Testimonial from Amy H. -- The Woodlands

I went to One 30 Fitness with great skepticism. I had been working out 5 times a week for more than a year (4 times a week running on the treadmill and once a week with a personal trainer) so I felt like I was in pretty good shape. But I was so tired of having to get up before dawn every day to work out and I had reached a plateau with my weight that I couldn't get past. "How could one workout a week be enough?", I thought.

But I gave it a shot, because I had a big high school reunion coming up that I wanted to look my best for and I thought it was worth a try. Right away I loved it - it increased my metabolism substantially and I had my TIME back!

After just 7 weeks I had lost 8 pounds and when I saw my old personal trainer she noticed the difference right away. I got back to my high school weight - something I never thought would happen after having twins! I've never felt stronger nor have my muscles ever been this toned before!
   

People often think that heart attacks come on suddenly but most start slowly with mild pain or discomfort. The signs of heart attack include:

• Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
• Shortness of breath. May occur with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs. These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness.

Following are recommendations for eating heart healthy:

• Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat.
• Select fat-free, 1% fat, and low-fat dairy products.
• Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
• Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.
• Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.
• Select and purchase foods lower in salt/sodium.
• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means no more than one drink per day if you're a woman and two drinks per day if you're a man.
• Keep an eye on your portion sizes.

One of the most important steps to being heart healthy is physical activity! Aren't you glad you had your 30 minute workout this week?

WHO : when I say everybody, I mean just that, EVERY BODY! Not only do athletes need to be strong, but each of us is responsible to keep our own musculoskeletal frame in check. If we allow our muscles to become dormant, atrophied, or inactive they do just that…and forget how to contract. This is a fact; if your muscles are not used they forget how to do what we ask them to do. SO everybody needs exercise. Simply put: use it or lose it!

WHAT : Workout! Use your muscles to move your body…lift weights to be strong. But, be careful, people often try to do too much too quickly or, incorrectly so use caution when starting an exercise program.

WHEN : Weekly at least, science has proven that too often is overtraining and contraindicated to safe effective progress and, the sooner the better. When it comes to the aging process the younger we are the easier and faster it will be to experience long lasting results.

WHERE : When it comes to your health and safety … guidance in ideal. Thus, a gym or private facility is ideal as certified and experienced personnel are provided.

WHY : Strength training is THE most effective way to make a body strong. It will improve muscle tone, and posture, help decrease back-pain and increase your metabolic rate and strengthen your immune system. Not to mention add an endless supply of self image and self esteem.

“The stress at work is sending my blood pressure through the roof,” a patient told me. His instinct was good, because experts who study stress are increasingly seeing how it connects to illness. Stress affects your heart, weight, and skin. It’s also linked with physical training, an increased risk for developing depression, the common cold, and influenza, as well as associated with increased symptoms among those with chronic illnesses,” says Dr. Sheldon Cohen, a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Confronted by sudden danger, the human body instantly pumps the bloodstream full of adrenaline. This hormone, along with cortisol raises your:

• blood pressure
• heart rate
• blood sugar

temporarily giving you additional strength, speed, and stamina. In emergency situations, stress can save your life.

But ongoing stress—the kind you might face when you’re experiencing marital, financial, or work-related problems or are caring for a sick relative—influences your ability to function and may lower your immunity. Even your genes can be affected, says Dr. Elissa Epel, a health psychologist at UC, San Francisco, because stress changes “the protein output of our DNA.” That’s like saying it affects the core of what we are made of.

Here’s what else we know about stress and sickness.

Heart

“There is overwhelming evidence that stress creates an environment where heart attacks and even sudden death become more likely,” says Dr. Joel Dimsdale of UC, San Diego, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Job stress has been found to increase cardiovascular risk by up to 50%. In addition, stress lowers estrogen production, which reduces protections against heart disease in women, explains Dr. Stephen Manuck, a professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.

Headaches

Stress appears to change the balance of chemicals in the brain in a way that may contribute to the narrowing of blood vessels—one theory for why we get migraines. Stress also is a factor in tension headaches. And physical reactions to stress—such as tensing the neck and shoulders, grinding teeth, or clenching the jaw—may make headaches worse.