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Known for her washboard abs and super-ripped muscles, fitness influencer Massy Arias had trouble accepting her post-baby body at first.

It took me a while to get comfortable looking at the different changes happening in my body, Arias, 28, tells PEOPLE. Just like any woman would tell you, changes can be emotional as much as they are physical, and I had a hard time in the beginning.

The health coach, who was recently named an ambassador for Targets C9 Champion line, says she started to accept her new shape as she cared for her daughter Indira, born on Feb. 28.

After giving birth and seeing how all the changesI was experiencing were for a great reason, I started becoming more loving of my new body and what it was doing feeding and protecting my baby girl, Arias explains. I knew I had the tools to get my mind and body right later on, but my focus needed to be enjoying this new person.

My body just went through a marathon and I needed to appreciate the miracle of life. The stretch marks, the cellulite, the discoloration of the skin, and even the hair loss were all worth it once I had her in my arms.

And though Arias felt like she had lost some control over her body, it was still in excellent shape, which made Indiras natural water birthless painful.

I am a true believer that I was able to have an easier delivery because of the proprioceptive awareness fitness builds, she says. As you become more active, you become more in tune with your body. I was able to listen to my doulas cues during delivery and know exactly what I should have been feeling and what muscles to use to push Indi out smoothly and with no complications or major tearing.

RELATED VIDEO:Pregnancy is Different for Everyone

After such a smooth birthing process, Arias was cleared by her doctors to resume working out in just four weeks but that doesnt mean it was easy for her.

Even though my body healed, my mind took a while longer. That first workout was mentally painful for me. I didnt feel as in tune with my body as I did before, she says. I wasnt feeling any connection with my pelvic floor, my core, and most parts of my body. Everything felt out of place and that was hard to cope with.

These days Aria is learning to tap into her mom strength, which aligns perfectly with the C9 Champion ad campaign she shot at just three weeks postpartum.

Like the slogan reads A New Kind of Strong its exactly what Ive had to do ever since becoming a mother. Finding within my new normal a new kind of strong, she says. Ive had to re-invent myself, adopting new roles Ive never thought Id be playing.

More:
Fitness Influencer Massy Arias Struggled to Accept Her Post-Baby Body: 'Changes Can Be Emotional' - PEOPLE.com

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Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI /AFP /Getty Images

Does America have an unbalanced president? This is not a clinical diagnosis. It is a civic and political judgment, made necessary by the presidents own words and acts.

Does America have an unbalanced president? This is not a clinical diagnosis. It is a civic and political judgment, made necessary by the presidents own words and acts.

Questioning Trumps mental fitness is a civic duty

It is sometimes argued that the media should spend less time on President Trumps transgressive tweets in order to devote more attention to real issues such as North Korea. In fact, it is necessary to focus on Trumps tweets precisely because they shed light on the mind that is doing the deciding on North Korea.

It is a distasteful exercise. But we cannot look away. We need to know the state of mind were dealing with.

Trumps tweets reveal a leader who is compulsive, abusive and easily triggered. Trump describes all this as modern day presidential. Lincoln had his Gettysburg Address. Franklin Roosevelt had his Four Freedoms. But modern schoolchildren will learn the Mika bloody face-lift tweet.

What we are witnessing is an ongoing, public breakdown. And the question naturally arises: Is this the result of mental dysfunction?

Most psychiatrists are (understandably) uncomfortable with diagnosis from a distance. And the particular diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder requires significant impairment which is a hard case to make of a figure at the pinnacle of American politics.

And yet. There are judgments that must be made about the fitness of the leaders. Citizens are under no ethical obligation to be silent when they see serious dysfunction. The main problem is the possibility that America has an unbalanced president during a period of high-stakes global testing. This is not a clinical diagnosis. It is a civic and political judgment, made necessary by the presidents own words and acts.

Much of the prudence and courage required to confront this problem will need to come from Republicans and conservatives. Where to start? How about refusing to downplay revolting lunacy?

It is not merely an occasional ad hominem for a president to employ the tremendous power of his office to target individual American citizens who oppose him. It is an abuse of power.

It is not merely uncouth for a president to tolerate, even to hint support for, violence against political opponents (Id like to punch him in the face). It creates an atmosphere of intimidation.

It is not merely exaggeration for a president to issue a series of eye-stretching lies, including that his predecessor spied on him and that a popular vote victory was denied to him by widespread electoral fraud. It indicates either a deep cynicism or a tenuous connection to reality.

It is not being coarse for a president to engage in consistent misogyny. It is a sign of a disturbing and deep-seated dehumanization of women.

Many conservatives would respond to this critique by saying, At least he fights! The question is: For what? He fights for himself for admiration and adulation.

Trumps conservative defenders are attempting something extraordinary: to politically normalize abnormal psychology. Their sycophancy enables a sickness.

What next? Applying the 25th Amendment (containing the procedure to remove an unfit president from office) is a practical impossibility, since it involves the Cabinet turning against the president. But House and Senate Republicans should be prepared to aggressively challenge unbalanced or unhinged presidential language and decisions, rather than trying to dismiss them as simply a distraction.

And responsible officials in the executive branch particularly at the State Department, Department of Defense, Justice Department and in the various intelligence services may also need to provide an internal check on foolish, precipitous orders. The option here is to refuse, to defy, to resign (or be fired) and then to publicly provide the reasons.

No one really knows how to deal with this situation, which still feels more like an unnerving political novel than our political reality. Trump has led our country into unexplored territory. If this is modern day presidential, all progress moves toward the past.

michaelgerson@washpost.com

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Questioning Trump's mental fitness is a civic duty - mySanAntonio.com

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Kaley Conner @Kaley_hdn

Burpees. Push ups. Leg lifts. In many ways, this early morning group fitness class was like any other.

Except for the fact the five class members were completing their exercises on a board in the middle of the swimming pool.

HaysMeds Center for Health Improvement this month launched a new Aquafloat workout class. Floating on water to complete the workout gives it an extra level of difficulty, said JoDee Altman, group fitness and aquatics manager.

They definitely make everything you do more challenging, because your balance is challenged in a lot of ways, she said. Prepare to be wet when you get on a board, because you most likely will fall off.

Any workout regimen that is done on land can be completed afloat. Classes include yoga, Pilates, balance work and high-intensity cardio. The boards are designed for extra support.

The class is offered twice a week, with two early morning sessions. The class is limited to five participants and is booked through July.

Aquafloat classes will be a regular fixture in the CHI group class schedule and might be offered more frequently in the future. Enrollment information can be found at haysmed.com/the-center.

The class format is becoming more popular across the nation, but Altman said she is not aware of other regional facilities offering the course, which is inspired by the coastal trend of stand-up paddle boarding.

I dont know of anybody else in the Midwest thats doing it, she said. Ive heard of people on the East Coast. Ive seen some other places slowly taking hold, but not a lot of places have it. Not a lot of places are lucky enough to have a pool to have it.

The boards are attached on the front and back to lines anchored in the pool. That keeps the participants from floating all around the pool during the class.

So far, the class has been a hit with those who have tried it, Altman said.

They love it, she said. Everybody Ive talked to has said its harder than it looks, but they love it.

The classes last for nearly an hour and can be difficult at first until participants get used to keeping their balance on the water, said Samantha Horacek, who teaches a high-intensity workout class on the boards.

It makes it harder because you have to stabilize and balance the whole entire time, she said. Once you get used to the board and how it moves in the water, you can figure out how to stabilize.

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New fitness class making waves - Hays Daily News

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By understanding the interactions of the microbiome with other parts of the body, one day treatments could be developed for a range of illnesses. Pixabay

A universe of organisms living inside you may affect every part of your body, from your brain to your bones, and even your thoughts, feelings and your attempts to lose weight.

This is a universe of trillions of microorganisms or what we biologists call microbiota that live in your gut, the part of your body responsible for digestion of the food you eat and the liquids you drink.

As researchers, we have been looking increasingly into the effect these bacteria have on their hosts body, from obesity to mental illness and heart disease. With obesity, for example, these tiny organisms may play a big role by influencing what foods we crave and how our bodies hold onto fat.

In a recent study of the gut microbiome, we set out to determine whether the microbiota in the gut can be affected not only by our nervous system but also by an unsuspected source our bone marrow.

Our hope is that, by understanding the interactions of the microbiome with other parts of the body, one day treatments could be developed for a range of illnesses.

The gut, which includes your esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, colon and other parts of your digestive system, is the first line of defense and the largest interface between the host in this case, a person and the outside world.

After birth, the gut is the first point of entry for environmental and dietary influences on human life. Thus, the microbiota in the gut play a crucial role during human growth, as they contribute to development and maintenance of our immune system throughout our lifetime.

While we initially thought of the microbiota as relatively simple organisms, the fact is that they may not be so simple after all. Gut microbiota can be as personal and complex as a fingerprint.

There are more bacteria in your gut alone than cells in your entire body. This vast bacterial universe contains species that combined can have up to 150 times more genes than exist in humans. Research suggests that the bacteria in our gut predates the appearance of humans and that they may have played an important role in evolutionary separation between our ape ancestors and us.

Healthy bacteria actively interact with the host immune system in the gut. They contribute to the barrier between disease-causing microorganisms or infections introduced via ingestion. They also help prepare the host immune system to defend the body. The wrong mix of microbes, on the other hand, can contribute to many digestive, immune and mental health disorders and even obesity.

These tiny organisms work very hard in digestion. They help digest our food and can release nutrients and vitamins essential for our well being, all in exchange for the privilege of existing in a nutritious environment.

Researchers are actively exploring the many facets of this symbiotic relationship. Recent data show a link between gut microbiota diversity and richness and the way we store fat, how we regulate digestion hormones and blood glucose levels, and even what types of food we prefer.

This may also be a reason our eating habits are so difficult to change. Some research suggests that microbiota may generate cravings for foods they specialize in even chocolate or those that will allow them to better compete for resources against other bacteria.

Theres growing evidence of a link between the brain and our microbiota as well. The brain is the equivalent of a computers main processor, regulating all physiological variables, including the immune system, the bodys defense against infection and illness.

All immune cells are born in the bone marrow. From our previous research, we knew that increased bone marrow inflammation, one of many consequences of high blood pressure, was driven by a direct message from the brain. The gut, too, plays an important role in preparing the immune system for battle.

So we wondered: Could the bone marrow immune cells be playing a role in signaling between the brain and the gut? We wanted to find out.

Using a novel experimental mouse model, we replaced the bone marrow that occurs naturally within a mouse with bone marrow cells from a different, genetically modified mouse. This replacement marrow was deficient in a specific molecule called adrenergic receptor beta, which made the bone marrow less responsive to the neural messages from the brain.

In this way we could investigate how the host brain-immune communication will modify gut microbiota.

Indeed, by studying this new mouse model, we determined that our nervous system directed by our brain can modify the composition of gut microbiota by communicating directly with the bone marrow immune cells. The brain, therefore, can change our gut microbiota indirectly by talking to the bone.

Based on our experiments, we observed that fewer inflammatory cells were present in the circulation of mice that received the special bone marrow replacement than in those that didnt. This means there are fewer immune cells able to infiltrate the gut and influence the bacterial environment.

Thus, by suppressing the communication between the brain and the bone marrow, we observed a muted inflammatory response in the gut and a consequent shift toward a healthier, more diverse microbiome.

This appears to be mediated via specific changes in inflammatory genes in the gut. However, this interaction between the host and the gut microbiota is very complex, and much more research is needed to pinpoint the exact mechanisms of their close communication.

This may also be protective against weight gain, due to the very important role that both microbiota and the immune system play in obesity.

This finding may also have implications in immune diseases as well as treatments either resulting in or employing immunosuppression. The latter may affect the gut microbiota, which in turn may cause unwanted effects in the body, including those associated with digestive and mental health conditions.

In the context of cardiovascular disease, this muted inflammatory response appears to be beneficial, as it leads to beneficial lowering of blood pressure in our experimental mice.

Most interestingly, a link between gut microbiota and our mental health has recently become clearer. In particular, some have suggested that gut microbiota influence the stress and anxiety pathways in the brain in a way that can alter mood and behavior both positively and negatively, giving a whole new meaning to the term gut feeling.

This could soon lead to a new class of drugs, called psychobiotics.

Much like the chicken and the egg scenario, however, this complex interplay warrants further investigation to fully understand the consequences (or benefits) of perturbing one single component of the gut microbiota. This understanding is essential if we are to fully harness the power of manipulation of gut microbiota in health and disease, without negative side effects.

Jasenka Zubcevic, Assistant Professor, University of Florida and Christopher Martynuik, Associate Professor of Toxicology, University of Florida

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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Your Gut May Help You Lose Weight, Fight Depression and Lower Blood Pressure - Observer

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(Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)

If youve ever walked into a KFC and felt like the smell alone wasmaking you gain weight before even putting the first juicy morsel to your lips, then you might have been onto something.

Because new research claims that smelling food before eating it might be linked to weight gain.

Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, looked at mice to determine how the smell of food affected the way the body processes calories.

Using gene therapy, they cut off the sense of smell in one group of obese rodents and fed them the same amount of grub as another group of mice who could still smell.

And they found that those who couldnt smell lost weight compared to those who could.

The mice who were able to smell doubled in weight and those witha heightened sense of smell put on the most weight of all.

And thats led the researchers to conclude that smelling food can lead the body to store calories rather than burn them off.

This paper is one of the first studies that really shows if we manipulate olfactory inputs we can actually alter how the brain perceives energy balance, and how the brain regulates energy balance, says Cline Riera, ofCedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Theyre hoping that eventually, this kind of theory might help people dealing with eating disorders and those who struggle to lose weight.

Senior author Andrew Dillin,professor of molecular and cell biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, says that weight gain isnt simply a matter of how many calories go in but also how the calories are perceived by the body.

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If we can validate this in humans, perhaps we can actually make a drug that doesnt interfere with smell but still blocks that metabolic circuitry. That would be amazing.

For that small group of people, you could wipe out their smell for maybe six months and then let the olfactory neurons grow back, after theyve got their metabolic program rewired.

MORE: Fashion blogger tells TV company to f*ck the furthest off for asking if she wants to lose weight

MORE: Just how healthy is your nut milk really?

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Smelling food has been linked to weight gain, so the end really is nigh - Metro

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The military is faced with a fitness dilemma.

Rather than another article warning of impending doom, I wanted to offer a relatively simple solution, or at least the start of one. The root of the fitness problem might not be physical, but rather psychological. And change starts with a four-letter word.

DONT SUGARCOAT IT

For years, the military has looked to improve performance processes based on the corporate world, which is not inherently a bad thing. But along with these processes has come the business vernacular, which I believe is not such a good thing.

This terminology and way of thinking overly sanitizes the purpose of the military namely, to kill the enemy.

Some readers will digest the word kill without flinching, but it likely will make the majority uncomfortable, and understandably so. Most would agree that the words neutralize or destroy sound much more palatable than kill. But if the mission of the armed services is to fight and win our nation's wars, killing the enemy is definitely the implied task.

So, how are killing and fitness related?

THE KILL CONCEPT

Tim Kennedy, a Special Forces sergeant first class with the Texas Army National Guard and retired pro mixed martial arts fighter, may have said it best: Every time you train, train with the motivation and purpose that you will be the hardest person someone ever tries to kill.

By using the term kill, we ramp up the seriousness and the reality of what service members must be prepared to do. Instead of physical training being focused on the nebulous concept of fitness, it should be linked directly to one of two outcomes: making a service member harder to kill, or making a service member better at killing.

Adding this kill concept creates a powerful shift in mindset. Goodbye PT leader, hello modern-day Doctore, the title given to trainers of Roman gladiators.

Even if the odds of kill-or-be-killed scenarios are low, why not prepare for the worst-case scenario? Theres historical precedent here: British military leaders at the outset of World War I knew that bayonet encounters would be rare, but they still championed bayonet training for its physical and psychological effects on a population preparing for what was, at the time, the largest battle the nation had ever seen.

Decide who you are going to be. Are you going to be the victim or the survivor? Are you going to be the hardest person someone ever tries to kill?

My bet is that second workout is going to be significantly more productive than the first. Now, imagine if you multiplied that effect across the military.

Link:
Want to fix military fitness? Start with a four-letter word - Military Times

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Photo: Hearst Connecticut Media File Photo

The High Ridge Park campus, which includes the offices of Frontier,

The High Ridge Park campus, which includes the offices of Frontier,

Proposed Life Time Fitness riles preservationists, neighbors

STAMFORD Another battle is brewing over an office park near the Merritt Parkway.

An application that has been floating around the Land Use Bureau for several months, proposing construction of a Life Time Fitness in the place of one of the six buildings in a commercial office park off Exit 35 of the parkway, has already aggravated historic preservationists and piqued the interest of at least one neighborhood association.

Conservationists are trying to save the building from the wrecking ball as they worry about breaking up the architecture of High Ridge Park, designed by famed architect Victor Hanna Bisharat.

Bisharat, who also designed Landmark Square, was the visionary of urban renewal in downtown Stamford as the resident architect for F.D. Rich in the 1960s and 70s.

High Ridge Park is significant as a collection of mid-century modern architecture and its interrelationship with the designed landscape, said Jill Smyth, executive director of the Historic Neighborhood Preservation Program.

The State Historic Preservation Office weighed in on the office parks historic significance in a letter addressed to Smyth last week, naming the property as a possible candidate for the National Register of Historic Places.

Demolition of contributing components of this property would be a significant loss to our architectural heritage, the letter reads.

The building up for demolition which once housed Frontier Communications was built sometime between 1967 and 1975, when Bisharat painstakingly designed the office park.

Land Use Bureau Chief Ralph Blessing said the application has been made available to the citys Historic Preservation Advisory Commission for review.

Technically this building is not 50 years old, Blessing said of the Bisharat building that would fall to make way for the health club. Thats usually the threshold for preservation, but if there is any other evidence regarding the buildings historic significance, then I think it would be fair to have HPAC look into this.

Neighborhood concerns

The neighbors, on the other hand, are concerned about the level of noise and traffic the new gym will add to the area.

In Sterling Lake, an abutting neighborhood separated from the office park by a large pond, residents have been eagerly awaiting the applications debut on the Planning Board agenda, which could happen as early as August.

There are things (about this application) that affect us directly, said Hank Cuthbertson, president of the Sterling Lake Association. Were kind of like a little nature preserve here ... This wouldnt just be in our backyard, this would be in our living room.

Cuthbertson is most concerned about noise from the large gym complex and outdoor pool proposed for the site across the pond from his home.

The noise is a big concern. There is nothing between the back of our houses and this facility but water, he said. The sound would come across and you would hear the sound not just in the backyard, but in your house.

Neighbors are also worried about the impact on roads, which are already heavily clogged at peak traffic times as cars pile onto the Merritt.

Right now to get in or out (of Sterling Lake) at rush hour is troublesome, Cuthbertson said. Now it wont just be at rush hour, and that really drives people crazy.

When the application reaches the Planning Board, Cuthbertson has requested to address the board with the concerns of his neighborhood. He says hes heard from neighbors on Turn of River and Intervale roads who also plan to oppose the project.

Text change

Life Time Fitness is a national chain of high-end health clubs, which usually offer a wide array of amenities from classic fitness centers to salons, food courts, child care centers and indoor and outdoor pools.

This means the applicant, identified as an LLC that appears to be tied to the office parks property manager in Manhattan, needs to ask for text change that allows for development of a gymnasium or physical culture establishment in the citys office park zones.

A representative for the buildings property manager, George Comfort & Sons, could not be reached for comment.

This request is presented as an adaptive re-use under the Mixed Use Campus section of the citys Master Plan, which was also used to prop up Harbor Point developer Building and Land Technologys proposed and later rejected text change at an office park on Long Ridge Road.

The key difference between these two projects, however, is that the applicant is not asking for the addition of an entirely new use as BLT was with the addition of residential units on Long Ridge.

It would be a very targeted text change, Blessing said. The Life Time application is much more targeted on one specific use, where the Long Ridge Road one would have opened a whole new category of uses.

Still, he said, even narrow text changes can be problematic.

There are still concerns about what does this do to setbacks and allowed impervious surface, Blessing said. What it comes down to, as always, is what the Planning Board thinks about this and then the Zoning Board, and obviously they will listen to public.

The application has flitted on and off the Planning Boards agenda for several months, leaving residents to wonder what the final proposal will look like. A formal staff report has not yet been completed as the Land Use Bureau awaits final plans.

Blessing said hes not sure when the application will head to the Planning Board for review, but it could get there as soon as August, when the board returns from summer hiatus.

nnaughton@

stamfordadvocate.com; @noranaughton

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Proposed Life Time Fitness riles preservationists, neighbors ... - The Advocate

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Two years ago, I met my wife. The time I've spent with her has been the most blissful 23 months of my life. It's also been the most fattening. We got married in January, and by March, I was 9 pounds heavier than when I was single and at my leanest.

As a technology journalist, the first thing I turned to was, of course, tech. I had been the proud owner of a half-dozen wearables over the years, only to grow bored with them after a few weeks. Yet my optimism persisted. So I bought one of Fitbit's activity trackers and then requested review copies of others I found interesting. Before I knew it, I had accumulated 17 devices.

Think of the Fitbits of the world as Wearables 1.0. At first, they tracked steps. And then, as better motion sensors in smartphones brought us free step-counting apps, the industry moved on to fancier things such as heart-rate monitoring. I even had a watch that measured my sweat. But all they did was record this data and package them into pretty charts. What were you supposed to do with that?

There's a new generation of wearables just starting to reach consumers, and they take their predecessors' approach to the natural next step. Based on the data they collect, these devices actually tell you what to do, while you're exercising or afterward. One of them even calls itself an "AI personal trainer." Some delivered on this promise far more than others, but one thing's for sure: These wearables are a big step above what has previously been available.

But are they actually as good as a human personal trainer? I asked Jennifer Pattee, founder of fitness company Basic Training, to train me for two months.

Here, I put the gadgets to the test. I focused mostly on devices that are for running or indoor bodyweight exercises, so they're applicable to a wide audience of people. Many of these products contained a heart rate sensor, which worked in one of two ways. Chest straps are considered the gold standard because, using electrodes, they detect your pulse at the source - electrical signals that instruct your heart to contract. An increasingly popular alternative is optical heart rate sensors, which shine a light into your capillaries to observe your blood flow. These tend to be less accurate than chest straps because things like movement can throw off the readings. I tested all devices with an optical sensor against the Wahoo TICKR X ($80) and Polar H10 ($90) chest straps.

My No. 1 pick: Moov HR Burn $60

For months leading up to this story, I had been going on the same boring and slow 30-minute jog. The Moov HR Burn blasted me out of that rut, drawing on an increasingly popular method of exercise called high-intensity interval training. This device didn't make these workouts hurt any less. But it did make them more fun.

The Moov HR Burn is a chest strap that pairs wirelessly with a free app that talks to you, guiding you in real time through four different indoor-exercise classes, as well as outdoor runs and indoor cycling workouts. Moov's coach reads your heart rate to check if you're working hard enough. When you are, "she" congratulates you ("You're doing great!"), and when you aren't, she cheerfully scolds you ("Time to push it!"). It surprised me how much these quips kept me going.

Also worth trying: Whoop Strap 2.0 $500

At first glance, this wristband looks like a lot of other heart rate-monitoring activity trackers. What separates the Whoop strap is how it uses the data it collects to tell you what do.

Take for example the "recovery" score that Whoop's app shows you every morning. This is determined from, among other things, a gauge called heart rate variability. When this recovery score is low, the app warns you to take it easy. I also liked Whoop's "sleep coach," which calculated exactly when I needed to get to bed each night.

That said, most people, like me, would balk at buying a $500 gadget.

Jabra Sport Pulse Special Edition $160

These wireless earbuds monitor your heart rate and, via Bluetooth, connect to an app that coaches you through your runs. But the Jabra didn't chime that often with instructions, encouragements or admonishments, and thus didn't inspire me to train harder.

You might still want to get this headset, though, even if it's just to listen to music on your runs without getting tangled up in cords. A slightly older version of this product is discounted to about $100 on Amazon.com, and that's a competitive price for wireless sport headphones. You'll get the added bonus of a heart rate monitor in your ear.

Moov HR Sweat $100

Moov also sells a headband that connects to the same app as the Moov HR Burn, except this one uses an optical sensor to detect your heart rate at your temple. I found the heart readings to be pretty accurate. Unless you absolutely can't stand the feel of a chest strap for even a half-hour of exercise, I would recommend the HR Burn over the HR Sweat.

Moov Now $60

Also from Moov is a lightweight band you can wear on your ankle when you go running, or on your wrist when swimming. It can tell you when your foot hits the ground with too much impact, which meant that the app was constantly nagging me to run with softer steps. It's more useful and it's cheaper than many other activity trackers, but I think the Moov HR Burn will be enough for most people.

Muse $249

This is a headband that tracks your brainwaves to help you meditate, informing you when you've successfully quieted your mind. Sure, that's not an exercise, but it's an interesting application for wearables. When you're in a zen state, you hear birds chirping through an accompanying app; when you get distracted, a storm brews. It's kind of cool if you've been dying to meditate and nothing else has worked for you.

Polar M430 $230

This running watch isn't a real-time coach, but it does package some of the data it collects into useful insights through Polar's app, giving it a slight leg up against other GPS watches. It gives you a score on your running performance that you can track and compare against your age group.

Lumo Run $100

This is a motion-sensing clip that you wear on the back of your shorts, and it coaches you on super-specific aspects of your running form. Then it recommends exercises to correct your deficiencies and reminds you during future runs to work on fixing those flaws.

Worth skipping, for most people: Fitbit Charge 2 $150

This wristband tracks your heart rate, counts your steps, records your sleep and automatically recognizes the form of exercise you're doing. But it basically tracks your activity for the sake of tracking it.

OMbra $169

This sports bra is unique in that it not only monitors your heart rate, but also your breathing. This was neither useful nor motivating for me.

Vi $249

This is a wireless headset similar to Jabra's Sport Pulse, with a sometimes-accurate optical heart rate sensor on its left earbud. It connects to an app that talks to you while you run.

Jabra Elite Sport $250

These earbuds are truly wireless in the sense that they aren't even connected by a wire in the back - think Apple's AirPods but sturdier. They pair with the same app as the Jabra Sport Pulse.

Atlas Wristband 2 $199

In the way that Fitbit's Charge 2 can automatically detect when you're biking, compared with when you're running, Atlas' watch knows and tracks what you're doing in the gym, down to very specific exercises, whether they're dead lifts or kettlebell swings.

Some people won't need any of these devices. There's a lot that your smartphone can do on its own, thanks to big improvements in built-in sensors. If you're a runner or a cyclist and all you want is to track things like your distance, pace and elevation gain, you can download a free app such as Strava to record your workouts.

If you're more interested in following how much you move throughout the day, and you carry your phone everywhere, try a free step-counting app, such as Pedometer++.

Originally posted here:
Next frontier of fitness gadgets: I tested them all - Colorado Springs Gazette

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real talk

Weve always been big fans of fitness expert Emily Skye. She offers up great motivation and inspiration with her killer physique. Plus, shes never been afraid of getting honest about uncomfortable issues. And if you thought that would change when Skye announced her pregnancy, think again. The fitness star recently took to her Instagram to discuss some of the less pleasant aspects of pregnancy in a real and honest post that we absolutely love.

In particular, the body positive fitness expert opened up about how shes gaining fat and cellulite as she heads through her pregnancy and that shes just fine with it. In the lengthy and refreshingly candid post, Skye discussed how her body is changing as her pregnancy goes forward, and how some aspects are less exciting than others.

Skye also shared a close-up photo of her new figure (and the accompanying cellulite).

She was quick to stress that none of this was about competing with other people or comparing her body to others; it was simply a chance to be honest and upfront about how the body can change during pregnancy.

We applaud Skye for her honesty and bravery about what can be a pretty touchy and taboo subject. Way to keep it real and congratulations on your upcoming arrival!

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By Scott Smith Times Recordssmith@swtimes.com

Retirement. It's now a never-a-dull-moment game for many individuals.

A variety of programs, activities and services are helping ensure senior citizens can stay active, happy and in-the-know on many subjects, said Deanna Rice, executive director for the Fort Smith Senior Activity Center and its eight partner facilities in Sebastian County. These individuals have "no time" for sitting around and feeling lonely because they're engaging in activities with fellow seniors and creating new friendships, she said.

"The activities mostly are the same at all the locations, because everyone enjoys doing the same activities," Rice said. "Senior citizens are here at eight of our locations during our hours, which are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; the exception is our 2700 Cavanaugh Roadlocation, which is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m."

Among the Fort Smith Senior Activity Center's activities to keep the minds and muscles of seniors in motion are Bingo games, bean-bag baseball tournaments, exercise programs, dances, road trips and more, she said. Dances that involve performances by bands often take place from 7-9 p.m. on Fridays, Rice said.

"We can range from 80 to 100 people," she said. "They really do dance."

Pool tables serve as a central location for socializing, Rice said.

"If you have a pool table, you have a whole room full of men," she said with a laugh. "And card games also are huge games like bridge and there's dominoes,too."

The centers also serve a monthly average of 29,000 meals to individuals who are 60 or older, both at the centers and via a home-delivery service, Rice said. These meals are "cooked daily and made from scratch," with meatloaf,mashed potatoes, soup, pinto beans, cabbage and turnip greens often comprising the menu, she said.

"We also take trips, with some of the biggest trips taking place during the holidays," Rice said. "They love to drive up to Fayetteville and do what we call the fall foliage drive, so they can see the season's changing colors."

Shorter trips are taken in vans, while larger trips for seniors utilize a charter bus, she said.

"If we go to Branson for three days and two nights, there's an actual cost, so we'll say that this trip package will include the shows and the dinners," Rice said. "We make it affordable for seniors, and they like it because they are with their peers, and they don't have to worry about driving.

"That's a big thing driving," she added. "Seniors don't like to drive after dark, so they like our trips. All they have to do is load the bus, and someone else does the work for them."

The centers also offer a chronic disease management program, a six-week program that teaches individuals with diabetes and/or chronic pain how to exercise and improve their quality of life, saidShannon Montez, an executive administrative assistant for the Area Agency on Aging of Western Arkansas.

"We have Tai Chi classes, and we also provide free blood pressure clinics throughout the year," said Montez, whose organization oversees the senior centers. "We do this at least once a month, and we usually have nurses and other people come in and speak on nutrition, mental health and subjects such as phone scams.

"People who aren't who they say they are will be calling seniors to get information from them," she added. "This program tells seniors what to look out for when it comes to this."

More than 900 area seniors spend their time as part of Westark's Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, which recruits individuals who are 55 and older to help in more than 60 local organizations, said Susan Reehl, executive program director for Westark RSVP.

"One of our arms to our outreach program is our free tax-assistance program, where we have volunteers trained as tax preparers," she said. "We did nearly 5,000 free tax returns last year, and those are done for people 60 and older, regardless of income, and (other people)."

The tax-assistance program is offered from 9-11 a.m. Wednesdays at Westark RSVP, 401 N. 13th St., Reehl said.

"We do walk-ins for this, and we're helping people who are doing prior year returns and those who have filed for extensions," she said.

Westark RSVP also offers a Medicare-assistance program, which includes a Medicare orientation session that explains the Medicare rules, time frame and choices, Reehl said.

"It's incredible the amount of people turning 65 and becoming eligible for Medicare in this community," she said. "I don't remember the exact number, but it's a huge number of people. It's definitely more people than we could talk to in one day.

"We help people during Medicare open enrollment; those plans are sold annually, with open enrollment being from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7," Rice added. "In Arkansas, there are 22 Medicare drug plans and 13 (other) plans, so if you are 85 years old and are on multiple medications, it's a real struggle to be able to pick those out. We can help people when they are looking for and choosing the most reasonable policy for them."

Now available at http://www.couponchief.com, the Retail Savings Guide for Baby Boomers provides details on numerous discounts and special offers for seniors. These discounts include mobile homeowner's insurance, RV insurance, automobile insurance, vision and hearing care, life insurance, hotel discounts, rental car discounts and cruise discounts, as well as discounts for food, wireless carriers, vehicles and various restaurants.

"For us, our primary focus is to combat isolation for seniors," Rice said. "If you get them out of their home, they're here. They're not isolated anymore, so their health is better, and they start becoming more involved.

"Then the seniors feel productive," she added. "A lot of them have families who are working, or they have lost their significant other. They volunteer, so for them, they aren't lonely. They are coming to a job every day."

Seniors who receive help from Westark RSVP also avoid feelings of loneliness, Reehl said.

"For one thing, it's their peers who are helping them," she said. "Our senior volunteers are so approachable. They are the same ages and have the same experiences as the seniors they are helping.

"Of course, no one wants to feel stupid when they make a choice that can have very expensive results," Reehl added. "For the people we help, it's a relief."

Montez agreed.

"The seniors love the meals, and they love the friendships," she said. "The programs are very good for socializing. You don't have to stay at home if you had a spouse pass away. You can go out and be with other people. You can make friends and do something new again, and it's great because your age doesn't matter."

Link:
Programs keeping seniors busy, active, healthy - Times Record

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