not by nature a couch potato-at the very least, I walked my dogs!

The inactivity and lack of eating means I have lost a significant amount of muscle mass and I am weak as a result. At first, I could not walk across the room without breaks (I am not overweight- I weigh 123 at 5'6"). I lost weight and muscle mass during inactivity.

How ca I rebuild? I am trying daily walks, but that will do nothinh to rebuild for next year's ski season when I need strong thighs and glutes! All ideas appreciated!

Nurse and Hospital Stories said...

Behold, the triathletes brains are great! Exercise indeed can do so much with regards to our health. :)

Cheers,
Peny@How Sure Are You With Your Baby Formula Ingredient?