Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

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Strength Training for Seniors

As we age, our bodies start to change, our priorities shift, and things start to hurt that never did before. Old adults often experience difficulty walking for distances, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries. These changes are largely due to muscle loss which mainly results from inactivity.

In order to help us stay strong and vital during older adulthood, we need to participate in regular strengthening exercises, which can help prevent osteoporosis and frailty by stimulating the growth of muscle and bone. Feeling physically strong also promotes mental and emotional health. Strength training exercises are easy to learn and are safe and effective for the older population. Strength training helps you maintain bone density, improve balance and coordination, reduce risk of falling, and maintain independence.

When starting an exercise routine, always consult your doctor first. It may be beneficial to work one-on-one with an experienced fitness professional to ensure you are performing appropriate exercises or if you have any orthopedic concerns. If starting on your own, start by focusing on exercises which utilize your own body weight, and learning the proper form. By doing so, you will build a base level of strength before adding extra challenges (i.e. resistance bands or dumbbells) into the mix.

Resistance training has been proven to be beneficial for individuals with chronic conditions. In some cases, certain symptoms may be relieved with regular exercise. Here are some of the benefits of common conditions in older adults:

  • Arthritis—Reduces pain and stiffness, and increases strength and flexibility.
  • Diabetes—Improves glycemic control.
  • Osteoporosis—Builds bone density and reduces risk for falls.
  • Heart disease—Reduces cardiovascular risk by improving lipid profile and overall fitness.
  • Obesity—Increases metabolism, which helps burn more calories and helps with long-term weight control.
  • Back pain—Strengthens back and abdominal muscles to reduce stress on the spine.

As always, we recommend that you please consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

 

By Louise Mills-Strasser, MS, ACSM EP-c

Recipe of the Week: Kale & White Bean Soup

Servings: 6-8

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb spicy chicken sausage, casing removed and thickly sliced
  • 2 medium sized golden beets, peeled and diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 leek, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 15-oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 large bunch green kale, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the thinly sliced leeks. Saute for five minutes then add sausage.
  2. Brown sausage, then add carrots, beets and celery. Toss to combine and continue cooking for another six minutes. Add kale and beans and cook until kale just starts to wilt.
  3. Add chicken broth, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
  4. Serve with warm, crusty sourdough bread on the side

 

Original recipe from EatLiveRun.com can be found here!

 

Peak’s January Goals: Gary

Team Peak is ready for the New Year! Like many of you, our gym members have been setting goals for themselves in 2018. Since the start of the month, we have been sharing our personal health and fitness goals for the month of January. Check out our Goal Board!

Gary has been a member of Peak Performance for several years. He is an active member of #TeamPeak, completed the Summer Slimdown Challenge, and is gearing up for our January Jump Start Weight Loss Program! Gary has also annually participated in our Fall 5k walk/run. As Gary continues his fitness journey into the New Year, he is working to become the strongest version of himself!

With regular gym attendance and guidance from his Exercise Physiologist, Gary should be able to knock this goal out of the park! We will be following up with him in February to see how he is progressing.

Peak’s January Goals: Christine

Team Peak is ready for the New Year! Like many of you, our gym members have been setting goals for themselves in 2018. Since the start of the month, we have been sharing our personal health and fitness goals for the month of January. Check out our Goal Board!

Christine has been a member of Peak Performance for several months. She made great strides in creating good nutritional habits as a part of the 12 Week Weight Loss Program. In addition, Christine has lost several pounds and improved her fitness level! As she continues her fitness journey into the New Year, there are a few healthy habits she would like to improve.

1. Drink more water

2. Avoiding eating at my desk

3. Progress my strength training exercises

Christine has set some great goals for the month of January! We will be following up with her in February to see how she is doing with all three.

Success Story: Cathieann

Since joining Peak Performance Fitness, I have seen many improvements in my health – I have more energy, my blood pressure is down, I sleep better, and I am down quite a few pounds. When I joined Peak, it was never about “the number” or how many pounds I “lost,” it was about changing my eating habits and my lifestyle.

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Tyler has always made me feel welcome and worthwhile from day one. He has never judged me or made me feel like I wouldn’t succeed. He has been my steadfast supporter, my cheerleader, and my voice of reason when I needed it. I have truly enjoyed working with him and look forward to much more success under his guidance.

-Cathieann Rowland

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
SERVES: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
  • 1 small sweet onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt + pepper or to taste
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 large bunch broccoli rabe, ends trimmed + roughly chopped
  • 1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers sliced
  • 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained + rinsed
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • ½ cup chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In the bowl of a 6-8 quart crockpot pot, add the chicken, onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, paprika, thyme, allspice, crushed red pepper flakes, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Next add the tomato paste, chicken broth and balsamic vinegar. Give everything a gentle stir to combine. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or 4-6 hours on high) stirring once or twice if possible.
  2. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir the broccoli rabe, roasted red peppers and cannellini beans together in a bowl and add to the crockpot. Crank the heat up to high, cover and let cook 20-30 minutes longer.
  3. Lightly shred the chicken with two forks, it should just fall apart. Stir in the parmesan and parsley.
  4. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with parmesan + crusty bread for dipping.

 

Original recipe from Half Baked Harvest can be found here!

Holiday Safety & Fall Prevention

Here’s a scenario: We’re in the moments leading up to the big holiday, and you’ve been running around like a mad person coordinating travel plans, shuttling people around, cooking, cleaning and preparing for the event. You step outside and exclaim, “Oh man! I haven’t put up any decorations yet!” Time to crack open the shed, bust out the ladder, and begin the tedious process that is testing to see which lights work even though you stored them all nicely while they all worked last year! Anyway, no matter how big of a rush you’re in, take the time to review some wintertime safety to avoid any potential falls or injured reindeer.

You don’t need to be OSHA certified, but having some intuition and checking through the equipment manual goes a long way. Check to see if everything works correctly first. Then, make sure the surface you’re working on is not wet or slippery, and have at least one spotter or partner available to help keep things going smoothly. If you need to get into the air, have a stable platform to work from (a rolling chair may seem like a good idea at the time). As always, take your time setting up any fixtures, lights, and any other extravaganza you may have.

You know the winters in New York will be cold, probably snow, definitely freeze, and that makes for even trickier traffic conditions. These winter road conditions make travel difficult by reducing traction between you and the ground. Keep up to date on the wear of your car’s tires, the condition of the battery, lights, and fluid levels. Leave extra time for traveling to the gym, work, the in-laws, and the liquor store before the in-laws. Ice isn’t just an issue for cars so keep a supply of insulated clothing, footwear with better traction, hats and gloves.

Fall prevention is important when travelling to and from various stores, holiday parties, Amazon warehouses and the North Pole. Not just for the older population, but fall prevention is extremely important for everyone and the number one thing safety measure is to stay active and in shape. In order to be prepared for the perils of snow and freezing conditions, improve your overall body strength, endurance, and balance skills in a controlled environment such as Peak Performance, with 4 convenient locations in Lynbrook, New Hyde Park, Wantagh and Island Park!

 

By Matthew Rhodes