Fitness Together - North Andover

FT Owner Helps Women Conquer the ‘M’ Word

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:28:00 -0600

Ladies, here’s a little experiment you can try the next time you’re in mixed company. Say the word “Menopause” just once and see how long it takes for every guy within earshot to jump out a window. Yes, even in these times where everything TMI goes you can still cause a decent stampede by muttering the ‘M’ word under your breath. Here, try this: click your heels together, twirl around and say it three times: “Menopause! Menopause! Menopause!” Are they gone? Good. Let’s talk.

For men and women alike the signs of aging (much like taxes and colonoscopies) are something we’d rather avoid. But for women, menopause can be more enduring and unpleasant and leave a girl feeling pretty isolated and embarrassed. How so? Let’s just say, if Steven King ever invents an amusement park ride he could call it, “Menopause,” though it wouldn’t be terribly amusing. Among the 34 symptoms women have to look forward to as we age are hot flashes, night sweats, incontinence, weight gain, loss of muscle tone, confusion, hair loss (everywhere but your face, where you’ll actually get more), mood swings, sudden bouts of bloat, changes in body odor and something we’ll just refer to euphemistically as “dryness.” Horrifying, right? It certainly explains the crying jags that can go with all that.

Until about ten years ago the consensus among the medical community was that hormone replacement therapy or HRT, usually in the form of progesterone, was the best way to treat symptoms. But that consensus shifted when clinical trials showed that the treatment posed more risks than benefits and doctors began shying away from its use, particularly for the long term. This left a growing population of women without much support in finding solutions.

Enter Maureen Sullivan, owner of Fitness Together in North Andover, who has helped rescue many a dame in distress from the jaws of menopause. Maureen first found her way to FT as a client in search of solutions to her own set of issues. She had recently left the corporate world after 28 years was taking time to reassess the next phase of her life when she decided to check out a free session at her local FT. “At the time, I was really struggling with menopause symptoms and weight gain. Everything I thought I knew how to do wasn’t working. After the consultation, the manager understood exactly what I needed to get back into shape and deal with my other symptoms.”

Sullivan signed onto the program and followed her trainer’s advice for a complete lifestyle overhaul, incorporating regular cardio, weight training and a new diet plan. Before long she was feeling and looking like a new woman. “By changing my diet I was able to balance my sugar levels, get a handle on mood swings and reduce cravings. By losing weight, my sleeping improved and my stress level lessened. By removing wine from my diet I was able to reduce the hot flashes significantly. I lost 25 pounds and the training put me back to where I was at 30.”

Sullivan was so thrilled with the positive impact FT was having on her life, she decided she wanted to own her own studio. Within a year she was able to acquire Fitness Together in North Andover and she hasn’t looked back since.

While Sullivan says her extensive marketing and business skills have helped her success enormously, it is her life-changing experience as a former FT client that she values most, particularly when it comes to dealing with women who are feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of aging.

“I’ve had women come to me because they find regular gyms to be too intimidating, but they’ve gotten to a point where they’re embarrassed by the changes in their bodies and need to do something. As some women start sharing their particular menopause challenges and I start sharing mine, they just open up and feel comfortable telling me everything that’s happening. I also share my journey and where I am now and the work it takes. They don’t find this type of support in a typical gym environment.”

Sullivan takes the extensive knowledge she’s acquired from reading and attending lectures and shares it with her clients. She recommends women have their FSH levels tested as well as getting a bone density benchmark to determine the proper amount of dietary calcium needed. “Last but not least, I recommend whenever possible that women manage their systems through nutrition and not hormone replacement therapy because of the link to cancers in women.”

As Sullivan’s research will tell you, various studies on the effects of menopause show strong indications that exercise is the best way to manage symptoms. Says Michael D. Brown, PhD, a co-author and associate professor of kinesiology at Temple University's College of Health Professions. "Given the controversy with HRT, postmenopausal women can now use aerobic exercise and weight training to lower chemical stress levels, thus reducing risk factors for chronic disease."

Ideally, women should get in shape and stay in shape before menopause hits to lessen the dreaded list of symptoms. But if you’re already there, it’s not too late to get with the program.

For more information on exercise and menopause go to: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/menopause-weight-gain/HQ01076

To schedule a consultation with Maureen Sullivan at Fitness Together in North Andover call 978-659-0047 or go to: http://fitnesstogether.com/northandover

Why New Year's Resolutions Fail

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:48:00 -0600

Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail

As New Year’s resolutions gain popularity this time of year, many jump on the bandwagon of losing weight, getting fit and living a healthier lifestyle. While we all can benefit from making these types of positive lifestyle changes, most resolutions fizzle out, unfortunately, before they even have a chance to settle in. So, why does this popular annual pastime of making New Year’s resolutions tend to result in failed attempts, false starts and lackluster efforts?

Well, actually, it’s quite simple.

● Resolution season brings colder temperatures and limited daylight.

● The start of the year is filled with busy life, work and family schedules.

● Doing what you’ve always done is a lot easier than trying something new.

So, what can you do to jump over these common resolution hurdles and finish strong in the quest for resolution success?

Commit to Getting off the Couch and Out the Door

The first step to accomplishing your health and fitness resolutions is to back your goals with a real commitment to succeed. You can’t wish your way to a healthier, leaner, more fit, stronger you. You have to make a real commitment that includes a support structure and lifestyle change focused on meeting your overall health and fitness goals.

One way to create a deeper level of health and fitness commitment is by working out with a group of friends or peers. As the temperatures hover around freezing and the temptation to cuddle in front of the fireplace instead of going to the gym burns strong, it is a lot easier to get yourself off the couch and out the door if you know someone is waiting to workout with you at the gym. This same peer-driven motivation to get you out the door on a cold winter day can be advantageous to your overall fitness when you workout in a group environment as well.

Research indicates that the presence of others around you during a workout session and the effects of competition can have a positive influence on your exertion and fitness performance levels.[1] The dynamics and high energy of working out in a small group setting with a handful of peers and a seasoned personal trainer can push you to work harder than you could have ever imagined, allowing you to enjoy overall improvements in your body’s health and fitness levels.

By incorporating a group fitness routine into your New Year’s resolution goals, you become a part of something bigger than yourself – an environment that is packed full of fitness commitment, motivation and encouragement.

Call in the Accountability Troops

Many New Year’s resolutions fail because people embark on the journey alone and let other items on their life calendar take priority over their goals. Set yourself up for resolution success by wrapping your goals with a strong support system that includes the right professionals and tools to do the job wisely and successfully.

By enlisting the help of a certified personal trainer, you will receive a customized workout that aligns with your body, ability and health/fitness level, as well as your New Year’s goals. A study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found that those who worked out with personal trainers resulted in greater individual strength, workout intensities and exertion levels during an exercise session.[2] Personal trainers are not only a great resource for holding you accountable to showing up for your workout, but also ensuring that you engage in a valuable workout session that benefits both the mind and body.

Another way to keep yourself accountable to health and fitness goals is by physically scheduling your weekly workouts into your personal, family and professional calendars. If you view your workouts as a serious appointment and dedicate specific time to a physically fit lifestyle, you will be less likely to skip your workouts when life becomes busy.

Furthermore, industry reports continue to find evidence that you don’t have to spend your entire day in the gym to reap the most benefits from your workouts. Short-term, high intensity workouts have been found to be a time efficient and effective approach for burning fat, increasing fitness levels and improving overall cardiovascular health.[3]

Out with the Old, In with the New

The same old workouts and lifestyle tendencies will yield the same old results. If you are committed this year to reaching new levels of physical fitness, it is important to change up your approach by combining a can-do attitude with new workout routines focused on measurable strength and conditioning goals.

It’s important to remember, though, that physical fitness is an ongoing process that doesn’t happen overnight. Instead of making rash decisions like cleaning out all of the food in your pantry or exercising seven days a week when you have rarely made it to the gym once a week, set yourself up for success by identifying incremental benchmarks (going to the gym three times a week, running a mile without stopping, bench pressing 100 pounds, etc.) that can help keep your overall fitness goals within reach and within perspective. This approach will keep you on the path to reaching new physical fitness levels throughout the year and provide you with the opportunity to celebrate your successes along the way.

By pushing aside old barriers and incorporating new lifestyle behaviors centered around commitment, accountability and positive attitudes, you are well on your way to investing in a healthier body and happier you for the New Year.

The certified personal trainers at Fitness Together will design workouts tailored to your specific fitness level and will push you just hard enough to turn your goals into life changing results.

Contact us at 978-659-0047 to learn more about how to look better, feel better and perform better this New Year with one-on-one personal training or PACK small group training.

[1] Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: “The Effects of Competition and the Presence of an Audience on Weight Lifting Performance,” 2003.

[2] Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: January 2008 - Volume 22 - Issue 1 - pp 103-111.

[3] University of Guelph; Journal of Applied Physiology, June 2007.

FT North Andover Newsletter

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:02:00 -0600

Fitness Together Helps Fight Diabetes

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Fitness Together is proud to be the American Diabetes Association's Official Health & Fitness Sponsor for Eastern New England's Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes campaign. We are committed to helping individuals with diabetes make healthy lifestyle changes.

Over the next several months, Fitness Together studios from Massachusetts and Rhode Island are raising money for the ADA through our Cardio for a Cure campaign. Our clients, friends and their families throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island will run, walk, bike and swim to raise money for diabetes education and research. Our goal is to raise more than $40,000.

If you would like to help the cause follow the link below. You can register by choosing "Join Team" from the team members listing. or donate by clicking on the team captain's name and then choose either:
A. Sponsor Me (make a donation) - or -
B. Walk with Me (help raise money)