Health & FitnessHealth & Fitness

HHaappppyy ttrraaiillss ttoo yyoouuHitch Hikes andother activitiesbring familiestogether, 2F

CCaallmmiinngg mmoovveessYoga and t’ai chi

benefit body,mind and spirit, 5F

WWaarrmm uuppSimple

changes toavoid gym

mishaps, 4F

Sunday, July 8, 2012The Daily Nonpareil

HHiillll ooff bbeeaannssGood news for

coffee drinkers, 3F

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KATY HEALEYWORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE

There’s a sea of personaltrainers out there, and they allpromise to help you reach yourfitness goals.

How do you choose? Whatmakes one better than theother? Check out this list ofthings to look for and ques-tions to ask your potentialtrainer.

CertificationYour trainer must be certi-

fied in how to train you safelyand effectively. The processinvolves a lengthy exam.Nearly every trainer associ-ated with a gym is certified,but ask to be sure. There issome disagreement as towhich is the best certifyingorganization. Here are the fourmost widely recognized:

■ American Council onExercise

■ National Academy ofSports Medicine

■ American College ofSports Medicine

■ National Strength andConditioning Association

EducationFormal schooling – say, an

exercise science degree from auniversity – is usually a bonusbut doesn’t always translate tobeing a good trainer, saidDiane Ehlers, a local doctoralstudent who has written aboutpersonal training for anational certification group.There’s a difference betweenhaving the knowledge andapplying it.

Many trainers specialize ifyou have certain needs:

■ Prenatal

■ Senior citizen■ Gender■ Strength or endurance■ Sports Injury prevention■ Posture alignment

The interviewWhen you’re picking a

trainer, you’re the boss.You can

request a male or female. Youalso should make a list of ques-tions. If you’re not comfortablewith the answers, it’s OK tomeet with someone else.

■ Are you certified, and doyou have any specialties?

■ How many people have

you trained or how many hourshave you put in training?

■ How would you describeyour style of training?

■ How do you determinewhat workout plan works forwhich client?

■ How will you assess myprogress and how often?

■ I hate(running/biking/pushups/fill inthe blank). Will you make medo them?

■ What do I need to do tosucceed?

A good trainer gets to knowthe client. It’s called personaltraining for a reason. Makesure he or she asks you at leastthe first two questions:

■ What is your health his-tory?

■ What are your goals?■ What motivates you?■ What exercises do you

hate?Rates

Rates vary. One session typ-ically costs between $40 and$100. The more sessions youbuy, the lower the cost per ses-sion. Your gym might providepersonal training at a lowercost than a place that does onlypersonal training. Ask aboutone or two free sessions to seehow well you work together.Many gyms also offer couplestraining (two people to onetrainer) or small group train-ing at a discounted rate

A few financial questions toask before you sign up:

■ What does a package orsession include?

■ Do you offer special intro-ductory rates?

■ What will I pay for addi-

tional sessions?■ Am I eligible for upcoming

specials or are specialsreserved for new clients only?

■ If I’m low on sessions, willyou tell me about an upcomingspecial that I’m eligible for?

If you have a problem withyour trainer, explain your con-cerns to him or her first. If thatdoesn’t work, ask the fitnessdirector for a new trainer.

Remember, though, that you

must be willing to change,learn and be challenged.

– Sources: Diane Ehlers,doctoral student of health pro-motion and disease prevention

research at the University ofNebraska Medical Center; Alex

Cavazos, director of personaltraining at Urban Active in

Omaha; Jocelyn McNamara,personal training client of Tory

Robinson at Aspen AthleticClub at Aksarben Village

2F Sunday, July 8, 2012 The Daily NonpareilHEALTH & FITNESS

Region offers active options for all ages

MIKE BROWNLEEMBROWNLEE@NONPAREILONLINE.COM

Bring the kids.There are plenty of family

friendly options in southwestIowa for those in search of a lit-tle fun and exercise this sum-mer.

A few miles north of CouncilBluffs off Old Lincoln Highway,Hitchcock Nature Center fea-tures trails that provide a goodworkout, along with stunningviews of the Loess Hills. Duringthe summer and fall, the pre-serve offers the Hitch Hikeseries, which provides a guideto a number of the trails.

“It’s something you can dooutside that pretty much any-one can do. Grandparents cancome out, little ones can comeout. It’s something to do mid-week in the summer,” said ErinKenney, community relationscoordinator with Pottawat-tamie County Conservation. “Alot of families do come out. Onthe hikes, you learn about thehills and prairie, so it’s good forhealth and educational.”

The preserve hosts one hikeper month, with the next sched-uled for 7 p.m. on July 17. Theroutes get progressively moredifficult as the season goes for-ward, with the July trek a tripalong the Fox Run Ridge. Ken-ney said the hikes aren’tstroller-friendly, but definitely agood time for kids.

“The views are so beautiful,no matter what hike you’re on,”she said.“My little girl was find-ing walnuts, sticks, having a lotof fun. There’s lots to enjoy, nomatter what age you are.”

The final two hikes areplanned for 7 p.m. on Aug. 21, atrip on the Hohneke Trail, andat 6 p.m. on Sept. 18, theWestridge hike.

Keeping with thewalking/hiking theme, GeoffHubbard with Council BluffsParks & Recreation touted the39 miles of trails that encom-pass the city and surroundingarea.

“We have people pushing thekids in the stroller, families rid-ing bikes,” Hubbard said.

For a little competition, par-ents and children can both par-ticipate in the annual Black

Squirrel Triathlon in August. In2011, about 50 kids in three agebrackets – 7-8, 9-10 and 11-14 –competed in the scaled-downchildren’s competition, Hub-bard said. Of those 50, about 20had a parent or both parentsparticipate in the main event.

“That was fun to see, theparents go out, then come overto cheer their kids on,” Hubbardsaid.

Finally, Hubbard said, if par-ents want to teach their kidsgolf, the city-run Westwood par-3 course off Ninth Avenue is theperfect length and price fornovices.

To cool off, Hubbard toutedthe two public outdoor swim-ming pools in Council Bluffs,Katelman and Pirates Cove, asa spot for swim lessons or fun inthe sun.

Another swimming spot is

Lake Manawa Beach, whichalso offers paddleboat andcanoe rentals.

Lake Manawa also featuresample opportunity for a hike ora leisurely walk or a bike ridealong the shoreline, accordingto its website. A nature trail

with a paved surface offersopportunity to walkers and forthe mobility-impaired. A pavedbike trail within the park hasbeen constructed and connectsto the Western Trails Center,Council Bluffs trail system andthe Wabash Trace Trail.

Submitted photos

The region offers a variety of outdoor activities that are fun for the whole family, includ-ing Hitch Hikes, above and at right, at Hitchcock Nature Center and two public outdoorswimming pools in Council Bluffs, Katelman and Pirates Cove, below.

In the hunt for a personal trainer? Here’s what to ask them

Submitted photo

When you’re picking a trainer, you’re the boss. You canrequest a male or female. You also should make a list ofquestions.

Plenty of waysfor families tostay healthy insouthwest Iowa

Sunday, July 8, 2012 3FThe Daily Nonpareil HEALTH & FITNESS

Jennie Edmundson Hospital933 E. Pierce St., Council Bluffs

Physical Therapy East900 Woodbury Ave, Council Bluffs

Health Center West3434 W. Broadway, Council Bluffs

Glenwood320 Ebaugh St., Glenwood

Coffee and your heart

If you drink coffee regularly in moderation,you could reduce your risk of heart failure,according to new research in the AmericanHeart Association’s journal Circulation HeartFailure.

Researchers, analyzing previous studies onthe link between coffee consumption and heartfailure, found that moderate coffee drinking aspart of a daily routine may be linked with a sig-nificantly lower risk of heart failure. In con-trast, indulging excessively may be linked withan increased chance of developing serious heartproblems.

“While there is a commonly held belief thatregular coffee consumption may be dangerousto heart health, our research suggests that theopposite may be true,” said Murray Mittleman,M.D., Dr.P.H., senior study author and directorof the Cardiovascular Epidemiology ResearchUnit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centerin Boston.

“We found that moderate consumption –which we define as the equivalent of about twotypical American coffee shop beverages – mayactually protect against heart failure by asmuch as 11 percent,” he said. “On the otherhand, excessive coffee drinking – five to sixcommercial coffee house cups per day has nobenefit and may even be dangerous. As with somany things, moderation appears to be the keyhere, too.”

Researchers reviewed five high qualityprospective studies of coffee consumption andheart failure risk published between 2001 and2011. Combined, the studies included 6,522heart failure events among 140,220 males andfemales. Four of the studies were conducted inSweden and one in Finland.

The study defines moderate consumption asfour Northern European servings per day, theequivalent to about two typical 8-ounce Ameri-

can servings. Excessive coffee consumption is10 Northern European servings per day, theequivalent to four or five coffees from popularAmerican coffee restaurant chains (servingssizes vary from 9 to 20 fluid ounces per serv-ing).

Researchers didn’t account for brewstrength, but coffee is typically weaker in theUnited States than it is in Europe. They alsodidn’t differentiate between caffeinated anddecaffeinated coffee, but most of the coffee con-sumed in Sweden and Finland is caffeinated.

“There are many factors that play into a per-son’s risk of heart failure, but moderate coffeeconsumption doesn’t appear to be one of them,”said Elizabeth Mostofsky, Sc.D., lead studyauthor and research fellow at Beth Israel.

“This is good news for coffee drinkers, ofcourse, but it also may warrant changes to thecurrent heart failure prevention guidelines,which suggest that coffee drinking may berisky for heart patients. It now appears that acouple of cups of coffee per day may actuallyhelp protect against heart failure.”

The American Heart Association recom-mends that heart failure patients consumeonly a moderate amount of caffeine – no morethan a cup or two of coffee or other caffeinatedbeverage a day.

Researchers didn’t definitively say why cof-fee offers a heart-health benefit. But evidencesuggests that frequent coffee drinkers developa tolerance to the beverage’s caffeine, whichmay put them at a decreased risk of developinghigh blood pressure.

– American Heart Association

TIM JOHNSONTJOHNSON@NONPAREILONLINE.COM

It’s July – the hottest month of the year –and time to get serious about staying safe inthe heat.

Jennie Edmundson Hospital’s emergencyroom saw a slight increase in the number ofheat-related illnesses during a heat wave inlate June, according to Courtney Schmid,Jennie’s director of emergency services.

When the temps get near the 100-degreemark, there is typically an increase in thenumber of walk-in patients wondering if theyhave heat exhaustion or heat stroke becauseof their outside activities, he said. Generally,the problems are not too severe, but there areoccasional instances where severe dehydra-tion has occurred and IVs and close monitor-ing are required.

There were no heat-related cases at Ale-gent Health Mercy Hospital during the sameperiod, but there were five cases at other Ale-gent Health hospitals across the metro, saidJodi Hoatson, communications/public rela-tions strategist at Alegent Health.

As temperatures and the heat index rise,area residents need to stay indoors duringthe peak hours of the day to avoid heat strokeand heat exhaustion, said Mel Roca, M.D., atAlegent Health Clinic West Broadway. This isespecially important for the elderly, youngchildren and those with chronic illness.

If working or exercising outdoors, staywell hydrated, drinking water before you getthirsty, he advised.

If you see someone who may be sufferingheat-related illness, do the following:

■ Have the person lie down in a cool place.Raise the person’s feet about 12 inches.

■ Apply cool, wet cloths (or cool water) tothe person’s skin and use a fan to lower bodytemperature. Place cold compresses on theperson’s neck, groin and armpits.

■ If alert, give the person beverages to sip(such as Gatorade) or make a salted drink byadding a teaspoon of salt per quartet of water.Give a half-cup every 15 minutes. Cool waterwill do if salt beverages are not available.

■ For muscle cramps, give beverages asabove and massage affected muscles gently,but firmly, until they relax.

■ If the person shows signs of shock(bluish lips and fingernails and decreased

alertness), starts having seizures or losesconsciousness, call 911 and give first aid asneeded.

Do NOT do the following:■ Do not underestimate the seriousness of

heat illness, especially if the person is a child,elderly or injured.

■ Do not give the person medications thatare used to treat fever (such as aspirin oracetaminophen). They will not help and maybe harmful.

■ Do not give the person salt tablets.■ Do not give the person liquids that con-

tain alcohol or caffeine. They will interferewith the body’s ability to control its internaltemperature.

■ Do not use alcohol rubs on the person’sskin.

■ Do not give the person anything bymouth (not even salted drinks) if the personis vomiting or unconscious.

Stay smart in summer sunSigns of heat illness

Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke are the threetypes of heat emergencies, according to MedlinePlus, a serviceof the National Institutes of Health. Children, elderly and obesepeople have a higher risk of developing heat illness, as well aspeople taking certain medications or drinking alcohol, but it canaffect anyone.

Symptoms of heat cramps include:Profuse sweating

FatigueThirst

Muscle cramps

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:Headache

Dizziness and lightheadednessWeakness

Nausea and vomitingCool, moist skin

Dark urine

Symptoms of heatstroke include:Fever (temperature above 104 degrees F.)

Irrational behaviorExtreme confusion

Dry, hot and red skinRapid, shallow breathing

Rapid, weak pulseSeizures

Unconsciousness

Heatstroke, the most serious of the three, can cause shock,brain damage, organ failure and even death, a warning onMedlinePlus states.

Call 911 if:■The person loses consciousness at any time.■There is any other change in the person’s alertness (such as

confusion or seizures).■The person has a fever higher than 102 degrees F.■ Other symptoms of heatstroke are present (like rapid pulse

or rapid breathing).■ The person’s condition does not improve or worsens

despite treatment.

Research: Coffee drinking– in moderation – may belinked with a significantlylower risk of heart failure

‘This is good news for coffeedrinkers ... but it also may

warrant changes to the currentheart failure guidelines ... It now

appears that a couple cups of coffeeper day may actually help protect

against heart failure.’– Elizabeth Mostofsky, Sc.D.

lead study author

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Caring for what moves you.

Mistakes toavoid at the gym

JakeHansen, atrainer atthe Coun-cil BluffsSeniorCenter,helps mem-ber CarolBosecklearn thepropertechniquewhenstrengthtraining.

Staff photo/TimRohwer

TIM ROHWERTROHWER@NONPAREILONLINE.COM

On your mark, getset…go!

Wait a minute, not so fast.While more and more peo-

ple may be exercising forimproved health, which isgood, local health officialsare seeing mistakes thatcould do more harm in thelong term. This includesstarting immediately intowhat a person wants to doand avoiding the lack ofproper preparation prior toexercise.

“It’s not getting preparedto exercise by not drinkingenough liquids prior,” saidLois Turner, fitness directorfor The Center in CouncilBluffs. “They should be fullyhydrated. Then, you need tohave a good warm-up tomake sure muscles arewarm. Without warming up,muscles will cramp up.”

To immediately startworking out, especially onstrength machines, withoutproper warm-up will causemuscle soreness, Turnersaid.

“The routine of stretchingprior is just as important asthe exercise itself.”

Linda Robicheau, CouncilBluffs Y.M.C.A. director ofhealth and fitness, offeredsimilar comments.

By not cooling down andstretching afterward, thepotential for muscle strainand general fatigue isincreased, Robicheau said.

“Spend about 10 minuteswarming up and 10 minutescooling down,” Turner added.

Another mistake exercis-ers must avoid is doing thesame kind of routine daily,both experts said.

“You want to alternate,”Robicheau said.

“You have to havestrength training besides

cardio,” added Janielle Bell, aY personal trainer. “I also seea lot of men doing strengthtraining and no cardio. It’s abalance between the two.”

Turner recommendeddoing cardio exercises likewalking, biking or exercisingon treadmill machines, thenperforming strength trainingevery other day. When itcomes to strength training, itis always good to seek profes-sional advice beforehand,Turner said.

“Most start lifting toofast,” said Jake Hansen, atrainer at The Center. “Theslower, the better.”

When people join The Cen-ter, they receive a free indi-vidualized fitness plan.

“Our trainers will meetwith them every three weeksor whenever they feel it isneeded,” Turner said.

People should also drinkthe equivalent of one cup ofwater every 15 minutes whenexercising, Bell said.

“It flushes out toxins.”She recommended carry-

ing plastic water bottleswhen exercising.

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“Wrinkles are a normalpart of aging that are mag-nified by sun exposure, pol-lution, plus genetics andsmoking,” said Dr. Joel Sch-lessinger, an Omaha derma-tologist and cosmetic sur-geon. “Some people haveblessed genetics where theyare more resistant to theeffects of the environment.Others tend to take thoseinsults in their faces, andtheir faces show it.”

It was once thought thatgravity caused wrinkles, butcurrent research is showingthat fat under the skinshifts and loses volume, cre-ating wrinkles. Schlessingerlikens the effect to a balloonthat loses air and lookswrinkled.

Happily, you can reinflateyour skin to smooth thosewrinkles in a number ofways. The least invasive andprobably the least expensiveis using makeup, which cov-ers the wrinkles but doesnothing for the underlyingfacial structure.

But patients often seek amore lasting solution. Sch-lessinger said faces changeover time, so more contem-porary procedures adapt asyour face changes andadapts.

Topical prescription med-ications such as Retin-Awith or without hydro-quinone have been used foryears to stimulate collagenand address mild wrinklesand splotches or brownspots.

Schlessinger has foundthat frequent tanners withmuch sun exposure can useRetin-A products but muststart slowly and expectsome irritation and drying.This is a facial cream usednearly every night and overtime to maintain its bene-fits. Cost can range up to

$100 a tube, which can lastfour months.

Now about that collagen.It’s the building block ofskin, he said.

“When we are young, wehave fluffy and elongatedcollagen that provides a nicesupple appearance,” he said,“but older collagen becomeslike an elastic band that hasbecome balled up.”

Fillers, lasers and Retin-A can transform mature col-lagen into a better collagen.“You’ll never get back toyouthful collagen of yourteens and 20s, but we cantake 50- or 60-year-old colla-gen and make it appear 30or 40 years old,” he said.

To further plump up thedeflated balloons in ourfaces, cosmetic surgeons areusing a host of muscle relax-ers and injectable fillers.

“The new paradigm is touse fillers to appropriatelyreplenish the volume in thecheek area and foreheadand to keep wrinkles fromoccurring by relaxing orresting those muscles withBotox, Dysport or Xeomin,”

said Schlessinger, whoseSkin Specialists clinic is oneof a select few members inthe National Botox TrainingCenter Network.

Botox (or anotherrelaxer) is injected intofacial muscles, generallybetween the eyebrows andon the forehead, to keepthose muscles from beingoverused when you squint orfrown too much. The result-ing mild muscle paralysishelps break the habit ofwrinkling up your eyes, andthe wrinkles won’t form orcontinue to form.

In fact, Schlessinger said,“While you will be able tofrown once the Botox wearsoff, you may not due tobreaking the habit.”

Cost for Botox is in the$200 to $500 range. A treat-ment lasts three months orlonger.

A University of Michiganstudy found surprisingresults about fillers such asRestylane and Perlane. Thelead researcher, Dr. JohnVoorhees, said, “It is truethat the physical presence of

the product increases vol-ume in the skin. Ourresearch makes clear thatinjection of the productleads to creation of new col-lagen, which contributes toreduction in creases andwrinkles.”

Cost for fillers can runfrom about $400 to $1,000.

Melissa McGowan turnedto Skin Specialists for reju-venation with Dysport andthe filler Restylane. “Iabsolutely love the Dys-port,” she said. “It helped toget rid of my crow’s feet anddefinitely made my eyespop, making them moreopen.”

When skin is damaged,lasers are often an option.Noninvasive lasers take careof brown spots and obviousblood vessel damage andmay cost $300 to $800 pertreatment. Invasive laserscan cost up to $5,000 for atreatment, and you mayhave a week of down time.

Aging is inevitable. Butlooking your age is quitenegotiable.

– World-Herald News Service

The Daily Nonpareil HEALTH & FITNESS Sunday, July 8, 2012 5F

Could you benefit from yoga, t’ai chi?DENNIS FRIEND

DFRIEND@NONPAREILONLINE.COM

Free yoga and t’ai chiclasses will be offered inBayliss Park July 21 and Aug.18. In an effort to build ahealthy community, the T’aiChi in the Park starts at 9a.m., followed by CommunityYoga in the Park at 10 a.m.

Linda Robicheau will leadthe t’ai chi sessions. She hasbeen teaching t’ai chi for sixyears and decribed it as “a softform of martial arts.” Some-times called t’ai chi chuan, itwas developed to enhancephysical and emotional well-being and could be describedas a combination of yoga andmeditation.

Slow and relaxed movescombined with meditation arekey to t’ai chi. A person per-forms t’ai chi by practicingbreathing exercises and aseries of flowing postures orposes. The postures are move-ments meant to improve bodyawareness while enhancingstrength and coordination.

Robicheau said t’ai chi isideal for older people since ithelps improve balance, mobil-ity and strength.

“It’s functional strengthtraining,” Robicheau said,pointing out that older peoplemay develop balance issues.Practicing t’ai chi can improvestrength, flexibility and respi-ratory function, “so if you wantto put something on a shelf orget out of a car, you’re betterable to do so. It’s like a fall pre-vention program.”

However, t’ai chi is not justfor older people.

“It requires multidirec-tional weight shifting” andoffers benefits for everyone,Robicheau said.

T’ai chi developed in China.Many practitioners believe thebody is filled with energy, or

chi, and if chi is blocked it canlead to illness and disease.One tries to improve the flowof chi through these exercises.

There are different types oft’ai chi exercises, which varyin intensity and focus.

The YMCA offers t’ai chiFridays at 9 a.m., whereRobicheau is the fitness andmembership director.

Those interested shouldjust show up.

“Dress in non-restrictive,comfortable clothes,” she said.

Anyone interested in t’aichi can contact the YMCA at(712) 322-6606.

Carrie McDonald will leadthe yoga sessions at Bayliss.She has taught yoga for nearlythree years, but before thatparticipated in the varioustypes of yoga.

“Breath and movement arecombined in yoga. It helpswith flexibility,” McDonaldsaid.

Yoga has been used in heal-ing and can positively affectphysical, emotional and men-tal wellness, she said.

“I have worked with womenwho have fibromyalgia whosay it helped. It can correctposture. It’s incredible forback and neck problems, andit has been a key to buildingflexibility and strength,”McDonald said.

The principles of yoga sug-gest it can become more of alifestyle than an exercise rou-tine. The differing styles ofyoga can vary from simple tostrenuous, but the five basicprinciples remain consistent.They are exercise, breathing,relaxation, diet and medita-tion, principles based on theidea that a holistic healthexperience comprises physi-cal, mental and spiritualhealth.

By releasing tension in themuscles and putting the body

at rest, the idea is to revitalizethe nervous system, with theaccompanying feeling of beingrelaxed and refreshed.

The principle of exerciserevolves around the idea thatthe physical body was meantto move and exercise.

Proper, rhythmic breathinghelps achieve a calmer andmore focused mind, andincreases the energy level.

The type of diet can affectthe mind. Improper diet

results in mental inefficiencyand blocks spiritual aware-ness. Proper diet nourishesboth mind and body.

Lastly, it’s believed the waya person thinks will affect hisor her way of life, so it’s rec-ommended that someoneinvolved in yoga also keep apositive outlook in life for apeaceful mind.

“Not one yoga (style) fitsall, but part of yoga is to listento your body,” McDonald said.

That includes the notion that“if it hurts, you’re doing itwrong,” but at the same time,“It can be strenuous.”

Often, practicing yogaleads to the discontinuation ofunhealthy practices, and oneof the results of yoga is, “Youbecome calmer, kinder andless judgmental. You let go ofexpectations. It really helps,”McDonald said.

McDonald teaches yoga atThe Center and at the Y,

where her classes are gearedtoward postures or poses thateveryone can do. She alsoteaches yoga at Iowa WesternCommunity College.

In addition, McDonald is anutrition specialist, a weightloss coach and a personaltrainer with a Facebook pagecalled Carrie on Wellness. Shehas a blog,carrieonfitness.blogspot.comand may be contacted at car-rieonfitness@gmail.com.

Staff photo/Erin Duerr

A Tai Chi class warms-up at the Council Bluffs YMCA on June 29.

Submitted photo

To plump up the deflatedballoons in our faces, cos-metic surgeons are using ahost of muscle relaxers andinjectable fillers. “The newparadigm is to use fillers toappropriately replenishthe volume in the cheekarea and forehead and tokeep wrinkles from occur-ring by relaxing or restingthose muscles with Botox,Dysport or Xeomin,” saidDr. Joel Schlessinger, anOmaha dermatologist andcosmetic surgeon.

Improving health,one step at a time

PAUL HAMMELWORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE

LINCOLN, Neb. – AaronKurtzhals weighed 316 poundsand was a high-cholesterol can-didate for a heart attack untilhe started charting how muchhe walked in his job as a stateprison caseworker.

Strapping on a pedometeras an incentive to increase hisdaily paces and changing hisdiet at the advice of his doctorhelped Kurtzhals lose 78pounds and drop his choles-terol to 180.

“(Walking is) the lowest-impact type of activity you canget,” said Kurtzhals, a marriedfather of two children. “I alsohave more energy for myselfand my family.”

He was one of more than4,300 state employees who metor exceeded the 600,000-stepgoal in the state’s wellness pro-gram, called Walk This Way.The number of state employeesreaching the goal was 10 per-cent more than the previous

year.Nebraska Gov. Dave Heine-

man himself has walked 4.4million paces since the well-ness program began in 2009.

Dr. Joann Schaefer, thestate’s chief medical officer,said that “sitting is the newsmoking” in terms of negativehealth impacts.

She said she has begun con-ducting “walking meetings”with her employees to incorpo-rate more physical activity intothe workday.

Schaefer said that a surveyof state employees in the WalkThis Way program found thefollowing benefits:

■ 60 percent reportedincreased physical activity.

■ 50 percent reported hav-ing more energy.

■ 30 percent said they hadlost weight.

■ 30 percent said they man-aged stress better because ofwalking more.

“This is literally transform-ing lives,” Schaefer said.

Submitted photo

More than 4,300 state employees who met or exceeded the600,000-step goal in Nebraska’s wellness program, WalkThis Way. One of them, Aaron Kurtzhals, lost 78 poundsand dropped his cholesterol to 180. “(Walking is) the low-est-impact type of activity you can get,” said Kurtzhals.

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OMAHA – Two-a-daysare for college athletes. Trytelling that to Gina Jackson.

The 51-year-old exercisesin the morning and againafter work. Sometimes,she’ll take two Jazzerciseclasses back-to-back.

“I know that you need tosweat it out,” she said.

So she has – to the tuneof 122 pounds. Jackson, ofOmaha, shed seven dresssizes in 16 months.

When Jackson began herweight-loss journey, her feethurt. Her knees hurt. Shewas 6 feet tall, 286 poundsand a size 22. She didn’trealize things were quite sobad until a visit to the doc-tor’s office last year.

“The doctor’s scales arealways high, but not 100pounds high,” she said.

“I can either get ittogether and take this offand take control of myhealth, or I can let it controlme.”

Jackson didn’t alwaysstruggle with the scale. Sheplayed sports when she wasyounger and stayed activethrough college but startedputting on extra poundswhen she entered adult-hood. She started a familyand stopped caring for her-self. Her weight climbed,peaking near 300 pounds.

“All of sudden you openyour eyes. There you are,

and you don’t know how yougot there,” she said.

She switched gears inMarch 2011. “It was time,”she said. “Past time.”

She ditched processedfoods and cut calories. Nowher diet consists of protein,veggies, fruit and limitedcarbs. “When I know mybody needs more, I won’thave a sundae or a bag ofchips,” she said. “I wouldhave another protein ormore veggies.”

Broccoli without thecheese. Green beans withoutthe bacon bits. A bakedpotato with Greek yogurtinstead of sour cream.

“Things that we ate thatused to be the rule can’t bethe rule,” she said. “Theyhave to be the exception.”

Eliminating some foodsand swapping out others forhealthier versions savedJackson calories, and thenumber on the scale startedto fall. It fell faster thanksto her revamped exerciseroutine.

She was already a Jazzer-cise member, but at thetime, she attended classesthree times a week andopted to do low-impactmoves. When paired withpoor food choices, her exer-cise efforts weren’t enoughto tip the scale the rightdirection.

She began going to class

more often. She transitionedto high-impact moves anduses heavier weights now,too.

Today, more than a yearafter she overhauled herdiet and exercise routine,Jackson wears a size 8 andweighs in around 160pounds. She no longer needsblood pressure medication.Her body aches less and herenergy is up.

“There are no secrets,”she said of her success. “Youhave to be focused, andthere can’t be any excuses.”

– World-Herald News Service

The Daily NonpareilHEALTH & FITNESS6F Sunday, July 8, 2012

No moreexcuses

Gina’s diet &fitness tips

■ Get on the scale every day, rain orshine – even when you know it’s goingto be ugly.

■ Indulge in a waistline-friendly way.“I think all women have to have choco-late. I found a sugarless chocolate syrupto put in my coffee.”

■ Make the healthy choice. You canget a salad anywhere.

■ Snack on dried fruit. She buys herfavorite at Trader Joe’s.

Omaha woman loses 122pounds by ditching processed

foods, amping up her workouts

Gina Jack-son, 51, wasalready aJazzercisemember,but at thetime, sheattendedclassesthree timesa week andopted to dolow-impactmoves. Shebegangoing toclass moreoften. Shetransi-tioned tohigh-impactmoves anduses heav-ier weightsnow, too.

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