The Editor's of Men's Health, The New York Times Special Features
QUESTION: Why don't old guys have butts? Is there any way I can
preserve mine, before my jeans fall right off? -- M.V., Topton, Pa.
ANSWER: There's no published research on cheek atrophy in older
males, but Stephen Seiler, associate professor at the Norway
Institute of Health and Sport, has a theory: The butt is composed
primarily of the gluteus maximus. This muscle is actively engaged
when the body goes into a relatively deep squatting position, or
anytime the hip is powerfully extended -- as it is when your
sprinting, for instance.
The older you get, the less running and squatting you do, so
your glutes are likely to retire along with the rest of you.
Eventually (so the theory goes) the gluteus maximus becomes
superfluous and starts to atrophy.
Here's how to keep your cheeks into old age, according to
trainer Michael Mejia:
+ Step 1.
Use a Versa Climber three times a week. Try 5 minutes at a time
and build up to 15 minutes. If your gym doesn't have a Versa
Climber, use a stair climber and take deep steps. If you don't have
access to either, climb real stairs two at a time. Go slowly, and
always push off with your heels. Again start at five minutes and
build up to 15.
+ Step 2.
Now do 15 to 20 minutes on a treadmill. Use the highest
elevation and take long steps. If you don't have a treadmill, walk
up a steep hill.
+ Step 3.
Finally, do Bulgarian split squats (You will need a step
platform raised to two levels to do this exercise). These force you
to contract your gluteal muscles with one leg extended in front of
you and one behind (on the step) as if you were sprinting. This
gives your lower-body muscles a more intense workout than they're
used to leading to the sort of development you see in athletes, who
sprint for a living -- NFL running backs, for instance.
Do one to three sets of five to seven slow repetitions with each
leg, three times a week. Do all your repetitions with one leg
before you switch to the other to complete the set. If you've never
done lunging exercises with weights, start with your back foot on
the floor. Then progress to using a step. When you're really
advanced, you can put your foot up on an exercise bench.
Here's a way to get better results from gluteal exercises: Push
off from your heels during squats, lunges, stepups and the like. If
you let the weight shift to the balls of your feet, you'll work
your quadriceps more and challenge your glutes less.
QUESTION: The woman who used to cut my hair told me I should
part my hair on the right, because that's where my natural part is.
The woman who cuts my hair now says there's no such thing as a
natural part, and that I should go back to being a lefty. How can I
figure out who's right? -- A.D., Waco, Texas
ANSWER: Since your hair grows differently on different parts of
your scalp -- faster in some sections and slower, curlier or denser
in others -- it forms natural parts, or ``breaks'' as they're called
in the comb-and-clipper trade. To find your natural break, wet your
hair and comb it straight back, then push it forward from the
crown. It will fall into its natural pattern.
If you need another reason to go with your natural part, heed
this warning from Marlene Vendittuoli, men's grooming specialist
for D.J. Rubin Salon in New York: ``If you try to comb your hair in
an unnatural part, you can turn yourself into a chicken head, with
hair bulging out in every direction as it fights to go its natural
way.''
QUESTION: My teeth are so sensitive I feel as if I'm going to
pass out when I eat ice cream or anything else cold. Is there
anything I can do to toughen them up? -- P.K., Kirksville, Mo.
ANSWER: Yes. You actually can toughen up your teeth. The reason
they're hurting is that your cementum -- the protective, calcified
coating that covers the roots of your teeth -- has been worn down by
food acids. That exposes the sensitive dentin underneath and leaves
you suffering from screaming-chomper syndrome.
There are two remedies: a fluoridated coating your dentist can
apply, or a toothpaste containing potassium nitrate, which you can
use at home.
You probably breached the cementum not by eating sweets but by
combating them, says Israel Kleinberg, chairman of oral biology at
SUNY Stony Brook.
``Diet soda, apple juice and many mouthwashes -- all of these are
highly acidic liquids that eventually expose the dentin,''
Kleinberg says. ``Hard brushing or the scraping dentists do to
remove tartar and stains can also corrode the cementum.''
