In This Issue
- Our Obesity Epidemic
- Calendar of Events
- One Body One World
- MIAMI THRIVE 2009
| MIAMI THRIVE 2009 November 12 - 15 2009
"Let the Sun Shine In"
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You can earn up to 2.5 cec's from organizations such as ACE, ACSM, AEA, AFAA, ECITS, NASM, NFPT, NSCA, SPINNING and STOTT PILATES
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Boston Balance
was a BLAST!
There was just the right mix of Spinning, Body Conditioning, Step Training, Dance, Martial Arts and Kick Boxing, along with Personal Training, Business, Yoga and Pilates
at a state of the art facility - Reebok Headquarters!
Letter from a Boston Balance Attendee:
Hi Carol,
I wanted to thank you for such a positive experience at the convention this weekend. I did not hand in the evaluations, and wanted to take a moment to share my feedback.
First, I want to thank you for handling my registration error with such ease. Somehow my name tag was misplaced, but by the end of Friday one of your kind employees (a gentlemen whose name I did not get) was checking
ID's outside of Friday's Pilates on the Resist-A-Ball class and said he worked to track me down. I really appreciated that he found me and personally gave me my ID.
I attended workshops with Mindy Mylrea, Lawrence Biscontini, Jen Ward, Josh Taylor, Abbie Appel, Patrick Goudeau, and Clay Grant. And Mindy was energetic
and informative, Lawrence was inspiring and creative, Jen was an excellent role model for me and I appreciated her lecture on nutrition, Josh was dedicated to keeping the integrity of spin, Abbie was a wealth of knowledge
about Pilates and was willing to share and answer all of my questions,and Patrick put the fun back into step for me, and Clay had the smoothest transitions I have ever seen in a conditioning class. And Thank you for an excellent weekend.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Guarino-Nixdorff
*******
Calendar of Events
July 2009
July 9-12
Tampa, FL. Intensive Reformer with STOTT PILATES at Pilates South Beach. Visit www.stottpilates.com or call Dwayne Moore or Matthew Comer at (888) 672-6616 or email miami@stottpilates.com for more information.
July 10-12
San Diego, CA. Intensive Mat-Plus with STOTT PILATES at Marshall Eklund Pilates Studio. Visit www.stottpilates.com or email sandiego@stottpilates.com or call Marshall Eklund at The Pilates Training Center of San Diego at (619) 298-1177 or fax at (619) 298-1116 for more information.
July 15-21
Miami, FL. CHEK Golf Biomechanic Intensive with Dan Hellman at Dural. Visit www.chekinstitute.com for more information.
July 16-19
Charlotte, NC. Intensive Reformer with STOTT PILATES at ABsolute Pilates. Visit www.stottpilates.com or contact Monica Hoekstra or Catherine Tait by fax or phone at (704) 442-8600 or email charlotte@stottpilates.com for more information.
July 17-18
Chicago, IL. Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist Workshop with ACSM at Swedish Covenant Hospital. Visit www.acsm.org or email kberlin@acsm.org for more information.
July 17-19
Charlotte, NC. Certified Personal Trainer Workshop with ACSM at Dowd YMCA. Visit www.acsm.org or email akatopodis@acsm.org for more information.
July 17-19
Westminster, MD. Certified Health Fitness Specialist Workshop with ACSM at Carroll Community College. Visit www.acsm.org or email akatopodis@acsm.org for more information.
July 17-21
Amherst, MA (North Hampton Area). CHEK Exercise Coach with Josh Rubin at The Body Tailor. Visit www.chekinstitute.com or contact The Body Tailor at (413) 549-1969 or www.TheBodyTailor.com for more information.
July 19
Westminster, MD. Weight Management for the Fitness Professional Workshop with ACSM at Carroll Community College. Visit www.acsm.org or email akatopodis@acsm.org for more information.
July 20-24
Yorkshire, United Kingdom. CHEK Exercise Coach with Emma Lane at The Orangery. Visit www.chekinstitute.com for more information.
July 24-26
Erie, PA. Certified Personal Trainer Workshop with ACSM at LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center-Erie. Visit www.acsm.org or email akatopodis@acsm.org for more information.
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July 2009 | Can We Control the Childhood Obesity Epidemic?
By Lori Pine
We have ALL heard it.....Obesity is an epidemic and especially among children. Well, do we sit back and chat about it, OR get up and make a difference in their lives?!? Have you solutions? Do we start with the parents? Do we prove to children that exercise can be and IS FUN? Do we educate the public on good nutritional habits? Do we advocate the benefit of weight training and cardio workouts in not only helping to burn calories but also to improve motor skills, flexibility, and even cerebral activities such as problem solving? If you answered "yes" to all these questions, you are on the right road. You see a need to control this epidemic, but may not know how to take the first initial step in making a difference. Even to help one child, you may have saved a life.
If fitness is one of the answers to the obesity epidemic, how can we get children involved? Adults will often increase their activity level because they know that exercise is healthy. Children need immediate gratification from activity to sustain it in their lifestyle. They also need the "fun" element. The ideal plan would be to make the activity a family project.
If the "family" has a major influence on a child's lifestyle, a perfect opportunity is to bring children and parents together in a fun, group exercise environment. Create a shared experience in a playful, fun environment, and you have developed a program offering quality time spent together while teaching healthy habits.
Remember YOU are the role model!!Adults must evaluate their own eating habits, and set a good nutritional example for their children. Proper nutrition is only one piece of the puzzle, and activity another. Focus on the positive aspects of exercise, and avoid competition by sharing fun activities together.
Bringing parents and children together in a group exercise class can be a fun and rewarding experience. If you develop good health habits before children reach their teenage years, you may have created a lifestyle they will carry over to adulthood. As reported by NASM, "if weight control has not been achieved by late adolescence, only 5% of obese adolescents will lose weight successfully by adulthood". Children also make wonderful workout partners especially at health clubs where all the machines look fun and exciting. Look for facilities where safe, well-designed programs are available, and also where the best interests of the children are the number one concern. If we can work toward developing programs which include nutritional guidance and changes, enhanced physical activity, and behavior modification in both children and parents, we will see SUCCESS!
Aquatic activities are often preferred by all youth in general. Children love water, and with summer upon us, what a wonderful time to get them involved in not only swimming but other aqua programs as well. Water can be used for exercise, swimming, swim lessons, aqua jogging, resistance training, sports conditioning, and water games.
Water provides advantages for the obese child.
Additional body mass helps keep heavy children and teens afloat due to fat being buoyant (lighter than water), so impact is reduced. Their body weight on land is at a disadvantage when speed and agility are required.
Lean people have rapid heat loss in water temperatures in the low 70's, but the obese person's additional subcutaneous fat provides thermal insulation and prevents excessive loss of body heat in cooler water temperatures. (Thus, be careful of overheating in warm/hot environments and provide plenty of water breaks). When submerged in the water, the issue of self-consciousness can be reduced. Water becomes an equalizer of appearance and abilities for a multitude of body shapes and sizes.
In the United States, more than 60% of adults are overweight and 29% are obese. Without proper education in how to eat and exercise, the obesity percentage is on target to increase to 40% by the year 2010. Along with this comes the increased risk of asthma, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and stroke. This is not a positive future for the obese child. Adults need to realize that establishing a healthy lifestyle is critical to their own well-being and especially their children. As instructors and trainers, we can all help change this. Institute a basic nutrition program, monthly lectures, newsletters, or offer healthy snacks to students and club members. Children eat 187 to 379 extra calories every time they eat fast food. With just one drive-thru meal a week, a child consumes 2.8 to 5.6 extra pounds per year.
Proper nutrition at home is important, but what about in the schools? Many schools have begun to offer "kid friendly" lunches. These are ones with foods the children enjoy, often giving them choices of foods, and all while following the federal government's nutritional guidelines.
California has taken a step toward the childhood obesity problem. The state banned soft drinks in elementary and middle schools in 2003. In September 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar signed legislation to impose a high school campus ban on the sale of sodas, set a new nutritional standard for vending-machine snacks, and require more fruits and vegetables in school meal planning. These new guidelines took effect in July 2007.
During this time of budget cuts in the schools, we see sports programs being cut. Due to cutbacks, shorter or lack of recess, children are exhibiting motor skill deficiencies. Exercise not only helps maintain weight, but also helps coordination, flexibility, muscle strength and endurance, faster reaction times when making decisions, social skills, more focused attention and less easily distracted. Children who are fit are also more self-confident and have a stronger self-image. For fitness instructors, trainers, and health club owners this is the perfect opportunity to help the obesity epidemic by offering programs to children. This may be group classes, sports conditioning classes, private instruction, well-designed and supervised weight-training programs, and in-house childcare activities.
Exercising during childhood will also pay off in later years. A 10-year study at Pennsylvania State University and John Hopkins University concluded that girls ages 12 to 22 build 6 times more bone strength from exercise than from calcium in their diet. Children need weight-bearing activities, and 30 minutes every other day is beneficial. Since females, for example, develop 40% of their bone mass between the ages of 12 and 16, the greater the increase the greater the amount of bone density later in life when bone mass naturally decreases with age. Greater bone strength may ultimately ward off osteoporosis.
While obesity is seen from the outside, some of its inner effects cannot. A study in Hong Kong with obese children ages 9 to 12 proved that their extra pounds had a direct impact on their blood vessels. These children had stiff arteries also found in middle-aged smokers. The attack upon the blood vessels caused from smoking increases the risk for high blood pressure, and ultimately heart failure, heart attack, and stroke. Children who reduced their caloric intake and exercised twice a week with aerobics and resistance training saw an increase in the flexibility of their arteries. The weight loss obtained also cut their risk for high blood pressure, heart failure, heart attack, and stroke.
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control, the percentage of overweight children ages 6 to 11 has increased 300 percent in the past 25 years. Today we are looking at children with shorter life expectancies than their parents...a fact not seen for 100 years. The American Council on Exercise commented that "physical activity has never been more critical to health and success, as numerous studies have proven. Active children are more likely to stay fit as adults, and less likely to become overweight and develop diabetes in early adulthood. They perform better academically, are absent from school less often, are more socially active, and are less likely to drink or take drugs."
Other areas that need attention are teaching children about healthy snacks and portion control. Teach your children moderation rather than restriction. Healthy snacks are available which offer fewer calories and fat plus increased protein and fiber. Recipes are available at www.apexfitness.com.
Try this easy recipe provided by the APEX Fitness Group:
Lowfat Snack Mix
1 (3 ounce) bag fat-free microwave popcorn
(or 12 cups air popped popcorn)
1 cup fat free mini-pretzels
1 tablespoon reduced fat margarine, melted
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Mix popcorn and pretzels in a large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients and drizzle over popcorn/pretzel mixture. Toss until evenly coated.
Makes 6 servings Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
Nutrients per serving: Calories: 80
Total fat: 2 grams Saturated fat: trace
Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 268 mg
Carbohydrate: 16 grams Protein: 2 grams
Dietary fiber: 2 grams
Let us think about ALL children and not just those who are overweight. Stronger bodies mean stronger minds.
Let us see it as our part to make a difference in the WHOLE child and ALL children. They all need our guidance whether it is for nutritional advice, weight management, or increased motor skills. Together we can work toward improving the health and fitness of today's youth through focusing on lifetime fitness.
Fitness professionals, teachers, and parents can all help children develop positive attitudes about exercise, and motivate them to make regular, physical activity a way of life. We can all make a difference no matter how small the effort...target one child or an entire group..., and in the end you have helped control and diminish the obesity epidemic. Hopefully in our lifetime we will witness the world evolve from being fat to being fit.
Lori Pine, MA, is the Programs Director at In Motion Fitness in Chico, California. She is an A.C.E. certified Personal Trainer, APEX certified Nutritional Counselor, and is a member of Power Bar's Team Elite. She holds additional certifications and specialty certificates in Youth Fitness, BOSU, Nordic Walking, Body Bar, Gliding, Kettlebell, GRAVITY, Drums Alive, and STRONG. Lori has 25+ years experience working with youth and adults in schools, the community, and the fitness industry. Lori also organizes special events and charitable activities including the "B.A.M." fitness conference. She can be reached at j916grif@aol.com.
| One Body, One World
Our Summer Reading List
The Big Green Purse Book by Diane MacEachern
Diane MacEachern's message is simple but revolutionary. If women change the way they spend their money, they can help solve the environmental crisis - and protect themselves and their families, too. Why women? Because women spend $.85 of every dollar in the marketplace. "Women have a whole planetful of
power in their purses," says Diane MacEachern. "When they use it to buy green, they force manufacturers to make products that reduce pollution, slow global warming, and eliminate dangerous chemicals." For purchase, www.biggreenpurse.com.
The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists by Michael Brower and Warren Leon
Paper or plastic? Cloth or disposable? Regular or organic? Every day, environmentally conscious consumers are faced with the overwhelming catch-22 of a capitalist society--reconciling the harm we do by consuming, while still providing ourselves and our families with the goods and services we need. It's enough to make a city dweller crazy. The Union of Concerned Scientists has put together a well-researched and eminently practical guide to the decisions that matter. The authors hope that the book will help you set priorities, stop worrying about insignificant things, and understand the real environmental impacts of household decisions. For purchase information, www.ucsusa.org/publications/
Stop Global Warming
The Solution is You! by Laurie David
Laurie David's book explains how global warming is already affecting everyone's way of life, and how to become part of the solution. There's a hilarious foreword by comedian Larry David, and an afterword by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. For purchase information, http://www.nrdc.org/joinGive/shop/bookhow.asp
Worldchanging
A User's Guide for the 21st Century by Alex Steffen 
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| August 1st.
Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Bike Ride
Cancer does not rest.
 For the 4th year, I will bicycle in the two-day, 192-mile Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC). The proceeds from this ride make the PMC the single largest contributor to the Jimmy Fund at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Cancer doesn't sleep at the end of the day. It doesn't flee the cold for warm weather during school vacation. Cancer is relentless, showing no favorites and taking no prisoners. Wealthy or poor, educated or illiterate, young or old, it doesn't discriminate. Cancer has no friends, no allies, no comrades. It doesn't need any. It does its damage on its own. It is its own army. You can donate online by visiting http://www.pmc.org. Click on the "Egift" link on the upper left-hand corner of the homepage, and then click on "sponsor one rider with one donation." My Egift number is KG0094. Once you've found me, you will be given the option to donate by credit card. Thank you - Kyle Grazia |   Education Empowerment Environment
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