Month: October 2009

HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN

How nice that Halloween falls on a Saturday this year.  The little ones don’t have to go to school, and can instead focus on the fun ahead this evening.  I sure do miss the days when our kids were little and we hosted the annual Halloween parties with the all important scavenger hunts.  It was a safe way to have lots of kids, games and goodies and of course gave the parents a reason to dress up and celebrate.  Most of the school friends and neighborhood children attended and the scavenger hunt was always the highlight of the night.  Split into 2 teams they would search my property for Halloween related items that were hidden earlier in the day.  Oh, the excitement in their faces when they would find the most witch’s nails, or the tiny skeleton worth so many points.  Our boys certainly developed a love for this holiday, and even at 25 and 22 I can be certain they will do something tonight to celebrate.  My husband and I still dress up, put on some horror sounds cds, light the just carved pumpkin and some candles,  sit outside and give out candy.  Haven’t decided what we’ll dress up as yet, but by sundown we will have figured it out. 

Sure, I know it’s a scary world out there, but for the most part people really aren’t so bad.  Keeping kids safe is paramount and that’s pretty easy to do if parents participate appropriately.  Obviously young ones need to be escorted and all trick-or-treaters should wear clothing that can be seen in the dark.  Any unwrapped treats should be discarded.  Don’t forget to keep the chocolate, and anything with artificial sweeteners AWAY from your dogs! 

If you are in the midst of a weight loss program, perhaps today (or even better, tomorrow) makes for a good cheat day.  Everyone knows one of the most fun things about this holiday is going through the kids candy to find what we love best.  Allow yourself this indulgence as it only comes once a year.  Come Monday, I’ll be sending any leftover candy to hubby’s office…. let his co-workers figure out what to do with it….it’s all part of our tradition. 

HAVE A VERY HAPPY HALLOWEEN ONE AND ALL

FOOD FOR FITNESS!

Please come out and join the fun and fitness at the hottest new studio in Coral Springs

Saturday November, 21

12:30-2:30

Fusion Fitness and Yoga

10000 Sample Road (just one bldg. east of Wendys)

There will be a complimentary preview of some of the upcoming classes including Kettlebell Kardio, Intensity Barr Blast,  Strip Tease Cardio and more….you’ll be sure to see some of your favorite local instructors and see what this intimate new facility is all about!

**BRING CANNED OR PACKAGE FOOD OF YOUR CHOICE AS YOUR ENTRY FEE FOR THE DAY

Together we can get fit and fight hunger right here in “Our Town”.  All food donations will go to BROWARD OUTREACH

Can’t wait to see you there!

The great belly fat debate

Last night I happened to stumble upon on a great debate on the Joy Behar show.  On the panel, discussing how to lose belly fat, were Jorge Cruz, Dr. Roizen, and that cute little Joy (can’t think of her last name) that is a regular on the Today Show.  The danger of  belly fat has been recognized for years.   I remember Dr. Oz talking about it on the Oprah show and mentioning the word OMENTUM, the first time I had ever heard about that part of the body.  Now it’s all the buzz….but how to target belly fat is the big debate.  Jorge, who has written many books on fitness, has a new book out, that targets belly fat loss.  He claims the latest science proves it’s as simple as eliminating sugar from our diet.  No white breads, rice or pasta and keeping sugar intake to 15 grams a day or less.   (If you think you don’t eat a lot of sugar, start reading your food labels!)  He claims that you can lose between 4 and 9 pounds a week that way and you don’t have to count calories.  I know people who have tried this approach and in fact have had those huge losses.  Joy, on the other hand,  contends eating this way will encourage people to eat the unhealthy fats found in high fat cheeses and will discourage the all important exercise component.  Dr. Roizen says we need to do cardiovascular exercise for our heart, watch the sugars and watch the fats.  Well doesn’t that make sense?!   There is much to be taken away from all 3 of their philosophies so I suggest combining all their wisdom.  Want to lose belly fat?  Eliminate the white products, keep your sugar intake very low,  eat lean protein found in white meat chicken, fish  low fat cheese and tofu.  Then get off your butt and get some exercise almost every day.  I wasn’t sitting on the panel, but if  I were I certainly would have added the importance of strength training in order to boost the metabolism and increase muscle mass,  hence burning more calories and building better bone density.  Maybe next time, they’ll invite me 🙂  Have you had success losing belly fat?  If so, let me know what worked for YOU!

In my humble opinion…

What an exciting time to be in the fitness industry!  Back in 1990 the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning, declaring that physical inactivity is hazardous to our health.  I immediately believed that some day in the future, insurance providers would be paying for people to go to get themselves in shape.  For me, that vision was realized just a few years later, when insurance companies started providing free gym memberships to their recipients, in an effort to keep them healthier in body and mind.  I quickly became involved in teaching the award winning SilverSneakers program (for members age 65 and over) and witnessed, firsthand, what I already knew; wellness really does work!  In the past few years we have also seen health club benefits extended to certain groups of “all age” employees (such as the Broward County School teachers on Vista’s health plan). Now, as we approach another new year, the SilverSneakers program is growing in leaps and bounds and nothing could make me happier….well, maybe the day we see this benefit extended to all age groups!

If you are 65 or over, please visit www.SilverSneakers.com and find out if you are eligible to take advantage of this fantastic program.  In 2010 more insurance companies will be offering this program than ever before.  It’s an idea whose time has certainly come.

SilverSneakers is just one of the exciting things happening in the fitness world.  On a local and personal level, I am excited about some upcoming additions to my group exercise schedule.  Check back soon and regularly for more info as well as many more opinonated blogs about the world of health and fitness. 

As I finish this, my virgin blog, I want to thank my webmaster, Kyle, for his patience, his knowledge and his hard work on this site, which is currently work in progress.  It’s thrilling to me, as his mom, that he has turned his passion into his business.  Coming from one who did the same, it really is true that when we love what we do, it isn’t really work at all!