Girls Night Out

May 11 from 6-8 pm, at Action in Motion Pilates and Physical Therapy I'm going to have a Girl's Night Out. Bring your mother, sister, friend etc and sign up for a free 30 minute Pilates Session. Healthy Appetizers will be served (the recipes will be provided). There will also be a Personal Trainer and Marriage and Family Therapist there to provide exercise tips on positive thinking strategies through any women's journey with health. Sign up for the free Pilates classes are required, please email me at rebeccaklippenes@gmail.com in order to sign up for the class.

Women's fitness as we age

All women feel the changes in our bodies as we age. Sometimes we welcome these changes, and other times we groan and complain about them. I believe an important factor in continuing to feel healthy, successful and strong, is to embrace these changes as they come. If we can learn to grow and flex with these changes, we will learn how to train our bodies better. If we can learn to readjust our goals and train our bodies in the state they are in, we will be better equipped to get our desired results out of our bodies. I read an interesting article on WebMD. It spoke about the different fitness needs our bodies have from our 20s through our 70s and beyond. Here are the bullet points.

During your 20's and 30's:
  This is the time to focus on building bone density and a health skeleton.  We are still building bone in our 20s, so it's important to do weight bearing exercise. That basically means making your body and muscle work against gravity. This could include walking or jogging for 30 minutes twice a week.  It's important to maintain at least 20 - 30 minutes of aerobic activity 2-3 times a week. This will reduce your risk of hypertension, high cholesterol and even a heart attack later in life. Also make sure you are doing some form of strength training to continue developing strong muscles. This will help boost your metabolism, burn calories and keep your body strong.

During your 40's:
  Most women in their 40's start to see a significant change in their bodies. There can be a decrease in hormones as menopause approaches (or attacks with a vengance :) ). This can lead to changes in weight as well as affect a women's heart health, bone health and sometimes loss of muscle strength. The best place to challenge these issues in your body is in strength training.  A woman can lose 5 - 7 pounds of muscle every decade as well as lose bone density. It's important to do exercises that stress your bones in order to encourage new growth, as well as continue to build strength into your muscles. Meet with a personal trainer to learn a few simple exercises with weights to help develop your muscle strenghth. Continue to do cardio exercise such as power walking 2-3 times per week. Strapped for time because of your busy schedule? Do 2-3 short sessions (20 -30 minutes) a week at a higher intensity. Your body will still get the maximum benefit as long as your kicking it up a notch and feeling your blood pumping.


During your 50's:
  In your 50's, you may feel the effects of wear and tear on their bodies. You may also start to feel the loss of muscle strength. It's very important to continue to focus on developing your muscle strength and bone strength. A woman can lose between 7 - 14 pounds of muscle in this decade. It's important to continue with a resistance training routine during this decade to reduce the amount of muscle loss and maintain your physical strength. Continue to incorporate low-impact forms of cardio into your routine (such as swimming, walking, hiking, even dancing) as well as resistance training. These exercises can be done with weights or a theraband. 


During your 60's, 70's and 80's:
  This is the time in your life when you want your fitness routine to be functional. You want your exercises to imitate movements you do in everyday life (whether it's bending down to pick up a grocery bag, or reaching something off the shelf). It can be as simple as practicing standing on one foot to improve balance. It's also important to focus on stretching. If your muscles become stiff, they will limit your range of movement. The most important thing is that you keep moving, even if it's only a small amount. If you stop moving, it will decrease strength and flexibility and make it increasingly difficult to get up and start moving again. This is also a great time in your life to try a fitness program with some more gentle movements such as tai chi, yoga or Pilates.  


 If you want to read the full article, copy and paste the following link: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/fitness-for-a-lifetime

Quote of the day

"I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They'd be happier." -- Joseph Hubertus Pilates, in 1965, age 86. (creator of Pilates)

Benefits of Coconut Milk

Looking for a dairy/milk substitute? Try Coconut milk made by Silk. Coconut milk contains lauric acid which is an essential fatty acid that helps build the body's immune system and provide your body with energy. It also has a variety of minerals and vitamins including calcium. Use it in smoothies, oatmeal, desserts, even your coffee. See Web MD for more information on the benefits of Coconut Milk. Here's a great recipe for a breakfast smoothie:

*8oz Silk brand Coconut milk (can do 4oz coconut milk and 1/2 c. non-fat plain yogurt for a thicker smoothie).
*1 banana
*1/2 cup unsweetened frozen fruit of your choice
*1 tablespoon almond butter
*1 teaspoon unsweetened coco powder
*1 teaspoon cinnamon
**Blend everything together in a blender and enjoy!

Get up and Go!

Today is the American Heart Association's Get up and Walk Day. Start walking with a friend and get some social time in along with your exercise.

Health Benefits of Pilates

More and more people over the past 10 -15 years have become interested in the health benefits of Pilates. Besides being a low-impact form of exercise, it seeks to help people of all fitness levels develop core strength, lean body mass, correct posture and body awareness to name a few things. Check out this article below from Web MD to see more benefits from participating in a consistent Pilates work out.

www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/the-benefits-of-pilates

The Importance of Breakfast

Many people skip breakfast for a variety of reasons. They aren't hungry in the mornings, they're in too much of a hurry, or they simply think they need to save up space/calories, etc for what they eat the rest of the day. Breakfast is actually the most important meal of the day (and not just because your mother told you so :) ). In an article on Web MD, having breakfast every morning can help you lose weight, kick-start your metabolism for the day, and keep you from snacking and overeating later on in the day. Take a look at this quote from the article: "Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. But it also jump-starts your metabolism, says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, nutrition manager for the Duke Diet & Fitness Center at Duke University Medical School. "When you don't eat breakfast, you're actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you're not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight."" It's also important to give yourself the right kind of breakfast. If you eat a bagel or high-refined sugar cereal, you're going to be prone to feeling hungry quicker and experience and crash in energy mid-morning. Try a cup of oatmeal, 1/2 cup of milk or milk substitute (almond milk and coconut milk are excellent substitutes), and add as many types of fruit as possible. Also add either almond butter or a form of nuts for protein. The combination of protein, high fiber from these whole grains and fruit will keep you satisfied longer. Have a difficult time eating in the morning? Make a smoothie. Use 8oz of milk or your favorite milk substitute, 2-3 kinds of fruit (using frozen unsweetened fruit instead of ice cubes will make your smoothie frothy and thick plus add flavor), honey to sweeten it and almond butter for protein. To add more flavor add a mixture of unsweetened coco powder and cinnamon. Want  to read the rest of the web md article? Follow the link below. 
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfast

Tip of the Month: April

             Take your exercise outside! Now that the weather is getter nicer, take your exercise outside. Grab a friend or two and go for a hike. Enjoy the fresh air, smells of flowers blooming, and allow the serotonin from the sun (and endorphins from the exercise) to lift your mood. Make sure and pack snacks (or even a health picnic lunch), water and enjoy yourself. Adding a social component to your exercise will help you have fun while exercising and keep you accountable. You can’t bail on time with your friends.