A Class That Can Save YOUR Life!

by Heather Szczepiorkowski

If you knew you could take a class and reduce the chance of your kids or you dying, you would take it immediately.  We put on sunscreen to protect our skin from damage.  We try to pick the best foods for our kids to eat - sometimes even spending a little extra for those treats they love.  We do all those things for our families - to help keep them safe and be the best they can be.

It seems a bit too early, when you look out the window, to be thinking of water safety.  But summer is right around the corner, and we want you and your family to be ready with timely swim lessons at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center (UVAC).

When I was growing up, before we headed out the door for school, my Mom would line us up and give each of us a teaspoon of cod-liver oil.  It was gross, but it was good for us.  (Check out the blog on DHA for more info about the benefits of fish oils.)

I digress a bit, but my point is that in taking good care of your family, you don't want to forget those swim lessons -Why?

• A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age 4 and under.

• 70% of all preschoolers who drown are in the care of one or both parents at the time of drowning. 75% are missing for 5 minutes or less.

So in case you have not noticed, at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center (UVAC) we take water safety pretty seriously!!  

At UVAC we have swim lessons for everyone in your family.  Swim lessons for babies, kids and for Adults.   Do you have a teenager in need of a good summer job, we also have Lifeguard certification and recertification training. And for the 11 and over child, we offer Babysitter Training.  And while we are on the topic of summer safety and your family's safety, we also offer First Aid AED/CPR training.  

Why at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center?  Here are just a few of the reasons why UVAC stands out!

• Warm water pool - our pool temp is an extremely comfortable 86 degrees.  Maybe someone in your family has experienced the "water is too cold blues"  well you won't find that here!

• Participants are thoughtfully placed by ability into small lesson groups - so providing just the right amount of instruction at just the right time.

• 1/2 hour play time before or after the lesson - a great chance for your child to practice those newly acquired skills after the lesson or warm up before.

• We want everyone in the family in the water - so as your child is getting a swim lesson, day passes are 1/2 off for the rest of the family.  Bring those extra suits and goggles along!

So say yes to swim lessons now - and of course shop for that new swimsuit if you dare!

8 Tips for Weight Loss Success

There have been a number of things that we have learned since we started running Shed and Shred our six or eight week, group training and weight loss program.   

These are 8 Tips we have come up with for losing weight:

1. Count your calories.  Your best bet for losing weight is tracking what you are putting into your body.  This probably won’t be something you will do for the rest of your life, but it will definitely help teach you how many calories are in the foods you are eating.  You will also need to weigh or measure your food—best option here is to put a kitchen scale (available for about $20 at your favorite box store) on the kitchen counter.

2. Make exercise a priority and part of your routine.  If exercise remains one of those things you put off until the weekend—like the laundry—it will be harder to get the ball rolling.  Making it part of your weekly schedule will help keep you on track.  If you are a very busy person, block it off in your schedule.

3. Get a buddy, personal trainer, or join a class.  Being accountable to someone will help you immensely!  When you don’t feel like going to the gym, having an appointment will keep you from blowing it off.  You will always feel better after you workout!

4. Be consistent with exercise and food.  When you over eat on some days and under eat on others, we notice that weight loss slows.  Your best option here is to keep things consistent.  If your diet and exercise are consistent and you aren’t losing weight, you can choose one thing to change.  If you are all over the place with your food and exercise and you aren’t losing weight, you will never know what the problem is.

5. Drink plenty of water and avoid consuming excess salt.  Our bodies are made up of 60% water and your body works much better when it is properly hydrated.  I have had clients who were doing everything right except drinking enough water.  They were stuck in a constant state of dehydration and they weren’t losing weight.  Once they started drinking more water the weight started coming off. Adding salt to your food will cause you to retain water.  As the salt ions enter your cells, water will follow to maintain a proper electrolyte balance.  When this happens you will get thirsty and drink water.  All that extra water will come in, but it won’t go out.  I’ve seen a swing of 5 pounds overnight because of a very salty meal.  There is 1 pound of water in 1 pint—it doesn’t take long to put on an extra pound or two of excess water.

6. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound.  Setting a goal of losing 25 pounds in an 8 week period is not a smart goal.  Losing 1-1.5 pounds per week is considered healthy weight loss which means a total of 8-12 pounds in an 8 week period.

7. Be open to lifestyle change.  Many people do not put on a lot of excess weight because they are eating healthy.  Being open to reevaluating what you are really doing for food is a must.  Eating pizza and hamburgers for dinner is not eating healthy.  Be open to eating more fruits and veggies!

8. Get enough sleep.  Not only does lack of sleep affect cognitive function—we all can attest to that, I’m sure (if you can’t, wait until you have kids)—but it also affects performance in the gym.  Just like the water example, I’ve seen clients who started to lose weight after a plateau once they started sleeping better.

If you are interested in losing weight and need a jump start, our next session of Shed and Shred starts Monday March, 10^th!  Register today at the Welcome Desk.  If you have any questions about Shed and Shred, contact John Grainger at jgrainger@uvac-swim.org  today!

by John Grainger
BA, MS, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, UVAC Fitness Center Director and Personal Trainer