Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Local seniors have an assortment of fitness classes to choose from at the Cupertino Senior Center.
Have you heard exercise is important for adults over 50, but are not sure where to begin? Well you are not alone. Many seniors feel discouraged by fitness barriers, such as being overweight, chronic health conditions or concerns regarding injury while exercising. Perhaps a disability is keeping you from getting active? For seniors living an active lifestyle is more important than ever. Exercise helps seniors maintain good health, increase energy, improve memory and boost self-confidence. It can help manage the symptoms of illness and pain, maintain your independence, and even reverse some of the symptoms of aging. Exercise is great for your body, mind and soul. If you are an adult over 50, you are in luck because right here in your own …
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Bicycle riding in and around the Bay Area.
I was surfing the web this week, looking for cycling-friendly routes and trails, specifically in Cupertino, and surrounding areas, and I came across a great, user-friendly website named Bikely.com. Put very simply, Bikely helps cyclists share knowledge of good bicycle routes. People like you, submit their favorite bike paths to Bikely.com and voila! A database full of bike routes is then created. You can draw your favorite bike paths right on the map, or you can search through their database of routes. Chances are, someone has cycled that way before you, and Bikely can show you a virtual step by step tour. “I use their website all the time,” says Scott Dunthorst, Los Gatos resident, "I’m always looking for new routes and this website …
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The ancient art form of tai chi provides magical physical and mental health benefits.
Have you ever been in the presence of someone as they practice the ancient art form of Tai chi? Well, I have and let me tell you, it is something to marvel at. Last week, I was on a short jog near Memorial Park in Cupertino, where I saw a man in his 60’s or 70’s gracefully swaying his arms and legs in hypnotic movement. Watching his body move through the air in a slow, meditative and rhythmic pattern was absolutely breathtaking. Originating in China, this Chinese phenomenon is quickly gaining more momentum throughout the world with most community recreation departments offering an assortment of daily classes. But the largest group of people adopting this new art form is the elderly. Tai chi’s gentle flowing movements are known to relieve …
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Consistent exercise for seniors is the key to happy and healthy aging.
As you grow older, regular exercise and leading an active lifestyle becomes more important than ever—especially if you are over 50. Exercise and strength training helps you look and feel younger and stay active longer. Regular physical activity lowers your risk for a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer’s, heart disease, diabetes, and dementia, several types of cancers, high blood pressure, and obesity. It also can help you reduce stress and tension and aids in weight-loss. Research shows that a sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy for the elderly and constant inactivity often causes seniors to lose the ability to do things on their own such as showering, bathing, errands and cooking. A daily life filled with little movement can lead to …
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
If you are seeking a new way to meet your weekly exercise quota, you may want to take up the fast-paced and fun sport of volleyball.
Have you ever watched a volleyball tournament and noticed how perfectly lean and sculpted the participants bodies usually are? Tight and toned—this is the type of body most of us yearn to have. It is a well known fact that volleyball provides a fantastic total body workout. It is a great form of exercise that tones and strengthens your arms, shoulders and back muscles, while it also builds strength in the legs, buttocks, and core. Volleyball increases endurance and hand-eye coordination, and helps develop speed, agility and flexibility—all while having fun in a social and sometimes outdoor environment. One hour of volleyball can burn up to 400 calories (depending on your body weight), which over the course of one year, would add up to …
Saturday, August 6, 2011
An innovative local fitness program offers mom and baby an opportunity to exercise together!
Perhaps you have seen them in the neighborhood—a group of fit, suprstar moms pushing baby strollers at a brisk pace only to stop for a quick set of push-ups or for a post workout stretch on a grassy field while baby lies on a blanket right next to mom. These ladies, determined to make fitness a part of their daily routine, may be members of Stroller Strides, a total fitness program that moms can do with their babies. Founded in 2001, Stroller Strides has over 1,200 locations and more than 150,000 participants nationwide. Taught by certified and specially trained fitness instructors, Stroller Strides is a great workout for any level of exerciser. Workouts include power walking and intervals of strength and body toning exercises using …
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
CrossFit offers regular people of all ages and fitness levels functional fitness for health, sport, work, and most important for life.
For years, CrossFit has been the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide. But recently, this hard-core exercise routine has taken a front-seat among fitness enthusiasts. From senior citizens, to librarians to fire fighters, people of all ability levels are reaping the rewards of this intense workout. “Before starting CrossFit, I was out of shape and at 170 pounds and at 5 feet tall, I knew I had to make a change. With CrossFit, I lost 20 pounds in three months and gained a lot of muscle,” says Priscilla Marrot, CrossFit fan. “If I can do it, anyone can!” …
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Throw out your bathroom scale. If you want to know the truth about your body composition, it’s time to get high-tech with hydrostatic body fat testing.
Hydrostatic body fat testing, or underwater weighing, is a method of determining body composition (body fat to lean mass) that makes up a person's total body density using Archimedes' principle of displacement. It has been considered the gold standard for body composition assessment for the last 20 years and really is the best way to learn more about your body. Underwater weighing is based upon the principle that states that, “The buoyant force on a submerged object is equal to the weight of the fluid that is displaced by the object. One can use this principle to determine a person's percentage of body fat, because the density of fat mass and fat-free mass are constant. Lean tissue, such as bone and muscle, are denser than water, and fat …
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Release your inner diva with a challenging and fun vertical workout.
You don’t have to be an exotic dancer to appreciate the benefits of pole dancing—regular people can do it too. People often have a misconception of what this sport is really all about (yes, I said sport), but it’s time to realize that women of all ages, moms, grandmas, (and men too) are all able to participate in this new sexy fitness trend. Gone are the days when the only women who knew how to shimmy up and down a pole were exotic dancers looking to make an extra buck at the local bar or strip joint. Today, women of all socioeconomic levels participate in this cutting edge fitness routine. Why? Because it’s a fun, fat-burning workout! Women can go to a local dance studio and participate in a group pole-dancing class, take a private class …
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Local rock climbing gyms offer indoor adventures for kids and teens.
As parents, most of us continuously seek ways to keep our kids mentally engaged, physically active and unplugged from the vast array of media sources. Turn off the television, computer and video games, and cruise over to your local climbing gym, where kids and teens can exercise their bodies and brains in a media-free zone while getting in a challenging and fun workout. Rock climbing demands responsibility, self-confidence, initiative and problem-solving skills—all of which are great qualities to foster in young children. It combines balance, flexibility, strength and focus while providing a physical and mental challenge in a supervised and controlled environment. During this fun activity, which essentially involves using all the major …
Ron Miller
7:08 pm on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Arecelly Clouse is right on the mark about the benefits of exercise upon mental and physical health -- especially of seniors. At the Northwest YMCA in Cupertino, several classes are offered within the Active Older Adults program which are designed to help achieve just these goals. Stop by and pick up a brochure and ask to chat with a member of the staff about these offerings. Contact Ron Miller, … more ›