5 steps to a fitter Joe

5 steps to a fitter Joe
http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/1503430.html

Outdoors lover will take away lessons learned on health, fitness beat
By Joe Miller - Staff Writer
Published: Tue, Apr. 28, 2009 02:00AMModified Mon, Apr. 27, 2009 03:57PM

A funny thing happened during the three years that I've been writing about health and fitness for The News & Observer: I've lost 30 pounds and gotten into the best shape of my life.

I wasn't a schlub before that. Since 1995, I've written about outdoor adventure for the paper, a job that, among other things, found me climbing mountains, scuba diving through caves, doing 24-hour mountain bike races and riding my bike across North Carolina twice.

The job demanded that I stay in pretty good shape, but it also allowed wiggle room -- mostly around my midsection. Because I didn't have to be the first up the mountain or across the state, I discovered that beer and fried foods can get along remarkably well with an active lifestyle.


Joe Miller hikes on the Falls Lake Trail, part of the 900-mile North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail, in June.
- STAFF FILE PHOTO BY TED RICHARDSON

Adding health and fitness to my reporting mix, though, allowed me to pick the brains of the best health-care minds around. Yes, it was for work. But several things prodded me to pay a little extra attention during these interviews. I wanted:

to be more competitive in mountain bike races,

to have the stamina to write books about hiking and backpacking on the side,

to at least try most of the sports and workout regimens I wrote about

and perhaps most important, to keep up with our kids.

What did I learn over the past three years? A lot. But here are the five key things I take away from the job.

1. Variety is the spice of a good workout. In October of 2005 I was on the last day of Cycle North Carolina, a weeklong bike ride across the state, when I passed an inviting blackwater swamp in coastal Beaufort County. My goal that year was to ride 5,000 miles, and that was pretty much all I'd done -- ride, ride, ride. Much as I loved cycling, I missed all the things I'd had to give up to achieve that goal.

I passed the creek and thought, "Man, I wish I was in a boat." A flash of resentment flared toward my golden yellow Lemond road bike. Not only was I getting tired of pedaling, but I wasn't turning into the cycling stud I assumed all those miles would turn me into.

The experience made me particularly receptive to Nathan Crow, an exercise trainer with WakeMed, when he told me in the spring of 2006 that the best workout is one that is constantly surprising the muscles; that is, a workout that's never the same. Perform the same movement over and over and your muscles settle into a comfortable routine. Mix it up and they're constantly forced to work.

It's a message I've heard repeatedly since then: Make the most of your workout time by doing the most varied workout you can.

2. Listen to your body. Listen to your doctor, listen to your coach, listen to your personal trainer, your nutritionist, your health guru. Listen to them all -- then listen to yourself. This is perhaps most important with eating. I've talked with countless people who finally unraveled the mystery to losing weight by simply pausing after their first helping and letting their bodies tell them whether they actually needed more fuel or whether they were eating for another reason. Stress, for instance.

Take a reasonable portion; eat it. Wait a minute or two to see whether you really are still hungry. Often, the answer is no. It's amazing what that pause can do.

Your body will also tell you what food and drink aren't working for you. I more or less quit drinking alcohol, not because I had a problem -- I didn't, really! -- but because one beer would have me asleep on the couch before SpongeBob was over. Staying up past 8 p.m. became especially critical when I was trying to finish writing a book on hiking in North Carolina. I substituted near-beer for the real stuff and soon was staying up well into Nick at Nite.

Similarly, I cut down on red meat because I found that it, too, slowed me down. I cut down on it but didn't give it up because sometimes my body simply craves more protein than a slice of cheddar or a handful of almonds can deliver.

3. Inform yourself. Few things are more distressing than walking out of a doctor's office and having no idea what just happened. Left ventricular hypertrophy? Tinnitus? Diverticulitis? You've been given a diagnosis, a prescription, therapy -- yet you have no idea what's really wrong, or whether you have alternatives to your dictated treatment.

At least that used to be the case. Today, the Internet is full of good sources of information to help you understand what's going on with your body and help you make smart decisions about mending and improving your health.

A quick personal example: Last summer I came home from a mountain bike ride very itchy, scratchy, red and puffy. My wife called her mother, a nurse, and she Googled "itchy, scratchy, red and puffy." Anything happen on the ride? she asked. Well ... I did get stung by a bee. I get stung a lot, but nothing ever happens.

Turns out, Marcy learned from both sources, you can endure years of bee stings with nothing happening, then -- boom! -- suddenly, you suffer allergic reactions. She gave me Benadryl, which offered immediate relief, and told me that from now on I would be packing the drug whenever I set foot outside because the reactions to a bee sting can get progressively worse -- to the point that it can swell your airwaves shut.

Six Web sites I've found to be particularly accurate, thorough and helpful: mayoclinic.com, webmd.com, kidshealth.org, medscape.com, medicinenet.com, nih.gov.

4. Numbers be danged. A week ago in this space, I wrote about health coaches. They're like personal trainers for folks who want to get fit, only health coaches counsel people who simply want to live healthier lives. As part of their approach, they focus on goals, not numbers. Instead of telling their clients they need to lose 30 pounds or lower their cholesterol by 40 points, they get them to envision their ideal lifestyle, then work to help them achieve it. Being able to tango until 2 in the morning is certainly a more enticing carrot than getting your low-density lipoprotein below 160.

A number I have no use for is the body mass index, a measure of body fat based on height and weight. Problem is, it doesn't take into account things like muscle mass (NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal was once deemed obese by his BMI). In three years, I have yet to interview a health professional who gives the BMI a whole-hearted endorsement. At best, they say it's one of several factors to consider.

Full disclosure: I may be bitter about this because when I took the President's Challenge last year ( www.presidentschallenge.org) it told me I was overweight. I'm 5'9," weigh 165 pounds, have a 30-inch waist and am not hobbled by excess muscle mass. In short, I'm normal.

5. Give yourself a break. I have. I'm apparently overweight (see above), yet I've never felt better. If you're happy with how you are, go with it. A visit to Five Guys Burgers and Fries every now and then, the occasional chocolate chip and raspberry concrete from Goodberry's, a beer or two on the weekend with the guys/girls: They will not kill you. Just the opposite; they're often just the carrot you need to keep living a healthy lifestyle. Indulge, I've learned, but don't go overboard.

OK, so anyone can stay in shape when it's their job. But what about when it's not? What about that most stressful of times, when you don't technically have a job? Will the lessons I've learned on the job stick as I leave The N&O and venture into the stressful world of self-employment? Follow my plight at mysocalledlayoff.blogspot.com.