Ask Shannon: Fitness and Nutrition Q & A at Her Active Life

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Ask Shannon: Fitness and Nutrition Q & A

Posted April 25, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: Her Fitness, Training Programs, Her Nutrition

bench With years of training under her belt, resident fitness and nutrition expert Shannon Clark is ready to help you on your way to a healthy, informed lifestyle. Got a question? Email her your inquiries, and be sure to check back every week for the latest Q&A.

Q: I’ve just started doing the bench press weight lift but am a little unsure how far exactly I should come down. I’m scared I might injure my shoulder if I come too far down on my body. What’s best?

A: This is a great question and one that many people often struggle with. Some individuals like to come all the way down so the bar is pretty much resting on the chest. This is the best way to do it because it ensures you are utilizing the full range of motion.

If you are to do it this way, however, it’s highly recommended that you are using a spotter because if you don’t, you might find you get ‘stuck’ in this position. You are naturally weaker when at this angle so it’s slightly more dangerous.

Furthermore, if you do have any type of pre-existing shoulder problems, this may not be the best approach for you because it could aggravate them further. In this case, you’ll want to come down only as far as comfortable, being sure to stop if you experience any pain.

Also remember to stretch immediately after you are finished the lift in between sets, as this will help to reduce the amount of muscular pain you experience later on.

Q: I really love eating yogurt as part of my diet and have noticed both sugar-free and fat-free varieties in the store. Is one the better choice?

A: Yogurt is a great addition to any healthy diet! The form of bacteria that’s found in yogurt provides a lot of benefits and is important to consume to maintain proper health.

You are right though, it can be tough navigating through the yogurt section of the grocery store, as it seems each brand has a unique feature it totes to be the healthiest.

Personally, I would recommend choosing a lower-fat variety, but do not go fat-free if it means you are consuming a lot of sugar. Often, when they completely eliminate the fat from the yogurt, they will replace it with additional sugar in order to keep the taste level up there.

If this isn’t the case, they will replace the sugar with an artificial sweetener, so then the issue becomes whether you feel comfortable including these in your diet (the level they use is more than safe, but some individuals simply do not like consuming these products).

Choosing a low-fat, sugar free variety would likely be your best option. Some fat is okay, and it may make you feel fuller for a longer period of time after eating the yogurt. Do keep in mind though, that this is likely a saturated form of fat, so try and keep it to a few grams at most.

Additionally, if you’re eating the yogurt as a source of calcium and protein, another great product to try and include as well is cottage cheese. Strictly speaking in terms of protein and sugar, cottage cheese has a slightly favourable nutritional protocol over yogurt, so it can be even better to consume at times.