Yahoo! Answers

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Welcome to Week 3 of the Answers “Get Fit Program!” If you’ve made it this far, you’re well on your way to success as it takes anywhere from 21 to 28-days to form a new habit (the actual number of days has been openly debated by clinical psychologists over the years-  you can read about it here if you’d like .

Whether you side with Maxwell Maltz’s 21-day argument or Phillippa Lally’s longer version, both sides agree: change is hard, and it should be done: incrementally, repetitively, with support, and you should track your progress.

By now we hope you’ve taken advantage of some of the tips our pros Joan and Joanne from Plus One Health Management have provided, and, hopefully you’ve stopped by our Yahoo! Group, “Get fit and stay healthy!” to find a fellow Yahoo! Answerer looking to chat about weight-loss and share tips and tricks, or, maybe you’ve checked out the Health > Diet & Fitness category on Answers and have asked if “you have to sweat to lose weight?”

Whatever you’ve done, best of luck, and here are this week’s questions and answers!

Question: How can I control myself when craving carbs or sweets? — DelightfulJuly

Answer: With moderation and portion control! When you do feel like indulging select a small portion size (ex: a few M&Ms vs the entire bag) of what you’re craving and set aside time to actually enjoy eating the food.  Often, we get too distracted with our daily routine that we forget to enjoy our foods.  If you are still hungry after, then perhaps it’s time to find a healthier snack or meal.

Question: Teach me how to lose belly fat, and tone my tummy so I can button up my jeans and look great in them! – Lucky 7

Answer: In a nutshell, you want to reduce your body fat. To do so, you need to burn more calories than you eat. One pound of fat is the rough equivalent of 3,500 calories. Start with improving your diet and get exercising! Unfortunately, there aren’t any spot reducing solutions– that’s a popular myth that the diet industry loves for you to believe. So, by improving your overall physique you’ll end up pleased with your overall body image and look and won’t focus on one specific area.

Shine question: Are there any foods that I can eat to boost my mood?

Answer: Definitely! There are several veggies, nuts, and meats that have been proven to improve your mood and overall well-being over time. The list includes things like: walnuts, yogurt, and salmon (read the full list over at Shine) You know what they say—you are what you eat, so remember, eat healthy, and eat right!

Check back next week for the last round of questions and answers from the community and our fitness pros!

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Welcome to week two of the Yahoo! Answers “Get Fit Program.” Last week we told you how you can meet other people looking to share fitness ideas in a Yahoo! Group called “Get Fit, Stay Healthy,” shared some practical exercise tips for corporate employees, and provided a few tips on how to shed excess pounds to tone up your muscles.

This week, our fitness pros, Joanne and Joan from Plus One Health Management have picked a few more questions to answer from the community—you can find their answers below.

Question: “I need help with eating healthy at school when all they sell is cheese fries and pizza!” – Danni

Answer: I can understand your frustration, if you are trying to eat healthy but the healthy options are limited.  You may want to bring your lunch to school, to avoid temptation, and to be prepared.  You can also talk with the foodservice provider to suggest healthier options.  Healthy foods that cafeteria providers sometimes have include sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, baked chicken or fish, and pasta with veggies. Good luck! Also remember that if you are limited on food and have to eat pizza, you can try walking around your school campus with friends to ensure that you’re including a healthy activity with your lunch.

Question: What’s the best way to stretch before working out? – Chris

Answer: Prior to a workout, a warm-up that includes dynamic stretching should be performed. Dynamic stretching involves performing low-intensity movements similar to your workout activity. For example, squats help to get the muscles warm for any type of lower body activity. Static stretching (stretch and hold) is the most beneficial if it is performed after a workout. Not sure what the difference is between dynamic or static stretching is? Check out the definition from our pros, here.

Question: Are there any standing up ab exercises you could do, say, in the shower or waiting in line (that might be awkward)? – Hah.

Answer: Wow you’re really thinking! However, I don’t recommend exercising in the shower as you could slip and injure yourself. Instead, when you’re safe and dry, try standing up tall and tighten your abs. Practice good posture, suck in your abs and maintain normal breathing—all of these things will help you maintain a tight core and help work your abs.

Question from Shine: How do I start exercising when I’m already out of shape?

Start slowly, but make it count—don’t overdo it. Progress quickly,  keep it up, and read this article for even more tips from Shine.

Check back next week for even more tips from our fitness gurus as they answer even more of your health and fitness questions!

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Last week we asked the Yahoo! Answers community, “How can Yahoo! Answers help you meet your fitness goals in 2010?” – after reviewing your questions, we brought them to our fitness gurus, Joan Arico and Joanne Haggerty  who work with Plus One Heath Management.

As promised, over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting Joan and Joanne’s answers to some of your health and fitness questions here, to help inspire you to meet your fitness goals for 2010. So let’s get started!

Question: “Can you help hook us up with a diet/exercise buddy where we can commiserate or compare and help keep other on track?” – Love Life

Answer: You bet! We know that part of what makes losing weight tough is feeling like you’re on your own. To help you feel like you’re a little less “on your own” we’ve set up a Yahoo! Group called “Get fit, Stay Healthy!” (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/getfitstayhealthy) for anyone looking to find a buddy, share their story, or share weight-loss tips.

Please remember this group is NOT open to spam or marketing, so please don’t join it looking to promote your acai-berry shakes, or your weight loss pills. We’ll also cross-post our fitness tips there each week, as well as fitness and health tips from the health editors over at Shine. We hope to see you all there!

Question: “What are some practical fitness options for corporate employees? Some of those guys spend up to 10 hours in their offices. People are designed to be active, but sometimes our jobs make that impossible for us. We aren’t a country of farm and factory workers anymore. We sit in offices and stare at computer screens. What are some easy ways to step back from the desk and get active, even if we have to do it at home?” – Austin D

Answer: Office workers have to work a little harder to burn calories because of the hours of sedentary living. To counteract this, you can try: walking or exercising during lunch breaks, stretching at your desk, workout before or after work. Or, better yet, have meetings while you walk.

An easy solution when your in the office is to take the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and park as far away from the building as you can—that way you’ll have to walk clear across the parking lot to get to your car in the morning and the evening.

When you get home from work, play with your kids outdoors to cut down on TV time and make exercise a family activity. All of these things can help make corporate employees more active (and productive!) both at home and in the office.

Question: “i was just about to ask this question: i am not muscular. i need biceps and a six pack. should i exercise every day? what should i do? i love yahoo answers. i find everything i need on here. thanks yahoo!”  — wil

Answer: Thanks for the kudos. For us to see those muscles, you have to work off excess body fat and then have muscles to show! Think healthy eating, cardio, and weights! For a few easy and quick workouts, check out this article from Shine.

For more tips and tricks, and to see what questions our fitness gurus answer next, be sure to check back here next week!

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Each January many people across the world make a similar New Year’s resolution: to lose weight, get fit, or get healthy. And each January, they start the year off right—with the best of intentions, and the best laid plans, but about a week in, they run into a road block: where do they go from here?

If you’re one of these people, Yahoo! Answers is here to help! We’ve enlisted the help of Joan Arico and Joanne Haggerty: two fitness pros from Plus One Health Management, Inc., who work with us here at Yahoo! Headquarters.

Over the next few days, you’ll have the opportunity to post your fitness related questions to the open question found here and Joan and Joanne will select a handful and answer them over the next few weeks. With your questions and their help, together we’ll help get the Yahoo! Answers community in shape for 2010!

Each week, we’ll feature one question on the blog, as well as health tips and tricks that will help you get in shape and meet your health goals for 2010.

Joan and Joanne: Our Fitness Gurus

Joan Arico

Joan has over 25 years of experience in Corporate Fitness and is certified in both Group Exercise Instruction and Personal Training . She is an AFAA Certified Group Exercise Instructor, AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, BS Degree Recreation Administration, CPR/AED Certified.

Joanne Haggerty

Joanne believes that physical activity should be an integral part of your life as much as is brushing your teeth, but far more fun and enjoyable. She is a personal trainer and works in both individual and group wellness programs.

Between the two of them, they have more than 33 years of fitness and health experience in both the personal and professional sector. Both enjoy sharing fitness and lifestyle tips with others in addition to keeping Yahoo! healthy!

Please note that all questions must be in line with the Yahoo! Answers Community Guidelines and you should always check with your medical professional before starting any new treatment or health routine. Please review the full disclaimer here.

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I don’t know what it’s like in your neck of the woods, but here at Yahoo! headquarters, cold and flu season has had an enthusiastic start. One of the more effective ways to avoid both contracting and spreading contagion is simply washing your hands. Shockingly enough, many people don’t wash their hands properly. Part of doing it correctly is using warm water and washing long enough to get the germs off. (”Long enough” is 30 seconds, by the way, or the length of time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday”. If “Happy Birthday” isn’t your thing, you can sing the alphabet song, the periodic table, or the chorus of “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette.)

Washing your hands is such an important part of hygiene and disease control that October 15 is Global Handwashing Day. Don’t be put off by the fact that some major soap manufacturers sponsor it; there’s a list a mile long of maladies, parasites, and general ickies that can be transferred from unwashed hands onto doorknobs, keyboards, and telephone handsets. Keep in mind that when you sneeze or cough into your hands, it’s time for a wash. (To keep your hands clean, try sneezing into the crook of your arm instead.) While dry skin can be a side effect of frequent handwashing, it’s better than getting sick—or getting others sick. Now, I’m no germaphobe (like Adrian Monk), but I think we’ve all been in a situation where you see someone use the bathroom, and then they disappear without spending time afterward at the sink. How to handle that situation is awkward at best—I mean, it’s not as simple as offering someone a mint instead of telling them they have bad breath. But nobody wants to be the outbreak monkey in their office—you know, the one who gets the whole office sick.

Besides washing your hands, what other flu and cold prevention tips do you have to offer?

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