Welcome to the FUTURE SHAPES Health & Fitness eNewsletter!

Before adhering to any of the FUTURE SHAPES information or recommendations, you should consult with your physician trainer and/or get a physical examination from your physician, especially if you are considered to be at risk for potential problems resulting from an exercise program and/or making changes in your diet.

This Quarterly Newsletter will include fitness challenges to be strived for during each quarter. The first fitness challenge is a tough one… full pull-ups! Yes, pull-ups! By shedding off some of that holiday weight and practicing some upper body strength exercises, we might have to pry you off the ceiling-monkey!

The ladies goal is set at 2 full pull-ups and the guys goal is set at 4 full pull-ups.

Get your trainer to help you attain this goal by first assessing where you stand in the pull-up department. Once assessed, you can build up your strength by doing assisted pull-ups in a number of ways (Smith Machine, trainer, big black theraband, etc.) Good luck and get cracking!

I hate using the word "diet" it implies negative connotations or restrictions. In general, just like exercise, eating has to be based on you and your lifestyle. Creating a eating plan that is too restrictive for you always ends up with the same results. " I fell off the wagon." "I went back to my old habits." " I can't live like a rabbit" Get a grip folks, if you like fries, eat them! At the end of the day, our body is like a bank. We close up for the night, if we made a lot of food "deposits" without "spending", we end up with more in the bank (calories.)

In time, this will end up a wealth of fat -great. If we close with the same amount taken in and out, we maintain a zero change. But if we close the bank in an over-withdrawal, we are dipping into check protection (aka losing weight.) Tah dah! Don't think that you can just go through the day without eating. You have to make money to spend money and the same is true with your body.

With this said, look at why you eat what you do. Is it because you are bored, stressed, running late, routine??? Take the same road as you do with your trainer. You make plans and set appointments with them to workout. So start planning and preparing meals, drinking water, portion control, and moderation into your life. Are you the type that enjoys when your trainer sets guidelines or goals in your workouts? Then apply the same technique to your meals. Are you more of the type that enjoys how your trainer spices stuff up with new moves? Well then, do the same in the kitchen, buy a new cookbook or try new foods.

Golf season is approaching and its time to train our muscles to make the proper swing.

On the back swing our goal is to turn the shoulders behind the ball, however most of us turn our hips to early causing the club to drag too far inside. This move not only saps us of club head speed but it also leads to an over the top move or an early release of the hands to compensate.

To make a proper back swing start the club back on a straight line keeping your hips still until the club reaches parallel to the ground. This will help your arms maintain proper width and increases your club head speed. To improve your shoulder turn try some of these exercises.

1. Start in a good golf address position, hinging forward from the hips keeping your back flat. Hold a club against your chest like barbell. Turn your upper torso to the right as far as you can without moving your hips…hold this position for 3-5 seconds then turn to the left holding for 3-5 seconds. Repeat 8-12 reps on each side.


2. Start in a good golf address position, while standing outside a doorway with your right shoulder in line with the right arch of the door. Swing your left arm under your right toward the arch and grab the opposite side. Do not allow your hips to turn to the right, once you have hold of the door gently turn your hips to the left holding the stretch for 5-10 seconds. Repeat 8-12 times in each direction.



3. Start in a good golf address position, holding a club fully extended. Make a full back swing making sure to hold you hips still as long as possible. Pause for 1 second at the top of your back swing then make a full swing thru allowing your hips to rotate while maintaining good balance.

Ginger-Marinated Grilled Chicken

Serves 6

• 3/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup champagne vinegar
• 3 TB fresh ginger, grated
• 1 TB ground coriander
• 1 TB ground cumin
• 3 TB organic Dijon mustard
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (halved)

Blend together all ingredients except chicken breasts. Place chicken breasts in baking dish and add marinade (reserve 1/4 cup); make sure marinade is evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Refrigerate remaining 1/4 cup marinade. Grill chicken over medium heat, basting with reserved marinade, about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.