“Success isn't how far you get, but the distance you traveled from where you started.”

I saw this quote today and it brought me back to resolutions. Maybe you haven’t reached your wellness goal yet, and that’s okay, its important to remember that you are doing more than you did when you started. Feel proud of your accomplishments thus far -  you are sticking with it and working toward a healthier you!

As we age, range of motion can be compromised and muscles can begin to tighten making everyday movements difficult. Lately I’ve noticed that it is becoming more and more of a challenge for me to bend at the waist and touch the floor, but what really concerns me is how hard it has become for me to reach my foot up to put on my socks and tie my sneakers! What is happening here? I’ve always been somewhat flexible and have completed day to day tasks with ease. We’ve all heard the old saying “use it or lose it”, this couldn’t be more true when it comes to stretching and flexibility. I began to think about why I am not as flexible as I used to be… As I struggle to find time for my workouts and long runs I use what little time that I have for the “workout” or to get one more mile in. Often I will run 8 or so miles, stop for a brief cool-down walk, take a quick shower and go on with my day. This routine over time has left me with a tight back and hamstrings resulting in lack of flexibility. I KNOW how important stretching is and that flexibility is one of the key components to physical fitness, so why am I ditching the stretch for a longer workout?

Unfortunately this practice is common for many. As important as stretching is before and after a workout, in an interest of time, many skip out of their favorite class just as the cool down begins. I thought this would be a good time to remind all, including myself, of the benefits of stretching:

 

• Reduced muscle tension and tightness
• Increased range of movement in the joints
• Enhanced muscular coordination
• Improves circulation of the blood flow to various parts of the body
• Increases flexibility, balance and coordination

 

Stretching is important for people of all ages. Carving out time before and after your workout can help reduce the risk of injury – allowing you to enjoy the activities you love to do.

Throughout the Civil Rights era, many YMCAs served as recreational spaces, meeting places and safe havens for several prominent leaders and their families. After coming home from an arduous day of work in their duties as civil rights activists, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Andrew Young would often take their families to the Y to enjoy swimming and other activities!  

YMCAs were also one of the few spaces that allowed for blacks and whites to meet and interact. Speaking on the Y’s continued tradition of advocacy for the equality and human dignity of all people, activist and former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young remarked: “The YMCA, as much as any other institution, has a record of working on desegregation. The only place you could meet in the south in the ‘50s, blacks and whites together, was YMCA camp…” Dr. King, Rev. Young and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall also spent much of their early years at the Y. The Y would honor the legacies of Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement when they officially banned all forms of discrimination at all YMCAs in 1967.

What’s Valentines Day without a bit of sweet indulgence? Flowers and candy are the most common gifts exchanged on Valentine's Day. There are also frosted heart shaped cookies, conversation hearts and many other sweet treats consumed on this day.

This year my husband surprised me with milk chocolate dipped strawberries, to me, the perfect gift! A small covering of chocolate makes the delicious strawberry taste like a decedent treat, and at 48 calories each they can be eaten guilt-free.

As hard as we try to stay on track with our daily healthy choices, days like today make it more difficult. Tomorrow is a new day! Don’t beat yourself up over it, put it behind you and move on. It’s okay to indulge in moderation once in a while, but tomorrow, get back on track by planning ahead to move a bit more. Exercise in any amount of time adds up to calorie burn. A 30-minute walk at a brisk pace burns 133 calories on average! The forecast brings more mild weather for the Capital District tomorrow- bring your sneakers to work and fit a quick power walk into your lunch break. Enjoy the day and hope to see you out there!

 

The making of a runner…my story.

 

About this time two years ago I signed up for a program at the Y called Couch To 5K. This program is 10 weeks long and is a group progressive approach to completing a 5K. It started at the end of February to lead in to the Albany YMCA 5K held in April that year. This was the first of six CDYMCA 5K events in our series.

I have never been a runner before this. Low back injuries and asthma have always kept me away from this type of exercise. Besides, at 4’11” tall, I hardly have a “runners body”!

Winter of that year kept me from getting outside to exercise. My regular routine in the gym had become stale and my body had started to plateau. I was starting to see my normal healthy weight of 116 climb to 124 as inactivity and weeks of cold weather kept me indoors.

The program began in February and started out very slow with intervals of walking and running. Little by little there was less walking and more running as we headed into spring like weather. Finally the event was here and I was ready. I was not concerned about my time, what was important to me was that I finished. I can still remember the feeling of accomplishment as I was nearing the end, I felt like a champion!

Running that spring-summer, coupled with a new workout called Tabata (high intensity interval training) was what gave my workout an overhaul. I started to see my weight drop back to a healthy range, my muscles were beginning to get lean and my endurance was through the roof! I was re-energized and motivated to see where running would take me. I ran a few more 5K’s that summer then a 15K and finally a half marathon in September. I remember people commenting to me that they saw me out running and I would correct them and say “oh I’m not a runner, I just jog”. Why was it so hard for me to see myself as a runner? I guess because I didn’t see myself as what I envisioned to be a runner. What I later learned is that runners come in all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities.

Last year I ran another half marathon then finally told myself at 45 years old I wanted to run a full marathon. I believe at any age you need to set goals for yourself, to continue to try to be better, to strive for something that you have to reach for, but IS within reach. On October 9, 2011, at 45 years old I lined up with other runners to complete, yes complete – not compete, the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon. Competitive by nature I had to tell myself over and over I am not competing with my fellow runners, I am competing with myself. My goal was not to beat anyone else to the finish line, just to get to the finish line – INJURY FREE! Four hours-forty four minutes, and 26.2 miles later I crossed the finish line and ran right to my husband’s open arms. I did it, I was a marathon runner. The feeling was amazing, even now, hard to put into words the sense of accomplishment I felt at that moment. I am still running and am registered to run my second marathon on September 15, 2012. I don’t necessarily love to run, but I do love the mental clarity, sense of focus and ability to organize my thoughts that I get when I am out on the road. I prefer to run alone, for me it is a time to think, a time to be creative and to let my mind slow down and process my day.

At the Y I tell everyone and anyone that asks about the Couch to 5K program (scheduled to begin in many CDY branches Feb 21) and how it has changed my life. To learn more about how the Y can help you become a runner, please check with your YMCA branch or email me at ngildersleeve@cdymca.org

 

My name is Nancy Gildersleeve and I AM A RUNNER!

 

 

 

Do you love to Zumba? If so, you are not alone!

 

Zumba…It’s an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party™ that’s moving millions of people toward joy and health. Zumba workout has helped melt the pounds and inches off 12 million Zumba-enthusiasts in 125 countries, according to the Zumba Fitness website. The Latin-dance inspired workout features fast and slow rhythms which, when combined, successfully tone and sculpt the body and burn fat.

 

This Sunday, Feb 12, from 1-3pm* zumba enthusiasts will gather at the Schenectady Y, 433 State Street, to dance together while supporting the Capital District YMCA Reach Out For Youth Scholarship Assistance Program. At the YMCA we never turn anyone away for inability to pay. We are proud to offer a scholarship assistance program to families in need so that they may experience all that a Y membership has to offer. Please join us - while you are having a great time you will be benefiting a great cause.

 

At the Y we are for Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility.

 

*Suggested donation is $15. There will also be many fabulous raffles!!! Raffle tickets are 1 - $1, 3 - $5, or an arms length for $10.

 

Hope to see you there! Please call the Schenectady YMCA at 881-0117 for more information.

~Nancy Gildersleeve

 

The Y has always been a progressive institution in promoting the rights of African Americans and other minority groups.  Anthony Bowen, who purchased his own freedom from slavery in Maryland, founded the first Y chapter for African Americans in 1853.  This was one of the first organizations for African Americans.  Bowen was an abolitionist and advised President Lincoln to enlist African American troops to fight in the civil war.  He was also the first African American to work in the US Patent Office.  The Y has continued the tradition of providing safe spaces for African Americans and other marginalized groups well into the twenty-first century.

Achievers Black History Month Spotlight

Dr. Carter G. Woodson: Writing Prescriptions for Our Social Ills

Black History Month has become a staple of cultural observance in our society over the past several decades. But are we truly aware of how or why BHM originated? Dr. Carter G. Woodson (PhD, Harvard Univ.) was the son of former slaves and did not begin his formal education until the age of 20 (asalh.org). He overcame these obstacles quickly, however, and it was not long before he had earned multiple degrees from some of the best institutions in the country. While examining the written and recorded history of his time, Dr. Woodson realized that very little information existed regarding the accomplishments of black people. He founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and later created a “Negro History Week” in order to commemorate and raise awareness of the accomplishments of African Americans in 1926. The “Negro History Week” celebration was so successful that it was eventually expanded to Black History Month in 1976.

Black History Month is an opportunity to learn more about the contributions of people of African descent to our world.  African Americans have been full participants in the formation and growth of our United States and their contributions have not been fully included in the lexicon of our culture.  Black History month has helped to educate all and make our society more inclusive and appreciative.

Over the next few weeks we will be showcasing some influential African Americans.  Stay tuned to this page for more about Black History Month and the Capital District YMCA's Black & Latino Achievers.

 

 

Too often we see people in magazines, on TV or in our everyday lives and start to compare ourselves to them. We follow Jennifer Anistons’ diet and fitness regime hoping to get her lean sculpted legs. We workout 6 days a week for endless amounts because the woman on the treadmill next to us is there all the time and we figure that is what needs to be done to look like her.

Many times I have been asked by class participants “how do you get those arms?” The exercise and weight training I do regularly enhances my muscle tone and overall appearance of my arms but the truth is my arms look exactly like my brothers and always have. They are toned, lean and veiny – so are his. My mother, my sisters, myself and now my daughter are all short women.We are lean on the top and tend to hold our weight on the bottom. We lose and gain weight first in our legs, thighs and hips. That is our family genetics and there is nothing we can do to change that. Wishing for Gweneth Paltrow’s body or legs like Jennifer Anniston is not going to happen for me any more than wishing for a 5’ 5” tall frame. I am who I am, you are who you are and they are who they are. While there are steps you can take to get a leaner more toned body you can’t compare yourself to someone else and strive to look like them. Your body is YOUR body and no one else has the genetic make-up you have. Instead of comparing yourself to others embrace the body you have and focus on how to train to make YOUR body the best it can be.

~Nancy Gildersleeve