Meet Galt Jazzercise’s 2008 Biggest Loser!

Thursday, October 9th, 2008
Last March, Veronica Sexton walked into Galt’s Jazzercise class hoping to lose just enough weight in time to fit into a bridesmaid dress in June.
 
And when she accomplished that goal, her changing body motivated her to continue through the summer, resulting in a whopping weight loss of 52 pounds — and making the mother of three Galt Jazzercise’s 2008 Biggest Loser.
 
“I am so impressed and proud of Veronica’s accomplishment,” said Kristine Roberson, certified Jazzercise Instructor and Galt Jazzercise class owner. “So many people would have stopped at that bridesmaid dress, but Veronica kept going.”
 
Veronica said the dress wasn’t the only thing that got her moving. Years of watching her family participate in outdoor activities while she watched on the sidelines was also a motivating factor.
 
“I wasn’t comfortable doing activities with my family because of my weight,” she said. “My youngest son, in all his innocence, asked me what I looked like when I was thinner. And with my friend’s wedding coming up, I knew I had wasted enough time.”
 
Veronica chose Jazzercise as her exercise of choice because she had done it in the past and enjoyed it.
 
“The first couple of weeks was hard, because I thought I couldn’t keep up,” she said. “But the routines and music make it so much fun, and it started getting easier.”
 
Kristine remembers those first couple of weeks, too.
 
“I could tell she was discouraged,” Kristine, who has taught Jazzercise in Galt for four years, said. “Often times, when I see a new student with the level of discouragement that Veronica initially had, I know there’s a high probability the student will not continue exercising. I am so proud of Veronica for fighting through that initial discouragement and reaching an amazing weight-loss goal.”
 
Kristine explained a person’s discouragement with regard to exercise is simply a matter of physics — an object at rest inherently wants to remain at rest, while an object in motion inherently wants to continue moving.
 
“We are no different,” she said. “If we have trained our bodies not to exercise, we will be successful at creating a body that inherently does not want to exercise. Period. On the other hand, if we have trained our bodies to keep active, we will also be successful at keeping that body moving — and healthier.”
 
At 52 pounds lighter, Veronica said her activity level has increased, and she can now enjoy activities with her children for the first time in years.
 
“We all recently participated in water sports, and I could tell my sons were proud of me,” Veronica said. “They were all so happy that I was participating with them and not just watching them.”
 
In addition to an average of three Jazzercise classes a week, Veronica also walked.
 
“If I missed a class, I would force myself to walk. At first I could only go about two miles,” she said. “But soon I got up to six miles.”
 
These days, Veronica is attending a nursing program in Sonoma, taking her away from her family and Jazzercise classes. But, having reached the 50+ pound-loss mark, Veronica is determined to continue.
 
“Food has always been a difficulty,” she said. “I think it’s one of those things that will be a life-long struggle.”
 
Kristine in confident Veronica will stay on the right track — and can’t wait to see her in class again.
 
“We formed a great friendship through all that sweatin’,” Kristine said. “She’s a great friend, and a wonderful role model to her boys.”
 
Galt Jazzercise offers eight weekly classes in the mornings, evenings and weekends. Each class is taught by certified instructors who have gone through intense physical and academic training. Classes are structured to include a fusion of kickboxing, salsa, jazz, hip hop, yoga, stretch, pilates — and a heavy dose of strength work.
 
Jazzercise has been helping students like Veronica worldwide lose weight and live healthier lives for the past 39 years. For more information about Jazzercise in Galt, call Kristine at (209)224-4976 or visit www.fitspirit.net. Jazzercise’s corporate website can be found at www.jazzercise.com.

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6 steps to getting your groove back

Thursday, October 9th, 2008
It’s a national epidemic. Millions of people are spiraling down a deep dark hole.
 
And it has nothing to do with the economy.
 
It’s your motivation — your groove — and you’ve lost it as if you had gambled it away on Wall Street.
 
Your intentions were good. You had all of these illusions of grandeur. That dress you were finally going to fit into. This was the year. No more innocent comments from a long-unseen acquaintances, “When’s the baby due?” But you aren’t expecting. This was the year. The speech you got yet again from the doctor encouraging you to get some exercise. THIS WAS THE YEAR.
 
What happened?
 
We all know why we should exercise. Never mind 1 in 2 adults are overweight and 40 percent of use are clinically obese. Forget about the fact that our weight is contributing to our crushing economy to the tune of more than $85 million per year in added medical strain to our already precarious health care system. And let’s not forget about the fact that our little ones are, indeed, watching us — 1 in 3 of our kiddos are now overweight, too (they pay attention so well, don’t they?).
 
So why can’t we get our frannies off the couch and into class? If I knew the answer to that, I’d be set! But since I don’t know why we can’t just get up and go, I’ll offer some advice to keep us going once that spark finds us:
 
1. Establish a realistic goal with a definitive timeline
 
Example: “I will lose 15 pounds in three months.”
 
This is a great goal for several reasons. It’s a realistic goal that is totally attainable. It also sets a realistic deadline. And, look at the wording — “will lose” not “want to lose.” There’s no room for perhaps, probablys and maybes.
 
2. Take a picture
 
You have your goal, now you need a constant reminder of why you set that goal. And maybe you are happy with your weight, but you are hoping exercise will correct some posture problems. Or perhaps you want some muscle definition. Taking a “before” picture will help in all these instances — especially if you keep it in a spot you’ll see everyday.
3. Make a list
 
Write down all the reasons for the goal. If you want to lose 15 pounds, are you setting that goal to fit better in your clothes, to look hot at a reunion, to have more energy to play with your children, or to reduce your risk of heart disease and breast cancer (you do know that being overweight IS a risk factor for both, right?). Keep this list next to your before picture and when you don’t feel like coming to class, look at that picture and reread your list.
 
4. Start a journal
 
Write down everything you eat (it will force you to rethink your choices if you know you have to write it down and take ownership of it). Also, write down every exercise you do. Write down how you felt after your workouts (and hopefully they are positive feelings!). When you aren’t feeling the Jazzercise love, refer back to your journal and remind yourself how much fun you have in class and how good your body felt afterwards.
 
5. Read, Read, Read!
 
In your spare time, grab a fitness magazine or book and read about all the ways exercise is good for you! Find a great tip or a scary statistic? Write it down in your journal.
 
6. Grab a Buddy
 
It is really hard to blow off class when your best girlfriend is honking her horn outside your door waiting for you, ain’t it? Grab a friend, neighbor, relative, stranger — whatever! Make yourself accountable to someone else and you’ll be at class a lot more than you would be without a buddy. Don’t have any friends, relatives or strangers (tee hee!)? Then ask someone in class if they want to buddy up with you!

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Sneak Greens Into Your Diet

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

(CARLSBAD, CA) – Spinach in brownies, sweet potatoes in grilled cheese sandwiches, and avocado in chocolate pudding? According to Jessica Seinfeld, wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, these are just a few of the options available to parents who want to sneak a few vegetables into their children’s diets. Ms. Seinfeld’s bestseller, Deceptively Delicious, is just one of the many modern cookbooks making headlines for incorporating healthy foods into popular family favorites.

The evidence is undeniable that vegetables are the way to go for weight loss, disease-fighting properties, and overall health and wellness. But it’s not always easy to get enough greens into your daily regimen, especially in today’s fast-paced culture. If you’re looking to give the green light to more veggies in your daily diet, try a few of these tips suggested by Judi Sheppard Missett, founder and CEO of Jazzercise, Inc.

  • Try veggie finger foods. In our fast-food culture, it seems that the real “fast foods,” fruits and vegetables that just need a rinse in the kitchen sink, are virtually non-existent in most people’s diets. Try replacing your usual finger foods with some greens. Wash some celery, paste on a teaspoon of peanut butter, and enjoy!
  • Add vegetables to your favorite stand-bys. Most pastas and soups are good candidates for a few veggie toss-ins. Include grated or chopped veggies, such as spinach, in meatloaf and casseroles.
  • Set boundaries on your dinner plate. Use half of your plate for vegetables and the other half for meat and starches.
  • Keep veggies handy. Once each week, cut-up some vegetables and place them in a see-through container in your refrigerator. Try cucumber slices or broccoli florettes.
  • Order a veggie pizza on nights when you just can’t brave the kitchen.
  • Eat salad as your main dish once or twice per week. Just go easy on the dressing, which can pack a serious calorie punch.
  • Add vegetables into your smoothies. Blend a half-cup of romaine lettuce or a stalk of celery into your usual fruit smoothie. You will hardly notice a difference in the taste.
  • Allow your children to help clean, peel, and cut-up the vegetables. They are more likely to eat what they have prepared themselves.

If the above-listed tasks seem daunting, then don’t pressure yourself to do everything at once. Incorporate just one tip each week. Before you know it, you’ll be sneaking more greens into your diet than Popeye himself.

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world’s leading dance-fitness program with more than 7,200 instructors teaching 32,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information on Jazzercise go to jazzercise.com or call (800)FIT-IS-IT or (760)476-1750.

Courtesy of Jazzercise, Inc. - jazzercise.com

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