BY:  Peg Calvario, PHC Owner

    I, too cried for a man’s celebration of life which has inspired me and many others.   That is how I feel regarding the news of Randy Pausch, author of  The Last Lecture his legacy.   Randy has shared his life story far beyond his immediate family.  His courage, strength, fitness shape and passion to live life fully with the terminal fate of pancreatic cancer is extraordinary!  

How does his Lecture apply to fitness? 

Exercise simply teaches you the importance of perseverance, the value of hard work, and an ability to deal with adversity.  Think of your personal fitness goal - what do you want to achieve?   Start your fitness journey today with others.   And you’ll experience that life is worth living.  

“We can not change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”  - Randy Pausch.

By Jeff Harrison
PHC Director of Personal Training

I often hear the excuse “wait til you get to be my age” when it comes to finding the motivation and desire to exercise.  At my “old” age of 35, I’m not buying it.  In fact, with each year I feel I’m getting in even better condition than the previous year.   Everyday, I get to see and work with individuals who are not using their age as an excuse to not achieve their goals.  Perhaps you could be next!

The “F” Word

In the July/August issue of MORE magazine, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who turns 50 in November sums it up best.  “Fifty is a big corner to turn.  It used to mean being put out to pasture…I feel more vibrant; I’m more active than I’ve ever been.  The F-word really is about freedom.  It’s being fit and focused and kind of furious.”

Age Is But A Number

If you use your age as an odometer to your fitness, then how about the likes of Olympian Dara Torres, Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer, furture NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, and numerous others who continue to define that age is not an excuse, but a reason to keep living life and not settling for what others call the “normal’ process of aging.

By the way,  I just had a special client, who for her 50th birthday, not only completed 50 cummulative miles of running in various races, but for her big day, completed the following workout:

• 50 push ups
• 50 pull-ups
• 50 squat thrusts
• 50 bodyweight squats
• 50 mountain climbers
• 50 lunges
• 50 dips
• 50 inverted rows

That’s 400 reps! And I’d be hard pressed to find someone who could complete that workout in under an hour.  Oh yeah, and be under the age of 50! So what’s your excuse?

     BY:  Peg Calvario, PHC Owner

       Whether you are a fitness buff or simply a fitness beginner - resistance stretching can shape your body.  Olympic swimmer Dara Torres claims she’s found the secret to her record breaking success.  It’s a different kind of exercise that engages a faster recovery while stablizing her core muscles. 

The Dara Torres Workout

1.  Weight Training
2.  Core Training
3.  Balance
4.  Stretching

Work with a PHC Certified Fitness Professional and Massage Therapist to help you defy the odds of aging.  You’ll get a fitness plan that will shape you younger next year.  I’m not Dara Torres but I’m proof that even at 50 you can achieve more than you imagine!   What about you?

 Resistance Stretching: Download

By Jeff Harrison
PHC Director of Personal Trainer

As a kid, I couldn’t wait to get outside.  It didn’t matter if it was raining, snowing, hot, or cold - you couldn’t keep me inside.  And what did I do? Everything! Bike, tag, wiffle ball, football, soccer, basketball, swim, cops and robbers - whatever the imagination could conjure up.  I had a wonderful childhood and it was full with activity - real, genuine, physical activity.  These cherished memories today make me scratch my head at the current childhood obesity epidemic.  Since when did kids not move?

The Post “Pong” Era

Yes, I’m old enough to admit that my very first video game was Pong; then Intellivision (I was the kid on the block without the Atari), then Nintendo, etc.  As the years went by, the video games got better, but they were never a replacement for running around the block.  Video games today are more “real” than just a pair of vertically moving bars bouncing a block across the screen, and the children of today are eating (no pun intended) it up!  Enter the Nintendo Wii.

Virtual Fitness

The holidays may be a few months away, but the rush to get Nintendo’s latest video game, Wii Fit, is in full swing.  Unless you are of the technologically challenged, the Wii gaming system puts the users’ live actions into video actions and it can be sweat inducing (the boxing in particular).  The Wii Fit is an additional game to the original console complete with its own balance board which detects full body movement to challenges on screen (yoga, strength training, aerobics, etc.).  But is this video game the solution to our growing waistlines?

An Inconvenient Truth

Truth be told - no! Is it a step in the right direction? Yes. If the message about the importance of exercise and fitness can be brought into the living rooms and big screen TVs where today’s younger generation spends a lot of time, then it’s worth it.  And it’s better than just sitting around playing most of today’s popular video games. But it will never replace the basic human need and requirement for real physical exercise: resistance training and moderate cardiovascular exercise.  One thing’s for sure, you won’t see the Wii Fit as an event at the Olympics in Beijing next month. 

    BY:  Peg Calvario, PHC Owner

     Inspirational!   Best describes this weekend’s story of Olympic “Comeback Queen” Dara Torres.   At age 41, she is faster, stronger and continues to break records.  Dara Torres is the oldest American mother to swim at the 2008 Beijing Olympics - which is her fifth.  

Her story inspires me to redefine my fitness at 50.   Do you use the same excuses like “I’m too old to . . .?”  Maybe you want to lose weight, be in better shape or rebuild your life.  There is no better time than right now - today.  What do you have to lose?   Imagine what you will achieve!

 Dara Torres: Download

Got Teens?  Get up, get out and do something! This summer, peel yourself off the couch and step into fitness with the Teen Fitness Connection!  Get  PHC connected with free memberships to teens during the summer months. The time to embark on a healthy fitness routine is now. The membership is free, so get started today!   Membership expires 8.31.08.