Ask Fitz! Losing Weight with a Disability & Frequency of Abdominal Training

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, My question for you is: how can I lose weight when I'm no longer able to exercise due to a life time injury. I'm even stuck relying on the government for my income and food. Lisa

A. Hey Lisa. As if staying in shape isn't hard enough! Dealing with a disability truly makes weight management a challenge. It's not an impossible accomplishment though. It's just going to take a decent amount of education about nutrition for you, and an even greater amount of discipline.

Now for some great news. I would say that about 80% of weight loss is truly a result of food choices. Think of things this way. A person could easily consume over a thousand calories in just five minutes. It would take most folks at least two to three hours of vigorous exercise to burn off the same amount of calories. The decision to NOT consume calories will help you lose weight more easily than an effort to burn lots of calories off.

Since I'm not in the know about your particular health issues, I recommend you speak with your doctor about her suggestions on your nutritional needs. If she thinks you're good to go like anyone else, check Dr. Mehmet Oz's book You: On a Diet out from your local library. It's a great read for someone with the mission of healthy weight loss. I'd also get in touch with your local Weight Watchers group and see if they'll give you a discount on membership. I think the combination of education and emotional support you'll find there will get you moving in the right direction and help you stay on track.

You can do this Lisa! Things may seem tough now, but making great choices with food from here on out will get you where you want to be. Even without exercise! Let me know how things are going. I'm rooting for you! Fitz

Q. Hello Ms. Fitz! I am a 61 year old male. I walk or run seven miles per day, six days per week. I also lift weights every other day. I'd like to know how often I can do abdominal exercises. I do 10 ab exercises 10 times each...every other day. Can I do them more often or do more per session. Donald

A. Wow Donald! You are who I want to be when I am your age! In fact, you're doing the things most 18 year olds should be doing. I love it - Bravo! You should send me your entire scoop, so I can feature you as one of my Fitzness Fiends. I'd love to know more!

So here's the answer to your question. Looks to me like you're already doing the right thing! The abdominal muscles are truly no different than any other muscle in your body. For growth, you should challenge them greatly (actually causing tiny tears of the muscle fibers) and then give them 48 hours of time for rest and repair. If you were doing abdominal exercises every single day, I'd say you were doing one of two things:

• Not working hard enough.
• Not allowing time enough for growth.

Either way, you'd need to change things up. If you feel like you've come to a stagnant place with your abdominal training, change things up a bit to make your workouts harder.

• Add weight.
• Try Pilate's.
• Try training your abs with pull-ups like Anthony Field does in this video. .
• Use fitness tools such as the BOSU, stability ball, Bender Ball, and/or medicine ball to your routine.

I really hope I can keep up with your pace thirty years from now, Donald. You're an inspiration to me!

Punches & Kicks,