Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

This blog was written by Veronica Hofmann. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

After I had my daughter six years ago, I was faced with 30 extra pounds and no idea how to get rid of it. I began working out regularly and in turn felt entitled to eat more: Hey, I just ran a mile and a half and I deserved it…right? WRONG. I realized very quickly that working out alone was not going to get rid of the weight―especially if I was eating more.

Joining Weight Watchers and Losing Weight

Enter Weight Watchers. I joined the online community and studied point values and began tracking everything I ate each day. This completely changed my view on many foods that I was eating on a regular basis. I also weighed food to ensure proper portions. I found myself eating many prepackaged snacks to control portions. The program worked and the weight came off….hooray.

I then began wondering if the foods I was eating were the healthiest choices. Many snack foods were the same point values as fruits and other foods that were much healthier choices. I then decided to stop counting points and start incorporating more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables into my diet. Weight Watchers is a great program because you can eat anything in moderation. For the average person this is a great fit, but I felt it was not teaching me to eat better.  

Weight Watchers Revamps Points System to Favor Healthier Choices

I was excited to hear that they were making changes in their points system to correct the very issue I noticed. Now most fruits and vegetables are zero-points foods. This should encourage people to pick up that apple or banana instead of a 100-calorie processed snack.

I would often recommend Weight Watchers to corporate wellness clients and friends interested in losing weight, always warning about making an effort to eat healthier. The new program is teaching folks to eat smarter and that is very important. Now I will feel much more confident in recommending the program.

Consider Weight Watchers At Work

Weight Watchers At Work is a great way to encourage a worksite health promotion program! Consider holding a meeting at your worksite. It is much easier to follow a program when you have support from others.

This blog was written by Megan Jack. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Spring is in the air, and you know what that means: golf season, an event of particular importance to corporate health and wellness clients. The single most important thing you can do to improve your golf game this year is to improve your flexibility.

The Benefits of Flexibility

Limited range of motion and lack of flexibility is responsible for keeping most golfers from reaching their full potential. Simply, the easier and more fluidly your body can turn, the better, more powerful your swing. Stretching is a key element in both injury prevention and peak performance. A proper stretching regime benefits the golfer by

• Developing a smoother swing
• Delivering more power to the ball with less effort
• Reducing aches and pains

Developing a Proper Flexibility Program

Before beginning your round of stretching, complete a warm-up consisting of 5 to 10 minutes of aerobic exercise (walking, cycling, etc.) to raise your body temperature. Studies show that a proper warm-up will increase muscle extensibility and let you stretch more safely and effectively. Stretch prior to play, during play (when you feel you need to stretch), and post play. Follow this flexibility regime:

Knee to Chest: Stretching lower back and gluteal muscles

• Lie on back with body extended.
• Bend one knee, bringing it toward the chest.
• Grasp with both hands behind the bent knee.
• Hold the stretch, breathing for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Repeat on other side.

Cat and Camel: Stretching upper and lower back muscles

• Kneel on all fours.
• Slowly round the back, arching it upward and bringing the head toward the floor.
• Hold the stretch, breathing for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Slowly scoop the back, bringing your abdomen toward the floor.
• Hold the stretch, breathing for 20 to 30 seconds.

Figure Four: Stretching hips and gluteal muscles

• Lie on back with both knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
• Cross right leg over left knee.
• Grasp with both hands behind the left knee, pulling the knee toward the chest.
• Hold the stretch, breathing for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Repeat on other side.

Hurdler’s Stretch: Stretching hamstring muscles

• Sit upright with right leg out to the side.
• Bend left the knee, bringing the left foot in to touch the right inner thigh.
• Reach toward the right foot, holding the stretch and breathing for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Repeat on the other side.

Quad Stretch: Stretching middle and upper quadriceps

• Stand holding onto a wall for support.
• Bend left leg, bring foot toward glute, and grasp left foot.
• Keep knees together and flex your gluteal muscles.
• Stretch, breathing for 20 to 30 seconds, and repeat on the other side.

Pec Stretch: Stretching pectoralis (chest) muscles

• Stand facing an open doorway or corner.
• Bend elbows to shoulder height at sides and place palms against the doorframe or wall.
• Lean body forward, stretching and breathing for 20 to 30 seconds.

Consider starting a golf league within your company. It’s just another way to incorporate worksite wellness into your program!

This blog was written by Mechelle Meadows. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Warmer weather is finally pushing its way into the nation, and many of your corporate fitness members will be itching to take their exercise outdoors. While outdoor workouts are a fun alternative and offer a great way to mix up your programming, even 75 degrees can dramatically intensify a workout.

As you’re rolling out new programs for the summer months―including outdoor boot camps, circuit classes, and training runs―remember to urge your members to take heat precautions.

Here are some tips to design safe outdoor workouts at your corporate wellness center:

• As suggested in this article, try to plan activities or classes around the peak temperatures of the day. From 10am to 2pm, the sun’s rays are the strongest, but the heat can linger throughout the afternoon. Try early-morning or later-evening class options.
• Build more rest/water breaks into your classes than you normally would. With hotter temperatures, the body will perspire more, so remind your participants to always bring a water bottle to these outdoor workouts. When planning the class agenda, build in periodic water breaks for at least a full minute each.
• Keep sunscreen handy. At our corporate fitness center, we keep a few bottles of SPF 30 in our first-aid kit.
• Monitor your participants closely for symptoms of heat exhaustion. Dizziness, confusion, and pale skin can all be signs that a person is overheating. If a member mentions that he or she has stopped sweating and feels a dry, salty layer on the skin, this can be an indication of dehydration.
• Urge your runners to take their pace a little slower than normal. In temperatures over 60 degrees, runners cannot be expected to set record times. Jeff Galloway, author of several marathon-training books, suggests that for every 5 degrees above 60, runners should decrease their mile time by 30 seconds.

Here’s to a safe and happy summer!

This blog was written by Mechelle Meadows. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

As exercise science professionals, many of us are in our peak fitness years. We work with a wide range of clientele in our corporate and retirement fitness centers, and we assume that we know how to adapt exercises to how the older generation operates. But do we really know what it feels like to age?

Researchers at MIT recently created what’s called the Age Suit. The intent was that someone could step inside the suit and instantly feel like they were 74 years old. Features include

• Padded shoes that throw off balance
• A cord restricting movement of the back while adding pressure to the spine
• Compression bandages around the knees
• Gloves that make gripping objects harder
• A brace around the neck limiting range of motion
• Blurry goggles

One of NBC's Today Show correspondents tried on the Age Suit and was given the task of grocery shopping. He reported back that not only was it harder to see the grocery list and the items on the shelves, but it was hard to reach any objects that were on high or low shelves.

Often, when adapting exercises for our older clients, we think about only one or two of the factors that could be inhibiting them―for example, weak knees or a stiff back. We must remember that many of these older clients experience several symptoms of aging, that when combined require specialized exercise prescriptions.

It’s also important to remember that not every older person functions exactly the same. Some have been active for many years while others in a senior fitness center may be experiencing exercise for the first time. The Age Suit offers a great reminder that sometimes we need to literally step into someone else’s shoes.

This blog was written by Kara Gootee. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Like most people, have your resolutions fallen to the wayside, or have you simply forgotten them? It’s no secret that it is easier to be more active during the warmer months. The ability to get up off the couch and get outside is motivation from the sun! Start the month off right by reevaluating your current lifestyle habits and commit (or recommit) to be fit!

Here are some simple ways to commit:

• Set a goal. Having something to strive for can help keep you on track to achievement and success. Consider what you enjoy and set a SMART goal.
• Schedule time. If you plan ahead and incorporate physical activity into your schedule, you may be more apt to stick with the plan. Pack your gym bag the night before.
• Walk at lunch. Motivate your coworkers to commit to be fit! Let others know you plan to walk at lunch and ask them to join you. Worksite wellness programs are a perfect place to learn how to incorporate exercise into your day.
• Engage your family. After dinner, strive to get the family involved in a bike ride or a walk through the neighborhood.

How do you make time for physical activity, or what does your company do to encourage employees to have healthier lifestyles?

This blog was written by Megan Jack. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

The deepest part of the abdominal wall―and the most important, specifically for postpartum exercise―is the transverse abdominis. These muscle fibers run horizontally across the abdomen and perform abdominal compression, which draws the belly inward and narrows the waist. It is sometimes referred to as the “internal girdle.”

The Flat-Belly Muscle

After pregnancy or excessive abdominal weight gain, the transverse acts as a splint helping to close any abdominal separation. It is the body’s most important core stabilizer and is responsible for “re-flattening” the abdominal wall. With pregnancy, the abdominal wall has been pushed outward for nine months. It is important to first retrain those muscles to pull back in toward the spine.

A common mistake postpartum is to jump right into crunches, which strengthens the external layers (rectus abdominis). External layers can then overpower the transverse, leaving it functionally weak. This in turn causes the abdominal wall to bulge outward, specifically below the waist. So I encourage my corporate fitness clients to train those abs from the inside out. 

An Exercise for Tightening Your Core

It is never too late to retrain and balance out all of your core muscles. Try the following exercise from BeFitMom.com, beginning with 3 sets of 5 repetitions held for 5 seconds, and progressing to 3 sets of 8 repetitions for 10 seconds.

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat.
2. Place a Bender Ball between your knees.
3. Place an object such as a toy block or two hockey pucks taped together on your stomach in line with the hip bones.
4. Without holding your breath, squeeze the Bender Ball between your knees and draw the pucks down into the abdomen without initiating a crunching action. Some visualization cues to think about: “Navel to spine” or “zipping up a tight pair of pants.”

As you pull your belly in, you should notice the pucks or block sinking. If they rise as you complete the exercise, stop, reset, and try again.

This blog was written by Bethany Garrity. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

I’m not an Indianapolis native and I didn’t grow up around racecar driving. I’m a Buckeye―I’m all about the football. For me, baseball, hockey, and golf are sports. They're not sports I love, but I do view them as athletic pursuits (though I’ll admit, it took me a while to come around to golf as a “sport”). Racing is a different story. Unless we’re talking about racing on foot, it just doesn’t resonate with me as a sport.

What's the Physical Challenge of Driving Around in Circles?

I originally chalked up that “it’s not a sport” mentality for racecar driving to the fact that I simply wasn’t into the hype. I don’t know anything about racecar driving, and to be honest, I didn’t see the physical challenge in driving a car in circles. So I started researching the Indy Racing League (IRL) to see what I could find out about stock-car racing.

I started seeing the term “land rocket” in my search results, and I noted that the drivers sometimes maintained speeds of 200 m.p.h. for four to six hours and in high heat. My education in exercise science and my experience in corporate fitness began to kick in and I realized that those physical demands had to have some kind of traditional exercise component, and thus, perhaps stock-car racing really was an athletic pursuit. There has to be something “fitness-y” about drivers expected to produce under those conditions.

Racecar Drivers Have High Levels of Exertion

My conclusion: It turns out racecar driving is a sport! I found quite a bit about training regimes both on and off season. But what hit home most for me was a press release from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for a December 2002 article in the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal. It noted that drivers reach levels of exertion similar to those athletes playing basketball might attain.

They also noted that the work level for a driver is comparable to someone running at an eight- to ten-minute-per-mile pace. Now that is something I can relate to. I’ve trained for the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon with a nine-minute-per-mile pace group. It’s hard for me to imagine maintaining that pace for four to six hours with temperatures in the high 90s to over 100 degrees.

Go NASCAR, go IRL―race your hearts out! I can’t promise I’ll watch with enthusiasm and follow like a true fan, but my appreciation has grown. Now, if we could just get more sports fans to adopt a piece of the exercise routines from their most beloved drivers, pitchers, shooters, goalies, defenders….

This blog was written by Kara Gootee. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Do you find that after sitting at your desk staring at your computer all day, you start seeing double? Your eyes might feel irritated and dry. You might even have a headache or neck, shoulder, and back pain. You might be suffering from Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). CVS is described by the American Optometric Association as vision-related problems following prolonged computer use.

Other symptoms of CVS include the following:

• Eyestrain
• Tired, achy eyes
• Blurred vision
• Trouble focusing after long periods of computer use

Most symptoms are temporary and will subside after completing computer work. If your work causes you to spend long hours at a computer monitor, consider taking breaks. Incorporate a stretch break so you can relax your head, neck, and shoulders while giving your eyes a rest, or simply get up and move. Prevention will help reduce visual symptoms associated with CVS.

Consider these additional steps to protect your eyes:

• Take short breaks; for a few seconds to a minute, look away from your computer monitor.
• Tilt your monitor up to prevent glare, or consider an anti-glare screen.
• Position your monitor so the screen is 4 to 5 inches below eye level, and so you sit 16 to 30 inches away.
• To avoid dry eyes, blink frequently to keep your eyes moist.

Make sure to routinely visit your eye doctor and give your eyes a break! Vision health is an important part of worksite wellness.

This blog was written by Lisa Larkin. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

It’s scary to think about younger generations having an increased number of strokes. My mom had a stroke a couple years ago. At the time she didn’t know it, but she has high blood pressure and cholesterol, which are risk factors for strokes.

I think it’s important that younger and middle-aged people start going to the doctor and know whether they are at risk. Some risk factors for stroke cannot be changed, such as age, heredity, gender, and previous history of stroke or heart attack. But some risk factors are controllable.

Obesity, smoking, overuse of alcohol, and high blood pressure are all reasons why the number of strokes has increased in younger people. Get into the gym or walk outside to start burning calories. Then continue to do some sort of physical activity every day.

Do you know your numbers? If not, schedule an appointment with your doctor and know your cholesterol, HDL, and LDL levels. If they are unfavorable, ask your doctor what you can do to improve them. Living a healthy lifestyle is important for your present and future.

Does your corporate wellness program provide an onsite fitness center? If so, be proactive; take advantage of the great resource made available to you.

This blog was written by Sean Holbrook. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

A slow twitch.

An uncontrollably shaky hand.

Both are easily passed off as nothing, but this is just how Parkinson's starts. This degenerative central nervous system disease eventually leads to difficulty walking and talking, and even cognitive function.

Currently there is no known cure for Parkinson's, but there is a recent increase in funding toward research for Parkinson's disease because of President Obama's reversal of restrictions on use of stem cells in research. The increased funding has led to research in additional areas regarding Parkinson's disease, including lifestyle habits.

New Study Offers Parkinson's Prevention Hope

A new study by the Harvard School of Public Health shows that men who ate a diet rich in foods containing flavonoids were 35 percent less likely to develop Parkinson's disease. Researcher Xiang Gao stated that the study suggests that a group of flavonoids known as anthocyanins may have a neuroprotective effect.

The study looked at the responses of 49,281 men and 80,336 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study. Participants were followed for 20 to 22 years and filled out food questionnaires. The researcher calculated flavonoid intake based on the responses of five flavonoid-rich foods, including tea, berries, apples, red wine, and oranges/orange juice. No real link was identified for women, but both men and women who ate the most foods rich in anthocyanins, berries, and apples had a 22 percent lower risk of Parkinson's disease.

Antioxidants and Balanced Diet Limit Risk for Many Diseases

The benefits from a healthy antioxidant-rich diet full of berries, citrus fruits, teas, and even chocolate are well known because of their ability to prevent cardiovascular disease, several types of cancers, premature aging, and the list goes on and on. This study does not prove that berries or a diet rich in antioxidants will prevent Parkinson's disease. This was an observational study that lends more support to the fact that eating a well-balanced diet and making healthy lifestyle choices can be a limiting risk factor later in life.