March 2005 Newsletter

This Month’s Contents:
• Sticking With Your Fitness Goals
• Three March Workshops: Eating for Weight Loss, Osteoporosis, SMR Stretching
• HypnoBirthing Classes Here
• Wednesday Wellness at Chelmsford Library--Free
• Make Time and Space for What Matters
• Book Review: Younger Next Year
• Fitness Q&A: Ask Cheryl
• Cuisine Quick Pick
• New Coupons! Expanded Online Store! New Equipment! New Session!

Sticking With Your Fitness Goals

As the calendar turns to March, busy work schedules, late-season sniffles, and school vacations can derail the best intentions to keep up our fitness practices. Others find that enthusiasm for their New Year’s health resolutions has faded. Stay strong!

This issue links you to resources and tips that could give you a well-timed lift. We’re offering new workshops and classes, techniques for staying motivated in Ask Cheryl, a nurturing dinner recipe, plus an expanded selection of books, videos, and DVDs in our online store. And our review of the new book "Younger Next Year" raises the interesting concept that many things we accept as part of the aging process are actually due to the sedentary modern lifestyle.

Still looking for a jump-start? Remember that our energizing classes, dedicated instructors, and therapeutic massage services have much to offer. We are here to help you look and feel your best.

Be Well, Cheryl

Three March Workshops

Eating for Weight Loss, Health, and Well-Being

March 4 1:00-3:00 PM Pre-registration required

The title says it all! Come to this workshop to learn skills that will help you lose weight, improve your health, and enhance your well-being. Discover principles that will outlast the fad diet-of-the month. Find out how to eat healthfully--for life.

Osteoporosis

March 9 2:00-4:00 PM Pre-registration required

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, osteoporosis is the “silent disease” because bone loss occurs without symptoms. Now is the time to get the bone health facts you need, loud and clear. Join us for an informative session that will help you identify if you are at risk, explain exactly what osteoporosis is, outline what the risk factors are, and how you can reduce your risk factors. You will also learn basic exercises for increasing bone mass. This class is for people who are being proactive and have not been diagnosed with osteoporosis, as well as those who have been diagnosed.

SMR (Self Myofascial Release) Stretching

March 12 11 AM-1 PM Pre-registration required

Do you stretch and stretch yet never seem to gain flexibility? This method of stretching uses a foam roller to help reduce muscle imbalances, increase range of motion, decrease muscle soreness, and improve overall functional ability. It is based on influencing the myofascial components of the kinetic chain by applying deep pressure into areas of myofascial restrictions. The deep, prolonged pressure decreases spindle hyperactivity and improves extensibility of the myofascial components. This is an extremely beneficial form of stretching ideal for both before and after activity. Cost is $25 for workshop and $30 for the foam roller and booklet.

Cost for either workshop: $25 per person (plus any materials needed). To pre-register (mandatory), call the studio at 978-692-1032.

HypnoBirthing Classes Here

Learn HypnoBirthing (R) (The Mongan Method) from instructors who have experienced the joy of gentle, calm, and comfortable birthing. HypnoBirthing is as much a philosophy as it is a technique for achieving an easier, safer, and more comfortable birth. Benefit from special relaxation, visualization, and breathing practices that prepare mother, birthing companion, and baby. The five-part class is taught by Certified HypnoBirthing Practitioners, Jeana Flahive and Allison Lakacha of New Life HypnoBirthing.

Visit their website for more details, www.newlifehypnobirthing.com.

Cost: $275 for mother-to-be and birthing companion. To pre-register (required), call Jeana, 617-501-1377, Allison, 781-520-9073, or send an e-mail: info@newlifehypnobirthing.com

Wednesday Wellness at Chelmsford Library--Free

Interested in exploring new health and wellness alternatives? The Chelmsford Public Library and the Chelmsford Women of Today are offering a free Wednesday Wellness series open to the public. The remaining two sessions take place March 2, “What is Naturopathic Medicine and How Can it Treat Chronic Illness?,” and on April 6, “A Sample of Chinese Energy: Tai Chi & Qi Gong.”

Each starts at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the main library. Visit the library web site for more information: http://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/programs/programs/wednesday_wellness.html. Or contact the Chelmsford Public Library’s Community Services Department at 978-256-5521, ext. 109.

Make Time and Space for What Matters

TV shows like "Clean Sweep" can seem like a dream come true: Professionals converge upon homeowners’ problem rooms to declutter, reorganize, and beautify. A fantasy it is; who has a full week to devote to decluttering, plus the services of a professional team? Yet clearing away physical distractions to make time and space for what matters doesn’t have to require huge amounts of time and money. Your own mini-makeover can bring worthwhile results.

Experiment with these ideas to begin creating a serene space that lets you focus. Chances are that you’ll also save time in your daily life by being better able to find items when you need them. As you read on, consider starting with a manageable project such as a single bookshelf or just one corner of a room:

Keep to the A List. Professional organizers counsel us to sort our stuff into A, B, and C piles. These categories represent variations on “absolutely keep,” “not sure,” and “definitely goes.” Such a complete sort takes considerable time and energy--so some of us put off decisions indefinitely. Rather than postpone, try dealing only with what we’ll call the A List. Identify the 10, 20, or 30 percent of things you obviously don’t need any longer. Donate these items to a charity, pass them along to a family member or friend (ask first), have a yard sale. Recycle if possible when the items aren’t candidates for reuse.

“B” wise. How do you cope when the time does come to deal with debatable items on your B List? Take a cue from the professionals when decisions about what to keep and what to toss are overwhelming. Pack up the questionable items; write today’s date on the box. Discard anything you haven’t used in one year from the marked date. 

Give me 15 (minutes). This is an adaptation of the quick decluttering techniques made famous by Maria Cilley on her popular organizing website, flylady.net. Our take on this theme: The next time you find yourself with 10 or 15 minutes, cast your eye over a drawer or a shelf that would benefit from your attention.

Don’t overreach. Resist the temptation to remove more items from the shelf or closet than you can deal with in one session. You’ll avoid creating chaos you don’t need.

These techniques stop short of a full clear-out, to be sure. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, though, about the way that even small changes lighten your load.

Fitness Q&A: Ask Cheryl

Q. At first I was doing fine with my new exercise program. Lately a bunch of other things in my life have thrown me off the track. How can I get motivated again?

A. Here are eight great ideas to try. Sample more than one to find what works for you.

1. Don’t dwell on the past. Just pick yourself up and get started again.

2. Take it slowly. One of the biggest reasons for giving up exercise is doing too much, too soon.

3. Visualize the results. Think about what you will look and feel like if you stick with your program.

4. Record your progress. Mark the days you exercise on your calendar.

5. Follow your passion for an activity. Find one that you enjoy.

6. "Force" yourself. That is, wait until you work out at home or at the gym to shower, or leave your favorite shoes and grooming accessories in your gym locker so you can't back out of your commitment. Or perhaps make an appointment to meet a fitness buddy to work out at a specific location--and leave the cell phone at home so you aren't tempted to cancel.

7. Tune in. After your workout take a few minutes, close your eyes, and notice just how invigorated you feel.

8. Escape chores (yes, that's right). Make a deal with a supportive housemate: If you reach your weekly workout goal, he or she must do a detested chore. If you fail, the chore is all yours.

What’s your fitness question? Send it to: cheryl@thewholebodystudio.com.

Book Review

"Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You're 80 and Beyond"

by Chris Crowley, Henry S. Lodge

Guest book reviewer: Denise Ferbas

The minute I laid eyes on the witty, no-nonsense excerpt that recently appeared in Fortune magazine, I was hooked. This book promotes a bold notion: Some 70 percent of premature death and aging (or more accurately, physical and mental decay) is related to modern lifestyles. And by following seven simple rules centered around exercise and nutrition, a person could become functionally younger. I had to read more--even though this book isn't pitched to a mid-career woman like me, but to men of a certain age. 

The authors, an active 70-something retired attorney and his physician, have a motivating message. They want you to know a distinction exists between biological aging--which is inevitable--and the functional decay that can be staved off. They explain how aging locks us in a struggle between decay and growth; people have to work to override the physical and mental signals that cue the body and mind to decline.

Their prescription for exercise will probably ring familiar, as will other healthful lifestyle advice. So besides the fresh perspective they cast on the aging process, much of what’s new about their approach is the simplicity, the frankness, and the persuasiveness with which “Harry’s Rules” are delivered. Take Rule #5: “Quit eating crap!” First you laugh; then charmed by the humor, you’re ready to absorb the practices that the authors want you to take to heart.

You don’t have to be a man nearing retirement age to benefit from Crowley and Lodge’s advice, or to have fun reading their book. While certain chapters are absolutely guy territory, and other sections are meaningful mostly to those about to launch into retirement or a second career, most adults who want to prepare ourselves to enjoy a long, healthy, happy future can find useful motivation here.

Cuisine Quick Pick

Penne with tomatoes, spinach, and cannellini
Get this recipe here

Prepare a hearty supper with lots of vegetables and whole grains in a little more than the time it takes to boil dried pasta. The directions are detailed to help you get this one-dish meal to the table in about 30 minutes.

The twists here: Using white beans fools the eye--and the tummy--into sensing that your plate contains loads of pasta when this dish is actually more about vegetables. At first you might prefer this recipe with white-flour penne if you haven’t tried whole-wheat pasta before. You will find whole-wheat pasta much more filling than its counterpart because of its fiber content. And watch your pasta closely at the end of its cooking time; whole-wheat penne goes from al dente to falling apart more quickly than the white-flour kind. 

If this combo of ingredients does not please your palate, visit the free recipe file at http://www.epicurious.com. Search on “penne” to find a bounty of variations on this general theme. You might simply want to increase the vegetable content or substitute whole-wheat penne to add nutrition.

New Coupons! Expanded Online Store! New Equipment! New Session!

Two offers for March.

Coupon #1:

For $60--a $120 value--new clients receive a fitness/wellness evaluation and wellness plan; includes two one-hour sessions. Coupon must be presented at time of first appointment. Bonus: When the new client is referred by an existing client, the referring client will receive a one-hour personal training session.

Expires:  3/31/05

Coupon #2:

New clients get one class free--a $15 value. Coupon must be presented at time of first class. Bonus: When the new client is referred by an existing client, the referring client will be entered into a drawing for a one-hour personal training session.

Expires:  3/31/05

Resources just a click away. Last month, you told us that you appreciate the convenience of purchasing recommended videos, DVDs, books, and more from our website. So we've been hard at work to offer you even more options. Explore the newly expanded selection of Pilates, yoga, and healthful living resources:

http://www.thewholebodystudio.com/retail.asp.

New cardio equipment is here. The Precor elliptical trainer, treadmill, recumbent bike, and upright bike have arrived. Set up a 15-minute demo with Cheryl to review use of the equipment.

New session began February 28. You can still take advantage of openings in current classes (at a prorated rate) if you have yet to enroll. Don’t delay; popular class times fill quickly. Review the schedule on our website, then contact Cheryl at 978-692-1032 or cheryl@thewholebodystudio.com

Coming in April

• Puttering Your Way Thin
• When Buying Organic Is Best
• Fitness Q&A: Ask Cheryl