P. RSONAL TRAINER

A cure for the boring workout:

Accessorize

BY NANCY COLE nancyfitness@aol.com

Our bodies can get bored with rou­ tine workouts. We don't need a break from busting our behinds in the gym, we just need to bust our bodies out of boredom. Maybe it's time to re-evalu­ ate and alter your workout.

One way is to accessorize.

In the same way accessories can change the look of your outfit, they can work wonders for your workout.

Inexpensive equipment such as stability balls, medicine balls, dyna discs, balance bars and bands are available in your gym or sporting goods store. You just have to know how to use them effectively.

J"hen choosing equipment that d enges your balance, you'll have to lighten the load if you use them with weights. Your major muscle groups will not work as intensely, however, your core and stabilizers will kick in. And since you'll have to concentrate on your balance, it won't be boring.

HEALTH

RONNA GRAOUS/MIAMI HERALO STAfF FINDING BALANCE: Nancy Cole demonsttrates a lunge on a dyna disc.

an up and down movement. Be careful not to track your knee forward or backward. Perform this exercise slowly so that you focus on maintain­ ing your balance and challenging your muscles. Try 15 reps on the left leg and then switch to 15 reps on the right leg. To progress, you can add weights. Just remember that you'll have to adjust to the imbalanced surface before piling on the pounds:

DOCTORG

To perform the stationary lunge on a disc, get into the lunge position with your front working leg on the dyna disc and your rear leg behind you. Descend until your front thigh is par­ allel to the floor and perpendicular to your lower leg. You rear knee will closely approach the floor. Push up on your front heel to raise your hips back up to the starting position.

The stationary lunge movement is

weeks and even difficulty with erec­ tions if the damage is severe. It turns out that the potential for injury has to do with the shape and padding of the bike seat. Try to avoid the seats with long "noses" and use the ones that are as wide as possible. You want to be sitting on the "cheeks" of your bottom and not resting on the middle.

Try to spend some time standing while you are pedaling to relieve some of the pressure on your but­ tocks. Buy or rent seats that are pad­ ded to add additional cushioning for that delicate area of your body.

Go out and have a great ride, but use your head to take the necessary precautions to protect your manhood.

Dr. Marc Gittelman is a board certi­ fied urologist. The advice in this col­ umn is not a substitute for consulting a physician. write to him at DrMarcGit telman@yahoo.com or c/o Health, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami FL 33132.

With wrong seat, bike ride can leave you numb

ark under our control if we try to take care of our bodies in the best possible

way.

As physicians, we can teach our patients to watch their weight, be careful with cholesterol and to exer­ cise regularly. But some sports can be more punishing on our bodies than others. It turns out that bicycle riding is great for our muscles and our circu­ lation and we can enjoy the thrill of a great ride in beautiful terrain. But the problem with cycling is that the weight of the entire body comes down o~ a very narrow bike seat. And the part of the body that is directly on the seat is exactly the area that carries all the blood vessels and nerves that belong to the penis. When you sit on a bi\{e seat those areas get squashed, and if it's for a long ride, there can be some significant temporary or perma­

nent damage.

That translates into potential numbness in your penis for days to

Q: I recently did a 25-mile bike ride with my buddies and it took five days before I could feel my penis again. I was nervous to try inti­

DR. MARC macy, but eventually GITIELMAN everything was OK.

drmarcglttelman Can bike riding hurt

inbedJ

A: There is no question that bike 'riding is good for your heart, but you need to use your head to protect your penis.

Almost every type of exercise is good for your health - running, swimming, tennis, skiing. And gener­ ally what is good for your health translates into good circulation to the most.,important parts of your body ­ v -brain, your heart and your penis. Sto~e things are out of our control, like being diagnosed with arthritis or high blood pressure. But many things

LET'S TALK Mom, daughter at loggerheads

Q: My 20-year-old daughter Is obsessed with wanting to enhance her physical appearance. She is convinced breast augmentation will make her feel better about herself. I think she is foolish

because she's lovely the way she looks. She refuses to lis­ ten to me. I am extremely annoyed by her stubbornness. She is equally irritated by my unsupportive atti- . tude. Help!

A: It's unclear whether the subject of breast augmentation is why you are locked in this stalemate or whether it's due to the fact each of you have opposing views. What is clear is there's an inability to acknowledge and show respect for each others differing thoughts and feelings. One probable reason for your daughter tuning you out is because she resents being put down and ridiculed. If this incident repre­ sents how disagreements have been handled throughout her life, then her low self-esteem is partly attributable to the lack of acceptance she has received for expressing her individu­ ality. Wanting to establish an inde­ pendent identity may be at the heart of this cOAflict. although it is now centered on changing her physical appearance.

What is evident is not enough attention has been devoted to fully exploring the psychological reasons for her request. In your case, therapy is recommended to help each of you to learn how to express anger appro­ priately, successfully negotiate con­ flicts and enable your daughter to achieve emotional independence without guilt. She needs to learn how to feel proud of herself from the inside and out and not look for atten­ tion from the opposite sex to build her self-worth. Increasing her breast size will transform an under-devel­ oped physique, yet unless therapy focuses on repairing the damage to her self-esteem, your daughter will have difficulty sustaining personal happiness through this cosmetic change.

DR. ANDREA CORNt

Dr. Andrea Corn is a licensed psy­ chologist in Lighthouse Point. Write to her at cornpsyd@bellsouth.netor c/o Health, 7 Herald Plaza, Miami FL 33732. The advice in this column is not a substitute for consulting a ther­ apist.