Skip to main content
#
Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc.

our twitterour facebook page linkdin
 
  

All Are Welcome!
Senior Discounts

 
RestonPatch Features
Posture Perfect!TM

Click Here to Read More>>
 

What People Are Saying About
Our Classes and Programs

 

As far as feedback on the Posture Perfect!TM class goes, it has not only met my expectations, but exceeded them! There are several reasons I enjoy the class... 

More Testimonials>>>

The Sequoia Advisor
 
 
IN THIS ISSUE                                                                February 15, 2009 
  
  • Strong Legs for a Stronger Body
  • Drink More Water for Better Health
  • Lecture: February 27th 6:30 pm
    Fixing the Stress- Weight Gain Connection 
  • Congratulations to Dennis Copeland
    for Winning an Award!!!

    

Strong Legs for a Stronger Body

Safer Lifting, Less Injury

Strong legs, hips and back are the essential foundation for upper body
strength and the ability to lift safely and play most sports. When lifting
something, the leg, hip and core muscles are responsible for a majority of
the power. In the golf and tennis swing, strong core and leg muscles
generate straight, powerful shots. Weak legs contribute to poor body
lifting and hitting mechanics and upper body overuse and injury. Common
injuries seen are lower back strain, rotator cuff injury, tennis elbow and
carpel tunnel syndrome.

 

Good examples of everyday lifting are picking-up the kids, pushing a heavy
wheelbarrow full of dirt or cleaning out the garage. Any of the tennis
strokes along with wood and iron shots in golf apply as well. So to
minimize your trips to the chiropractor, here are a series of leg
strengthening exercises to help build core and leg strength when you
need it the most.

 

The Best Leg Strengthening Exercises

To work safely and effectively, strong legs need a strong core (the back
and abdominal region muscles) to push against. The best four exercises for
creating strong legs and core are squats, lunges, box jumps and vertical
leap. In combination, these four exercises create a strong and unified
lower body as well as a balanced and stable core. What makes these
exercises so good for leg strength? They most closely imitate the lifting
movements we perform in daily life as well as the sports based hitting
motions. These four exercises are also effective at training your muscles
and brain to work in harmony while stimulating your cardiovascular system.

 

Lower Repetitions and Higher Weights

The leg and core muscles are designed to provide both strength and support
for the entire body. These are large muscles so they respond better to
fewer repetitions and higher weights. Of course, you only use weights that
you can handle safely. The higher weights do not present a problem for
women concerned about the size of their legs. The higher weights just
strengthen the muscle fibers faster. Following this approach gives you
stronger, more balanced leg muscles in much less time.

 

A Brief Exercise Review

 

Squats are the corner stone of any good leg workout. With your feet hip
width apart, back straight and head up slowly lower your body until your
legs are bent 90 degrees. If you do have knee problems or are very
de-conditioned, start with a ball squat against the wall. This takes weight
and stress off the knees while you learn good technique. Have an instructor
at the club show you good form so as not to injure the knees. Squats
strengthen gluteus maximus and hip flexors.

 

Lunges, both stationary and walking, are a great exercise to add movement
and balance to your leg strengthen program. Standing with your feet hip
width apart, take a larger than normal step forward. Pause and balance your
body. Return to your staring position and step forward with the opposite
leg. Always keep your back knee at least 6 inches off the ground. Lunges
strengthen quads, core and back muscles.

 

Box jumps can start with box steps (a 4 to 12 inch step is good) if you
don't feel comfortable jumping. Using your arms for balance and lift, jump
on the top of the step landing with your knees nice and soft. You can step
back down or jump depending on your ability and confidence. Box jumps are
a total leg, hip and core strengthener.

 

Vertical leap is a great total body exercise. You will be surprised how
much cardiovascular benefit you get from this one. Stand facing a wall with
arms above your head. With both feet, jump straight up noticing how high on
the wall your fingers touch. After 10 or 12 tries, mark the highest spot on
the wall as your effort. Next time try and beat your mark. Vertical leap is
a great total leg, hip and core and cardiovascular strengthener.

When it comes to everyday activities, strong legs are important. Loss of mobility
and independence is directly attributed to weak legs. Feel young even as you get older. Contact us for more information on Fresh Start Fit After Fifty and to schedule your
free Fresh Start consultation. Call Woody McMahon at 703-464-5171 or email to Woody@SequoiaHealth.com
  


 

Drink More Water for Better Health


The Staff of Life
Water is the most important substance you put into your body. You can
survive 40 to 60 days without food but only mere hours to a few days
without water. Water is required for proper detoxification of all the cells
of your body. Without water, waste products accumulate and lead to disease
and illness. The average adult does not drink enough water. There are many
diseases associated with mild dehydration such as high blood pressure,
kidney stones, urinary tract infections, constipation, headaches,
allergies, sinus infections and joint pain.
 
Important in Many Ways
Water comprises 50 to 70% of your total adult body weight. Today, if you
drink enough water, you're in the minority. There is a great debate on how
much water you should consume. Many experts suggest that you can get
adequate water from drinking beverages and eating foods. Some experts say
fortifying your water with vitamins or other substances is a good idea.
Just look at all the sports drinks that have popped up. The bottom line.
for the average person, pure, unadulterated water is your best bet for good
health. Anything less will not help your body work properly. What makes
plain old water so special?
 
Plain Old Water
It all goes back to high school chemistry class. Water is called the
universal solvent. Dissolve something in water and the water is literally
transformed into a different substance. Just take a look at ice tea,
coffee, milk, juice. made from water but definitely not water. When you
drink water instead of juice, your body knows the difference. One of the
reasons water is so good for you is it doesn't need to be digested or
processed by your body
. It can be absorbed and used immediately to
facilitate digestion, detoxification and metabolism. Water is also
self-regulating. Drink enough water and your body doesn't need to retain or
"store" fluid. Drink too little and your body will retain fluid to try and
keep you alive.
 
Nutritional Habits Make a Big Difference
A diet containing meat, chicken, fish or dairy products requires a higher
water intake
than a diet consisting mainly of fruits vegetables. The reason
for this is the meat, chicken, fish or dairy diet is higher in protein. When
protein is digested, nitrogen is released which combines with hydrogen
releasing ammonia, a highly toxic substance. Your cells cannot tolerate
even small amounts of ammonia, so the kidneys draw extra water to flush the
ammonia. Without drinking additional water, your body can become dehydrated
with higher protein intakes.
 
More Active Means More Water
A very active person requires more water than a sedentary person.
Muscles are 75% water and require adequate hydration or they will not work
properly. Dehydration can result in muscle strains (pulls) and/or cramps.
Joints also require water to make synovial fluid for effective lubrication.
Without adequate water, cartilage in the joints is not adequately
lubricated and can wear prematurely leading to degenerative joint disease.
Simply drinking more water can reduce your future risk for joint
replacement surgery.
 
Aids in Weight Loss
Adequate hydration is crucial for efficient burning of fat and healthy
weight loss
. A study, conducted at Berlin's Franz-Volhard Clinical Research
Center, tracked caloric intake and energy expenditures among seven men and
seven women who were healthy and not overweight. After drinking
approximately 17 ounces of water (slightly more than 2 glasses), the
subjects' metabolic rates increased by 30% for both men and women. The
increases occurred within 10 minutes of water consumption and reached a
maximum after about 30 to 40 minutes. For anyone wanting to lose weight,
drinking more water is a good first step.
 
A Simple Hydration Formula
To make sure you are drinking enough water, here is a simple hydration
formula. Take your current body weight and divide that number by 2.
Multiply the divided number by 1 ounce and that is the amount of water you
should try and drink everyday. I know, you say if I drink all that water I
will be in the bathroom all day. Well, as I used to tell my 95 year old
grandmother, "better to go too much than not at all." You can imagine where
that got me. You will feel and look your best; all it takes is your willingness
to give it a try.
 

Staying active and physically fit is the best way to avoid chronic illnesses like
heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, osteoporosis and depression. Commit to
Getting Active, Eating Healthier and Reducing Stress while living a healthier
lifestyle. No matter how old you are, Fresh Start provides the education,
motivation and accountability necessary to improve your health while helping you
feel and look your best. For a free Fresh Start consultation, please call
Woody McMahon at 703-464-5171 or email to
Woody@SequoiaHealth.com    


 

 

Friday Night Weight Loss Seminar Series Continues February 27th 

 

Fixing the Stress-Weight Gain Connection

Stress driven overeating is the number one reason you are carrying around extra

weight. Get stress under control and the extra pounds will just melt away.

This seminar helps change the way you look at your weight once and for all. I'll show

you how to reduce stress induced overeating while taking better care of yourself.

You'll learn an easier and  more effective way to get active and eat healthier foods.

I'll prove to you how much easier it is to lose weight when you work with rather than

against your body. 


Big Fat Mistakes! seminar series helps you:


  • Look at the most common mistakes keeping you from dropping those pounds
  • Bust the weight loss and fitness myths that have you stuck at that same old weight
  • Use The Healthy Weight Wheel to create a more effective and healthy plan to lose the weight and keep it off for good

If you are not completely satisfied, we offer a 100% money back guarantee. So you have nothing to loose except those extra inches around the waist. 

  

Cost: $15 per person or $25 per couple

Class Size: Limited to 20 people
Time: 6:30 to 8:00 pm

When:  February 27th continuing on the last Friday of the month

Location: Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc. Herndon, VA

Please dress comfortably and bring some water to drink.
For reservations or more information please contact:


Woody McMahon at Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc                   703-464-5171
Woody@SequoiaHealth.com


 

Special Congratulations to Dennis Copeland!!!

Dennis Wins the Black Engineer of the Year Award
Dennis is one of the recipients of the 
Black Engineer of the Year award. He won in the
Professional Achievement-Industry category. I want to congratulate Dennis on both a wonderful achievement and being a very special client and friend. Congratulations again Dennis for a job well done.

 


 


Continued Good Health,


Woody

Woody McMahon

The Sequoia Advisor
 
 

Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc.
483A Carlisle Dive
Herndon, VA 20170  


Required Disclaimer: The material provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis,
treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The material is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well-being other than suggesting that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The material and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on material in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. 

Copyright (c) 2006-2009 by Sequoia Health and Fitness
, Inc.

About this Newsletter 

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.
http://clients.autopilotsolution.com

To learn more about Fresh Start,
please contact Woody McMahon:


Woody@SequoiaHealth.com
 

You are receiving our free
 newsletter from this email
    A mindful and holistic approach to Fall Prevention, Balance, Full Body Functional Strengthening and Posture Exercises for All Ages! Our Science-Based Exercises are Safe and Appropriate for Your Ability. Our Exercises Help Improve Osteoporosis, Osteopenia, Fear of Falling, Balance and Strength Problems. Reston, Great Falls, Herndon, Middleburg, Arlington Sterling and Northern Virginia.

    Herndon
    483A Carlisle Drive
    Herndon, VA 20170
    703-628-2880

     Middleburg
    300 West Washington Street
    Middleburg, VA 20118
          703-628-2880   

    email: woody@sequoiahealth.com