January is here and yet another year has flown by! Where does the time go? It seems that with every year that passes, time goes even faster. I remember the days as a kid... years felt like eons and summer vacations felt like a year in itself! So why does our perception of time change as we get older?

I have come to the conclusion that our experience of time either speeds up or slows down depending on how present we are in the moment. As adults, we plan... we plan our day, our week, our weekends, our months, our years and our retirement. In truth, we are most often living in the future and very rarely in the present. Kids, on the other hand, live fully in the moment. They aren't concerned with anything else other than right now; they aren't bogged down with stress or worry (a product of dwelling in the future), all they want is to play.

If you feel life is flying by, stop... take the time to enjoy the gift of the present and play. BE where you are right here, right now and remember: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." - Hilary Cooper Wishing you a great 2008!

Lisa Brisse & the State of the Heart Fitness Staff

It's January! The gyms are swamped with New Years resolutions and people launching their exercise programs! Unfortunately, too often, these great intentions die out by the end of February usually due to frustration from a lack of results.

Remember exercise doesn't have to take much time and there are ways to maximize your exercise that will also help to maximize your results.

Here are some helpful tips to assist you in making the most out of your time and your exercise for 2008:

Heart Rate Training - for optimal fat loss & cardio-respiratory health, it's important to know your specific training heart rate zone.
Depending on age, fitness level and goals, exercising at the appropriate heart rate (intensity) becomes imperative. Too often unconditioned individuals (particularly those just starting on an exercise program) may be exercising at too high of an intensity while not optimizing one's fat burning potential! On the other hand, exercising at too low of an intensity could be preventing maximum results. Make sure you know your appropriate heart rate range.

Mental Focus: the mind/body connection - when you're exercising, do you find yourself zoning out, watching tv, or thinking about what you're going to do after your workout? How focused are you on what you're doing? The more connected and aware of your body while exercising (particularly resistance training), will increase the benefit of each repetition. Too often we're going through the motions without really knowing what muscles we're intending to work!

Interval Training - a form of aerobic training alternating between higher & lower intensities to maximize calorie expenditure in the shortest period of time.

Combination exercises - working 2 or more muscle groups at a time (ie. shoulder press with a ball squat).

Proper form - always makes the exercise more effective. Your time and energy is precious, not to mention you deserve optimal results. If you'd like to learn more about how to train smarter, not harder while maximizing your exercise, please join us for our FREE lecture, January 19th, called, "Maximize Your Exercise." Also, join the next "On the Move" program to not only maximize your exercise, but also your results in the New Year! See the back for more details!

Though aging is a natural process that we all must go through, how we age and our perspective toward aging is most definitely unique to each individual. Often one's attitude and acceptance of this natural process, along with our commitment to stay active can determine the quality of life we experience in our later years.

Obviously if we don't stay active, falling becomes a major concern as the aging process is accompanied by a decrease in cognitive functions such as memory, body awareness and most importantly reaction time. Each year, more than 1.6 million older Americans go to the emergency room for fall-related injuries. Among older adults, falls are the number one cause of fractures, hospital admissions for trauma, loss of independence and injury-related deaths. Only half of older adults hospitalized for a broken hip return home or live on their own after the injury, which is why fall prevention is so important.

Despite what we may think, falls are not an inevitable part of life, even as we get older. This is where exercise - particularly balance training - has been proven to be the most effective in preventing falls. A recent study showed that a program focused on balance and step training improved mobility, balance and function, the key elements essential in fall prevention. They concluded that an exercise program averaging two classes per week can provide the basis for fall prevention in healthy elderly persons living at home. If you or someone you know is concerned about falling, the Center for Disease Control recommends the following for fall prevention:

1. Begin an exercise program. - Exercise will help strengthen your muscles, make joints more flexible and improve balance. Exercise will also slow the loss of bone due to osteoporosis.

2. Have your physician review your medications - Certain medications can make you dizzy as well as decrease your coordination, all of which can affect your balance.

3. Get your vision checked - Vision can play a huge role in balance. Thereby wear glasses or contacts as needed and directed by an optometrist.

4. Make your home safer. - Make sure that hallways and stairs are well lit, free of clutter, and have clear walkways. Having a fall prevention specialist come to your home may be the perfect option! In our effort to help older adults feel more confident in living their lives independently without the fear of falling, we offer a balance training class here at the Loews called LIFE (Living Independently through Fitness and Education). This class meets twice a week and focuses on strength, balance and flexibility training so that everyone can years to their life and life to their years! Next program begins January 15th!

We want to thank all of you who participated in our annual holiday charity event on Friday, December 7th. In our effort to raise money for the Starlight Starbright Children's foundation, we offered a raffle and gave away many great prizes like spa treatments from the Loews' Ocean Spa, a Starting Line Shoe store shopping spree, a massage from Juli Farr, personal training sessions from State of the Heart Fitness, a week of healthy meal delivery from Nutrifit, and a full Chiropractic exam from Santa Monica Wellness Group. We are excited to announce that we raised over $550! We also collected lots of toys for Toys for Tots. Thank you again to everyone's generosity! You can feel good that you helped some little kid's holiday be a memorable one! We hope to see you again next year!

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State of the Heart Fitness, P.O. Box 7013 Santa Monica, CA 90406
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