What's Happening

A New Workout Option

A circuit class is a great way to tone all muscle groups and burn calories in a fast-paced group session. We'll take you through a series of exercises that you can modify for your level of fitness. You can make it as challenging or easy (but why?) as you like. If we have enough interested folks who can come at a common time, we'll form a class. Cost will be $15 per 55-minute session. There's a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the studio or call Tara for more info.

Staying Motivated

CoachMeFit is excited to tell you about a new program, called essentialsteps,™ that was developed specifically to help women over 40 develop sustained motivation to exercise. Many women view exercise as a chore or punishment, and have tried many types of exercises, equipment, and gyms but always lose their motivation and drop out. As a client of CoachMeFit, you know that regular physical activity produces good health, well-being, improved memory, weight control, decreases stress and prolongs life, among many other things.

If you struggle to exercise consistently or know someone who can't sustain the motivation to exercise, this program may be of interest. EssentialSteps was developed by Dr. Michelle Segar, researcher at the University of Michigan and President of the National Center for Women and Wellness.

CoachMeFit clients (past or present) will receive a 10% discount on the essentialsteps™ program. To find out more call (734) 995-5125 or email michelle@essentialsteps.net.

Rate changes

Due to the new tax on services enacted by the State, CoachMeFit will be raising its rates as of December 1. We have kept the increase to a minimum -- single session rates for individuals and doubles are staying the same.

New rates:

Note: These rates include the tax on services.

Returning to the training floor

We are glad to have Jen Boyce and Jen Rowley back after maternity leave.

Clients of the Month: Training partners Dianne Malesko and her daughter Dianne Guzak

"I love training at CoachMeFit," says Dianne G. "It improves my attitude about life," says Dianne M. Mother and daughter agree that training with Amy insures a challenging, varied work out every session and the "good hurt" that comes after. They find Amy's energy and positive attitude contagious.

Like so many CoachMeFit clients, Dianne G. realizes that exercising by appointment is the only way to insure she'll make time for it. A young mother of three, Dianne felt she was losing the strength and overall fitness she once had. By taking this time for herself, Dianne is reaping the rewards mentally and physically.

Dianne M. realizes it takes Amy's exceptional skill to train simultaneously two people of different ages, abilities, limitations and goals. Amy routinely modifies certain exercises due to Dianne's injuries. Like her daughter, Dianne M is striving for greater muscle strength. They are both reaching that goal and more ... the endurance and level of fitness to pursue their love of sailboat racing.

Feed your heart well

Feeding your heart well is a powerful way to reduce or even eliminate some risk factors. Adopting a heart-healthy nutrition strategy can help reduce total and LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), lower blood pressure, lower blood sugars, and reduce body weight. While most dietary plans just tell you what you CAN'T eat (usually your favorite foods!), the most powerful nutrition strategy helps you focus on what you CAN eat. In fact, heart disease research has shown that adding heart-saving foods is just as important as cutting back on others.

Here are nine nutrition strategies to reduce your risk:

1. Eat more fish. Fish is a good source of protein and other nutrients. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
2. Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. These beautiful and delicious wonders of nature may be one of the most powerful strategies in fighting heart disease.
3. Choose fat calories wisely. Keep these goals in mind:
4. Limit total fat grams.
5. Eat a bare minimum of saturated fats and trans fats (for example, fats found in butter, margarine, salad dressing, fried foods, snack foods, sweets, and desserts).
6. When you use added fat, use fats high in monounsaturated fats (for example, fats found in olive and peanut oil).
7. Eat a variety -- and just the right amount -- of protein foods. Commonly eaten protein foods (meat, dairy products) are among the main culprits in increasing heart disease risk. Reduce this nutritional risk factor by balancing animal, fish, and vegetable sources of protein.
8. Limit cholesterol consumption. Dietary cholesterol can raise blood cholesterol levels, especially in high-risk people. Limiting dietary cholesterol has an added bonus: You'll also cut out saturated fat, as cholesterol and saturated fat are usually found in the same foods. Get energy by eating complex carbohydrates (whole-wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, whole-grain breads) and limit simple carbohydrates (regular soft drinks, sugar, sweets). If you have high cholesterol, these simple carbohydrates exacerbate the condition and may increase your risk for heart disease.
9. Feed your body regularly. Skipping meals often leads to overeating. Eating five to six mini-meals is the best way to control blood sugars, burn fat calories more efficiently, and regulate cholesterol levels.

Move of the Month

Single-Leg Row

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a 5-pound dumbbell in each hand. Bend forward from the hips. At the same time, lift your right leg behind you, bringing it parallel to the floor, keeping foot flexed.
2. Remaining in that position, draw your left elbow up to perform a row.
3. Repeat for a total of 8 to 10 times, then switch sides.

When to Go Organic

Something about the word "organic" automatically implies a pure, healthy, overall better- for-you product. But is that really true?

The Pesticide Problem

Consider a widely used category of bug killers with an appropriately nasty name: chlorpyrifos. The Environmental Protection Agency calls them the most potentially harmful kind of pesticide. Not all conventionally grown produce is coated in it. That said, it's not known what the long-term effects are of consuming any amount of pesticides. What is known is that for certain people, pesticides are dangerous. Older kids and adults can safely detoxify chlorpyrifos using an enzyme called PON-1. But children under the age of 2 have much lower levels of this enzyme, which means their bodies are exposed to up to 165 times more of the stuff than ours are.

So What is "Organic"?

It's a distinction the USDA gives to products that are grown according to certain standards.

Organic vegetables are grown without using irradiation (which kills bacteria and acts as a preservative), sewage sludge (normally permitted to fertilize conventionally grown plants), artificial preservatives, or the three synthetic biggies: pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.

Organic meats and eggs come from animals that are not allowed antibiotics, growth hormones, genetically altered corn, or genetically altered soybean meal. Nor can they graze on land treated with herbicides or other chemicals or eat non-organic feed. Chickens and pigs must have access to the outdoors, and grazing animals must have access to pastures.

Organic dairy products must come from animals that meet the organic meat standard.

Organic seafood doesn't exist. Sure, your fishmonger has both "wild-caught" and "farm-raised" salmon. But neither is organic. The USDA currently has no classification for organic seafood and probably won't for several years.

The Fine Print

By law, a product labeled "100% Organic" must contain 100 percent organic ingredients. The round green USDA seal designates at least 95 percent organic contents. "Made with organic ingredients" indicates at least 70 percent organic ingredients. If a product has less than 70 percent, it can't be identified as "organic," but the organic ingredients can be listed as such on its nutrition facts panel.

It's Worth It

• Apples, pears, grapes, raspberries, peaches, strawberries, cherries and nectarines are particularly easy for pesticides to penetrate. Organic versions are higher in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
• When grown conventionally, sweet corn, potatoes, celery and bell peppers soak up more chemicals than most. The organic versions are also more nutritious.
• Though the price difference between organic and regular meats may be steep, the argument for buying organic meat is one of the strongest. You'll avoid antibiotics, which can encourage the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in you.
• Organic dairy has up to five times the levels of conjugated linolic acid, a compound that has been shown to help weight loss. Because organic dairy products are pasteurized at super high temperatures, they can last in your fridge for up to 6 weeks without spoiling.

Don't Bother

• Papayas, pineapples, bananas, mangoes, and kiwi's thick skins are tough for pesticides to penetrate. Wash them thoroughly before eating without guilt.
• Thanks in part to thick skin, avocados and peas are least likely to have traces of pesticides. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower shed chemicals quickly.
• Conventional milling robs flour of more natural vitamins, minerals and proteins than organic milling does. But bread and pasta makers add back the lost nutrients. If cookies are high in sugar or fat, the fact that they're organic doesn't make them good for you.

How Bad Are Hormones and Antibiotics?

Organic meat, dairy, and eggs are healthier than the regular varieties because of what they don't contain - namely, the hormones and antibiotics given to conventionally raised livestock. Farmers often give synthetic hormones, including estrogen, to animals so they can produce more milk or more eggs, and grow faster. The close living quarters in which most farm animals are raised encourage the rampant spread of infection, so farmers often lace their feed with antibiotics to keep the animals healthy. Farmers have also found that antibiotics increase growth in animals.

Reaching for organic milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, and meat is a certain way to avoid excess antibiotics and hormones. If you have trouble finding these products, look for beef that's labeled "pasture-raised," "grass-fed," or "natural." Also look for meat or dairy products labeled "hormone-free" or "antibiotic-free," which may not conform to all organic standards but will not have added medications. And take note: The government doesn't regulate these claims as carefully as it does "organic," so organic is still the gold standard.

The Taste Test

Think of a juicy, tender organic tomato, rich in color and flavor. It's way tastier than your average pale tomato. Most conventional produce is picked before ripening so it can survive the trip on a semi-truck to a supermarket across the country. Most organic food is grown locally and available only in season, so it travels less and has more time to develop flavor on the vine.

Likewise, organic chicken is much less rubbery than your run-of-the-mill bird, thanks to higher-quality feed and extra room to roam. And if you've ever done a side-by-side comparison of organic and non-organic milk, you know that, at the same fat content, the former tastes far fuller and richer. This difference is due to the varied diet of most organic cows: Eating grass in addition to standard feed boosts their milk's flavor.

Experts predict that the cost of organic food will soon start to decline, thanks in part to monster retailers interested in capitalizing on the nation's new hunger for organic products. But in the end, if an extra 35 cents, 75 cents, or even a dollar is guaranteed to give you healthier food that delivers more flavor with every bite...well, giving up a few fancy coffee drinks is worth it. Keep in mind, they won't make you thin or guarantee good health for life.