DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have been training and running since 1984. I would run 25 to 30 races a year, always trying to best myself. I stopped all this in 1998 and settled on my favorite training format, fartlek. I threw my stopwatch away. My exercise now is about fitness and fun.

My workout changes every day, depending on how I feel and the weather and the heat. My advice for the everyday runner is a program of fartlek. – B.R.

ANSWER: It’s been a long time since anyone has mentioned fartlek. I’M glad you did, for a number of reasons. If exercise is a grim routine, no one sticks with it. The same program, day after day, spawns boredom. Both the body and the mind need new challenges.

“Fartlek” is the combination of two Swedish words that mean “speed play.” It combines the best of sprinting (anaerobic exercise) and distance running (aerobic exercise). The idea is to vary the program on a daily basis according to how you feel. Each day, incorporate features that are different from the ones used the day before. A person might run fast for a short time and then slow down to a jog or a brisk walk and then, when the urge strikes, speed up again. Nothing is timed. Nothing is done according to a rigid plan. The intensity of exercise is determined by the person’s own perception of how tough it is. It’s possible to be self-delusional with this kind of program, but most people honestly evaluate the energy cost of their exercise. People can stop taking their pulses to be sure they are in the “zone.” They can stop measuring distances. They don’t have to time themselves. They can, believe it or not, actually enjoy themselves.

Fartlek not only varies the pace and kind of exercise, but it varies the terrain on which exercise is done. It can take place on hills, on flat stretches, on concrete, on soft dirt or on sand. Terrain variation recruits different muscles depending on the type of terrain.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Every day I walk for 45 minutes to an hour. Since I started, six months ago, I have lost 15 pounds and have had no trouble keeping the weight off.

Recently I have noticed my hands are swollen after the walk and I have trouble taking off my wedding ring. What causes this? Could it be the warmer weather? – R.S.

ANSWER: I bet you walk with your arms hanging straight down. When the hands are in a dependent position, gravity pulls fluid from the blood into the tissues – the swelling you experience. Even if you swing your arms but keep your elbows straight, the pendulum motion also drives fluid from vessels.

Walk with bent elbows and with your hands slightly higher than your elbows.

The weather could have an effect too. But I am positive the swelling will be less if you keep your elbows bent.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am in awe of marathon runners. I have no intention of every trying to accomplish such a feat. I wonder how many people die during these events. – L.M.

ANSWER: There’s one death for every 100,000 participants in marathon races. That’s a pretty small number when you consider the stress that such a run puts on the body.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I live near a park, and every day there’s a ballgame in the evening that’s at a pretty high level of competition. When I sit in the bleachers, I see a couple of guys who are squeezing a tennis ball all during the game. What are they accomplishing? – M.I.

ANSWER: It’s a good way to build forearm (lower arm) muscles and to strengthen one’s grip. People in racquet sports use it as a way to improve their hold on the racquet.

If you hold the squeeze for a couple of seconds, it increases the benefit of this exercise.

A tennis ball is too rigid for many people. A softer, rubber ball is acceptable.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com

Copy the Story Link