Come to find out after my initial interview on the show, the host, Lisa Davis, and I actually worked together in Hawaii back in 1996. I was working as a fitness director for a health club downtown Honolulu and hired Lisa to teach aerobics. Funny.  What a small world.

I am so excited to become a weekly, contributing fitness expert where I can reach and inspire a larger audience of people.  I am very determined to help people take their health seriously by providing simple, fun and realistic ways to add in fitness to their daily lives.

Underlying all my advice and tips is the belief that you should never give up, believe in yourself and know “you are worth it”.  My tips are full of sustainable, ageless and realistic fitness exercises we can live with for the long run. Because I believe fitness and movement can heal and change peoples’ lives and therefore truly stand by my motto – move more, live better.   It’s all about learning how to stay fit by working out smarter not harder.  However, knowing full well that vanity is the most reliable motivator, topics such as how to get your best bikini butt are very popular.

So join me on It’s Your Health Network and tune in for all my favorite trade secrets and tips to help you stay in the best shape of your life, and how you can aspire for greatness when in a bathing suit.  Remember, move more, live better and try to keep a sense of humor along the way.

1.  Move more – It’s been said that with even modest efforts you can reap substantial rewards. A little bit of movement can add up to a better body, a healthier body, and a better attitude to get you thru the holidays with a stronger resolve and grace. Short bouts of movement are associated with living a longer and better life.  Movement is key to reduce cravings, reduce stress, sleep better and help you make better food choices especially during the holidays:

• Take a brisk walk – Aim for 30 minutes, 5 days a week
• Start small with 5 moves, 10 reps each:

Dips – on the edge of your tub or on a park bench. Keep shoulders away from your ears, hips close to edge, hug elbows together.

Squats – Stand wide, with knees over toes.  Push hips back as you squat with chest lifted, abs in with weight into your heels.  Really squeeze your butt at you stand up.

Push-Ups – try 5 and aim for 10.  Modified on your knees is still great!  Keep abs in.

Walking Lunges – keep both knees at 90-degree angles with weight into front heel.

Modified plank – hold a 30 sec. plank on your forearms, hug legs together and tuck tailbone slightly under with rib cage pull up to ceiling.  Shoulders down, breathe         deep as you hold to keep abs in and up.

2.  Eat breakfast – Keep blood sugar balanced.  Low blood sugar levels are associated with lower brain activity and more cravings.  During the holidays it is especially important to start everyday with a nutritious breakfast to help stay away from those holiday cravings of simple sugars and refined carbs:

• Whole grain toast with old-fashioned peanut butter.
• Greek non-fat yogurt with blueberries and nuts

3.  Manage stress – Chronic stress has been implicated in overeating.  Holiday family gatherings can be very stressful for many…an opinionated aunt to an overbearing mother-in-law can put you over the edge.  Here are easy ways to help you cope:

• Do deep breathing – inhale for 8 counts, hold your breath for 8 counts, then exhale slowly for 8 counts.  Repeat as much as needed.
• Take a stretch break – Reach both arms overhead and stretch side to side.

4.  Outsmart Triggers – Holidays are full of situational and environmental triggers for excess cravings and overeating.  Think ahead and identify them such as shopping at the mall, airports or going to holiday parties:

• Bring healthy snacks with you such as almonds or apple slices.
• Eat a healthy meal before you go out.

5.  Get adequate sleep – It is so easy to overdo and slack on sleep during the holidays but you need your rest.   Science has shown the less sleep you get, the more cravings you’ll have and the more calories you’ll eat.  Make sure to downshift before bed with a relaxation technique:

• Calm your mind with a simple meditation – “Take a nice slow inhale.  As you exhale, relax your neck, shoulders, jaw and tongue.  Close your eyes and relax the space between your eyes.  Exhale and let go of tension.”  Repeat as needed.

• Try to get 8 hours of sleep per night.

Move more.  Live better.  Happy Holidays.

I recently read a great piece on attitude and I want to share it here -

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a company…a church…a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.” 

~Charles Swindoll

None of us can determine how long we will live, be we can be proactive in HOW we live. This is where attitude can make all the difference.

We all know life can be unfair at times. Perhaps you didn’t have an easy or good beginning, especially as it relates to exercising, weight management and staying healthy.  Sometimes just finding the time to take care of yourself or exercise seems impossible.  You are always giving to everyone else. You don’t know what to do or where to start or find your way to exercising. Exercise always seems so complicated, felt too painful, uncomfortable or intimidating in the past. You feel discouraged.  Or perhaps eating poorly is your issue, with all the latest diet fads so confusing and you fall back on unhealthy eating habits as a way to cope.  But you must begin again and say to yourself, “ I will start anew”.  Even at age 80, you can practice and re-wire and increase and improve your capacities.  You can have a good, healthy, ageless ending.  Attitude.

It doesn’t matter how you got started, what matters is how you finish.  Even if you’ve been inactive in the past, you can always start over…moving more and eating well.  Your best days can still be ahead of you!  Sometimes it is in difficult times, when you are tested, that you find out what’s really in you; what you’re really capable of doing. Hard times help you find the capacity to steady yourself with inevitable difficulties.  Attitude.

We don’t always have control of many factors that affect our lives.  But we do have control with how we deal with things…how we handle and hold ourselves.  It comes down to attitude.  Promise yourself to be passionately committed to yourself and to living better. It is your choice on a daily basis to improve your attitude moving forward and live life to the fullest. Develop a new mindset.  Get a new stronger resolve. Believe in yourself.  Shake off any self-pity and try again.  Don’t allow yourself to passively sit back, literally and figuratively, and let life pass you by.  Your good days are not behind you.  You have to stand up, get up, and MOVE to be proactive for yourself and for your life to create greater wellness. Recapture your vitality, sense of youth and well -being. Move more.  Live better.  And it all starts and ends with your attitude.

40 is the new 20 and 50 is the new 30. Many of us don’t want to be defined by a number. We want to look how we feel. I think our age is less about the actual number and more about the level of energy and active lifestyle that we lead to live life to the fullest. When we stay healthy and fit, we feel empowered. I am not implying that I or any of you can look 20 again, but rather we want to stay looking and feeling fit and healthy to handle all that life throws at us as we get older. My anti-aging fitness solutions are designed to help you feel and look slimmer, stronger, as well as boost your confidence and energy. My workouts are designed to help you build a foundation of health because I believe anti-aging is so much more than a cosmetic makeover.

As a voice for adults over 40, I believe we need to work smarter, not harder. The key to success and getting great results with exercise is to be consistent over time. And the key to aging well, is to move. Life is movement. The underlying focus to all my workouts is simple; to get you moving more in your life, perfect for everyday. That is why I live by my motto, “move more, live better.”

But how we move is key. In our minds we may feel like we are much younger than we are, but certain effects of aging are occurring whether we like it or not. We need to focus on increasing bone density, keeping our hearts strong, improving our posture, core strength, flexibility and balance. We need to focus more on preventative steps to keep diseases and illness at bay. We need low impact options that are weight bearing. Training like a 20 or 30 year old when we are over 40 increases our chance of injury and only leads to discouragement, frustration and setbacks. This pursuit of trying to keep up with unattainable and unrealistic training programs leads to aging. This is unfortunately a common problem for many people. But there is a solution to this vicious cycle.

All my DVD’s are designed with effective, preventative, simple and sustainable choices that are best for your body as it ages. Think of my program as active-aging; being more in control of how you age. A lot of it depends on you. A study showed that only 20% of aging is due to genetics! That leaves 80% within our control. This news is very encouraging. Much of the quality of our lives is up to us! Making smart, sustainable choices while simply living a healthy lifestyle can make a huge difference for us to feel and look years younger. I want to help you be proactive in your approach to stay healthy, active and pain free. My DVD’s provide you with the lifestyle habits and anti-aging fitness solutions to help you defy your age.

As many of you know, stress can be really aging so we need to find ways in our busy lives to reduce our stress. I believe taking time to stretch, breath and meditate is really good to help you to be more centered and calm with less anxiety. But also having been a trainer working with my clients for over 15 years, I feel that if you can laugh, smile and have a good time while exercising, it becomes the highlight of your day and also is a great way to reduce your stress. We feel uplifted, we feel empowered, we feel content. We improve our outlook on life with increased joy and happiness. This has a powerful trickle effect on the rest of our life. Being able to laugh, smile and actually enjoy yourself while exercising is an unbeatable and powerful combination. Exercise does not need to be complicated and associated with pain and suffering to count and be beneficial. Think of my workouts as “funnercize” as I believe it’s so important to keep a sense of humor in many aspects of our lives and especially when it comes to exercise! Get fit and reduce your stress at the same time? It just makes good sense. We can take our health and fitness seriously and still have a good time. One of my clients once told me, “Noelle, no one makes me laugh harder when I’m sweating.” That is what it is all about. Life is tough enough. Let’s have fun while we exercise. Let’s make being happy as your goal. Let the movement make you feel happy and alive. Let stretching help you not only open up your muscles but open up your mind and attitude too. Find happiness where you are right now and smile at all that is good.

Much of my life as a gymnast was in training at an elite level in gymnastics. It contained a lot of suffering. It contained a lot of judgment and scrutiny over what was wrong, what needed to be better. It was often uncomfortable and hard on my body. The wisdom I gained from all those years has greatly influenced my approach now that exercise doesn’t need to be that way. Don’t look at taking care of yourself with that kind of judged intensity. Taking the time to exercise is you being good to yourself and needs to be more pleasurable. It will not always be easy or without challenge, but it doesn’t need to be thought of as punishment. No more suffering. Change your perspective to look at exercise as a blessing, a gift, a privilege and a reward. We have good lives and we need to enjoy them to the fullest. Staying fit and healthy is your ticket to living the best life possible. I am here as your leader to say, staying fit and healthy can be and actually is an amazing, fulfilling and enjoyable process. Believe in yourself, do the best you can and enjoy the ride. Join me on your ride to better health and live the rewards exercise will give back to you. And it’s okay to laugh along the way.

Become new again. Be new again, right here, right now. It is never too late to start exercising and always too early to stop. Say yes today and everyday. I believe we can’t just strive to live long, but that we must strive to live well. This site is dedicated to all of us living agelessly.

Enjoy and have fun checking out my site and all my DVD clips. May we all stand tall, stand strong and be true to ourselves and treat our bodies, minds and lives with gratitude and kindness. Thanks for joining me on this ageless journey to live with greater wellness.

Yours for better health, Noelle

"Falling" makes you appreciate it when you finally get it right.

In making mistakes or bad choices, we often discover a better understanding of who we are and better understanding leads to wisdom; falling leads to smarter choices.  Sometimes you can’t peak in your life until you screw up a few times.  I am no exception.  Between some bad choices and set backs, I have fallen more than once.  But today I remain resilient and more determined than ever to fly.

Perhaps falling to you is a metaphor for falling off a fitness program or diet, or  failing at a relationship or job.  So then you give up and think I can’t or what’s the point?  It’s too late.  I’m too old.  It’s too hard.  You feel sorry for yourself and think happiness, success and being in great shape is out of your reach.

Instead of giving up, stand back up and wipe the dirt off your back and plant your feet firmer in the ground and tell yourself, I am not giving up!  It is never too late to start on a better path and always too early to stop or give up.  It’s falling and standing back up that makes you strong.  Falling makes you appreciate when you finally get it right. I like to think of our falls as stepping stones to get us on the right path.  Each time you fall, think of yourself getting closer to really learning to fly.

Flying may be different for each of us.  For me, it is to thrive in a place or state of mind of confidence, strength and perseverance, and to get the most out of each day with joy, contentment, peace and grace.  Being fit and healthy keeps me in this place.

You have to learn how to "fall" before you learn to "fly."

As someone who is passionate about helping others to become healthier and happier, I hope you will utilize and benefit from my experience, knowledge and enthusiasm to improve the way you move, feel and look.  I hope you will join me on the path to stay in great shape without the injury and impact of unrealistic, uncomfortable, painful exercise.  Some trainers give exercises that only an acrobat can do.  That will surely lead to falls.  I provide low impact, age appropriate fitness that focuses on the all the issues that matter most: Increasing bone density and overall strength, improving balance, posture and flexibility, and reducing stress. Too good to be true promises and quick fixes lead to falling, but  keeping your fitness realistic, sustainable and ageless to be consistent over time leads to flying. I provide you the runway, so you can take off and live life to the fullest.

Taking good care of yourself starts with you.  It’s not your shoes.  It’s not your outfit or clothes.  It’s not the equipment or program that will bring you success.  It’s you.  It’s your attitude.  It’s your head that makes all the difference.  The only one who can get in your way is you, negative or positive.  Maybe you’ve underestimated yourself and what you’re capable of doing.  Look in the mirror and decide right here, right now that you will do the best you can.  I bet you have more fire and strength in you than you realize.  It’s up to you. Being healthy and in control of your wellness is within your reach. You make the choice.

Because staying alive and truly living are not the same thing; it is about staying healthy and being able bodied for the long run.  Taking care of your body is integral for sustained longevity and for you to fly. Aspire to remain in a positive place, in a state of gratitude.

Before you can fly, learn how to fall.

Here is a great exercise to Aid in Fall Prevention.

Core Strengthening for Balance, Agility and Coordination:

Bridge on Stability Ball

3 sets of 10, Do 1 to 3 times per week

• Lie supine on a mat with legs extended and heels placed on top of a stability ball.  Place arms long by your sides.  Arms could be braced out to the sides of the body in a T position to give more assist.

• Tighten the buttocks and engage the abdomen and then push through the heels to raise the buttocks off the mat, creating a straight line from the heels to shoulders.

• Hold for 1 to 3 seconds, as tolerated, and lower back down to mat slowly with control.

Additional Tips for Preventing Falls:

1. Remove throw rugs from your household.
2. Remove clutter from hallways, staircases and other areas of heavy traffic in the home.
3. Discuss any dizziness or vision changes with your physican – especially after a change in medication.
4. Get regular eye examinations.
5. Keep hallways and staircases well lit, and consider installing night lights in these areas.
6. Wear flat, rubber-soled, nonslip shoes.
7. Do the Ageless Vitality workout program 3 times a week to work on posture, strength and flexibility to help with balance.
8. Try a T’ai Chi class.

Aerobic

Cardiorespiratory fitness is an important goal of an exercise program for mature adults, as low cardiorespiratory fitness may contribute to premature mortality in middle aged and older adults as well as reduced functional capacity.

• Minimum of 5 days / week of moderate aerobic exercise
• 3 days / week of vigorous aerobic exercise
• Moderate: 30 minutes a day, short bouts of at least 10 minutes count
• Vigorous: At least 20 minutes a day

Focus on Weight Bearing Activities such as walking, hiking, dancing, stair climbing, T’ai chi. You want to do closed chain exercises rather than activities such as biking or swimming. It also needs to be low impact activity.

Cross training is very important to keep challenging muscles in different ways so that you are not setting yourself up for repetitive stress injuries.

Walking

Walking is a great way to stay in shape and get your daily dose of cardio.  Walking compliments all the exercises performed in Noelle’s DVD’s and is great weight bearing to do for osteoporosis. It is also excellent for your stamina and overall endurance.  So walk whenever or wherever you can and feel your vitality and energy soar.

Start in small increments and work up.  Start with 10 minutes then 15 minutes, and work up to 20 or 30 minutes.

Muscle Strength

Lifting weights or doing any kind of resistance training with bands is not only good for increasing muscle mass but also good for increasing strength of bones. Aging is associated with a reduction in muscle mass, which contributes to decreased muscle strength and a decline in functional capacity. (Balance impairments, mobility problems, and lack of independence)

• Minimum 2 days / week, 8 to 10 exercises to cover major muscle groups
• 8 to 12 reps per exercise
• If you have a bone health issue such as Osteopenia or Osteoporosis:
• Bump it up to 2 – 3 days / week

Helpful Safety Tips:

• When working with weights, start with light dumbbells and gradually work up to using heavier weights if needed.
• Avoid hyper-extending or locking your joints.  Always perform exercises in a pain free range of motion with controlled joint movements.
• Workout at your own pace and rest when needed.  Stop exercising and rest if you are short of breath or dizzy.
• Exercise should not be painful.  If you feel any pain, stop exercising and consult your physician.
• If any exercise is ever too difficult, skip it and join in when you are ready.  Start with a few reps and work up t o doing the whole amount.
• Remember to breathe during each workout and try to avoid holding your breath.  Also take time to transition between exercises.

Focus on back strengthening exercises to improve posture especially for those with Osteoporosis. The name of the game is to maintain good posture and help prevent fractures. Many older people have a hunched, kyphotic posture which usually leads to poor gait mechanics. This poor posture control increases the risk of falling and makes people less stable and unable to see safety hazards. Not to mention those with poor posture are more likely to have poor self image and less self confidence.

Fexibility / Balance

Flexibility decreases with age and physical inactivity. Guidelines are now recognizing the importance of flexibility and balance. Flexibility training is important to prevent injury and improve balance.

• Minimum of 2 days / week of flexibility training
• For those at risk for falls, INCLUDE BALANCE TRAINING
• A special emphasis on balance training should be included to prevent falls for those with Osteoporosis.
• Older Adults (65 and over): Daily flexibility and balance activities for fall prevention.
• Overall, you want to focus on all activities that improve strength, balance, flexibility, agility, coordination and endurance. (The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons)

T’ai Chi: T’ai Chi has been endorsed by the American Medical Association as it helps older people retain better balance, avoiding the injuries of falling. T’ai Chi improves strength and balance with very limited risk of injury. The moves are also perfect to do as a “cool down’ to help you calm down, get centered, reduce stress and be present. T’ai Chi is also know to improve coordination and balance while calming the mind through this moving meditation. My simplified format called Flow Motion is a follow along format consisting of simplified T’ai Chi moves. It is easy to follow and eliminates the complexity of traditional T’ai Chi solo forms. There is limited footwork so it is an excellent format for beginners, the deconditioned and seniors. Flow Motion helps you to alleviate tension, let go of worries and ultimately enjoy life more.

In my field of health and wellness, anti aging comes in the form of fitness; preventative fitness to keep your bones, heart and muscles strong. It is about being proactive with our exercise to offset the inevitable changes from gravity working against us! Anti Aging is more than a cosmetic makeover. It is the building of a foundation of health. It is not only about the face but about the body and the mind and how the two go hand in hand. Anti-wrinkle eye creams can only do so much. You also have to work from the inside to keep the outside looking youthful and glowing. And I know that a healthier body leads to a healthier mind and outlook.

As a fitness expert, I am so fortunate to be in a field where I can help my clients with prevention of disease…compared to doctors who are treating people who have already become sick. I want to inspire my clients and all of you to be proactive with your health by taking preventative measures with your fitness. We are fortunate to live in a time where we are and can be living longer and so we need to take steps to remain healthy for the long run. It’s never too late to start protecting your bones, heart and overall health. I am here to help you keep diseases such as osteoporosis and heart disease at bay with a few, simple lifestyle adjustments that will make a huge impact on your overall quality of life. Forget the past and start investing in your health right now to protect the future. It’s never too late to start building a stronger, better foundation of health with sustainable, effective and ageless exercise choices. And the good news is, the majority of aging is due to lifestyle factors within our control. Exercise to be in shape for life so you can be ready to face anything. Exercise to stay vital and comfortable in your body and the icing on the cake will be that you will also look better and appear younger.

Improving one’s posture, balance, core strength, muscle tone and bone density will keep you moving, standing and looking much more youthful than if you just focus on keeping your face looking good. If you are shuffling your feet or have balance impairments, you will look older. Or if you have a bad back and poor posture from lack of core strength or lack of flexibility, you will feel older. Staying young is about having flexibility not only in your body, but in your mind and overall outlook.

I think of better posture as a means to improved mood and confidence. I think having better strength is empowerment. Improving flexibility will give you effortless grace and having better balance will make you more agile and appear more youthful.

And I believe we can control the aging process by working smarter, not harder in order to keep exercise sustainable over time and be a regular part of our lifestyle. Therefore, I encourage you to always listen to your body and back off when your body tells you to and be responsible with your fitness choices. Stress can be really aging so make sure to incorporate stress- reducing activities such as T’ai Chi, breathing and stretching to improve your outlook on life with increased joy and happiness.

My programs offer the perfect place to start providing smart, effective and efficient exercise options to help you build an ageless foundation of health.

Only you can decide to take care of yourself. Take ownership over your well-being and be proud of your efforts. Be strong, be graceful, stand up straight and never give up.

Move more. Live better. Live Ageless.

According to the National Institute on Aging, older adults lose the ability to physically perform tasks on their own as a result of becoming inactive and NOT as a result of aging.

Heart Disease:
Heart disease is America’s #1 killer and Heart disease doesn’t discriminate. Common myth is that heart disease is a disease of men when in fact it kills more women. 500,000 women die every year from heart disease. That’s twice as many deaths as all cancers combined yearly. Symptoms are often very subtle for women just like with Osteoporosis. The good news is that 80% of heart disease is preventable through proper diet, exercise and when necessary, medication.
Be ahead of the curve and take charge of your well-being.

“Regular exercise helps to prevent heart disease equally to taking medication for high blood pressure or cholesterol or quitting smoking.

Making exercise a part of one’s daily life often promotes many other heart healthy behaviors such as adopting a healthier diet, which adds to the benefits of exercise alone.

Noelle’s exercise programs help our beating heart beat stronger and help our loving heart feel happier.

“It has been shown that for those who suffer from anxiety or depression, symptoms are alleviated significantly by regular exercise.”

-Dr. Kimberly Griffin, MD
Cardiac Surgical Critical Care Specialist

Osteoporosis:
Understanding the difference between Osteoporosis and Osteopenia:
Osteopenia and osteoporosis are related; both indicate some degree of bone loss and both conditions are diagnosed after measuring your bone mineral density with a specialized x-ray scanning machine, then comparing your test results to a bone density standard. Because osteopenia and osteoporosis usually have no symptoms – until a bone breaks – doctors often recommend regular bone density screening.

But there are important differences between the two conditions:

Osteopenia literally means bone loss and is the first stage of bone loss. It is the presence of less than normal amount of bone and is the precursor to osteoporosis. It is a warning sign and does put you at higher risk of developing osteoporosis. However, osteopenia does not always progress to Osteoporosis and you can take steps to keep your bones stronger and lower your risk of developing the more-serious bone disease.

Osteoporosis is the more serious condition signaling that bone loss has progressed below a certain threshold. Osteoporosis is considered a disease that results in low bone mass leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures. It can go undetected with no obvious symptoms for many years until an incident occurs. Osteoporosis is known as the “silent epidemic” because a person usually doesn’t know they have it until its too late. The loss of bone occurs silently and progressively and many times the first indication of osteoporosis is a fracture. Most of us hit our peak bone mass somewhere in our 30’s. After our 30’s, we start to drop bone mass. It is a systemic skeletal disease affecting 55% of women over the age of 50. But men can get it too. It is a more prevalent issue for women as they become high-risk post menopause. Men can have continued bone loss in their 70’s to 80’s. Osteoporosis related fractures are very common and are major health problems for millions of people over 40 years of age..

What is safe and effective when training people with bone loss?

Fear Factor:
Many people are anxious about becoming physically active. When diagnosed with Osteoporosis, they have fear of exercise doing more damage or falling and fear of getting a fracture. Many people have fear that exercise will cause the wear and tear of the disease to worsen. But there is so much research out there now which has shown and proven that just the opposite is true. An osteoporosis diagnosis should not mean the end of exercise. On the contrary, working out can strengthen the bones and the muscles connected to bones and minimize bone loss. Any bone can be affected, but of special concerns are the hip and spine.

Why Exercise is Good Bone Fitness:
Research in general has shown that weight bearing exercises often serve to maintain bone density, stimulate bone growth and build up bone mass. Being sedentary however, leads to bone loss. Weight bearing and weight training exercises aids in Osteoporosis prevention because it places stress on bones, which results in increased bone mass. Moreover, the stronger muscles, better balance and agility to which exercise contributes can also help in fall prevention.
It is safe to say that a sedentary lifestyle is much more damaging to anybody than almost anything a qualified trainer would do.

Exercise is an effective, inexpensive and healthy way to prevent and treat osteoporosis.

A great simple weight bearing exercise to do at home is:

Hold a Plank on the Kitchen Sink-

Place hand shoulder width apart on the edge of the sink.  Keep your abdominals contracted and your shoulders drawn down onto your back.  Squeeze your legs together for more support.  Hold plank for a few deep breaths.

Important Preventative Measures:

Keep up Calcium – Taking the right amount of calcium is important. 500 mg / 3x’s a day in dairy or a supplement is recommended.

Add Vitamin D – Taking vitamin D is important. 2,000 units / day is good.
Studies confirm that heart disease can be reduced by as much as 53% and cancer incidence slashed by up to 77% in those people with the highest levels of vitamin D in their blood.

Avoid too much Soda and Caffeine

Eat Healthy – Balance nutrition is essential for body and brain health.  Eat healthy and avoid processed foods and consume lots of color in your diet.  The Dietary Guidelines for Americans ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture 2010) recommend a diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat milk; include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts; and is low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, salt and sugar.

Stay Hydrated – Water is also essential when you exercise.  It is important to say hydrated, so drink plenty of water

Limit Alcohol

Don’t Smoke