On a daily basis, I am asked some pretty random questions about all things wellness related. Many of which are simple yet common questions that probably most of us have had cross our minds at one time or another. Simple questions are often the most important because they impact our lives almost on a daily basis. And not every question has to be researched and analyzed in depth. So I thought this would be a great opportunity to share with you those questions and the relatively quick and easy answers.
"I've been taking Glucosamine for years. It can only do me good, no harm. Right?"
Unfortunately, no. According to Mayo Clinic, there are a lot of goods as well as harms from taking glucosamine. The
goods include helping with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and recovering from knee or other leg pain. The
harms though include those with shellfish allergies, iodine sensitivities, people with bleeding disorders, Diabetics, people with inflamed livers and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Additional research is required to be sure of both the goods and the harms. Stay tuned.
"Do I need to be in better shape before taking taking classes like Spin and Zumba?"
This is a huge NO. The most obvious benefit to taking classes vs. working out on your own are the instructors, a very special group of people who are highly trained and have gone through often numerous certifications to teach a safe and motivating class for all abilities. Additional benefits include new and different workouts, typically great music and consistency in your workout schedule. The biggest benefit that I see is the accountability that is created through the other class participants. They see a new face and they welcome them with open arms. They see that face a couple more times, they introduce themselves, find out more about them, invite them to try other classes with them, meet at Starbucks after class, take walks together on Sundays and pretty soon you have a new friend and often group of friends. That is something that will never happen while working out on a treadmill while listening to Beyonce.
"I started making smoothies in the morning but it hits my stomach with a thud. Should I stop?"
Believe it or not, there is an art to smoothies. They can be very high in calories if you are not careful, they can be too thin or too thick, and sometimes they can just downright taste awful. This link provides
"6 Tips to Help Improve Digestion" when drinking smoothies. Real briefly... 1. Drink Smoothie Slowly 2. But not too slow! 3. Pay Attention to Quantity 4. Avoid drinking too cold 5. Keep it simple 6. Keep your greens in rotation.
"I have a sprint triathlon in 2 weeks but my knee has been hurting lately, not when I run just after I finish. Should I keep running?"
Now obviously with knees and other injuries that kind of sneak up on you like this you have to be careful. First recommendation is to see a doctor. Next thing I recommended to this gentleman was to limit running on it, maybe once in the next two week time period and replace it with the elliptical machine. There are many types out there but our Club has one made by
Paramount that simulates running pretty well without the impact. If you have been training and you are two weeks out from an event, you have the capability and stamina to perform your event so at this point you are just maintaining your endurance. I spoke with this gentleman after his event and he said the run went well and of course his knee still hurt afterwards, but his legs felt strong throughout and he finished!
Maybe one of these questions you have asked yourself and haven't been able to find the answer. Maybe you already knew the answer to all these questions. And maybe you have just learned at least one new wellness piece of info to tuck away and pull out when it gets brought up in conversation at a later date.
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