Some Reasons for Hiring a Personal Trainer In Spite of the Recession

These days it seems like each day brings economic news that's even worse than yesterdays'. In response I wrote a couple of days ago about some ideas for keeping fit while trimming the budget. Today I'd like to give some reasons why it can still be good to spend the money on a personal trainer.

A good trainer will make sure you're exercising in a safe and effective way. Exercising with poor form can lead to injury - always good to avoid injury; it will just cost you money. A trainer will educate you in proper form and make sure you're not moving in a way that could cause injury. And a trainer will help you find a suitable and safe range of intensity and duration. Exercising properly is more effective and therefore more efficient. I see a lot of people doing a whole lot of movements that take a lot of time. But very often, those movements are not actually working the muscles intended, or are not working them very effectively - so a lot of that time is wasted. It's much better to be specific and effective in your exercising. I'd rather have my clients accomplish more in just 20 minutes of effective exercise than spend an hour and accomplish even less.

A trainer will also keep you accountable. She will keep you focused on your goals and keep you accountable for the steps that lead to that goal. Ultimately it's up to you to get there, but a good trainer will help keep you moving in the right direction (and expect some explanation when you're slacking).

And a good trainer will help keep you motivated. We all, even the most hyper-motivated of us, need some help now and then.

There are some options for saving money, too. Many trainers are amenable to small group training. So get some of your friends together for a session - you'll have fun together and it's a cheaper option. Or explore online training. We offer online training via email or Skype at Life-Cise.com. It's not the same as having hands on training, but it's the next best thing. You still get individualized workouts, accountability, and motivation. I also have personal clients who do a combination: rather than pay for live personal training every week, they do it once a month and check in by email the other weeks. You'll probably find that many trainers are willing to work out a schedule that will work for you.

Times are tough right now for a lot of us, but if you are serious about your health and your fitness, hiring a personal trainer can be a worthwhile expense.

Julie

Home-Based Programs for Older Survivors

A new study from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas has found that home-based programs designed to get elderly cancer survivors eating better and exercising help to improve functional abilities and independence. The study found that survivors, aged 65 and older and overweight or obese, improved their physical ability, lost weight and body mass. The program sent them tailored printed materials on diet and exercise, pedometers and exercise bands, and periodic phone calls from counselors.

At Life-Cise.com, we believe in the efficacy of regular, structured exercise programs, even when administered remotely. Having regular training sessions with a personal trainer may be ideal, but may not be possible for a variety of reasons, including finances or location. We have found that the individualized exercise programs and regular updates we offer through email can be quite effective in improving functional abilities and overall fitness. In addition, motivational emails or phone calls can help to keep clients moving in a positive direction. Even without access to regular personal training, great gains can be made in physical ability and health.

Julie

Recession Fitness

In these times of financial uncertainty, lots of us are tightening our financial belts. But that doesn't have to lead to a loosening of our actual belts. People are trying to save money wherever they can, and that can include gym memberships or private training. But the need for staying fit stays the same.

So I'd like to offer a few ideas. For a long time I didn't have a gym membership because I couldn't afford it. I still managed to stay in very good shape. I simply worked out at home. I ran or walked for cardio work (or went hiking whenever I had a chance). I did some exercises in my apartment: crunches, pushups, squats, lunges - things that didn't take any special equipment or much space.


And I did my best to add exercise into my daily routine. I walked instead of riding a bus or subway, and I took stairs instead of elevators or escalators. I also made exercises out of household chores: lifted a bag of rice or carton of juice 10 times before putting it away, did squats while talking on the phone to the phone company, or quietly did tummy tucks while sitting on a bus or in my car. (these are the sorts of things that people often laugh at when I mention them in workshops - each thing may seem like nothing, but they add up to be a lot like exercise)

Of course, going to the gym can help you get into an exercise routine (every day at lunchtime you work out, or go 3 days a week after work). It can also be very motivating: it's much easier to track your progress with regular gym visits than lifting your groceries at home.

Even if you are really trying to cut costs, a personal trainer can still be an economical choice. It is really beneficial to work with a trainer at least a few times. If you can't afford regular sessions, try just a single session once in a while. The trainer can make sure you are exercising safely and effectively, give you new ideas, and help to keep you motivated. Or try doing some small group sessions - talk your friends into coming with you. Having a small group training session is often a very economical choice.

But even regular, individual personal training can still be an economical option if you consider the long-term costs of not exercising. There are so many health costs that can be linked to inactivity. If you factor in the cost of missed work days from illness or bad back; or healthcare costs of diabetes, heart disease, or cancer (all things that can be linked to inactivity or obesity); paying for a personal trainer seems like good financial planning.

Besides, exercising is a great stress reducer!

Julie
www.life-cise.com
www.stayfitstaystrong.com

Tightness

Pauline, this post is for you....

Many of us experience tightness of various areas of our bodies from the surgeries and radiation that we undergo. We pay plenty of attention to it at first, doing our daily stretches. Of course, it's important to know how to stretch properly. Always stretch just to the point of a slight pull, hold for at least 10 seconds, and release. And keep breathing while you stretch! If you hold your breath while stretching, your body will tend to stay tense - deep breaths help your muscles release.

Do your stretches every day; do them often every day. It can be more effective for this kind of recovery to do several short bouts of stretching rather than one longer stretching session, once a day. You may not see a lot of progress at first; it can take a while before the area starts to feel more normal again.

But that's not the end of it. This is not a problem you will fix once; it takes constant upkeep. You won't always have to be quite so diligent, but you will need to pay attention. Over time, the body will tend to tighten up again. I'm at 7 years, and counting, and I still have to work to stretch out my chest and shoulder, as well as my stomach (I had a tram flap). I might not notice any difference if I don't stretch for a couple of days, but I will start to notice tightness if I don't stretch for a week.

And even when I stretch, I wouldn't say that my body feels the same way it did before surgery. I work to make sure I have good mobility and flexibility so that I can do all the things I want to. I am not really limited in what I can do, but that doesn't mean it feels like I never had any surgery. I think that's a point which people don't always understand. (That's one of the reasons I don't really understand people choosing elective cosmetic surgeries - surgery does change the body; it's not nothing.) Muscles have been cut, scar tissue has developed, in some cases nerves have been damaged. You can regain full range of motion and function, but it might not feel just the way it did before.

This is not to discourage you, this is just a reminder that our bodies need upkeep. Everyone's body needs upkeep - ours just might need a little more because we've had a little more done to them. But the good news is that if we do pay attention and keep with it, there's no reason we can't return to the things we enjoy in our lives. Take me as an example: I do a lot of things that many perfectly healthy people who have never had any surgery think are a little nuts (rock & ice climbing, windsurfing, etc.). Even though I've had extensive surgeries plus radiation, because I continue working to keep things stretched out I am able to do all these crazy things. You don't need to go windsurfing or climbing, you just need to be comfortable doing your normal daily activities. All it takes is a little time and diligence.

Julie

(you can read more about this at www.Life-cise.com.)

Music....

Over the last year, I've had quite a few requests for links to some of my music. So I'll take a brief break from convincing the world to exercise and give you a little music. These videos are from a recent concert I played with the Abaca String Band in California: http://www.youtube.com/adeadgbe. I'm featured in the Villa Lobos and Ravel, and we all have some solos in the Ellington. For something truly amazing, check out Tamara in the Paganini.

Also, for something completely different, look at the videos from a project I worked on last winter in India, "Savitri, Flame of the Future". The music is by Joel Thome, for solo viola and electronics, choreography by Mallika and Revanta Sarabhai. It's a piece for dancers, viola, electronics, and a group of Indian musicians, the dancers and other musicians all from the Darpana Academy in Ahmedabad, India.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mO2rP_JhkM
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ_EzGuJnQk

And now, tomorrow I'll be back to exercise! Enjoy.

Julie

Life-Cise.com Up & Running

Life-Cise.com is back up & running. It appears to be fully functional once again. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Julie

Meet Julie

Just a quick note: I will be doing a "Meet the Trainer" event at LifePlex Health Club, in Monsey NY, on Monday, 11/17, at 11:00am. If you are a member of the club, or just live in Rockland County or Northern NJ, stop by and see me. Call the club, 845-356-1900 for details. I look forward to meeting you.

Julie

Cost-Effectiveness of Exercise Programs

By now, we should all be aware that physical fitness is linked to a whole range of health benefits. On the other hand, inactivity is linked to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and increased risk of several cancers. The costs of inactivity include huge economic consequences. It’s estimated that physical inactivity directly contributes to an estimated $24 – 76 billion in healthcare costs. That’s 2.4 – 5.0% of our national healthcare expenditures.

In another article from the upcoming issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine,
Dr. Larissa Roux, of the University of British Columbia and colleagues assessed the cost-effectiveness of population-wide community programs to promote physical activity. In their research they tried to determine how money can be spent with the most public health benefit. Similar models of analysis have often been used in important public health decisions, such as use of airbags in cars and the promotion of national anti-tobacco education efforts. The study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of seven intervention programs designed to increase physical activity, relative to no intervention, as well as to follow disease incidence over a lifetime.

The authors looked at programs using the four strategies strongly recommended by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services: community-wide campaigns, individually adapted health behavior change, community social-support interventions, and the creation or enhanced access to physical activity information. All seven of the programs were found to be cost effective and offered good value for the money. Gains were reported both in survival and health-related quality of life. Even the most expensive and complex program, the physical activity portion of a diabetes prevention program, proved to be cost-effective. This suggests that targeting even high-risk populations with intensive interventions could be a good use of public health funds. Your can read the full text of Dr. Roux's article by clicking here.

And if it's a good and effective use of public funds, it's also a good and effective use of our own time and money.

Julie

"Greener" Neighborhoods Appear to Improve Childhood Obesity

A new study finds that children who live in "greener" neighborhoods seem to gain less weight over time than those living in neighborhoods with less green space. Dr. Janice Bell of the University of Washington in Seattle and her colleagues followed nearly 4,000 low income, mainly African American children in Marion County Indiana who lived at the same address for 2 consecutive years. They linked the children's height and weight measurements with satellite images of the neighborhoods where they lived. The kids living in greener neighborhoods were in better shape in terms of weight than the children in less green areas.

According to Bell, "Greenness may present a target for environmental approaches to preventing obesity....Therefore, as we think about how we set up communities in terms of density, we don't want to lose places where kids may go out and play."

Previous research has found links between exposure to green landscapes with health improvements. For adults, a greener surrounding is associated with less stress, a healthier body weight, and improved self-reported health. For children, greenness is associated with improved brain functioning and fewer symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Bell's research will appear in the December 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

So, what does this have to do with fitness for cancer survivors? First, it is directly related to survivors of childhood cancers. As I wrote about earlier, childhood cancer survivors are less likely to get exercise and more likely to be overweight. Also, for all children, excess weight sets them up for life-long health risks, including various cancers, heart disease, and diabetes.

For a whole variety of reasons, we should all think about how we use our resources and the space in which we live.

Julie

Latinas Unhappy with Breast Cancer Decisions

Dr. Sarah Hawley of the University of Michigan recently reported that Latina breast cancer patients are more likely than black or white breast cancer patients to be unhappy with the decision-making process in choosing whether to have a mastectomy or lumpectomy. Latinas who primarily speak Spanish in daily life were much more dissatisfied than those who were more comfortable with speaking English. Satisfaction with the process of making decisions is linked with quality of life later on.

Dr. Hawley and colleagues looked at a group of 877 women; 24.5% Spanish-speaking Latinas, 20.5% English-speaking Latinas, 24% African-American, and 26.6% Caucasian. They found stark differences in satisfaction among the groups, with Spanish-speaking Latinas 5.5 times more likely to be dissatisfied with the decision-making process than Caucasian women, and 4.1 times more likely to regret their decision. Spanish-speaking Latinas also had a lower overall health literacy than the women in the other groups. However, that lower health literacy accounted fro only a small part of their greater dissatisfaction with decision-making.

Hawley concluded that their findings "suggest that additional effort may be needed by clinicians to ensure that information is understandable and culturally appropriate...."

Decisions about our cancer care are difficult, especially for breast cancer patients chosing between mastectomy and lumpectomy. This shows, once again, that more needs to be done to make sure that all people get adequate, appropriate information and care.

A good resource for Latinos and Latinas is Redes en Accion: National Latino Cancer Research Network (www.redesenaccion.org). They work with the National Institutes of Health to promote research and support for Latinos. Included on their website is a Latino Cancer Experts Directory.

Julie

Stretching to Warm Up? - NO

Most of us remember warm-ups in gym class when we were kids. We did a lot of stretches before running on the track or playing basketball. In recent years, however, there has been a change in ideas of the best ways to prepare our bodies for exercise. Among professional athletes there has been a move away from static stretching. Earlier this week, Gretchen Reynolds of the New York Times highlighted these newer developments.

Physiologists have discovered that the long, slow stretches many of us do to warm up actually make the muscles weaker for a short time. In fact, stretching one leg will even make the opposite leg weaker. The weakness is only temporary, but when you're about to start a run or play tennis, weakness is the last thing you want from your muscles. And more importantly, static stretching does not appear to prevent injury.

A better warm-up is simply easy aerobic activity: easy jogging or walking for 5-10 minutes. You just want to get your muscles warm and get your heart pumping a little harder. Add a few dynamic stretches and you're set. Dynamic stretches are movements that stretch muscles as you're moving. The NY Times article has several good examples in it; you can read the entire article by clicking here.

Static stretching still can have a useful place in workouts, just not as a warm-up. Stretches can be useful as part of your cool-down. Stretch only to the point of slight pull and hold for 10-30 seconds. And static stretching can be especially useful to us after surgery or radiation to help stretch out tight muscles and regain range of motion.

Julie

Obesity could cause doubling of cancer cases by 2050

It is well documented that the risk of developing several cancers, such as breast and kidney, increases with excess weight. Earlier this week (while we were all busy voting), obesity and cancer was the subject of a conference in London.

It is predicted that if trends continue, one third of women and half of men could be obese by 2050. This leads experts to believe that the number of cancer cases could double in the next 40 years. Martin Wiseman of the Cancer Research Fund charity, says that “unless something happens soon to stop the increase in obesity then we are sleepwalking towards a situation where Britain will be facing more cancer cases than ever before…. The evidence now shows that, after not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight is the most important thing you can do for cancer prevention.” However, a survey conducted in Britain found that only half of the population knows that there is a link between excess weight and chances of developing cancer.

Fighting a bulging waistline is no longer just about looking or feeling a certain way; it’s about our health (and our pocketbooks). It’s estimated that in Britain, more than 13,000 cases of cancer each year could be avoided if everyone maintained a healthy weight. But it’s not just the risk of cancer. Being overweight is also tied to higher risks for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, and back pain.

Pay attention, people!

Julie

An Historic Day

One more break from fitness: Congratulations to Barack Obama on this historic election. And congratulations to all who made it happen: the campaign workers; the neighbors who talked about what they believe; and above all, everyone who went to the polls to vote, so many for the very first time. The candidate who I believe in won this time, but I think we are all the greatest winners when we exercise our power at the polls.

Julie

Exercise Your Right to Free & Fair Elections - It's Your Responsibility!

Go vote! Go vote now! We have an incredible gift in this country, the ability to vote. Around the world, people line up for hours or days to cast their votes. We, on the other hand, the shining pillar of Democracy, think it's really good if we get a 50% turnout. So, go vote. It's not only your right, but a responsibility. It matters! - now more than ever.

But Democracy doesn't happen just once every 2 or 4 years. It happens every day. Pay attention after the elections. What are these people doing in your name? Watch, make phone calls, send emails, get involved - this is your government, your country.

Vote. Vote. Vote.

Julie - I will proudly and enthusiastically be voting for Barack Obama, hoping for a new direction, and believing that we really can be better.

Range of Motion - Ongoing

Breast cancer survivors think a lot about range of motion after surgery. This is a good thing; our surgeries for breast cancer are often more extensive and invasive than many cancers. It takes time and patience to regain basic range of motion of the shoulder. We do our wall crawl exercises and stretches. But once we regain some shoulder mobility, the work is not over. There’s scar tissue and tightening, and the body’s natural response to want to protect itself – all leading to rounding and weakness of the shoulder. Left unaddressed, this can cause serious postural and structural problems, leading to pain, lack of mobility, and poor balance.

I've spoken with women who have recently had surgery. Some of them seem surprised to hear that range of motion is an ongoing issue. It takes constant work, stretching the chest and shoulder, and strengthening the muscles of the upper back and shoulders. Over time, if we don't pay attention, we can end up with serious postural and structural problems, leading to pain, lack of mobility and poor balance.

I am more than 7 years out from surgery and I still work on it. I constantly have to work to stretch my chest and shoulder. Here are a couple of nice, simple stretches I do all the time, even sitting in my car in traffic.
Stretch for opening the chest & shoulder: Place the hand of the side of your surgery on your shoulder of the same side. Let your elbow hang down by your side. Gently squeeze your shoulder blade while you draw your elbow toward the back. At the same time, turn your head gently toward the opposite shoulder.
Stretch for pectoral muscle and front of shoulder: rest your hand on your forehead (think the fainting woman from the opening credits of Mystery), elbow pointing out to the side, and gently draw your elbow toward the back.
These are really gentle stretches, just hold them for at least 10 seconds and breathe. Just keep at it: you not only want to regain good range of motion after surgery, but you want to keep it.

Julie