Pool Classes:

National Jewish has the largest warm-water pool in the Denver area, a great resource right across the courtyard!  Located in Kunsberg, this pool boasts a consistent temperature of 93-95 deg F.  Great for sore joints and tense muscles, these classes provide you with a medium to either take it easy or work yourself into a sweat.  All classes are 45-min and are staggered to avoid crowded locker rooms.

Back/Core:                 This class is designed to focus on your belly, hips, and shoulders at a slow, gentle pace in shallow water.  Floatation resistance may be used to increase your difficulty.

Shallow Water:           This class is a great all-around program that focuses on gentle strengthening, flexibility, and cardio.  Oxygen is available for those who require it.

Deep Water:               This class utilizes either floatation belts or noodles to help keep you buoyant.  Another great all-around program, emphasis is on strengthening in the arms, back, and hips.  Lap walking or swimming provides a great cardio work-out.  Class can be made more challenging by reducing or removing the floatation assist.

There is no open-swim available at this time secondary to staffing limitations.  However, you may use the pool during class times for independent exercise as long as classes or rehab sessions are not disrupted.

Beginner Kinesis Class:

This class has been created for beginners to exercise and individuals who have completed pulmonary rehab and would like to continue with a structured exercise program or for anyone with pulmonary limitations and is cleared by their doctor.  All ages and fitness levels are welcome.  Supplemental oxygen will be provided for those who need it.  This class will include strengthening, endurance training, balance and flexibility exercises using the Kinesis wall primarily.

Group Fitness Classes:

If you are interested in improving your overall fitness (strength, endurance, balance and flexibility) then this is the class for you!  Classes are appropriate for all fitness levels and incorporate a variety of equipment including the Kinesis wall for functional training, medicine balls, exercise balls, free weights, steps and body weight resisted activities.  Each class is different so it will keep your body and brain wondering what’s next!

Barre:

A minimal equipment class that targets the trouble spots: Arms, Legs, Core, and Seat. It quickly builds strength, balance, and coordination in a low-impact, variably intense workout. It’s methodical and non-intimidation structure makes it easy for any level to join.

Taijichuan for Health and Rejuvenation (Tai Chi):

Holidays got you feeling stressed and overextended? Start the new year right and experience how the meditative practice of taijichuan can help you balance both your mind and body.

In this beginner class, you will learn the basic movements and stances which serve as the foundation for the Yang style taijichuan routine. With practice, you will experience a greater awareness of your body, calming of the mind, and an increased resilience against the stressors of daily life.

Cardio Series (30 min each) No need to sign up ahead of time, just meet in the rehab fitness center.

Cardio:  This is a moderate to high impact class that will keep your heart rate elevated for 30 minutes.  Classes will utilize the treadmills, bikes and the elliptical machines as well as ground activities (sprints, jumping, etc.).  Some classes may take place outdoors depending on the weather. 

Bootcamp:  This 30 min class incorporates basic lifting combinations and cardio intervals for all fitness levels. Efficient and effective way to improve your cardiovascular system, lose weight and build muscle.

Guts and Butts:  Come target those trouble spots with a 30 min power session.  Get ready to use a variety of equipment including stability balls, BOSU balance trainers, medicine balls, and more!

Yoga:

Learn to relax and become more flexible (both physically and mentally) with Yoga.  This is a slow-paced class with easy to follow poses that can be performed on the floor or in a chair.  Both beginners and those with experience with Yoga are welcome to participate.  This class is appropriate for those with back, shoulder or knee pain because it is taught by a physical therapist.  Please wear comfortable, non-restrictive clothing.  You will be taking off your shoes.

Land Classes:			Gym Membership:
Package	Price $		Package	Price $
Single Class	10.00		Drop-in	3.00
3-Pack	25.00		1 Month	30.00
6-Pack	40.00		1 Month Supplement to Classes	10.00
10-Pack	62.50		3 Months	55.00
Pool Classes:			Yoga and Cardio Series
Package	Price $		Package	Price $
Single Class	3.00		Single Class	5.00
1 Month	30.00		Additional Classes:
			Land Class pricing, only half will
			be deducted for these classes
Personal Training:
Single Packages	Price $		Double Packages	Price $
Single 30 minute	30.00		Double 30 minute	50.00
Single 60 minute	60.00		Double 60 minute	80.00
5-Pack 30 minute	125.00		5-Pack 30 minute	200.00
5-Pack 60 minute	250.00		5-Pack 60 minute	300.00
10-Pack 30 minute	250.00		10-Pack 30 minute	340.00
10-Pack 60 minute	450.00		10-Pack 60 minute	560.00

The J. Leonard & Myra Levy Family Rehabilitation Department is a full-service clinic that offers world-class treatment to people of all ages. We are committed to working with our clients in a safe environment focused on results.

303.398.1490

Exercise in almost any form can act as a stress reliever. Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from daily worries.

By Mayo Clinic staff

You know that exercise does your body good, but you’re too busy and stressed to fit it into your routine. Hold on a second — there’s good news when it comes to exercise and stress.

Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to yoga, can act as a stress reliever. If you’re not an athlete or even if you’re downright out of shape, you can still make a little exercise go a long way toward stress management. Discover the connection between exercise and stress relief — and why exercise should be part of your stress management plan.

Exercise and stress relief

Exercise increases your overall health and your sense of well-being, which puts more pep in your step every day. But exercise also has some direct stress-busting benefits.

• It pumps up your endorphins. Physical activity helps to bump up the production of your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins. Although this function is often referred to as a runner’s high, a rousing game of tennis or a nature hike also can contribute to this same feeling.
• It’s meditation in motion. After a fast-paced game of racquetball or several laps in the pool, you’ll often find that you’ve forgotten the day’s irritations and concentrated only on your body’s movements. As you begin to regularly shed your daily tensions through movement and physical activity, you may find that this focus on a single task, and the resulting energy and optimism, can help you remain calm and clear in everything that you do.
• It improves your mood. Regular exercise can increase self-confidence and lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety. Exercise also can improve your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress, depression and anxiety. All this can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command over your body and your life.

Put exercise and stress relief to work for you

A successful exercise program begins with a few simple steps.

• Consult with your doctor. If you haven’t exercised for some time and you have health concerns, you may want to talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.
• Walk before you run. Build up your fitness level gradually. Excitement about a new program can lead to overdoing it and possibly even injury. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity (think brisk walking or swimming) or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity (such as running). If you’re new to exercise, start at the moderate level and then add vigorous activity as your fitness improves.
• Do what you love. Virtually any form of exercise or movement can increase your fitness level while decreasing your stress. The most important thing is to pick an activity that you enjoy. Examples include walking, stair climbing, jogging, bicycling, yoga, tai chi, gardening, weightlifting and swimming.
• Pencil it in. Although your schedule may necessitate a morning workout one day and an evening activity the next, carving out some time to move every day helps you make your exercise program an ongoing priority.

 Whatever you do, don’t think of exercise as just one more thing on your to-do list. Find an activity you enjoy — whether it’s an active tennis match or a meditative meander down to a local park and back — and make it part of your regular routine. Any form of physical activity can help you unwind and become an important part of your approach to easing stress.

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-and-stress/SR00036

Waistlines, mirrors, jeans and scales. At this time of the year, those are not among our favorite things. Parties, festive meals, late night drinking, office snacking, and lack of time to exercise soon will soon be upon us. It’s time – right NOW – to prepare.

After all, it’s been a very successful year — you and your trainer have spent all year exercising, and have focused on waist-to-hip ratios, body mass index, body fat percentage measurements. Now comes the Fall and that all too typical holiday weight gain dread begins to set in. While we don’t typically gain as much weight as we fear we will, the difficulty is that many don’t lose the small amount of weight they do gain.

3 tips to avoid common holiday weight gain:

So here are 3 very specific tools you can begin using right now to avoid the common weight gain and fitness concerns that November brings.

1. Find ways to increase your activity and movement, if not actually increase your exercise. Wear a pedometer. You may not have the ability to spend more time at the gym, so find every imaginable way to increase your activity, even if it seems silly — it keeps your mindset focused in the right direction. One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, so that means a 200-pound person walking three miles per day even at a moderate pace for one week can burn about 2,300 calories.

   So park further away from your office, always take the stairs, carry your purchases instead of using a shopping cart, if possible, and turn your house cleaning into pumped up aerobic activity. Dance, skip and hop while you vacuum! Flying somewhere? Take a jog around the airport. Driving a long distance? Use a gas or food break to take a vigorous, 100 steps per minute walk for ten minutes. Schedule your training sessions now for throughout the holiday season and commit to meeting friends and co-workers at the gym on any day there is an office party.

2. Party and eat healthy and smart. That means eating more fruit, more protein and less refined carbs. Interesting gossip going on over at the buffet? Stay away from the dangerous nibbling that goes on unconsciously. Sure, go to the buffet line, but be sure when you leave it, you are leaving with fresh veggies, lean meats and other lower calorie goodies. While the stores are filled with delicious treats, avoid the temptation at home and leave those chocolate covered popcorn bags in the store. Whatever else you do, be a dessert splitter. Those cupcakes are going to look great. Small, cute, only 500 calories! Don’t deprive yourself though. Allow yourself one small serving of your favorite treat and be as mindful as possible as you savor the look, taste and aroma of whatever it is that you “must have.”
3. THINK smart. Plan your eating before you go out and stick to your plan. People have all sorts of unhelpful, irrational thoughts about food, diet, weight loss, especially around the holidays. “Watching what I eat should be easy.” “It’s not okay to waste food.” “If I get hungry, the hunger will get worse and worse until I eat something.” “There is nothing I can do to make cravings go away.” “It’s okay to eat this food because I’m stressed, everyone else is eating it, it’s just a little piece and I’ll make up for it later.” “I’ve already blown it so it doesn’t matter what else I eat.” It’s important to ask yourself what evidence you have that any of these thoughts, or others you may have, are true. They aren’t. They are just thoughts. Before you go out with your food plan, have a strong response counter thought plan to each of your sabotaging, unhelpful thoughts and be sure you use them immediately.

There you have it — three steps to getting through the holidays, starting now. Getting through to New Year’s in great shape and health depends on these three pillars of healthy lifestyle — insuring enough activity, eating properly and thinking wisely.

 

Article found from ACE fitness:

 http://www.acefitness.org/blog/2016/what-are-three-tips-to-avoid-dreaded-holiday/

Low back pain is  a primary cause of disability in modern society yet the pathology cause of the pain cannot be identified in a majority of individuals.  There are several treatment that have emerged through the years from surgery to acupuncture and Physical Therapy.  Here at National Jewish we have a full time Physical Therapy staff that are able to help you with your back pain.  You can do personal training sessions or group classes.  We also offered Pilates classes which have been proved helpful in some back pain cases. 

A study done by Stolze, Allison, and Childs demostrated that there are certain back pain impairments that individuals are likely to respond to treatments using Pilates-based exercises.

You can take a Pilates classes every other Monday over the lunch hour or sign-up for personal training sessions.  Back pain can also be manage with core activation and stabilization program which several of our other classes offer.  Also check with your physician before starting a new program, but come give exercise a try!

Harvard Researches have discovered a hormone that is released by exercise and helps with “fat-burning.” 

-The study was done in mice, but humans have the same hormone.  Whether the hormone reacts the same still needs to be studied.

-Fat cells are called white fat cells which store fat.  A study in 2009 found that humans also have brown fat calls which BURN fat

-Irisin is the chemical released during exercise in mice and was found to increase the number of brown fat cells and decrease the number of white fat cells

-Irisin has also been found to help prevent or overcome insulin resistance, such as in cases as diabetes

Harvard Health April 2012

Harvard Health has also found that having your cake and eating it too can also help you lose weight

-Two groups were studied:  600 Calorie rich in carbs and protein, and 600 calorie low-carb diet

-  People in the high carb diet showed lower levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger

-The high carb also showed continued weight loss after the study versus the low carb added the weight back

This study recommended incorporating favorite foods into a balance meal plan that supports long-term approach to health eating.

Harvard Health June 2012

Below is an article written by The Lancet about the topic of physical activity, Olympics, and Olympics sponsors. 

Do you side with authors?  Are we influenced by the Olympics sponsors?  Other opinions?

Please respond with courtesy, this is a NJH blog

Two people will be chosen to receive a free class in the NJH fitness department!

 

 

Pamela Das, Richard Horton

Rethinking our approach to physical activity

The Lancet, Volume 380, Issue 9838, 21–27 July 2012, Pages 189-190

 

In The Lancet today, we are publishing a five-paper Series about physical inactivity. The publication comes a week before the 2012 Olympic Games begin in London. The Games should encourage physical activity, promote healthy living, and inspire the next generation to exercise. However, marring this healthy vision has been the choice of junk food and drink giants—McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Cadbury’s—as major sponsors of the event.

Health campaigners have rightly been dismayed. On June 20, the London Assembly (an elected body that scrutinises the work of the Mayor of London) passed a motion urging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to adopt strict sponsorship criteria that exclude food and drinks companies strongly associated with high calorie brands and products linked to childhood obesity. Meanwhile, the UK’s Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has said that the presence of McDonald’s and Coca-Cola at the 2012 Games sends out the wrong message to children.

Indeed, their presence is hardly subtle. The new two-storey McDonald’s restaurant at the Olympic Park in Stratford will be the biggest in the world. It will serve up to 1200 customers an hour and make £3 million selling fast food during the Games. Cadbury’s has joined forces with McDonald’s to offer what it states on its website will be the “perfect snack” to enjoy whilst watching the Games—a chocolate bar-ice cream concoction with a whopping 395 calories per serving. Coca-Cola, meanwhile, has raised its profile considerably by branding the Olympic torch relay.

The IOC has been indignant about criticism over McDonald’s and Coca-Cola’s sponsorship. “We are proud to work with both…”, said IOC president Jacques Rogge, adding that sponsorship agreements were in place until 2020 with both companies.

But the news is not all bad: after the closing ceremony of the Paralympics, the McDonald’s mega-restaurant will be bulldozed. Harder to erase will be the long-term effect of Games-associated junk food advertising on people’s hearts and waistlines—definitely one Olympic legacy the world can do without.

 Yoga is adjunctively utilized outside the United States in the treatment of a variety of diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but there are no studies assessing its adjunctive efficacy in the United States. We prospectively evaluated the effects of yoga training on the quality of life (QOL) and the parameters of lung function in patients with COPD. Thirty-three patients with documented COPD, per Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease criteria, were recruited. All patients received standard COPD care. The QOL was assessed by the St. George Respiratory questionnaire. Standard spirometry and maximum inspiratory (maximal inspiratory pressure) and expiratory pressure (maximal expiratory pressure) were measured. Patients were taught selected yoga exercises including breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga postures for 1 hour, thrice a week for 6 weeks by a certified yoga therapist. The quality of life and lung function were again assessed at the end of 6 weeks. Twenty-two patients completed the study. Differences in preyoga versus postyoga scores were evaluated using paired t-tests. Statistically significant improvements were observed for the St. George Respiratory questionnaire, vital capacity, maximal inspiratory pressure, and maximal expiratory pressure.  Yoga when practiced by patients with COPD results in improvement in the QOL and lung function on a short-term basis. Additional research is needed to confirm these findings in a randomized controlled trial and in the longer term.

 

American Journal of Therapeutics. 19(2):96-100, 2012 Mar

Fulambarker, Ashok. Farooki, Basheeruddin. Kheir, Fayez. Copur, Ahmet Sinan. Srinivasan, Lavanya. Schultz, Stephen.

 

Come join our Yoga Class Tuesdays at noon!

Researchers gathered two groups of women, one with an average age of 22, the other with an average age of 69. The women did sets of 10 repetitions to failure on three exercises: bench press, shoulder press and triceps extension. The researchers measured oxygen uptake and perceived effort as the women did the exercises in two sequences: from the ones using large muscle groups to small (bench press, then shoulder press, then triceps extension) and in the opposite order, first using smaller muscle groups.

For the younger women, there were no notable differences between the two sequences of exercises. In the older women, however, their oxygen uptake and perceived effort were better when they went bench press to shoulder press to triceps extension. When they lifted in the opposite order, from exercises that target small muscle groups to larger ones, by the time they got to the bench press, the accumulated fatigue significantly affected their performance on that exercise.

Although the older group in this study had an average age of 69, these findings are likely applicable to all masters runners, who are at an age when you start to lose lean muscle mass. The overall loss of muscle probably requires more effort to successfully complete any strength training exercise, leaving you more fatigued than in your youth as you work through a sequence of exercises. If you’re in this age group, when you strength train, do exercises that use large muscle groups (chest, hamstrings, quads) before those that use smaller muscle groups (triceps, calves, shins).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648138

 

by ACE

The popularity of walking as a fitness activity is growing by leaps and bounds. Low risk and easy to start, walking has proved its health benefits in numerous studies. An eight-year study of 13,000 people found that those who walked 30 minutes a day had a significantly lower risk of premature death than those who rarely exercised.

A regular walking program can help:

• Reduce blood cholesterol
• Lower blood pressure
• Increase cardiovascular endurance
• Boost bone strength
• Burn calories and keep weight down

Get Ready
A walking program is simple to start. All you need are comfortable clothes and shoes. Layer loose clothing, keeping in mind that exercise elevates the body’s temperature. Shoes specifically designed for walking are best.

Every workout should begin with a brief warm-up and a few simple stretches. Walk around the house or in place for a few minutes to get the blood flowing to the muscles before you attempt to stretch them. Although walking primarily works the major muscles of the legs, don’t forget to stretch your back, shoulders and arms. This will help to loosen up any tension you may be carrying and make your walk more enjoyable as well as more effective.

Get Moving
Beginning walkers can make their workouts less strenuous by limiting how fast and far they walk. Keep in mind the following:

1. Walk short distances. Begin with a five-minute stroll and gradually increase your distance.

2. Forget about speed. Walk at a comfortable pace. Focus on good posture, keeping your head lifted and shoulders relaxed.

3. Swing your arms naturally, and breathe deeply. If you can’t catch your breath, slow down or avoid hills.

4. Be sure you can talk while walking. If you can’t converse, you are walking too fast.

Get Fit!
Walking is one fitness activity that allows you numerous options. Once you have reached a point where you can walk a few miles with relative ease, you can start to vary the intensity. Walking hills, in addition to increasing your cardiovascular endurance, is a great way to tone the legs. Concentrate on lengthening your stride or increasing your speed. And don’t forget to reward yourself after each workout with a few minutes of relaxing stretches to help prevent sore muscles.

Listening to lively music while you walk is also a great way to energize your workout. But if you wear headphones, keep the volume down and watch out for traffic that you may not hear.

Keep track of your progress. Many experts recommend that you walk a minimum of 20 minutes a day. But there are no hard and fast rules. Fit walking into your schedule whenever you can. That may mean two 10-minute walks each day, or even hour-long walks two to three times a week. The best schedule is one that keeps you walking and keeps you fit!

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/walk_aday.htm

Are you walking daily?  What motivates you to keep on walking or exercising on a consistent basis?  One response will be chosen for a FREE fitness class at NJH fitness center.

Pilates is an innovative and safe system of mind-body exercise using a floor mat or a variety of equipment. It evolved from the principles of Joseph Pilates and can dramatically transform the way your body looks, feels and performs. Pilates builds strength without excess bulk, capable of creating a sleek, toned body with slender thighs and a flat abdomen.

It is a safe, sensible exercise system that will help you look and feel your very best. It teaches body awareness, good posture and easy, graceful movement. Pilates also improves flexibility, agility and economy of motion. It can even help alleviate back pain.

No matter what your age or condition, it will work for you, but don’t just take our word for it. According to the SGMA, in the U.S. alone nearly nine million people participated in Pilates in 2009 – a staggering 456% increase from 2000.

What is mind-body exercise?

Mind-body exercise like Pilates is activity that keys on the mental focus of the physical movements being performed. With this type of exercise quality of movement is stressed over quantity of movement. You’ll often see instructors using a lot of verbal “cues” and coaching on things like the quality of breathing, rhythmic inhalation and exhalation during the exercise, and proper body alignment.

Simply put mind-body exercise contributes to overall fitness and assists with engagement of the mind. (via BalancedBody.com)

 

Come try out a class!

Regular aerobic exercise worked just as well as relaxation

therapy or the antiepileptic drug topiramate in preventing

headaches, according to a Swedish study.

Previous studies had found that relaxation therapy and

topiramate are effective for migraine prevention, the investigators

note. Emma Varkey and colleagues from the Institute of

Neuroscience and Physiology at the University of Gothenburg

conducted the study. Varkey’s team randomly assigned 91

women to 1 of 3 regimens for 3 months: aerobic exercise on

a stationary bicycle (40 minutes 3 times per week), relaxation

therapy, or daily topiramate. The 91 women were between the

ages of 18 and 65. All had neurologist-diagnosed migraine.

All 3 treatments reduced the frequency of some women’s

migraine attacks. The primary efficacy variable showed a mean

reduction of 0.93 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.31–1.54)

attacks in the exercise group, 0.83 (95% CI 0.22–1.45) attacks

in the relaxation group, and 0.97 (95% CI 0.36–1.58) attacks

in the topiramate group. No significant difference was observed

between the groups (p=0.95).

Varkey said she was surprised by the small between-group

differences. The only parameter in which topiramate was better

than exercise or relaxation was the reduction of pain intensity.

On the other hand, Varkey noted, the non-pharmacological

options were free from adverse events. In addition, the

exercise group increased oxygen intake. The researchers added,

“From a wider health-based perspective, it should be stressed

that patients with migraine are less physically active than the

general population, and that exercise has positive effects in

terms of general well-being and the prevention of disease.”

 

Varkey E, Cider A, Carlsson J, Linde M. Exercise as migraine prophylaxis: a randomized study using relaxation and topiramate as controls. Cephalagia.31(14):1428-1438.