Girl POWER!

The proof is in the pudding: women who exercise with weights not only look great but more importantly they feel great! According to IDEAfit these women will reap the benefits:
• Research shows that the average woman who strength trains 2 to 3 times a week for eight weeks gains 1.75 lbs of lean weight and loses 3.5 lbs of fat.

• Muscle gained from strength training helps raise your resting metabolism, which means you burn more calories throughout the day.

• Moderate weight training can increase a woman's strength by 30 to 50 percent. This increased strength makes regular daily activities easier.

• After graduating from high school, you had all the bone density you'll have-unless you strength train. Weight training places stress on bones encouraging them to become stronger. Regular weight training can increase bone density by 13 percent in six months... a great defense against osteoporosis.

• Lifting weights can improve your cholesterol and blood pressure, provided it also includes cardiovascular exercise.

• A recent study showed that strengthening low-back muscles had an 80 percent success rate in alleviating low-back pain.

• A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms. In addition, many women reported feeling more confident and capable about themselves.

Create Change in your Life

Start Creating the Positive Change in your Life!

This is all about becoming “Stronger & Healthier Today than Yesterday” Learning different ways to be all that we are meant be & feel good for it. Knowing each day that passes is a day we will never get back can be depressing when the next day is the “same”.

I would like to encourage each of you to join me & a great group of men & women as we work together to achieve positive change in our lifestyle.

Classes are offered M-F 6:00 am, MWTH 9:00 am & MTW at 5:45 pm
The 6:00 am class is a new opportunity. If it goes over well enough – we will get one started.

Many of the participants are going through a detox plan this week. They have received a nutrition plan to follow as well as try to make the classes as much through the week as they can.

Invite a friend to join you for a free session & let me help you CREATE CHANGE!

Look forward to your first step

Shelley

Step4ward Fitness Training: Detox Basics

Step4ward Fitness Training: Detox Basics: "What is detox? Detox, short for detoxification, is the body's natural, ongoing process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins from the body. ..."

Exercise Benefits for Midlife Women

Exercise does wonderful things for people of every age. Many exercise benefits are especially helpful to women as they navigate the transitions typical of midlife journeys -- transitions that involve changing hormone levels, changing bodies and changing lifestyles.

Helps prevent midlife weight gain

Many people notice a steady weight gain during their midlife years. While some experts believe this weight gain may be caused in part by hormonal changes, others argue it is most likely due to a decreasing amount of muscle tissue, which in turn causes a decline in the number of calories you burn each day.

Why do we lose muscle tissue over the years? While some of this loss is part of the aging process, more may be attributed to inactivity. Remember the "use it or lose it" rule? Studies show that women who stay active throughout midlife have similar amounts of muscle tissue, similar metabolic rates and little midlife weight gain when compared to younger women. In other words, if you keep using those muscles, you will hold on to more of your muscle tissue as you age.

Whether you wish to prevent or reverse midlife weight gain, the answer is that old familiar refrain: exercise regularly and eat a healthful diet.

Improves sleep and lifts fatigue

Many midlife women complain of trouble sleeping and daytime fatigue. While exercise may not prevent night sweats and hot flashes, it can improve sleep quality and daytime energy levels.

Helps prevent and treat depression

Although depression is no more common during midlife than at any other time of a woman's life, women do seek treatment for depression twice as often as men. Many symptoms of depression, such as muscle and joint pains, irritability, fatigue, changes in appetite and changes in sleeping habits, may be related to sleep disturbances. Midlife mood changes may also be related to changes in brain chemistry that occur with aging. Depression sometimes develops in response to loss, for example the death or illness of close friends and family members. In some cases, midlife depression is related to changing self-concept and life roles, as in the "empty nest" syndrome when women miss mothering their children who have grown up and left home. Whatever the cause, exercise combined with appropriate therapy helps relieve depression and its symptoms.

Boosts self-confidence

Exercise helps you look and feel your best at any age. Many midlife women get a tremendous boost in self-confidence after starting an exercise program.

Slows bone loss

A woman's bone density begins to decline even before her midlife years, and this loss accelerates after menopause. All forms of exercise offer some protection against bone loss.

Helps prevent chronic health problems

Many health concerns become more of a reality in midlife. Fortunately, regular physical activity helps to prevent or delay the onset of a number of common chronic health conditions, including high blood pressure, Type II diabetes and artery disease.

What type of exercise program is best?

An exercise program you can stick to is the best one to start. You may wish to work with a personal trainer to be sure your exercise program addresses your particular health concerns, fitness goals and lifestyle. Exercise aerobically and perform strength-training exercises. Stretch after your workouts to maintain flexibility. Most important, find activities you enjoy and have fun!

Frozen Foods for Summer Running

TREAT YOURSELF
Refuel and rehydrate with homemade frozen pops.
By Liz Applegate Ph.D.

Runner's World

Running in the heat can be draining. Frozen sweets are a happy solution to the problem of refueling and rehydrating: They're refreshing, and they can provide carbs, protein, antioxidants, and vitamins. The frozen dessert aisle doesn't always have the healthiest choices, though, so make your own and customize each to your taste.

FRO-YO POPS

In a blender, whirl together one cup plain or flavored kefir, one cup mixed summer fruit (try berries, peaches, and plums), and one tablespoon honey. Pour into molds—I like Tovolo's shooting star pop molds, which have a fun retro shape ($12 at surlatable.com).Freeze for three hours.

YOU GET: Kefir provides calcium, protein, and probiotics, which can boost immune health. The fruit is loaded with antioxidants that aid in muscle recovery.

BANANA POPS
Dip a peeled banana in fruit-flavored yogurt; roll it in chopped almonds on wax paper. Insert a Popsicle stick in an end. Wrap in wax paper. Freeze three hours.

YOU GET: Potassium in the bananas helps with fluid recovery postexercise. Vitamin E-rich almonds work as an antioxidant, lessening muscle soreness.

FRUIT POPS
Blend together one cup of 100 percent juice (try a mix, such as pineapple, orange, and cranberry) with one cup of fruit chunks or slices (with any edible peel still on), such as peaches, mango, and strawberries. Pour into pop molds and freeze for three hours.

YOU GET: The fruit and juices provide re-energizing carbohydrates, potassium, and an array of antioxidants, including anthocyanins, which are found in red and purple fruits and help protect muscle cells.

PUDDING-PLUS POPS
Empty three cartons of low-fat or fat-free pudding snack cups into a blender; then add one cup of your favorite fruit and blend to make a creamy combination. Try banana with chocolate pudding, or blueberries with vanilla pudding. Spoon into pop molds and freeze.

YOU GET: The low-fat pudding provides a dose of calcium and protein, which speeds recovery from workouts, while the fruit packs antioxidants and carbohydrates to help refuel muscles.

A Little Less Sinful
Lower-calorie, lower-fat options for every craving

CONE—Go for The Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cone (150 calories, 3 g fat) instead of a Nestle Drumstick (290 calories, 16 g fat).

CHOCOLATE—Go for a Fudgsicle (60 calories, 1.5 g fat) instead of a Klondike Bar (250 calories, 14 g fat).

FRUIT—Go for Julie's Organic Sorbet Blackberry Bar (60 calories, 0 g fat) instead of a Creamsicle (70 calories, 1 g fat).

SANDWICH—Go for a Klondike Slim-a-Bear Vanilla Sandwich (100 calories, 1.5 g fat) instead of an Entenmann's Brownie Sundae Sandwich (320 calories, 14 g fat).

Fitness Can Offset Fatness

To all the Americans deemed obese by the guidelines announced by the National Institute of Health. Don't panic.

"The good news is that you can have a high body mass index (BMI - a relative measure of body height to body weight) and can actually be healthier than someone who is thin but sedentary," says The American Council on Exercise (ACE).

BMI uses total body weight (not separate estimates of fat and lean body mass) in the calculation; it does not discriminate between the over-fat and the athletic, more muscular body type. Therefore, the percentage of fat mass and muscle mass should be taken into consideration when evaluating one's BMI.

The well-muscled and conditioned person with a high BMI will have a lesser health risk than the over-fat person with the same BMI. Research consistently shows that you can reduce health risk factors and build important muscle with regular exercise even if you don't lose weight.

Don't get stuck on where your weight is supposed to be or on your BMI score, states ACE. (over weight is defined as a BMI of 25 - 29.9 and obesity as a BMI of 30-plus. For instance, a BMI of 30 is about 30 pounds overweight and equivalent to 22l pounds in a 6' person, or l86 pounds in someone 5'6".")

Concentrate instead on building the good habits that lead to a healthy lifestyle. For weight loss, this means undertaking some form of physical activity four to five times a week.

A shortcoming of dieting in the absence of exercise is that when weight is lost, it's usually muscle as well as fat. As much as 25 percent of weight lost by dieting alone is lean body mass. When dieting is combined with exercise, chances are greater you'll lose more fat and less muscle.

BMI is only a rough indicator of body composition, ask a qualified fitness professional to help determine whether you're truly too fat. Step4wardFitness.com can do that for you. Contact me!

Do you feel so exhausted that you just can’t face your exercise?

Your diet—rather than simple sloth—may be the problem. If you tend to skip meals in an attempt to save calories, you may be robbing yourself of important fuel for your workout. While skipping meals may temporarily make your stomach feel flatter, doing so can also leave you feeling tired, irritable and unfocused. Then, you’ll be tempted to forego your noontime workout, or go home, eat and stretch out on the couch in front of the TV.

If, however, you follow some simple, sensible dietary practices throughout your day, you’ll get that workout done. And rather than feeling lightheaded and exhausted afterward, you’ll be energized and refreshed.



Stay with Feel-good Foods

One key to staying motivated to exercise is to keep the amount of sugar in your blood—and thus, your energy level—stable to prevent ups and downs. You can best do that by eating a series of small meals throughout the day that are composed of complex carbohydrates, such as whole grain breads, beans and other vegetables, whole grain crackers and fruit.

Eating complex carbohydrates helps keep your blood sugar stable because they are digested and absorbed slowly into the blood and don’t require your pancreas to produce much insulin. Refined carbohydrates, such as potato chips, doughnuts and cookies, are absorbed very quickly and trigger the pancreas to produce large amounts of insulin. So, while they may give you an initial boost, your energy will drop off quickly, and your mood will follow.

The amount of sugar in your blood is also related to the amount of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is an important chemical called a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate mood. If your level of serotonin is where it should be, you’ll have a sense of well-being and confidence—and feel ready to tackle that workout. Should it drop, you may feel tired and depressed. If you often experience a craving for carbs, this may be your brain’s way of telling you it needs more serotonin.

Early Birds

Suppose you’re an early bird, and your best time to work out is in the morning before you go to work. For quick energy, drink some juice upon rising. Once you’ve completed your workout, have a more solid breakfast of whole-wheat cereal or toast and fruit to fuel your concentration for the morning’s work. If you work out and eat too lightly, chances are you’ll get “the drowsies” by 2 p.m., if not sooner.

Keep in mind that finding the right combination of food and drink to energize your workout —whatever time of day you choose—may take some experimenting. It all depends upon your individual tastes and your metabolism. With a little patience, an open mind and a little creativity, you’ll determine which foods suit you best.

You’ll keep your motivation to exercise if you:

• Have a glass of juice to boost your energy before a morning workout.
• Eat a breakfast that includes whole grains and fruit.
• Eat small, frequent small meals and snacks during the day to maintain your blood sugar.
• Make sure to have a light, healthy snack an hour before your noon or after-work workout.
• Stay hydrated, keeping a water bottle at your desk at work.
• Limit the amount of caffeine in your diet.

This info comes from American Council on Exercise

Save Time & Maximize Your Workout

For an athlete short on time, using multi-joint movement exercises is more time efficient than single-joint movements, says a report. Instead of performing a leg extension, for example, opt for a squat. This exercise not only works the quadriceps, it also works the lower back, hamstrings, gluteus, and calves.

Other time factors to watch for:
• For most lifters, a multiple-set workout (2-4 sets) is more beneficial than a single-set workout. If you don't have time to perform multiple sets on all your targeted areas in a workout, focus on a different area each workout. You'll see greater results in the long run.

• If you want to get the most out of your workout, pick a weight that allows you to perform 8-12 repetitions. Make sure the weight causes you to be near exhaustion on the last repetition. For example, if you're lifting 100 pounds, you should be able to properly lift the weight seven times, and should reach exhaustion between repetitions eight and 12.

• High repetitions with light to moderate load promote muscular endurance, but do not produce muscular strength. A workout focused on moderate load and moderate repetitions (8-12) promotes muscular growth. A workout focused on fewer repetitions (1-6) with a heavy load is best for strength gains but should only be used by experienced people who have been training for at least one to two years.

• Circuit training, which consists of continuous movement from one exercise to another with little or no rest in between each exercise, is a great way to maximize your workout time. To get the best results, the entire circuit should be repeated more than once in a workout. By comparison, single weight training requires you to perform one set of repetitions, rest 30 seconds to 90 seconds, and repeat eight to 12 times before moving on to the next exercise. Single weight training is preferred for building strength.

It is always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. Then use a qualified Personal Trainer to ensure you are performing at your best. :)