Laura Kernan
You want to talk about diehard? Then Laura is the person to talk to. As a kid she was always involved in some kind of physical activity such as soccer, basketball and track. She also had a love for music and even took part in some youth music groups around Boston. Laura grew up in Ipswich, MA and went off to college at Ithaca where she got her degree in music education. After college she moved to Portland Oregon for work and in doing so she met her husband JF. They married in 2005. During this time she was still very active, taking part in a masters swim program as well activities such as snowboarding, speed skating, cycling, and swimming.
Three years ago she and JF moved back from Portland to be closer to family and friends. She is now earning her Master’s degree in Epidemiology, which is the study of the determinants of health and disease. This semester she is involved in a project involving silicosis, a lung disease, in construction workers who work with concrete.
Even with all that’s going on in her life Laura makes fitness a priority. She regularly takes part in cyclecross racing which she discovered a couple of years ago and loves more than anything. Any chance she gets she’ll also takes part in a fitness class or gets in a personal training session. Great job Laura, keep up the good work.
Holiday Gift Specials
Personal Training
Never tried personal training? If you’re already taking classes and want to sample PT, you can purchase three 1/2 hour PT sessions for $119. Reg. $135 Great trial pack!
New client special
Try three personal training sessions and three class for just $129. Reg. $180. Great gift for someone who has never been to the studio.
Class Pass Special
10 Class pass for $99. Reg. $125.
Fitness Fun Fact
If all 600 muscles in your body pulled in one direction, you could lift 25 tons.
MH Fitness Excuse of the Month
One clients excuse for not participating in the Winter-Fit program, and I quote “I want to do it, I really do, but I have WAY too many parties to go to over the next month. If I’m going to do it I want to win”
I love the competitive nature!!
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Study Finds Exercise is Directly Related to Overall Quality of Sleep
ScienceDaily (Nov. 22, 2011) A nationally representative sample of more than 2,600 men and women, ages 18-85, found that 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week, which is the national guideline, provided a 65 percent improvement in sleep quality. People also said they felt less sleepy during the day, compared to those with less physical activity.
The study, out in the December issue of the journal, Mental Health and Physical Activity, lends more evidence to mounting research showing the importance of exercise to a number of health factors. Among adults in the United States, about 35 to 40 percent of the population has problems with falling asleep or with daytime sleepiness.
The study concludes people sleep significantly better and feel more alert during the day if they get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week.
This article is a great example of why it is important to make your exercise a priority and not just a hobby. We all know the other benefits of exercise like weight loss, reduced negative coronary risk factors, decreased risk of diabetes etc, but it’s great to finally have a study that helps to support the claim that exercise improves a persons quality of sleep. I like two things about this study. One is that they take out all the factors that could impact the study like medications and special populations and two is that they monitor the persons amount of exercise first hand and don’t leave it to a simple survey questionnaire.
Along with helping to improve the quality of sleep for people, this study also suggests that exercising regularly can improve ones ability to focus when tired. The study goes even further in suggesting that the need for medications that are prescribed for lack of focus could be reduced by increasing exercise. “Our findings demonstrate a link between regular physical activity and perceptions of sleepiness during the day, which suggests that participation in physical activity on a regular basis may positively influence an individual’s productivity at work, or in the case of a student, influence their ability to pay attention in class,” Paul Loprinzi, an assistant professor at Bellarmine University.
For more on this article or even to read it yourself, follow this link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111122143354.htm |
Upcoming Events and Adventures
December 10th: The Assault on Mt. Hood.
Great 3.5 mile cross country style race, for all levels. Register here:
http://www.melroserunningclub.com/assaultonmthood/2011/mthood.shtml
January 7th: Annual Holiday Party From 6 -9 PM
Come celebrate our first annual holiday party on Saturday January 7th from 6-9 PM. What better way to celebrate the end of the season than to enjoy delicious food and drink with some of the greatest people around. RSVP by 12/28/11
February 4th: Race Up Boston Place
If you or anybody you know has ever been affected by any type of lung condition then this is the event for you. This race up 42 floors at 1 Boston place is to benefit the American Lung Association as they help fund research that is used to find cures for all lung conditions from Asthma to COPD. If you know anyone who could benefit, as I do, then please feel free to join our team. Email Jeff at jeff@studio38fitness.com or sign up on the bulletin board in the studio to receive more information about this great event.
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Holiday Gifts for Fitness Fanatics
As I was preparing my list for Santa, I came across a number of things that not only I would like, but a bunch of things that I bet a lot of other people would like as well. Here is my list of the top 5 things you can give that fitness fanatic in your family. I hope this helps you in your shopping.
#1. GPS Heart Rate Monitor/Caloric Expenditure. This is great for the avid runner/walker who wants to track how far they go and how many calories they can burn. Garmin is probably the most well-known manufacturer.
#2. BPA Free Water Bottle. It’s always nice to have a fresh, new water bottle.
#3. Winter Workout Gear. A lot can be said for a warm piece of clothing. If you have someone in the family who likes to exercise outdoors, this is a can’t miss. Under Armor has some great stuff.
#4. Personal Training Sessions. Great for everyone. Help those who have gotten off track to get back on or those who have hit a plateau get to the next level.
#5 Adjustable Dumbbells. These are great because you won’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a whole set of dumbbells (and believe me, they’re not cheap) The standard weights range from 10-50 lbs. and can be used for all types of exercises.
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Recipe of the Month
This was contributed to the blog by MR: “festive” recipe for “onions and cranberries”. It’s so easy… great for the holidays (or any time).
1 1/2 pounds, pearl onions
1 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
Put onions with skins in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cool water. When cool enough to handle, take off the roots and outer skins. Heat butter in large skillet, add onions-one layer at a time until lightly browned (4-5 minutes). Sprinkle in sugar, salt, pepper, and cranberries…tossing ingredients to combine. Add the broth and put all ingredients into a glass or other baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. This serves about 6 people. Enjoy!
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I enjoyed this month’s Gazette- thanks Jeff! By the way, I did the work out of the week (I like to call it the WOW). And WOW was it tough! However, after finishing it I have felt great all day. On a day like today it is tough to feel great- and even tougher to motivate to exercise- so I am thankful for the extra motivation Jeff and the points game gives me. Hope you are all having a great day despite the weather!
Looking forward to the WOW tomorrow… this week has been challenging to my points… finding days where I end up with 1 or -1 point is a tad discouraging, but makes me more determined to just start afresh the next day.
I’m struggling with finding time for exercise.
I have a friend who will run her errands, literally running to each errand, with a little backpack on her back. Now, that doesn’t make sense if you are picking up clothes from the dry cleaner or taxing kids to their activities, but it is a genius way of multitasking when you can manage it, I suppose. Since I’m having an awful time of fitting in exercise, maybe, and that is a big MAYBE, I’ll try it during my lunch hour.
Anyone have any good ideas, aside from the obvious “just get up earlier” suggestion that makes me want to punch people in the nose?
Lois
Hi Lois,
I don’t know what your daily commitments are but I hear you. For what its worth here are some of my strategies:
1) Be flexible. A timeframe that works for me on a Monday is not the same as Tuesday so I have to take each day one at a time and find the time that works on that particular day.
2) Make excercising as important if not more important than everything else until you get used to incorporating it. Your work and your family will always find a way to get your attention- excercise won’t if you don’t do it!
3)Figure out when your best times are to work out. For example I HATE working out early in the moring so that is not an option. I don’t mind working out in the evening- some people lose motivation by then but I don’t so I tend to sign up for evening classes at the studio.
4) If you have a day that you are at home (no dress code) dress in your workout clothes when you wake up so that you are ready to go! One less thing to do to get you there.
5) If weekdays are the most difficult commit to doing a workout on just two of them and then workout on both weekend days- most people have more free time then.
6) If you have a significant other and kids- trade workout time. My husband and I have young kids so we have an agreement that he gets to work out Mondays and Wednesdays after work and I have to put the kids to bed by myself. He puts the kids to bed on Tuesdays and Thursdays while I do class.
7) Sign up for classes or make plans to exercise with a friend. I never cancel when I do one of these two things.
Good luck!
Thanks, Carrie.
I can attest that exercise definitely helps with the quality of my sleep…at least when I can sleep. Very interesting article! And a new heart rate monitor is already on my christmas list…have to look into a Garmin.
Looking forward to doing the WOW tomorrow morning. Hopefully my workout buddy (LM) doesn’t bail on me! I know its early but then its done!
Hey Jeff..great newsletter!!! Love all the info! I agree on the exercise sleep thing! Also lack of sleep messes with weight maintenance!!! Thanks for keeping us so well informed!
Looking forward to doing the WOW tomorrow! Great Name, Carrie!
Sleep is something I definitely make a priority. It’s on a par with exercise for me. That and trying to eat healthy. It is definitely tough to do it all when we are all so busy, but when I succeed, I feel better and actually find that I get more done somehow.
Thanks for the spotlight Jeff! And double thanks for the great training session yesterday!
Just a note… sorry for all the spelling mistakes earlier. I think they’re all corrected as of now… In a rush to get this out today I severely overlooked some grammar issues. I’ll do my best so it doesn’t happen in the future.