Foot pain while jogging can have several causes

Q I'm a 45-year-old woman and just started working out again. I'm trying to jog, but my feet hurt. What can I do?

A Maybe a lot. How old are your sneakers? Do they have good arch support?

Some folks at our Star Tribune gym have had similar problems and found relief when they chucked their old, worn-out sneakers and invested in running or aerobic sneakers with decent cushioning.

Others didn't realize their arches were starting to fall (sigh, one more joy of getting older). They found relief in the form of arch supports.

You can buy them at drugstores or get custom-fitted orthotics from your doctor. They often are only partly covered by insurance but can provide a lot of relief and give you the right support for your instep and even help with the alignment of your knees and hips.

Tell your doctor the type of exercise you are doing and be specific about where in your foot you experience pain. Custom sports orthotics will be made with extra cushioning where your foot needs it. That helps absorb the shock of running or other activities.

Finally, make sure you warm up your legs and stretch your calves, quads and hamstrings before and after exercising. That can prevent legs spasms, gait changes and foot pain.

Q I'd like to build up my legs and thought of using ankle weights while I jog. Is that safe?

A No. Orthopedic doctors say that ankle weights should not be used while walking or jogging because they can overstretch ligaments needed to keep our ankles and knees healthy.

On the Mayo Clinic's health website, Dr. Edward Laskowski, co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center, notes that ankle weights also change a person's gait, which can cause injury.

Confession: I'm guilty of using and even suggesting using 1- or 2-pound ankle weights while walking, but even that weight is frowned on by the pros.

So, let me go on record: Avoid this.

Save the weights for isolated strength training in a controlled environment, not for cardio. Be safe, rather than sorry.

If you really want to give your legs a safe workout, use stairs or the elliptical machines with the resistance button set from 5 to 10. Trust me. Your legs will feel the love.

Q I've hit middle age and recently developed a paunch. Is there a way to lose weight just in my gut, to spot reduce?

A No, and yes. We don't "lose weight" in just one part of the body. But we can tone muscles and lose inches in a specific area. That is really what most people are after.

Exercise and dietary changes usually take care of our problem areas. Luckily, the last bulge we gain seems to be the first one to leave us when we get serious about getting in shape.

To tame a pouting paunch, first record your waist measurement and begin a six-week program that works your core muscles and cardio, limits fatty and starchy foods, and bumps up the protein (lean chicken, fish, nuts).

For the cardio, walk briskly at least 30 minutes a day, rain or shine. Then address your stomach.

In his book "The Body Noble," celebrity trainer Derek Noble works clients' abs before any other exercise. He favors sit-up crunches to counts of two, then four and reverse crunches where clients lie on their backs -- palms down, knees bent -- and then he has them roll their knees into their chests while squeezing their abs and exhaling. To make this more intense, lift the glutes off the ground. Or try it with a large exercise ball pinched behind the back of your legs. Try 20 to 30 reps.

To strengthen side abs/obliques, Nobel suggests lying on your back, putting a hand behind your head, bending your knees to one side and then crunching your abs upward while exhaling. Try 20.

On her new DVD, "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism," trainer Jillian Michaels (from "Biggest Loser") works clients through cardio exercises that get the heart pumping. But first she warms up with ab exercises such as sit-ups that cause her to stretch a leg to the sky and reach for a toe, again and again, while squeezing the abs. Try 20. Switch sides.

Other versions of this make you pedal while connecting an elbow to the opposite bent knee. Always do the same number of reps to both sides of the body. The idea is to fatigue the muscles. Then stretch out the abs. Allow at least one day to recover. Repeat the routine. Measure your abs again in six weeks.

Dee DePass • 612-673-7725