PFTL NEWS APRIL 2010
Personal Fitness Training, Ltd. 1215 Washington Ave. Suite 300 Wilmette, Illinois 60091 (847) 251-6834
YOGA IS BACK!
I am pleased to announce that we will once again be offering yoga classes. Starting May 15, we are planning two 6-week Basic Yoga classes, Mondays from 4-5pm, and Saturday mornings from 9-10am.
Our instructor is Jenny Klein. Jenny studied with Suddha Weixler at the Chicago Yoga Center where she received her certification in 2007. She has subsequently attended various yoga and meditation workshops and retreats to keep her practice current. She is a member of the Yoga Alliance as a Registered Yoga Teacher. She has been teaching yoga for over 3 years on the North Shore.
Jenny took her first yoga class at PFTL’s original Laurel Avenue location. Her instructor was Kathy Cain who fostered Jenny’s enthusiasm for yoga. Jenny’s classes will be a combination of strength building exercises, yoga postures and meditation. She is looking forward to introducing or reacquainting PFTL clients to the multi-beneficial practice of yoga.
The pre-paid cost of the full 6-week class will be $108. Drop-ins will be welcome at $20/class. Please contact us at 847-251-6834 to register for either or both of these classes.
JUST HOW TALL ARE YOU REALLY? (from WebMD.com)
Height loss is a natural part of the aging process. Starting from age 40 we begin to shrink. By age 50 you may have lost one centimeter. By 60 you may have lost a full two centimeters. After the age of 70, the pace picks up and you may find yourself three-to three-and-a- half inches shorter. Don’t let time wear you down; there are some strategies for preventing/slowing down height loss.
Over time and as we age, the architecture of our spines succumbs to wear and tear. The vertebrae, the interlocking bones that support the spine, begin to thin and the fluid-rich spaces between the vertebrae dehydrate and become stiff.
“Height loss is due to the space between the vertebrae shrinking, or the vertebrae getting crushed down…If a person is losing height, it means that they are aging,” offers Dr. Tyler C. Cymet, an osteopathic physician and assistant professor of internal medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.
While losing a few millimeters a year is natural, it can result in unpleasant and even painful complications in our daily lives.
“When the body changes and we lose height, other problems follow. Our body mechanics can change and it can be more difficult to do the same activities we did before. It can change our walking pattern, affect how far we can bend or twist, and the risks of breaking bones is much greater. Also, with an increased curvature breathing becomes less efficient, and we may not be able to get full lung expansion,” says Dr. Cymet.
Rapid or sudden height loss—more than three millimeters a year— may also be a symptom of osteoporosis, a disease that lowers bone mass and bone tissue density and that afflicts more than 75 million people around the world.
Making sure to consume sufficient amounts of calcium and vitamin D and maintaining an active lifestyle are two of the most effective ways in which we bolster the strength of our aging bones.
“The most important foods for bone health are calcium and vitamin D, but having adequate amounts of phosphorous and trace minerals are also very important,” advises Dr. Cymet.
To preserve bone health, The National Institute of Health (USA) recommends that men and women from the ages of 19 to 50 consume at least 1,000mg of calcium a day. Men and women over 50 should consume from 1200 to 1500mg a day.
Keep in mind that vitamin D is essential to the proper absorption of calcium. Sunlight remains the best source of vitamin D—15 minutes in the sun a day can make all the vitamin D you need—but for those in less hospitable climates vitamin D and calcium comes in combination supplements.
Walking, jogging, tennis and weight training are all weight-bearing exercises that in concert with a bone-healthy diet go a long way toward maintaining bone health, muscle strength and flexibility.
“Weight bearing exercises, especially if done at a younger age, help to build thicker and stronger bones. Weight lifting can also help to ‘thicken’ up the bones,” says Dr. Cymet.
Pilates and yoga also provide excellent opportunities for fighting against inevitable diminishment by strengthening the muscles of the core and back.
CALORIES 101
You may sometimes count them, cut them, or curse them, but you always need to consume them. Calories provide the energy that our bodies need to function and keep us moving. The food that we eat and the beverages that we drink provide calories.
Your source of calories comes from three of the essential nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Each of these nutrients has a set number of calories: 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories; 1 gram of protein = 4 calories; 1 gram of fat = 9 calories. You may also get calories from alcohol; 1 gram of alcohol has 7 calories
You maintain your weight by consuming the right amount of calories, gain weight with excessive amounts, and lose weight with an inadequate amount.
Your calorie needs are determined by your age, height, weight, gender, and activity level. You can use the Harris-Benedict Equation* to calculate the number of maintenance calories you require.
Once you know how many calories you need to maintain your weight, you can determine what it will take to lose or gain weight. When you go above or below your maintenance calories by 3,500 calories, you will either gain or lose 1 pound. For example, if you consumed an extra 500 calories per day, you would gain 1 pound in a week (500 x 7 = 3,500). The same is true for weight loss. This is why every calorie counts when it comes to your weight.
* The Harris Benedict Equation is a formula that uses your BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) and then applies an activity factor to determine your total daily energy expenditure (calories). This equation will be very accurate in all but the very muscular (will under-estimate calorie needs) and the very fat (will over-estimate calorie needs).
BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) – ( 6.8 x age in year )
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
- If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
- If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
- If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
- If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
- If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9