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Archive for the ‘Fitness’ Category

Visit the Tropics–in the U.S….at Rough River Lake in Kentucky

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Nature and Stress, tagged , , , , , on June 21, 2011| 2 Comments »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Costa Rica or Kentucky? Kentucky!

Last year, my boyfriend and I ventured down to Kentucky for a long weekend get away. And what we found surprised and delighted us. Rough River Lake, Nolan Lake and Mammoth Cave are great spots for hiking, swimming and boating. Swimming in Rough River Lake, we felt like we were in Costa Rica.  The great thing about a Kentucky vacation for Chicago area dwellers is that getting there is only 6 hours drive from Chicago to Rough River Lake. Door County, WI is just as far but Lake Michigan is cold and prices for boat rental, lodging, and food are about double in WI as compared to prices in Kentucky. Kentucky is warmer in general.  Check out the photos from our last trip and decide for yourself if Kentucky should be on your “must visit” list. We know we’ll be back!

Tranquail island in Rough River Lake, KY

What about wild life? We saw many deer and they saw us!

Kentucky deer look a lot like Illinois deer

Pontoon boats are easy to navigate in Rough River Lake

See an island you like? Pull up your boat and stay a while!

We made a wrong turn and ended up heading for an uber narrow canal!

Beautiful, peaceful and warm clean water in abundance!

Tiny "islands" abound in manmade Rough River Lake

For info on Rough River Lake, click here.

For inf on Nolan Lake, click here.

For info on Mammoth Cave, click here.

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What Style and Where to Take Self-Defense in Chicago

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Stress Management, tagged , , , , , on June 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Recently I was asked about self-defense classes in Chicago and if I knew of any classes that led to further study in martial arts. I took Karate in High school but it’s been years since I took any martial arts, so I decided to do some research and see what I could dig up.

A Thousand waves Self Defense Classes

First off there is a fantastic post by Jesse Ouimet, “Top eleven – best self-defence martial arts” on his blog, These Go to Eleven. Click here for the full post. I found it interesting that in some of the comments, people said that what is considered “best” for Mixed Martial Arts self-defense and what is the best style for a woman trying to fend off a male attacker twice her size varies greatly. Commenters agreed that Israili Krav Maga and Karate were likely best for females looking to fend off attackers, while MMA fighters liked fighting styles that had more grappling and floor moves (since MMA fights usually end up on the ground). But a small woman would not fare as well if they fight went to the ground. Makes sense to me.

As a form of exercise, most martial arts can be excellent in providing cardio and strength training. At the same time, one reason I don’t practice martial arts is that there can be a lot of joint wear and tear. Hey, I like my joints! I want them to work for me as I get older, and as a massage therapist, I am very protective of my hands and wrists. So punching and sparring subjects my wrists and hands to too much abuse. (And yes I know that if my form was perfect I’d have less joint concerns. Yet who has perfect form when you are learning a new skill?

Mark MacYoung

Marc “Animal;” MacYoung’s No Nonsense Self Defense serves up some witty, funny and fitful food for thought about the difference between martial arts and fighting. To this writer, all types of martial arts are good for self-defense. He explains quite a bit about how to look at self-defense, what it is and the motivation behind it. It’s a good read. Click here for No Nonsense Self Defense. This is a great site for info on martial arts  in general, street fighting, and self-defense.

In Chicago, there are a number of different Martial Arts studios and styles taught. Link to Yelp listing here. Some of the more self-defense oriented classes are listed below.

Krav Maga Illinois
2200 Skokie Valley Rd
Highland Park, IL 60035
(847) 433-0405
www.KravMagaIllinois.com

POW! Mixed Martial Arts School
950 W Washington Blvd
(between Peoria St & Sangamon St)
Chicago, IL 60607
Neighborhoods: Near West Side, West Loop
(312) 829-7699
powkickboxing.com

Offers Krav maga boxing, Muay Thai, and Jujitsu.

A Thousand Waves for Women has a self defense course AND offers ongoing classes in Seido Karate to men and women as well as children.

Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self-Defense Center, NFP
1220 W Belmont Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
Neighborhood: Lakeview
(773) 472-7663

Self Defense Centers
2151 W Irving Park Road
Chicago, IL 60618
Neighborhood: North Center
(773) 539-2900
www.selfdefensecenters.com/

Hours: Mon-Thu 9 am – 9 pm , Fri 9 am – 8 pm, Sat 9 am – 4 am

Yelpers say:  It’s practical, hands-on self-defense training that’s based on Kenpo, a type of martial art.  Not only do SDC offer very affordable private lessons and packages, but this includes UNLIMITED group classes Mon-Sat.

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Warrier Dash Training with the Bosu Balance Trainer

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , , , on June 10, 2011| 5 Comments »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Dr. Bonny Flaster responded to my training query about getting ready for the Warrier Dash this fall. Her advice is spot on: combine strength training with balance training using a Bosu Balance Trainer. Her advice is here.

Bosu Balance Trainer

According to the Amazon product description: The Bosu Balance trainer helps you strengthen and coordinate several major muscle groups, including the muscles you don’t see. The Bosu targets your core muscles–the muscles around your abdominal and back area–while you perform a host of different workouts, from squats and bicep curls to lateral shoulder raises and hip extensions. As a result, you not only gain strength, trim, and tone, but also improve your balance and coordination along the way. In addition, Bosu training helps strengthen the mind, with thoughtful movement that requires the participant to not only be physically involved, but also “here and present” with the mind fully engaged. By combining physical and mental focus, Bosu training will boost your performance across a wide continuum of activities, including sports, recreation, and daily tasks.

The Bosu balance trainer–which measures 55 cm and comes in blue–comes with a foot pump and an exercise manual.

The Bosu System is available from Amazon for about $70. Click here for link.

Wii Fit Balance Training

For those that are not quite ready for the Bosu system, you can also start working on balance and flexibility with the Wii Fit. Wii Fit does not provide the instability of a Bosu “ball” but it does give you some great practice on maintaining your balance and coordination. And it has a fantastic yoga module for flexibility.

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Small Workouts Add Up to Big Gains in Overall Fitness

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , on June 7, 2011| 2 Comments »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Today we have a guest post from mediashower.com by Katrina Robinson. Tell us what you think, Katrina:

Sometimes, there’s just not enough time in the day to get everything done. That includes exercise. How many times have you had to skip the gym in order to finish up a project at the office, go to a meeting, clean the house, or anything that makes your day seem too short?

But did you know that every little bit of movement you do throughout the day really can add up? Maybe you don’t need to go to the gym after all.

According to a study that was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, any little bit of movement can help in some very small way to keep you in shape. These small bouts of exercise can also be referred to as “incidental physical activity” or “activities of daily living.” Some examples of “activities of daily living” are:

  • Walking to the window
  • Chopping tomatoes for dinner
  • Playing with your hair as you talk
  • Drumming your fingers on the desk

Image from Sheknows.com

Back in the olden days, before practically every person owned a car and drive-thru restaurants were on every corner, people performed many more activities of daily living than we do today.

In order to see if incidental activity could act like aerobic exercise and improve VO2 max, researchers at Ontario’s Queen’s University recruited a group of healthy, yet overweight, men and women who were equipped with an accelerometer, a machine that records every step that the wearer takes and every movement that he or she makes throughout the course of a day. The researchers also determined each volunteer’s VO2 max.

The results weren’t exactly astonishing. It was found that the volunteers averaged about five hours of movement during a typical day, most of which was extremely light activity. Only very rarely did anyone move faster than three miles per hour, and when they did, it was only for a very short period of time.

It’s recommended that a person gets at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day, and not one of the study volunteers met that guideline. So while it seems as though this particular research group didn’t seem to gain much from their incidental activity, that doesn’t mean that you can’t. Here are some tips to help you get some quick exercise in via incidental activity:

  • Fidget—it’s shown that leaner people are more likely to fidget frequently, whereas more obese people aren’t as fidgety

    Image from Austrialian Woman's Weekly

  • Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator
  • Park far away from your office building’s entrance (or any building’s entrance, for that matter)
  • When you visit the grocery store, walk down every aisle
  • Pace or stretch while watching television
  • Stand up and pace while on the telephone instead of sitting

These are just a few things that can help you to get more incidental activity into your day—and help to trim down your waistline, too!

Who is Katherine Robinson and Why Should We Listen to Her?

Katrina Robinson is a freelance writer and editor based in Charleston, South Carolina. She writes about a wide variety of topics including sustainable living, health, and ergonomic chairs.

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Got a Fitness Goal? Dr. Bonny Flaster Can Help!

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , , , , on June 5, 2011| 1 Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Dr. Bonny Flaster

Want free tips on training for an upcoming event? Marathon, tournament, Warrior Dash, doesn’t matter what your sport is, Dr. Bonny Flaster is willing to give you free advice on your workout routine for the next 6 months. Dr. Flaster is a Chicago chiropractor AND a serious fitness enthusiast–and she’s been both for any years. She can be seen rollerblading along the lakefront or kayaking in the lake all  summer. Check out her blog, Dr. Flaster’s Health Line and ask her for tips yourself! What have you got to lose? (Maybe a few inches off your waistline!)

Check out Dr. Flaster’s post “I’ve Got a Goal” here, and let her help you reach your fitness goals!

Other helpful blog posts from Dr. Flaster:
Run, Walk, Recover

What’s Stress to You

Getting Back in Shape

In-Line Skating–Flying on the Ground

Heat Stroke Does & Don’ts

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Motivation and Humor To Keep You Exercising Into Your Older Adult Years

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , on June 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

A Taoist Tai Chi class performing the move &qu...

Image via Wikipedia

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Today I came across an excellent blog post “7 Reasons Older Adults Don’t Stay in Exercise Classes–And 7 Reasons Why They Should” by by Susan Ingraham, BCRPA-certified Fitness Instructor for the Older Adult (Vancouver, Canada). It’s well written, funny and gives you great info why older adults (And hey, at some point we will all be older adults) tend to stop going to exercise classes. And then she gives you 7 excellent reasons to keep going to class. In reading her post, it occurs to me that her reasons for older adults to exercise are pretty darn good reasons for younger adults to exercise too. Read it for a shoot of exercise motivation! Read the post here at Saveyourself.ca

Who is Susan Ingraham and why should we read her blog?

Susan Ingraham, age 63, is a fitness instructor, certified to teach general fitness classes for older adults and for older adults with special needs.

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Chicago Children Run to Fight Poverty for African Children

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Wellness for Parents, tagged , , on May 26, 2011| 1 Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Teaching kids about the benefits of fitness AND the benefits of helping others is one reason I am a big fan of Breakthrough Ministries new blog and new cause: Breakthrough Runners blog and the African Running Program. The Running program sends kids from East Garfield Park’s Breakthrough Ministries Running club to Africa to meet three of the Africa children the Chicago kids are sponsoring. Breakthrough Ministries has been offering a boys and girls running club for students in East Garfield Park for the past two years. The club pairs adult mentors with adolescent students to train and run races each fall. While East Garfield Par  ranks at the top of the city for crime and drug use every year and is one of Chicago’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods,  it is teeming with brilliant and talented young students.  According to one of the posts in Breakthrough Runners Blog about the kid’s devotion to running: Over the past 2 years of running club, the Breakthrough youth have consistently shown up to as early as 6am on Saturday mornings despite the weather.  During the first year (09) our girls ran through hail and freezing rain on more than one occasion.  Last year our boys ran on the lakefront during a day in which the winds blew with gusts up to 60 mph and the sand from the beach mixed with rain was literally cutting them till their legs bled as the ran.

Breakthrough Runners

A representative from World Vision helped 6 runners from Breakthrough Running Club (Nick, Tony, Alesha, She-She, Ashley and Cheyenne) find children to sponsor AND for the Chicago runners to meet in a remote villages in South Africa, through World Vision’s Child Sponsorship Campaign. World Vision is a huge humanitarian aid organization that is working for sustainable solutions to global poverty in over 100 different countries. The African Running Club was charged with finding child sponsorships (through World Vision) for 3 of the kids who live in area that they will be visiting on their trip to Africa. Thus far the Breakthrough Runners have found sponsors for 10 children in Africa. However, they still need sponsors for 8 more children to meet their goal of sponsoring 18 African children.

The six Breakthrough Runners left Chicago today for their trip to visit the children they sponsor in Africa!  Read all about it here.

If you would like to help the Breakthrough Runners meet their sponsorship goals, email rfunk@breakthrough.org for more info about helping with sponsorship.

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Your Children’s Friends Have More Influence on Their Fitness Than You Think!

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , on May 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Hiking and biking is more fun with new friends!

Parents do have influence on their children. But peer pressure can be a big factor in how your children relate to their own health, diet and fitness needs. According to Russell Jago, Ph.D., in his research study,  Better with a Buddy: Influence of Best Friends on Children’s Physical Activity in the Feb. 2011 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, boys who have active friends spend more time participating in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than those with inactive best friends. The study also found that girls who frequently engage in physical activity with their best friends have higher levels of physical activity. Boys and girls who take part in physical activity with their best friends, at home or in the neighborhood where they live, tend to have in higher levels of physical activity.

The Better with a Buddy study examined how the physical activity of self-identified best friends were associated with the physical activity of 10-to-11-year-old children in Bristol. Their research showed that girls played with their best friends in a physical activity five or more times per week ended up with nine more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day than those who were active with their best friend once a week or less. Girls who were played actively with their best friends at home or in their neighborhoods had six more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day than those who were only active with their best friends at school. At the same time, boys who were active with their best friend at home or in the neighborhood had 11 more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than those who were just active with their best friends at school. The boys in the study averaged 42 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day. The girls averaged 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, these analyses indicate that having best friends who are active and active outside of school can make significant contributions to children’s physical activity levels.

The study findings suggest that parents and schools should encourage children to take part in physical activity with their best friends.

Who is Russell Jago?

Russell Jago, Ph.D.

Russell Jago, Ph.D., a Reader in Exercise, Nutrition & Health in the Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences at the University of Bristol in the U.K. His research focuses on children’s physical activity and behavioral interventions to increase physical activity and prevent childhood obesity.

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Demand to Be Healthy-Tap Your Inner Hero May 2-8th, 2011

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Nutrition, tagged , , , , , on April 27, 2011| 1 Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

May 2-8 is Demand Healthy Week. What does that mean?

Tap your inner hero for health and show your support for an active, healthy American culture by participating in ACTIVE Life’s Demand Healthy Week. Throughout Demand Healthy Week, ACTIVE Life challenges you to create, share and log “Moments, Groups and Projects for Health” . These projects can be simply preparing a healthy meal, organizing a recurring walk or bike ride with friends or coworkers, or participating in community events such as a clean-up day or working in a community garden. It’s easy and free to participate in Demand Healthy Week. The Demand Healthy Week website has all the tools you’ll need to take action. Click here for more info.

More details from the Demand Healthy Week website:

History of Demand Healthy Week

On May 5, 2010, ACTIVE Life asked people and places across the country to show their support for healthy, active lifestyles by creating and sharing Moments of physical activity (Move), healthy eating (Fuel) and personal and environmental health (Honor). We called this day-long initiative Make the Movement Day (MMD) , and the end results demonstrated the powerful effects of what can happen when an energetic and committed community works together.

By the end of the day, nearly 90,000 healthy Moments had been organized and shared in 43 states. MMD participants of all ages took part in healthy, active Moments like school-wide health marches, healthy office picnics and community-wide run/walks. And, for one incredible day we were unified in our mission to build healthier communities.

Despite the success of Make the Movement Day, unhealthy living continues to be an epidemic in America, manifested in ballooning obesity rates, soaring health care costs, and the overabundance of unhealthy people, places, products and policies.

What are other people doing to show their healthy lifestyles? For a list of other healthy demander’s and a description of their healthy Moments, Groups and Projects, click here. And for a list of supporters of Demand Healthy Week, including the American College of Sports Medicine, click here.

About ACTIVE Life

ACTIVE Life is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to organizing the national movement for healthy change in America. They envision and are committed to establishing an American culture which values, demands and supports healthy for all. They believe that it’s time to demand that healthy be the norm in our country, and  hope you’ll demonstrate your support by participating in Demand Healthy Week.

To learn more about ACTIVE Life and our programs and initiatives, click here.

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Learn to Balance Nutrition and Exercise with Chicago’s NSC…Gotta Run!! Club

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Nutrition, tagged , , , on April 4, 2011| 1 Comment »

lakefront joggers

Image by reallyboring via Flickr

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Recently I came across a nutritionist’s website that I really like. The nutritionist, Jennier Vimbor, has banded together with fitness experts to create a combo nutrition education and exercise club called NCS..gotta run!! This club incorporates nutrition and exercise into a weekly meeting format. Our Nutritionists, weekly speakers and guests will demonstrate how to balance your nutritional needs with your fitness needs. Each member receives individualized recommendations from Nutritionists/Dietitians, Trainers and others in order to continue to move forward to reach your goals.

Here is what you receive if you join the NSC…Gotta Run Club:

1. Every week you will keep a food & activity journal, then submit the information prior to each meeting.

2. A Registered Dietitian (RD) will evaluate your intake/output and provide personalized recommendations.

3. Each week we’ll start off or end with a different 15 – 30 minute clinic regarding nutrition information, correct shoe fit, stretching, rehydrating, Pilates & Yoga, and Massage Therapy.

4. Get out there and run or walk at your pace for 15 – 60 minutes along Chicago’s beautiful Lakefront Trail., depending on your goals. Pacers will be out there with us in order to provide consistency, advice and encouragement.

5. Safety is of great importance. No member will walk/run alone. There’s a match for everyone.

6. Return to suite to pick up your belongs.

7. Q&A with our Healthcare Professionals, if interested.

8. Enjoy complimentary snacks & beverages.

Schedule

6-Week Sessions
Session A is Closed
Session B: Mon, Jun 6 – Jul 18
Session C: Mon, Aug 1 – Sep 12
Session D: October 18th – November 22nd

When: Every Monday, 6 – 8 pm
(doors open at 5:45 pm)

Where: the Fine Arts Building
410 South Michigan Avenue, Suite #306, Chicago, IL 60605

Cost: $150 ($25 per session for the whole package)

Registration: Sign up for NCS…Gotta Run!! Club  here.

NCS Founder: NCS…Gotta Run Club was created by Jennifer Vimbor, MS, RD, LDN, CDN in 2003 to promote optimal nutrition, health & wellness. Her website is the ChicagoNutritionist here.

Jennifer received her Master’s Degree (MS) from Columbia University in New York City. She is a Registered Dietitian (RD), Licensed Dietitian-Nutritionist (LDN) and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist (CDN), as well as certified in Food afety from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

NCS philosophy: nutrition plays a significant role in your life. You really are what you eat. The foods you choose influence your healthy and well-being. Foods are selected for many reasons (pleasure, emotions, traditions, and associations as well as nourishment). The challenge is to find a balanced regimen that works for your lifestyle.

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