Student Questions!

If you eat 10 carrots would you get really strong?

While eating 10 carrots is good for you (they have vitamin A in them which is important for the immune system), it’s not going to make you really strong.  If you want to get strong, you have to challenge your body through resistance training (push-ups, lunges, squats, planks, burpees, etc), and make sure you are eating high quality protein.  High quality protein sources would include beef, chicken, pork, fish, dairy, eggs, nuts, & beans.

What is the best exercise for you?

I really don’t think there is a best.  Different exercises improve the body in different ways.  It just depends on your goals.  If you’re looking to improve overall fitness, I would say three great ones are burpees, sprinting, and planks.

Is volleyball effective since there is not much running involved?

Volleyball is still effective for fitness as it improves reaction time, jumping ability, focus, and hand-eye coordination.

How do you improve your immune system?

Just like most things in health, you have to take a comprehensive approach.  Good nutrition (see my Eat Real Food post), exercise, quality sleep, and stress management all improve the immune system. 

If you did planks for as long as you can everyday would your whole body be stronger?

You shouldn’t do them every day because you would never give your body a chance to recover and repair.  I would do them every other day or every 2 days.  This would be a more effective strategy for improving strength.

Do push-ups improve lower body strength too?

Push-ups are primarily an upper body strengthening exercise.  Focus on lunges, squats, jumping, and sprinting to improve lower body strength. 

What is “your” favorite exercise?

That’s a tough one.  One of my favorites would be sprinting.

How does soccer benefit your fitness?

Soccer is good for improving anaerobic (quick burst) fitness, quickness, eye-foot coordination, leg strength, and to some degree endurance.

What would happen if you broke your leg?  Would it effect you the rest of your life?

It just depends on how well your body heals.  Most people can bounce back from a leg break as long as they get proper care and give their body high quality nutrition and rest. 

Can stress cause you to be sick?

It definitely can.  When we are constantly stressed, our body releases natural stress chemicals called cytokines and gene signals in our body that help us deal with the stress.  If we don’t overcome the stress, these things can weaken our immune system.  A little stress can be good, but a lot of stress is not.

If you exercised every day for 2 hours, how much fat would you burn?

Everyone’s metabolism and health status is different so there is no one answer.  As long as that person is getting plenty of quality restful sleep, and eating nutritious foods, they would definitely burn some fat.

Is music proven to help people exercise?

Music has been proven to be a strong motivating factor in regards to helping people exercise.  Just ask your friends and family if they would rather exercise in silence, or with their favorite upbeat music.  I’m willing to bet most of them would say with music!  Personally, I know I’ve been energized by music!