Get ready, get set & go....

it's that time of year again. all those ads on tv for gyms, diets, pills for weight loss. the number one resolution that we all make.

don't make a resolution-make a DECISION to
become a "movement warrior" in 2014

and if you need help getting started-i'm here*.

wishing everyone all the best during the new year, nash

*studio 65 functional fitness details to follow next week

Happy Holidays!

the holiday rush is on so no talk about fitness today, just wishing you a happy, healthy holiday.

Desert Dessert?

the holidays are upon us, temptations abound. we all like desserts and during the holiday season with all variety of parties happening, desserts we many not encounter during the year come out to entice us. a friend makes a fabulous chocolate mousse for an annual holiday brunch. i never eat chocolate mousse except for his because it is so perfect and just once a year-how bad is that? but then there is that home made cheesecake, great looking cookies, those biscotti that everyone says you must try.......
this year, being gluten free, i want some treats that are GF and not loaded with sugar so i will make some myself that i can enjoy and that i can share with others. i will feel better and will not feel like i have to desert dessert during the holidays.

this may not be everyone's idea of a dessert and i don't know who gets credit for the recipe but it is fast, easy, no bake, vegan and GF. i put all the ingredients into a food processor, blend, place the mixture into a shallow glass pan, press the mixture into an even layer and chill for 30 minutes. cut into squares and enjoy. if the mixture seems a little dry (dates vary in moisture) add a little water, coconut milk or coconut oil.

raw, hemp brownies

1 1/2 cup pitted dates
1 1/2 cup nuts
6 tbsp cacao powder
4-5 tbsp hemp protein powder
6 tbsp shredded coconut-unsweetened
 1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp maple syrup or liquid sweetener of your choice

Sleepy?

many of us don't get enough sleep, the recommended 7-9 hours each night. but more and more studies are proving how important sleep is for our health, minds and overall fitness. and think about it-evolution chose sleep even though it meant that we would be basically helpless during the night. so it must be a critical function for life. it is when the body repairs tisssues and nerve cells, the mind organizes
 information and puts what we have learned during the day into our memory banks in order to get ready for the next day's batch of information.
 how does sleep apply to fitness? not to be too technical but while we sleep our bodies release human growth hormone (HGH). HGH improves fitness. muscles need time to repair. it has also been shown that frequent lack of sleep increases the risk of being overweight. in this case a hormone that regulates appetite is not released enough.

so don't think of sleep as a waste of time but rather as the time our bodies need so they (we) can function at their (our) best.

Arms, cont.

i want strong arms. i also need upper body strength for the type of work that i do. the sleeveless thing is not such a big deal for me and since i ignored my arms for quite a while the flab factor is unfortunately present and will take a while to improve. but since i happen to enjoy strength training and  have been working out, with more knowledge the situation has improved. dumbbells and kettle bells* as well as what some call warrior ropes are my favorites. they enable me to feel strong, powerful, relieve stress and are  challenging. who doesn't want to feel stronger? often, women don't do this type of workout. some feel they will get bulky-not true, some don't think they need to-not true, some don't know how-find out. find out what equipment and/or exercise or personal trainer works for you. today there are so many options for women to do strength training. the rewards will make you feel and look great.

*kettle bells-look like a cannon ball with a handle attached, from russia. works the whole body as it incorporates gravity and momentum into the movements. have been around for over a century but not used by the general public until lately. now they seem to be everywhere although not always being used correctly.

Stuffed?!

turkey, stuffing, gravy, pies, etc. are almost upon us. we have all heard the advice, hints and tricks for not over indulging during the holidays. maybe you do some of them, maybe not. but just try to be reasonable (you will feel better the next day and won't need any over the counter medications!), be in and enjoy the moments that bring you happiness and if time allows, do a little exercise to help with digestion and reduce stress. stress?

How "old" are you?

ok-there is chronological age and then there is your "fitness" age. to find this out you need to do a demanding treadmill test that determines your VO2 max-your peak oxygen intake. the better your VO2 max the more fit you are and the "younger" you are-your fitness age. many of us do not have access to this test nor do we really want to do it. but, as reported in the ny times,  scientists have figured out a way to measure this without the dreaded treadmill test. if you put your waist measurement, resting heart rate*, age, sex, and how much you exercise you do into an algorithm the result will be an accurate prediction of your VO2 max and thus your fitness age. even better, there is a calculator available online at www.ntnu.edu/cerg/vo2max. put in the two numbers listed above with the other info and find out your results. hopefully your fitness age is lower than your chronological age! if not, and you want to improve it-you know what's coming-exercise more or increase the intensity of your workouts. here's the link.....

cerg fitness calculator

*resting heart rate-best to take in the am just after you wake up. count your heart beats for 15 seconds then multiply by 4

Artists, Arms & Michelle Obama

i am a working artist using a very process oriented medium. my large paintings get quite heavy and during painting need frequent turning. i need to be strong. ceramic artists, printmakers, sculptors, all of us are constantly using our arms and shoulders-our upper bodies.  much of what we do during day to day activities such as carrying loads (groceries, children), pulling/pushing movements (gardening, cleaning), or reaching for that can on the top shelf involve and need upper body strength.
many people have commented on michelle obama's great looking arms-and they are. she is 49 and does regular exercise that includes cardio, strength training and more. she knows you need to do strength training for lean, muscular arms. it's especially hard to have (or maintain) strong, great looking arms as we age and even though we may want them for that sleeveless summer dress, what is more important is that women don't have as much upper body strength as men do to begin with and as we age we lose what we have- unless we do strength (resistance) training. after the age of 20 we lose approximately 10% of our strength each decade. but studies have been done showing that no matter when you begin, after 10 weeks of strength training there is significant improvement in upper body strength. so start-it is never too late. be a sculptor of your own body.

Sometimes I just feel like....

remember those old commercials "sometimes i just feel like a nut"? well sometimes i just feel like a cookie but without the guilt. this is a quick, simple recipe that is wheat free and can easily be sugar and dairy free, too. feel free to add your favorite nuts, dried fruits or coconut flakes. these cookies are not sweet like commercial cookies but do the job when one just feels like a cookie.

almond/chocolate chip wheat free cookies

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond flour (can replace some of the almond flour with ground flaxseed)
1/4 cup softened butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar, honey or maple syrup (about 4 packets of stevia will also work)-i would  suggest using a smaller quantity of the honey or maple syrup as they are sweeter than the sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
sliced almonds, bitter sweet, gluten free chocolate chips (80% dark is healthiest)

preheat oven to 375
line a baking sheet with parchment paper

beat the butter and sugars together
add egg-mix
add the rest of the ingredients except for the nuts and chips-mix
add the nuts and chips, mix by hand
drop by spoonfuls onto the baking sheet, slightly flatten with a fork and bake for about 12 minutes.
this recipe makes about 14 cookies so if you try it and like it-make double and enjoy.

Happy Halloween!

ghouls and goblins! ghosts, witches and skeletons! maybe now is a great time to give some thought to your own skeleton-especially your spine. look at where the arrow is pointing-your lumbar or lower spine. 80% of the population has reported some type of lower back pain. but just look at it-what do you think is supporting it, all those vertebra stacked one on top of each other? plus there's gravity at work. it's no wonder so many people have issues with their backs and if they also sit during the day at work, have poor posture and/or are overweight then the problems are compounded. this is where your "core" comes in but that talk can wait for now.

so have some fun on halloween and meanwhile give your skeleton some thought and respect for all that it does. 

Walking, cont.

here i am at a younger age and a heavier weight-although not my heaviest which was about 180 pounds. what woke me up to the benefits of walking was when i spent a month in florence, walked everywhere and ate 3 large meals a day plus wine and molto gelato. didn't gain an ounce. i promised myself i would keep up the walking once i got back home and for awhile i did. then other things got in the way, didn't have time, excuses. the result-i gained weight, even without the gelato!
these days i walk as much as possible. the best way to increase your energy output* (especially if time is an issue and you're not a runner) is to wear a weighted vest. holding weight in your hands like many people do does not compare. if you can't walk fast, wear weight to boost the benefits.vests that you can add weight to are the best type so over time you can increase the weight. the other easy solution is to do hills or add incline if you are walking on a treadmill.
you may look like a character from "homeland" but a weight vest is an easy way to increase the benefits from your walk.

*calories burned

Walking

october is breast cancer awareness month. the most recent studies have found that, especially for post menopausal women, that a minimum of 150 minutes of walking and exercise a week lowers breast cancer rates by 25% and if one only  walks by 14%. walking also reduces the risk of re-occurrence in breast cancer survivors. something to think about.
of course there are many proven benefits to walking and exercise such as building stronger bones, reducing blood pressure, heart disease and stress and of course obesity.
but back to walking. outside is great, with a friend even better. strolling is not "walking" in this context. you need to be walking at a pace of about 100 steps per minute which is about 3.5 miles per hour to be considered of enough intensity (moderate) to garner the benefits.
more on walking to come.

Support Yourself

ok, perhaps i am being too critical of machine based workouts, i.e. the laying down as you work your legs. these are usually considered "open chain" exercises where your body is supported by the piece of equipment. this means that during the exercise only a single muscle group or joint is being worked on and you are not supporting yourself. there are a few situations where this might be recommended. but at studio 65 the emphasis is on functional fitness-exercises that will improve one's ability to handle the "activities of our daily lives" and improve overall health. these workouts focus on "closed-chain" exercises that work multiple muscle groups and/or joints while you support yourself. you are using more muscles so that your strength and endurance improves as well as burning more calories. also, when done in specific ways, you also get a cardio workout at the same time. and for most, time is the major excuse for not following an exercise program. so if you can get a better, more complete workout in less time, wouldn't that be your choice?

Coming soon-studio 65 functional fitness for women

if you're like me the thought of working out in a large gym filled with heavy metal equipment and that often smells of sweat and chlorine is not your cup of (green) tea. and how about that muscular, young man-think he has any idea-even though he should be certified-how it feels to be a woman whose body is changing as time passes. my short story is that these changes, as well as becoming more aware of general health and nutrition has led me to become a certified personal trainer. the long version will appear in various blog posts.
one other thing for you to consider-does it really make sense to lay down on a machine to work out your legs?

 more about studio 65 to come-opening, philosophy, location, etc. and please forward to anyone you think may be interested.