How many calories can I burn exercising for ½ hr per day, 3-4 times a week?    How do I decide what gym equipment will help me most?
This depends on what mode of exercise you choose to do, the intensity at which you perform the exercise and how much you weigh.  For example, in 30 min. you can burn approximately 400 calories doing step aerobics, 250-500 calories bicycling, 300 calories on an elliptical runner, 180 calories walking and 300-400 calories running, all assuming you weigh 150 pounds.  If you weigh less than that, you will burn fewer calories; if you weigh more than that, you will burn greater calories.

I recommend interval training; for example, 10-15 min. of 3 different exercises to keep everything fresh.

The stability ball is an awesome tool to improve the strength of the abs and lower back. Use of a stability ball improves functional strength, balance and flexibility of the body. Because you must constantly adjust to remain balanced, the dynamic movements utilized on a ball during exercise engage muscles that are not usually used in traditional exercise. This improves posture, efficiency of movement and helps prevent injury.

The stability ball targets “deep” core muscles such as the abdominals and the lower back musculature which are worked simultaneously and challenges muscles you didn’t even know you had. Every exercise you do on a traditional exercise machine or on a bench can be done on a stability ball… They are extremely versatile.

Using a stability ball is fun, it’s different and it’s challenging. I highly recommend giving it a try!

How might medications affect my exercise program, especially exercise intensity and heart rate response?

To be able to perform sustained activity, changes in heart rate, blood pressure and heart muscle contraction are required. Medications have the potential to alter exercise performance.

It’s imperative that you know what medications you are taking, why you are taking them and that you are able to provide a list of these medications to your fitness professional. We can determine, based on your medical history and your list of medications, what heart rate and blood pressure responses you can expect from exercise and design an appropriate exercise prescription for you.

We perform graded exercise tests at Fit for Life that give us vital information to correctly set your exercise intensity and keep you within an appropriate target heart rate zone. Always get permission from your physician before starting an exercise program, especially if you are taking prescribed medications.

With the outbreak of swine flu I am curious what measures are taken to clean your facility and handle the spread of bacteria?

What suggestions do you have for safety measures?

Fit for Life takes pride in our facility. Cleanliness and presentation of the club are of uppermost importance and it is the job of all employees of Fit for Life to do their part in making sure the club is clean and safe for all our members.

We have disinfectant spray bottles available throughout the club and members are instructed to spray down their machines/tools after use. Those at higher risk of getting sick should spray machines/tools down before use as well. Antibacterial gel is made available for members to use to help cut back on the spread of bacteria. Washing hands before and after exercising also helps decrease the spread of bacteria. It is important that everyone do their part to help prevent the spread of the seasonal flu’s that plague us.

It’s been suggested to me that exercising will help my stress level – very high stress job.

Do you agree and what methods of exercise would work best?

Absolutely! One of the most significant benefits of exercise is an outlet for frustrations and therefore, a reduction in stress levels. This happens for many reasons.

• Exercise gives your mood a natural boost because it decreases stress hormones and increases endorphins.
• Exercise takes your mind off your problems, redirecting it to a different task.
• Exercise makes you feel better about yourself, giving you confidence to handle stressful situations.
• Exercise improves your overall health both in the short-term (increasing your immunity to fight off colds and flu) and in the long-term (increased longevity and “feeling younger”).
• And, most importantly, exercise lowers physiological reactivity toward stress.

Simply put, exercise not only helps you deal with your current stress, it supplies immunity toward future stress. Now that’s a great reason to exercise! I recommend a combination of both cardiovascular exercise (exercise that increases your heart rate) and weight training exercise (exercise that tones and defines your muscles) as a means of reducing stress.

I’m 74 and not enthusiastic about exercising, but know it’s for my own good.  Can you make it fun?  Would you recommend exercising on machines or taking exercise classes?

You’re not alone!!  Many people aren’t enthusiastic about exercising, but one thing we all know is that exercise is good for us, both physically and mentally.  Exercise isn’t a luxury, it’s a NECESSITY and all the research points to it.  In fact, exercise is at the top of the list for the prevention of many diseases including heart disease, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.  It relieves stress and makes you feel good about you!!

At Fit for Life, we not only make exercise fun, we assess your current fitness level and design an individual program to meet all your needs.  In addition, we offer 4 classes each week that are designed specifically for seniors as part of our SilverSneakers Program.  The classes are fun and rewarding!!

I recommend doing both machines and classes. Changing things up as much as possible helps prevent injury and works your muscles in many different planes of movement.

Call today to set up a time to tour our facility … you’ll be glad you did.

Are there certain foods that will help increase metabolism?

The answer is YES!

The types of foods that boost metabolism are known as negative calorie foods. This means that you burn more calories from digesting the food than the food is actually worth.

For example, if you eat a food containing 100 calories and you find out that the food will burn 120 calories, you have burned a net of 20 calories just by eating that food. AWESOME!

Negative Calorie Foods

Foods that are capable of producing negative calorie results include:

Fruits

• apples
• blueberries
• raspberries
• strawberries
• grapefruit
• lemons
• mangos
• pineapple
• oranges
• tangerines

Vegetables

• carrots
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• lettuce
• cabbage
• asparagus
• beets
• spinach
• onions
• celery
• zucchini

Warning: Avoid “empty calories” (junk food) or calories from foods with poor vitamin and nutrient content. These types of foods have a reverse effect on our metabolism; they add more to our body fat because they require fewer calories to digest than the amount of calories they contain. End result - slower metabolism.

The best way to jumpstart your Metabolism is Exercise!

Sheila Rolling, Personal Fitness Trainer and Owner of Fit for Life - Fitness Club in Faribault, MN.