New Fitness Plus Website; Sneaky High-Salt Foods; Fight Winter Illness

Fitness Plus Newsletter

November 2010

In This Issue

High-Salt Foods

Winter Illness Season

From the Trainers...

Working for Health
by Jessica Ray,
Personal Trainer

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention projects that in 2010, heart disease will cost the United States $316.4 billion. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity in the work place. Common risk factors for heart disease include inactivity, obesity, hypertension, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Individuals have in their capacity the ability to combat these risk factors head on, and furthermore, reduce the economic impact heart disease has on America.

Many work places have implemented wellness programs as part of their employee benefits packages. However, many employees are unaware of this opportunity to monitor and improve their health at no additional cost. Businesses are striving to improve their employees' health, which in turn, will lower medical costs and absences at work related to illness. In doing this, companies offer employees the chance to take health assessment surveys to learn more about their health. By compiling health assessment data, businesses can better assess what their employees' health concerns are and how they can provide assistance and guidance to improve upon them. In addition, most wellness packages provide the opportunity for their employees to be contacted by a professional health advisor with whom they can directly discuss their health-related issues. This opportunity grants people the chance to ask how they can improve their health, set realistic goals, and hopefully eliminate additional risk factors that may lead to harmful diseases and/or conditions. Some companies may also offer onsite resources such as health screenings, fitness facilities, and health educational seminars. This makes it easier for employees to designate time during their work day to focus on their health.

Read More on the Fitness Plus Blog >>

Spotlight on Clients

We would like to congratulate Fitness Plus client Helen Alexander on her horses win at the 2010 Juddmonte Spinster Grade I stakes at Keeneland on October 10. Her horse, Acoma won the $500,000.00 11/8 mile race by half a length. The race can be viewed here.

Quick Links

Food Fit Healthy Recipes

Sheila in Chevy Chaser

Exercise of the Month

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Greetings!

Here they come again: "The Holidays." It seems they creep up on us every year and all of the sudden it's chaos and stress for 6-8 weeks. It's an easy time to get out of your workout routine. Missing workouts combined with stress-eating and the tired feeling that often accompanies the short gray days can open the door to winter weight gain.

Start planning now on how you are going to combat these evils this holiday season. Make sticking to your workout schedule a priority in your life. If you are an outside walker and have a history of dropping your walking during the winter months, make plans now to add a new indoor activity to replace your lost outdoor cardio. Try the new Zumba class at Fitness Plus or find a partner to meet at the gym for a 30 minute treadmill walk two or three times a week. If you want to try going it outdoors for the winter, then treat yourself to the proper clothes. Remember, all Fitness Plus clients get 10% off at John's Run/Walk Shop. The important thing is to start thinking about how to beat the winter blahs and weight gain now; ask your trainer to help you make a plan for success.

For everyday health tips, don't forget to check out Fitness Plus on Twitter and Facebook, as well as the Fitness Plus blog.

Have a great month,

Sheila

What's Happening at Fitness Plus

Check out the brand new Fitness Plus website that was launched this month. This site is designed for both current and prospective clients. There is a library of video exercise tips by your Fitness Plus trainers, as well as links to our blog, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also access our most current as well as all of our archived newsletters. Please explore the site and give us your thoughts. We want this site to be a useful to tool to you.

The new Zumba class, taught by Mary Brooks, is a hit! If you have not joined the fun, you still have time. Classes are Tuesday nights at 7:15 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 4:00. Your first class if free; just drop in. To continue, you must pay for eight classes in advance; you will be given a punch card to keep up with the classes you have taken. Cost is $20.00/class. You do NOT have to be a current Fitness Plus client to participate.

Nova Gourmet has started their individual healthy meal delivery service at the Ashland location. If you are wanting healthy, low-calorie meals that are not loaded with sodium and chemicals prepared for you, then this is the service for you. There is a new menu posted each Monday with 5 different entrée choices. Orders are turned in on Friday and the meals delivered the following Monday (put in freezer in lobby). Meals are prepared fresh with local, high-quality ingredients. Nutrition information is provided. Check is to be left at the time of your order. Many clients are finding that ordering five to 10 meals a month is a great way to avoid falling off the wagon on those nights where you just don't feel like cooking.

Sneaky High-Salt Foods
EverydayHealth

If you've been in a grocery store lately, you've probably noticed more and more low-sodium foods on shelves, from cheese to crackers. There's good reason for the change: Consuming salty foods can increase your risk for serious health conditions, like high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. The obvious fix is to cut some of the salt from your diet, but sodium is sneaky--it can lurk in many seemingly healthy foods.