Posted: 25 Oct 2010 09:45 AM PDT

Monday, October 25, 2010 2:18 PM EDT

By DIANE CHURCH
Staff writer

PLAINVILLE — Local senior citizens have spent the past few weeks swaying, stretching, sweating and having fun at the weekly Zumba Gold class at Plainville Senior Center.

The class was held every Wednesday since Sept. 15. The last one was Oct. 20.

Amy Gray, the Zumba instructor, leads the hour-long class, which includes a warm-up in the beginning and some stretches at the end.

"It's low impact, so it's easy to follow," she said. "But they sweat it out and get a good workout."

Gray, who lives in Terryville, has been teaching Zumba for one and a half years. She no longer teaches regular Zumba because a case of osteoarthritis in one ankle makes impact painful. But there is a sizable audience for the somewhat slower and easier Zumba Gold, which Gray teaches at senior centers, YMCAs and continuing education. She also leads Aqua Zumba classes at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain.

Zumba is now one of the hottest fitness trends. It blends various Latin dance rhythms such as Cha-Cha, Meringue, Salsa and Tango with aerobics, creating a fun, dynamic atmosphere where participants burn lots of calories, get a cardio workout and increase flexibility.

"It's fun. It's addictive," said Shawn Cohen, the senior center's executive director. "You gotta try it."

Fourteen ladies showed up for the class, in T-shirts, exercise pants and sneakers. Gray said that men usually don't attend the classes, although they can also benefit from the workout. An infomercial for a set of Zumba DVDs features a male teacher.

The class starts slow, with marching in place. Gradually the steps become faster and steps to the side and back are included. Arm movements are added, upping the calorie burn. The Latin music becomes faster.

After about 40 minutes, Gray told the class to put on the brightly colored scarves piled on a nearby table. Each participant chose a scarf and tied it around her waist. The rows of metal beads and coins jingled softly as they danced to a Tango beat.

After that the class kicked back into gear, with kicks and faster, more elaborate steps. At times it resembled country line dancing, but with different music. The last song was a popular club song called the "Seniotrs dance themselvesCupid Shuffle," which is an easy to follow line dance.

"You're lucky. That's my short version," Gray told the participants. Then they stretched to slow music and were finished.

Zumba Gold is the latest fitness option at the Senior Center, joining walking, Tai Chi, Wii Bowling, Yoga and aerobics. The center also has treadmills and exercise bikes for those who prefer to work out on their own.

Many of the participants are looking forward to the next sessions of Zumba, which start Nov. 8. All senior citizens are welcome to attend. No experience is necessary.

"The workout is very good," said Paula Pompei of Bristol. "She builds it up, then slows it down and builds it up again. I recommend it to anyone who can do it."

"I would do it twice a week if it were available," said Carol Lambert of Plainville. "If you don't use it, you lose it."

Locally, Nutrition Kingdom has lessons in regular Zumba, Zumba Toning and ZumbAtomic, a kid's version. Celebrations Unlimited Dance Hall is also planning to offer Zumba classes.

Gray will offer a Zumba Gold demo Nov. 18 at the senior center's 35th anniversary open house.

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Embrace a lifestyle change for health - Culpeper Star-Exponent

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 01:39 AM PDT

By Business Monday - Jim Charapich/Community Columnist, jcharapich@culpeperchamber.com
Published: October 18, 2010

"We simply have to move our focus from treating disease to preventing disease through lifestyle changes. By focusing on wellness where we live, work and learn, we can truly start building a Healthy America." —Former Iowa Gov. Mike Huckabee.

This is the perfect time of year to embrace a lifestyle change for your health.

The quote above is one of many found at the National Governors Association website. The focus on preventing health problems thru prevention is a growing discussion among government, community, and business leaders.

The reasons are obvious — we cannot afford to continue to be irresponsible about health choices. It is up to us individually to make good choices about the food, exercise, and lifestyle that affect our health.

In Culpeper, we have many options to support your fitness goals. For a relatively small community, we have several fitness facilities to choose from with vibrant programs to make exercise goals exciting and achievable.

Let's take a quick tour to see what you will find … first there is the Second Look Studio — one of their focus areas is yoga. If you have ever tried yoga then you know that you will find this an especially rewarding experience. Yoga builds strength, relaxes, and enhances focus.

This is a great way to move your fitness routine indoors as the temps get cooler.

Next you will find three major fitness facilities in our community. The Sport and Racquet Club is located just off of Lovers Lane. In addition to a full range of weight lifting and cardio equipment, they offer many fitness classes including spinning classes.

The SRC also offers an indoor tennis facility and the only racquetball court that I know of in Culpeper.

Gold's Gym is also a popular fitness venue. They to have a full range of weights and cardio equipment. I like to follow them on Facebook to see what their instructors are offering for classes. Pay attention to one of my favorite instructors at Gold's — Julia Peck — her Body Combat class sounds fresh and exciting each class … this is not surprising considering that she is an Tri-Athlete competitor.

Powell Wellness, a part of the Culpeper Regional Health System, also has a full set of weights and cardio equipment.

In addition to classes like Cycling, Body Pump, and Step Aerobics, they offer a variety of water aerobic classes. They have one of the only indoor pools in the area. It is called a TURTTLE pool which stands for therapeutic, unique, rehabilitation, two-temperature lap and exercise pool.

This is one of only a few TURTTLE pools in the USA. Try swimming against the current for a real work out!

Whatever your fitness choice, why wait for the New Year resolution rush?

The weather is turning cooler and you can start taking your fitness to new levels today. You may find new friends in the many classes and feel great.

You might even find that your medical costs are reduced.

Reduce costs, feel great, new friends —what great possibilities! Get started today!

Jim Charapich is the President/CEO of the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at jcharapich@culpepervachamber.com.

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Cardio can toss nightly toss-and-turn - Arab Times

Posted: 17 Oct 2010 05:15 AM PDT

Cardio can toss nightly toss-and-turn 'Aerobics can offer relief from insomnia'

NEW YORK, Sept 27, (RTRS): Sleepless and sedentary? Instead of counting sheep in a field, try running through a meadow.
Experts agree that an aerobic exercise routine during the day can keep you from tossing and turning at night, even if they're not sure why.
"The bottom line is we really don't know why people tell us that exercise helps them sleep," said Dr David Davila of the National Sleep Foundation.
"But if people are normally active, reaching their aerobic goals, chances are they will sleep the right amount for what they need."
Davila, who practices sleep medicine in Little Rock, Arkansas, said the low-grade sleep deprivation suffered by many time-pressed, under-rested Americans has a cumulative effect.
"People have more car accidents and what they call 'presentee-ism', or poor performance, at work," he said. "There are fallouts for the average person."
But evidence is emerging that aerobic exercise can offer relief from insomnia.
A recent study at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois tracked 23 previously sedentary adults, primarily women 55 and older, who had difficulty falling or staying asleep.
After 16 weeks on an aerobics training program that included exercising on a treadmill or stationery bicycle, average sleep quality improved.
"Most of poor sleepers became good sleepers," said Dr Phyllis Zee, the lead researcher in the study, which was funded by the National Institute on Aging.
She said an earlier study using Tai Chi showed less dramatic results, as did a control group doing non-physical activities such as cooking classes and museum lectures.
"This is the first time that I'm aware of where we've looked at the benefits of aerobic exercise as a treatment modality in a population with insomnia," Zee said.
She added that she sees a lot of patients with insomnia, which afflicts 25 percent of the population and can reach as high as 40 percent in older people.
"We tell them to get regular exercise. But we really don't emphasize how to exercise."
If your schedule dictates that you can only hit the gym at 5 am Dr Shawn D. Youngstedt, an expert on sleep and exercise at the University of South Carolina, believes that an hour of exercise can do more good than an extra hour of sleep.
"There's no scientific evidence that people need eight hours, seven is fine," he said. "It's far clearer that exercise has wonderful benefits. It's better than drugs for diabetes, mental health, cancer prevention."
Dr William Roberts, of the American College of Sports Medicine, cautions that for some people the time to exercise is not an hour before bed.
"To exercise close to sleep time is not good for everyone," he explained. "Try to get a half hour to an half hour of exercise early enough in the day and try to sleep on same schedule."
Roberts suggests doing something calming to wind down.
"Do not play video games," he said. "Read away from bed and then go to bed. Avoid caffeine and other stimulants before turning in."
The improved sleepers in Zee's study also reported better moods, fewer depressive symptoms and enhanced vitality.
"Vitality is everything," Zee said. "It's how somebody feels, how alert. If you think about the complaints of poor health, people will always say, 'I feel so tired.'"

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Health Aerobics Cardio

Monday, October 25, 2010

“FOCUS ON PLAINVILLE: Dancing toward health (VIDEO) - Bristol Press” plus 2 more

“FOCUS ON PLAINVILLE: Dancing toward health (VIDEO) - Bristol Press” plus 2 more

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