Cindy

The Mayo Clinic speaks of the benefits of exercise:

No. 1: Exercise controls weight

Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. You don’t need to set aside large chunks of time for exercise to reap weight-loss benefits. If you can’t do an actual workout, get more active throughout the day in simple ways — by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or revving up your household chores.

No. 2: Exercise combats health conditions and diseases

Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent high blood pressure? No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls.

No. 3: Exercise improves mood

Need an emotional lift? Or need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.

No. 4: Exercise boosts energy

Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores.

No. 5: Exercise promotes better sleep

Struggling to fall asleep? Or to stay asleep? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. Just don’t exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energized to fall asleep.

No. 6: Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life

Do you feel too tired or too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. But there’s more to it than that. Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women. And men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don’t exercise.

No. 7: Exercise can be fun

Exercise and physical activity can be a fun way to spend some time. It gives you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply engage in activities that make you happy. Physical activity can also help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting. So, take a dance class, hit the hiking trails or join a soccer team. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. If you get bored, try something new.

Necessity of Weight Training (keyword: free weight exercises)

Between the ages 30 and 35 years, we begin to lose muscle at a rate of about three to five pounds per decade. Weight training using free weight exercises, and other resistance exercise is crucial to preserve muscle mass.  Unfortunately, this imminent aging process results in the following problems:

a lower metabolic rate
resulting fat gain,
decreased balance resulting in increased chances of falling and injuries,
an overall loss of strength resulting in the inability to carry out daily functions (i.e. carrying groceries, lifting, and climbing stairs,)
a loss of muscle tone and firmness
decreased self-confidence and poor body image.

Muscle is the engine of our bodies. It drives the metabolic rate. Increasing muscle tissue mass through weight training offsets the loss affected by aging. The higher metabolic rate keeps calories burning even while at rest. For every pound of muscle up to an additional 50 calories each day are burned without additional movement or effort, assisting in fat loss and weight management.

Weight training with free weight exercises especially maintains and develops muscular strength preventing balance falls and injuries. Strength required to lift and carry for daily activities of living can also be maintained and improved through strength exercises.

The muscles of the legs and core (abdominals and back), as well as smaller stabilizer muscles throughout the body, sustain the ability to stay on balance. If you thing about it, walking itself is really a process of stepping off balance (as you step off one foot), then regaining it when you plant both feet back together.

Many of my clients come to me personalizing their discouragement with their squishy, flabby bodies. I am touched by the sadness they feel because they are not comfortable with their significant partners. I can personally attest that increased tone and firmness is yet another benefit from lifting weights and I have seen a renewed sense of self- confidence in both female and male clients.

Wait! There’s more. Weight training prevents disease and musculoskeletal problems such as:
Osteoporosis
Orthopedic injuries
Lowered Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
Type 2 Diabetes

Get out the weights!  Let me help you at email address cbctrainer@gmail.com or visit my website at www. Cbfitnesstrainer.com.  I will create an appropriate strength/resistance routine using a combination of free weight exercises, machine exercises, and other resistance tools that will be personalized for you.  I can help you age gracefully strong!

Cindy has been my husband’s and my trainer for many years, now.  We are now 65 and 61 years of age, respectively.  We had initially gone to Cindy to relieve specific complaints related to our careers, but we stayed on when we saw all that could be accomplished. Over the years, she has continually provided interesting and challenging workouts.  They are always varied and  planned around our various changing ailments and changing needs.  (It turned out we needed even more assistance when we retired due to our extensive traveling.)  It amazes us to see how much work she puts into planning each day’s workout, keeping in mind our demonstrated abilities and our complaints.  She also constantly checks with us to see if our functional needs are being met.  That means, she wants to know how much we need to be able to lift and carry, how long we need to bend, and stoop, how long and what type of walking and stair climbing we will be doing on our travels.  She wants to ensure we can comfortably and safely lift the bag of sunflower seeds or garden soil, to paint the garage, and to walk for prolonged periods on cobble-stone streets.  If  we wish to go kayaking or bicycling, she plans workouts around those physical requirements.  She is also a nutritionist, and she constantly reminds us to practice good nutrition, providing advice on how best to accomplish that, given our lifestyle.  While she encourages and urges us to reach beyond our comfort zones, she never disparages us or pushes us too hard.  We cannot praise Cindy too much.  She has completely changed our minds about aging.  She never allows us to give in to physical limitations based solely on aging.

Scanning my calendar for the week ahead, I check to see what my work hours are, what meetings I have, and any other appointments that are pre-scheduled.  Then, I make appointments with myself to get my workouts in.  I commit to them as much as I commit to my appointments with others.  For this week, most mornings seem to work, but for a few days I will have to do afternoon and evening workouts.  Three of the evenings are yoga and dance classes….a bit of an easier commitment as I am going to meet others.  Knowing there is a specific time encourages me to ‘get there’.  Perhaps signing up for a class is a good idea for you….or meet with me, your personal trainer, and let me  help you get started making the commitment to work out.

Weight Loss for Life Nutrition Classes. 1 month, 8 sessions. Begins Monday, January 9th. Mons/Thurs @ 615-730 pm. Learn how to calculate energy and nutrient needs, read labels, and eating out strategies. Get motivated by the support of others to live well and choose health! Be held accountable for weekly exercise and nutrition goals. Contact me:  509-994-6593 or cbctrainer@gmail.com

Beginning January 9, 2012, the 16 week ‘Fit Female’ progressive strength and metabolic conditioning program aimed at toning and defining your body into a lean beautiful woman starts and finishes just in time for spring/summer 2012!  Phase 1-In ‘BASE PHASE’ you will begin your journey to fit and fabulous, Phase 2-In ‘Define Yourself’ you will see definition, tone and shape, Phase 3-In ‘Dial It IN’ you will shed major fat and change your body, Phase 4- In ‘Fine Tune’ you will peak and be TOTALLY CONFIDENT AND HOT!  Nutrition standards and goals set in each Phase.  Here are the details:  3 sessions per week for 16 weeks.  Sessions include strength workouts that change within the week, and progressively through the 4 months.  Metabolic circuits are included beginning in week 3 through week 16 and progress in intensity.  Scheduling decided as per your needs.  Sessions 45-60  mins.  Payment of $600 (plus tax) accepted at first session of each month with 4 month signed commitment.  With no signed commitment to 4 month program,  standard rate applies-$780 (plus tax) expected at first of month.  Call me to schedule: 509-994-6593

Beginning a 16 week ‘Fit Female’ program which includes a planned strength and metabolic conditioning progressive program, along with nutrition standards 1st week of January….Be transformed just in time for spring and summer! Make your resolution NOW! Whose interested? FB me.  Details in next blog.

We are able to live long given optimal health, fitness and nutrition conditions. Check this out;

Richard G. Cutler at the Gerontology Research Center, Baltimore City Hospital, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health has calculated the maximum life span for about 150 extinct mammalian species, and has also assessed the genetic potentials and traced the progress of the evolution of the Maximum Potential Lifespan of man.

The first truly human species was Homo habilis which emerged from Australopithecus africanus about 1.8 million years ago. Homo Sapiens evolved about 100,000 years ago. The Maximum Potential Life Span of our species was increasing at a very fast rate until about 100,000 years ago when the increase suddenly stopped, and has since remained fixed at about 120 years.

Are you providing your body with optimal fitness and nutrition conditions such that you can live as expected?

To be sure I get my workouts in  for the week, I scan my schedule ahead and make plans to get them in.  Here’s the plan:  Tuesday-Strength/yoga, Wednesday-spinning, Thursday-Strength/dance lessons, Friday-bike, Saturday-5k run.  Now, it’s possible that I may have to deter a bit from the plan and make adjustments, but I will get much accomplished still.  It’s best to plan, because if left to chance, excuses will come too easy.  So, have a seat, check out your week’s schedule in advance and decide when those workouts will get in!

Sugar is toxic and has many negative effects on the body.  It suppresses the immune system,  messes with mineral balance in the body,  raises bad cholesterol,  causes hyperactivity in children, feeds cancer cells, produces GI tract issues, weakens eyesight, prematures aging, causes tooth decay and periodontits, assists yeast and bacterial overgrowth, and the list goes on and on and on.  I can not think of a good reason to ingest such a substance.  Perhaps you will say,  ‘but it tastes so good!”.  Hmmmmm…….think about what you just said.