Ask Doctor Cory.

Dear Dr. Cory:

I have been trying to get a "six pack" for about a year. I try sit-ups almost daily, but I am not seeing any fast results. What do I do?

Rene Clark

Kokomo, Indiana 

Dear Rene:

Keep doing those sit-ups, curls, and crunches. They help tone and give definition to the abdominal muscles. Swimming laps is also an excellent activity for toning the abdomen, as well as being a good aerobic exercise. Aerobic activities give your heart and lungs a healthy workout. They make your body burn fat for energy rather than storing it in your body.

Unfortunately, you cannot spot reduce, meaning that exercising one group of muscles won't get rid of the fat in that area. If this were true, people who often chew gum would have thin faces and no double chins!

If you want to lose fat and keep it off, you need to exercise more and choose foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods. Avoid fried foods, high-fat foods, and sort drinks. Some studies have linked the tendency for increased fat around the abdomen with eating saturated fat found in animal products and the trans fat found in many ready-to-eat or processed foods.

You are at the age when you will start a growth spurt. You may find that as you grow taller, your body will even out, making it easier to have a "six-pack"! Don't forget to stand up straight and use your abdominal muscles to hold in your abdomen.

Dear Dr. Cory:

At what age can I start to lift free weights, like two- or three-pound dumbbells? If I like it, maybe I'll do a bar with light weights on it. My dad says I have to be at least seventeen years old, but my friend's brother says thirteen years old.

Kevin

Freehold, New Jersey 

Dear Kevin:

If you are around thirteen, it is fine to start strength training, but we would suggest that you look at programs at your school, community center, or health club. Many offer strength-training classes that are closely supervised by well-trained adults. These adults should be knowledgeable about appropriate exercises for your age and stage of physical development. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) defines strength training as the use of a variety of methods, including exercises with free weights and weight machines, to increase muscular strength, endurance, and/or power for sports participation or fitness enhancement.

Children usually prefer informal play such as playing outside on the playground to a structured situation like lifting weights in a gym until they begin training for a particular sport. You and your dad may feel more comfortable about you lifting weights if you can actually recognize specific muscles as they contract.

Experts say that repetition and proper technique should be the focus, rather than the amount of weight lifted. Power lifting should be avoided. Using lighter weights and lifting them at a slow speed forces the muscles you are using to fully contract through their full range of motion. You are also less likely to injure yourself this way.

Strength training should hot be confused with the sports of weightlifting, power lifting, and body building. According to the AAP, until your body has reached full adult development (usually between the ages of 15 and 18), you should avoid these sports, as well as the repetitive use of maximal amounts of weight in strength-training programs, because these sports can result in serious injury.

Dear Dr. Cory:

Anytime I go to a water park, I always get pneumonia. How can I prevent it?

Johande Phillip

Florida

Dear Johande:

Pools and hot tubs can sometimes carry a variety of viruses and bacteria. For example, the spray of some hot tubs and swimming pools has been found to be contaminated with Legionella bacteria. This kind of bacteria can cause a type of pneumonia passed by water droplets in the air. Another type of virus called adenovirus, in rare cases, can cause pneumonia. One of the ways it has been found to be spread is from contaminated swimming pools.

We are not sure of the type of pneumonia you had or why you would be getting it so frequently. If you are going to the same water park each time, ask them to show you and your parents the pool and hot tub records to be sure that chlorine and pH levels are being strictly monitored. If there are no records, do hot use the pool or hot tub. You may also want to contact your public-health office to investigate further.

And in case you are wondering, it is also not a good idea to drink pool water. Several children became very iii last summer from swallowing E. coli at a water park. E. coli can cause severe diarrhea. Anyone sick with diarrhea should stay far away from a swimming pool so as not to pass it on to others.

See you next issue!

Your friend,

Cory SerVaas, M.D.