Joslin Diabetes Center Says Let’s Get Physical This Holiday Season

Even if you did manage to stick to your diabetes management nutrition plan at the Thanksgiving table, that doesn’t mean that the constant bombardment of holiday food temptation is over. You still have over a month to go.

So, now’s a great time to revisit the physical activity plan you developed with your diabetes educator. And, if you don’t have a physical activity plan, this would be a great time to come up with one. (Remember, we don’t call it exercise anymore because it is important to note that you don’t have to go to a gym to stay physically active, although that is a great option for many people.)

Here at Joslin Diabetes Center we recommend that you work with a certified diabetes educator or an exercise physiologist, but there’s a lot you can do on your own. We have a lot of tips and information on our web site

Before you start any new physical activity, be sure to check first with your doctor to determine what kinds and how much activity is safe for you.

If you’re going to start a new plan this season or restart your existing plan (and your doctor says it’s okay), begin by taking into account the importance of scheduling when building your physical activity plan. The holiday season can be a busy time but if you create a routine that you know will be sustainable through all of the shopping, parties and celebrations, your health will come out on top.

Your legs can be your best tool in getting into a regular physical activity routine. Walk and do it often. Invest in a pedometer to keep track of all the ground you’ve covered. Watching the numbers tick up as you walk will provide a sense of accomplishment to spur you on.

In a conducted study on walking, the study’s lead author, Dena Bravata, M.D., found that participants who wore pedometers increased their overall physical activity by 27%. Read “Walk Your Way to Health”

Whatever type of physical activity suits you best, make sure that for every 35 minutes of exercise you consume 15 grams of carbohydrate to avoid low blood glucose episodes. This means that it’s crucial to carry at least one snack with the appropriate carbohydrate content with you everywhere you go.

Go here for more information on our ADA Fitness Together Type 2 Diabetes Study and Program being conducted in Eastern New England.

Our Donations Exceed $50,000 To American Diabetes Association of Eastern New England

Personal trainers help clients with diabetes improve their health and wellness.

We here at the Fitness Together Massachusetts Owners Group, specializing in one-on-one personal training, are proud to announce we have raised more than $50,000 for the American Diabetes Association of Eastern New England.

Our network of 43 Fitness Together franchised studios throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire collectively signed on as the Official Health and Fitness Sponsor for the ADA’s STEP OUT: Walk to Fight Diabetes campaign to raise the funds and make the contribution.

Meanwhile, the additional sweat they have put into helping people living with type 2 diabetes across their fitness studios has magnified their cause and given a face…several faces… to the illness.

Separate from the crowds at STEP OUT walks in Worcester, Mass.; Providence, R.I.; and Boston recently, Fitness Together certified personal trainers have spent the past days, weeks and months up close and personal with people battling the illness, who are on a quest for health and wellness.



“A lot of people can raise money, support a good cause, and call it a day. But that’s not what Fitness Together had in mind when we signed up to support the ADA chapter,” said Steve Lichtman, owner of 4 Fitness Together franchises. “We also wanted to invite people living with type 2 diabetes into our studios to offer personal, tailored and safe exercise and nutrition guidance that could improve their lives for the better.”



In conjunction with the fundraising effort that surpassed Fitness Together’s goal to raise $40,000 for the ADA, the group has enlisted 35 people with type 2 diabetes across Eastern New England for their type 2 diabetes observational study. Fitness Together is tracking the impact of a fitness and nutrition program on their client’s type 2 diabetes over a six month period. The results have been amazing and Fitness Together has extended their enrollment period to add more study participants now through year-end.



“We have seen dramatic transformations both physically and emotionally,” Steve said. “This isn’t just about losing weight. It’s about battling an illness in a smart, responsible and healthy manner.”

And the battle continues. Based on the success of this study, Fitness Together wants to broaden the awareness of it services.

People with type 2 diabetes are encouraged to contact their local Fitness Together studio and visit FTGetsResults.com to get more information. “The positive impact of helping people lose weight, get in shape, lower their dependence on medications and live a more fulfilling life is the best motivator,” said Chris Boynton, Executive Director for the ADA, Eastern New England.



For more information on how to join Fitness Together’s type 2 diabetes study or to make a contribution to the ADA of Eastern New England, contact Maria McGlone at 508-414-1411.

Info on our Type 2 Diabetes Study & Program

Fitness Tip Of The Week from Ashley Landon (FT Westborough)

For a fun way to add a burst of cardio into your workout routine try this jump rope and jumping jax challenge:

1. Jump Rope 40 Times: 40 Jumping Jax

2. Jump Rope 60 Times: 30 Jumping Jax

3. Jump Rope 80 Times: 20 Jumping Jax

Make sure you jump rope and then complete the jumping jax immediately after! The Challenge is to complete all three rounds without rest! For even more of a challenge after completing the three rounds try reversing it starting with 80 jumps and 20 Jax!

Thanksgiving
AND since this is Thanksgiving week I thought I’d give a bonus round of tips for all of you who believe you don’t have time to exercise on Thanksgiving day! Well, yes you do. Here’s FIVE easy ways to fit it in some exercise and negate some of those extra calories!!

Sign up of a 5k…There are a lot of road races on Thanksgiving morning. Take a post dinner walk with the family. Instead of watching football play a game of your own Think pie=push ups If you make yourself do one push up for every bite of pie make yourself do 1 push up you will be very aware of how much you are eating! And, if you go back for seconds…

You know you can find at least 20 minutes to do a quick and fun circuit with no equipment needed!

• Jumping jacks
• Push ups
• Jump squats (mod. with regular squats if necessary)
• Sit ups (mod. with crunches)
• Mt. climbers
• Chair dips

*Perform each exercise for 1min and repeat as many times as you can for 20 min (rest when needed)*

Good luck and have a Happy Healthy Thanksgiving!

Ashley Landon
Ashley is a graduate from Framingham State College with a bachelors degree in Fashion Merchandising. However, her true passion and drive always came from fitness, which lead her to a change in career paths. She is now a certified personal trainer, graduate from The National Personal Training Institute (NPTI), Waltham, MA. She is also certified in CPR, First Aid, and AED.

Ashley has always had an undeniable interest in fitness and health, putting it at the top of her list. She truly enjoys working out and shows it through her training, making it fun and challenging!

Ashley has been a trainer at Fitness Together –Westborough since 2007 and has helped many people push themselves beyond what they thought possible.

In her free time, Ashley enjoys strength training, running and coming up with new and improved ways of making healthy recipes.

Fitness Together Westborough

Other FT studios in Eastern New England

Diabetes & Health, Nutrition and Fitness

Mark Mincolla & Steve Lichtman on 96.9 WTKK Talk Radio

A Talk on Diabetes & Staying Healthy

Steve Lichtman is president of Lifestyle Fitness Corp and heads up FTGetsResults. com efforts for Fitness Together Studios across Eastern New England and is owner of 4 studios in MA. At Fitness Together, we help our clients lose weight, lower blood pressure and lower blood glucose – often to the point where they need fewer meds. By decreasing people’s dependency on drugs, we can help more people live healthier, productive lives – doing our part to help lower healthcare costs.

For more information on Fitness Together’s program for Diabetes or Fitness Together in Eastern New England

Mark Dana Mincolla, Ph.D.is a natural health care practitioner who has transformed the lives of thousands of people over the last 28 years . Mark has ingeniously integrated ancient Chinese techniques, with cutting edge nutritional science in what has become his innovative Electromagnetic Muscle testing or (EMT) Healing System. The main focus of this integrated east-west approach, or what he calls acutrition is truly like no other, as it effectively zeros in on each individual’s unique nutritional needs.

Dr. Mark brings his 28 years of experience as a natural health expert to millions of television viewers and talk radio listeners throughout the New England area each week. In his dynamic and engaging style, he shares cutting edge nutritional and natural health information as well as ancient healing therapies, and how you can apply this wisdom to take control of your life and help preserve your precious health.

Go here for more info

Diabetes & The Holidays

How Will You Stop Diabetes The Future Is in Your Hands
From The American Diabetes Association

During the holidays, we joke that our belts are a little tight around the waist. But for PJ, his tight belt was no laughing matter.

“I kept thinking ‘I ought to lose weight,’” he shared.

Returning home from a baseball game one day, PJ experienced tingling in his hands and feet. “I thought that was odd. So the next day, I checked my blood glucose and my jaw dropped because it was so high. I checked the next day in disbelief, and it was still elevated.”

“Right then and there, I thought ‘My toes at 60. There is NO WAY I was going to lose my toes at 60.’”

Once PJ was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the tight belt became the focus of his attention. “I sucked it up, started to exercise and eat right and lost 30 pounds over 4 months. My glucose dropped and has remained low for 5 years. I even had to put a new hole in my belt!”

“Now I watch my diet and exercise 4 days a week. Keeping my 30 pounds off is challenging. I hate it, but it works! I do it for my toes. I do it for my brain, heart, kidneys, eyes and ultimately, my family. I thank God for the kick in the butt to check my blood glucose that day.”

Developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be a challenge any time of the year, but especially during the holidays. During American Diabetes Month® this November, join the movement to Stop Diabetes® and download your very own Celebrations Survival Guide.

Get tips to handle the holidays and avoid tight belts this Thanksgiving season.

At Fitness Together, we help our clients lose weight, lower blood pressure and lower blood glucose – often to the point where they need fewer meds. By decreasing people’s dependency on drugs, we can help more people live healthier, productive lives – doing our part to help lower healthcare costs.

For more information on Fitness Together’s program for Diabetes or Fitness Together in Eastern New England

Fitness Tip Of The Week from Joe Caruso (FT Norwell)

Dietary Guidelines
from Joe Caruso, Exercise Physiologist, NSCA-CPT

Disclaimer: The following guidelines have worked for me in my training and nutritional regiment; the guidelines are merely suggestions and not the ONLY way to eat properly. From my experience in the personal training field I have found one principal to be true…..there is no single best way to train or to eat. Try applying these concepts and hopefully you will find they are effective for you.

Eat For What Your Goals Are

If your goal is to lose weight then you must cut calories. This presents a problem because individuals believe that cutting calories means to stop eating altogether, but this has a complete opposite effect on your body and what you really are doing is making your body go into a “starvation” mode which actually stores body fat and shuts down your metabolism because there is no flow of constant energy. Your body will also start using protein as a primary fuel and will actually go into a muscle breakdown mode and instead of using fats and carbohydrates for energy you will now be using your protein. In easiest possible term you will keep fat and lose muscle! The solution to this problem is to have well balanced, well timed, and well portioned meals throughout the entire day. Personally I would recommend 6 SMALL meals per day. Each meal should contain a protein (egg, fish, chicken, nuts) for muscular growth and amino acid requirements, and a beneficial carbohydrate (brown rice, whole grains, berries, fruits) for energy and to be used as bodies primary fuel source.

Now if your goal happens to be weight gain then most of the above statements still hold true but now you will not be cutting calories you may actually need to take in more, but that does not mean to eat everything in sight to gain muscle it would be to increase calories in a sensible way during your 6 small meals per day. An average person who has no intention of gaining muscle or does not even exercise can get by with only 60 grams of protein per day, but an individual who is most concerned with gaining muscle may need to consume as many as .85-1.25 grams of protein times their bodyweight (so if you are a 180 lb man trying to gain muscle it would be a safe bet to consume 180 grams of protein to gain muscle mass). Protein is the building block of muscle so it is requirement for those who want to focus on muscular growth. Individuals who are trying to gain weight and muscle still need to focus on carbohydrates, otherwise you have no fuel to train and you would not want to use the protein you have been trying so hard to take in as your main fuel to exercise!

Does Your Food Tie Into Your Training?

Whenever you eat you should ask yourself this question! For example if I eat a meal that contains fish, broccoli, and a sweet potato I would ask myself what does this food do in my body and how does it affect my goals? Well, the fish is a protein source so that is my muscle building block and also has omega 3 fatty acids which help promote muscular recovery, reduce inflammation, and increases the use of fat as a fuel during exercise. The broccoli and sweet potato are my clean carbohydrates that I can use for energy to train and recover. Being conscious of the food you intake and conscious of how this food effects you can make or break an individuals diet!

Pre and Post Workout Meals

Individuals sometimes do not eat before their workouts due to feeling full or even nauseous during an intense training session, while this is understandable it is also something that must be fixed. Without fuel to train you risk having low blood sugar levels as well as overtraining due to an increase of stress on muscles and no option to recover them due to lack of fuel and nutrients. This can easily be fixed by having a quick meal usually 30-45 minutes prior to exercising; the meal should be mostly carbohydrate based (for fuel to train) and a minor focus on protein (for muscle growth, and recovery). For example, a good pre workout meal would be a slow absorbing complex carbohydrate like brown rice, or wheat pasta. This pre workout meal should also contain at least 20 grams of protein that can come from sources such as fish, chicken, beef, nuts, or a whey protein shake.

The post workout meal is slightly different, while your focus is still on carbohydrates and protein, now the roles of the two are reversed. Protein now is your primary concern because your intense training has broken down muscle tissue and needs the amino acids from protein to repair the tissue and actually come back bigger and stronger. This will promote muscle growth and faster muscle recovery time. Your body has a window of roughly 45 minutes after a workout to get the anabolic (muscle building) affects of post workout protein. The more time that passes the window because smaller and smaller and the benefits reduce drastically. Carbohydrates are still of concern because during your training you have used up your glycogen stores and depleted your carbohydrates as your main source of energy. Your post workout meal needs to have carbohydrates also included to refuel what your body has lost from training. An example of a good post workout meal would be a homemade protein shake made from protein powder, fruit, and skim milk. This shake may not sound like a meal but if is very filling and has your protein and carbohydrates all in one form. Another effective post workout meal would be a good source of protein such as steak, grilled chicken, tuna, or salmon and a mix of green vegetables or fruit for your carbohydrate.

The Triangle Approach To Fitness

A triangle obviously has 3 sides and so does training! There are 3 key elements; Exercise, Cardio, and Nutrition. If one is out of balance the whole system can sadly fail, but when all 3 are in line it is very likely you can obtain your ideal results and goals. These nutritional guidelines may be helpful but they need to be used in conjunction with resistance training and cardiovascular training to maximize the benefits. In a perfect world an individual should shoot to exercise with resistance training 2-3 times per week, train cardiovascular system 3-5 times per week, and eat a well balanced diet EVERY day of the week.

The Poliquin Rule

World renowned strength conditioning coach and exercise physiologist Charles Poliquin once said the simplest nutritional guidelines ever to live by is “If it does not run, swim, fly, or if it’s not a green vegetable…..do not eat it!” This may seem extreme to majority of people but when you understand the concepts of nutrition it starts to make all the sense in the world. Basically you get your healthy proteins, carbohydrates, and fats from natural sources and each has its own benefits to energy systems and muscle production and recovery. When viewed from that point of view it’s hard to argue.

Joe Caruso (FT Norwell)

Joe is a Certified Personal Trainer by the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength Conditioning Association. He has a degree in Exercise Physiology from UMASS Boston and is CPR and AED certified. This is Joe’s 7th year with Fitness Together.

Joe has been involved in personal training for nearly a decade and brings his own training experiences into his program design. His passion is strength conditioning for athletes. He has a deep knowledge of nutrition and cardiovascular training and enjoys coaching his clients in all the aspects of fitness.

Fitness Together Norwell

Our other FT Studios across Eastern New England

FT Gets Results: Bob Baho & FT Studio News

“In the past, my doctor would always recommend that I should exercise and diet…I would start committed and then after three or four weeks become less and less consistent.” Bob Baho

Training Frequency: 3x per week
Cardio Frequency: Bob incorporates cardio intervals into his home workouts on the days he is not at F.T.
Nutrition: Bob has tackled his biggest nutrition challenge – his love of ice cream – by cutting down his intake to just 1x per week and he makes himself go out to get it
Results: Improved fitness level by 61% ~ Lost 3% bodyfat ~ Went from 0 to 5 full push-ups ~ Lost 1.25” in his waist (noted in 9/2010)

Noteworthy: Bob uses his time wisely; whenever there is a commercial break in a show he is watching, he knocks out a series of exercises that include push-ups, crunches, planks, curls and more!

Bob Baho My association with FT began when my wife scheduled a meeting with Karen to find out more about their fitness program. She invited me to come along and at first I said no. Later, I agreed to go but I still didn’t have any intention of joining. After Karen completed the overview of how the program worked, I decided to give it a shot and both my wife and I signed up with FT.

I was especially impressed with the emphasis on one-on-one personal training. In the past, my doctor would always recommend that I should exercise and diet. With that advice, I would decide to begin an exercise program on my own at home. I would start committed and then after three or four weeks become less and less consistent and eventually my plan to exercise and diet regularly would fizzle completely. This was a perpetual cycle that didn’t bring me any results. So now, at age 74, I have decided to try something new and more productive with FT.

I began my program in July and found great inspiration through the entire staff community. Under the direction of my trainer, Troy, I have made numerous strides in improving my physical health. Troy has introduced a variety of challenging and interesting exercises to meet my individual needs. Karen meets with me regularly and together we review my fitness test performances. I also appreciate her advice in helping me improve my diet. Jessica, my wife’s trainer, always greets me with her wonderful friendliness and encouragement.

I look forward to continuing to work with the fine staff of people at FT and maintaining the positive results I have experienced as I reach my personal goals in improving my overall health.

FT Studio News

Bryan Carey (Cohasset) joins our FT Cohasset team. Bryan is a graduate of Bridgewater State College with a degree in Exercise Physiology. He has spent the past several years training in some of the larger south shore gyms as well as running an in-home training company. Please give Bryan a warm welcome if you see him.

Joe Caruso (Norwell) has recently taken on the role of Assistant Manager. Joe is in his 7th year at FT Norwell. He will be assisting with client meetings while maintaining his normal training role. Those that have worked with Joe know he has a passion for all things fitness. If you have not had a chance to sit down with him to talk about nutrition I suggest you do. He brings a customized approach that has worked wonders for many of our clients. We are grateful to have Joe on our team.

Ashley Landon (Westborough), who will be celebrating her 4 year anniversary with FT Westborough in January, has earned the title Head Trainer for her outstanding commitment to getting her clients great results and for her passion for creating challenging and fun programs. This past month she spearheaded a total studio challenge called the 100 Club which requires clients to perform 8 exercises, 25 reps each, in under 15 minutes. Once they can do that, they move on to doing 50 reps, then 75, and then 100! Many clients have stepped up to take the challenge and are really enjoying the friendly competition. Ashley will be continuing to plan quarterly studio challenges for the clients in addition to many other new responsibilities intended to educate clients on fitness and nutrition.

Jessica Devoid (Westborough) just had her 3 year anniversary with FT Westborough in October and will now be taking on the responsibilities of Assistant Manager. She is extremely dedicated not only to her clients but to providing the highest in hospitality, cleanliness, service and quality to all of our members. Jess will also be assisting with Nutrition Together coaching along with several other new roles that will ensure that the studio continues to offer the best service to our clients.

Troy Allard (Westborough) celebrated his 4 year anniversary with FT Westborough this past October and is the veteran trainer of our team! Troy will be taking on some additional roles as well, helping us grow our business by participating in more networking opportunities. He is also going to become a father this Spring. We all wish him the very best with this new role!

Karen Isgur (Westborough), manager of FT Westborough, just had her 2 year anniversary with the company and will also be having a baby this Spring. There’s obviously something in that Westborough water!

For information on all our Fitness Together Studios across Eastern New England check out FTGetsResults.

Healthy Recipe: Baked Apples With WORMS

For some post-Halloween ghoulishness.

Ingredients

Yield: 6 servings

6 red baking apples, cored and sliced
¼ cup raisins
1 Tbsp light Benecol or Promise take Control margarine
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1 Tbsp brown sugar
6 candy gummy worms

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Combine apples, raisins, lemon juice, spices and sugar in a large baking dish. Cover and bake until apples are tender (about 35 minutes). Place in separate bowls and garnish with one gummy worm.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Food weight: 1.5, Calories: 137, Fat: 2.5 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 28 mg,Carbohydrate 31 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Protein: 0.5 g

FT Gets Results: Maryanne DeProspo

” I met three of the most inspirational people, Karen, Jessica and Troy, and started a journey that has proven to be fun, challenging, and very exciting.” Maryanne DeProspo

Training Frequency: 2x per week
Cardio Frequency: Using 360FT program 3x per week
Nutrition: Eats frequent, well balanced meals and drinks 64 ounces of water every day so that it keeps her full and from craving her weakness – dreaded ice cream. But, for those times that she just needs to have her “fix”, she has found a Weight Watchers’ ice cream, very low-fat, that is very satisfying.
Results: Lost 3.6lbs of body fat! ~ Lost 1.5” off her waist ~ Did 17 full push-ups in a row (started at 0) ~ Improved overall fitness level by 16% (noted in 4/2010)

Noteworthy: Maryanne was so thankful to her friend who originally introduced her to Fitness Together by buying her a training gift certificate, that she returned the favor and bought that same friend one!

Maryanne DeProspo I was given a gift certificate for personal training at Fitness Together as a Christmas present. As I explained to the giver of the gift certificate, ‘I now weigh what I did pregnant with two children. I can’t have this any longer. Time to do something about it.’

I made an appointment for a fitness evaluation as soon as I could and that was the beginning of wonderful things for me. I met three of the most inspirational people, Karen, Jessica and Troy, and started a journey that has proven to be fun, challenging, and very exciting. At one time in my life, I was an aerobic instructor in this area. I taught a variety of classes, to a variety of group exercise participants, and I loved it very, very much!

In 2003, I found myself in the throes of a divorce, and no longer had any time for myself. I had to go back to work full time as an RN and care for my, then, two children – 10 yrs and 8 yrs old. For the longest time I just went through the motions of putting things together. I certainly had no time or energy to do anything extra. In the midst of all of this I turned 50. I am so appreciative of the wonderful people at Fitness Together. I relearned motivation, the joy of working hard, challenging yourself, and seeing results.

At this point in my journey I am able to do full push-ups, 15-17 repetitions, without stopping, and sometimes with other exciting things to challenge the body in between, I can do sit-ups in a variety of positions, and I am so close to being able to do squat thrusts, I can’t even believe it. I have added the cardio exercise plan to the already challenging personal training, and I couldn’t be happier.

I have gained strength both physically and mentally, I have lost pounds and inches, and I can do things today I have never been able to do in my life time. I cannot find all the words to thank my trainers enough for the dedication and support. And Karen is wonderful keeping me up-to-date on goals. Not only have I met the goals discussed above, I have also been able to start running on hills in my cardio program, and still maintain my heart rate, I have been able to mix up the cardio and last 1 hour on the treadmill (often before a training session) running and power walking. I look forward to each and every session, and continuing to see results.

FTGetsResults

Steffi Mowad: An FT Inspiration

Steffi Mowad & Steve Lichtman

Steffi has Type 1 Diabetes. Her story is a tremendous inspiration to us here at Fitness Together and was one of the reason’s we worked hard to reach our fundraising goal for ADA New England. Steffi walked with us at the Step Out For A Cure walk a few weeks ago.

Hi Steve and Maria,

I am so excited that your company formed a team and is walking in this year’s Boston Step Out to Fight Diabetes! As you know from my story diabetes is a part of my everyday life.

I can’t wait to meet you at the walk and get a chance to personally thank all of you. Your team is an inspiration to me!

I have been gearing up for fall soccer by doing conditioning classes and I have been going to the beach with my sister and mom on the weekends! I also secretly like being able to sleep in every once in a while.

Thanks again,

Stephanie Mowad

 

For more information on the FT Cardio For A Cure Fundraising efforts go here.