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How To Create A Great Life

When you deliberately seek positive aspects of whatever you are giving your attention to, you, in a sense, tune your vibrational tuner to more positive aspects ...

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• Benefits of a Stability Ball

  By JoAnn Manzella on January 16, 2009 | No Comments

  Looking for a variation in your workout?

  If there is one piece of equipment you want to add to your fitness arsenal, it’s the stability ball.  This large and inflatable ball is a heavy duty piece of equipment capable of handling 600-700lbs.  The ball is comfortable as well as versatile when it comes to strengthening the core.

  Here how it works: The ball becomes challenging because it puts your body in an unstable environment and requires muscle activation for stabilization.  The second you sit or lie on the ball, your legs and abdominal muscles contract in order from keeping you from falling off. Now let’s add an exercise to the mix and watch the level of intensity rise.

  Using the stability ball in your training program is definitely one of the best methods to improving strength in your abs and lower back.  It also improves the functional strength, balance and flexibility of the body.

  And guess what? It can be used by anyone.  That’s right, no fitness level is required.  It’s in fact, it’s so safe, it is used by physical therapists everyday to strengthen their clients in all areas.

  Test drive one of these inexpensive balls and put it to work for you today.  As always, consult your health care provider before you begin a strenuous fitness program.

  JoAnn Manzella is a fitness consultant and group fitness instructor specializing in small group training and boot camps.  JoAnn provides her clients with the knowledge, support and motivation necessary to get them to the next level of physical as well as mental and emotional fitness.

  Sign up today for a telephone fitness assessment by sending an email to joann@jumpstarttofitness.com 

  
  
• Let’s Talk…Heart to Heart

  By JoAnn Manzella on November 26, 2008 | No Comments

  Heart Attack symptoms misdiagnosed in the Emergency Room…..

  Taking care of you is essential to living a longer, healthier and more vibrant life.  Just a few years ago, the life expectancy for women reached a peak in modern history with most women living to an average of 79 years.  A big difference from 100 years ago when the average life expectancy for women was a mere 47 years.

  These added years of life have created additional health challenges that women from a century ago simply didn’t have to face.  Let’s discuss some of the issues and strategies needed to meet this new and exciting future of longevity and vitality!

  Heart attacks and heart disease kill more women than any other cause.  With our advanced knowledge of heart health, this shouldn’t be happening.  With North America having one of the best emergency medial systems in the world, a women’s chance of surviving a heart attack should be very good.  Sadly enough, this is not true.  Women have a death rate from heart attacks that is 70% higher than men.  Two reasons for this is (1) A heart attack in a man does not look like a heart attack in a women and (2) Women’s heart attack symptoms are very misdiagnosed in the Emergency Room.  A heart attack in women is not always the “elephant sitting on my chest feeling that accompanies a heart attack in men.  

  A male patient entering an Emergency Room with symptoms of sweating, shortness of breath and chest pain would automatically be diagnosed with having a “heart attack”.  When a woman enters the Emergency Room with flu like symptoms, fatigue, low back pain, jaw pain, shoulder pain and an impending fear of doom, most of the Emergency Room staff assumes this is a “panic attack”.  The unfortunate delay in treatment to differentiate these two conditions may cost women their life.  

  Women are different than men.  Yet, medicine assumes that the heart attack symptoms commonly experienced by men are the standard for measuring Emergency Room reactions and treatment.  With aging women outnumbering aging men by more than 2:1, it’s time for the Emergency Room staff to be more aware of women’s unique health needs.  

  Research by the National Institute of Health indicates that women often experience new or different physical symptoms as long as a month or more before experiencing heart attacks.  Among 515 women studied, 95% said they knew their symptoms were new or different a month or more before experiencing their heart attack.  The symptoms most commonly reported were as follows:

  Unusual Fatigue  70.6%

  Sleep Disturbance  47.8%

  Shortness of Breath  42.1%

  Many women never had chest pains.  Only 29.7% reported having chest pain or discomfort prior to their heart attack and 43% reported having no chest pain during any phase of the attack.

  The National Institute of Health Study, titled “Women’s Early Warning Symptoms of AMI” (Acute Myocardial Infarction) is one of the first to investigate women’s experience with heart attacks and how this experience differs from men’s.  Recognition of symptoms that provide an early indication of heart attack either imminently or in the near future is critical to forestalling or preventing the disease.

  “Symptoms such as indigestion, sleep disturbance, or weakness in the arms, which many of us experience on a daily basis, were recognized by many women in the Study as warning signals for AMI”, says Jean McSweeney, PhD, RN and Principal Investigator of the Study.  Because there were considerable variability in the frequency and severity of symptoms, she added, “We need to know at what point these symptoms help us predict a cardiac event.”

  It is clearly evident that women’s symptoms are not as predictable as men’s.  It is important not to miss the earliest possible opportunity to prevent or ease AMI, which is the number cause of death in women and men.  

  Addressing your lifestyle holds the greatest promise for lifelong heart health.  If you don’t change your life, your life will change you - and the changes may be regrettable ones.  As we age, a turn for the worse in heart health is far from inevitable and making changes in your life is easy if you take one step at a time.

  Antoinette is a fitness consultant specializing in small group senior fitness. Antoinette provides her clients with the knowledge, support and motivation necessary to get to the next level of physical as well as mental, emotional and spiritual fitness.

  Call today to make an appointment for your FREE fitness evaluation and consultation by phone.  We can assist in matching you up with a program that is right for you. The number is 908-902-1207.

   
• It Cost’s Too Much

  By JoAnn Manzella on November 7, 2008 | No Comments

  A friend of mine asked me a serious question the other day and I think it is a question that many of us have thought about especially lately when it seems that money is tight and prices are only going up.

  “Why does it cost so much money to live a healthy lifestyle?”

  “That is a good question. What do you think is so expensive about living healthy?”
  “Well”, she said, “the cost of joining a gym, hiring a personal trainer and buying healthy foods.”

  Well, let’s take a closer look at this.  I asked her if there was anything she had given up as a result of her new lifestyle.  She responded with, “well of course, I stopped drinking soda, I don’t stop for coffee in the morning, I bring my lunch to work instead of eating out everyday and oh yeah, I have quit smoking.” 

  Wow!  Let’s think about this in monetary terms.  She said she probably spent about $3 for 2 sodas, $10 for lunch out, $4 for her Starbucks Late and a pack of cigarettes which adds another $6 onto the equation.  That’s a whopping $23 a day of unhealthy habits.

  One month of these unhealthy habits equals an amazing $690 (I cannot believe it myself) and this is just the cost factor, what about the health part?

  We all know the phenomenal benefits to those who quit smoking. Your chances of living longer and disease free go up incredibly with each day smoke free.  Ridding yourself of the other bad habits have similar benefits. 

  We now live in a country where obesity is considered an epidemic, diabetes is on the rise, and individuals are looking to surgery to cure all there medical issues, instead of committing to preventative medicine.  Exercise Is Medicine.

  Sometimes we forget about the things we do all the time to sabotage our health.  Changing eating habits will save money on medications, doctor visits, and essentially the food bill.  So the next time you begin thinking that it is just way too expensive to live healthy, think again. Figure the cost and health factors and I guarantee that you will be able to maintain that healthy lifestyle and even save money.

  Call today to set up a phone consultation 732-241-9187 or download our free report  “7 Common Mistakes people make when trying to lose weight.”  And How to Avoid them.
• Skipping Meals Will Make You Fat

  By JoAnn Manzella on November 1, 2008 | No Comments

  I have noticed that many of my clients frequently choose to skip a meal during the day. For some it is intentional and others, they feel they are not hungry at the time.  This is a recipe for disaster.

  Skipping meals does not help weight loss or dieting!

  Skipping meals leads to low blood sugar.  This can cause sudden hunger pangs which can cause bingeing and/or food cravings.  Either way, it’s bad for weight loss.

  For example, diet research indicates that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight than those who eat a proper breakfast.

  Eating first thing in the morning actually starts your metabolism. Waiting only causes your body to go into starvation mode.  It worries if it will have enough to eat and protects those fat stores for the future. 

  A good way of controlling your diet is to eat 4-5 smaller meals rather than 2 to 3 big ones.  Why?  It helps stabilize blood sugar and helps control your appetite.

  So start your metabolism early. Give your body the fuel it needs to get you through the day.

  If you have any questions about this or any other article that you may read, please feel free to email it to me and I will include it in an upcoming email.
• Spot Reduction, Myth or Truth?

  By JoAnn Manzella on November 1, 2008 | No Comments

  I was at the supermarket checkout counter yesterday and couldn’t help but notice all the magazines with front page headlines enticing consumers with articles on reducing body fat in certain areas. The most popular being the midsection.

  While waiting my turn, I flipped through a couple of magazines to see if there was some secret I failed to learn through all my professional training.

  Most of these articles talked about doing excessive ab workouts “for those 6 pack abs”, or some other type of strength training workout for great legs.  Part of the deception is this:  We cannot spot reduce.  You cannot pick an area that you are unhappy with, focus all your exercise on that and get the results they claim unless you are at an ideal weight and only need to tone those areas.

  Your body will decide which fat stores to attack.  Doing sit-ups and crunches will NOT eliminate the belly fat but WILL strengthen that area.

  Therefore, if you need to lose weight around your midsection, a combination of interval training and strength will eventually reduce the fat throughout your body.  Leaving your body to decide which areas it will reach first. As for us women, too often, I find our bodies choosing our chest, which for some of us, I know it is not where we would like to begin.

  Hang in there.  The good news is that consistency will show results.

  If you have any questions about any articles you may read, email it to me and I will be happy to include it in an upcoming email.
• I have Chosen NOT to participate in the Recession

  By JoAnn Manzella on October 12, 2008 | No Comments

  I have Chosen NOT to participate in the Recession? What about you?

  My mentor recently said this to me, “If there’s a recession, I have chosen not to participate.” I totally agree.

  Now, you may be thinking “Are you crazy, JoAnn? I am losing money, I fear losing my job, and I am having trouble making ends meet – of course there is a recession.  How can you ignore that?”

  My answer may come as a surprise but here is a quote from Johnny Carson-
  “Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy.  If you are happy in what you are doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace.  And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could have possibly imagined.”

  It all comes down to living the life YOU choose.  I believe we have all been created with a purpose. If you think about your passions and realize your true purpose you may realize that there is something bigger for you. Put your trust in God, Spirit, the Universe (whatever you believe in) and your life Will be fulfilled.  I will go into more detail in future posts.

  For now, stop watching the news.  Remember that the media is a business.  Their job is to sell you on their views, to make you so uncomfortable that you will want to keep watching their channel which in turn increases their ratings.  When listening to or watching a program that is making you depressed or anxious, ask yourself this, “How is this serving me? If your answer is negative, turn it off, listen to something motivational, listen to your favorite music, just get away from that which brings your down and this will bring a greater sense of peace.

  JoAnn