fitness0506

Q: I have osteoarthritis. I'm taking glucosamine/chondroitin and it seems to have slowed things down. But, I'm beginning to feel the effects in my hands. I play the piano and it's a big part of my life. Are there any exercises I can do to help keep my joints supple.

A: Yes, play the piano every day; it's a great workout for your hands.
Also, here are three exercises you can do to help keep your hands agile.

Grab a pair of heavy socks and squeeze. Hold for 10 seconds. Switch hands and repeat. Do about 2-3 times on each hand daily.

Press your thumb and forefinger together firmly making an okay sign. Hold for five seconds and release. Do the same with each finger and your thumb. Switch hands and repeat.

After exercising, hold one hand, palm and take the other hand, palm down and gently press your fingers back. Hold for ten seconds.
Repeat with other hand. This is a great stretch for fingers and wrists.

Q: Well, it's March and as usual my most important New Year's resolution; lose 20 pounds, and get on a fitness program, has gone by the wayside. It's only March and I'd love to resurrect it for good this time. Any ideas to keep me on track?

A: EASE into the best shape of your life.
That's right I said EASE!

After all it is only Spring and it's never too late to do the right thing by your body. The reason most diets and exercise programs fail is people ask too much of themselves and expect to see results too soon.

We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare. Well, this story is not a classic for nothing. A killer diet coupled with a killer workout is a resolution killer. It'll never work.

Over my thirty-year career, having seen hundreds of these types of programs, including my own, fail, I've developed a method that works for virtually anyone.
Of course, be sure to check with your doctor before beginning this or any fitness program.

First, weigh in. You don't need to tell anybody how much you weigh, but you need to know.

One pound = 3500 calories. So, to lose a pound you have to either not eat, or exercise off 3500 calories. The right way is to do a combination of both. But start slowly and build up at your own pace.

You need to break your goals up into small chewable bites. You want to lose 20 pounds. Break that up into 5-pound increments. And don't try to lose 5 pounds in a week or two. The first 5 pounds is the hardest; so give yourself a full six weeks to lose it, while easing into a fitness program. After that you can safely lose about 1 pound a week. Here's how it works.

Get a notebook and write down everything you put in your mouth for the first week. Get a calorie book and look up everything you ate every day. If you're like most people, you'll be shocked by how much food that is.

Aerobic exercise carries tremendous health benefits. It also burns calories, boosts your metabolism and keeps you in a positive frame of mind. So, that first week, make it your business to do 10 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, like brisk walking, every single day.

The second week, eat everything you normally eat, but cut your portions in half.
Then try to exercise 15 minutes a day. The week you first cut your portions down is usually the toughest. But have faith; it gets easier.

By week three you should be looking at the kinds of food you eat and trying to eliminate the empty calories; sugary soft drinks, salty snack foods, fat filled fast food etc. Start consuming smart calories .Try to substitute foods you actually like, foods with fewer calories that fill you up and have some nutritional value.
Try not to eat more than 1500 calories a day.

Gradually build up your aerobic exercise until you're doing a half hour every day.

After six weeks you will be on a fitness program you can stick with and you'll probably have lost your first five pounds.

You'll be eating smarter, feel and look better, be healthier and more equipped to stick with it for the next 5 pounds and the next and the next.

By week twelve you'll never want to stop. And you won't.

Mirabai Holland, MFA ©2006
Mirabai Holland M.F.A. is one of the leading authorities in the Health & Fitness industry, and public health activist who specializing in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for women. Her Moving Free™ approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn't feel like work. For more information www.movingfree.com Send your comments or questions to Mirabai at exercise@movingfree.com