Shreveport-Bossier Personal Training

Reprinted from the Shreveport Times: By Ashley Northington • adnorthington@gannett.com • April 7, 2008

“Kindergarten students at Mooretown Elementary School waved their arms and kicked their legs emulating moves that Taebo guru Billy Blanks demonstrated through the television set.

Since Friday’s rainy weather prevented the class of 17 from walking a trail outside or playing a ball game, the youngsters were content watching the eight-minute video. Afterward, they split into teams and raced around orange safety cones. Later, they jumped rope.

“We won’t stop exercising, but we couldn’t do it outside because of the rain,” said Cynthia Jacobs, physical education teacher at Mooretown Elementary. “I’ve been working them out and had them exercising since day one.”

The school is focused on getting students to live healthy lifestyles, as part of Caddo public schools’ “Wings to Wellness” initiatives. The wellness program gives points to schools that promote healthy behavior, eating and other habits so the schools can earn “Wellness Wings” at year’s end. On Wednesday, Mooretown will host the Wings to Wellness Health Fair, the school’s first ever health fair.

Today, the school system will host a Fitness Meet at Lee Hedges Stadium in Shreveport. In coming weeks, several outdoor 4-H activities and a Kid Fun Run will be held. All the activities are held in conjunction with Caddo’s health initiatives.

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Personal trainer Brian Atterbury from Oklahoma has written a great article about fitness being about the journey, not just the destination. Below is a excerpt from the article at NewsOK.com:

Scheduling workouts is important, too. You must schedule times for weights, cardio and classes to make it happen. You should not decide to go if you “feel like it.” Realistically, not very many people feel like it as much as they actually do it. Many times I could have justified not doing my workouts because of various excuses, but I know the consequences, and being out of shape is worse to me than the exercise session I am wanting to skip. You must look past the process and focus on the outcome.

Personal training is another tool for success. Personal trainers offer accountability, knowledge and motivation. Many people get frustrated because they are not progressing but refuse to hire a trainer because they have been working out for many years and supposedly know a lot. That is even more a reason to hire a trainer. People sometimes can be their own worst enemy because they do not think outside of the box. Qualified personal trainers can offer a vast amount to clients from beginner to the more advanced. Make sure you check their credentials.

You must establish realistic goals. Set goals not only for the ultimate outcome but for how you are going to get there. For example, set up workout times for weights. Establish the mode, duration and frequency of the cardiovascular training. Establish your heart rate level on the cardio you choose. You need to set up calorie levels that are appropriate for your age, sex and activity level, then write down your food to see whether you are staying within those perimeters.

…

Staying motivated is an ongoing process. I have been working out for 20 years and it is a challenge. Nonetheless, I still have my bad weeks even as a personal trainer. I just remind myself and my other personal trainers that, “fat trainers don’t make good money.” Stay on track and keep pushing ahead. Fitness is a journey, not a destination. Good luck.

Click here for the complete article at NewsOK.com…

Shreveport area Hospital Network Willis-Knighton held a contest encouraging hospital employees to lose weight. This is a great idea and I hope that other Shreveport and Bossier area businesses will follow their lead. Below is part of the article from the Shreveport Times:

Willis-Knighton workers shed pounds to win weight-loss crown
By Melody Brumble • mbrumble@gannett.com • April 2, 2008

A fitness contest modeled after a popular television show motivated Katrina Henderson to shed nearly 20 pounds.

The nurse is among 50 Willis-Knighton workers who competed for prizes and recognition during a 13-week diet and exercise contest similar to NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” Teams worked with nutritionists and exercise specialists and weighed weekly. They stepped on the scales for the last time Tuesday.

“Nurses are the hardest people to get to do right,” Henderson said, shaking her head and laughing. “We motivate everybody except ourselves.”

Participants today will find out which team — Goal Getters, Knockouts, Eating Dis-Orderlies, Shrink’n South or Elle-iminators — takes home the title of biggest loser.

“For the most part, all but one in the group had gone up and down (in weight) and were frustrated from the get-go,” said Amy Yates, a nutritionist who worked with the Elle-iminators. “One of the things I was most pleased about was that they kept coming to the meetings.”

Yates and other nutritionists taught healthy eating basics, including appropriate portion sizes. They encouraged participants to plan meals so they wouldn’t turn to fast food or high-fat, high-sugar snacks.

Yates also asked the Elle-iminators to figure out why they were eating so emotions wouldn’t sidetrack them.

Click here to read the complete article…

News Article Excerpt from the Shreveport Times:

Health fair educates students about staying fit
By Ashley Northington • adnorthington@gannett.com • April 10, 2008

“It’s important to have them do things like this because, in today’s fast-paced
society, many children are left home alone,” Harris said. “We have experienced
this firsthand in Shreveport. Children need to be educated on what to do when
they have a fire.”

The school is focused on getting students to live
healthy lifestyles as part of Caddo public schools’ Wings to Wellness
initiatives. The program gives points to schools that promote healthy behavior,
eating and other habits so the campuses can earn Wellness Wings at year’s end.

In coming weeks, several outdoor 4-H activities and a Kid Fun Run will
be held. All the activities are part of Caddo’s health initiatives.

The
health fair featured several demonstrations, each with a focus on healthy, safe
behaviors, from many community organizations.

The Shreveport Fire
Department demonstrated the safety house and firefighters’ and firetrucks’
roles.

Project Neighbor Health, through Willis-Knighton Health System,
taught youths how to brush their teeth properly. LSU Health Sciences Center
focused on germ awareness and hand-washing techniques.

“It’s important
to be healthy because you have to eat healthy so you won’t be weak,” said
Johnathan Battles, who celebrated his 12th birthday Wednesday. “If you’re not
healthy, you could be in the hospital with tubes hooked up to you. But if you
eat healthy, you’ll be straight.”

Battles’ fifth-grade class walked on
the school’s outdoor walking trail after they finished touring the displays at
the wellness fair. His teacher, TreDonna Moore, takes the students on the trail
at least three times a week.

“They don’t get much activity, and they eat
a lot of junk food,” Moore said. “I make them exercise out here because it’s a
good way to expose them to something that they can do.”

Students rotated
to different table displays throughout the cafeteria and outdoor displays.

School nurses measured third-, fourth- and fifth-graders’ and several
adults’ body mass indexes. Shreveport police gave bicycle and gun safety tips.
The Caddo sheriff’s office taught students to be aware of strangers.

“This is a really good thing for kids because it really teaches them how
to be healthy,” Lavontae Pearson, a junior at Huntington High School, said as
she helped young students wash their hands properly. The Huntington High Student
Council volunteered during the fair.

“This teaches them the benefits of
staying healthy,” the 18-year-old said. “This is a good thing.”

The
Mooretown branch of Shreve Memorial Library displayed children’s books about
nutrition and health. Morningstar Baptist Church alerted students about its
summer programs. Shreveport-Bossier Community Renewal told participants about
the Friendship House in the area.

“Students have gotten wonderful
information on how to live healthy lifestyles,” said Phyllis Belk, who organized
Mooretown Elementary’s health fair. “It’s been superior. I think the students
and our families were excited.”

Principal Melvin Ashley said he hopes to
host another fair next year.

The school cafeteria and Christus Schumpert
Health System told youths about healthy, nutritious food choices. Students even
got to eat examples of healthy foods like apples.

Christus Schumpert
also gave students and parents information about the Louisiana Children’s Health
Insurance Plan.

“We want to make sure they learn everything they can
about all aspects of wellness,” said Flo Willcott, a counselor at Mooretown
Elementary. “This event is about wellness all over the body, from head to toe.”

Click here for the complete article at the Shreveport Times…

ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) has published a brochure with information on how to choose a personal trainer. Here are some interesting comments they make about the benefits of a personal trainer:

A qualified and properly trained personal trainer can help you safely start and maintain an effective exercise program. A personal trainer will understand your “fitness goals” and help you achieve them. A personal trainer can be a great source of motivation and encouragement, as well as a resource for the latest objective health and fitness information. He or she can also help you fit exercise into your busy schedule and teach you how to make the most out of your time in the gym.

But beware! The title “personal trainer” does not guarantee that a person is qualified to do the job. Currently, there is no national standard or minimum requirement for carrying this job title. Working with an under-qualified trainer could actually threaten your safety. This brochure will arm you with the knowledge of what to look for when seeking a personal trainer that is educated, qualified, and most-importantly, right for you!

Please realize that not all personal trainers are equal. I have posted my certifications and qualifications and I will be happy to answer any other questions you might have. If you are located in the Shreveport or Bossier area I will be happy to meet with you and further discuss your fitness and wellness goals.

Here is the rest of the brochure.

Reprinted with permission from ACE FitFacts

We take part in aerobic activity to improve our cardiovascular endurance and burn fat. We weight-train to maintain lean muscle tissue and build strength. Those are the two most important elements of a fitness program, right?

Actually, there are three important elements. Often neglected is flexibility training. That neglect is regrettable, because flexibility training:

Allows greater freedom of movement and improved posture
Increases physical and mental relaxation
Releases muscle tension and soreness
Reduces risk of injury

Some people are naturally more flexible. Flexibility is primarily due to one’s genetics, gender, age and level of physical activity. As we grow older, we tend to lose flexibility, usually as a result of inactivity rather than the aging process itself.

The less active we are, the less flexible we are likely to be. As with cardiovascular endurance and muscle strength, flexibility will improve with regular training.

Stretch for success
Before stretching, take a few minutes to warm up as stretching cold muscles can cause injury. Begin with a simple, low-intensity warm-up, such as easy walking while swinging the arms in a wide circle. Spend at least 5 to 10 minutes warming up prior to stretching.

When performing any stretch:
Start each stretch slowly, exhaling as you gently stretch the muscle.

Try to hold each stretch for at least 10 to 30 seconds.

Avoid these stretching mistakes:

Don’t bounce a stretch. Holding a stretch is more effective and there is less risk of injury.

Don’t stretch a muscle that is not warmed up.

Don’t strain or push a muscle too far. If a stretch hurts, ease up.

Don’t hold your breath.

Fitting stretching into a compressed schedule
Time constraints keep many people from stretching. Some complain they just don’t have time to stretch; others hurry out of their fitness classes before the cool-down exercises are completed.

Ideally, at least 30 minutes, three times per week, should be spent on flexibility training. But even a mere five minutes of stretching at the end of an exercise session is better than nothing. And all aerobic activity should be followed by at least a few minutes of stretching.

Here are some tips for fitting stretching into an overstuffed schedule:

If you don’t have time to sufficiently warm up before stretching, try doing a few stretches immediately after a shower or while soaking in a hot tub. The hot water elevates muscle temperature enough to make them more pliable and receptive to stretching.

Try a few simple stretches before getting out of bed in the morning. Wake yourself up with a few full-body stretches by pointing the toes and reaching the arms above your head. This can clear your mind and help jump-start your morning.

Take a stretching class such as yoga or tai chi. Scheduling a class will help you to stick with a regular stretching program.

From Medical News Today

Unconfident teenagers would feel less awkward if they took more exercise.

This link has been discovered in a study carried out by Gillian Burgess and colleagues from the Manchester Metropolitan University and Edinburgh University. They revealed their findings in a poster presentation at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference on Thursday 3 April 2008.

This five-year study revealed that teenager’s physical self worth decreased significantly between the ages of 11 to 16 for females but not for their male counterparts. The study found that this corresponded with a drop in activity levels at this age. It was found that there was a sharp decline in physical activity for girls aged 13-15 but not for their male classmates.

The reasons for these decreases may be due, to the increased self-consciousness experienced during adolescence as well as increased academic pressures felt due to the Standard Attainment Tests (SAT’s). This may affect females more because they perceive academic success as more important than excelling in sports. This may result in decreases in physical activity and physical self-worth.

Gillian Burgess said ” We need to develop strategies within and beyond the national curriculum that help encourage teenagers, particularly females to engage in more physical activity. As our findings suggest, this can have a positive impact on their physical self worth as they will be able to excel both academically and physically.”

British Psychological Society

20 Minutes of Exercise Boosts Mental Health

[Posted: Thu 10/04/2008 by Deborah Condon]

Taking part in just 20 minutes of any physical activity, including housework, each week can boost mental health, the results of a new study indicate.

According to researchers from University College London (UCL), while regular exercise is known to be good for mental health, it is unclear how much or what type of activity is best.

They looked at a representative sample of 20,000 men and women who had taken part in a Scottish health survey. The participants were queried about their state of mind and their physical activity levels.

Over 3,000 were deemed to be suffering from stress or anxiety.

The study found that any form of daily physical activity was associated with a lower risk of distress. The range of activities which proved beneficial included housework, gardening and walking.

However the strongest effect was seen for sports – it lowered the risk of distress by 33%.

The study also found that while just 20 minutes of physical activity a week improved a person’s mental state, the more activity a person undertook, the lower their chances of experiencing psychological distress.

Apart from the mental health benefits, the researchers pointed out that physical activity also reduces the risk of a range of serious diseases, such as heart disease and some cancers.

“It also improves several biological risk factors, such as glucose intolerance and inflammation, which have themselves been linked to depression and dementia”, they added.

Details of these findings are published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

As if you really needed another reason to exercise, the Mayo Clinic has given you a few more. Their study found that exercise will give you energy, slow down aging, boost your immune system, and much more. Check out the article below from Medical News Today:

The Secret’s Out: Exercise May Help You Look, Feel Younger
Main Category: Sports Medicine / Fitness

Exercise doesn’t stop the clock on aging — but it seems to slow it down. Evidence continues to mount that exercise provides many benefits to help people look and feel younger. The March issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource offers a recap of the many benefits of regular exercise.

Provides energy: A lack of energy is largely a result of inactivity. Endurance exercises such as walking, swimming, jogging, biking and rowing improve stamina and energy. After just a few weeks in a walking program, most people find they have more energy for activities such as gardening or traveling.

Encourages well-being: There’s considerable evidence that regular physical activity can help reduce stress, manage mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety, improve sleep, boost mood and enhance the overall sense of well-being.

Takes off pounds and keeps them off: Exercise burns calories. Burning more calories than consumed can reduce body fat. And exercise raises metabolism during the activity and after. In the long term, both factors help maintain weight loss.

Promotes firm bodies: A regular strength training program can help maintain muscle mass and tone and counteract the effects of gravity and aging.

Boosts immune system: Researchers have found a link between regular physical activities and improved immune functions. During moderate exercise, immune cells circulate more quickly through the body and are better at destroying viruses and bacteria.

Prevents disease: Regular aerobic exercise reduces the risk of heart disease by reducing body fat, lowering blood pressure and raising “good” cholesterol levels. A regular strength-training program increases muscle mass, preserves bone and improves strength and balance. Those benefits, in turn, make it easier to perform daily activities and help prevent falls and osteoporosis.

Improves mental function: A number of studies have found that women who are physically active score better on mental function tests than do sedentary women.

Increases overall life expectancy: A number of studies have found that women who participate in regular physical activity live longer than their more sedentary peers. Physical activity doesn’t have to mean formal exercise. Engaging in purposeful physical activities, such as cleaning or walking a pet, has been shown to lengthen life.

Mayo Clinic
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
United States
http://www.mayoclinic.com

Two separate scientific studies have shown that laugher, or even the anticipation of laugher causes the body to produce health-protecting and stress-reducing hormones:

By Seeking Out Positive Experiences That Make Us Laugh We Can Do A Lot On Our Own To Stay Well

In 2006 researchers investigating the interaction between the brain, behavior, and the immune system found that simply anticipating a mirthful laughter experience boosted health-protecting hormones. Now, two years later, the same researchers have found that the anticipation of a positive humorous laughter experience also reduces potentially detrimental stress hormones. According to Dr. Lee Berk, the study team’s lead researcher of Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, “Our findings lead us to believe that by seeking out positive experiences that make us laugh we can do a lot with our physiology to stay well.”

In their earlier work the researchers found that the anticipation of “mirthful laughter” had surprising and significant effects. Two hormones - beta-endorphins (the family of chemicals that alleviates depression) and human growth hormone (HGH; which helps with immunity) - increased by 27 and 87 percent respectively when volunteers anticipated watching a humorous video. There was no such increase among the control group who did not anticipate watching the humor film.

Using a similar protocol, the current research found that the same anticipation of laughter also reduced the levels of three stress hormones. Cortisol (termed “the stress hormone”), epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and dopac, a dopamine catabolite (brain chemical which helps produce epinephrine), were reduced 39, 70 and 38 percent, respectively (statistically significant compared to the control group). Chronically released high stress hormone levels can weaken the immune system.

The research is entitled Cortisol and Catecholamine Stress Hormone Decrease Is Associated with the Behavior of Perceptual Anticipation of Mirthful Laughter. It was conducted by Lee Berk with Stanley A. Tan, both of the Oak Crest Health Research Institute, Loma Linda, CA; and Dottie Berk, Loma Linda University Health Care, Loma Linda. Lee Berk is presenting the team’s findings at the 121st Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society, part of the Experimental Biology 2008 scientific conference.

The Study

Having found that the anticipation of a laughter event increased certain “beneficial” chemicals/hormones, the researchers proposed that the anticipation of a laughter event might reduce stress hormones. To test their theory they studied 16 healthy fasting male volunteers for cortisol and catecholamine level changes. The participants were assigned to either the control group or the experiment group (those anticipating a humorous event).

Blood was drawn from both groups prior to the event (anticipation), four times during the event, and three times afterward (event and residual effect). Analysis showed that the blood levels in the anticipatory phase decreased for stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine and dopac in the experimental group. Trend analysis showed a progressive pattern of the decrease for the three hormones through the event.

As a result, the researchers suggest that anticipating a positive event can decrease stress hormones that can be detrimental when chronically released. These findings have implications for understanding the modalities that can benefit stress reduction in health and wellness programs.

The “Biology of Hope”

Norman Cousins was a journalist and an editor of the Saturday Review. He was also a pioneer in the idea that beliefs, thoughts and emotions have biological effects (”biotranslation”). His view about the body’s unrecognized ability to heal itself was captured in his 1979 book, “Anatomy of an Illness (As Perceived by the Patient).”

Forty years ago, few scientists would likely have agreed with Cousins. Today, researchers like Berk are beginning to pinpoint exactly what thoughts can drive which affects. Researchers like Berk are finding that, in addition to what resides in our bodies, what resides in our brains and mind is important, too.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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