The Health and Fitness Truth Blog

We are offering Nordic Walking and Hatha Yoga Classes during Spring 2008.

Click on the Nordic Walking and Yoga Classes categories to view the schedules and update announcements.

It has been quite awhile since I have had the time and energy to write a blog- but my schedule has slowed and energy is high- so I’m baaack!!

As in the past, I promise to share with you any recent medical or fitness research info which I feel is valuable to you, as well as my opinion on a variety of health and wellness topics.

Today, Id like to refinforce the importance of good sleep. Since February, when I was diagnosed with a LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ- not cancer, but a precursor to breast ca) and had the lumpectomy, I have been taking Tamoxifen. My family is riddled with breast cancer and ovarian cancer, and myself and my oncologist made the decision to begin this drug therapy for prevention reasons. It has been a rough ride, but one that has opened my eyes to the many struggles middle aged women undergo. Tamoxifen basically shuts off Estrogen reception, thus putting you into a simulated menopause. I have had days and days of insomnia, leading to extreme fatigue- so much so that I have not been able to exercise. Little did I know how devastating the effects of insomnia are- and I have a newfound sympathy for menopausal women going through the same thing. I decided that it was best for me to try a mild sleep aid to help me get back to normal as I could not function as a trainer with so little energy. Many of my clients also experience bad isomnia, but do not take action to try and relieve the symptoms.

While I cannot say what is best for anyone, what I do know is that lack of sleep affects every function of the body- from weight loss, to energy levels, to immune system suppression, to brain function, chronic pain and emotional health. DO NOT FOOL YOURSELF! NO ONE functions normally without adequate sleep. SO- I encourage you to talk to your doctors about how to help yourself! Experiment with herbs or gentle sleep aids, cut out caffeine or other foods and drinks(like alcohol) which may disrupt sleep. Your entire well-being is at risk! Take action!

Since April of 2005, I have been fortunate enough to have my own cable TV show on Hudson Local Cable, CTV-8, called The Fitness Forum. Each 1/2 show features education, information and specific workouts for Hudson, Massachusetss residents.

We have been on hiatus since August, as field hockey season interfered with taping of the shows, but we are back on track, having taped a great workout for you last week. This new workout is a Medicine Ball Interval Workout and will run on CTV-8 beginning this Tuesday at 6am, Friday evening at 5:30pm and Saturday morning at 9am. Get your VCR’s or DVD players ready to tape this workout- it is challenging yet simple.

Over the next few weeks, we will feature a variety of workouts and exercise programs- and I HOPE that these workouts will soon be available for you to purchase for your at- home use. I am currently looking to produce customized workout vidoes and DVD’s for you to follow at home. A great way to stay motivated without the costly expense of bi or tri weekly personal training appointments!

Lastly- don’t forget to check out the exercise encyclopedia on my website, www.personalbestpersonaltraining.com, as it now features pictures accompanying many of the exercises. More helpful pictures will be added over the next few months. Enjoy!

In past blogs, I’ve talked about the importance of having concrete, realistic goals to help you stay focused and motivated. I’m sure all of you keep these goals and dreams in your mind, and resurrect these thoughts as you search for motivation. But, keeping your dreams and goals alive only in your mind may not be enough to keep you on track, as our internal self dialogue of negative thoughts and feelings can often override the positive nature of our dreams and goals. Instead of just thinking about your goals, why not put these goals and dreams into words? Concrete writings that you can see and read over and over when you need the motivation!

A client of mine recently had this revelation, and decided to enhance her motivation by making a list of the disadvantages of not exercising, and the advantages of exercising. Her list included:

• Not exercising puts me at risk for diabetes and heart disease.
• Not exercising makes me feel overweight and weak.
• Not exercising will make losing weight harder.OR- in a more positive tone:
  Exercising makes me feel accomplished and energized
• Exercising helps my blood sugars and reduces my risk of heart disease.
• Exercising will help me lose excess weight and make me feel better about myself.

Another type of motivational writing is making a “Contract with Myself”. To do this, you must have very concrete ideas about your exercise goals, and what you need to do to achieve them. For example- if your goal is to lose excess weight, you must also know what types of exercise and how often to exercise to achieve these goals. THEN- create a written contract on which you write down -in your own words- what your goals are, including the specific actions you must take to achieve these goals. Thus, if we use weight loss as a model for this, you may write:

“I desire to lose the 20 pounds I gained from quitting smoking”
“I commit to losing this excess, unhealthy weight in the next 6 months” (this is realistic)
“I will lose this excess weight by”: (be specific)

• Walking 4 days a week for 45 minutes
• Strength training 2x a week for 30 minutes
• Meeting with my trainer 1x/month to assess change
• Keeping a food log on a daily basis for the next month to learn about my eating patterns.

Next, sign it and post it where you can see it on a daily basis! Supplement with exercise logging on a calendar and posted motivational sayings and you’ll be on your way!

If it has been a while since you last explored Personal Best’s website- it’s time to take a trip and see what is new this month. Besides weekly informational and opinion blogs, we’ve added:

1. Two new links- one to The National Institutes of Health, a major medical and wellness resource, and the second to my-calories-counter.com, a wonderful resource with an extensive database for calorie counting and nutrition information.
2. Photographs of many of the common exercises in the Exercise Encyclopedia. Soon, most of the exercises will feature helpful photos to enhance your virtual training experience.

In the near future, Personal Best will feature Coaches Corner- a monthly column of tips and advice from nationally known college level coaches, as well as training tips to enhance your athletic experience, no matter what your level of play. Soon, you’ll find more sports related exercises and advice in the Resource Center including simple speed and agility workouts for your adolescent athlete.

Finally, don’t forget the Ask the Trainer feature on the Contact Us page- ask me- just go ahead!