I hope this newsletter finds you well. It is hard to believe that it is Fall and that September is almost over. With summer a fading memory, I have used this month to focus on establishing routines that will enable me to successfully manage my time.

I am sure many of you are also back in the swing of things now, and I trust that includes COMMITTING time and energy to your health and fitness goals. If you started off the year with some lofty fitness goals and lost some motivation along the way, it is never too late to refocus and recommit to those goals.

If you have been a client, and took some time off during the summer, now is the time to get back into your exercise routine. We would welcome you back with open arms (and some challenging workouts!).

If you are not a client, and are not sure how to even get started with an exercise routine, give us a call or send us an email to set up a fitness consultation. We can find out what your health and fitness goals are and design a program just for you to help you achieve those goals. Contact information is on the bottom left of this newsletter, and you can check at our FT Newtown Square website for more info.

If you can establish an exercise routine now, you will be in a great position to start off the New Year looking and feeling your best ever.

One Year Anniversary Celebration – Recap and Follow-up

Thank you to those of you who made it to our Open House! The winner of the Wii Fit was Toni Kelly, and everyone who came received a Fitness Together water proof duffel bag.

Over the next few months I plan to start offering seminars on a variety of topics, such as nutrition, healthy sleep habits, meditation, and perhaps even things like financial planning and home decorating. I am also looking into getting a group together to take a guided tour of Whole Foods, my favorite grocery store.

The purpose of these events is to add value to our existing services and to have Fitness Together become your trusted source for information on health and wellness!

Healthy living cuts premature
death risk in half

Reuters (Chicago) – Tue Sep 16, 4:39 PM PDT, Editing by Maggie Fox and Todd Eastham

Women who heed common sense health messages about smoking, diet and exercise can cut their risk of premature death in half, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

Many studies look at the impact of just one lifestyle change on overall health, but researchers at Harvard University wanted to see the total impact of a healthy diet, regular exercise, a healthy weight and a lifetime without smoking.

Dr. Rob van Dam and a team from the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital followed 80,000 nurses for more than two decades.

The women kept detailed records of their diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, weight, smoking and disease history. Over the study period, 8,882 of the women died, including 1,790 from heart disease and 4,527 from cancer.

Some 28 percent of these deaths could have been avoided if the women had never smoked, the researchers said.

And 55 percent of the deaths could have been avoided if the women had never smoked and exercised regularly, eaten a healthy diet low in red meat and trans-fats and maintained a healthy weight, they said.

Smoking played the biggest role in causing premature death, and alcohol consumption played the smallest, they said.

They found women who drank up to one drink a day had a lower risk of heart disease than those who abstained from alcohol.

“These findings underscore the importance of intensifying both efforts to eradicate cigarette smoking and those aimed at improving diet and physical activity,” van Dam and colleagues wrote in the British Medical Journal.

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Spicy Tropical Gazpacho

This recipe comes courtesy of Linda Lorenz, one of our clients. Additional information can be found at MyRecipes.com

1 cup tomato juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup chopped peeled mango
1/2 cup chopped peeled papaya
1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and pulse 4 times or until combined. Cover and chill. Serves 4.

Linda was not only kind enough to share the recipe with me, she actually made some and brought it into the studio. It was delicious – I would highly recommend you give this one a try!

To your health and happiness.

I have always had a soft spot for inspirational quotes, and I thought I would share a few of my favorite ones with you (see if you can notice the common theme):

“I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life’s greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret.” – Tony Robbins

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal — a commitment to excellence — that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” – Mario Andretti

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.” – Peter Drucker

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” – Vince Lombardi

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

and if all else fails, you can always take the advice of Bluto (John Belushi) from Animal House!

Finally, in case you haven’t heard ,this Saturday we are having an Open House from 1:00-3:00 to celebrate our 1-year anniversary. Stop by for some food, to get your blood pressure checked and body fat measured, to win door prizes, and a chance to win a Wii Fit!

I look forward to seeing many of our existing clients and their families and meeting those of you who receive these newsletters but still aren’t quite sure exactly what we do or what our studio looks like. I promise – no push-ups, pull-ups, burpees, or thrusters!

To your health and happiness.

We just received some great news this week – Julie Partridge, one of our fitness consultants, came in first place in PhillyFit magazine’s recent contest to select Philly’s Fittest Trainer! Julie not only has great technical knowledge with respect to training, but also a strong sense of compassion for all of her clients. This combination of traits enables Julie to be a great motivator, and her clients have responded quite favorably to her positive style. We are quite proud of Julie’s recognition as one of Philly’s top trainers!

It’s hard to top something like that, but I thought you would find the following article interesting. In his article “5 Causes of Rapid Aging”, Dr. Maoshing Ni looks at what habits, besides some obvious ones such as smoking or excessive alcoholism, can lead to premature aging. Dr. Maoshing Ni is an expert on aging, and has also written a book titled “Secrets of Longevity”.

To see what these 5 causes of rapid aging are, you can click here. As a hint, we specifically focus on how to handle two of the five problem areas at Fitness Together. However, we also firmly believe that by focusing on those two habits, you will see an improvement in all of the problem areas. I hope you enjoy the article!

To your health and happiness.

P.S. Please mark your calendars for September 20 for our 1-year anniversary celebration. Door prizes and a raffle for a Wii Fit are among the highlights! The Open House event takes place between 1:00 and 3:00. More details in next week’s newsletter…

Here’s a simple “step” that could have dramatic effects on your health and fitness.

Taking Stairs Could Extend Your Life

Taking the stairs instead of the elevator could reduce your risk of premature death, according to a Swiss study presented at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.

During the 12-week study, 69 volunteers were told to use the stairs exclusively instead of taking the elevator while at work. On average, the number of flights of stairs they climbed or descended increased from five a day to 23, BBC News reported.

At the end of the study, the participants had better fitness, less body fat, trimmer waistlines, and lower blood pressure. Taken together, the physical benefits of using stairs translated into a 15 percent reduced risk of premature death from any cause, the University of Geneva researchers said.

“This suggests that stair climbing can have major public health implications,” said lead researcher Dr. Phillippe Meyer, who added that the findings need to be confirmed in larger studies. -from Yahoo! Health

So I encourage all of you to take the stairs whenever you get the chance to do so. As with all exercise, start slowly at first and increase a little bit each time. Before you know it, you’ll be ready for the Empire State Building!

To your health and happiness.

P.S. Please mark your calendars for September 20 for our anniversary celebration. Door prizes and a raffle for a Wii Fit are among the highlights!