Goals : By Dennis Bell

Perhaps you have decided that this is the time to begin a fitness regimen. Maybe your physician has recommended that you “get into better shape” to avoid the health problems that come with obesity or a sedentary lifestyle. Maybe you want to slow the aging process, look and feel better, lower your borderline high blood pressure, lose weight - the list is endless. You have investigated your options regarding the type of fitness protocols that would best fit your lifestyle. You have researched the many diet plans to suit your particular needs. And last but not least you have decided how much you can afford to spend to reach that elusive goal. But what is that goal?

The aforementioned list of goals is the common theme we as fitness trainers hear from our new clients. Weight loss is a very common goal. The client usually presents us with their current weight and then proceeds to tell us what they want to weigh. I then go into my spiel about how, here at The Center, we consider the overall fitness of the person and are resistant to assign weight numbers as a personal goal. After all, you could chop off a leg and lose a substantial amount of weight. That may seem a bit draconian, but if weight loss is your only goal, why not? Seriously, though, we often get caught up in simple one title goals, and once you have set sail on the sea of fitness and managed to stay the course you may just achieve that goal. But what happens then???

So you have reached the level of fitness you set out to achieve. You are happy with your weight, waist size, level of cardio fitness and those old clothes fit like they did before! Where do you go from here? Now comes the process called maintenance. Maintaining your fitness regimen with the sole intention of keeping the status quo often turns to drudgery. Drudgery turns to boredom, and then to apathy and, bingo, you’re headed down the slippery slope right back to where you started. So what do you do?

First and foremost mix up the routine!! If your sole method of cardiovascular exercise has been spinning, try a step class, or begin a once or twice per week jog. If you have been weight training with a particular group of machines, switch to a free weight protocol interspersed with body bar or resistance tubes. Here at The Center we try to vary our workouts to include a variety of equipment choices to keep it interesting as well as exercising as many muscle groups in one session as time permits. And do I have to say it again…..YOGA……..Yoga can bring you to new heights of fitness both physically and psychologically.

Okay, so now you’ve mixed up the routine, you have a variety of workouts, you’re maintaining that level of fitness you want, but still, it’s drudgery. Every day: workout, sweat, shower, go to work. What’s missing? Remember that goal you set way back when? How every day you diligently got up early, marched to the car, came to The Center and pushed through your workout, incrementally inching toward that “goal”. What you need is a new goal. But lets be serious. You can’t keep losing weight, or getting smaller, or building muscle mass, and while cardiovascular fitness is wonderful there is a limit to the amount of cardio you can safely perform. Maybe you should look outside yourself for a goal. Are you a good runner? How about training for a marathon? Or a road race? How about mountain climbing? Care to tackle Mt Washington? (No, not in the car!) How about a triathlon? Ride a bike? The Pan American endurance ride passes right through our town. Swim? How about competing in one of the many swimming events held at almost every YMCA in the state? Even some of the local beaches hold competitions. How about the stair climb that our team, The Center Steppers, is competing in this year?

I hold my fitness focus with my one passion, motorcycle racing. I know that I have to be at my peak level of fitness the first week of March every year in order to maintain some level of competitiveness. I must maintain that level from March to October every year I intend to compete. Its like a circle, begin training hard at the first of the year, maintain that level until October, reduce to a level of maintenance for a couple of months to enjoy the holidays, and then back at it the week after Christmas. My focus stays fixed on the first race. My goal is to be the best I can be when I arrive in Daytona on March first and, of course, the ultimate goal is to win. That’s the motivating factor.

Oh, and don’t try the “I’m too old” excuse. At this year’;s stair climb our friend, Mike Mollo, will be competing in his second climb at 75 years old. And ,oh, by the way, Mike won his class in the climb last year! So keep up your routine, stay the course, vary your workout protocol, set goals, and aim high. You only go around once, make it count!! See ya at the races...

The Best Fat Burning Breakfast

The very same breakfast that will really fuel your workout, will actually help to reach your weight loss!  The Journal of Nutrition, found that women who ate a whole grain fiber loaded cereal, yogurt and fruit an hour before a long workout( longer than one hour sustained) burned 50%  MORE fat than those who ate and equally caloric meal of corn flakes, special K or other simple cereal with milk, white toast and jam. Why?  Calorie amounts are the same.

The first meal falls lower on the glycemic index (GI).  The second meal choice spikes the blood sugar, which your body must then use to fuel your workout.  The study’s author, Emma Stevenson, P.H.D., explains a meal low on the GI index, is digested more slowly, so the workout is then fueled with your fat stores!

To get more info: glycemicindex.com

Hungry or Thirsty

Thirteen years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to China.  I was struck at how straight and strong the elderly were as they walked.  I was also surprised to see that the one “pose” I was warned against in my fitness classes the deep squat was the routine posture to anyone resting.  It was not until about 5 years later, during my studies with Tom Gillette, I learned the importance of GARLAND POSE or Malasana.

Unlike Americans, who plop down in a chair slouched down, the Chinese assume the squat.  It is a very active posture.  However, once one is used to the position, it is super comfortable.  Posture is improved because your back, ankles and knees are stretched.  It is also an unloaded forward bend, allowing the lower back to soften and release.  The Achilles tendons lengthen. 

Modification is key to starting in this position.  Check with a qualified yoga instructor to get the proper alignments.   As with all poses, there are contraindications: knee injury/pregnancy.

Sarcopenia : By Maryellen Fowler

Olive oil is a favorite for cooking. It’s flavor is strong enough to stand up to very bold food~like fish. It has a high smoking point and doesn’t degrade as quickly as many other oils. Recipes such as pesto, can be made in bulk and frozen because olive oil is a fat that freezes beautifully.

Could it be that cooking with this oil now poses a problem?

Olive oil, like all vegetable cooking oils, contains minute amounts of some PAHs. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons increase with high heat. Burning the oil repeatedly will result in higher PAH. However, it is extremely unlikely that any in home use of olive oil would ever contain a significant amount.

Dr. A Kiritsakis, a world renowned chemist in Athens, wrote the book OLIVE OIL FROM THE TREE TO THE TABLE. He explains olive oil will oxidize and hydrogenate to a tiny degree if repeatedly heated to a very high temperature. Virgin olive oil is highly mono-unsaturated and therefore resistant to oxidation and hydrogenation. Studies show olive oil to react to heating less than other oils.

The turning of unsaturated oil into a saturated-fat is a long difficult process. Refinery like factories bubble hydrogen gas through 250 and 400 degree hot oil with a metal catalyst. The process takes hours. Changing a cis-fat to a trans-fat dies not occur on a home stove.

So cook with your olive oil! Manga!

Info Source: The Olive Oil Source www.oliveoilsource.com

I’ve always hated to exercise… You couldn’t pay me enough money to do it... I was determined that I didn’t need it, I was fine just the way I was!

Well, in February of 2009 I started adding exercise into my weekly routine. It took a while, but I now understand and feel the benefits of regular exercise.

I’m a graphic designer. What’s involved with graphic design? Well, a lot of thinking and creativity.. My job requires me to constantly be looking at things, and evaluating if they will work for situations or projects that I have on my plate. I also have to keep my eyes open for new work and new clients at all times. You just never know where the next job will come from, so everything I encounter on a daily basis needs to be “logged” into my brain. It’s mentally exhausting.. I never made a time in my day where I could set my brain on auto pilot and “check out” for an hour or so. I didn’t think it was possible.
 
I also spend way to much time at a desk/computer. This, over time (and I didn’t even know it) has been messing with my body. Muscles in my back, neck and legs were “transforming” because I wasn’t using them for anything. I lost flexibility and had constant aches and pains. (More than a normal person in their 30s). I often dreaded what my pain would be like 10 or 20 years from now, if it was this bad now.

So, I decided to start with simple exercise. I began slow.. a class once a week. Soon after that I started adding more because I liked the way I was feeling.
What have I gained since I began?
I have more energy. I can bend.. jog.. and could probably walk all day long. I don’t get winded going up the stairs and I sleep better. I’ve gotten rid of a lot of pain. Sure, I still get aches and sometimes things will act up; but it’s not an everyday problem like it used to be, and the intensity is much lower.

It’s even helped me be a better designer. I’ve finally given myself the ability and time to “shut off” my brain for a little while. Believe it or not, when you are doing a step/strength class with 8 pound weights.. the only thing your brain can do is work on keeping your body moving without hitting yourself in the head or falling over! So when I go back to design or organize the next job I’m working on, I feel more refreshed and things seem to work better. I don’t hit a “creative wall” like I used to.

I’m now a firm believer that you can change things if you work at it, and that fitness and health do not come easy. I’m also going to be the first one to say “My excuses for not exercising were lame!”

So.. "Why Should You Exercise?" Because there is no reason to sit around and deteriorate. We have the ability to move; Isn't that enough? The world will not come to an end if you change your schedule. The hardest part is getting your own self to agree to change. So add in a simple workout and take 2 minutes each hour of your day to stretch.. You'll feel better!
And yes, you can take 2 minutes.. even at work..
Which reminds me, it’s time for my stretch.

Tai Chi Shows Promise for Arthritis Sufferers

NEW Classes and Seminars starting this Spring Season

With the change of seasons upon us, it's time to revamp our lineup and add in some fantastic new options for our clients. You can find class dates and times on our online schedule.

Spin/Core:
A combo class- combining a Spin ride with Core Training exercises that strengthen and stabilize the muscles needed for more efficiency during spinning class, cycling and everyday life activities.

Class Scheduled to run Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM

Woman’s Self Defense Seminar:
This is an 8 week program designed to give you the self confidence and awareness you need to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations. A variety of techniques will be covered including proper striking, kicking, blocking, defense from grabs, weapons, basic ground attacks and mind set. This is a hands on workshop, taught in a safe environment, at your own pace that will give you the ability to respond confidently and effectively to a variety of situations. Techniques are built on simple principles Physical, verbal, and psychological components will be discussed

Class meetings are as follows:
March 11, 18, 25; April 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29.

Seminar Fee: $50 for all sessions.

Pre-registration is required. Class size is limited.
Please call or email Carlene to register at carleneparrillo@cox.net or 401.529.6959

Wellness and Weightloss:
• Improve your health without dangerous drugs or gimmicks!
• Learn to avoid faux-foods and ingredients that are deteriorating your health and well-being.
• Feel better and lose weight naturally!
• NO counting points, carbohydrates, fats, or restricting calories.

Forget the diet.......Live the Lifestyle!

Transitions Lifestyle System provides a simple, common sense, complete approach to wellness and weight management - helping you feel good by improving your IMMUNE SYSTEM and allowing you to get the most out of life.

This is a 12 week program that includes materials. Weekly meetings last approximately 1 hour. Each week we cover a different topic. Topics build upon each other. The cost is $300.00 for the 12 weeks.

For details and enrollment call:
Dawn Parente, Certified Nutritional Consultant
774-991-0695, veghead67@hotmail.com

Inflammation & Diet

There is a growing body of scientific evidence that many major diseases are connected to inflammation in the body. Some of the most common are arthritis, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and asthma. The foods we consume have a dramatic effect on inflammation in the body. By eliminating foods that increase the inflammatory response and increasing the consumption of foods which are anti-inflammatory we can help to manage and potentially prevent many common illnesses.

I always like to start by looking at the positive...what can we add to our food intake. Here a list of some foods with anti-inflammatory properties:
• Most fruits and vegetables
• Whole soy foods
• Omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel, anchovies, herring, lake trout, walnuts, canola oil, flaxseeds, wheat germ, and omega-3 eggs)
• Pumpkin seeds and Walnuts

It's also important to avoid and in some cases completely eliminate those foods that are inflammatory. Foods to avoid, which appear to increase inflammation, include: red meat, whole fat dairy, peanuts, sugar, egg yolks and refined whilte flour.

If you need some guidance in developing a menu plan that includes more anti-inflammatory foods and decreases the inflammatory foods, contact me for a Nutrition Coaching session.

Greg Salgueiro, MS, RD, LDN