Get in shape

Simple Steps Will Improve Your Health


Working out can make you feel like you’re on top of the world.

By Theresa Juva, Matt Hampton and Lee Landor

Fitness, in the most general sense of the word, can take on a variety of meanings. The most common understanding of “fitness” is simply the build up of the body by proper diet and exercise, and through a training regimen, with the intent of maintaining a peak of personal health.

Over the last two decades, physical fitness has climbed to the pinnacle of cultural awareness, as members of the medical profession came to understand it as an aerobic, cardiovascular and strength high point – the attempt to perfect the physical ideal in the human form.

Even the federal government acknowledged the importance of fitness with The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which was created by the Eisenhower administration as a response to a 1953 report on the general fitness of youth in America.


Work on your core to get in shape.

As a result, onward came the advent of exercise programs, diet, media and the convergence of a plethora of fitness styles. With everything from “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” to TaeBo, the idea of driving the body to peak performance, enhancing the physical self and transcending the average became the goal of fitness.

According to Wikipedia, fitness itself is broken down into a number of factors, among them agility, balance, coordination, flexibility, strength and cardiovascular health. The point at which these divergent factors meet –and the real goal of all exercise and diet – is the true measure of fitness in a human being.

Today, fitness is a billion-dollar industry. The need of Americans to exercise and knead their doughy bodies to the maximum potential has led to products that years ago would have seemed ludicrous. Imagine a world in which the iPod wasn’t permanently stitched to the arm of nearly every jogger from the park to the gym to the street.

Now, the jogger that wants to listen to music can also use the iPod pedometer to track distance, time and number of steps taken. There are even tools to calculate heart rate and calories burned by a particular workout on many devices.

Cardiovascular Training

With cardiovascular disease in the lead as the No. 1 killer in America, accounting for about 36 percent of all deaths in 2004, the American Heart Association has been spreading awareness on how to counter and prevent heart disease.

Lack of physical activity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, poor diet and smoking are high-risk behaviors that often result in coronary diseases, killing about 300,000 people per year in the United States, according to the American Heart Association.

The Centers for Disease Control have performed studies revealing the high levels of sedentary behaviors and lifestyles that run rampant in American society, where cars long ago replaced walking.

Both the American Heart Association and the CDC encourage healthy eating, smoking cessation and most importantly, increased physical activity as preventative measures against cardiovascular disease.


Queens residents enjoy watching the Marathon as much as participating.

“Even low-to-moderate intensity activities, when done for as little as 30 minutes a day, bring benefits,” said the American Heart Association. And these include walking at a leisurely pace, climbing stairs instead of riding elevators, gardening, yard work, dancing and home exercise.

And, to improve the fitness of the heart and lungs, the Heart Association suggested, “More vigorous aerobic activities, such as brisk walking, running, swimming, bicycling, roller skating and jumping rope.”

For children, the Heart Association encouraged as much activity as possible.

“Discourage homework immediately after school to let children find some diversion from the structure of the school day. Kids should be active after school and before dinner,” said the Heart Association.

It also suggested that parents choose fitness-oriented gifts, such as mini-trampolines, tennis rackets or youth membership at the local YMCA or YWCA as a way of incorporating fitness in their children’s lives, giving them an early start on healthy lifestyles.

Adults over the age of 55 are the least physically active, said the Heart Association, noting that nearly 40 percent of them reported no leisure-time physical activity.

Not only will increasing their movement prevent bone loss and reduce the risk of aging-related diseases (including heart disease), it will also improve endurance, muscle strength and balance, said the Heart Association, which added that “Being physically active is a real key in maintaining quality of life and independence.”

With recent studies showing that increased levels of physical activity reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer and depression, there is little left to doubt. And, knowing that people with high blood pressure or cholesterol, or those with other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, die prematurely makes it even more difficult to denounce physical activity.

So, the American Heart Association said, strap on those sneakers, go for a stroll and run up that extra flight of steps – it could only improve the quality of your life.

To get more information on heart health, visit americanheart.org.

Strength Training

According to the Women’s Heart Foundation, strength training is when your muscles exert force against some form of resistance such as weights. To maximize results, strength training is recommended two to three times a week for 20 minutes.

Strength training improves muscle endurance, ligament strength, circulation, coordination, balance, and bone strength. Core strength training is essential to a basic strength program and this includes training the abdominal muscles and lower back.

Body weight exercises for core training exercises include push-ups, lunges, and crunches. Medicine balls, resistance bands and free weights are also used in strength training.

Paige Waehner, a fitness trainer on about.com, suggests a cardiovascular warm up before strength training, usually about 5 to 10 minutes. On her Web site, she advises to choose one exercise for each muscle group and do one set of 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise. She also recommends: “It’s a good idea to start with machines (if you exercise at a gym). They’re easier to use and you’ll condition your muscles before moving on to free weights, which requires a bit more coordination and the use of more muscles to stabilize your body.”

Waehner offers these tips when starting a program based on your individual goals:

“To lose body fat, build muscle: Use enough weight that you can only complete 10-12 repetitions and 1-3 sets (1 for beginners, 2-3 for intermediate and advanced exercisers). Rest about 30 seconds to 1 minute between sets and at least one day between workout sessions

For muscle gain, use enough weight that you can only complete six to eight repetitions and three sets, resting for one to two minutes between sets and three or more days between sessions. For beginners, give yourself several weeks of conditioning before you tackle weight training with this degree of difficulty. You may need a spotter for many exercises.

For health and muscular endurance: Use enough weight that you can only complete 12-16 repetitions, one to three sets, resting 20-30 seconds between sets and at least one day between workout sessions.”

Source: http://exercise.about.com/cs/exbeginners/a/begstrength.htm, Sports Fitness Advisor, Women’s Heart Foundation

 

 

Strength & Spirituality

Body And Mind Meld At Yoga Center


Rene David Alkalay inside Tree Of Life.

By Theresa Juva

At Tree of Life Yoga and Wellness Center on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills, founder Rene David Alkalay believes the health of the individual is set in the larger context of the health of the world.

“We’re part of a chain of life; it’s not hokey stuff, it’s real,” Alkalay said on a recent morning while the day’s first yoga class was taking place in the back studio.

Walking into the center, people are greeted with the sweet scent of incense. Little green Buddha incense holders line the center’s store shelves.

He said it is not enough to focus on the individual, which is why Tree of Life also incorporates an environmental and social mission into the center’s work, like promoting vegetarianism and advocating for the world’s rainforests, and, on a more local level, helping rangers at Forest Park plant gardens.

The center is also a meeting point for the Genesis Society, an organization of Queens poets and songwriters with an environmental focus, and the Queens Vegetarian Society—groups that offer lectures, readings and local planting projects.

It is a place that hosts a Global Peace Meditation on the first Sunday of every month and organizes a vegetarian Shabbat dinner on the first Friday of every month—a way of bringing together people of all faiths, Alkalay said.

It is this “healing of the world” mentality that sets Tree of Life apart from other yoga centers. Alkalay said that while many yoga centers emphasize the physical aspect of the practice—the stretches and body movement—he said Tree of Life addresses the whole person.

“It’s a system of mind more than anything else,” he said. “Yoga integrates a human being. Yoga means union. It’s means union of mind, body and breath.”

Inside an early morning yoga class, a handful of yoga clients lay on different colored mats as the yoga teacher instructs them in a soothing voice.

“Look and lengthen and exhale. Lengthen through the entire body,” she told the class. Everyone stretched out on their stomachs as she directed them to draw their arms out “like an airplane” and breathe.

Alkalay said yoga, and its counterparts, meditation and Tai Chi, have evolved as a physical, mental and spiritual exercise.

“You can’t escape stress today. At one point, meditation was for spiritual enlightenment…it’s no longer spiritual enlightenment; it’s survival.”

In today’s world of what Alkalay calls “living in fear of annihilation,” meditation is even more essential.

“After 9/11, it would be hard for me to imagine there are many in New York that don’t live without post-traumatic stress.”

Strengthening the connection between physical and mental well-being has always been one of Alkalay’s goals since he and his wife, Rachelle, opened Tree of Life 3-1/2 years ago.

Alkalay taught at area health clubs, but said it was difficult to create the kind of atmosphere he believes is ideal for yoga. At his own center, the mediation room is quiet and dimly lit with plush carpeting and puffy pillows.

Because it is a not-for-profit center, creating his vision has not been easy. Alkalay said the center has stayed alive “out of the goodness of people who care about what we do,” and is in the process of applying for grants from local businesses. He hopes to start meditation classes for children with cancer and patients with multiple sclerosis or HIV. In the future, he envisions building a healing center a few hours from the City where people can go for an extended time to revitalize themselves.

For now, Alkalay said, enhancing the community’s health is the center’s top priority.

“Part of our focus is not just yoga for the community, but yoga as therapy,” he said.

“There’s nothing like us in Queens,” he added. “We have a broader mission.”

See www.treeoflifeyoga.net or call (718) 544-5997 for more information.

 

 

Work It Out

Gym Is More Than A Place To Beef Up


Sounds, images and other people serve as a pleasant distraction in the massive workout room at The Rock in Astoria.

By Theresa Juva

At The Rock in Astoria, Queensites looking to mold their measurements are already surrounded by numbers: a 30,000-square-foot gym space, 42-foot-high ceilings and 26-foot palm trees. There’s also the 30-foot-rock wall—the only climbing wall in Brooklyn or Queens, owner Tommy Demaras said.

He opened the gym six years ago with his partners Steve Tallides, Phil Dipippo and Peter and Andrew Latos. The location—22-15 31st St.—was a movie theater, bowling alley and roller rink before Demaras and his partners snagged the space.

Demaras, who grew up in Astoria, said he and his partners wanted to create a different kind of gym.

“We said, ‘what do people need?’ We’re not a big corporation; we talk to our clients and members,” he said.

It is noon on a weekday, but plenty of fitness buffs are working up a sweat. With legs spinning on stationary bikes and heads bobbing on the treadmills and elliptical machines in the background, Demaras talked about what the gym has to offer.

The open space of the gym encompasses all the equipment under one roof, which is not only convenient, but provides distractions to exercisers while they burn off calories, Demaras said.

The 24-hour gym has around-the- clock service and Demaras jokes that “a lot of people say they would rather shower here than their apartment.”

He said the gym holds more than 70 classes a week, ranging from belly dancing to step aerobics, with a fitness class for seniors being one of the most popular.

Called “Silver Shoes,” the class started three years ago after Demaras noticed seniors shuffling down the street with canes and thought he should start a class that emphasizes flexibility and cardio for senior folks.

He said older people might believe the gym is not for them because “a lot of people think muscle, but it’s blood flow,” he explained.

A quick peek inside one studio showed gym members in a high-powered cardio class jumping on mini trampolines to the beat of the music as an instructor shouted a countdown.

But it’s not all about high energy and noise.

A new studio constructed downstairs gives a quiet place for yoga classes. Demaras said the room was created because of demand, but also because yoga requires a calmer atmosphere away from the bustle of the main floor.

The 30-foot-rock climbing wall is another unique feature at The Rock. Divided into three sections for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, people use hand and foot holder to scurry up the rocky face—a good tool for both avid climbers and those looking for a workout, Demaras said.

A boxing ring in a separate room next to the climbing wall is another place where veterans and regular gym-goers share space. Demaras said Golden Glove boxers train in the ring when members aren’t using it for classes, and it serves as another special element to the gym, which includes 80 pieces of cardio equipment in addition to weight machines.

But perhaps the gym’s biggest appeal is that it is right off the Ditmars Boulevard subway stop on the “N” train, which Demaras said, makes it difficult for people returning from work to skip their evening workout.

 

On Their Own

Runners Set Their Personal Regimens


Yvonne Damm hits the road.

By Theresa Juva

Yvonne Damm of Sunnyside doesn’t let being a new mom get in the way of her daily running routine. She rises at 5:30 each morning to tend to her 5-month-old daughter and is out the door by 8 a.m. While other morning commuters are sitting in their toasty cars, 33-year-old Damm runs the five- to six-mile route to her Manhattan office where she works as a television researcher.

As for inclement weather, Damm said the colder the better.

“I love running in sub-freezing temperatures,” she said. “I don’t like running when it’s hot.”

Not even the recent ice storm could stop Damm from taking to the roads.

“It was a bit treacherous, but I managed,” she said.

Until 2003, Damm never ran—despite the fact that her mother was an accomplished marathoner.

Damm realized that her poor eating habits had contributed to packing on a few extra pounds, so she made the decision to lace up a pair of running shoes.

She logged 50-mile weeks and completed two marathons before she became pregnant last year.

Pregnancy hit her fitness routine hard and she had to stop running after her fourth month. Even with swimming a few times a week, Damm said since she gave birth, it hasn’t been easy regaining her pre-baby body.

She recalls her first run six weeks after her daughter was born.

“It was absolutely terrible,” she said. “I could only run like 12 minutes and it was slow and painful.”

Damm kept chipping away at the distance and is now running about 30 miles a week. Her goal is to run in the New York City marathon in November.

“The most important thing I’ve learned is you have to prioritize or it won’t fit,” Damm said of making the time for a fitness routine. “It’s like cleaning your teeth.”

Making fitness a priority each day was also a transformation for Astoria’s Josh Morphew.

Morphew, 29, was a pack-a-day smoker seven years ago and had his revelatory moment when he stepped on the scale at the gym one day.

He tossed the cigarettes and took to the streets on foot.

“It was really hard when I first started running,” he said. “I couldn’t make it more than two blocks without stopping to take breaks…I could see a relationship between how much I smoked—or didn’t smoke—and how I ran.”

Morphew built up his strength and ran four marathons, two in New York and one in Chicago. This year, he plans on running the Long Island Marathon in the spring and wants to train for a triathlon.

Although Damm and Morphew are in different fitness circumstances, both enjoy blogging about their experiences.

Morphew said blogging is useful for runners looking for training advice or inspiration.

Keeping a public journal is also a motivator.

“It’s good to keep me honest and put it out there,” Damm said of her daily posts. “I risk embarrassment if I’m not running.”

Morphew agrees.

“If you make a commitment publicly and say ‘I’m going to do this,’ you kinda have to live up to it,” he said.

Both said finding a routine—and a type of exercise—suitable for them was key in changing their lifestyles.

For Morphew, choosing to run seemed obvious.

“I chose running for two reasons: it’s inexpensive and easy,” he said. “All you need is a decent pair of shoes and a stretch of pavement.”

Visit their blogs: joshmorphew.blogspot.com and www.speedyscot.blogspot.com.

 

Living Large

More Are Too Big For Their Britches


The new recommended food pyramid.

By Theresa Juva

America’s population is growing—and so are its people. According to the Centers for Disease Control, rates of obesity have been steadily increasing in the last decade. In 1995, every state had rates of obesity under 20 percent. By 2005, that number plummeted: only four states in the United States had obesity rates less than 20 percent and 17 states had rates of 25 percent or more. Three states—Mississippi, Louisiana and West Virginia—had rates higher than 30 percent.

An estimated 66 million Americans are overweight or obese. It also comes with a hefty price tag: the CDC estimates the annual cost of obesity in the United States is $117 billion, with $61 billion in direct costs and $56 billion stemming from indirect costs.

The CDC noted that “a sustained 10 percent weight loss will reduce an overweight person’s lifetime medical costs by $2,200 to $5,300 by lowering costs associated with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and high cholesterol.”

One reason Americans are expanding is portion size. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, bagels, for example, have doubled in size in the last 20 years from three inches in diameter with 140 calories to six inches wide and packing 350 calories. Large portion sizes combined with pervasive fast-food and restaurant options, which offer meals that are high in fat and calories and low in nutritional value, have also contributed to Americans’ weight gain.

Consumption of poor food is made worse by Americans’ sedentary lifestyle, the CDC said. With the habit of driving everywhere instead of walking, Americans don’t burn off what they eat. In 2000, more than 26 percent of Americans reported that they did not engage in any type of leisure physical activity, according to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The CDC also showed that environmental factors, such as workplaces where people sit all day long, and lack of recreational spaces contribute to obesity.

Besides obesity among adults, overweight children have also become a problem in the past 30 years. The CDC reports that currently 16 percent of children ages 6 to 19 can be classified as overweight or obese. Overweight children in the 2 to 5 age group has doubled since the 1970s and tripled among 6- to 19-year-olds. This creates big potential for future health problems, the CDC said, including increased risk for obesity in adulthood and a greater chance of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

The federal government has taken the initiative in shrinking the numbers of overweight and obese Americans. In October 2006, the Dept. of Health and Human Services announced The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, a set of health facts and recommended exercise levels for seniors and children, which will be released in 2008. The initiative marked a shift from a disease treatment-based approach to health to a disease-preventative approach.

 

Useful web Sites:

The new food pyramid where you punch in your age and activity level and it gives you a breakdown of what your diet should look like: www.mypyramid.gov.

Links to tables, charts and health statistics: www.cdc.gov/

Heart disease and obesity: www.americanheart.org.

Where to find out about the benefits of peanuts and your diet: www.peanut-institute.org

National Heart and Lung Institute features a body mass index calculator: www.nhlbi.nih.go