Fitness for Moms

Look Good & Feel Great no matter what age your kids happen to be!
Here's why exercise is important for all you Moms out there:

Moms-to-be
Pre-natal exercise minimizes weight gain during pregnancy and can definitely make your delivery easier.

Moms with little kids
Lose the baby fat! You spend nearly every waking moment taking care of others.
Isn’t it time you take care of yourself? A little “me time” goes a long way.

Moms with school-age kids
Like it or not, your kids are watching you, so be a good role model.
If you care about exercise and eating well it will rub off on your kids (eventually).

Moms with older kids
Now that you have some free time are you in shape enough to enjoy it?
Got any kids’ weddings to attend? You can look great in your mother-of-the-bride gown.

Grandmas
Babies are heavier than you might remember!
Can you get down on the floor to play?
Are you fast enough to keep up with your grandchildren?

America’s #1 Health Problem

Americans are, in general, stressed out and the holidays just put the icing on the cake. According to the American Medical Association, stress is a factor in more than 75% of sickness today. Also, the World Health Organization states: Stress is America’s #1 Health Problem.


How do we reduce stress-levels? First, you must make reducing your stress a priority which means finding time to manage it. Reflect on this:

“If we do not make time for health we’ll have to make time for sickness.” ~Marilu Henner

How is stress affecting you?


Some people have physical symptoms:

Headaches/Back pain/Heart disease/Heart palpitations/High blood pressure/Decreased immunity/Stomach upset/Sleep problems

Others experience:
Anxiety/Restlessness/Irritability/Depression/Angry outbursts/Lack of focus/Overeating/Drug or alcohol abuse/Relationship conflicts

Most of these physical symptoms, feelings and behaviors cause more problems and more stress and lead into a downward spiral. Yikes! How do we put on the brakes? Put on the brakes by taking a break. Here’s my favorite new quote:

"The time to relax is when you

don't have time for it."

~Author Unknown

Stress Busters

5 minute stress-buster 
Find a quiet place (even your parked car) where you can close your eyes and breathe. Try progressive muscle relaxation. In this relaxation technique, you focus on tension and relaxation. Start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and progressively working your way up to your neck and head. Tense each muscle group for five to ten seconds and then relax and move on to the next muscle group. Most people hold a lot of tension in their upper back, neck, jaw and face. You may not even realize that you are tense in those areas until you try this technique. Imagine letting the tension “melt away”…this really works great.

10 minute stress-buster
Exercise. You just knew I was going to say that didn’t you? It doesn’t take as much time as you may think. Even a brisk 10 minute walk can help to clear your mind. Physical activity increases the production of endorphins, your brain's feel-good neurotransmitters.

30-60 minute stress-buster 
Longer bouts of exercise (if squeezing them in does not stress out your schedule) are highly recommended. Cardiovascular exercises such as walking, running, cycling and swimming will all give you some “me time” which is great for sifting through your list and solving a problem or two. Another suggestion: relax, breathe and get re-focused with yoga or tai chi. Do you need to get totally distracted? Try a playing a sport or attending a choreographed exercise class which will keep you focused on the activity at hand with no chance to dwell on your problems. Visit www.xofitness.com to see our group training schedule.


Put things into perspective. I love the question: “Will this matter 5 years from now?” Some things will, but a lot of things won’t. Try to identify them. Follow this well-known advice:

Don't sweat the small stuff...

and it's all small stuff.

~Richard Carlson

Have a Happy Healthy Holiday Season!
Karin
karin@xofitness.com

Karin Jennings is a certified personal trainer and co-owner of XO Fitness, LLC in De Pere.
Please visit http://www.xofitness.com/ for more information about our personal & group training services.

XO Fitness welcomes Brenda Rosenstiel to their personal training team!

Brenda Rosenstiel BS, CPT

PERSONAL TRAINER

Philosophy: The Sky is the Limit!

My mission is to give my clients the knowledge of living a healthy lifestyle and have a great time doing it. I know with hard work and dedication that anything is possible. The sky is truly the limit! I believe an active body is a healthy body and can help us achieve anything we want. I also think it is important to be a good role model for my children and grandchildren. I want my kids to lead a healthy lifestyle and I think it is important for everyone to pass it on to future generations.
I chose the health and wellness industry because my father passed away from heart disease when I was only 15. I decided to take personal responsibility for my own health so I could be there for my children and grandchildren. Health and fitness became my passion and I never looked back.
I began my health & fitness career teaching group exercise, personal training and managing health clubs in Chippewa Falls and Tomahawk, WI. Four years ago I moved to Green Bay and continued to pursue my calling in fitness.

EXPERIENCE AND CREDENTIALS

• BSN in Sports Management with an emphasis in Health and Wellness from Cal U in Pennsylvania
• NASM Certified Personal Trainer
• NETA Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
• YMCA Cardio/Step Certified Instructor
• ZUMBA Certification
• Drums Alive Certification
• Silver Sneakers Certification
• I have taught group cycling, Step, Strength, Core, Women on Weights, active older adult and Silver Sneakers classes

PERSONAL INTERESTS

• Camping
• Fishing
• Snowmobiling
• Four Wheeling
• Hiking
• Attending my daughter’s sports activities
• Watching the Packers and NASCAR

AVAILABILITY
Brenda will start taking clients the week of September 12th, 2011
You can schedule a training with Brenda beginning at 4:30 PM Monday thru Thursday online. She will also meet with clients by special request on Fridays 4:30-6 PM  and Saturday mornings.

Back to Fitness: The 3 R’s

Did your fitness routine go freestyle this summer? The trouble with summer is that people tend to be inconsistent about exercising. This happens for a multitude of reasons: a) the kids are home; b) week-long vacations and travel; c) relying on outdoor activities like gardening and walking for exercise.

Now that September is here it is time to get back to fitness! How to start? ”Back to School” and “Back to Fitness” have a lot of similarities. Here are the “Three R’s”:

Regular Routine

Schedule your exercise. Consistency is the key to success. “I am going to get in shape this fall” is far too vague. Instead, say “I am going to exercise for 30 minutes three days a week for the next 4 weeks.” You should consider being even more specific and schedule the days you will exercise on your calendar. Notice how this statement is measureable in couple of ways (minutes of exercise & days per week) it also has a time frame of 4 weeks so when you have successfully exercised through out the month of September you can reward yourself. Then you can set a new goal (maybe 4 days/week) for the month of October!

‘Rite it down
There are two things to write down:

1) Write your goals. Post them somewhere you can see them regularly and act upon them. It is important to review your goals daily…for one minute. Spencer Johnson, M.D., in his book The One Minute Mother gives us this motivational quote: “I take a minute, I look at my goals, I look at my behavior, I see if my behavior matches my goals”.
2) Record your workouts. It may seem silly, but most grown-ups are just as motivated as grade-schoolers by something as simple as a chart on the wall with gold stars. Try this at home: Place a calendar which is dedicated to keeping track of your workouts in a prominent location such as your refrigerator. Everyday you workout give yourself a star on the calendar. You may also want to record your time, distance and/or the activities you completed.

‘Rithmetic
A lot of us are motivated by the numbers.

Most people feel they MUST weigh themselves, however don’t measure success by that number alone. Here are some other numbers to consider:

 Body composition (the ratio of fat to lean body tissue) is much more important. This can be measured with a skin fold calipers by a fitness professional.

 Keep track of inches lost with a tape measure. Record your girth measurements around your waist, hips, and upper leg. Measure them again in one month. The tricky part is measuring the same spot the next time, so take good notes. For example, when you measure your waist pay attention: did you measure across your belly button or two inches above your belly button?

 How many push-ups you can do without stopping, how many chair squats you can complete in 30 seconds and how long it takes you to walk/run a specific distance such as one mile (works best on a track)? Re-test every eight to twelve weeks and you will be impressed with yourself!

 How many minutes and/or miles you complete weekly or monthly?

Turn over a new leaf this Fall…follow the “Three R’s” and get fit this fall. Remember, consistency is the key to success! If you have a health & fitness question or need help with your fall fitness routine contact me: karin@xofitness.com

Karin Jennings is a certified personal trainer and co-owner of XO Fitness, LLC in De Pere.

XO Fitness welcomes Ann Oviatt to their personal training team!

Ann Oviatt, CPT PERSONAL TRAINER


Philosophy:

Exercise is more than just burning calories, exercise can improve your quality of life, so keep moving!

My mission is to educate others in the many ways exercise can improve their health and quality of life. For example: Exercise can lower blood sugar and blood pressure, improve bone density and even help improve some of the issues that come with cancer treatments – the nausea and fatigue, as well as the anxiety and depression that are so common.

My decision to become a personal trainer was officially made when I found significant evidence of how exercise could have improved my grandmother’s quality of life – and nobody had ever suggested she do anything but “take it easy”.

I spent several years as my grandmother’s caregiver while she was struggling with diabetes, complications from osteoporosis, and finally pancreatic cancer. While researching her general conditions, I found vague references about the benefits of “keeping active”, but not enough information in a useable form to be much use to me and my grandmother.

Later, as I did more research to improve my own health and try to avoid the health issues that run in my family I kept coming back to fitness – strength, cardio and balance training.

EXPERIENCE & CREDENTIALS

• NASM certified personal trainer
• First aid and CPR certified
• Studied dance for 18 years including ballet, tap, jazz and modern (Later I discovered belly dance and it was love at first shimmy!)
• Currently studying to complete a B.S. Human Biology with an emphasis in nutritional science at UWGB

PERSONAL INTERESTS

• Spending time with my family
• Gardening
• Belly dance
• Making jewelry

AVAILABILITY

Ann will be available for trainings starting September 6th.

Her hours will be typically be 2:30-7 PM, 2011

Improve your Metabolism

By: Ryan Jennings

I recently attended a fitness convention in Chicago to update my personal training skills and earn CEC’s (continuing education credits). One of the most cutting edge workshops I attended was entitled: “Metabolic Training: The New Cardio Program”. The course promised to help people identify one of their own metabolic markers and systematically use it to improve their metabolism. The training was presented by Fabio Comana, who teaches exercise science and nutrition at the University of California-San Diego and is also the exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

A Quick Review of Energy Sources
To understand metabolism you need to recognize that your body uses different sources of energy for different purposes. The two major sources of energy are fats and carbohydrates. Fats provide most of the energy your body needs at rest and during low intensity activity for respiration and circulation. Carbohydrates provide the majority of energy during higher intensity exercise to keep up with increasing demands of the muscles.

History of Cardio-Vascular Training.
Historically, cardio exercise has been dominated by two competing schools of thought: Low Intensity and High Intensity. Lower intensity exercise targeted ‘calorie quality’ by burning mostly calories from fat. High intensity exercise targeted ‘calorie quantity’ while ignoring the type of calories burned. Opting to burn fat meant lower total calorie burn and vice-versa. The promise of Comana’s work is that you can increase the amount of total calories burned while improving the quality of the calories burned.

Comana also expresses concern with any exercise program that uses ‘target heart rates’ based on standardized age formulas. Age is irrelevant to Comana because “Your metabolism is as unique as your fingerprint”.

Establishing a Metabolic Marker
So if we shouldn’t use standard age formulas to establish target heart rates for exercise intensity, what should we use? According to Comana, most people can benefit from establishing the ‘crossover point’ where the body transitions from burning mostly fats to mostly carbohydrates. This is the Ventilatory Threshold (VT1) and is unique to each individual and cannot be predicted by using age formulas.

Comana notes that the test for VT1 is straight forward and is commonly known as the ‘talk test’. You can establish it by slowly increasing your exercise intensity until speaking out loud just becomes uncomfortable. Ideally you will use a piece of cardio equipment and maintain any given intensity for at least 2 minutes before reciting something from memory out loud that is 20-30 seconds in length. Repeat this cycle until you find the point at which you are no longer sure it is still comfortable to speak. This is your VT1 or ‘crossover point’. Note: Be sure to consult with your physician before attempting this or any fitness test or beginning an exercise program.

Cardio Training Using VT1
Once you have established your personal ‘crossover point’, Comana recommends developing a cardio-vascular training program that gradually works just above and just below this metabolic marker. By doing this, exercisers can actually shift the crossover point and continue to burn mostly fat at higher intensities. This is exciting news for anyone who wants to improve their metabolism.

Do you want more information about improving your metabolism or VT1 testing? Contact us info@xofitness.com

Ryan Jennings is a certified personal trainer and co-owner of XO Fitness, LLC in De Pere.