Fit For You

Perhaps it’s an obvious point, but pregnancy is a taxing time on a woman’s body.  The cliché is that during those nine months, a woman is doing everything for two – eating, sleeping, and exercising.

And if you’re used to doing all of those things for one, understanding what’s best for you and your baby can be a daunting task.  Megan Shemanske, a local fitness team leader and pre/post-natal fitness certified by the American Council of Exercise,  stresses that the old cliché is not exactly true.

If you enjoy blaring your music while you workout but have yet to step into a group class session, there may just be a new fitness format for you.

POUND utilizes elements of music and drumming into a full-body workout that combines cardio, conditioning and strength training with low impact movements. Created by recreational drummers and former athletes, this new format has grown from its first class in a Los Angeles basement into a global network.

Just because the weather is getting colder, doesn’t mean you can't keep cycling. Whether you’re facing the cold or in a room on a stationary bike, cycling is an effective cardiovascular workout for any time of year.

If you’re not into facing the cold and don’t just want to ride the stationary bike, most gyms and fitness centers offer cycling, or spinning class.

When yoga comes to mind, perhaps you can imagine a warmly lit room with incense and calm music playing while people sit cross-legged on a mat, or a public TV show with women stretching on a beach. But did you know you can easily do yoga on a walk or sitting in the car?

"(Yoga) is very accessible for anyone and to do those pretzel poses is not even necessary, honestly," says local certified yoga instructor Heather Eiden. She explains that at the practice's core is centered the body and mind and working towards balance - not just physically, but also spiritually.

Have you ever gone to a group exercise class? Your answer may well depend on whether you’re a man or a woman.  It turns out the majority of people in group exercise classes - including the instructors - are female.

The weight room is often a place of intimidation – for men and women alike. However, too often weight rooms and floors are dominated by men while women stick to the cardio equipment.

However the tide is turning, and women are being encouraged to start integrating weight lifting into their routines. But for many women, weight lifting can seem like a daunting challenge, and one that’s difficult to start.

Crossfit, the high-powered, high intensity interval-based workout, has been very popular in recent years, with gyms devoted to the program popping up all over the fitness landscape.

But for a lot of people, CrossFit can be intimidating. Often the images people are exposed to involve an elite athletes in competition, making the sport appear to be inaccessible and/or high risk.

However, CrossFit at its very base is simply "constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity."

New Jersey based freelance writer and runner Jen Miller wrote an article for the New York Times last fall that described her journey through weight gain and loss while she was competing in marathons. The article, Crossing the Finish Line 25 Pounds Lighter, was shared across social media and continues to prompt discussions about what a healthy body looks like.

Barre studios and classes have become very popular over the past few years, but the practice itself has been around since 1959.

Professional ballerina Ladi Burke developed the barre method after injuring her back. Still wanting to be active and conditioned, Burke combined her dance exercises with rehabilitative therapy to maintain greater flexibility, balance and strength.

Do you remember the last time you were on a trampoline? If you’re an adult, it may well have been years ago.

But have you ever thought that you can go back to your youth? Getting back on a trampoline can indeed make you feel like a kid again, but a new fitness format allows you to have fun while getting an effective workout at the same time. 

Mindfulness and calming techniques are often associated with helping children with anxiety, but lately, these practices have been put to work in adulthood.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison even has the Center for Healthy Minds that is dedicated to researching ways and methods to cultivate the well-being of all people. From yoga to meditation to the rising popularity of coloring books for adults, improving a person's mental and emotional state has gained significant ground.

Every year before January 1st rolls around, we make promises to better ourselves for the new year. However, if you're like most people, you may have already broken resolutions that perhaps were not that realistic to begin with.

It also does not help anyone - from exercise novice to marathon runner - that every January we are bombarded with health advice, nutrition suggestions and tips for new workout routines, all aimed at helping us improve for the coming year.

Public health leaders talk about diabetes in epidemic terms. In Milwaukee alone, 40% of people are at high risk for developing diabetes, which is 14% higher than the state average.

The direct and indirect costs of diabetes in Milwaukee County alone is nearly $1.2 billion annually. The average medical expenses for a person with diabetes are $13,700 per year, according to the American Diabetes Association - approximately 2.3 times higher than people without diabetes.

But, what exactly is diabetes?

As you get older, you might notice your flexibility decreasing and injuries increasing. Long gone are the days of effortlessly swinging on the jungle gym, at least without warming up first.

One fitness clinic in Brookfield, Momentum Movement, works to teach, train and heal what they say are the natural, primal movements our bodies crave.

Atkins, Weight Watchers, Paleo, low-carb, no-carb, juicing, cleansing… there are countless weight loss programs out there. So many in fact that choosing the right one can be a difficult and daunting task.