Wellness at Work

Satin Wellness is launching a corporate wellness initiative with Wellness at Work, an exciting corporate wellness program for all employees. Wellness at Work is a comprehensive 8 week program that will take place on-site and will be delivered by your local experts at Satin Wellness.

Wellness at Work covers a variety of essential fitness elements from flexibility and strength training to effective cardiovascular programs. This unique 8 week program is designed for people of all fitness levels from the novice to the expert and everyone in between.

Our goal with this program is to bring you an outstanding health and wellness program to start off your New Year right - let’s have fun together!

Satin Wellness has been delivering corporate programs from Boston to Metro West and Cape Cod since 1991. Such as the Yankee Dental Conference, Tufts Dental School, ADA, Joslin Diabetes Center, DESA – Diabetes, Exercise and Sport Association, American Heart Association, American Cancer Association, Avon Breast Cancer Walk, Lilly Labs; Stretching clinics at the Boston Marathon and Falmouth Road Race; and has been featured on NPR, WVCB/Channel 5, and Chronicle.

Forbes.com conducts interview on "What's Your Workout Personality"?

Please read the article about workplace personality. There are some real eye openers in it.

How to start a workout program
by Ilene Kenney, Wellness Specialist, Satin Wellness

1-Start by knowing your current level. How do you do this?

It is very important to listen to your body. Make sure you check with your doctor if you have any medical conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, heart problems, and being overweight. If you have a medical condition it does not mean that you cannot work out. It means that you have to listen to signals in your body to avoid problems. Make sure you speak with your doctor as to how to proceed with the program.

2- The safe way to exercise. How do you do this?

If you are clear of any medical conditions you can start your workout program and again listen to your body. You want to avoid injury so make sure you exercise safely. Injuries are a common reason why people stop exercising. You want to make sure that you are safe and continue with your exercise. The best way to start working out is with a structured program. There are many ways to get structure with your exercise program. You can hire a wellness specialist, get a book or video from a library or even a upload podcast. The best way to go is work with a Wellness Specialist (what else do you think you would read here?). That way you will learn specific exercises that are specifically designed for you and help you meet your goals. We also will help you avoid injuries.

3- Goals. How do you develop them?

You need to set attainable short and long term goals. Whether your general goal is overall health, increase energy, develop muscle or lose weight, make sure it is realistic. Goals are usually a combination of the above. Many want to lose weight. There are two specific components to losing weight (nutrition and cardiovascular/continuous exercise). You also need strength training and some flexibility training to help reach your goal. Some people need specific goals. You may want to measure your progress by fitting into a pair of jeans, or to able to run. Your personal goals have some flexibility, they can always be adjusted as you go. Your goal can also be more subjective, such as having more energy, or being happy in your life by adding exercise. It can be a combination of specific and subjective goals. Your goals will also change as you get into better shape.

4- Know yourself. How do you do this?

This is probably one of the most important steps. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Make sure you set goals that are attainable. Do not do something that you will not follow through with. Start small and increase gradually. Develop a program and be accountable to yourself or try to get someone you trust to do it with you.

5- Accountability. How can I stay compliant?

This is a way to measure your individual progress. Decide on your goals, the time you will have for your workout program, the type of workout that you do and write it down every time. You can track your progress in a workout journal or on a computer spreadsheet. There are also some websites for tracking diet, workouts, calories burned and much more. This will give you some tangible results at the end of each week.

This is a good start for a workout program. Once you master these 5 steps you’ll be well on your way to workout success.

If you want some help, call or email me at:

Ilene Kenney
cell: (617) 251-7035
email: ikenney@satinwellness.com

Reducing Belly fat is Possible from Wellness Specialist, Dr. Deb Arthur

Many of us have a similar desire: to reduce the extra weight at our midsection. It is possible to do so if we are willing to make some changes in our daily existence.

There has been and continues to be a growing body of research in the area of body fat and obesity. Distribution and amount of body fat is influenced by genetics, age and lifestyle. Women in menopause are likely to notice an increase in fat in the midsection, similar to what men tend to experience. However, it is possible to reduce overall and, specifically, abdominal fat.

There are basically four types of fat but we are going to focus primarily on visceral fat, also known as belly fat. This is the fat that surrounds the organs in your abdominal cavity. This fat is important for protecting and padding these vital organs. However, when we have too much, there is an increase in waist size. And, there is an increased potential for the development of conditions such Type II Diabetes and Heart Disease. Such conditions have been linked to visceral fat and not to subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat is the fat underneath our skin which is easier to see. Weight loss via our diet can reduce subcutaneous fat. However, diet alone does not impact visceral fat as much. So what does?

Let’s look at stress. Yes, we live in a fast paced, high stress culture. There is always something to do and somewhere to be. And this impacts our bodies. The stress response is actually one of those amazing things that our body does for us. It is necessary for our survival. However, when stress becomes chronic, our bodies go into exhaustion mode. When a stressor exists, our adrenal glands secrete cortisol, an important hormone for balanced body functioning. However, chronically high levels of cortisol can have a negative impact on the body, such as depression of the immune system and increase in visceral fat.

So, first and foremost, we need to reduce the stressors in our life. Easier said then done but even small changes will help. Reducing or eliminating caffeine, getting adequate sleep, and including some down time each day will help to reduce stress and cortisol levels. And, of course, including regular exercise in our daily lives is important.

Researchers have compared participants who diet alone and those who include exercise and have found that the exercisers tend to lose more visceral fat. In one study, all participants were placed on a low calorie diet and either an aerobic or resistance training program. The group lost an average of 24 lbs. For the following year, half of the group stopped exercising and the other half continued to exercise. The exercisers did not gain any visceral fat at the end of the year. The nonexercisers had a 33% increase in visceral fat. Another study compared sedentary individuals, participants involved in moderate intensity exercise and participants involved in vigorous intensity exercise. The researchers found that the sedentary group experienced a 9% increase in visceral fat. The moderate intensity group had no change and the vigorous intensity group lost 7% in visceral fat.

So, it is possible to reduce belly fat. Yes, genetics and age play a role, but with stress reduction and regular physical activity, we can lower our levels of visceral fat. Eating a whole food, balanced diet is vital but calorie restriction alone will not effectively reduce visceral fat. And, your abdominal experience will be enhanced with some exercise intensity and strengthening of your midsection muscles as well.

Satin Wellness continues our growth curve

We have five of the top Wellness Specialists (Personal Trainers with their Doctorate, Masters, Exercise Physiology and certifications) in the Metro West, Boston, South Shore and Cape Cod area. We bring wellness to you in your home or office since 1991.

• Deb Arthur - http://www.satinwellness.com/about-deb-arthur.htm
• Ilene Kenney - http://www.satinwellness.com/about-ilene.kenney.htm
  
• Michael Raymond - http://www.satinwellness.com/about-michael-raymond.htm
  
• Bryan Agurcia - http://www.satinwellness.com/about-bryan-agurcia.htm
  
• Steve Satin- http://www.satinwellness.com/about-steve-satin.htm

Satin Wellness also speaks and guest lectures on many subjects:

• "Strength to Lead" - CEO geared motivational series on health and the balance of career, family, stress and movement
• "Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention for Dentists and Auxiliaries" - Exercise programs developed specifically for Dentists and Auxiliaries.
  
• "Real Life" - How to keep motivated and compliant while keeping up with your busy day.

Satin Wellness has just shot a video for the "Friends of Hu-Friedy" Dental Instrumentation Website.

Steve Satin:

• conducted seminars at the 2010 Yankee Dental Conference in Boston
• will be a guest lecturer at Tufts Dental School in October 2010
• conducting seminars at the 45th Indian Orthodontic Conference in Mangalore India in December 2010

Keep an eye out for our next blog post with information from all of our specialists.