Katamay

Recovery and injury prevention mythbusting: http://saveyourself.ca/ It's a lot easier than having to dredge through all the peer-reviewed articles yourself, although he offers easy footnotes so that you can check up on all his sources. So fabulous.

Hopefully. Used incorrectly nine out of ten times. CORRECT: "She looked at him hopefully." INCORRECT: "Hopefully, we can get this project done on time." What, you can't finish the project unless you're full of hope? It's an adverb, describing an action that is done in a hopeful manner. Not a way of saying that you hope whatever you're about to say will happen. Or that you're afraid it won't.

Elastigirl, I'm a 110 pound weakling too! One of the things that I've noticed is that if I don't give myself two rest days between strength workouts, I don't progress very much, if at all. I know most people seem okay with one day off, but it's just not enough for me, even if I don't feel sore. I also find that I don't progress as much if I forget to eat enough. One thing that I realized while trying to move furniture was that, although my shoulders, arms, and back were a lot stronger, my grip was my weak link. It didn't matter how many push-ups I could do if I couldn't hang onto the stuff with my fingers! So now I'm working more on that, too. Best of luck!

Wow, I'm amazed at all the people who've said squats helped their bad knees. My physical therapist told me I was never, ever to do squats, because they're too high-stress. But I have a tracking problem (bone scraping on bone) as well as generalized ligament laxity, so maybe that's different from what you guys experience? What kind of diagnoses do you all have?

My religious period of fasting is coming up pretty soon in March. This means no eating food, drinking water, smoking (if I did, which I don't), or sex from sunrise to sundown for 19 days. I'm not too worried about my workouts. Fasting gets easier every year, and I usually just exercise first thing in the morning, since I have to get up pre-dawn for breakfast anyway. My husband and I always do high-protein breakfasts to keep us going until sunset (ful medames, yum!). But. I usually lose some weight during the Fast. Usually between 2 and 5 pounds. I'd like to avoid that this year, if I can, because I really want to keep focusing on getting stronger. This is the year of no more spaghetti-arms! YEAH! Any tips for keeping the weight on when you can only eat two meals a day? It's pretty typical for people with experience fasting to only want to eat a regular sized meal after not eating for 12 hours. I'm also a vegan, so while the bacon advice is appreciated for the enthusiasm with which it is offered, it's not helpful in this particular case. And because we're all used to living in a world of haters: Yes, I am medically cleared to fast. No, I'm not anorexic. Yes, I do this safely every year, along with millions of other people. No, I'm not interested in theological/medical/personal reasons why religious fasts are stupid. Thanks so much for your help!

I asked my husband about this, and he suggests that all this useful, truthful information would be more readily accepted if it came to him from another guy. Do you guys have any mutual male friends who are on your side in this matter? Could you ask them to talk with him?

Yes. Easily on right, but it's tricky on the left.

I've been thinking lately about trying this out (the place I worked before had free tampons and pads available in all the bathrooms, so I never bothered actually paying for menstrual products until a few months ago), but I do have one concern. My cervix is waaay out in left field. Literally. To the left. I discovered this when I started checking my cervix for FAM (fertility awareness method birth control), and it hasn't been a problem, except I wonder how a cup would fit effectively. Thoughts?

I know that when my numbers start improving faster than my husband's, he freaks out and starts to work harder to stay ahead of me.

[Note on my background: I'm a licensed massage therapist, but not a doctor or physical therapist] In my experience, people with weak tibialis muscles (the muscles near your shins that flex your foot) are a lot more susceptible to shin splints. This is why walkers, who have to do a lot of work flexing their feet when they move, often get sore shins, but rarely develop shin splints. To strengthen, flex your feet against resistance bands, or weight them down by putting one foot on top of the toe of the other and lifting. You can do this while sitting at a desk, which is pretty convenient. Make sure to balance it out with calf raises or other exercises, but if you're running with good form your calves are probably pretty strong already. Do make sure to wait until your shins are feeling better before starting to strengthen them.

This is a bit of an older photoshoot of world class athletes, meant to show the diversity of body types across different sports. I thought it was really interesting, and it was nice to discover "myself" among them (one of the synchronized swimmers is my exact weight, height, and basic build). http://ninamatsumoto.wordpress.com/2010/12/18/athletic-body-diversity-reference-for-artists/# Yes, I know strength/fitness/whatever doesn't necessarily go with being "athletic," but it's still encouraging to realize that people with different basic physical types can accomplish really amazing things with their bodies.

Wanted to let you know that a good massage therapist can access piriformis quite easily and help you deal with the issue, if it ever recurs.

Be careful with squats. I have ligament problems in my knees and hips, and adding only 15 pounds to my bodyweight squats left me injured and unable to support myself on a bent leg for two weeks. As someone who's spent years in physical therapy, I can tell you that quadriceps exercises (leg extensions, straight leg lifts), exercises for tibialis anterior (foot flexing exercises), and wall sits are supposed to help most. But I've also read the peer-reviewed research, and we basically know zilch about patellofemoral pain and how to deal with it. Take it slow, and listen to your body. It's not going to happen quickly, especially if walking is still too high-impact for you. Best of luck!

For something creamier, try olive oil + apple cider vinegar + tahini. This is similar to Annie's Goddess Dressing, and you can add whatever herbs/spices you want.

I'd do as many regular push-ups as I could, then finish the set of 10 with knee push-ups. Rest for a minute, do it again. Now I can do 18 in a row, although not three sets! I saw a lot of quick improvement just working on these 2-3 days a week.

So glad I use FAM. Only thing you can recall is my thermometer!

Almost the opposite. I used to lie in bed and think about sex. Now I lie in bed and think about my workouts.

cooked stuff: -non-queso quesadillas stuffed with sweet potatoes and black beans -stuffed mushrooms -latkes (fried potato pancakes) easy stuff: -chips and salsa -popcorn -veggies and a variety of dips

Hey my veg friends, get your cookbook on! My favorites are anything by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, especially _Vegan With a Vengeance_ and _Veganomicon_. You can get a lot of her recipies at Post Punk Kitchen, too: http://www.theppk.com I'm also in love with Bryant Terry's _Vegan Soul Kitchen_, which has the most AMAZING soul food recipes, modernized, veganized, and totally healthy. Best braised brussels sprouts ever. Yum! So what do you open up when looking for a great new recipe to try?

I'll definitely start working against the wall a lot more. Since the only place in my apartment I have the space to kick up to a handstand is up against a wall anyway, this will mean I can practice a lot more! I'm definitely realizing I need to work on my shoulder strength, too. I get sore between my shoulderblades after being up against a wall after so many seconds. My dad taught me how to stand on my head when I was something like six years old, but using your arms to adjust for balance and using them as your entire support are very different feelings! Shallower chest breathing does seem to be the way to go. It feels strange, but so does everything else at first. It's got to better than holding it in! Thanks so much for all your help, guys. I'll keep you updated on how things go! I think a kickass, sturdy handstand is going to be one of my primary goals for this summer.

So, I can get up into a handstand, and sometimes (maybe one out of 8 times) I seem to find that sweet spot. But it never lasts more than a few seconds. Today I figured out why. I've been holding my breath! As soon as I have to breathe, my weight shifts and I come down. I'm trying to breathe from the beginning of the handstand, but it's surprisingly difficult. I can stand on my head for minutes at a time, no problem, so I know it's not just being upside-down. Anybody else have breathing issues when in a handstand? How have you dealt with it?

Heh, the first time I was ever called a badass was when I first asked my (now husband) out. I'm still working on the physical badassery, though. Welcome!

I went vegan for health reasons, actually. The chronic joint pain and skin rashes I had since age 11 decreased dramatically when I got rid of the meat, eggs, and dairy in my diet. Enough that I was able to start racewalking again, and now strength training too. As an aside, it my period cramps also improved noticeably, and I rarely get ill (even though I'm exposed to kids all the time). After a brief struggle to get my weight back under control (when I first made the switch to vegan I accidentally lost 10 pounds, leaving me at only 102, eep!), it's been fabulous. I'm so healthy! I would't go back for the world.

I wear Levis, mid-rise only. I have short little legs, which is helpful for me, because for some reason I can only ever find mid-rise jeans in the petites section at Macy's. You can also order them online if you've found a pair that fits you: http://us.levi.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=11580759