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4A Daily News ��� Tuesday, January 1, 2013 Vitality health & fitness Rockette plan: Want those legs? By Danielle Braff Chicago Tribune (MCT) The first thing the Rockettes are known for are their incredible synchronized high kicks. The second thing they're known for are the way their legs look when they do those kicks. Countless hours of practice, rehearsals and performing (sometimes up to four shows a day) leave these ladies in tip-top shape. Take some cues from Stacy Paydo, a Los Angeles-based Rockette, who created a fusion workout of ballet, Pilates and yoga that'll get you on the way to the famed Rockette legs (if you run through this set of exercises enough times, that is). Before you start, do a five-minute warm-up by taking a brisk walk or another easy cardio exercise. Do each exercise 8 to 10 times and repeat the set three times for a full workout. STANDING LEG PULSES Stand straight with your feet under your hips. If you have a Thera-band, place it around the outside of both ankles so your feet are inside. (Get one for $15 at thera-band.com. They are color-coded to your level, so if you're a beginner, get the red one. If you don't have one, you can do the exercise without it.) Starting with your right leg, extend it straight forward to the maximum height the Thera-band will allow. Pulse and lift here 8 to 10 times. Repeat the exercise to the side and to the back and then switch to the left leg. Hands can be placed on your hips. This exercise also challenges your balance, which works your core muscles. STANDING CALF RAISES In dancer lingo, these are known as eleves. Heels can be lifted with feet parallel hip-width apart, or you can turn out to first position (heels touching, toes apart) to Bacteria in gut studied to examine obesity link By Drs. Kay Judge and Maxine Barish-Wreden The Sacramento Bee (MCT) MCT photo Rockette Stacy Paydo demonstrates the first pose of "jumping squats in second," at the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas. work those deep lateral rotators buried in your gluteus maxims. For added challenge, find a chair for balance and try single-leg calf raises (same exercise but one leg at a time). CRESCENT LUNGE TO WARRIOR III Start in a deep lunge, create a 90-degree angle with your front leg keeping your back leg is straight. When lunging, your heel should be right under your knee. Reach your arms high into the sky. Slowly transfer your weight forward, lowering your torso, and lifting your back leg until you are parallel with the floor and feeling like a big capital "T." Arms reach forward by your head or can be taken out to the side if you are having trouble balancing. With control, bend your supporting leg and return to your starting crescent lunge. Switch sides. JUMPING SQUATS IN SECOND Start in a deep grand plie in second position. This is done by placing the feet wide apart with the toes comfortably facing out to the side. There should be no discomfort in the knees. If it doesn't feel right, try angling your feet more toward the corner. Bend your knees until 1/2 OFF first month rent! you've created a 90-degree angle between your hamstring and calf, and keep your bottom in line with your knees. Arms can be straight out to the side. Explode off the floor by pushing through your feet. Reach the arms up to the sky when you jump. Smoothly return to your turned-out grand plie when you land and repeat. HAMSTRING ROLLS ON THE BALL Find an exercise ball and lay on your back. If you don't have a ball, you may use a stool or a chair _ but you should skip the rolling portion of the exercise. Place the ball underneath your heels so that your legs are lifted in the air. Place your arms to your sides and press down into the ground until you can lift your pelvis off the floor. At this point all of your leg muscles should be fired up and your feet should be flexed. Keep pressing into the floor and try to keep your hips lifting high as you bring your heels closer to your bottom and back out again. If done successfully, your ball should be rolling along the floor. SHOULDER BRIDGE LEG LIFT Start on your back, legs bent, knees pointing to the ceiling, feet flat on the floor. Rolling through your spine, lift your pelvis so that one line is created from knees to shoulders. Pressing into the ground with your hands should help you with this. Carefully lift one leg straight up to the ceiling, lower it until your knees are even, and then bring it back up the ceiling again. Repeat lowering and lifting on one leg 8 to 10 times before placing the foot back on the floor and switching to the other side. CURTSY SQUAT At the end of a great performance or after a fantastic ballet class it is common to bow. The ladylike version of this is the curtsy, so what better way to prepare for a standing ovation than with this exercise? Start by placing one foot behind you and bend both legs in a turned out fourth position (right toes pointing to the right, left toes to the left, legs crossed so the right toes line up for the left heel. Feet should be about 2 feet apart). Place your hands on your hips or out to the side to help with your balance. In one swift movement, straighten your supporting leg and bring the back foot into passe and hold. Passe is a common dance position when you bring the toe of one foot to the knee of the opposite leg. Take the foot in passe back down behind you into your lunge and repeat. Make sure to get that left side in when you are finished with the right. If one of your New Year's resolutions is to lose weight, you are not alone ��� the United States has the highest rate of obesity in the world. In 2010, more than 35 percent of American adults were obese as well as 17 percent of American kids, and it's estimated that 50 percent of adults will be obese by 2030. Obesity has been attributed to many things, including our overconsumption of processed grains, sweetened foods and sodas. Our sedentary lifestyles don't help, either. However, scientists are exploring the possibility that the bacteria hanging out in your gut may also contribute to your expanding waistline, and perhaps to your inability to lose weight. The health of the intestines, in particular the composition of the trillions of bacteria that live in your gut, may be key players in everything from dysfunction of your immune system to insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, depression, skin disorders and autoimmune disease. In fact, many scientists consider that the microbes in the gut constitute their own organ system in the body known as the microbiome. The human microbiome consists of all of the bacteria, viruses and other organisms that live communally in the gut. There are 10 times as many organisms in the gut as there are human cells in the body, and these organisms are subject to change, especially with changes in our diet. So how might bacteria in the gut affect your weight? Research suggests that organisms in our intestines have a significant impact on how fats in our food are metabolized, absorbed and stored. The first data to suggest a connection between the health of the gut and the risk of obesity was published in 2004, and since then more than 100 articles have been published trying to elucidate the mechanism behind this. An imbalance of harmful bacteria in the gut can secrete substances known as endotoxins that can incite inflammation and contribute to changes in hormones that subsequently lead to weight gain. In a recent study in China, scientists identified an obesity-linked bacteria known as Enterobacter from a morbidly obese adult male; when that bacterium was eliminated from his gut, he lost nearly 30 percent of his body weight. The researchers then fed this same Enterobacter to a group of mice; they developed obesity and insulin resistance from this exposure. What leads to an increase in harmful bacteria such as Enterobacter? The composition of organisms in the intestines is affected by multiple things including foods we eat, the use of antibiotics, chronic ingestion of acid-reducing medications and stress. In fact, bacteria in the gut can change within 24 hours of a change in our diets. And how do you keep your gut healthy and happy? Start by avoiding processed grains and sugars, which can promote the growth of harmful bacteria, and switch to whole, unprocessed grains as well as fermented foods. Fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut contain healthy bacteria known as probiotics, which help to replenish healthy gut bacteria, and most of us no longer eat these foods with any regularity. Foods like garlic, leeks, and onions contain substances known as prebiotics, which also help to feed and foster the growth of those healthy bacteria. Sometimes a probiotic supplement is also needed to help restore gut health, and some people may even need more specific treatment to reduce levels of harmful bacteria in the intestines. And of course, don't forget to manage your stress, get plenty of sleep, keep up your exercise and watch your portion sizes to lose weight. But also stay tuned for more information about this new area of research that may provide exciting new ways for you to help reduce your weight in the coming years. A happy, healthy New Year to you. ��� Independent Living ��� Private Apartments ��� Three Nutritious Meals Daily ��� 24 Hour Secure Environment ��� House Keeping Services ��� Warm & Friendly Staff ���Recreational Programs ���Scheduled Transportation ���Private & Formal Dining Rooms A Retirement Community for the Active Senior Citizens 750 David Avenue, Red Bluff ��� 527-9193 EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY RANDAL S. ELLOWAY DDS IMPLANT DENTISTRY 2426 SO. 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