Physical Activity Requirements in Menopause

There has been some confusion in the fitness world surrounding results of a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Several people have approached me who were very concerned about the amount and intensity of exercise they heard they would have to do to maintain, yes i said maintain, their weight. What has been said is women around menopause age would have to work out intensely 60 minutes per day, 7 days per week to maintain, i said it again, her current weight.

What it really boils down to is pretty much the same as what's been said for years. 30 - 60 minutes per day of moderate intensity exercise 5 - 7 days a week is recommended for substantial health benefits. Depending on your diet, this will provide for weight maintenance or loss.

Two things i'd like you to remember:
1) Always make sure you take in enough calories to sustain your activity (some people underestimate the calories needed and in turn gain weight by eating too little to sustain their activity level)
2) 30 - 60 minutes per day does not have to be all at once, break it up throughout the day in a way that works for you and remember it's moderate intensity exercise.

Some helpful ways to get in the recommended amount of physical activity:
-take the stairs rather than the elevator or escalator
-park further away from your place of business and walk
-do jumping jacks during commercial breaks during your favorite television show

For more helpful fitness tips, hints, and answers to your questions, please feel to pop by the LC Fitness page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Luis-Obispo-CA/LC-Fitness/72043499171?ref=ts
visit my website: http://slolcfitness.com/
or simply email me at sloLCfitness@gmail.com


reference article: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/303/12/1173 (link to the abstract of the study mentioned above)
sloLCfitness.com

Weight Loss Wednesday - update #6 what to eat?

i consistently struggle with what to eat. It's not like i don't know what's good for me and what's not, it's that i have tastes that i love that don't fit in what i should be eating.

I'm a normal gal, i eat junk food, love my coffee, and occasionally like to have a drink or two. Not the best stuff to keep your body going. I hear myself saying, "eat your veggies," but don't always obey.

As luck would have it, i'm still healthy and still on the upswing to healthy eating, but it's a daily struggle, not something i just slipped into like a well fitting pair of jeans.

I wonder how others deal with it and would love to hear your comments.
sloLCfitness.com

Fit Menu to Your Fitness!

What does your fitness menu look like?
I was asked if i would show an example of a Fitness Menu, so i plotted out one of my fit weeks in type to show ya here! It helps keep me on track to have my work outs on calendar as a part of my schedule weekly and monthly.

(Sample Fitness Menu for Linda Jackson Campbell, LC)


Monday
Breakfast workout: Tour 45 @ KCF AG 45 minute indoor cycling
Snack workout: Group Active @ KCF AG 20 minutes step aerobics
20 minutes strength training
20 minutes core, balance, flexibility
Lunch workout: .5 mile casual stroll 10 minutes easy walking
Dinner workout: .5 mile casual stroll 10 minutes easy walking


Tuesday
Evening snack workout: Groove @ KCF SLO 60 minutes dance aerobics


Wednesday
Snack workout: .75 mile casual stroll 15 minutes easy walking
Noon workout: Spin 45 @ Gold’s 45 minutes indoor cycling
Snack workout: .75 mile casual stroll 15 minutes easy walking
Dinner workout: Cycle 45 @ LOF 45 minutes indoor cycling


Thursday
Coffee workout: Tour 45 @ KCF AG 45 minutes indoor cycling
Afternoon snack workout: Tour 40 @ KCF AG 40 minutes indoor cycling


Friday
Breakfast workout: .5 mile casual stroll 10 minutes easy walk
Before Dinner workout: .5 mile casual stroll 10 minutes easy walk


Saturday
Morning snack workout: .5 mile casual stroll 10 minutes easy walk
Before Dinner workout: .5 mile casual stroll 10 minutes easy walk


Sunday
Brunch day: no workout 24 hours of resting 


Do you plot out your fitness plan each week?


http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Luis-Obispo-CA/LC-Fitness/72043499171?ref=ts
sloLCfitness.com

Weight Loss Wednesday - update #5

As promised, another weight-loss Wednesday update! My exercising is going great, but eating habits are tanking a bit. Luckily, i've still remained around the same weight with Valentine's Day on the horizon, 'cause i plan to eat some cupcakes for the holiday.

I need to get back to planning my meals as i have been eating a lot of cereal and getting fruit and dairy that i need, but have been missing out on some much needed veggies and protein. It'll happen, and i know this, so i don't keep kickin' myself about it, i just think move forward and keep trudgin' on.

If i can make it through Valentine's weekend without way overdoing it, i'll be okay and start fresh monday. I know, even i say not to start fresh a week away... but i know me, and since i've made a lifestyle change rather than dieting, i can do it.

Best of luck on your weight loss or weight maintenance journey!
sloLCfitness.com

Weight Loss Wednesday - update #4

Are you struggling with losing weight or wondering how to maintain at your current weight?

For those of us who have fought the weight loss battle we know it's an ongoing fight not just getting the pounds off, but keeping it off. I slip, all the time, and i just begin anew each day and hope i'll do better.

Being around people online and in-person wanting to get and stay fit is what keeps me motivated. I would love to hear your story, please feel free to send me a message. I would love to share your story too, but i would of course ask for your permission to do so.

On this weight-loss Wednesday, let's reflect on our struggles and strengths with in our journeys and choose to focus on the strengths.
sloLCfitness.com

Weight Loss Wednesday - update #3

so, i'm avoiding the scale this week 'cause i ate like crap over the weekend, and i just don't want to know. i do know it won't be a whole lot 'cause i'm pretty much back on track in the nutrition realm, but it's a daily (if not hourly) struggle for me when it comes to food. i'm good on the exercise front, in fact that's one of the reasons i became a group exercise instructor. being scheduled to teach classes not only means that i show up for the members to get their exercise, i get some too... in case the rest of my week is filled with sitting at a desk, i know i at least have a certain amount of exercise i will achieve every week like clockwork.

If you don't want to become an instructor, i still highly recommend scheduling some exercise time each week and stick to it no matter what (okay, unless you're ill) ;). i know it's tough, i've been there. feel free to hit me up if you have any questions or just need a little push in the right direction. Motivating others is my favorite thing about my career choice.

p.s. i'm choosing to include the before and after pic of me each Wednesday as a gentle reminder that it can be done! :)

sloLCfitness.com

Sallie Meander in the Rain

kinda wish i could dress up like this little guy/gal and go running and climbing in the rain. It looks exhausted, though after climbing up on our porch. I'm planning on running up a muddy, mucky hill this afternoon and questioning my sanity. It's cold, it's wet, it's raining. When the weather is bad, what do you do for your fitness? do you hit the hills outside or stay inside? I'm a bit of both kind of gal. I'll teach my group exercise classes indoors where it's dry and get outside for some sort of walk or run. Am i crazy? You be the judge!

sloLCfitness.com

Burning Calories playing with the Pups

How do you incorporate fitness into your daily routine? Does it require a lot of thinking?

Recently my youngest dog has become interested in the game of fetch. Typically i kick the ball rather than throwing it. I have a ball for each dog, they're called holy rollers, great durable, kickable toys they are. My point being that i'm finding that since i'm moving so fast to get the timing right kicking the balls for each dog, not only are my heart and lungs pumping a bit faster now i'm getting a bit of a butt workout from kicking (okay, glute workout, whatever) ;). I love being able to incorporate fitness into every day activities, especially when i don't try.

How about you? Any creative ideas for you that popped up out of nowhere like in backyard play?

sloLCfitness.com

Stay Well Wednesday

During this lovely flu season, i just wanted to take a moment to chat about staying well. Good nutrition and a good exercise program... and, of course, healthy doses of sleep are the three best things to keeping yourself healthy. Please let me know of any particular suggestions of what you do to stay healthy during flu season, as i believe we all can benefit from any healthy suggestions. Stay Well!

sloLCfitness.com

Cardiovascular, Aerobic, whatever... How much?

When it comes to cardiovascular/aerobic fitness, it's really up to you how much you do. You can walk, run, bike, or swim daily if you'd like. A little at a time is fine. Build up to 30 - 60 minutes per day 3 times a week.

sloLCfitness.com

Housework IS Exercise

With all the talk i'm reading about people doing housework this weekend (me included) i thought i would drum up some information on the amount of calories burned while partaking in your favorite chores.... here it is:

Type of housework		Calories burned per half-hour
Doing laundry		73
Making the bed		68
Cooking		85
Washing the dishes		78
Ironing		78
Dusting		85
Sweeping		112
Vacuuming		119
Scrubbing the floors		129
Rearranging furniture		204
Yard work		170
Washing windows		102
Washing the car		102
Gardening		136
Mowing the lawn		187
Raking		146
Shoveling snow		204
Carrying a small child (up to 15 lbs.) up and down stairs		289

sloLCfitness.com

9/9/9 9 exercises, 9 times, 999 seconds

further description of 9/9/9 exercise suggestion found here at the LC Fitness blog...

9/9/9... try this on for size, 9 squats, 9 seconds rest, 9 wall push-ups, 9 seconds rest, (fill in the sequence with right leg lunges, left leg lunges, tricep dips, bicep curls, crunches, reverse crunches, oblique crunch right, oblique crunch left, swim move, until approximately 999 seconds, any questions let me know!

squats

stand with feet hip distance apart, chest lifted, shoulders back, abs tucked. Sit tailbone back as if reaching for a chair behind you or hovering over a public toilet seat. push through your heels to rise. repeat.

wall push-ups

same stance as squats, but stand in front of a wall. place hands wide on the wall & perform a push up like you would on the floor. if you feel it a lot in your shoulders, stop, widen your hands further, and resume.

lunges

begin with same stance as squats. step one foot out, dip back knee straight down towards the floor (no need to touch the floor, keep some space) with good posture. Check front knee to be sure it does not track forwards, should remain behind your toes. At bottom of the movement, both knees should be at approximately 90 degree angles. rise, repeat. (remember right leg, then left leg for 2nd set.)

tricep dips

sit on a dining room chair, feet hip distance apart. keep your hands right next to your butt. leave the hands where you placed them, slide your tailbone down the front of the chair, rise, repeat.

bicep curls

with or without hand weights, utilize your brain to focus on the work in the biceps. same starting stance as squats. let your arms hang by your sides, palms facing out. squeeze your biceps to lift hands towards your shoulders, lower, repeat.

crunches

lie on your back on the floor or mat, knees bent, feet hip distance apart. pull your belly button towards your spine. Fingertips behind your head, contract abdominals to lift your upper body slightly off the floor, lower, repeat.

reverse crunches

same start position as crunches. lift your feet off the floor until legs are at a 90 degree angle. relax your upper body. contract your lower abdominals to barely lift your tailbone up off the floor, lower, repeat.

oblique crunches

same start position as crunches. lift your upper body like you did with crunches then add a twist bringing your shoulder towards your knee. lower and repeat then switch to the other side.

swim

lie face down on the floor or mat arms and legs out. lift right arm and left leg, switch, repeat.

do a bit of stretching when you finish, and enjoy the feeling of 9/9/9! :)

sloLCfitness.com

Fitness at you Fingertips

LC Fitness provides online personal training, coaching and evaluations. You don't have to have any equipment or any previous exercise experience. That's what we're here for! LC Fitness sets up a program tailored to your needs with regard to time, fitness level, and fun. Feel free to contact us at anytime! Here's our website information: www.sloLCfitness.com