"Everybody's Got a Hungry Heart..."

The latest reports on diet and weight loss encourage us to eat only when we’re hungry, and then two weeks later, we’re told to eat on a specific schedule of planned meals. There’s so much conflicting information, that it’s no wonder we’re all confused. Truthfully, I think it’s a little bit of both, but it all depends on when and why you want to eat.

My dad was eternally thin; and not from eating vegetables, fish or lean meat. He ate when he was hungry and that could be at 10 in the morning or midnight. He subsisted on a steady diet of hamburgers, chili, diner specials, Mallomars and Hostess cupcakes. He wouldn’t think twice about ordering a triple carbohydrate breakfast of pancakes, hash browns and toast because that was what he felt like eating. All this and his nightly donut habit would have me waddling through the door, but he never once popped a button or split the seams on his clothes. (It probably helped that my mom wasn’t the greatest cook, but more about that later).

He never ate out of boredom or cravings; he just got food when he was hungry and did other things in between. And…. He ate only until he was full. If there was food left over, it stayed on the plate. It never occurred to him to finish it all.

I, on the other hand, have always eaten beyond hunger. I feel like I’m hungry all of the time. Not physically hungry, but my mind is in a constant state of food envy! I wake up contemplating what breakfast will make my taste buds happiest and the rest of the day is usually consumed with what flavors are next. The thought of eating only to fill my stomach is appalling to me. I have to mentally plan the flavors I let myself have so I can get the most taste from the fewest calories. I might be working, exercising or shopping, but my mind is always on food. I’ll plan my post-workout snack on the treadmill, then I’m planning lunch, and after that how long do I need to wait until my afternoon snack (but not too close to dinner), and then how long after dinner do I need to wait until I can have my 120 calorie ice cream cup? Sometimes I’m not even that hungry, but my body clock tells me it’s time and I don’t want to miss that treat!

When I see a plate of food that I love, my taste buds take over and my stomach no longer has a say in the matter! However, I’ve learned some tricks over the years that help me keep a handle on why I’m eating and how much I really want; like getting a doggie bag as soon as my meal comes and packing up half of it, splitting a full portion with a friend, ordering an appetizer as a meal, or even getting a variety of small bites by ordering the tasting menu. These can really help when we don’t have a true fullness gauge!

Below is a basic hunger/satiety scale from the book Eating Well, Living Well by Gaesser and Kratina:

0-Starving and beyond
1-You’re so hungry you want to order everything on the menu
2-Everything on the menu begins to look good. You may be preoccupied with your hunger
3-You’re hungry and the urge to eat is strong.
4-A little hungry. You can wait to eat, but you know you’ll be getting hungrier soon.
5-Neutral: not hungry, not full.
6-No longer hungry. You sense food in your belly, but you could definitely eat more.
7-Hunger is definitely gone. Stop here, and you may not feel hungry again for 3-4 hours.
8-Not uncomfortable, but you’ve definitely eaten a belly full.
9-Moving into uncomfortable.
10-“Thanksgiving full”. Very uncomfortable, maybe even painful.

Nutritionist Sheri Albert, MPH, RD recommends staying between 3 and 7 most of the time. In other words, try to eat before you’re so hungry that you think you can’t see straight, and stop eating when you feel satisfied and you’re no longer eating to satiate your hunger.

When my dad let his hunger be his guide, he remained thin and fit. We used to joke that my mom had been starving him since when he went into a nursing home and began eating meals every day at specific times, he gained 20 pounds. But I really think the forced feeding times eventually tricked his body into thinking he was always hungry at meal times.

So next time you’re craving something to eat, ask yourself what you’re really feeling: Physical hunger? Eat something. Boredom? Do something AWAY from the kitchen. Anger, anxiety, stress? Take a walk, run, go to the gym. Wait a few minutes, and then make your choice. Over time, you can train your body to respond to the right hunger cues!

"(Don't) Keep On Fallin'..."

I’ve always moved pretty fast. Not marathon-runner fast, but the “I’m in a hurry so get out of my way” fast. I walk looking straight ahead, not down, and this in itself has caused some problems through the years. I’ve walked into small children at the mall, tripped over puppies on the sidewalk, and once, (this is NOT made up; my children will vouch for this) to the horror of my kids, I tripped over a gypsy beggar kneeling in the street in Barcelona and kicked her money cup across the street.

I tell you this not so you will think I’m a total klutz, but to remind everyone of how vulnerable we can be if we don’t pay attention to obstacles in our surroundings. And we are even more vulnerable to “accidents” if we don’t have strong bones or good balance and coordination. This is especially true as we get older.

While having good balance and sense of body position is beneficial to sports performance, it is critical to preventing falls. Falls are a leading cause of debilitating injury and they become even more so as we get older. Doing balance exercises can help you maintain both your balance and confidence at any age. These exercises can also help prevent falls and improve your coordination. And they can help us remain more independent as we get older!

Nearly any activity that keeps you on your feet and moving, such as walking, can help you maintain good balance. But you should also include balance exercises in your daily routine. Try balancing on one foot while waiting in line, or stand up and sit down without using your hands. For a more targeted approach, try specific balance exercises
An easy way to begin is with weight shifts:
-Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your weight equally distributed on both legs
-Shift your weight to your right side, then lift your left foot off the floor
-Hold the position as long as you can maintain good form, up to 30 seconds.
-Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. As your balance improves, increase the number of repetitions.

Then move on to standing on one leg:
-Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your weight equally distributed on both legs. Place your hands on your hips. Lift your left leg off the floor and bend it back at the knee
-Hold the position as long as you can maintain good form, up to 30 seconds.
-Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. As your balance improves, increase the number of repetitions.
Balance sitting on a stability ball:
Start with the ball against the wall and then slowly move out, holding onto the sides of the ball
Place one arm out to the side with feet flat on floor. Then, if you feel stable, both arms.
Challenge yourself by slowly lifting one foot at a time off floor.

The more balanced, and coordinated your muscles are, the less likely they are to be injured because of pressure or force.

A more advanced balance exercise is stepping over objects: Practice stepping over high objects (both walking forward and backward). You can use boxes, Reebok steps, flat benches—whatever you can find. If you want to progress, you can increase speed. This will help you develop a feel for where you are in space, and will also challenge your body to quickly catch and stop your motion, and to stabilize you as you change direction. All of these are fundamental components of sport and life.

And train overall functional strength: When you train in the gym, consider exercises that mimic your natural movement patterns. For example, squats, walking lunges, and standing cable chest flys—exercises that use muscles the way you need to use them in life.

Stretch daily: In addition to balance exercises, you need a daily stretching routine. Tight muscles get injured when they try to react quickly to extreme circumstances.

You also want to kind of “fall-proof” yourself by not standing up too quickly and staying active.

We want to do everything we can to prevent falls, but if our bones are strong too, we can prevent fractures if our balance fails us. Much of the support for strong bones comes from our diet and we need lots of calcium to grow strong, Eating calcium-rich foods increases calcium absorption, but calcium supplements can also strengthen bones, as long as they are taken with food and broken up over the course of the day.

Along with the right foods, spending time in the sun can also strengthen bones. Vitamin D, which is synthesized through sunlight, is critical to bone development.

Finally, load-bearing exercises strengthen bones and joints. Swimming, walking, biking, jumping and weight lifting can all contribute to stronger bones, because the body responds to physical stress by building up the bones to cope with it. It’s beneficial for bones in people of all ages, including older people. Weight-bearing exercise applies tension to our muscles and bones, and our bodies respond to this stress by increasing bone density; in young adults by as much as 2 - 8% a year. In addition to improving bone density, weight-bearing exercises reduce the risk of fractures by improving muscle strength and balance, thus helping to prevent falls.

What is most crucial to preventing injuries, though, is having an acute awareness of your environment. This means looking up and down and all around you when you’re walking (which also means not texting or playing with your smart phone), and keeping your home environment clear of obstacles that are accidents waiting to happen, like open cabinet doors, kicked-off shoes, laundry baskets or toys (doggie or kid)!

So do your best to keep your body strong, safe and balanced now and as you age and it will reward you with added years of health and mobility!!

"Every Little Thing (I eat)..."

Anyone who has ever spent a day with me knows I’m always writing notes to myself. Whether it’s stuff I need at the grocery store, appointments, directions or reminders of things to do, there are always random scraps of paper around my house and in my purse.

For years, I’ve kept my food diary in the same way; scraps of paper with my daily calories, fat, and protein combinations, cross-outs and recalculations, time of day and portion sizes. As scattered and chaotic as this might sound, I still always have a good idea of what I eat and how and when I exercise.

So it amazes me that most people, even those who know exactly what they spend and exactly how much money they have in the bank, have absolutely no idea of the amount or type of nourishment they put into their bodies!
Over the years. I’ve graduated from scraps of paper, to a spiral notebook, and now, with a smart phone, a food diary app to keep track of my food habits and exercise on a daily basis. And if you’re brutally honest, you can learn a whole lot about why those last 10 pounds just won’t go away. After a few weeks of tracking, you can see what negative patterns emerge and that awareness can help change your habits.

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine did a study on over 2000 overweight adults and found that those who kept food records six days a week -- jotting down everything they ate and drank on those days -- lost about twice as much weight as those who kept food records one day a week or less.

If you use the food diary in the right way, you get answers that just won’t come out of a diet book. My weight has been pretty consistent over the past 25 years within about a 5-6 pound range. So when the scale started creeping up 7,8,and then 9 pounds last winter, I first chocked it up to getting older. But when I finally spent three weeks tracking EVERY morsel I ate, the problem was clear. Too much “invisible” food; a bite here, a spoonful there, a handful of high-fat nuts, an overflowing “1/2 cup” serving of Slow Churned ice cream! All helped to pack on an additional 600-800 calories a day!

So, using the food diary as my conscience, I traded exact portions, switching to pre-portioned packs of the foods I tended to “over-eyeball”, substituted fresh fruit for high-sugar dried fruit, and replaced half the bowl of almonds with popcorn. The two “small” glasses of wine I’d been drinking were actually 6-8 oz glasses, so measuring and recording that helped too.

The food journal can act like a mirror by revealing to you what goes into your body, but you have to have to be honest for it to be effective:

-Make sure you account for all those ‘little extras’
Many people eat healthily at mealtimes, but snack poorly in between. If you’re aiming to lose a pound a week, just a few extras (eg. a can of coke, a cookie and a packet of crisps) during the day prevents you from seeing results on the scales. Writing down everything you eat demonstrates the cost of those ‘occasional’ nibbles…
-Know when you can afford to treat yourself
On the other hand, keeping track of your food intake over the course of a day or a week gives you the freedom to enjoy a treat once in a while – guilt-free. If you know you’ve got calories to spare for the day, and no ice cream has passed your lips for six days, you can indulge yourself! (But record it)
-Be aware of when you’re eating
Keeping a food diary highlights patterns, showing if you overeat at particular times. Maybe you binge late at night, because you’ve been eating too little all day? Or perhaps you graze constantly? If you don’t keep a food diary because you have no hope of remembering everything you eat … you may need to change your habits.
-Fight ‘portion creep’
If you’ve been dieting or maintaining for a long time, you get used to “eyeballing” portions rather than weighing everything out. But if your weight loss has plateaued, or if those pounds are edging back on, keeping a diary means you need to weigh your foods.
-See your habits changing
It can be motivational to look back on a food diary from a few months or even years ago and see how your nutritional choices have changed. Perhaps you’ve curbed your chocolate habit, or maybe you now eat proper meals instead of junk-food snacks. And if you’re having a bad day, flicking back to a “perfect” week in your diary is encouraging: if you did it once, you can do it again! What you include in your food diary depends on which area concerns you the most.

-If your problem is portions: focus on weighing and measuring everything you eat.
-If you want to focus on a nutritious diet: record the nutritional components (fat, sugar, salt, etc).
-If your problem is habitual eating patterns: Focus on recording time of day, where, with whom, and activity.
-Emotional eating issues? Log your moods and their connections to eating patterns.

If you have a Smart phone, there are Food Diary apps galore. Some are diet specific like Weight Watchers or NutriSystem, but most work no matter what program or plan you follow. The majority have large food databases, and most of them are free or low cost, so you can just type in a food, and it will calculate all of the nutritional facts.

I use an app called Calorie Count and it works well for me. It keeps track of the calories and nutrition and all of my exercise. It readjusts what I should be eating to maintain my weight and can adjust to help you lose weight. I can see if I’m too low in protein or too high in fats and make the changes I need. It also allows you to save your favorite (or regularly eaten) foods so you don’t have to search for them each time you need to enter them. It’s pretty simple, but I’m not the most tech-savvy person.

My son used Lose It, also a free app, that is similar to Calorie Count: it keeps track of all the calories you are consuming (food) and the calories you are burning (exercise). From there, you can look at how you’re doing with your calorie “budget” and what your calorie “balance” is at the end of each day. The app can also be used to track proteins, fats, carbs, and more, including the ability to print detailed reports. Each food type includes accurate calorie, carb, fiber, fat, sodium and protein values, which you can track on a separate page. Add in your daily exercises—including the intensity and hours spent—and it calculates how many calories you ate, how many you burned and how much more you can eat that day. For added motivation, a graph based on your data shows how much weight you've lost.

On the LIVESTRONG.COM's MyPlate Calorie Tracker’s website, it states that MyPlate's calorie counter allows you to set your weight loss goals, track your daily caloric intake and log your fitness activities. Browse the largest online food library, track your calories and get verified nutrition facts for even the rarest foods! You can browse healthy alternatives for your most frequently eaten foods, create entire meals for tracking, and monitor your progress with up-to-date, personalized charts and graphs. Detailed breakdowns of your daily diet will help you count calories and will serve as an educational tool-empowering you to make the best choices for long-term success.
If you won’t keep track of every calorie, carb, and protein, there are a few apps out there that allow you to just take a picture of your food and it lets you know if the food is good for you or not.

Food Tracker Pro ($1.99)If calorie counting isn’t your goal, and all you want is to be aware of what you eat, this universal app keeps things simple. Just click on the picture of the food group you ate from, mark the number of servings and you’re good to go. I’m not sure “sweets” count as a food group, but they’re included in FoodTracker.This app contains no database— just some pictures.

The Eatery doesn't even involve calories. All you do is snap a photo of your meal or snack, then rate it anywhere between "fit" and "fat." The app will pull other users' ratings for the same food to show if you're on track (you can also share and compare your foods with Facebook friends).
The app logs all of your meals and generates reports for you, like which food was the best you ate all week, which was your worst, what time of day you tend to eat more, and at what restaurant you make the healthiest choice.

Fooducate-with Fooducate, users scan a product barcode, it analyzes the product and gives it a letter grade. The less processed the food with fewer filler or additives, the higher the grade. This would be a great app to use when shopping for food to help you select healthier options at the store or try a healthier alternative to what you normally buy.

But, no matter how tech-savvy your app is, you still have to be vigilant about entering your food and exercise.
-Write as you go. Don't wait until the end of the day to record what you ate and drank.
-Use whatever type of food diary works for you. It doesn't matter whether you use scrap paper, a phone app or a notebook. What matters is that you use it
-Don't skip your indulgent days. Keep records, especially on days when you’re tempted to eat. (Vacations, parties, family gatherings) The AJM study found that, "What gets measured tends to get changed."
-Focus on portion size. Practice at home with measuring cups, measuring spoons, or food scales. And be aware that people tend to underestimate how much food they're served.
-Record physical activity. The new dietary guidelines recommend 60-90 minutes of moderate activity daily to sustain weight loss. Keep track of what type of activity you did for the day, and how much time it took you to do it.

Now, if I could only track my spending as well as I track my food, I’d make my husband very happy!

"Flashlight...Neon Light..."

Back in the 80’s, I was still teaching high school English when my students started coming to school in a variety of neon clothes, from MC Hammer pants to warm-up suits to boots and headbands. Though it was hard to look out into a classroom and have the kids reflect light off of their outfits, I still kind of liked the bright colors. Sadly, I had to keep my conservative look then, and it wasn’t cool to try and dress like the kids!

But lately I’ve noticed neon popping up all over the place (even in St. Louis) and especially at the gym. So even if you never rocked the trend in the 80’s, consider some of these neon workout pieces to add to your wardrobe!

For running outdoors or riding your bike, try Athleta’s Intrepid Workout Jacket in Chartreuse.
www.athleta.com

There are so many cool shoes out there that you can find neon on lots of styles and types. These Adizero Ace Men’s Running Shoes in Yellow/Orange will get you noticed.
www.adidas.com

This Under Armour Neon Green Heat Gear T is both bright and functional.
www.underarmour.com

If you love dance workouts, try the Zumba Electric Pink Cargo Pants.
www.zumba.com/shop

More subdued, but still neon electric is the Lucy Black/Neon Multi Criss-Cross Tank.
www.lucy.com

If you can’t bring yourself to actually WEAR neon, but still want to brighten up your workout, try the Speedo Lime Green Duffle Bag.
www.speedousa/Duffle-Bags

And finally, maybe you want to keep your neon look under wraps, so try lululemon’s Hot Pink Groovy Girl Short underwear.
www.lululemon.com

Whether you wore it in the 80’s or just want to amp up your workout gear in 2012, neon looks abound!

Send me a pic of you in your favorite neon workout wear (from the 80s or current) and I’ll post it on my Fitness Barista Facebook page! Hkraus52@gmail.com

"Shouldering Your Responsibilities..."

It’s only April, and the temperature around country has been soaring way above the normal highs. With no coats or sweaters or long sleeves to cover us up, our arms and shoulders are out for all to see. Maybe you slacked off a little over the winter, or maybe you’ve avoided shoulder exercises because you’re afraid you might look bulky. Either way, you won't look good if your shoulders are stooped.

"The shoulders are the most important muscle group of the upper body for appearance as well as function," says Brad Schoenfeld, MS, CSCS, a fitness trainer in Scarsdale, N.Y. Even if you have nice arms, well-developed shoulders give the illusion of a smaller waist, like built-in shoulder pads. Bathing suits, strapless dresses, tank tops, or one–shoulder styles; well-sculpted shoulders make them all look and feel better.

The deltoid is the largest and most visible of the shoulder muscles. It’s essentially three muscles in one, comprising a front (anterior), middle (lateral), and rear (posterior) head. The heads function together for more complex moves like an overhead press, but work more independently in some moves. Though it’s impossible to totally isolate any single muscle, I find there is less stress on my shoulder joints when I try to shift the emphasis from one head to another, focusing on the front, mid, and rear separately.

The anterior deltoid raises the upper arm to the front of your body, the middle deltoid raises it to the side, and the rear deltoid moves the upper arm backward. The key to sculpting your shoulders is good form and manageable resistance. If the weight is so heavy that form is sacrificed, you will just leave yourself open to injury.

The shoulder exercises I like to use when “shaping” are basically modified versions of standard shoulder exercises. I also like working my shoulders unilaterally to avoid strain on my neck and back.

The first exercise combines a front raise with a side raise. Initially, I would raise both arms to the front at the same time and to the side together. By doing a front raise with one arm while doing a side raise with the other, I’m able to keep my form better and put less stress on my neck and back. I learned this from my friend Val Cottone.

-Stand upright with your back straight, feet shoulder width apart
-Hold a dumbbell in your right hand with palms turned toward the side of your body
-Hold a dumbbell in your left hand with palms turned toward the front of your body.
-Slowly lift the right weight to the side, and the left weight to the front, until they are slightly higher than --shoulder level.
-Lower the weights with a smooth, controlled motion.
-Repeat for 10-12 reps, then switch. This time bringing the left weight to the side and the right weight forward.


The next exercise works the mid and front delts. (Again, this exercise is courtesy of Val).

-Stand slightly bent forward with weight in one hand, arm in an arc with palm towards body.
-Lift elbow up to just at shoulder level. Lower slowly in arc. Repeat for 10-12 reps. Switch arms.

This exercise works the posterior (Rear) delts and can be done bi-laterally or unilaterally.

-Sit sideways on bench with feet on floor and a dumbbell in each hand..
-Bend, keeping torso straight and look down at floor.
-With a dumbbell in each hand and your arms extended toward floor, bring arms up in a wide arc.
-Concentrate on keeping your upper arms in line with your shoulders and lifting with your rear delts, not your upper or middle back like a row.

The upright row works your front (anterior) delts and can be done unilaterally or bi-laterally.

-Stand with a slight bend in your knee
-Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip with hands slightly more than shoulder width apart.
-Pull the weight(s) up to chest level, keeping the weight(s) as close to your body as possible. (If you’re more than an “A” cup, be careful)
-For the right position, imagine “strings’ attached to each elbow pulling them toward the ceiling.
-Pause and squeeze at the top of the movement, lower and repeat.
-(You can do this one arm at a time or both together)


If you keep your diet in check, continue to get in enough cardio and add these exercises in to your routine twice a week, you should see significant changes in about 4-6 weeks! Just in time for the pools to open!!

"Let's Get It Started..."

I’m not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician, but I have studied, researched and embraced the importance of the right foods for good health. I know the calories, fats, carbs and protein facts about most of the foods that I eat and I know that eating the right foods can enhance your energy level, thinking skills and aging process.

I also know how lucky I am to live in an area that has access to these healthy foods, and that I can afford to buy good quality food.

Unfortunately, the worst culprit in our obesity epidemic is lack of knowledge about what is healthy and what is detrimental, as well as the misconception that food has to be expensive to be good for you.

So, while doing some research for an article I was writing about Share Our Strength, I came across their program called Cooking Matters. Through Cooking Matters, course participants learn how to select nutritious and low-cost ingredients and prepare them in ways that provide the best nourishment possible to their families. It is nationally sponsored by ConAgra Foods, and locally in St. Louis, run by Operation Food Search.

The classes are led by volunteer chefs (qualified culinary instructors - someone formally trained as a chef, a person with a culinary background working in the foodservice industry, or someone with a similar culinary background like an experienced home cook), and nutritionists (registered dietitian, upper-classman dietetics student, dietetic intern, or someone with a similar nutrition background), and provide hands-on meal preparation, practical nutrition information, and food budgeting skills. The courses meet one day a week for 6 weeks and are age specific. Each course covers the My Plate and food group divisions, reading nutrition labels, cutting sugar and salt, adding whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and shopping economically for nutritious foods.

COOKING MATTERS for Adults gives parents the skills and motivation they need to provide healthy, well-balanced meals and to teach children a love of healthy eating. It. was developed to increase the number of preschool children from low-income families who grow up healthy, well fed, and with good eating habits.

COOKING MATTERS for Families teaches school-aged children and their parent about healthy eating and the importance of eating together as a family.

COOKING MATTERS for Teens teaches teens how to make healthy food choices and prepare healthy meals and snacks

COOKING MATTERS for Kids teaches kids ages 8-12 about healthy eating, how healthy eating affects their performance, and how to make easy, nutritious foods at home.

The program made so much sense to me that I decided to volunteer to teach. I’m now into my fourth week of working as a class assistant in a Cooking Matters for Kids class at Lexington School in St. Louis. Together with Kari and Jessica, we get the kids to think about what they are eating, read recipes, read food labels, try LOTS of new foods and have them actually do the prepping, chopping, mixing, cooking, and plating (not the least of which is the EATING!).

They take the recipes home with them and have weekly challenges about what they’ve learned: like eating a fruit or veggie with each meal. Or checking the label on a package of bread to make sure the bread was really made from whole grain. Many have already made the recipes from class at home with their parents. They learn the difference between refined and natural sugars and actually see how much sugar they may be taking in from sodas or juices. When they see first- hand the 15 teaspoons of sugar in a regular Coke, that visual stays with them, and they’re more likely to make better choices.

The participants are asked to at least try the foods they’re not familiar with and rate them. Many are pleasantly surprised, especially by vegetables and whole grain examples. But the most fun is when we cook with them. They all want to participate and be a part of completing the recipe. We set out the ingredients and guide them, but they happily put it all together; measuring, chopping, grating, mixing, and blending ingredients.

We all sit down and eat what they’ve made together and talk about what they’ve learned in the lesson and what they’ll try to do at home. The two hours just fly by, and the kids leave happy.

If anything is going to help the obesity epidemic, it’s giving people the right information to make healthy and economical food choices and teaching them the skills needed to prepare it for themselves!

I’ve already signed on for the next session and plan to continue. If you’re looking for a hands-on opportunity, this is a well-run, effective and rewarding program!

For upcoming volunteer opportunities locally in St. Louis (New session start in April), go to :
http://www.operationfoodsearch.org/services-and-programs/nutrition-education/volunteer-opportunities
For information in your area
http://cookingmatters.org
http://www.strength.org

"I'll Be There For You..."

This morning as I was leaving the gym, a friend from one of my fitness classes said she’d love to get a group of us together over the summer to just talk and spend some time with one another. We see each other in class a few times a week, talk for a few minutes before and after, and we really like getting to know each other. We’re there to work out hard, but we find we enjoy it more when we encourage each other. Although most fitness advice centers on food and exercise, the hidden benefit that we rarely point out is the bond that is formed among those who make health and fitness a priority in their lives!( This pic is my current Zumba class)

And for me, it’s always been like this. When I was first married and moved to a new city, I met the women I would share pregnancies, child-rearing, and work stories with. At the time, instead of a gym, we met in church basements, carrying our own steps and weights. I even went into labor in an aerobics class. As our kids were born, we brought them to class in their baby seats and later, let them play together on the playground while we took our classes. When I moved from there, they gave me a “going away party” class!

So it’s no surprise that when we moved again, the gym was the first place I went. The tiny gym had an early morning aerobic dance class and a handful of people would show up to work out. We had so much fun working out, talking, and laughing together, and depended on one another to be there each morning. Whatever stress we had in our lives at the time, disappeared for the hour that we were together in the gym. As schedules changed, our friendships continued, moving to other gyms and new classes.

(This is the group from the early morning workout,NOT in workout clothes, celebrating one of our children's milestones!)

When I started an early morning spinning class, the camaraderie continued with new faces and friends. We’d follow our tough workouts at the Starbuck’s across the street. I might not see them any other time, but our shared interest in health and fitness made hearing about other aspects of their lives even more fun.

And even now, MANY, MANY years into working out, I find the same kinship with people in my classes and on the gym floor. From Zumba to spinning to Cardio/Resistance to weight training, we all share the “agony and ecstasy” of a great workout. And when you’re gone for a while, people worry. Sometimes I feel guilty if I haven’t been to a class in while, but usually, I’m happy they’re glad to have me back.

I’ve always believed that the gym is the Great People Equalizer. Whether it’s my 80 year old buddy who can do more than most of the men half his age in the gym, or the young moms who share their kids’ antics, or the instructors and trainers, I always feel a commonality!

(This pic is working out with my college roomies on our annual reunion trip)

And as for the wonderful people I’ve met in the gym, so many are still my good friends. Even though many of us are at different gyms and live in different parts of the country, we still reminisce about earlier days working out together.

I know the reason we’re at the gym isn’t supposed to be social, but if you’re getting a great workout and having fun with others, what’s wrong with that!!