WE'VE MOVED!

Our Valeo blog is now imported right into our website!

You can view our highlighted posts or latest news right on the homepage, or read all our entries by pushing the "Blog" tab up top.

Come visit us! www.valeotraining.com

GREEN VEGETABLES

Vegetables are the most missing food in the typical diet, and leafy green vegetables are lacking most of all. When many people think of vegetables, they have bad memories of their parents making them eat all of their Brussels sprouts or peas before leaving the dinner table. Can you relate?

Truth is, veggies are not scary and are seriously good for you. They are crammed with vitamins A, C, E and K, fiber, folic acid, and many other micronutrients that help with blood purification, cancer prevention and improved circulation. They're like a miracle food!

When thinking about vegetables, be adventurous and go beyond traditional greens like, broccoli or lettuce. Kale is a great, green leafy vegetable that has more nutritional value with fewer calories than almost any other food around. Better yet, it is in season from the middle of winter through the beginning of spring and can be enjoyed in many ways. Some people prefer to eat it raw, while others like it steamed. See what works for your taste buds.

Here is a simple recipe to get you started:
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cooking Time:
10 minutes
Yields:
10 servings or more
Ingredients:
1 to 2 bunches kale
Olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Remove kale from stalk, leaving the greens in large pieces.
Place a little olive oil in a bowl, dip your fingers and rub a very light coat of oil over the kale.
Place kale on baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until it starts to turn a bit brown. Keep an eye on it as it can burn quickly.
Turn the kale over and bake with the other side up. Remove and serve.

Notes:
Try different kinds of kale or collard greens.
For added flavor sprinkle with a little salt or spice, such as curry or cumin after rubbing on olive oil.
*Article from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition


In addition to great recipes like this, consider adding the cancer-fighting nutrition of kale to your diet everyday with Juice Plus. It's whole-food nutrition - 17 colorful vine-ripened fruits and vegetables (including Kale) in a capsule for just $1.39/day. http://www.valeotraining4juiceplus.com

Ask Mike or me for more info today! We'd love to share with you why we support this!

WHY?

As I was sharing and listening to a client the other day, I was reminded of a statement made by our pastor at Engedi Church. It struck me as so powerful to many facets of life, including physical fitness improvement and weight loss. Let me know if it resignates with you, too...

Change only happens when the reason TO change is greater than the reason NOT to change.

So...what's your "WHY"? What's your reason to change your habits, your daily routine, your weight, your mentality, your endurance, your drive, your choices, your food, your sleep, your heart?

Forget the surfacy stuff...dig deep. It's not just to "look good" or "lose weight" or "feel better". Identify what that means exactly to you, what that looks like, feels like, tastes like for you, your family, your coworkers, your friends...Write it down and put it somewhere you can see it, to remind you what you're striving for, why every little choice points you one step closer to your "Why". If your WHY - your reason to change - doesn't mean MORE to you than your reason not to change - trying to change will feel like torture.

It's a choice you make every time you face a challenge, a temptation, apathy or unmotivation. Your WHY will change occasionally; expect it to. But know that if it is spoken, written and known deep inside you, it will drive you forward, propelling you one small step at a time closer to your goal.

How do you see yourself in 6 months if you keep holding on to the same negative behaviors? How do you see yourself in 6 months if you did make those positive changes in your life?

Keep pressin' on!

(WE'RE BACK!)

We are back in action...all married and stuff. :) Life has been a bit crazy lately and the blog has taken a backseat, but we are determined to keep working at it!

I'm in the process of updating our personal bloggy blog, too, with wedding, honeymoon, home, and other event pics....so check out www.mikeandjessluepke.blogspot.com and stay tuned for more updates!

HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON!!

THE SENSIBLE EATER

Valeo/Personal Training and Nephew Physical Therapy have teamed up in an effort to provide good, solid health, fitness, nutrition and therapy information to anyone interested. These FREE events will be held the 1st Tuesday of every month from 6:45 - 7:30pm at Ultimate Fitness and Health. Keep an eye out for us each month!

Mike and I gave a presentation last night called "The Sensible Eater: How to Prepare Yourself for the Holiday Season". We had a great turnout! Let me know if you weren't able to make it and would like to sit down and chat about what we discussed.

I love this definition of "Sensible Eater"....this is the kind of eater I want to be; how 'bout you?!

THE SENSIBLE EATER

• Someone who lets the Food Guide Pyramid guide his/her choices. Emphasis is placed on foods with highest nutrient quality (like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean poultry, fish, low fat milk products, nuts and unsaturated oils). But, sweets and high fat foods are also enjoyed in moderation, and without guilt! These people sometimes eat too much and sometimes too little as a result of environmental influences. But most of the time, they listen to their body’s internal cues for hunger and fullness and maintain a proper energy balance.
– Sheri Barke, MPH, RD
UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center

Here are some Take-Home Points, as discussed last night:

*Eat breakfast (ex. 1 whole grain, 1 lean protein, 1 sm. fruit)! And small meals every 3-5 hours after that.

*PLAN PLAN PLAN! Create a new habit of packing a cooler with your lunch and snacks for the day. Keep one in your car for long errand runs or road trips. Stock it with nutritious fruit and vegetable munchies, lean proteins, lean dairies and healthy fats. See notes for examples.

*Drink lots of water; often what you interpret as hunger is really thirst.

*Add nutrients and bulk to your diet with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables (Volumize that meal!) Check out http://www.valeotraining4juiceplus.com/ if you aren't reaching the recommended 9-13 servings a day, according to the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.

*Be a MINDFUL holiday eater. Fill up on the good, nutritious foods and don't feel guilty for indulging on goodies occasionally!

Check out the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid. The food pyramid has changed over the years; are you up-to-date? I love the emphasis on fruits and vegetables. With the amount of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes in our nation, we need to be getting whole-food nutrition in our bodies like never before! Food is fuel and medicine!

Beat the Heat Before It Beats You - Sports/Outdoor Activities - FitFacts - American Council On Exercise(ACE)

Beat the Heat Before It Beats You - Sports/Outdoor Activities - FitFacts - American Council On Exercise(ACE)

Shared via AddThis

Alcohol Eats Away at Muscle Mass - Miscellaneous - FitFacts - American Council On Exercise(ACE)

Alcohol Eats Away at Muscle Mass - Miscellaneous - FitFacts - American Council On Exercise(ACE)

Shared via AddThis

Everything in Moderation - General Exercise - FitFacts - American Council On Exercise(ACE)

Everything in Moderation - General Exercise - FitFacts - American Council On Exercise(ACE)

Shared via AddThis

JOKE OF THE DAY

This was sent by my dad; it made me laugh outloud!

Exercise for people over 50: Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5-pound potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-pound potato sacks. Then try 50-pound potato sacks, and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-pound potato sack in each hand, and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I'm at this level.)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each sack.

Ultimate Cycle Challenge - RESULTS

It's been awhile since the event, but I figured I'd do a quick post on the UCC last month. What a cool event! The number of people involved was inspiring and hearing stories, watching videos, rockin' to DJs and live bands and just enjoying the company of others helped keep those pedals moving for 24 hours straight. The result? 40 teams, hundreds of people and over $44,800 raised for the Lance Armstrong (LiveStrong) Foundation!!!

Because of all you riders and all of you who generously and lovingly donated, there are even more funds for CANCER RESEARCH and PATIENT CARE. Seeing all the names of those affected by cancer on the yellow linked-chain was moving and many people wore signs on their back saying 'Riding in Honor of', 'Riding in Memory of' or 'Riding in Celebration of (name of a survivor)' - very powerful!

We ended the 24-hrs with a teary-eyed, yet joyful picture-video and presentation by the Bocks family, whose son, Duncan, was diagnosed with cancer when he was a baby. He is now a happy, healthy 14-yr old - thanks to events like this that raise $$ for hospitals and research! Duncan even rode the last hour of the event and was cheered on by everyone in the room!! :)

Thank you so much for your support, in so many ways.

Team Valeo-24
Jessica Oosting
Mike Luepke
Tarra Miedema
Kevin Carlson
Emily Nicholson
Shawn Luepke
Tiffany Andre
Anne Veltema
Bill Bredemier
Karin Ashcroft
Bret Vandenbil
Leslie Brown
Carmen Hannah
Duncan Bocks
David Dupato

Team Valeo-12
Jessica Oosting
Mike Luepke
Ronda Dryfhout
Hannah Dryfhout
Jeremy Brieve
Tricia Schaap
Matt Metzger
Lee Tanis
Jeff Tanis
Chelsea Brown
Ashley Huntey
Kelly Slagh
Barb Ellis
Sarah Ellis

Riding in honor and support of our dear pastor's wife and friend, Christina!

"BYE-BYE" LONG, SLOW CARDIO!

The 'Fat-Burning Zone': A Fitness Myth Debunked

An article from http://www.health.usnews.com/, written by "On Fitness" author Katherine Hobson; information from ACE fitness.

There's a lot of misinformation out there about exercise and nutrition. As an ongoing feature, I'll ask experts in those fields about their pet fitness peeves—commonly believed myths that are just plain wrong. This week, I asked Cedric Bryant, chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, for the facts about the so-called fat-burning zone.

Myth: I will lose body fat more efficiently by working out in the fat-burning zone—doing my aerobic workouts at a low, rather than high, intensity.

Explanation: Many aerobic exercise programs and videos feature low-intensity workouts purporting to maximize fat burning. The argument is that low-intensity aerobic training will allow your body to use more fat as an energy source, thereby accelerating the loss of body fat. While it is true that a higher proportion of calories burned during low-intensity exercise come from fat (about 60 percent as opposed to approximately 35 percent from high-intensity programs), high-intensity exercise still burns more calories from fat in the final analysis.

For example, if you perform 30 minutes of low-intensity aerobic exercise (i.e., at a level of 50 percent of maximal exercise capacity), you'll burn approximately 200 calories. About 120 of those, or 60 percent, come from fat. However, exercising for the same amount of time at a high intensity (i.e., 75 percent of your maximal exercise capacity) will burn approximately 400 calories, and 35 percent of them, or 140 calories, will come from stored fat. So by sticking to the fat-burning zone for their workouts, many individuals are wasting valuable time.

Keep in mind that you lose weight and body fat when you expend more calories than you consume, not because you burn fat (or anything else) when you exercise.

Of course, the less intense form of exercise has its benefits as well. For example, because many overweight people tend to find that lower-intensity exercise is more comfortable, they may, therefore, be willing to engage in such workouts. The point to remember is that low-intensity workouts do, in fact, promote weight and fat loss. You just have to do them for a longer period of time.

THE FACTS ON FASTING

This Q & A comes from http://www.sparkpeople.com/ and is written by Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian. It's a great article on something many of you have asked me about! *Note - this article is not referring to fasting for spiritual reasons...something I DO support!

Q. Will fasting jumpstart my weight loss efforts and boost my health?

A. Fasting is the deliberate abstinence from food. Fasting has long been touted as a healthy process with many benefits such as cleaning the system, ridding the body of so-called toxins, benefiting the intestinal track, boosting metabolism, and jumpstarting weight loss. However none of these notions are true, nor are they backed up by medical research. While a short-term fast probably won’t harm most people, it could be quite dangerous for others, depending on their medical conditions, health histories, and medication use. I strongly urge you to talk to your physician before ever starting a fast.

During normal metabolic conditions (non-fasting), the body gets its energy primarily from glucose and fat (in the blood), which are supplied by the carbohydrates and fats that you eat. Both the brain and nervous systems use blood glucose for energy and proper functioning. Your body also stores energy in both the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen.

Within only hours after starting a fast, when dietary glucose is used up, the body draws on its glycogen stores, but these don’t last very long. When these stores are exhausted, your body enters an altered metabolic state. It turns to its own protein (and a portion of its fat) to make more glucose for the brain and nervous system. This results in a considerable breakdown of both lean muscle tissue and fat tissue, and a production of ketones. This is not considered a healthy or desirable state. As a result, you might lose weight, but it is due to water loss, dehydration, and muscle tissue wasting, and is usually accompanied with symptoms such as fatigue and dizziness.

Therefore, you can reason that after years of abusing the body with a poor diet and excessive fat and calories, a fasting state is not the answer to better health. Your body is truly craving proper nutrition, including whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, healthy fats, and lean meats, fish, beans, and other protein sources. Then and only then, can the body systems work together effectively and efficiently. This healthy diet will results in improved energy and overall health.

NOTE: Certain medical procedures and tests require patients to fast for a designated time period. Always follow the advice of your primary health care provider in these situations.

WEBSITE UP AND WORKING AGAIN!

After some downtime (for unknown reasons), my website is up and working again. Check it out and pass it along! :)

www.valeotraining.com

Thanks to Chuck Cusack for his work on this!

WEDDING BLOG :)

Mike and I made a blog to keep everyone updated on our wedding info - check it out! :)

www.mikeandjessluepke.blogspot.com

NSCA Re-Certification

It's official! My personal training national certification through the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) was up at year's end, 2008. To get re-certified without taking the grueling 4-hour exam, members must earn a certain number of CEUs (Continuing Education Credits) over a 2-3 year time period to maintain their status. Events and courses I've been involved in since my original certification in 2006 include:

* Attended the Perform Better 3-day Summit in Long Beach, CA

* Maintained my First Aid/CPR/AED certification

* Lectured/gave free trainings to Sport Conditioning Teams, Women's Groups, Youth Groups and Businesses and Sport Clubs

* Studied for and passed the quiz: "Neuromuscular Adaptations to Resistance Training" by Jay R. Hoffman, Ph.D, FACSM, CSCS*D

* Studied for and passed the quizes: "Concurrent Training - Part I" and "Concurrent Training - Part II" by Jay R. Hoffman, Ph.D, FACSM, CSCS*D

* Studied for and passed the quiz: "Designing Exercise Programs to Lower Fracture Risk in Mature Women" by Elaine M. Mansfield, NSCA-CPT

* Attended NSCA Webinar: "Youth Training" with Chat Williams

* Attended NSCA Webinar: "Breaking Through Plateaus" with JC Santana

It's been a lot of work, but the need to keep up on the latest in the Personal Training field, as well as my knowledge in Exercise Physiology necessitates I spend regular hours 'in the books' as well as at the gym. And it's been worth it! I received my new, official "Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist" certificate in the mail today...valid (with continuing education credits) until 2011! Yay! It's been a good day. :)

REMINDER: YOGA TONIGHT AT 7PM!

Just a reminder that I'm offering a FREE 1-hr Yoga class TONIGHT at 7pm. My friend, cyclist, and Yoga-extraordinaire, Heather Allegrina-Bowe, is hosting a Yoga class at the Satya Yoga Center in Saugatuck. I've taken her classes before and absolutely love them - I've walked away, even from just one session, with a renewed sense of strength, body awareness and breathing control. There is so much benefit to Yoga, especially as a complimentary workout to your normal routine.

This class is for current or past Valeo-ians only and is just a 1-time thing. All mats and other equipment are provided. I'd love to see you there!! (it's really easy to get to). This session will be great for those who've never tried yoga before!

Satya Yoga Center (a serene, beautiful building nestled in the woods)

3385 Blue Star Highway

Saugatuck, MI 49453

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE AND PHYSICAL DISCIPLINE - they are related!

Lack Of Discipline

By Ron Luce

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Col. 3:1-2).

Someone who has the edge is disciplined in both spiritual and physical matters. We think the only thing that matters is that we pray as much as we can and read our Bible every day. I'm not saying we should be robots in that we stick to a bunch of rules and regulations. But we're to be disciplined in seeking real life. Being disciplined is putting God first in your life - in everything you do and say. It means you're pushing yourself to get into the Holy of Holies and get the real life. Being disciplined is reading the Bible because you know it is your source of faith and strength. Being disciplined is praying because you know that daily communion with the living God is the highlight of your day. Being disciplined is spending time praising and worshipping the Lord because you know praise stills the enemy.

Being undisciplined is self-centeredness - you read the Bible and pray when you feel like it. Your world revolves around you and no one else. Every decision you make is based on how it will benefit you. You don't have a heart of love and compassion for others. You may love people, but it's a conditional love - you'll love them as long as you're getting something from them. Being undisciplined is not seeing others how God sees them. This may come as a deep revelation to some, but Jesus died on the cross for everyone!

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity" (Col. 3:12-14).

It's hard to believe that someone is really spiritually disciplined if they're not physically disciplined. Do you lead a disciplined lifestyle? That covers everything from the food you eat to what you do with your spare time. I believe Christians should be examples of excellence. If you are an athlete, are you working as hard as you can to be the best you can? If you have a job, do you give your employer the best of your abilities? Do you show up for work on time and stay until it's time to leave? In school, do you take your education seriously? Do you strive to make the best grades possible or are you satisfied with just sliding by? You may think, What does all this have to do with anything? How you answer these questions indicates whether or not you lead a disciplined lifestyle.