PFTL News June 2016

NEW CLASSES STARTING IN JUNE  – Contact Julie Cohen to register for any of these classes.  Email Julie@pftl.net or call 847-251-6834.

Basic Full-Body Tune-Up” – 60-minutes – 6-weeks – Starts Wednesday, June 15 from 4pm-5pm. Taught by personal trainer, Linda Meyer, CPT, this group class (min. 4; max. 5 participants)  focuses on flexibility, stability, strength, balance and endurance. It is designed as a full body workout with the aim of helping each person improve their overall fitness level.

Beginner level of fitness: this is a perfect class for motivated individuals who currently lack the strength, balance and flexibility they once had, and want to regain these qualities. The cost for this 6-week class is $100 per participant.

Functional Strength and Cardio – 60 minutes- 6 weeks- Starts Thursday, June 16 at 3pm (may meet on Tuesdays as an alternative).   This class uses various forms of equipment, with intervals of cardiovascular exercise. A core segment would include balance and Pilates exercises. It  also includes some game-like activities, e.g. obstacle courses and partner activities to achieve a fun whole body work-out. Taught by Ellen Flaxman, MS, CPT, this class is designed to be fun as well as an effective way to improve fitness. This is an intermediate level class. Cost is $100 for the 6-week course. We will need a minimum of 4 participants; max 5. The cost for this 6-week class is $100 per participant.

Theme-based Yoga Classes – Two new classes- Sundays at 10am and Tuesdays at 3pm. 60 minutes each – 6 week session- Starts Sunday June 12 at 10am and Tuesday, June 14 at 3pm. Taught by Jenny Klein, who incorporates Ashtanga style with other types of yoga into a hatha or basic practice. Each class is based on a different mind-body theme, where the poses match the theme. Classes are suitable for the beginner, the intermediate and even the more advanced student who wants a back-to-basics practice. Jenny guides alignment and breath, but with the understanding that every person has to respect what his or her body can do on the mat on any given day. We will need a minimum of 4 participants; max 5. The cost for this 6-week class is $100 per participant.

Free Walking Clinic -Learn how to get the most benefit out of walking as exercise, while walking in beautiful Gillson Park, Wilmette. Mondays and Thursdays starting June 13 through September 29; 5:30pm-6:30pm.  Debora Morris, Julie Cohen, Linda Meyer and Leslie Cohen will be leading and/or assisting.   Each meeting Includes warm-up, stretching, inclines, steps, balance and coordination. All fitness levels welcome. We meet at Wallace Bowl in Gillson Park.

SURPRISING EFFECT OF DRINKING TOO MUCH CAFFEINEFATIGUE

If you think drinking a lot of coffee all day long will give you more energy, think again.

Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system. Specifically, the chemical gooses the adrenal glands into releasing hormones — namely cortisol and adrenaline — that tell the body to go faster. The short-term result can be increased focus and better hand-eye coordination. But overdo caffeine on a regular basis and, eventually, the central nervous system runs out of gas. If you don’t restore yourself with sleep, proper nutrients and relaxation, you’ll quickly get into a cycle of short-term energy bursts followed by increased fatigue.

Besides fatigue, heavy coffee drinkers may also experience jitters, agitation, insomnia, heartbeat irregularities, frequent urination.

What can you do: It is advised to limit your daily dose of caffeine to less than 300 milligrams (mg). As a reference, a 12-ounce cup of Starbucks brewed coffee packs 260 mg of caffeine, while a 12-ounce Americano (two shots of the coffee chain’s espresso added to hot water) contains 150 mg. A 12-ounce cup of black tea, on the other hand, contains roughly 100 mg and green tea only 50 mg.

What’s a healthy amount for you? Most people know what amount their system can handle.  You may also want to support your adrenal glands with B vitamins (especially B5/pantothenic acid), vitamin C and licorice. Also, fuel up on healthy, whole foods that boost and maintain your energy.

TIPS FOR BIKE SAFETY (from State Farm newsletter May 2016)

Biking riding (instead of car riding) can save money, fight pollution and help you stay in shape. The bike rider, however, should be aware of the following to stay safe on the road.

Give a Good Once-over – Before you set off, make sure the brakes and gears work properly and that the tires are inflated correctly.  Over inflation can cause blow-outs.

Know the Rules of the Road-Your bike is considered a vehicle, so laws that apply to motorists also apply to you. If you’re biking on the road, you should:

  • Obey all traffic lights, road markings and stop signs.
  • Ride with traffic, and use the right lane or bike lane.
  • Use hand signals to indicate turns and lane changes.

Wear a Helmet – A properly fitted helmet is a must-have. Helmets can reduce the risk of brain injury or other head trauma if you’re involved in a crash. But remember: Helmets are designed to withstand only one crash. Replace yours after any crash, and never wear a helmet with cracks, missing pieces or other damage

PFTL NEWS April 2015

NEW CLASS OFFERING – ACTIVE AGING FUNDAMENTALS

6- WEEK SESSION – STARTING SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, APRIL 25 or 26

Get stronger in ADL’s (activities of daily living) and come join us for a class that addresses the needs of active mature adults. Do you feel you could be doing more to stay strong and independent as you age, but are NOT looking for a boot camp style workout?  This fun hybrid class will have you building strength in functional ways, improving your balance and agility, and even hone in on your cognition with some fun brain games.  Pre-class fitness assessment is included. This class is intended for people who do not have major orthopedic issues, although modifications will be made for those with minor limitations. Min/Max 5 particpants. Prerequisite:  Fitness Assessment (included) and medical clearance. This class will be taught by Bev Pines, CPT.  Cost is $96 for the 6-week session ($16/class)

 LET US KNOW WHAT DAY AND TIME YOU PREFER: Saturday at 12:30pm or Sunday at 11:30am.  Whatever the majority want will determine which day the class will meet.

DON’T FALL FOR FOOD MARKETING HYPES

It can be very confusing to read labels on any food these days. Trying to determine if it is healthy, safe, or even contains what you wanted in the first place, can be a challenge.

Food marketers can legally use a wide assortment of words, symbols and health claims to make a product with questionable nutritional value seem nourishing. It’s almost impossible to identify every one of these marketing hypes. Instead, experts from IDEA Fitness Journal recommend these broad principles as practical solutions to avoid buying potentially non-healthy food items:

Beware the hype. Anything “healthful” that you see on the front of a food package puts you more at risk of overeating and of misjudging the true healthfulness of the product. We’ve found that the least-healthy products tend to have the most nutrition claims on the front.

Read the back. Consumers should ignore the nutrition claims on the front of product packages and read the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient list on the back instead.

Anticipate hyperbole. Many health claims on package fronts are exaggerated and/or based on circumstantial inferences—not hard science.

Eat whole foods as often as possible. Choose foods from nature in their whole state.

There are two important things to look for: the ‘USDA Organic’ seal, and the ‘Non-GMO Project Verified’ seal. These are the two terms that hold the most legitimacy. These two are the hardest to get around by food manufacturers. They are not perfect, but they are the best we have today.

EAT MORE BUGS FOR LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE  (from IDEA Fitness Journal, April 2015)

Every day there seems to be a new study heralding the work done by the billions of microorganisms in our guts. Probiotics, the live organisms (naturally occurring bacteria) in your body, are working overtime to keep us healthy, and now—according to recent research published in the AHA journal Hypertension (July 21, 2014)— it seems they could play a role in keeping our blood pressure in check.

“The small collection of studies we looked at suggest regular consumption of probiotics can be part of a healthy lifestyle to help reduce high blood pressure, as well as maintain healthy blood pressure levels,” said Jing Sun, PhD, lead author and senior lecturer at the Griffith Health Institute and School of Medicine, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. “This includes probiotics in yogurt, fermented and sour milk and cheese, and probiotic supplements.”

After analyzing the results of nine studies examining blood pressure and probiotic consumption in 543 adults with normal and elevated blood pressure, researchers concluded that probiotics may help lower blood pressure by having other positive effects on health, including improving total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol; reducing blood glucose and insulin resistance; and helping to regulate the hormone system that controls blood pressure and fluid balance.

THREE QUESTIONS ON DEMENTIA     (From Idea Fitness Journal, Feb. 2015)

  1. What Is Dementia? Dementia is the loss of mental abilities over time. It is often severe enough to interfere with a person’s ability to perform daily activities. People with dementia may have trouble learning new things and remembering names, and may have changes in behavior. They may experience irritation if they fail to complete a task.
  2. Can Exercise Reduce the Effects of Dementia? A growing body of research shows that cardiovascular exercise may help delay the loss of functional independence and dementia. Researchers found that the brain’s cognitive networks display improved functionality after 6–12 months of consistent cardiovascular exercise.
  3. How Much Exercise Is Needed to Attain These Neuroprotective Effects on Dementia? The exercise parameters suggest that approximately 150 minutes per week of cardiovascular exercise in 20 to 30-minute bouts at an intensity of 60% of heart rate maximum is sufficient. (Ahiskog et al. 2011).