Great River Health Fitness Newsletter October 2017

Do you have trouble carrying grocery bags from the car? Are you carrying smaller loads of laundry up and down the stairs? Are you finding it harder to do household chores? If so, you may need to beef up your strength-training program.

If you aren’t fighting – and poten-tially reversing – muscle and bone loss, it’s time to start. After age 20, adults lose 1 percent of their bone and muscle strength every year. Strength training can improve your quality of life. Its benefits include:• Balance and stability. Stronger

muscles provide better support, improve posture and help de-crease falls.

• Chronic conditions may im-prove. A National Institute of Health study found men who lifted weights showed lower risks of diabetes. Arthritis, back pain and high blood pressure also may improve.

• Increased metabolic rate. Your body burns calories while you’re strength training and will contin-ue to burn more throughout the day.

Fight muscle and bone loss with strength trainingBesides using weight machines at Great River Health Fitness, you can strength train at home. Resistance bands, elastic tubing, small hand weights and your bodyweight can get you going. Grab a couple cans of green beans and do bicep curls! Try wall pushups or triceps dips while watching TV.

Start with one set of each exercise for 12 to 15 repetitions, slow and steady, and work up to two or three sets. If you can do 15 repeti-tions fairly easy, add more weight. If you can’t do at least 10 reps, go a little lighter. Breathe normally

throughout each exercise and nev-er hold your breath. Always take a day off between workouts or do upper-body exercises one day and lower-body the next. If you experience pain, stop doing the exercise immediately. Don’t forget to warm up before you start and cool down when you’re done.

Strength training isn’t just for the “muscle heads” anymore. To make everyday activities easier and maintain your independence for a long time, start strength training today.

Exercise Class Highlights Myth Buster

Myth: A Halloween candy bar is equal to five jumping jacks.

Truth: You would have to do about 534 jumping jacks to burn off a fun-size snickers bar.

Before you sneak a bite of your child’s Halloween candy, think about the calories and how much work you would have to do to burn them off, depending on your weight and fitness level:• Candy corn (handful) –

Walking for 48 minutes• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup –

55 burpees• Smarties – Chopping wood

nonstop for five minutes• Tootsie Pop – Running for

15 minutes

These tasty treats are OK in moderation, but you should know what it takes to burn those extra calories.

ReminderDon’t forget to track your progress and sign up for your free three-, six- and 12-month health checks. Ideally, you should track your progress and monitor your fitness and nutritional goals every three months. If you have been a member for a while and need to revisit your goals, please stop by the front desk and schedule a health check!

FAST6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and WednesdaysStarting Oct. 24

FAST – Fitness, Agility, Strength, Training – is perfect for young athletes (ages 8 to14) who are ready to improve their performance. Fitness special-ists, and certified strength and conditioning specialists design challenging workouts for this age group. Participants perform exercises and drills that will make them faster, stronger and more explosive!

Registration is limited. For more information, please call 319-768-4191.

Senior classesGreat River Health Fitness has added fitness classes specifically for seniors. Exercise shouldn’t stop as you get older. Keep moving for better health!

Senior Cardio10 to 10:30 a.m. Monday and Wednesday

Senior Stretch10:30 to 11 a.m. Monday and Wednesday

Gentle Movement, 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. Monday and Friday

Fit for Life9 to 9:45 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday

Senior Strength10 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday

Gentle Flowing Chi10:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday

Zumba GoldComing soon!

Call 319-768-4191 to learn more about these and other classes.

Muscle of the Month

TrapeziusBy Chris Lobberecht, ATC/L, certified athletic trainer

The trapezius is one of the largest superficial muscles in your body. Shaped like a triangle, it sits on your back, stretching from your neck and across your shoulders, and ending in a point more than halfway down your spine.

The trapezius rotates, retracts, elevates and depresses the shoulder blade. It has three regions:• Superior – Supports the weight of your arms• Intermediate – Retracts the shoulder blade• Inferior – Rotates inward and depresses the shoulder blade

Several exercises target the trapezius muscle. Do two sets of 10 reps for each.

Hang cleansEquipment: barbell and plates • First position – Hanging. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip,

standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, bending at the hips. With your knees slightly bent, let the barbell hang just above your knees.

• Second position – Extend powerfully through the hips, knees and ankles to create upward momentum, at the same time shrugging your shoulders toward your ears. As the barbell slowly comes up, flex your arms to bend your elbows upward and outward.

• Third position –Catching. As the barbell is propelled upward, shift your body under the bar to catch the weight with your chest. Your palms should end up facing the ceiling and you should sink into a squat posi-tion. Then stand upright.

Weighted shoulder shrugsEquipment: barbell or dumbbellHold the weight in your hands with your arms at your side. Keeping your arms straight, raise your shoulders as high as they can go, then relax.

Bent-over rowsEquipment: barbells or dumbbellsWith your knees slightly bent, bend forward at the hips. Hold the weight below your knees using an underhand grip. Bend your elbows, pinching your shoulder blades together and bringing the weight to your chest.

Face pullsEquipment: cable machine or TherabandKeep the cable machine or Theraband at chest level using an overhand grip. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms straight. Pull the cable or band back in an upward motion (toward your face). While pulling back, keep your elbows higher than your wrists and focus on pinching your shoulder blades together.

Chin upsEquipment: Chin-up barUsing an overhand grip, pull your body upward, approaching or touching your upper chest to the bar. Lower your body until your arms are straight but not locked.

Recipe Makeover

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines, the most-recent available, recommend Americans limit calories from added sugars. The American Heart Association recommends men limit added sugar intake to no more than 9 teaspoons daily; women should have no more than 6 teaspoons.

An old favorite, no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies have about 4 teaspoons of sugar per cookie. You can replace table sugar with sugar substitute or honey without sacrificing taste.

Recipe makeover with honeyIngredients1⁄4 cup butter1 cup honey1⁄4 cup unsweetened applesauce5 tablespoons cocoa powder3 tablespoons skim milk3 cups quick oatmeal, uncooked1⁄2 cup peanut butter1 teaspoon vanilla1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions1. Bring butter, honey, cocoa and

milk to a boil for 1 minute. Follow steps 2 and 3 of the sugar substi-tute recipe.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal CookiesBy Kathy Schmidt, RD, LD, supervisor, Nutrition Services

Recipe makeover with sugar substituteIngredients1⁄4 cup butter2 cups granular sugar substitute 1⁄4 cup unsweetened applesauce5 tablespoons cocoa powder1⁄2 cup skim milk3 cups quick oats, uncooked1⁄2 cup peanut butter1 teaspoon vanilla1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions1. Bring butter, applesauce, sugar

substitute, cocoa and milk to a boil for 1 minute.

2. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter, oatmeal, vanilla and cinnamon.

3. Line a plate with wax paper. Use a teaspoon to form balls, then drop onto wax paper. Let set until firm.

Original recipe Ingredients1⁄2 cup butter2 cups sugar 5 tablespoons cocoa powder1⁄2 cup skim milk3 cups oatmeal, uncooked1⁄2 cup peanut butter1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions1. Bring butter, sugar, cocoa and

milk to a boil for 1 minute. 2. Remove from heat; add peanut

butter, oatmeal and vanilla to the boiled mixture.

3. Line a plate with wax paper. Use a teaspoon to form balls, then drop onto wax paper. Let set until firm.

Cookie calories carbohydrate added sugar fat protein

Original recipe 175 25 grams 4 teaspoons 7 grams 3 gramsSugar substitute 106 18 grams 0 teaspoons 7 grams 3 gramsHoney 150 19 grams 21⁄2 teaspoons 7 grams 3 grams

Member Spotlight

Chris McBride Chris’s story“I am a C 5-6 incomplete quadriplegic. When I transferred to Great River Medical Center, I had no movement in my legs and only slight movement in right wrist. I could move my left arm to my mouth. After about two years of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, I joined Great River Health Fitness. At that time, I could walk only 12 to 15 steps before resting. I shuf-fled my left foot and hiked my right leg like Chester on “Gunsmoke.”

“After neck surgery, I was told that I had nine weeks to improve before my checkup. The checkup was delayed, so we made a video of me taking a short walk for my physician. He was astounded, and he asked for a copy to use in classes and seminars. When another physician saw me walking a few years after I became an incomplete quadriplegic, he blurted, ‘You weren’t supposed to improve anymore!’

“Exercise specialist Tom Mueller has worked with me for about 10 years, and my husband and I consider him a friend as well as an instructor. He explains the muscles needed for each exercise and the proper way to do the exercises for maximum value. When an exercise gets too easy, he adjusts it or replaces it with a new one that adds strength or flexibility. He is encouraging, and he knows when to give me an extra push. His positive attitude, patience and experience have benefitted me greatly.”

Tom’s storyI met Chris when she was in out-patient therapy. We mobilized her legs with knee braces and ankle foot orthotics. It took two of us to walk her in the parallel bars with another one following closely be-hind with a wheelchair. We walked six to eight feet. She didn’t have hamstring or quadriceps activity in her legs, and she couldn’t move her ankles up and down.

Chris and I have met on Thursday mornings for 10 years. We usu-ally walk 100 to 150 feet using a wheeled walker, but without brac-es or AFOs. We have progressed to a complete arm and core workout, followed by stretching.

Chris is a determined and hard- working lady. Her goal is to walk short distances independently. She has come a long way, and there’s no end in sight.

Staff Spotlight

Stephie LibbenStephie has been helping people become healthier for 20 years. She says your health should be a top priority. Great River Health Fitness members and her personal training clients are impressed by Stephie’s enthusiasm and passion.

Stephie loves teaching strength training. “It is never too late to start lifting weights,” she said.

Stephie graduated from Western Illinois University with a degree in physical education with endorse-ments in English and coaching.

Classes Stephie teaches• Aqua Fitness• Early Morning Fitness• High-Intensity Interval Training• Killer Core• Les Mills Body Pump• Total Body Tabata

CertificationsLes Mills Body PumpPersonal training

SurveyImportant Dates

• Tuesday, Oct. 3 – Free blood pressure screening, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wellness Plaza lobby

• Tuesday, Oct. 17 – Matter of Balance class begins

• Tuesday, Oct. 17 – Free blood pressure screening, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Mercy Plaza lobby

• Saturday, Oct. 20 – Men’s Health Fair, 8 to 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 20. For more information: GreatRiverMedical.org/events

Program Highlights

Moving Through Survivorship10 to 11 a.m.Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays

Are you battling cancer or are you in remission? Moving Through Survivor-ship helps people stand up to cancer with exercise. It includes stretching, cardiovascular endurance and strength training so your muscles can work for you through your journey. Ask your physician for a referral or stop by to see if this program is for you.