Exercising During Pregnancy

Posted by on Jan 10, 2012 in Fitness, The Daily Beat, Women | 0 comments

When Carrie Cooper realized she could still go rock-climbing while pregnant, even she was surprised. Read more about exercising during pregnancy at the USA Today.

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How To Choose a Health Club

Posted by on Jan 10, 2012 in Fitness | 0 comments

IHRSA, The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, a trade association representing over 10,000 health clubs and fitness businesses across the globe offers the following suggestions for choosing a health club.

A Gym Membership is an Investment in Your Health: The most important thing to remember is that your health club should work for you. Choose a club that will help you attain your goals in a fun and engaging way. When deciding which club is right for you, remember that a fitness club membership is an investment. When investing in your health, you should make a choice based on how much you expect to get out it.

If you are planning to use a gym for a quick workout on the treadmill during your lunch break, a small, express club may meet your needs. However, if you are looking to participate in group classes, personal training and/or social activities and sports leagues, a full service club may be the right choice for you.

Since there are clubs geared to all types of members, in order to find the club that’s right for you, you’ll need to consider your level of fitness experience (will you need an unintimidating club with hands on service and special programs for beginners or a fully stocked weight room designed for an experienced athlete); your lifestyle (will you be working out before work, during lunch, on weekends, at 3am) and your fitness goals (will you want to train for a marathon or to be better able to play with your grandkids).

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Finding My Peace Through Yoga

Posted by on Jan 6, 2012 in Fitness, Wellness | 0 comments

By Dominique Ponko

For each of us, life is full of transformation.  For me, peace has come through the growing presence that yoga has had in my life, and with acceptance of the limitations of my body and the flow of continual change.

In 2003, I was working as a massage therapist, and teaching yoga for fun.  At the age of 26, with no apparent health challenges, I had a violent and completely unanticipated seizure.  I woke to find myself in the hands of paramedics who were asking me basic questions I could not answer.

An MRI led my husband and I to a grim meeting with a physician who explained that I have a brain tumor.  I have what is known as a glioma, which is a tumor located in the left temporal lobe which are the areas of the brain that impact speech and memory.  Because of its location, the tumor cannot be removed without great risks for a loss of both my memory and speech.  This type of tumor is slow growing, but still very much alive.

Finding out that you have a brain tumor that cannot be completely cured causes most people to stop and reflect, as I did.  My childhood and early life experiences were tumultuous ones, and I’ve always been drawn to sources of healing and comfort in my life.  By the time I was 20, I felt like I had lived a lifetime.  I was, quite simply, exhausted to my core.

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How Yoga Helped Me Navigate Choppy Waters

Posted by on Dec 9, 2011 in Fitness, Women | 0 comments

By Melanie Camp

I was 56 years old and I found that I fit the statistic of the average age of widowhood. I felt too young to be a widow and as my practice improved I knew that the door to a happy life could swing open. Yoga helped me see that the possibility of a healthy and full life was ahead of me and that there were no limits to my flexibility. Because each posture addresses so much of the “inner mind”, my adjustment to this new chapter was enhanced by a positive focus and a consistent practice. After a few months of reflection, I decided to participate in my yoga teacher’s first Yoga Teacher Training along with sixty other yogis from around the world.

I enrolled for five weeks of intense training, six days a week from 7am until 9pm or later. I did it…I completed my training and while I was not convinced that I would be teaching, I wanted to share my knowledge. With a body that was more toned than ever, I began sharing the message wherever I traveled. “Yoga can change your life!” became my theme song. With meditation and concentration, I sent a message out to the universe that I wanted more than ever to “participate” in this new life; explore my new freedom and challenge my fears.

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