38 Miami-Dade/Florida Keys www.namiami.com

EXERCISE

NOW!STICK-WITH-IT TIPS KEEP

YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION GOING

Exercise is a key to happiness, as well as fitness, according to mount-ing research. Newsweek reports

that people who exercise are healthier, more energetic, think more clearly, sleep better and have delayed onset of demen-tia. Studies by the Karolinska Institute, in Sweden, and California State University are among those that further show why exercise leads to relief from anxiety and mild depression. Researchers at Leeds Metropolitan University have also demonstrated that people who exercise perform better at work. More, although it’s tempting to flop down on the couch when you’re feeling exhausted, exercise is actually a great way to boost energy levels, a conclusion supported by a metastudy conducted by the University of Georgia. They con-cluded that feeling fatigued is a reason to exercise, not a reason to skip exercise. But even when you admit that you’d feel better if you exercised, it can be hard to adopt the habit. My idea of

fun, for example, has always been to lie in bed reading, preferably while also eating a snack—but I’ve managed to keep myself exercising over the years by using these tricks on myself:

1 Always exercise on Monday. This sets the psychological pattern for

the week.

2 If at all possible, exercise first thing in the morning. As the day wears

on, you’ll find more excuses to skip exercising. Get it checked off your list, first thing. It’s also a nice way to start the day; even if other things don’t get done, you’ve accomplished that.

3 Never skip exercising for two days in a row. You can skip a day, but

you must exercise on the next day, even if it seems to be inconvenient at that time.

4 Give yourself credit for the small-est effort. One man I know said

that all he had to do was put on his

fitbody

by Gretchen Rubin

Helpful Resources

Fitness by MinaCertified Fitness Trainer(786)387-6819www.fitnessbymina.com

Moti Horenstein’s Mixed Martial Arts 18425 NE 19 Ave North Miami Beach, FL 33179 305-935-1855

M Cycle Gym 6114 South Dixie Hwy Miami, FL 33143 305-665-1618

Miami Beach Gyrotonic 1370 Washington Avenue #307 Miami Beach, FL 33139 (305) 397-8070

The Coaching Corner Fitness Studio 15682 SW 72 St Miami, FL 33193 786-344-1332

39natural awakenings Natural Living Directory 2011 January 2011

running shoes and close the door behind him to get going. Many times, by promising myself I could quit 10 minutes after I’d started, I got myself to start—and then found that I didn’t want to quit, after all.

5 Think about context. Examine the factors that might be discouraging

you from exercising. Perhaps you are distressed about the grubby showers in your gym or recoil from running if it’s cold outside. Try alternatives.

6 Exercise several times a week. If your idea of exercise is to join

games of pick-up basketball, you should be playing practically every day. Twice a month isn’t enough.

7 Find a way to exercise that doesn’t always require you to shower

afterward. Each week, I really get into a challenging weight-training session, but it’s in a format that doesn’t make me sweat.

8 Look for affordable ways to make exercising more pleasant or sat-

isfying. Could you upgrade to a nicer or more convenient gym, buy yourself

a new iPod or pedometer, or work with a trainer? Exercise is a high life priority, so these are worthwhile ways to spend some money if they help get you moving.

9 Think of exercise as part of your es-sential preparation. It readies you for

times when you want to be in especially fine form—whether in performance (to be sharp for an important presentation), appearance (to look good for a wedding or another formal occasion) or mood (to deal with a stressful situation).

10 Don’t let the perfect be the en-emy of the good. Don’t decide

it’s only worth exercising if you can run five miles or if you can bike for an hour. A woman I know scorns exercise unless she’s training for a marathon—so she never exercises. Even going for a 10-minute walk is worthwhile. Do what you can.

11Suit up. Even if you’re not sure you’re going to exercise, go

ahead and put on your exercise clothes. Pack your bag. Put the dog’s leash by

the door. Get prepared. If you’re ready to go, you might find it easier just to go ahead and exercise. Sometimes a trivial thing, like not knowing where your shoes are, gets in the way.

12Don’t kid yourself. Paying for a gym membership doesn’t mean

you necessarily go to the gym. Hav-ing been in shape in high school or college doesn’t mean you’re in shape now. Saying that you don’t have time to exercise doesn’t make it true.

People often ask me, “So, if I want to be happier, what should I be doing?” and I always say, “The first thing to do is to make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep and some exercise.” It’s a stance backed up by research psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness. Good exercise is a good place to start, and makes it easier to act on other personal happiness-inducing resolutions.

Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happi-ness Project, blogs daily at Happiness-Project.com.

mindfultimebe present.

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Eureka Deeds, 100 Pounds Lighter

For many of us, the wake-up call comes from stepping on the scale

after a three-month eating holiday start-ing with Halloween candy, followed by November’s turkey and trimmings, December’s holiday dinners, capped off with New Year’s Eve parties and toasts.

Eureka Deeds’ wake-up call was tragic. Four years ago, her beloved older brother died from complications of morbid obesity at age 36. For Eureka, losing weight suddenly became a matter

of life and death and at age 28, she chose life. It helped that her best friend said, “We’ve got to do some-thing.”

Eureka did what

many others do and joined Weight Watchers and a gym. But unlike many others, she has stayed on the straight and narrow for four years and worked out hard five times a week. In fact, she decided to take on a second job as a trainer at Curves to stay the course.

In a year and a half, she lost 116 pounds. Keeping it off has not been easy. “I am an emotional eater and I like all the bad food,” she is ready to admit. “But I gradually learned to like healthy food.”

She tries to adhere to the good eating habits she learned from Weight Watchers but occasionally slips. When she comes to Curves, she will flat out list her transgressions and there are women there she has come to depend on to re-mind her of what she has accomplished. “I couldn’t do it without them,” she says of her supporters.

In addition to dieting and regular workouts, Eureka likes to dance and walk, sometimes walking for several miles in her South Dade neighborhood.

Congratulations, Eureka. Thanks for the inspiration!

communityspotlight

By Kathy Hersh

Personal fitness trainers do more than just help otherwise healthy people drop a few pounds and get “buff.” As our population ages, so do the

challenges that personal trainers face in working with clients with health is-sues often associated with aging like diabetes, hypertension, and Parkinson’s disease. Velitchka Kerkeniakov, “Vili,” as everyone calls her, is a Bulgarian-born former professional athlete and a personal trainer who works at a Bally Total Fitness gym where she trains with clients who have a whole gamut of health problems. Her compassion for her clients is as important as her knowledge of fitness techniques. We talked to her about her work and her perspective on overall health in America.

NA: You’ve been a personal fitness trainer for several years

and since 2003 at Bally. Have you noticed any trends in the

kind of clientele you see?VK: There are a lot of teenagers who are over-weight. Adults around 30 are heavier than ever and are very depressed. The oldest clients come because their doctor told them to workout. There are more health problems.

NA: What kinds of health issues are you dealing with?

VK: My most delicate and challenging work is with a client who has been sick for 25 years. His body system has been affected by Parkinson’s Dis-ease. His mind has many thoughts at the same time and his personality can change every minute. His physical condition is never the same. So my workout plan always changes. I have to be very creative every second. His workouts typically consist of stretching, strength training, balance, water aerobics, and flexibility training. The best time to workout with him is early in the morning when he feels calm and relaxed. My workouts with him are

FITNESS TRAINERS

FACETHE

CHALLENGES OF AN AGING, UNHEALTHY

NATION

41natural awakenings Natural Living Directory 2011 January 2011

successful because he still walking. He is stronger, has better posture, has lost 20 lb. and has less depression. He told me, “You keep me in life.”

NA: You mentioned that you

have a client with fibromy-

algia. So little is know what

causes that disease, which

causes such general pain and

low energy. How do you deal

with a person suffering with

that?

VK: It’s very hard at first but once they believe me that the exercise is the only way to feel better it becomes easier. We talk about nutrition from the first day. The more discipline they have, the more improvement they make. Saturated sugar is taken out of their menu. Only sugar from fruits is allowed. The leaner and slimmer they get, the less pain they have and can move easily.

NA: We are seeing a diabetes

epidemic in this country of

epic proportions. Most alarm-

ing is the number of young

people who are succumbing.

How do you deal with diabetic

and pre-diabetic clients?

VK: I do a fat test and measurements. I convince them that if they follow the diet and workout program they will look pretty, skinny or muscular. They need motivation. If we can keep the sugar levels low they may not need medications. I had a man who after three months his doctor said he was much better. He was very happy. The only way to decrease obesity and keep the glucose levels normal is through ex-ercise and diet. Some of their workouts are at moderate intensity because they have high blood pressure.

NA: What is your own personal

exercise and diet regimen? Is

there anything you do differ-

ently in terms of habits you

acquired as an athlete?

VK: Ninety percent of the people in the gym come to me and say they want to look like me. I have never been over 140 pounds. My diet is not very special but it’s my habit and it’s easy for me to control. I get on the scale almost every day to see what is going on.

When I was an athlete, I ate bigger quantities of food but the same way I do now - not many carbohydrates or sweets. When I need to lose some pounds, I don’t mix carbs with protein, only protein and salad or carbs and salad. This is the key to lose weight.

I do strength training with one of the girls at 6 am two or three times a week in the gym. I ride my bike 10-12 miles, or run 3-4 miles on the weekend. In the summer, I do kayaking in the ocean with my husband Vess every Sunday.

NA: From your perspective as

a European and relatively new

arrival in America, why do you

think obesity is so prevalent in

the U.S. and not in Europe?

VK: Advanced technology keeps the people sitting all day. Also a problem is the quality of the food and the quantity of the portions. Here in the USA, the kids and adults have better conditions and financial possibilities to practice any physical activity. The gyms, the parks, the mountains, the beaches, and the pools are plentiful and are in excel-lent condition. The problem in the USA is the life style.

The photograph shows “Vili” Kerke-niakov with her client Sonia Espinoza, who dropped from 147 pounds to 110 and is holding. Sonia keeps in touch with Vili by email and in her last mes-sage confessed to eating french fries. Thanks to Vili’s training and ongoing interest, Sonia stopped at just seven fries. Congratulations to you both! To contact Vili, call 786 302 6905.