(listen to the .mp3 audio file on the link above)

I was interviewed for the Aging in Alaska radio program back in June and it aired in July in Bethel and Cordova.

Aging in Alaska is a radio show produced by the Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska created to provide information, insight, guidance and support to Alaska’s elders and their families.

During the interview I shared my thoughts on living healthy at any age.

I hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions or comments, email or call me at (907) 229-7652.

This is perfect if you aren’t fond of drinking plain water – which many people aren’t. You’ll love this when you try some water with pizazz!

Here’s the recipe for Sassy Water:

• 2 liters water (about 8 1/2 cupss)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 medium lemon, thinly sliced (you can use limes… that is what I prefer)
• 12 mint leaves

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher, chill in the refrigerator overnight so the flavors will blend, and enjoy the whole thing the next day.

Spread it out evenly over the the whole day.

Not only will this help you drink water you know you need but often neglect, it has other benefits.

Probably the most noticeable will be the effects of the ginger and mint as they help clam and soothe your GI tract.

You should try this!!

- Bonnie

A new study by U.S. News & World Report just concluded that the “best personal diet depends of the goals trying to be achieved.”

Yep… it took a study to reveal what common sense has always told us.

We know that if you are trying to lose fat, you’ll likely follow a different nutrition program than if your primary goal is to lower high blood pressure or combat diabetes.

Of course we know that the base of most sound nutrition programs that would lead to successfully reaching those goals all share common traits.

What is really interesting was that the diets that ranked best for “dropping those extra pounds” were Weight Watchers, followed closely by Jenny Craig and then the Raw Food Diet.

But for overall health, the best nutrition program was the DASH diet, followed closely by the Mediterranean Diet.

I think it is funny that the “Mediterranean Diet” is listed as if it is something beyond simply the way people eat in that region of the world; it isn’t fabricated, it isn’t based in science… it is simply the lifestyle people in the Mediterranean follow that is based on their locally-available foods.

What I find interesting is that the DASH diet – Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension – bested 19 others, including Atkins, Jenny Craig and Slim-Fast, to win the “Best Diets Overall.”

U.S. News & World Report went on to say “our analysis put hard numbers on the common-sense belief that no diet is ideal for everybody.”

It is good to have scientific back-up to what we already knew to be true.

If you’ve never heard of it before, the DASH diet is, according to Wikipedia, an eating plan that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods, includes meat, fish, poultry, nuts and beans, and is limited in sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, red meat, and added fats.

Sounds pretty much like a common-sense “diet,” right? In fact, I would go out on a limb and not call this a “diet” at all… that is just a clean nutrition plan, very similar to what I’m talking about in my nutrition series (join my mailing list to get access to this nutrition series.)

So it is no surprise that DASH also came out first for the best diabetes diet, which was surprisingly followed by the Mayo Clinic diet, with the Ornish Diet taking the top spot for heart-healthy diets, followed-by the TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) diet.

I was very interested in the following point made in the original US News report:

“Exercise gets serious attention in some diets and lip service in others, but the primary focus of a diet, after all, is food. Whether to exercise, how, and how much is a lifestyle decision beyond the scope of a mere diet.”

Yes, exercise is beyond the scope of a “nutrition” program, but in my experience, you can get good results from eating properly.

You can get good results from exercise (just get up and MOVE!).

But you can get GREAT results by eating properly and exercising.

I was horrified by this point from the article:

Around 34 percent of U.S. adults over 20 years of age are overweight and an equal number are obese!

It is my goal to help reduce this number… I want to start with you!

Email or call me – 907-229-7652 – if you need help with your weight loss goals.

See you in the studio,

Bonnie

I was so pleased to see such a large crowd turn out for our first HOT HULA fitness® class in Anchorage.

Think of this as Zumba for Hula Dancing only… well, this is what one comment on Facebook said:

“Hot Hula is so fun, quite a core workout, aerobic and not so many steps as Zumba. Your hips just keep going and going!”

Another comment on the bfit & well Facebook page was:

“Hot Hula was terrific! Doable, core strengthening, aerobic and fun!”

I was so excited to show off this fun, new and exciting dance workout based in the traditional movements of the Pacific Islanders and it did not disappoint!

In fact, the demand was so great that Noelani Middenway, a HOT HULA fitness® Master Trainer has agreed to come back on Thursday at 5:30PM and teach another FREE demo HOT HULA fitness® class!

Alaska has a very real connection with Hawaii and other populations in the Pacific Islands and HOT HULA fitness® creates a very  real connection between fun and fitness!

Like I said, think of this as Zumba for Hula Dancing… only easier and more core-engaging!

Here are some pictures from the class on the Monday June 6th:

See more pictures on the bfit & well Facebook page (be sure to “Like” the page while you’re there).

The class is Thursday, June 9th, from 5:30PM – 6:30PM and it is 100% FREE.

But, space is SUPER limited, so please email – bonnie@bfitandwell.com – or call (907) 229-7652 – to reserve your space to join Noelani as she shows us what HOT HULA fitness® is all about.

The Next Fitness Craze IS Traditional Pacific Island Dance!

HOT HULA fitness® is a fun, new and exciting dance workout based in the traditional movements of the Pacific Islanders.

On Thursday June 9th, at 5:30PM, you and your friends are invited to join us at bfit & well for a FREE demo class of this amazing new dance fitness program as it comes to Alaska for the very first time!

And just in case you’re wondering, this isn’t “HOT” like Heated Yoga in a 100 degree room or something… it is called “HOT HULA” because it makes you sweat and feel great!

Of course, the dance moves HOT HULA fitness® is based on aren’t new… they are based on traditional dances from the Pacific Islands.

But just like Zumba took Latin dances and created an amazing workout from them, HOT HULA fitness® looks to do the same with traditional Polynesian dance moves!

Attend a FREE Demo of HOT HULA fitness® at bfit & well in Anchorage

Noelani Middenway, Master Trainer under founder of HOT HULA fitness® Anna-Rita Sloss, will return this Thursday June 9th at 5:30PM for a FREE demo HOT HULA fitness® class!

If you are curious, you can get a good idea of what HOT HULA fitness® is all about from this video:

By the way, here is what they officially say about HOT HULA fitness®:

“HOT HULA fitness® is a fun, new and exciting dance workout. It provides a “total body workout” in 60 minutes. HOT HULA fitness® isolates your larger muscle groups, increasing strength and definition to your core with specific emphasis on the abs, glutes, quads and arms. Inspired by the dances of the Pacific Islands, HOT HULA fitness® incorporates easy to perform dance movements set to the sounds of traditional Polynesian drum beats fused with funky Reggae music, resulting in a modern, hip fitness workout. All ages and fitness levels will enjoy HOT HULA fitness®.”

See you on Thursday, June 9th, at 5:30PM at bfit & well in Anchorage (15th & C).

Remember, the class is 100% FREE, but, space is SUPER limited, so please email – bonnie@bfitandwell.com – or call (907) 229-7652 – to reserve your spot today!

See you in the studio,

Bonnie

HOT HULA fitness® is a fun, new and exciting dance workout based in the traditional movements of the Pacific Islanders.

On Monday June 6th, at 4:30PM, you and your friends are invited to join us at bfit & well for a FREE demo class of this amazing new dance fitness program as it comes to Alaska for the very first time!

And just in case you’re wondering, this isn’t “HOT” like Heated Yoga in a 100 degree room or something… it is called “HOT HULA” because it makes you sweat and feel great!

Of course, the dance moves HOT HULA fitness® is based on aren’t new… it is based on traditional dances from the Pacific Islands.

But just like Zumba took Salsa and other Latin dances and created an amazing workout from them, HOT HULA fitness® looks to do the same with Polynesian dance moves.

Attend a FREE Demo of HOT HULA fitness® at bfit & well in Anchorage

Noelani Middenway is a Master Trainer under Anna-Rita Sloss, founder of HOT HULA fitness®. They reached out to see if I’d be interested in hosting a FREE demo class at bfit & well to introduce you – and Anchorage – to this fantastic new workout style.

I jumped at the chance and I hope you will, too!

The class is Monday, June 6th, from 4:30PM – 5:30PM and it is 100% FREE. But, space is SUPER limited, so please email – bonnie@bfitandwell.com – or call (907) 229-7652 – to reserve your space to join Noelani as she shows us what HOT HULA fitness® is all about.

But you can get a good idea of what HOT HULA fitness® is all about from this video:

By the way, here is what they officially say about HOT HULA fitness®:

“HOT HULA fitness® is a fun, new and exciting dance workout. It provides a “total body workout” in 60 minutes. HOT HULA fitness® isolates your larger muscle groups, increasing strength and definition to your core with specific emphasis on the abs, glutes, quads and arms. Inspired by the dances of the Pacific Islands, HOT HULA fitness® incorporates easy to perform dance movements set to the sounds of traditional Polynesian drum beats fused with funky Reggae music, resulting in a modern, hip fitness workout. All ages and fitness levels will enjoy HOT HULA fitness®.”

See you on Monday, June 6th, from 4:30PM – 5:30PM.

Remember, the class is 100% FREE, but, space is SUPER limited, so please email – bonnie@bfitandwell.com – or call (907) 229-7652 – to reserve your spot today!

See you in the studio,

Bonnie

Are you a first time exerciser but don’t know where to start?

Have you not worked out for a long time and are ready to get back to it?

Are BOOT CAMPS or Personal Training a bit off  your radar?

Do you like being around women in your same age and fitness range?

Well, bfit & well has the class for you!!

Gentle effective exercises on the Fitness Ball will help you with your core strength, balance,  your overall strength, and loosen up your pelvis; helping reduce back pain.

You will not experience any soreness, but you will see lots of positive results!

Susan dropped her cane – and 2 pant sizes – by getting her Fitness on the Ball

Look what Susan had to say about her experience on the ball:

“When I reluctantly told my friend that I would start an exercise class at bfit & well in Anchorage, Bonnie met me with a positive reinforcement I have never encountered anywhere. We worked on developing our core strength mainly with the use of the balance ball. I found myself sitting on this ball going through exercises and almost without realizing it, I could do things I could not do before. When I first started I could not walk toe to heel without losing my balance, now I can. My cane has become a thing of the past. This was all a direct result of learning how to control my core muscles and strengthen them. As an added bonus, I went from size 10 jeans to a size 8.” – Susan B. 60, Anchorage

How amazing is that?

How would being in better shape affect your summer?

How would dropping a couple of pant sizes by July make you feel?

How would being able to walk without a cane like Susan change your plans for the summer?

Susan might be unique in her ability to give up her cane like that, but we know that a strong core and losing weight really can work wonders in moving you past many of the physical limitations you face today!

Join us for Fit Ball PLUS+ and get ready for YOUR BEST SUMMER EVER!

Starts June 7, 2011 and runs until July 23, 2011

We’ll meet for 6-weeks, 3 times a week

• Tuesday 3:15 to 4:00 PM
• Thursday 2:45 to 3:30 PM
• Saturday 11:00 to 12:30 PM

The Saturday class is longer since it is the PLUS+ where we’ll walk, stretch, and talk about food…

You’ll get a great combination of exercises that will target your total fitness in ways that you never thought possible and learn how to make better food choices to get you to your goal FASTER!

Sign-up Today… Space is VERY Limited!

The cost is ONLY $179 for the ENTIRE 6 WEEK program or if you bring a friend, you’ll both get in for ONLY $299!

Email me – bonnie@bfitandwell.com – or 907-229-7652 to reserve your space TODAY!

Don’t procrastinate…..your ball is waiting.

Dedicated to your fitness success,

Bonnie

Most people think of what we eat as only affecting our body fat, energy, blood sugar, and the like. Few of us think about the fact that the food we eat makes up and effects everything in our bodies, including cartilage in our knees! Watch this video and remember… you are what you eat!

==> Knee Pain, Diet and Cartilage

This interview covers the following topics:

• Most people don’t consider what they eat as an important part of the healing process
• We need nutrients to help the collagen heal damaged cartilage
• A poor diet might allow us to heal, but we heal if a weaker state
• Inflammation slows down recovery
• Part of wheat gluten (wheat germ agglutinin) can slow down cartilage recovery
• Glucosamine and chondroitin inhibits wheat germ agglutinin and reduces inflammation
• In some studies Fish Oil* was as effective as medication – especially long-term – in preventing and reducing inflammation

To your health!

- Bonnie

(907) 229-7652

bonnie@bfitandwell.com

*Affiliate Link (bfit & well gets a commission if you buy that product)

One of the ideas in the book is that after 50 years of age we start to decay; this is the natural progression unless we take some positive, counter action. Exercising is the first thing that is on the list and the authors recommend that we need at least six days a week of regular, consistent, progressive exercise.

One of the titles of one of the sub-chapters is: “You do have to Age, but you Don’t Have to Rot.” Isn’t that empowering?

“Exercise provides the signal that jolts our cells into repairing and renewing themselves and releases the chemicals that bathe our brains in positive feelings.”

“Seventy percent of aging after fifty is governed by our lifestyle. Half of all of the sickness and serious accidents we are told to anticipate after we turn fifty can be virtually eliminated, if we learn how to live younger.”

This book says that studies are just now beginning to look at the role of exercise in the treatment of disease. “People with advanced emphysema and heart disease do much better with exercise,” said the books co-author Dr. Lodge.

Here’s a neat thing to ponder – 70 percent of aging, for men and women, is voluntary. Did you get that? 70% of the effects of aging ARE NOT REQUIRED. You don’t have to do it!! And besides that, you can skip 50% of all sickness and serious accidents that you were told would happen after 50 years of age.

I think the main thing we can take away from this book is this: most of what we have been told is inevitable when we age is actually a choice – your choice – it is not a mandatory sentence. If you make up your mind (a very potent and overpowering tool) and tell your body to live as if you are forty or forty-five for the rest of your life you can do it.

But what if you aren’t even 40 yet, does this apply to you? Absolutely! It is never to early to pick up the habits of a healthy lifestyle. As I’ve said forever, exercise may not add more years to your life, but it will add life to your years!

In fact, young people pay close attention to this statement made by the books authors: 50% of all illness and injuries in the last one third of your life can be ELIMINATED by changing your lifestyle. Not delayed until you are a little older, but eliminated!! They also say that 70% of premature death is lifestyle-related (like dying after breaking a hip). They describe “premature” as “before you are deep in your eighties” or—if you’re in your forties now—your nineties.

Wow. This is totally in line with my mantra of “you are never too old to exercise but not exercising makes you old!” I believe that this is what this book is all about.

If you have specific questions about what exercises would be good for you, please email me at bonnie@bfitandwell.com or call me at (907) 229-7652

Do you know what healthy foods are?

If you’ve spent most of your adult life battling your weight, it is time to get off that roller coaster by getting some food facts that you can apply to your life.

Introducing the “Let’s Talk Food”  class exclusively at bfit & well in Anchorage.

This four week class begins Saturday March 5 at 10:00-11:00 AM. In this class you’ll become aware of:

• The foods are beneficial to your body
• Which foods actually break your body down
• The foods that give you energy
• Which foods to stay away from for joint health
• How to combine foods to prevent bloating and gas
• How to get to your ideal weight without crash dieting or starving yourself
• Food additives and how they affect your health

Why go away from a meal feeling stuffed and miserable needing an antacid when you can eat until you are over full and feeling satiated with no discomfort by choosing the proper combination of foods?

This four week class will be an eye-opening experience and prove to be the most interesting and informative time you’ve invested in your health in a long time.

There will also be plenty of time for questions and discussions.

This class is ONLY $99 and you can (and SHOULD) bring a friend or relative for FREE!

We all know it is tough to change our habits; having a friend to work alongside makes the process more fun and most importantly – more likely to be succesful!

Class size will be limited so email or call me ASAP to sign-up.

Dedicated to your health and wellness,

Bonnie

907-229-7652

bonnie@bfitandwell.com

@bfitandwell on Twitter

But I don’t want you to just IMAGINE the results – I want you to EXPERIENCE them! You deserve it! Your family deserves it! Did I mention that YOU deserve it? You deserve to feel good, to be able to move without pain, to live a normal life – the life you used to live.

To get you to EXPERIENCE that, I want you to come to our 7:15AM Boot Camp on Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday. You’re even welcome to join us on Saturdays at 10AM if you like. This will all start January 19, 2011and run through February 28. I know it is HARD to get started. It just is – it’s human nature, especially for women. Women always want to take care of everyone else before they take care of themselves; maybe, if they get around to it!

Dedicated to your fitness success,

Bonnie

907-229-7652

bonnie@bfitandwell.com

@bfitandwell on Twitter