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Bodytalk
Question: I'm a runner and have resistance to warming up and cooling down because I'm not convinced they make a difference. This, coupled with the limited time I have for exercise, makes it easy for me to leave them out of my morning routine. Warm-ups, cool-
downs importantWhat's your opinion? Are they important?
Answer: They are both very important, and neither a warm-up nor a cool-down needs to take longer than a few minutes. Warm-ups and cool-downs certainly help prevent injury, but did you know they also help prevent burn out?
Here's why warm-ups are a must. They reduce the risk of injury by preventing microscopic tears in the muscle tissue.
It's these microscopic tears that can eventually lead to injury. When you warm-up, the temperature of your muscles increases slowly.
This gradual increase in temperature helps make your muscles more elastic and it increases joint lubrication.
In the absence of a warm-up, cold muscles are much more prone to ruptures and the joints remain stiff and tight for a longer time.
The reverse happens if you don't take the time to cool down. In the absence of a cool-down, the muscles will tighten up very quickly. This leads to stiffness, inflexibility, and soreness.
When you cool down gradually, the muscles don't tense up and contract.
Even though there are a number of ways to warm-up and cool down, the most efficient for runners is to incorporate brisk walking at the beginning and at the end of their run.
I also recommend ending every run with some stretching.
Q: What kind of calcium supplement is the best?
A: Calcium carbonate is the most popular, probably because it's also the cheapest. It has the highest concentration of calcium (40 percent), so it's believed that fewer pills are necessary to meet an individual's dietary needs.
Calcium carbonate needs to be taken with meals to ensure absorption. Calcium carbonate often causes bloating and is difficult for some people to take.
Calcium citrate (21 percent calcium) dissolves more readily and can therefore be taken on an empty stomach, or with food. A new study shows that calcium citrate has a superior absorption rate, independent of whether it's taken with food.
However, when calcium citrate is taken with food, its absorption rate is even higher - 2.5 times the rate for calcium carbonate. Even if calcium carbonate has a higher concentration of calcium, 40 percent compared to 21 percent, the amount absorbed by the body may actually be less.
In regards to cost, milligram for milligram absorbed - which is all that counts - calcium citrate is the better choice, and well worth the little extra money it cost.
Should you throw away your calcium carbonate?
Definitely not. Finish it, but make sure you take it with meals.
For those who don't have a clue as to why people even take calcium supplements, here are three good reasons why one should consider doing so.
Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis by helping to keep our bones strong, and calcium helps protect us from colon cancer and hypertension.
Unless you're on a very healthy diet and are able to take in approximately 1200 milligrams of calcium from the food you eat daily, you're a candidate for calcium supplementation.
Health Events
Stephenie Karony is a certified health
and fitness instructor, a personal trainer and the author of
"Body Shaping with Free Weights." Send questions to her at
P.O. Box 262, Wailuku Hi. Her column appears on Wednesdays.