Reminder of our holiday hours

Don't forget that tomorrow, Monday the 31st we are open until 1pm.  That means that noon spinning is your last chance for 2012!  We will be closed all day Tuesday and then Wednesday the 2nd we'll reopen at 7 AM.  Be sure to stop in and visit us!

Instructors Choice Tomorrow :)

Hello Everyone,

Instructors choice tomorrow is going to be power pump with some christmas music. Grace is going to be teaching. Im looking forward to getting a workout in with everyone before the New Year!!!

continued closing and class tomorrow

We are continuing to remain closed today.  Some roads in town are in ok shape but at least at my (Jen's) house power is still a bit unpredictable and we are still digging out the driveway.  The good news is that we will reopen tomorrow bright and early.  Lexie plans to teach zumba pump at 8:15 instructor's choice.  Stay warm and we'll see you tomorrow!

Weather Closings!

Well this blizzard looks fairly imminent for tomorrow and as such, we have decided to make the call early so everyone can plan accordingly.  We will be closed until noon on Thursday (Dec 20th).  Hopefully the weather will have calmed down by then and the plows will have had a chance to dig us all out.  If it seems bad and you're unsure, we always recommend to play it safe.  Exercise is terribly important, but safety is just that much bigger.  We will still be here another day!  Fee free to call 236-2999 for further notifications.

Getting off the floor

One of our members requested this information be posted.  Some really great advice if you ask me...

As we age we do not think about getting off the floor while we are young and strong but it is something that we need to place into the fore front of our minds. We need to start thinking about the possibility of not being able to get up after a fall. The actions and planning that we do today will determine our ability to get up off the floor when we are older.
Almost everybody has seen the commercial about the oldster that has fallen and is unable to get up. While we are younger; we do not think too much about it but we need to start. As we age we will find many changes that will take place within our bodies and some of them are not going to be pleasant.
We need to begin to incorporate movements into our daily lives that address the simple act of getting off the floor. If you have not begun exercising; you need to begin now!
Think about it! How many ways can you think of to get off the floor without using something to pull yourself up? You need to develop the skills to find different ways to get back into a standing position from the floor.
Start now and begin using the different modes to get up. Now it can be easy but someday your life might be dependent upon your ability to do what is necessary to get up.
You need to take steps to strengthen your core muscles, your back muscles and your leg and arm muscles to insure you are able to continue getting up. When you think about it; you need to keep all your muscles well toned.
We are all getting get older and some of us may get weaker than we want so we need to take steps now to insure that we will not be similar to the person in the commercial that is unable to get up. We boomers are at the age where we need to take this issue serious and take proactive actions to eliminate the danger of being unable to get up.

You need to begin to exercise and after doing exercises when you are on the floor use different methods to get up. I have some tips that can help you find easy exercises into your daily life and most of them are simple and fun. Visit me at [http://www.geezer411.com/FITNESS.html].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Warren_Reidhead

Saturday at the PWA

Unfortunately, we have to close the fitness center this Saturday, December 15th.  There is work on the electrical system of our building scheduled for that morning, and we need juice to make the machines go.  We will still have our 7am spinning and 9:15 yoga, so this may be a great time to try a new class!  Thanks for your patience with this inconvenience.

Instructor's Choice

Friday's 8:15 Instructor's Choice class is going to be a fun session of Step Pump.  Come get a little cardio and a little weights to start off your day

Healthy Holiday Tips

Here are some great strategies to make your holiday festivities a little bit more healthful.  You can also find these tips on the bulletin board in the fitness center.

Plan a workout before a holiday party or big meal.
     In the one or tow hours after intense exercise, our bodies are more sensitive the hormone insulin, which helps transport sugars to our depleted muscles.  All the starchy holiday dishes like mashed potatoes or sugary cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie are excellent for glycogen replenishment.  And protein from the holiday turkey will help repair damaged tissues.  Don't forget we are open on Sundays, so you can fit that workout in any day of the week.

Offer to bring a healthy dish to holiday parties.
     For appetizers, you could bring a vegetable platter with low-fat dip; a colorful fruit platter with a dip made from nonfat yogurt blended with a dab of fat-free cool whip garnished with roasted chestnuts; whole wheat pita triangles served with hummus; or baked tortilla chips with chunky salsa and/or fat-free refried bean dip.

Eat four to six smaller meals rather than "saving yourself for that special feast"
     Not only do smaller, more frequent meals enhance metabolic activity (meaning you burn more calories during the day,)  you're less likely to binge on those holiday treats.

In contrast to our "sports mentality" to pick up the pace, when eating, SLOW DOWN!
     It takes at least 20 minutes for our brains to signal that we're actually full, which means a slow eater will consume less calories before feeling full than someone who races through their meal.  So rather than attempting to finish your plate first, see if you can outlast the competition by being the last to finish.

Try recipe modification
     Prepare a batch of muffins using a traditional recipe with oil and another batch substituting applesauce.  Of course the recipe modification enhanced the nutritional value of the muffins, but in a test, tasters actually rated the flavor and overall satisfaction of the modified muffin recipe higher than the traditional recipe.

Exercise = Brain Health

Fitness Could Improve Kids’ Academic Performance, Study Suggests

The more physical activity your kids get, the better their school grades are likely to be, a new study from Michigan State University suggests.
Contrary to the “dumb jock” stereotype, researchers found that the most physically fit sixth- to eighth-graders also score the highest on both objective, standardized tests and subjective tests graded by their teachers. That pattern persisted regardless of gender or whether the children had gone through puberty, the study authors say.
This is far from the first study to suggest a link between physical fitness and academic achievement. One research report from earlier this year found that students who participated in 45-minute gym glasses five days per week had a significantly higher “pass” rate than those who did not participate, while another found that regular exercise helped soothe kids’ ADHD symptoms and improve their school performance.
Taken together, the findings should provide even more incentive for parents to get their children exercising more, says study co-author James Pivarnik, Ph.D. Getting kids fit now will also make them more likely to be healthy throughout their lifetimes.
“Fit kids are more likely to be fit adults,” he says. “Hopefully … fitness and the success will both continue together.”
The study appears in the December 2012 issues of the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness.

members

Today a member remarked to me (Jen) about how great all our members are.  This is someone that comes in various times of the day and she commented that no matter what, people are always so friendly and ready for easy conversation.  The other staff members and I completely agree with that notion.  We love working with you all.  So thanks so much for making our work days great just by virtue or your presence!

Friday the 7th

You're in for a treat if you're planning to attend Friday's 8:15am Instructor's Choice.  Lexie has cooked up some festive holiday routines for a Cardio Dance/ Pump class.  Come get your seasonally-themed cardio and weight training worked in to your day early.  It's going to be a great time, so be sure to stop by.

That evening, plan on visiting the fitness center a bit earlier.  We will close at 6 pm that night so that we can have a staff holiday party, themed sweater style.  Be ready for stories!

Healthy Apricot Chicken recipe. Enjoy!

• 

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Canola Oil
•  
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 breasts = 1 lb)

   
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

• 1-1/3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

   
• 1/2 cup apricot preserve

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Nutrition Information*

Serving Size	4 servings (1 breast with about 1/4 cup sauce each)
Calories	305

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning. Add to skillet and cook 12 to 15 minutes or until no longer pink in centers (165°F), turning once.
2. Stir together all remaining ingredients in small bowl until well blended. Gradually add to chicken in skillet. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring constantly.

Cook's Tips

If dried Italian seasoning is not available, use 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano + 1/4 teaspoon dried basil + 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme. Serve chicken and sauce with hot cooked rice. Jasamine rice would be particularly good.

POWER PUMP

Sore abs from class!?  Good for us.  That building of muscle through weight training is so important for us to reach our goals or to maintain what we've already achieved. 

That said,  we have a few announcements concerning Power Pump.  Based on feedback from our current attendees, our Wednesday afternoon class will now meet at 3:00.  We'll have a great weight work out early in the day to get you home that much more quickly or you now have the option of double dipping by sticking around for Power Flo Yoga  (also a weight lifting class, trust me!) at the 4:15 time slot.  We also will hold Power Pump during our 8:15 Friday morning Instructor's Choice this week. 

We always have a great group of people at class but there are still some ladies that have an ingrained fear for weight training.  See below:

If dieting and cardio aren’t giving you the weight loss and fitness level you want, try lifting weights, advises Tyeese Gaines, M.D., of NBC News’s The Grio.
You may gain weight as you build muscle initially when you start lifting weights, but as your metabolism speeds up you’re likely to shed pounds and inches from your waistline.
“Women think that cardio is everything and that it makes you really skinny,” says Diane Williams, a New York personal trainer. “[But] if your goal is to lose weight, it’s always been weight training for me … The best women’s bodies I’ve seen, lift weights. [With cardio], you don’t have that firmness that you can get with weight training.”
Williams adds that many women wrongly believe that lifting weights will cause them to “bulk up.”
“Traditional lifting won’t bulk you up,” she says. “It’s hard for women to get bulky. Ninety-nine percent of us don’t have the testosterone needed for that.”
“Lifting” also should be broadly defined. Dumbell curls are great, but you can also do squats with or without added weights, and pushups are a type of weightlifting — only you are lifting your own body weight.

you catch more flies with honey...

The study below is specific to the workplace, but I see the potential for a broader spectrum.  It states that workers are more efficient when they receive praise.  Well of course!  You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.  Maybe we can apply that to our exercise routine?  Instead of beating ourselves up for the meal we ate yesterday, and the lazy hours we spent chatting with loved ones, maybe we should be complementing ourselves on getting right back to our exercise routines today.  We might find greater success... 

Paying someone a compliment makes them happier and more inspired to perform well at their job, while receiving compliments does the same for you, the Daily Mail reported Nov. 11.
“To the brain, receiving a compliment is as much a social reward as being rewarded money,” says Norihiro Sadata, Ph.D., of the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan, who led the new study. All study participants saw an uptick in their performance after receiving praise compared to those who received no encouragement of any kind, the research shows.
“There seems to be scientific validity behind the message ‘praise to encourage improvement,” Sadata says.

Persoanl Trainer Available in Fitness Center

Hello Everyone,
This is Grace Kniep and I am a Wellness Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer working in the fitness center. I got my personal training certification from AFAA.  A benefit for members is that all members receive a free personal training session each month. In addition I would like to offer my training skills to those who want more than just one session a month.I work with all age groups and want to help people live healthier and longer lives. If you would like to work with me more than the one free session a month with your membership, the fee is $35 an hour, or $20 for 30 minutes. Please call the fitness center and set up a time to meet with me. 

Thanksgiving fitness class schedule

Hello everyone!!
Here is the line up for the classes we are offering Wednesday 21st-Friday 23rd.
Wednesday 11/21/12/
5:30am Spin
8:15am Power Pump
9:15am Yoga
Noon Spin
6:15pm Spin
Thursday 11/22/12
8:15am Turkey Trot Spin
(sign-up required)
Friday 11/23/12
8:15 Instructors Choice
9:15am Yoga
Noon Spin
5:15pm Spin
I hope everyone travels safe and has a great Thanksgiving!! GOBBLE GOBBLE!!

Thanksgiving Hours

Below are our special Thanksgiving hours:

We close Wed the 21st at 5 pm.  We will remain closed all of Thursday the 22nd and reopen at 7am on Friday the 23rd. 

Travel safely and enjoy your time with your loved ones. 

Mindfullness Meditation May Improve Brain Health

A half hour of daily mindfulness meditation during your work week might improve your mental well-being and self-control, a new study suggests.
Undergraduate students who took part in 10, 30-minute mindfulness meditation training sessions over the course of two weeks saw significant improvements in the white matter of their brain’s anterior cingulate cortex — a part of the brain involved in self-regulation, decision-making, and empathy — compared to students who did only relaxation-oriented meditation, researchers from the University of Oregon and Weill Cornell Medical College found.
White matter is a type of brain tissue that aids communication from one part of the nervous system to the other, and helps the brain adapt to change, HealthDay News reported June 12.
Previous studies have suggested big benefits from mindfulness meditation, ranging from helping you lose weight and manage pain, to aiding you in making better life choices. But skeptics say there’s not enough hard evidence of meditation’s advantages over traditional drug treatment.
This study, on the other hand, shows direct “evidence for changes in the structure of the brain and a dynamic process at work” with mindfulness meditation, says Nicholas Schiff, M.D., an associate professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
The study appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Instructor's Choice

Friday morning's Instructor's Choice will be Step Pump.  A portion of the class will be spent doing a simple step aerobics work out.  We'll cap off our time with a weight routine.  Hope to see you there

Don't ya love it???

Don't ya love it when you have one of those moments when you realize all this working out stuff has paid off?  Many of you may know that my family and I (Jen) are redoing our kitchen cabinets.  (My Saturday yoga class does since, despite thoroughly bathing, I taught with multiple colors of paint all over me.)  It is, of course, really exciting but quite a bit of grunt work.  Think plenty of heavy lifting, lots of ladder climbing, amazing contortionist acts to clean hard to reach places, and probably a million and a half trips up and down the stairs.  Here's the great part:  I'm not sore.  I can think back to less active days where I probably just wouldn't have made it.  Personally, I'm thrilled to see the benefits of exercise in such a real way.  Gotta love it!

Sundays

Sundays are back!

We will be resume our winter weekend hours this Sunday, November 4th.   We will be open from 7-12  (but dont' forget this is the weekend to change our clocks).  Stop in and visit us! 

Bootcamp Information

You may have seen the signs around our facilities or heard a rumor about class.  Yes, boot camp is coming to GRMC Wellness Services.  Below is the press release about the class.  We would love to have you there!

GRMC Wellness to Offer New Intense Workout Class

Grinnell Regional Wellness and Fitness Center offers a new group exercise class targeted to individuals wanting an intensive workout that’s integrates team approach to exercise and fitness. This offering complements the list of courses and fitness options designed to meet all levels of fitness and ages.

“We’ll use a large team component as well as circuit format to energize participants in a boot camp culture,” explains Holly Pettlon, GRMC wellness specialist and instructor. “The one-hour class will change depending on the weather so, for example, we may be outside running and relays or a tug of war with ropes. Our goal is create an supportive environment where participants can work together and encourage each other, with a full understanding that individuals will be at different fitness levels. We’ll push the limits in this high energy class with encouragement and team support.”

Like all exercise classes offered at GRMC, this will include the option to have pre and post class fitness testing. Membership in the GRMC fitness center also entitles members to a free monthly personal coaching session. 

“We want participants to focus on progress in health not focus on numbers or measurements. We teach life-long wellness that encourages families to build healthy habits and exercise options,” Pettlon adds.

The Boot Camp class will be offered in six-week increments. The first class will begin Thursday, Nov. 1, at 5:15 p.m. It will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays, until Dec. 6. Individuals interested may reserve a space by calling the GRMC Wellness and Fitness Center at 641-236-2999. Registration is requested but not required.

Introducing Holly

Hello everyone! I'm excited to join the awesome Wellness Team here at Grinnell Regional Medical Center! My husband Jon and I recently moved to Grinnell from Washington and have found that the Grinnell community is the perfect fit for us. We both went to college at Luther in Decorah, IA and we were itching to get back to the humid Midwest (I swear that's the truth!).  I love doing fun runs and triathlons so if anyone needs a training buddy please come see me!!!


Jen here:  It would seem like a great idea to put on Grace and Holly's pictures.   Sorry, you'll have to stop in and meet them face to face! :)

Healthiest State Initiative

Here's an email I (Jen) received from the Heathiest State Initiative Team after the 1K walk on Wednesday:


Thank you — and congratulations — for making the 2012 Healthiest State Walk even bigger than last year’s. More than 297,000 Iowans walked to support the Healthiest State Initiative, topping last year’s walk count by approximately 6,000.
Iowans have made good strides in the year since the Healthiest State Initiative was announced. The kilometer we walked together as a state yesterday is keeping that momentum going. Honor your commitment to help Iowa claim the #1 spot in the nation by 2016 by adding some healthy changes into your life all year long. Here are just a few ideas:

• Start a lunchtime walk group with coworkers or meet with your neighbors for a pre-work stroll.
• Add some extra veggies to your meals or try a new fruit or vegetable once a month. Click here for more tips on healthy eating.
• If you smoke, try to quit. Check out the QuitNet resource online to help you do it. (You’ll need to register, but it’s free!)
• If you’re an educator, keep setting a good example for your students – schools were absolutely critical in the success of our Walk yesterday.

Small changes make a big difference. For more ideas, visit iowahealthieststate.com. Walk On!
The Healthiest State Initiative Team
P.S. We’d love to see photos of your Healthiest State Walk. Post them at our Facebook page!

Women's Health Focus

I (Jen) had a great time at the Women's Health Focus and baby fair last night.  If you were there, I was at the Healthy Choices Coalition tables handing out the blue bags.  It was great to see so many of our members attending or maning booths themselves.  Lots of amazing vendors, delicious food, entertaining speaker...  Pretty good evening in Grinnell.   

Introducing Grace

Hello this is Grace Kniep and I graduated from University of Wisconsin Platteville in May of 2012. I had an internship over this past summer at Aurora Wellness Center in Burlington WI, observing Personal Trainers, doing new member consultations, and many other things. It was a great experience and met a lot of great people.  I recently just got hired as a Wellness Specialist at Paul W. Ahrens Fitness and Rehabilitation Center. Im learning a lot and meeting great people. I moved from East Troy Wisconsin.  So stop by the fitness center to say hi. 

to sleep is to be satisfied...

The key to happiness in life may start with simply getting a good night’s sleep, AAP reported Sept. 10.
People who sleep six hours per night or less have “significantly lower levels of satisfaction with their health and safety” compared to those who get between seven and nine hours of sleep, says lead researcher Robert Cummins, Ph.D., of Deakin University in Australia. The findings come from the latest “Wellbeing of Australians Report,” part of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index Survey.
“Bringing this to light might encourage people to flick off the light switch or put down the remote control a little earlier,” Cummins says.
In addition, sleeping too much brings down your well-being as well, the report shows. People who sleep 10 or more hours per night have lower levels of life satisfaction than those who sleep seven to nine hours. Too much sleep may signify a lack of purpose in life, leading to depression and malaise, the researchers say.
Around three in 10 workers in the U.S. get fewer than six hours of sleep per night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

construction in the activity room

Our activity room is under construction!

We are busting through the wall between the activity room and the integrated therapies area. It's going to be great to have easier access between the two areas but in the meantime we might have to deal with a little mess and noise. The access to the drinking fountain will be limited so try to remember your own water or plan to purchase a bottle for class. The whole process is anticipated to last around a week. Thanks for your patience!

Oh that makes sense

Ok all of you with young ones in your life...

Putting a sticker of a popular cartoon character on healthy foods may make your children more likely to eat well, Reuters reported Aug. 22.
Given the choice between a cookie, an apple, or both, 91 percent of children ages eight to 11 chose a cookie, researchers led by David Just, Ph.D., co-director of the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Program found. No surprise there. But when researchers put an Elmo sticker on the apple, suddenly 37 percent of the children chose fruit.
It makes sense. Studies have shown that cartoon characters can encourage kids to nag their parents into buying junk food for them, so why not use the tactics of advertisers to get your kids to like the healthy stuff?
“If we’re trying to promote healthier foods, we need to be as smart as the companies that are selling the less-healthy foods,” Just says.

The study appears online in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

It Pays to Attend

It is almost the end of this session of It Pays to Attend. If you feel you have achieved the required 60 visits between March 1 and August 31, please visit the PWA Fitness Center to receive your gift certificate for either a free hour massage or $25 to the Neon Cafe.

Don't stay up too late!

Many of you have heard me whine about my recent late nights watching the Olympics. It's so addicting and entertaining for me. But...

Chronic poor sleep may weaken vaccines’ ability to protect you from disease, MyHealthNewsDaily reported Aug. 1.
Adults who sleep fewer than six hours per night are 11.5 times more likely to have insufficient Hepatitis B antibodies after receiving a standard three-dose vaccine regimen than adults who sleep seven hours or more nightly, new research led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh says.
Lack of sleep can have a profound effect on the immune system. People who get less than seven hours of sleep nightly are more than three times as likely to catch a cold as those who sleep more, earlier studies show. Whether there’s a similar connection between lack of sleep and the effectiveness of other vaccines besides hepatitis B remains to be seen, but the researchers concede that it is possible.
“In time, physicians and other health-care professionals who administer vaccines may want to consider asking their patients about their sleep patterns,” say lead author Aric Prather, Ph.D.
The study appears in the August 2012 issue of the journal SLEEP.


Pretty interesting. Make sure to get to bed tonight!

Massage!

Don't forget about our "Attendance Pays" program. Members that have come 60 days in the six month period between the beginning of March and the end of August qualify for a free one-hour massage. Besides the wonderful way we feel afterward, below is an article about the benefits of massage.

Massage is good medicine for muscle pain, stress, and anxiety, the Washington Post reported July 30.
Massage is especially therapeutic when it comes to back pain, says Josephine Briggs, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. In fact, several studies have shown that massage may be more effective at treating chronic back pain than standard treatment with drugs and physical therapy.
Even if you don’t suffer chronic pain, a post-workout massage could be just the trick for staying healthy and preventing future injury, notes Rebekah Owens, a teacher at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
“Post-workout massage helps reduce spasms and cramping, helps relax and soften the injured, overused, tired muscles, and helps to stretch and exercise weak, tight and atrophied muscles,” she says.
Aside from its physical perks, massage may have mental benefits, as well. One 2010 study found that a 45-minute deep-tissue massage caused significant drops in stress hormones in the body.
“We talk about these as mind and body therapies because part of the way they work is through physical mechanisms, but the touch of another human also has a reassuring, relaxing effect on a person’s emotional state that may impact how the body processes or responds to pain,” Briggs notes.

Be sure to check with the wellness specialists at the PWA if you qualify for massage. Feel free to call 236-2999. While you have a year to get your massage, you must pick up your certificate before August 31. Didn't make it this time? Don't worry! The next chance begins on September 1st.

Saturday Yoga Updates

There's one last chance for yoga in the park! Tomorrow is with our own Kim Wemer.

What happens after that? You may have noticed our signs: Saturday Yoga at Postels Community Health Park is will resume next weekend (August 4th). Our class will meet at 9:15-10:15.

Hope to see you all there!

Keep up the good work!

Time to go for a jog: As many as one in 10 premature deaths worldwide is caused by a lack of exercise, a new study suggests.
Those findings may not come as much of a surprise — countless studies have linked physical inactivity to increased risk of developing diseases like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and many types of cancer — but the scope of how physical inactivity affects us is staggering.
If the world population increased physical activity by just 10 percent, there would be 533,000 fewer premature deaths annually, I-Min Lee of the Harvard Medical School and her colleagues estimate. And if physical activity increased by 25 percent, over 1.3 million premature deaths could be avoided, USA Today reported July 18.
Increasing activity doesn’t mean you have to become a gym nut, either. Small steps are just fine, Lee says.
“We may not be Olympians, but almost all of us can walk 15 to 30 minutes a day,” she notes.
The study appears online in The Lancet.

Sunday exercise extra!!

It's so dang hot outside that it's probably not even a great idea to go out and get your exercise. Most days you have us as an indoor option. Because of the elevated temperatures, Dori has agreed to open the fitness center from 7-noon this Sunday, 7/22. We aren't sure that we'll be able to do it every weekend it's hot, but we want to offer it to you as a cooler way to get your activity for the day. So come see Dori this Sunday from 7-noon.

Three ways to lose weight.

This study was done on women but can certainly be applied to men as well:

Keep track of your food intake in a journal, don’t skip meals, and avoid eating out if you want to lose weight, MyHealthNewsDaily reported July 13.
Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute who studied the habits of women trying to shed pounds found that these three steps were the most positively associated with successful weight loss: women who adopted these practices lost five to eight more pounds, on average, than those who did not take these steps.
“We were surprised at how much of a difference using food journals and eating at home made,” said researcher Anne McTiernan.
Researchers tracked 123 women ages 50 to 75 for the study. Breaking the results down:
Women who kept a detailed daily food journal lost about six pounds more than those who didn’t keep a food journal
Those who consistently ate three meals daily dropped an average of eight more pounds than those who skipped meals
Women who ate out of the home at least once weekly lost an average of five pounds less than those who did not eat at restaurants. Going out for lunch was especially detrimental to weight-loss, the study found.
The research was published in the July 13, 2012 issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Yoga in the Park

Don't forget about yoga in the park. This week will be taught by yours truly (Jen). We meet Saturday from 9-10 at the central park gazebo. Hope I see some familiar faces there!

Little grilling safety tip

If you use a wire brush to clean your grill surface before and after grilling, make sure you inspect the grating thoroughly before throwing on your next meal, Food Safety News reported July 5.
At least half a dozen patients were hospitalized between August 2011 and June 2012 after ingesting wire bristles from grill-cleaning brushes that had gotten lodged in their food, according to the latest edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
While that’s not very many people, the prospect of you or your guests requiring a trip to the ER during a backyard BBQ should be enough to make any grillmaster check his workstation a little more carefully before cooking.
Also, check out more safe grilling tips, including how to properly marinate your meat, avoid charring, and what’s the right temperature for grilling.

Iowans are looking pretty smart...

Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas — these will be the best places to live by 2032, a new Gallup analysis predicts.
This “West North Central” region of the U.S. earned high marks in forward-looking categories like job creation, economic confidence, and general optimism (residents believe their standard of living and the cities they live in are getting better and not worse), according to data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
In addition, workers in the West North Central region have the highest levels of full-time employment in the nation — important for building a strong economic future — and score highly for access to clean drinking water and safe places to exercise, the latter of which is key for reducing weight and maintaining high well-being, the analysts say.
The region scored a 3.3 on a scale of one to 10 (one is best) for Future Livability by the pollsters. The Mountain regions (Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico) and Pacific regions (California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska) come in a close second and third, with future-livability scores of 3.5 and 3.6, respectively, Business Insider reported June 22.
The East South Central region, comprising Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, fared worst, scoring a 7.2 on the future-livability scale. This region has traditionally suffered lower well-being due to high levels of obesity and diabetes as well as low levels of physical activity.

Smart grocery shopping

“Functional foods,” those nutrient-fortified, antioxidant-rich foods said to do wonders for your health, may not be all they’re cracked up to be, the Washington Post reported June 18.
Health claims for food products have to be significantly substantiated by science, so often you’ll see promotional phrases like “fortified with calcium” (which doesn’t make a direct claim about your health) or “full of heart-healthy fiber” (the fiber is heart-healthy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the product is) that just skirt the edges of falling under government regulatory scrutiny.
Take pomegranate juice, for instance. Manufacturer POM Wonderful faced a cease-and-desist order from the Federal Trade Commission this year for overstating its health claims (everything from preventing and treating heart disease to erectile dysfunction). Pomegranate juice is high in antioxidants, and while research shows the juice may reduce stress and lower blood pressure, the other health benefits remain unproven.
That doesn’t mean that foods that make healthy claims are bad for you, only that labels can often be misleading. While the “organic” label sounds great, for instance, don’t waste your money on organic fruits and vegetables that have tough rinds like oranges, avocados, and onions, since pesticides don’t reach the edible part of the fruit, anyway. And keep in mind that a sugary, fatty, or carb-heavy food is probably not great for you, no matter how many nutrients it’s been fortified with.

Snack comparison- let's have an apple today!

Apples win by a landslide!

Grinnell Games

Congrats to all those folks that particiated in the Grinnell Games last weekend. Hopefully by now you've all recovered.

The inagural Yoga in the Park took place at the same time as the 5K and half marathon. There was a great turn out for all the events. Yoga had a nice mix of ability levels so it truely is a class designed for all. Come try it out next Saturday from 9-10 at the Central Park gazebo.

Yet another reason we should love our fruits and veggies

Fruit and Vegetables May Help Smokers Kick the Habit
Eating more fruit and vegetables may help you quit smoking, University of Buffalo researchers say.
Smokers who up their fruit and vegetable intake wait longer to smoke their first cigarette, smoke fewer cigarettes per day, and have lower nicotine-dependence scores than smokers who eat fewer vegetables, the Toronto Sun reported June 6. More importantly, fruit and veggie eaters were three times more likely to be tobacco-free during a follow-up study than those who ate the fewest vegetables.
Fruit and vegetables may make cigarettes taste worse, decreasing smoking rates, earlier studies have shown.
In addition, “It is also possible that fruit and vegetables give people more of a feeling of satiety or fullness so that they feel less of a need to smoke, since smokers sometimes confuse hunger with an urge to smoke,” the study authors say.
The study appears online in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

Yoga in the Park

Here is the post made on the grinnell yoga blog concerning yoga in the park:

Hey Grinnell yogis! Summer is fast approaching, and with it: Yoga in the Park! Thanks to the Grinnell Parks and Recreation Department and your local yoga instructors, you will have the opportunity to take a free yoga class every Saturday morning (for 8 weeks) by the gazebo in Central Park! (If it's sprinkling, we'll just hop up into the gazebo.) Our first class will be June 9, same weekend as the Grinnell Games! It promises to be a fun day (and weekend) in Grinnell!!
What: Grinnell Yoga in the Park
When: Saturdays, 9 - 10am June 9 - July 28
Where: Gazebo, Central Park
How much: FREE
What do I need to bring: Just yourself in comfortable clothes! If you have a yoga mat you can bring it, but we will strive to make classes accessible without mats. You will also need to sign a Parks & Rec waiver the first time you attend.

Like www.facebook.com/GrinnellYogaInThePark for updates on weather and pertinent info!Questions? Email grinnellyoga@yahoo.com!

Yoga in the park is a community health initiative that will hopefully generate new interest in yoga. This is a great opportunity for our regular yoga participants to come try a new perspective on yoga in a beautiful outdoor space. Our instructors Jen and Kim will be in the rotation as well as instructors from other Grinnell venues. Jen Mavin, one of our former instructors is going to come back to town to teach one weekend. Come try it out! Sessions will count for attendance pays.

Memorial Day

Don't forget that we are closed on Monday, May 28th in honor of Memorial Day. We will reopen at our usual time of 5:30 am the following day.

Class today

Though they are small in numbers, my (Jen's) stalwart few that come to Powerflow Yoga are very faithful, even adjusting their schedule so they miss as little as possible. There's nothing wrong with small classes. It's nice sometimes to have an intimate setting. But it's better to have a strong base of folks you can count on for attendance.

Low and behold, tonight not one but two new people came to class. One was a fairly new member that has worked her way up to a higher fitness level. She branched out of her comfort zone and tried something new. I think the experience paid off and she was able to find another class she can come to when her schedule suits. The other was a guest of a member. I am so grateful to you all who invite people in. It is a great way to spend time with friends doing a new activity. I remember the team spirit that I felt with the girls on my athletic teams growing up and I find that sometimes there is that same sense in our classes as adults.

Thank you so much for bringing in new people and for trying to new things. You didn't even know it but you made my night!

RAGBRAI

The route is out, so let's get ready to ride! Whether you are a brand new RAGRBRAI rider this year or a seasoned veteran, it is good to prepare for the ride ahead. To help you in your training, the GRMC Wellness & Fitness Center will be providing extended rides during the noon hour. We have already had our first two rides, but there are still many to come. The next ride will be Friday, May 18th and will be 60 minutes. The following three weeks will consist of one 75 minute ride per week; followed by three weeks of one 90 minute ride per week. The next two weeks will have a 105 minute ride per week. The final ride will be 120 minutes. The instructors are going to make these rides as fun and realistic as possible; therefore, the elevation will be similar to what you can expect on the actual route and there will be breaks as we pass through towns. We understand that these rides are occurring during the work day for most, so rider are encouraged to come and go as they please. A detailed schedule is posted below or can be found in the PWA Fitness Center and the GRMC Wellness & Fitness Center. If you have additional questions, please contact the wellness staff at 236-2999.

Stir Fry Recipe

The rainy weather makes it tough to get out and grill.  Here's an alternative to you usual stir-fry fare.  Leave a comment after you try it out and let us know what you thought!


Spinach and chicken stir-fry with raspberries:
616 calories, 4.7 grams sugar, 25.8 grams fat, 38 grams carbohydrates, 54.8 grams protein
This light and refreshing meal is the perfect spring stir-fry. Every ingredient, from fiber-packed quinoa to antioxidant-rich spinach , is not only good for you, but also delicious when tossed with pomegranate vinaigrette and tart, juicy raspberries.
Ingredients:
1/2 c. uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 c. chicken broth
Dash garlic powder
1 tsp. canola oil
2 chicken breasts, sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
1 6-oz. bag baby spinach
1/4 c. bottled pomegranate vinaigrette (or other fruity salad dressing)
1/2 c. fresh or frozen-then-thawed raspberries
2 tbsp. chevre or feta cheese
Directions:
Combine quinoa, chicken broth, and a dash of garlic powder in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then cover and turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer until quinoa is tender and all the broth has been absorbed, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, heat canola oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season chicken slices with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add chicken and onion to the skillet and stir-fry until chicken is cooked all the way through. Add salad dressing and baby spinach to the skillet and toss until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Divide quinoa among plates, then top with the chicken stir-fry, raspberries and cheese.
Makes 2 servings

Grinnell Day

Something fun to do next Tuesday in honor of Grinnell:


Join the fun Tuesday as Grinnell College and the community of Grinnell team up to set the Guinness Book of World Records largest simultaneous flying disc throw.

5-01-12 equals 50112! At least that’s what Dan Hirsch, residence life coordinator, saw in the upcoming May 1 “Grinnell Day.”

“When I saw the date and zipcode correlation, I thought ‘that’s cool. We should do something with this.’” So he began working with the Student Government Association (SGA) and community members to set a Guinness World Record for the most people — College and community — to simultaneously throw Frisbees.
“We’re inviting townspeople to join us so we can break the record,” Hirsch said, which is now set at 853 people throwing a disc at the same time. All Frisbee throwers should plan to gather by 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, on MacEachron Field. Frisbees will be issued to all participants who will gather in a large circle around Mac Field, with music provided by campus FreeSound. Hirsch will document the number of participants for Guinness, based on the number of discs that will be given away that day.
“Following the toss, we are also encouraging all Frisbee participants to head downtown to support the local restaurants and other businesses,” Hirsch said. Premiere Printing will imprint the 2,500 Frisbees ordered for the record-breaking event.
The 50112 idea stems from Hirsch’s own experience at Carleton College, where each incoming class of approximately 500 first-year students perform a similar Frisbee-toss ceremony. “As a Carleton alum, I thought it would be funny if Grinnell held the World Record for a Carleton tradition, just to add some fuel to that rivalry.”
There is no rain date for Grinnell Day — because then it would be 5-02-12, not to be confused with Ogden, Iowa.

Dementia

I (Jen) just read a scary statistic in an Associated Press article. It stated that the number of individuals living with dementia will triple by 2050.

A contributing factor to the rise are the increased numbers of individuals with obesity and diabetes, which are both risk factors for dementia.

Ways to combat dementia? Make smart dietary choices and keep your mind and body active!

To me this marks yet another reason in a long list of why exercising and eating right are not just a smart idea but actually should be considered imperative!

Grilling Recipe

Here's a fun recipe from the food network that allows us to get some veggies on the grill. 'Gotta get at least 5 a day!

Sesame Grilled Asparagus Recipe

Total Time: 1 hr 38 min
Prep; 30 min
Inactive;1 hr 0 min
Cook; 8 min
Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients:
Wooden toothpicks or bamboo skewers
1 pound asparagus
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Salt and black pepper

Directions:
In a shallow pan, soak skewers in cold water for 1 hour, then drain and set aside.
Preheat grill to high. Snap off the woody bases of the asparagus and discard. Skewer 4 or 5 asparagus spears together, using the toothpicks or 2 bamboo skewers, forming a raft shape.
In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic and stir with a fork to mix. Brush this mixture on the asparagus rafts on both sides. Season the asparagus with a little salt and lots of pepper.
When ready to cook, place the asparagus rafts on the hot grate and grill until nicely browned on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds as they grill. You can serve the asparagus as rafts or unskewered.

Medication FYI

Does your medicine cabinet have expired, unused, or unwanted medications? You now have an opportunity to properly dispose of those prescription or over-the-counter medications. In a true community partnership, Grinnell Regional Medical Center and the Grinnell Police Department will participate in the National Take Back Initiative on Saturday, April 28. Anyone may bring in medications for safe, proper disposal between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Spring Street side of the Grinnell Public Safety Building, 1020 Spring St.
This national initiative provides an easy way to clean out medications not needed or wanted in a home. There is no cost for disposal.
“This partnership between the police department and GRMC provides a simple process to safely dispose of any medication,” explains Corey Wilson, GRMC pharmacist. “From the medical center’s perspective, this program removes the potential for expired and inappropriate medications to be consumed in a home. It’s good for patient safety and it’s good for the environment.”
The medications that are brought in during this one-day national blitz will be incinerated. This is considered the safest manner to dispose of medications. In October 2011, the Department of Justice reported that 188.5 tons of unwanted or expired medications were disposed.
“We will have curb-side drop off so an individual may simply drive up and hand the unwanted medications in for disposal,” explains Dave Menninga, detective with Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force. “There’s no reporting, no inventory taken. It’s anonymous. We are providing the opportunity for anyone to remove unwanted medications from the home.”
GRMC will have two pharmacists available at the collection as well as Officer Menninga. This program is free.

Don't forget that Today, March 25th is the last Sunday that we are open for the season. We hope you all stay active and get outside to enjoy the wonderful weather that has been coming our way. All other hours/days remain the same!

old shoes

Just a reminder as we start our spring cleaning that we take old shoes for recycling. Nicer pairs will be donated to those in need. The truly disgusting, unusable ones will be taken to a facility that grinds them up and makes them into tracks or other sport courts in lower income areas. Shoes can be brought to either of our locations. Thanks for your donations.

Funny quote

"Exercise: the process of converting big meals and fattening snacks into muscle by lifting things that don't need moved and running when no one is chasing you"

Good for you! Keep it up folks!

National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month, so let’s kick it off with healthy helping of better eating ideas for people at all levels of well-being.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) created National Nutrition Month as an education and information campaign to encourage better, more informed eating. This year’s theme is “Get Your Plate in Shape,” and here are just a few of the AND’s snackable bits of advice for better eating—make half of your plate fruits or vegetables, make at least half of your grains whole, and cook at home more often.
For the occasion, we wanted to put together our own list of simple, everyday things that we think everybody can peruse to improve basic eating habits. They’re meant to be realistic and repeatable, but also things that can be shared with others. Enjoy—
Put the healthy foods in your fridge in an easy-to-reach spot. Easy to reach means easy to eat! If there are times when you go to the fridge for a snack, why not plan for them and put the most nutritious items out front while placing some of the others in the bottom drawer?
Add two healthy snacks to your shopping list. Planning really can set you free! So when snack time rolls around, you’ll be prepared. And at the store, it just may be easier to pass by the ice cream when you’ve got fresh berries on your list.
Share the names of your three favorite in-season fruits and vegetables. Sure, you may know the best juicy or crunchy produce this time of year, but maybe your friends and co-workers would appreciate knowing it too, and where to find them.
Plan a healthy meal with friends or as a family. Eating has always been a social activity. Suggest putting together a refreshing and healthy meal with some folks you care about, and if it’s a success, consider making it a recurring event.
Pick one whole grain food to eat at a meal or as a snack today. It could be a some whole wheat toast, oatmeal with fresh fruit, or maybe even some popcorn. Hearty whole grains come from a variety of sources and can be prepared in many different, and enjoyable, ways.
Make one meal that contains only fresh or frozen unprocessed ingredients. Processing foods often removes beneficial nutrients (like fiber) and adds in other ingredients we don’t need (salt, sugar), so why not try a whole-foods approach for one meal today? It could inspire others to do the same.
Use the new MyPlate guide to help you create one balanced meal today. Plenty of people welcomed MyPlate as an improvement over the old food pyramid. Visit the website for MyPlate to see how closely your meals resemble the graphic, and how you can adopt some of the guidelines into everyday eating.
Gauge your hunger before biting into your next snack to see if you’re really hungry. Sometimes we eat because we’re bored, angry, or for a number of other reasons besides actually being hungry. If that’s the case, try reaching for a glass of water instead, or find something else to occupy your attention.
Choose a healthy recipe to prepare for your next special occasion. Maybe it’s fruit salsa with homemade pita chips. Or a fresh wild rice salad. What about whipping up a quick batch of hummus to complement a crudité? Let someone else bring the potato chips for a change and maybe others will appreciate the healthy gesture.
Put your fork down between bites at one meal today. When we eat slowly, we give our stomachs more time to realize that they are full, a feeling that can come several minutes after that last bite. So why not savor the meal and slow things down a little bit?
Treat yourself to a small bit of a food that you love today. Last but not least, let’s remember that people don’t eat nutrients, we eat foods, and we should enjoy them. So let’s be honest about the foods we love, choose a reasonable serving size, and enjoy!

It pays to attend

Don't forget we only have a few short days left in this session of "It Pays to Attend". You must get have claimed (not redeemed, but claimed) your gift certificate by the end of the month if you're playing. Call 236-2999 to find out if you qualify or for any other questions.

Something for residents of Poweshiek

At a recent Iowa Department of Public Health training I learned that Poweshiek county has a higher rate of colorectal cancer. Read below and spread the word...

Preventive Screenings for Colorectal Cancer Could Save Thousands of Lives
Posted: 20 Feb 2012 07:52 AM PST
In 2011, 141,000 Americans were diagnosed with the colorectal cancer, and 49,000 patients died of the disease. But for every 10 percent increase in colon-cancer screenings, 1,900 deaths could be averted, doctors say.
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death for men and women, yet only 65 percent of adults get screened for the disease, the Washington Post reported Feb. 13. If caught in its early stages, the disease has a 90 percent five-year survival rate; once the cancer spreads to other organs, however, survival rates drop to just 10 percent.
People should talk to their doctors about the right to time to get screened for colorectal cancer, but most cases occur in adults age 50 and older, according the National Cancer Institute.
Lifestyle changes like eating less red meat and more fruits and vegetables and fiber, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight can also lower your lifetime colorectal-cancer risk, studies show.

Exercising with Arthritis? Yes!

Don’t Be Afraid to Exercise with Arthritis

by Bob Curley on July 2, 2010
The painful and debilitating effects of arthritis can make some exercises impossible, but people with arthritis can still benefit from a good cardio workout, researchers say.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who get regular exercise have less joint pain, better functioning, and an improved quality of life, according to a study by researcher Athan Baillet, M.D. The American College of Rheumatology recommends that people with rheumatoid arthritis get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise weekly, such as walking, aerobic dance, or aquatic exercise.
“Our results show that patients with stable RA would benefit from regular aerobic exercise,” Baillet said. “Cardiorespiratory conditioning appears safe and its effects, while small, help to reduce joint pain and improve function … While past studies have indicated that [arthritis] patients are quite physically inactive, our study shows aerobic exercise to be a safe and beneficial intervention for this group.”
The study was published online in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

Saturday Yoga

Due to very popular request, our Saturday Yoga class will now run from 9:15-10:15, keeping it more consistent with our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday class times. Thanks for your input, everyone!

Red Friday

Heart Disease is #1 killer of women. Know your risk factors on National Wear Red Day®.
Do you know The Heart Truth® about women and heart disease? More women die of heart disease than any other disease—even breast cancer. And living with it can lead to disability and a decreased quality of life.
Join The Heart Truth campaign on Friday, February 3 — National Wear Red Day — to help spread the message that "Heart Disease Doesn't Care What You Wear, It's the #1 Killer of Women.®" Wear your favorite Red Dress, red scrub, red shirt, or red tie to inspire women to take action to protect their hearts.
Having just one risk factor can double your risk of developing heart disease. Multiple risk factors multiply your risk. Know the risk factors for heart disease that you have control over:
Smoking;
High blood pressure;
High cholesterol and high triglyceride levels;
Overweight/obesity;
Physical inactivity; and
Diabetes and pre-diabetes.
Talk to your doctor to find out if you are at risk and take action. Not smoking, heart healthy eating, physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and taking prescribed medication can help to control and reduce your risks.
To find out more about women and heart disease, visit The Heart Truth Web pages at www.hearttruth.gov or call the NHLBI Health Information Center at 301-592-8573.
Provided by your GRMC Celebration Council

A nutritional experience

Today was a Fun with Fitness day. Fun with Fitness is my (Jen's) after-school wellness program with area school age kids. We had a wonderful nutrition experience today at our local HyVee store. Elaine Hammes, the dietitian here at GRMC, works as a dietitian at HyVee and gave us a very interesting, kid-friendly presentation. She described the importance of healthy eating and using moderation. She also explained HyVee's NuVal system and ways to make it work for us. Those of you who aren't familiar, HyVee has instituted a nutritional rating system from 1-100. Their criteria include fiber, sugar content, various nutrients, etc... All those things that can make choosing healthy food a headache. Personally to have a rating system helps me because while I know I want whole wheat bread, there are still several other factors that go into choosing the best kind. This just makes a shopper more confident in their choices. Elaine made the system into a game for the kids. They had to guess what items matched with which NuVal score. There were some that were surprising results on both ends of the spectrum. A few were pretty disappointed with mac and cheese's ultra low score. Everyone was impressed with orange's perfect 100. Afterwards we went shopping for a snack. The kids did a great job perusing the aisles. A few of them tried to sneak cookies by me but I could refer them to the NuVal so it was very simple. A big thanks to Elaine and HyVee for allowing us to come!

Yoga Injuries

Potential yoga injuries must be a hot topic lately as I (Jen) have just read the fourth article about the risk of injury to participants. You might think I'd be quick to jump to yoga's defense but, surprise, no I'm not. People often turn to yoga as a therapeutic, relaxing way to spend some. It absolutely can and should be used that way. But participants need to be aware that even though we move slowly and there's quiet music going on and the teacher speaks in a soft calming voice, it's still involves moving the body in ways outside of our normal routine. The chance of incorrectly aligning the joints is fairly great. When I first started doing yoga, I just did videos at home and had no one there to tell me the reason my knee hurt is that it was way out of place. Sometimes it can be so tempting to try to stretch thiiiiiiis much past the point we really should be, especially when the guy next to me can bend a mile further than I can. I find that I can get wrapped up in it and obviously I'm not alone as it's all over the news. But when we get competitive with others, we risk injuring ourselves and we also risk missing out on the mental relaxation we can find, which is a fundamental part of the yoga experience.

From a physical standpoint, the great thing about going to a any kind of class is the idea of having the instructor there to assess how your body looks as you move. One article I read spoke about instructors jumping on and pushing students to force them into poses. You're never going to experience that in our classes. Luckily, all of our instructors have had training on proper alignment. Our ethos is not about manipulating students to get this one idea of how a pose has to be. We encourage students to find their version of a pose. The concept of a deep stretch is so subject to the individual. It doesn't matter how great of a teacher we are, none of us will ever know the level of sensation a person feels as well as they will and we recognise that stretching one inch for one individual can be at least as challenging as a limber person stretching a foot. We work to encourage participants to become aware of their own personal limits and then to be honest enough to honor those boundaries. When the other instructors and I teach, we try to stress the importance of listening to your body. You'll often hear us giving tips about where we want our joints in relation to each other. Listen to those, they are intended to help prevent injury.

We want people to get the best experience they can have emotionally as well as physically. Yoga offers people the chance to turn off their day. You can get into this mental "yoga zone" that can be hard to describe but feels great. Personally, final relaxation is the part that first sold me on yoga. There is no where else in my day where I get the chance to have quite reflection for even 5 minutes, and I'm sure I'm not the only person out there like that. If someone is moving through our series of poses to the best of their abilities, using the alignments cues the instructor offers, not worrying about what their friends, spouse, neighbor is doing, they can get into that zone. However, if someone spends their time straining to power through the whole class and worrying about everyone else, they probably haven't really had the chance to mentally decompress. That means they have missed out on an important component of yoga and that's unfortunate.

Take heart that coming to yoga does not necessarily guarantee you will walk out our door limping or worse, at risk for stroke or anything else that's currently being reported. Here you have instructors that work to safely guide you through your yoga practice in order to help you give yourself a wonderful experience that can be repeated over and over again. Keep honest with yourself about your abilities and keep coming to class!

Interesting study...

Here's an interesting article I (Jen) read in an email newsletter I receive called "Well-Being Wire":

Working out releases a hormone that instructs your body to change bad fat into better fat, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School find.
When adults gain weight, most accumulate “white fat,” which stores energy and is metabolically inactive. “Brown fat,” by contrast, exists in smaller quantities, is more active, and burns energy at a greater rate, the New York Times reported Jan. 11.
When you exercise, a chemical called PGC1-alpha “talks” to fat cells, helping to release irisin, a hormone that turns inert white fat into brown fat, the researchers say. Though exercise alone often does not lead to weight loss, elevated levels of irisin do appear to prevent weight gain, the study says.
Changing white fat to brown could drastically improve your health, since white fat often collects around vital organs (where it’s most deadly). That’s true even if you don’t lose weight, researchers say.
The study appears online in the journal Nature.

Live Healthy Iowa

Live Healthy Iowa’s 100 Day Wellness Challenge kicks off Jan. 23, 2012, inviting all Iowans to take part. Registration is now open.

The 100 Day Wellness Challenge, which starts on January 23rd, is a simple and affordable challenge encouraging Iowans to make healthy choices. Over the course of 100 days, teams (2-10 people) take part in friendly competition tracking activity minutes and/or weight loss through the Live Healthy Iowa website.

For $20, participants receive a training T-shirt; weekly motivational emails; personal tracking, goal-setting, tools and resources; 100 days of access to TrainingPeaks; health and wellness discounts from across the state; chance to win team and individual incentives; a one-year subscription to a lifestyle magazine; and more.

A $5.00 coupon is available through Hy-Vee at www.hyvee.com code LH2468.

Learn more about Live Healthy Iowa and the 100 Day Wellness Challenge by going to www.livehealthyiowa.org

Resolutions

Those of you that come into the fitness center have probably read our quote of Joey Adams, "May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions." Cute, right? Of course, we are here to help you make your wellness-related resolutions last longer than any troubles you may have. We have all our standing incentive program, "It Pays to Attend" in which you receive a free massage or gift certificate after 60 visits in 6 months. It's a reward for exercise! We also frequently have smaller prize programs such as Warm Up Your Winter Blues, which we just finished. We offer free personal training sessions. Taking advantage of those could help to steer you in the direction you're looking for. Additionally, any of us are happy to answer an questions you might have, all you have to do is ask. You've got quite a few resources available to you, just let us know how we can help you!

Resolution recipe

Got some New Year's Resolutions involving healthier eating but still crunched for time? Here's an easy recipe that you can throw into the rotation that could help out:

Slow-cooker Brisket Sandwiches (courtesy of Food Network Magazine)

8 hr 30 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
8 hr 0 min
Yield:
4 servings
Level:
Easy

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 5-to-6-pound first-cut or flat-cut brisket, cut into 3 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 12-ounce bottle stout beer
4 stalks celery, cut into large pieces
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup dijon mustard
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
2 brioche or other rolls, split open and toasted
Coleslaw, for serving
Directions
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the brisket with salt and pepper, then brown on all sides, about 10 minutes, adding the garlic in the last 2 minutes. Transfer the meat and garlic to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Pour the beer into the skillet and simmer 30 seconds, scraping up the browned bits from the pan; add the beer mixture to the slow cooker.
Nestle the celery around the meat and add the brown sugar, tomato paste, vinegar, mustard, soy sauce, bay leaves and paprika. Stir, then cover and cook on low 8 hours or on high 6 hours. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes, then thinly slice.
Serve on brioche halves with coleslaw; drizzle with the cooking liquid.

Per serving: Calories 474; Fat 16 g (Saturated 7 g); Cholesterol 128 mg; Sodium 265 mg; Carbohydrate 18 g; Fiber 0 g; Protein 61 g

Notes:
You'll have plenty of leftover brisket: Use it in tacos, quesadillas, chili or even on a pizza.