Q: I am a male of medium built 5 feet 9 inches in height weighing 85 kgs and I am 20 years old. Though I don't look too fat, I still jog a lot to be in good shape and get a firm body that I have always dreamed of. I jog 10 kms daily in the evening before dinner. I know 10 kms everyday is more than necessary but I have been doing this for about 6 months. Since 5 days or so, I have been feeling a little pain in the front side of both my legs. I feel a little exertion in my calf muscles too but its the pain in the front side of the bones that bothers me. I have lost about 12 to 15 kgs in the past six months and I think I have become a little weak than before. My friends tell me that it might be due to lack of calcium as I consume a lot of sweets. I have cut down on sweets and have started drinking a lot of milk these days. I would request you to please comment on the situation and suggest a remedy?

A:I do think that you are over-exerting yourself. Like you said, 10 kms is a bit too much even if you have been doing it for the last 5-6 months. Firstly, you can spread the type of exercise to alternating between jogging some days and brisk walking other days. Make sure your shoes are well cushioned and padded to support your weight. Try finding a mud track to jog/walk on so as to lessen the impact. Make sure that you also warm-up and cool down by adding some stretches to your routine. It is not highly recommended that you exercise so close to dinner time as that might interfere with your sleep cycle. If you can keep at least 2-3 hours gap before dinner then that should be ok. Get some wholesome nutritious food into your diet instead of concentrating on just one food type. You can consult a nutritionist. All in all, fitness should be done within limits and integrated into your lifestyle, done in moderation like everything else in life. Keep to limits so that you can carry it on rather than lose to it due to over-exertion injuries.