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In honor of Women’s Health Week (May 12- 18), this post is for all us gals! Depending on where we are in our life cycle, our needs for certain vitamins and minerals will vary. One particular mineral, calcium, has been the center of attention for quite awhile- and rightly so! Calcium is the most abundant mineral in our body and it is utilized to maintain strong bones and teeth. In fact, 99% of our total body calcium is found in these two locales. When calcium levels become too low, the body starts depleting calcium from the bones, which increases the risk of developing osteoporosis. Since we do lose trace amounts of calcium daily, it is essential to consume a balanced diet with calcium rich sources to replete our bodily stores.

How much calcium do I need?
Since the body cannot make calcium, it is important to obtain it from dietary sources. As with any vitamin or mineral, the body can utilize it better from its food form rather than a supplement. Speak with your doctor if you are thinking of taking a calcium supplement. Here are the daily recommendations for calcium intake:

What are some calcium – rich foods?
I’m sure we are all well aware of dairy being chock-full of calcium. This includes the gamut of milk, yogurt, cheese, and all of the above. Not everyone likes dairy foods, and luckily there are other sources to pick from. Consider some of these options:
1. Fortified cereals/ juices (almost all fortified foods are a good source of calcium)
2. Soy products- soybeans, tofu
3. Almonds/almond milk
4. Dark leafy greens- Chinese cabbage, kale, spinach, bok choy, turnip greens
5. Broccoli
6. Beans
7. Seeds
8. Fish, canned with the bones

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Discover the top ten fitness trends in the world, reported for this year by the authoritative American College of Sports Medicine.

Mark T. Cuatt

• The rise of the fitness professional: Ranked number one in 2013, this trend has been included for the sixth consecutive year. Across the industry, trainers and operators alike are raising the bar in terms of professionalism, through an exponential growth in certification, training and accreditation. We at club fit will be including an in depth internal  on line certification process with www.smartfitness.com

• Strength training: In second place for the second year in a row, strength training is a key focus for people of all backgrounds and ages. It’s widely undisputed to be a fundamental cornerstone of optimal fitness and wellness programs for most professionals.

• Body weight training: This new trend refers to strength training exercises that tap into one’s own body weight
  without the need for free weights. Simpler and more affordable, it allows people to “get back to basics” on the training floor.  Over the next few months we will be redesigning our fitness center to accommodate modalities and improve layout and function

• Concern over child obesity: The widespread epidemic of overweight and obese children continues to be a serious public health problem. In recent years, schools have focused on academic performance and limited time spent on physical education and nutrition classes. The responsibility for growing physical activity among children may fall into the hands of fitness and wellness professionals through. We are implementing a position of wellness coordinator to work directly within the fitness center and to be a liaison for member integration and community wellness involvement. This position will require a health related degree with minimum of 2 years working directly within the health care industry

• Exercise for weight loss: This has always been a key motivation for exercise and of late, the integration between diets and exercises to grow energy expenditure and decrease caloric intake, has been of growing interest to fitness professionals. It is particularly important to design the right fitness program for each person and build more touch-points between trainer and client to grow compliance. Adding Dietetics related programing and Nutritional Counseling.

• Fitness for older people: The aging baby boomer generation enjoys a longer life expectancy, but with that comes a higher likelihood of serious health issues. Doctors recommend that this group engage in more physical activity in an ‘Exercise is Medicine’ approach.  More programs for both active and less active older adults need to be developed with a particular focus on functional activities.
  Safe, secure and easy to use. Our circuit and fit coaches are ideal for bringing movement to both young and older generations.

• Personal training: Personal trainers are now being employed in community-based programs, corporate wellness programs, hotels, medical fitness facilities and commercial settings – making them more accessible and affordable for more people. Personal trainers are also growing in expertise, with more attention being paid to training and certification.

• Functional training: Functional fitness is designed to improve the client’s ability to perform daily activities without stress or problems. Particularly well suited to older people, it improves balance, coordination and strength and works on specific motor patterns that the client goes through every day. Over the next few months we will be redesigning our fitness center to accommodate modalities and improve layout and function

• Core Training: Core training focuses on the stabilizing muscles of the abdomen, chest and back, including exercises for the hips, lower back and abdomen, which all provide support for the spine. Exercising the muscles of the core improves posture and overall trunk stability, allowing the individual to meet the demands of daily life and their sport of choice.

• Group personal training: This trend allows the personal trainer to evolve their service by adapting their programs to small groups of up to four people. The shift towards higher intensity training is rising.  Offering small group training can help operators to differentiate themselves, generate additional revenue and provide alternatives for personalized training at lower costs. We have integrated TRX, Kettle bell, CFX classes, and are reviewing current group exercise offerings to add more HIIT classes

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Do you remember the food pyramid? Chances are you do….and that it also probably confused you. Don’t fret- you weren’t alone. In case you lost all hope for how to manage your meals, hope has been restored! There is a new icon in town and it is here to stay!
Welcome to the era of MyPlate! Born in 2011, this extremely visual guide is a clear reminder of how our plates should look at our main meals. Super easy to understand, MyPlate takes the guesswork out of mealtimes. But…wait! There are only THREE simple rules MyPlate emphasizes! These are: 1) enjoy your food, but eat less of it, 2) avoid oversized portions, and 3) balance your calories. Think you can do that? You sure can!

So how exactly should your plate look?

But, wait…..what is this telling me? Well…..

1) Make half your plate fruits and vegetables—whatever you like!
2) Make half your grains whole grains
3) Vary your protein—switch it up during the week and try those new recipes you’ve stashed away
4) Switch to non-fat or 1% dairy—same nutrient content, just less fat and calories!

Congratulations, now you are well versed with the ideology of MyPlate! Go forth and have fun planning your meals around these easy, healthful tips. Remember to include your daily dose of physical activity and you will be on the right path to staying healthy!

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I’ve been working at Club Fit in Jefferson Valley since 2007 as a trainer. Currently, I’m happy to say I’m a Master trainer, Certified through National Academy of Sports Medicine(NASM) for personal training, corrective exercise specialist and most recently for Fitness Nutritional Specialist.

Through the years working as a trainer and fit coach on the busy fitness floor, I’ve often heard members talking about nutrition and supplements and the importance of incorporating both in their lifestyles.

I find myself most fascinated and intrigued by keeping a healthy immune system. I help oversee the Cancer Wellness and Help Rx programs here at Club fit, I see the importance of Probiotics and Prebiotics and how they can enhance your immune system.

What are Probiotics? What are Prebiotics? What’s the relationship between the two?

Probiotics are foods that contain live microorganisms and are found in such foods like yogurt and fermented foods. Such as aged cheeses, pickles and fermented cabbage.

What are Prebiotics?
They are the non-digestable carbs that act as food for the probiotics. Ex: whole grains, bananas, garlic and honey.

You can take Probiotics in a supplemental form; like in a liquid, tablet or capsule. Capsules are found by surveys to be the most popular form of supplement to take.

Here’s an interesting factoid: not all brands of yogurt contain live, active cultures. Look for the seal adopted by the National Yogurt Association to identify products that contain a minimum of 100 million live lactic acid bacteria per gram of yogurt.

Additionally, experts state: Ideal healthy ratio of good to bad bacteria living inside your gut should be 85% good to 15% bad bacteria (9 : 1 ratio)
Its all about maintaining “Balance” inside and out!!

The post Balanced Nutrition & Balanced Body appeared first on Club Fit Blog.

Sound too good to be true? Fortunately, for you, me, and everyone else out there trying to build a stronger, healthier physique, these exercises are just as fantastic as they sound. Now, there is one caveat to keep in mind. Due to their multi-joint/muscle nature, compound exercises are more challenging to perform correctly than your typical machine-based or free-weight isolation exercise. That being said, If you are unfamiliar with these movements, or are simply looking to improve your technique, I strongly encourage you to stop by the fitness office and we’d be happy to help. What are you waiting for?!

Jeff Aston is an ACE certified Personal Trainer at our Briarcliff location.
He is currently enrolled at New York Medical College and is an MD candidate for 2015! He can be reached by calling Club Fit Briarcliff 762-3444 ext. 2223.

The post Your fitness tip of the week! appeared first on Club Fit Blog.

The tennis bubble will be coming down beginning Tuesday, May 14th.
Last day of play will be Monday, May 13th.

Courts will reopen for the summer season, weather permitting, on
Monday, May 27th.

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The Tennis Bubble will be coming down beginning Monday, May 6th.
Last Day of play will be Sunday, May 5th.

Courts will reopen for the summer season, weather permitting, on
Wednesday, May 22nd.

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The steam room in the Women’s Fitness locker room has been repaired and is ready for use.  Thank you for your patience and understanding while we made the necessary repairs.  Enjoy!

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Question:  Have you seen small groups of people in the fitness center doing tricks on foam rollers and boards that look like skateboards and wondered what are they doing? Women, men, young and old with conditioned and not so conditioned bodies are using the Vew –Do balance boards. I am one of the class devotees. The thirty- minute class gives you some workout!  The warm up alone gets your heart pumping! You would be wise to have water with you!  I should warn you that these exercises take time and effort to master. I can’t say enough about Nancy and Ann the two instructors who were running the program.  They each had their own special way to motivate and help you succeed. Because of the small class size, they are able to give you individualized help. The new class schedule will have more classes with instructors from the fitness center.

I have been a Club Fit member for twenty-eight years. Working out and staying fit is very important to me. Now that I am retired I have even more time to devote to exercise with good friends I have made at the gym over the years.

When Club Fit launched a balance training class in the TRX area of the Fitness Center last November, I knew I would give it a try. Boasting that these classes would strengthen core and improve balance and flexibility, I thought it would be a good match for my personal needs. Over five years ago, I was diagnosed with osteopenia and shortly after that I fell while taking an aerobics class and broke my femur. Luckily, I am completely recovered but the scare of falling and breaking other bones never goes away. This workout has helped me strengthen my back, ankles and calves. I have noticed a huge improvement in my posture, too! I feel that I am better equipped to prevent injuries if I should lose my balance.

Class size is limited to six so you must call the gym the morning of the class. Sign up and join me in the fun!

Laura Plotnick

The post Taking on a “balance” approach to exercise appeared first on Club Fit Blog.

1. Do you live near town or commute to a local train station?
Think about riding a bike or walking to your commuter station on days when the weather allows. This will not only provide you with extra cardio, but will cut down on the amount of gas you consume and the emissions that your car is producing. It may seem like a small and insignificant contribution but the fact is, it makes a difference. A nice walk to town can also be a fun activity for the family . . . sort of an adventure! You just have to commit and leave a little extra time for your travels. If none of that works for you, try carpooling.

2. Buy local and fresh produce and goods from your neighborhood farmers markets.
Not only are you buying products that are GMO free, but you are more likely to make smarter decisions on what you eat because there are very few processed foods available at these markets. You’re also supporting a local business and let’s face it, it just feels good!

3. Recycle. Recycle everything you can. Switch to reusable products and bags when possible. Use BPA free plastics.
Sure, it might take an extra few minutes to put a plastic bag in a pile of recycling, take out the bottles and cans and sort paper products, but we can reduce the amount of wast we produce by taking small steps. BPA is a chemical that has been linked to some health concerns ranging from reproductive abnormalities to obesity and insulin resistance. You don’t have to go crazy, but learn which types of plastic are safer for you and your family.

4. Use products that are free of harmful chemicals such as mercury or lead.
Here is a helpful link of some chemicals in common household items to try to avoid. Chemicals in Household Products.

5. Invest in some Earth-friendly workout clothes.
Clothes that are long lasting that you don’t have to replace often are better for your wallet and the earth! Clothes that are made using sustainable methods are even better. Here are some suggestions if you are looking for Green Fitness Gear!

6. Teach your kids about going green and what that means.
Everything starts with education at home! Talk to your kids about conserving energy, recycling, go for a nature walk, make some crafts from recycled goods and ask them what they want to do to help!

7. You can even recycle your old gym sneakers to companies like NIKE. They will be made into materials that are used to build sports courts!

Not too shabby, eh? Give it a try for a healthier you and a healthier world.

The post Earth Day: A Healthier You and a Healthier World appeared first on Club Fit Blog.

So I was thinking. At 61, working out 3 or 4 times a week at CF, I’m not really playing to win. I’m playing to tie.

I grew up watching Jack LaLanne and his dog, Happy, on black and white TV, and I remember one episode where he read some viewer mail asking whether older people could actually build muscle mass to look like him. “No”, he shook his head, “you have to do it when you are younger. Once you pass 50, you just are what you are”. I remember clearly thinking that that would never happen to me. I would start building myself up sooner or later.

Now, later, I guess I am what I am. My LDL might be descending, but I am what I am.

Meanwhile, I just came back from a marathon night at CF: I ran 6 laps in 12 minutes, 3 miles on the cyclotron (maybe more, I forget), the dreaded Circuit with the dreaded Jenn (“do your 12 reps while I set up the next machine ” – no rest for the out-of-shape). (She’s great).

And finally, exhausted, ready to leave, there was my daughter Anna starting a TRX class right in front of me. I joined in.

After a night on the hunt for fitness, I wasn’t at my best. Someone has figured out that there is an exercise method in hanging ropes from the rafters and calling it something inscrutable like TRX. I was shaking, yes, like a leaf, and feeling like my muscles were begging for forgiveness. And Anna next to me was doing superhuman things, as was the woman, maybe my age,next to her who, Anna told me later, had once run across the Sahara. 400 miles. Did I mention that I ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill tonight while watching Jeopardy?

But there I was, trying to put my toes into the rings and doing push-ups. Nope. I reverted to a yoga pose. When in doubt, do yoga.

But I’m feeling good tonight. I’m playing for the tie. I’m not trying to look like Jack LaLanne anymore, although I am eating like he did (spoiler alert!)at the end of his life (he was 96). But I’m going to prove him wrong. In the Circuit last week, Ross, a fit young man who guided me through, started chatting about March Madness, and I remarked that I hadn’t yet had the courage to enter the CF Gym, as in basketball gym.

He said he was more of a football guy but maybe we could play sometime. And I thought yeah. Let’s play some ball. (I played a lot as a kid). I’m still six foot three and I think I got a little game left. My skyhook is still a lethal weapon.

Don’t tell Ross or Jack. I’m playing to win.

The post I Got Game appeared first on Club Fit Blog.

This is obviously not kickboxing; I learned quickly that kickboxing is no place for selfies. This is me rocking out some TRX earlier this winter.

After crawling out from under a hectic schedule, I was looking for something to change up my cardio routine.  It’s been a while since I’ve tried a kickboxing class, and by that I mean somewhere in the ball park of a decade.  I vaguely remember it being a great workout, but also that it was really, really hard.  (I guess there was a reason I didn’t go back.)  It also brings up 90′s-era visuals of Billy Blanks in a shiny electric blue singlet, which may be either fun or scary, depending on your level of exposure to the “Tae-Bo” fad.

Anyway, I took notice of it on the group exercise schedule when I started here at Club Fit, but since it was labeled as an intermediate class, I stayed far away.  Even now, though I’ve been working out consistently for months, each new activity definitely makes me feel like a beginner again, and I wasn’t sure about jumping right into an intermediate class.  But this week, I considered kickboxing again, because I felt that my cardio endurance had improved (thanks to Spinning), and that my core stability had started to improve as well (thanks to Pilates), and that I had a pretty good chance of getting in a good workout without injury or a traumatically embarrassing fall.

There were definitely a lot of missed steps and a little bit of flailing around, but also a lot of sweating, a lot of using new muscles, and a lot of fun!  The music was definitely inspiring, the moves were fairly easy to follow, and there was a good amount of air-punching involved, so it’s definitely a great way to end a stressful day.  I probably shouldn’t have been so timid to try this earlier, but I won’t worry about it. Now that I’ve started to get the hang of it, I’ll definitely be back.

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I'm a big fan of the rowing machine, thanks to my trainer, Susie.

This week has been unusually frustrating for me.  A multitude of personal commitments outside of work, both morning and night, have kept me from visiting the gym for the last 3 days.  I won’t say that’s any kind of devastating fitness drought, but it is a big deviation from my recent 5-6 visits per week.  When I exercise, I feel better and sleep better, and when I don’t, I feel stiff and lethargic.  So, feeling “blah” instead of great on top of a busy week was really starting to grate on my nerves.  Once this thought crossed my mind, a shocking realization came to me: I have become one of those people!  A person who craves exercise!

I can’t even tell you when it happened.  It’s been about 6 months since I started working out regularly, and it feels like only yesterday that I was so concerned about my ability to commit and stay motivated enough to get to the gym every day.  But when scheduling is your obstacle, and not motivation, it can be especially irritating.  The feeling of not having enough time for yourself is not a good one.

We’re now in mid-March where the weather warms up, social calendars start filling up again, and New Year’s resolutions sometimes fall by the wayside.  I can see that this is a turning point where a person could be tempted to say “this isn’t working with my lifestyle anymore, I’ll take a break and get back to it when I have more time.”  I’ve even done it myself in years past, which only led to me shamefully cancelling my gym membership a few months later.  Not this time!  The gifts that exercise has given me are too wonderful to let go of now.

This week has taught me an important lesson: no matter what you’re doing (exercise or not), it’s important to always make time for yourself, or you may find yourself tempted to give up on the thing that keeps you going.  Thankfully, one thing that IS on my busy calendar today is an appointment with Susie, and she won’t put up with any of this giving up nonsense.

The post When the going gets tough…literally. appeared first on Club Fit Blog.

And my fitness friends assure me that once I start to work out, I will begin to crave it. I won’t feel satisfied until those endorphins are coursing through my quivering, expanding muscle fibers. After 2 weeks, I would have to say that hasn’t happened yet either.

But the positive news is that it’s not quite a living hell.

My first contact at CF, the person who would orient me, was Liz Swan, schooled in England, a social media specialist, who, in addition to her patience and kindness to weenies like me, was known as Slash Borden in Westchester’s Suburbia Roller Derby, a flat track roller derby league. ( That I have watched it many times while channel-surfing tells you something about me, and that she was a touring athlete in that tough league tells you something about her. ) She’s impressive.

She sent me on to Ted Gilsinger, the Fitness Director of CF, who used to train cadets in their workouts at West Point. Not weenies. He debriefed me on my general health and skinny-ass physique and plotted a workout plan of attack. I told him that if he made it too onerous, I would just stop coming, blame him, and choose the heart-attack option. He said not in this man’s army.

So I’ve been showing up to CF on snowy days in my Nike shorts and T-shirt, trying to look nonchalant, like I know what I’m doing. I come dressed because, unlike you endorphin guys, I’m still a little shy about the locker room, and every time I go, it takes me extra time to figure out which way to insert the card in the locker to get the key.

My routine – yeah, I guess that’s what I call it – is to bike a while, do the Circuit, and then run uphill on the treadmill for literally minutes. I’ve been at it for a couple of weeks now, three times a week. No endorphins yet. No muscles either. But it’s getting easier and even, occasionally, fun. I need to find ear buds that stay in place while I run. So much to know.

In the days of Michael Jordan I wanted to “Be Like Mike”. To all of you spinners, runners and weightlifters around me at CF- I just want to be like you.

The post Baby Steps appeared first on Club Fit Blog.

One of the greatest gifts from my college experience (aside from my education) was core stability, thanks to Pilates. My new goal is to rediscover that strength.

More than a decade ago, in college, I studied musical theater performance.  This may sound like a cupcake degree to some, but it was a rigorous and multifaceted program of study that involved every aspect of performance.  In addition to a host of performance classes I spent most of my day in a sweat, moving between movement, dance, and stage combat classes, with instructors who relentlessly pushed us to be our best, and always better than the day before.  Aside from the inherent life lessons there, I’m very grateful to those professors for introducing me to one essential and valuable practice: Pilates.

Almost like boot camp, one professor led us through a 45-minute Pilates mat workout each day of our freshman year at the crack of dawn.  At the time, Pilates was not as much a part of the public consciousness; there were no Pilates studios in town, and no local gyms had classes around the clock as we see now (and as we are so lucky to have here at Club Fit.)  My fellow students and I didn’t even really know what had hit us; we would crawl back to our dorm rooms, cradling our exhausted and sore abdominal muscles, and silently cursing Joseph Pilates for inventing such torture.

After a not-so-long period of time, we all started to notice amazing changes, not just in our physical appearances, but more importantly, in our capabilities.  In dance classes, our leaps and turns got bigger and better. In stage combat we had better balance, stronger “punches”, and we fell down less frequently.  We had greater energy, injuries became fewer and further between, and we improved rapidly in all of our other physical practices.  Even though I carried a significant amount of extra weight, I found myself able to double pirouette with the rest of my ballet class – I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful that felt.  It wasn’t long before we realized that the Pilates mat workouts had given us an incredible gift: core stability.  The workouts we dreaded became practices that we craved, because of the miraculous abilities it gave us.  As upperclassmen, we would continue to practice anywhere we could find time and space; even in our tiny apartments and dorm rooms.  We were converts!  Some days, we’d sneak into those early morning freshmen classes we used to fear, to squeeze in a guided mat class alongside them.  One of my classmates was so devoted to the life-changing benefits of Pilates that she went on to become an instructor after college.

All of these memories came back to me one day as I was looking through old photos from college, and I asked myself, how did I forget how valuable this practice was, and why am I not incorporating Pilates into my workout routine now?  Even though I’ve changed career trajectories off stage and into nonprofit arts administration, the benefits of this practice are no less valuable to me, or anyone, especially when it comes to preventing injury.  I got myself to a Pilates mat class at Club Fit as soon as possible, and I can’t say it was like riding a bike.  After ten years away, it really felt like starting all over again.  It’s hard work, the exercises seem unusual at first, and my abs hurt just the same, but I’m here to tell you that sticking to the practice equates to a really miraculous transformation.  I’m committing myself to rediscovering that core strength, and if you haven’t tried Pilates yet, I encourage you to give it a try – not just once, but a few times, to see what it can do for you.

The post Pilates; Take 2. appeared first on Club Fit Blog.

I used my birthday as an excuse to book a massage appointment.  I’ve only had a couple of massages in my lifetime because I’ve always seen them as a luxury or a treat, but recently I’ve heard about the health benefits of massage, and how it can can help your body purge itself of lingering toxins.  I hoped a massage would help me push the proverbial “reset” button and that I’d start feeling a little better.  Well, it definitely worked!

When I met Jessica for my massage appointment, she took the time to ask me lots of questions about my health history, how I’d been feeling, and what I hoped massage would do for me. The massage therapy she gave me was absolutely fantastic.  Afterward, I immediately felt more relaxed, but at the same time, every muscle in my body felt energized and awake.  I even noticed myself drawing longer, deeper, fuller breaths, and that night, I slept exceptionally well.

I thought I felt great right after my massage, but it wasn’t until the next day that I really felt amazing!  My whole body felt relaxed, but at the same time, engaged and alert. My breathing was deeper, my mind felt more focused, and even my posture had improved!  In fact, as I sat in a meeting at work that day, I wondered if we’d gotten new conference room chairs because I felt so much more comfortable than ever before.  When I looked down and saw the same chair, I knew that my massage was worth every penny.  Even after a strength training workout that evening, I didn’t “undo” any of my massage benefits – I continued to feel amazing. (Thank you, Jessica!)

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This has for the most part been a highly successful method. Okay, that blood clot in my leg a few years ago that I was hoping would disappear didn’t, and I won’t bore you with that whole thing. Hospitals, embolism, a little lung damage. It was an outlier for God’s sake. I’m healthy.

The second outlier arose last year. My brother, a year older than me, had a heart attack resulting in angioplasty, a stent and a pacemaker. It sent shock waves through my family (I’m one of six), especially since I had been waiting for about a year and a half for some chest pain behind my own sternum to resolve. It had gone from occasional to persistent and had me worried. I had opted as I always do, not to tell Louise, my wife. She would just make a big deal of it.

The diagnosis from the cardiologist came in and it wasn’t good. Dangerously high cholesterol, bad family history (at my age my mom had a bypass, later a stent, and a little later she passed away).”You are in trouble”, the doctor asserted, “you have Coronary Heart Disease. You are at the highest risk of having a heart attack. You have to lower your cholesterol right now, and ultimately we need to think about rearranging your plumbing”.

This happened a year ago, so I’ll just say that I went online and learned about the possibilities of reversing heart disease with diet and lifestyle, and am lucky enough to have found Dr. Rob Ostfeld, a cardiologist at Montefiore-Einstein, who, with my wife Louise, has helped me to change my life.

The diet is the same as Bill Clinton’s, actually. No meat, no fish, no chicken, no dairy, no oil of any kind, no exceptions. That’s it. “What do you do for protein? Why don’t you eat olive oil, isn’t it heart-healthy?” If you google Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic, you’ll see why Bill and I did it. Scientists have proven that this diet is a powerful tool and can repair the arteries and heart – blockages can actually disappear.

So, that’s it. A month later, my cholesterol was down 100 points. My blood pressure – oh yeah, that had been borderline – was way down, heart rate down. I sleep better, rarely get sick, no more heartburn, etc. I’m historically a skinny guy but middle age had hung a 30 pound gut on me which 4 months later was gone. My 36″ waist Levi’s which were too tight went down to a roomy 32″. I feel great.

All of this happened through major pantry and diet changes. And the best part was – I did it without exercising! No running! No stretching!

Ostfeld said “Nice work” but your LDL should be a little lower, and that only comes through exercise. This is why you hate doctors. I had to start working out.

I don’t really believe in exercise, laughing cruelly at runner friends with foot and knee problems, secure that I am a 1951 Human with some body damage but very, very low mileage. That, Louise and Ostfeld said, needs to change.

And so here we are, in the present. I found Club Fit, went through the doors a couple of times, looked around and thought – No, I don’t think I can do this. These are not my people. I’m pretty sure Norwegians and their descendants like me shouldn’t exercise. We are genetically calm, slow, stiff, and we try not to lift heavy things. Change my diet, yes. Start to treat my body like a temple, no.

I mean yes. I have 3 great kids in their twenties who need my continuous oversight (although they have been pretending to ignore me for years). I’m still paying college bills and a mortgage, so the banks need me. Great friends and family – I guess I’m not done yet. Oh, and a business making and restoring violins that still makes me happy.

And although I’ve gone a good distance in the fight to repair my heart and arteries, I know there’s more to do. I get it. And I’m going to try to do it with those exercise fanatics at Club Fit.

The post Taking Control appeared first on Club Fit Blog.