By David Patania

Question: I am a 27 years old and in decent shape, but I have strange lower back pain. Do I exercise through it? What exercises would help?

Answer: Low back pain is a common problem that should be addressed early to avoid a chronic condition.

There are many ways to injure your low back, especially if you are a highly active exerciser. Nevertheless, a majority of low-back injuries are caused by: lack of proper warm up and cool down periods, lack of stretching, poor abdominal strength, poor body positioning during activities and improper weight-lifting techniques.

Cease all activities that cause even minor pain and schedule an appointment with your doctor. Your low back is nothing to take for granted, so get to the doctor and get better. Keep me posted!

Q: I looked at a height and weight chart and it said that I am overweight for my height. I am a 5-foot 10-inch male who weighs 188 pounds. I don't have a lot of body fat. What is going on?

A: Absolutely nothing is going on. Those height and weight charts are useless in my opinion. I looked at a chart a client had and it said that he was "grossly overweight." He is 5-foot 9-inches and 186 pounds, very muscular and has very low body fat. Many charts are outdated and don't take body composition into consideration.

A better way to see if your body composition (body fat and body circumference) is acceptable is to go to a gym or fitness facility and have an experienced staff member measure your body fat and body circumference (neck, shoulders, chest, etc.). These two measurements will give you a much more accurate assessment.

From the body fat test, the staff member will be able to tell you how much lean muscle mass you have versus fat mass. With those numbers, you will have the info to help you design a meal plan that will give you good results.

Many use diets and other meal plans without getting these important numbers - which is like going to the movies wearing a blindfold and ear plugs. These simple measurements will give you the information needed to bring focus and direction to your health and fitness designs.

Fitness chat today: Personal fitness trainer Dave Patania joins The Enquirer's Peggy O'Farrell to offer advice on getting in shape. This chat will run from 12:30 to 1 p.m.

E-mail: davpatania@aol.com.