Check out this client’s balance! Real change is marked by the small steps we take every day. It’s a privilege to walk alongside Kristy Hardcastle, whose hard work is definitely paying off. Our clients love us! 

In her words –

“Since joining YPB, I no longer wear ankle braces (after relying on braces for over a decade playing tennis; I had two bad sprains on both ankles at different times and was on crutches; ankles tend to roll out quickly). With all the balance exercises, my ankles have strengthened, and I’ve gained the confidence to let go of the braces.

I can feel my ankles working when doing specific exercises. I have since carried on balance exercises for the kids I teach at tennis as an essential part of our routine stretches and warm-up exercises.

Because of overuse of my wrists from playing and teaching tennis, there were times I couldn’t use my hand(s) because of pain after exercise. Thanks to YPB’s founder, Lisa Wright, I’ve learned to lessen the load and use different holds on dumbbells and straps. It’s a hook hold.

I know I’ve gained strength in my wrists from how my recovery is after workouts. Instead of 2-3 days of aching/pain, it’s down to the next day of regular soreness, just like other muscles react after a workout.

It’s been a long time getting to where I am, but I know I’m improving for the better, even with setbacks throughout the years.

~ Kristy Hardcastle

P.S. Have you had physical setbacks over the years, is your balance declining and pain increasing, and are you over 50 years old and interested in some help? Let YPB help improve your life’s quality by restoring your strength, improving your balance, & reducing your joint pain so you can enjoy your favorite activities. https://www.ypbstudio.com/21day 

Online Yoga is Great for Mind, Body and Spirit

Anyone wanting to get fit or stay fit after 50 knows they need to be “strong enough to bend,” as the saying goes – and that’s never been more true than now.

We’re all making countless adjustments in our everyday routines during the coronavirus crisis. And it’s at times like these that we should keep an eye open for opportunities to try something new.

For instance, if you don’t have much experience with yoga, this might be an ideal time to take some introductory lessons. Even if you’re an experienced yogi, online classes are readily available, safe and effective.

It’s Great for Balance and Flexibility

Balance and flexibility are among the key facets of physical fitness. And just like cardiovascular endurance and strength, they diminish with age unless we work on them.

Working on balance and flexibility helps prevent falls, which can be disastrous later in life. And just like it’s never too late to start working on them, it’s also never too soon. Anyone engaged in fitness should include stretching in his or her routine, whether beginning or experienced. Now that we’re all spending more time at home, we have to double our efforts to exercise at home and via online video tools like Zoom.

Plus, stretching feels good. It lowers stress, and improves posture and circulation. It helps us perform everyday activities, like bending over and turning our heads. You can work on it every day around the house and at work.

Yoga Is Popular and Effective

Almost 40 million Americans enjoy yoga’s health benefits, according to the 2016 Yoga in America Study.

About one-fifth are in their 50s, and another one-fifth are over 60.

Yoga is great for strength and bone density, as well as balance. It helps with back pain, blood pressure and anxiety. The focus on breathing is simple and profoundly beneficial for the mind, body and spirit.

Yoga goes hand-in-hand with meditation and practicing mindfulness – all great ways to manage stress, relieve depression, and improve mood.

You don’t need any special equipment, and you can do it anywhere, although we recommend a few classes, at least, to start with.

And, super-important for people over 50: Yoga is highly adaptable to everyone’s physical needs and limitations. Let your instructor know about any aches, arthritis, surgeries, etc. – and he or she will guide you to a modification.

General tips for stretching

Whether with us online or alone at home, remember to stretch for at least 15 minutes a day, three times a week. For a nice introduction to some basic movements, check out this from the National Institute on Aging.

Remember, also:

• Before any stretching, take a 5-minute walk to warm up.
• Keep breathing while you stretch.
• Give time to your calves, front and back thighs, hips, lower and upper back, chest, shoulders and neck. If you’ve had surgery, talk to your doctor first.

Let’s all stay flexible in our bodies – and in our lives.

5 Healthy Reasons to Stay Strong for Gardening

You don’t have to look any farther than the back yard to find a reason to be fit after 50.

Gardening is a great hobby for people at any stage of life – and there’s no reason to give it up or avoid it just because of age.

But make no mistake, gardening can be a good physical challenge. In fact, it’s a full-body workout that burns up to 300 calories in an hour.

Think about the tasks of gardening: Squatting to tend the earth, carrying bags of dirt, pushing a wheelbarrow, and pulling up weeds. These are very similar to the movements of a great gym workout – and working out at the gym becomes increasingly important to gardening after a certain age.

Millions of people over 50 have enjoyed the hobby throughout their lifetimes. Here are just five reasons they should keep it up.

1. Gardening improves strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance.
2. It improves self-esteem and fights depression.
3. It lowers blood pressure and physical and mental stress.
4. It’s a great creative outlet.
5. And it provides a powerful social outlet, as well, with neighbors, community gardens, and even grandkids.

“The variety of tasks associated with gardening is one reason older adults are more likely to stick with their regimen,” says the American Society for Horticultural Science. “Gardening tasks change throughout the season and different activities are involved in daily chores.”

Gardening can be a component of a lifestyle that’s good for mental health, too, including dementia.

“It appears safe and reasonable to recommend … the maintenance of physical activity, especially daily gardening, in the hope of reducing the incidence of dementia in future years,” according to a study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Florist Deidra Champagne enjoys tending a vegetable garden in her off-time. “It is a mind-body connection – so you’re in touch with the soil, you’re in touch with nature. It’s very therapeutic.”

Fitness Recommendations

Take a few cautionary steps to avoid heat and direct sunlight. Enjoy your hobby in the early morning or early evening. Use sunscreen and a hat. Wear good shoes.

Deidra also recommends using raised garden beds to reduce bending and crouching.

And come see us.

Regular physical exercise – and a focus on “functional fitness” – keeps you able to perform your favorite activities late in life, and gardening is no different than, say golf, tennis or jogging.

Squats, pushups, planks and other common movements will work your legs, core, back and arms to keep you in shape for gardening – and everyday tasks like bringing in the groceries and playing with the grandkids

We’re happy to show you how short, fun workouts can improve your experiences in the garden – and other tasks you don’t immediately associate with exercise.

The fact is, gardening is a great example of why mature adults need fitness, even if it never held much interest before.

If you want to maintain your independence and quality of life throughout this part of life, then you need regular resistance and cardio training.

To stay strong.

To keep your balance.

To enjoy what you love.

Deidra Champagne spends all day making beautiful floral arrangements at her business.

And in her off-time, you can find her sweating it out at the gym, staying strong, limber and fit for the demands of running her shop and enjoying her vegetable garden at home.

Deidra, 57, has been working out with resistance and cardio training for about a decade. Her main motivations including preventing an injury from all the squatting, lifting, twisting and carrying she must do at her job.

“I wasn’t moving properly before,” she says. “When you’re young, you just pick things up.”

But when she couldn’t lift anything above her head to place it on a high shelf, she knew she needed help.

She uses a trainer three times a week who helps her with mobility, balance, strength and fluid motion. She’s able to enjoy long days now, with better posture, fewer headaches, and less back pain.

She likes gardening because, “You can move at your own pace, so aging shouldn’t be an issue. You can slow down, and I see it as a meditation. It’s good to be outside.”

And gym-time helps her do all of that.

“It’s non-negotiable,” she says about her workout schedule. “There’s a lot of stress involved in running your own business,” plus physical challenges like carrying floral displays weighed down by water, and standing on her feet.

“I look forward to going because I see the benefit,” Deidra says. “It gives me energy all day. It’s investing in myself.”

Like tending a garden, you might say.

Every few weeks, we meet as a staff and very much like the newsletters I’ve been writing to you, I chose to speak to them honestly, openly and personally with trust that a Power greater than myself will guide our conversation.

I suggest we begin our time together with a guideline using the following 3 questions.

1. Where are you now?
2. Where do you want to go?
3. What do you need to help you get there?

Where am I now?

Recently, in my own sharing with the staff, I explained my desire to be a better supervisor at Your Personal Best Training Studio. I have a small staff and clearly define their responsibilities to the best of my ability. They are given the right of decision and authority that is equal to the responsibilities they have.

I want us to balance working cooperatively with one another without doing each other’s job. I give them the right of decision and the authority to carry out their responsibilities because if I had to make all of the decisions they would just be “rubber stampers.” I want to treat my staff (the way I want to be treated) with dignity and respect. Knowing that this, in and of itself, fosters loyalty and trust.

For various reasons and circumstances in my life, learning to trust again and to foster an atmosphere of trust is a huge leap of faith for me. If I ask myself, “What is the worst thing that can happen to me if try something new?” … I realize the worst thing I can think of is usually something that has already happened before and I start laughing. To “think” of a worse thing would be making stuff up in my head, it would freeze me in fear and I would not take the actions necessary to reach the greatest amount of people with regard to health and fitness.

I know this as my truth because living a fear based life is how I rolled for years without really knowing it.

Where do I want to go?

I want to continue to adopt and practice my spiritual program of recovery that has given me a new set of principles to practice in all my affairs. Just as these principals have the power to heal me emotionally, to unite me with you on a more personal level and have helped fulfill my purpose of helping others adopt a more healthy lifestyle; I believe they can also help me enjoy a more fulfilling life of spending quality time with my family and friends and to become a business owner where people really want to work.

What do I need to help me get there?

I need to live and work in a culture that embraces the following example of guiding principles that I could live with, such as:

• Passion and Commitment
  Love what you do—fitness and health are a way of life, we want to share and inspire

• Attract and Train the best team
  Staff is the heart of a successful service business

• Motivate, Challenge, Celebrate, Appreciate
  Set big audacious goals, make big things happen, applaud successes

• Communicate and Listen
  The more we know the more we understand, the more we care

• Respect and Care
  Work together as a team; always speak positively of one another in private and in public. If I have an issue with a team member I will address it in private with the person directly. I will never gossip.

• Ownership
  Be responsible for all your actions and all you do.

• Wow Clients
  Give them more than they expect

• Control Expenses
  Be a wise steward will all company resources

• Continually Improve
  Ever learning, ever growing, personal development

• Share Profits
  Everyone should share in the success of the business

• Partner and Contribute
  Give back to the community and always act with integrity

My husband, John and I have a RV and plan to some long get-a-way weekends. John is retired and I told him, “I’m ready to practice taking off occasionally”. Today, I have much gratitude for a staff and client base that help me to take care of myself as I strive to serve them and the many clients whom I consider “Under My Protection and Care”.

A time for change

Have you been waiting for something to change before you bring back into balance that healthy YOU that longs to really feel good again? You’ve just had an inside peak at the heart beat of my training studio. If you feel this could be a safe place for you start a program of physical recovery, give me a call today, 361-549-4604 I would really like to meet with you.