Austin Fit Magazine February 2023: The Generation Issue

From the Director

From the Director

and are in need of motivation to get past that next life obstacle.

However, I’d argue just the opposite of that — age is actually more than a number. In fact, it’s a marker of your experiences, a measurement of the life you’ve lived and will continue to live. Only when we understand our age and interpret its meaning can we truly thrive as individuals.

The phrase “Age is just a number” implies you should disregard it completely and the limitations that come with it to pursue your dreams. But when you miss your age, you miss the opportunity to recognize the unique challenges that inevitably come with it, which ultimately help in your pursuit of dreams.

As a 20-something, it’s easy to write off what I say because I haven’t experienced wrinkles, menopause or body aches — all the displeasing parts of aging. However, there are unique challenges for each age, whether you’re an infant or a senior. And recognizing this doesn’t mean you’re automatically giving into those limitations; rather, you know what the battle is before jumping in.

As a 20-something, my current challenge might be having less professional experience, but knowing this is part of this season of life motivates me to continue.

AGE IS A NUMBER, AND THEN SOME.

Growing up, the dream age I wanted to be was 25 because I thought I’d have it all together. Now, I’m turning 24 this year and I’m not too sure that’ll be the reality next year.

Age is a curious thing — when we’re young, we want to be older; when we’re old, we want to be younger. Time seems to crawl by in millimeters when you’re young, while it feels as if 10 years pass in one blink when you’re older.

Not only is the passage of time tricky, but understanding the meaning behind age is, too. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Age is just a number,” a common statement uttered by people as they grow older

As a 70-year-old, body aches might be a challenge but accepting this truth frees you to keep pursuing your dreams.

All I’m saying is to not forfeit the meaning behind our age. Our age is a story of the things we’ve learned and done, as well as a guide for years to come. In this Generation Issue, you’ll hear about life through the ages — from Tim Minnick’s story of being the world’s oldest active fitness trainer to the benefits of pursuing mindfulness with our mini-mes.

Age is something to recognize, motivate, cherish and care for, so let’s turn those digits into dreams.

Keep Austin Fit,

Landry Allred DIRECTOR OF CONTENT

NUTRITION

Recipe of the Month: Cannon + Belle’s Texas Filet 10

Nutrition Through the Ages 12 College, Classes & Calories 16

LIFESTYLE

Down & Dirty: How Austin Children’s Garden Helps Kids with Holistic Education 22 The Seed of a Hockey Dream 24 Kids Can Experience Burnout, Too 26

WELLNESS

FITNESS

CEO | LOU EARLE

PUBLISHER | LYNNE EARLE

CTO | DREW TERRY

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT | LANDRY ALLRED

ART DIRECTOR | BEN CHOMIAK

PHOTOGRAPHER | BRIAN FITZSIMMONS

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Mia Barnes, Emma Aguirre, Laura Williams, Katerina Cotroneo, Jessica Tranchina, Maria Luque, Sarah Leahy, Sadie Flynn, Kati Epps, Nikki Zahka

INTERNS Kate Bushman, Kellie Keeling, Sam Hacker, Shannon Lawlor

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Austin Fit Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content of articles or advertisements, in that the views expressed therein may not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or any magazine employee or contributor. This publication and all of its contents are copyrighted.

Austin Fit Magazine is the assumed name of its publisher, Louis M. Earle, who has no interest in the business of Denis Calabrese who operates an exercise program under the assumed name of Austin Fit, which trains individuals to improve their jogging or running skills to participate in marathons. The views, opinions and other representations published in Austin Fit Magazine are not those of Austin Fit or any of its directors, officers, employees or agents.

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NUTRITION

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

CANNON + BELLE’S TEXAS FILET

n This timeless dish brings together the best of all worlds in an eye-catching presentation that makes an effortless transition from plate to palate.

SMASHED YUKON POTATO

INGREDIENTS:

5 pounds Yukon gold potato

1 pound unsalted butter

1-quart heavy cream Salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds of rock salt

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Spread rock salt evenly on a baking tray. Place washed and dried potatoes on top of the salt, leaving room between the potatoes.

3. Place potatoes in the oven and cook until fluffy.

4. Warm up the butter and cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and break the potatoes with your hands into a warm and creamy substance, adding garlic and seasoning. Continue to mix until the potatoes are warm and delicious.

CRISPY MUSHROOMS

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound crimini mushrooms

1 pound baby bella mushrooms

1 pound oyster mushrooms

¼ cup thyme

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

⅓ cup minced garlic

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Roughly chop the mushrooms. Place chopped mushrooms into a medium-sized mixing bowl.

3. Add garlic, salt and pepper, and extra virgin olive oil, and mix them together.

4. Spread mushrooms evenly onto a baking tray and bake for 12 minutes, or until crispy.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Place smashed potatoes onto the center of the plate, followed by the mushrooms, then rest your filet on top of both. Cut a slice of marrow butter, place it on top of the steak and enjoy!

MARROW BUTTER

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup bone marrow

1 cup unsalted, room-temperature butter

2 zested lemons

1 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon cracked pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

PREPARATION:

1. Place butter, marrow, lemon zest, salt, pepper and parsley into a food processor. Pulse a few times and allow to mix for 2 minutes.

2. Place mixed butter onto wax paper and roll it into a log.

3. Wrap the butter in plastic and let it cool.

CAST IRON FILET

INGREDIENTS:

7-ounce filet mignon

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter Extra virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic 1 sprig thyme 1 sprig rosemary

PREPARATION:

1. Pre-warm cast iron sauté pan. Season steak with salt and pepper and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

2. Lay steak flat side down into the cast iron and allow it to sear for 2 minutes. Flip steak and add thyme, rosemary and garlic to a pan, allowing the steak to sear for 2 more minutes before adding butter.

3. Flip the steak one more time and start to baste it with the melted butter for 3 minutes.

4. Pull the steak and allow it to rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. While the steak is resting, add mushrooms to the sauté pan to re-warm. afm

COURTESY OF CANNON + BELLE

NUTRITION

AUTHOR Sam Hacker

NUTRITION THROUGH THE AGES

n As we go from infants to elders, our nutritional needs change vastly to make sure we’re receiving enough nutrients throughout life.

As our bodies change with age, so do our nutritional needs.

The physical changes that accompany aging require us to pay attention and adjust our diet as necessary. Adrien Paczosa, chief clinical officer and founder of Nourish, says this is mainly because of our hormonal and muscle changes.

Here are specific ways our nutritional needs change throughout our lives:

Infants

Until 6 months old, infants should only consume breast milk or formula, which contain the necessary nutrients an infant needs. Deciding between formula or breastfeeding can be a challenge but should be discussed between a mother and a doctor/lactation consultant. However, both provide great benefits.

Breast milk contains antibodies that help infants fight off infection. Another benefit of breastfeeding is that it’s fairly inexpensive. However, because the mother is providing the nutrients, it’s important that she also eat healthily.

On the other hand, formula feeding allows for more flexibility for mothers. The Food and Drug Administration also regulates the infant formula

market to make sure formulas contain all the necessary nutrients and safety requirements.

Once a child hits 6 months, or on advice from a pediatrician, infants can start eating other foods. Foods should be mashed or pureed so the infant can eat them without worry. As you introduce foods, take some time in between each food to make sure there are no allergies.

Childhood

Children can be quite picky when it comes to food, but their nutritional needs must be met. The Mayo Clinic recommends having nutrient-dense meals so that way it isn’t too calorie-dense. They also include a general guideline for how much both boys and girls should be eating daily.

Healthy eating is paramount during childhood because it doesn’t just help your child start healthy habits; it also helps prevent non-communicable diseases such as stroke, cancer and diabetes.

Adolescent

Adolescents are often called bottomless pits, and it’s not too much of an exaggeration. Since teenagers are going through puberty, their bodies are going through rapid changes, both mentally and physically.

As adolescents, the number of nutrients required increases sharply to accommodate the rapid physical changes. Adolescents also begin to spend more time away from home, increasing the likelihood of only eating unhealthy foods as they can easily go through a fast food drive-thru.

Ways to help adolescents eat healthier is by leaving out healthy (and delicious) snacks so food is readily available. Since adolescents will often eat whatever is easiest, this can be a small but powerful way to get healthy nutrients into your adolescent.

Adult

There are several myths when it comes to adult nutrition, but Paczosa says recognizing some of these myths and understanding how we can correct them helps us approach nutrition better.

“(The most common myths are that) all hydration needs to come from fluids, supplements will fix any nutrition errors (and) older adults don’t need as much protein as younger adults,” Paczosa says. “All of these myths are dangerous for our aging and anyone’s health.”

The National Agricultural Library has a Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) Calculator for those interested in learning what the recommended daily nutrients are for a person. This doesn’t replace seeing an actual nutritionist but can help you know where to start.

Elderly

As you get older, your body begins to slow down and it can become harder to cook or eat on your own. Paczosa says this is related to a shift in our appetites and thirst.

“One of the biggest changes (with growing older) is our appetite and thirst signal are down-regulated,” Paczosa says. “This can lead to malnutrition.”

Additionally, while you may need fewer calories as an older adult, you still need enough nutrients in your diet. This can mean adjusting what you eat and how much.

MedlinePlus says protein is important as it’s still a building block of your body. The National Institute of Aging suggests adjusting what types of food you use as protein, such as switching to eating more eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, soy products and more.

Some other things to consider are how medicine or income may change your situation. As you grow older, you may end up with medication that causes you to lose your appetite, or being on a limited income can make getting healthy meals difficult. afm

AUTHOR Mia Barnes

COLLEGE, CLASSES & CALORIES

As a college student, walking into a dining hall with endless possibilities can be overwhelming. One meal swipe allows you to pile up your options till you can’t eat anymore. But having a meal plan doesn’t have to lead to mindless eating and potentially the typical “Freshman 15.”

You can use the food and resources to your advantage with the right mindset. Here is how to maintain a balanced diet as a college student eating at the dining hall.

1. Understand What a Balanced Diet Is

A healthy meal balances macronutrients such as protein, fats and carbohydrates with micronutrients, which are the vitamins and minerals your body needs. You’ll want to ensure you eat various food with these elements at each meal.

Some protein options include baked chicken, fish, turkey burgers, tofu, tuna and bean salad. You can pair it with whole grains like brown rice, wheat toast or oats. Make sure to add fruits and vegetables of some volume to keep you staying full throughout the day.

2. Know What’s in Your Food

Knowing precisely what’s in your food and how the dining hall prepares it is essential to a balanced diet. There can be hidden oils and fats from how it’s cooked that you can’t see by just looking at the food. For example, you might not realize the school baked the grilled chicken in an extensive amount of olive oil, which can add many calories and fats.

Campus dining services are increasingly providing nutrition information for students looking to watch for nutrition information and ingredients. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to avoid anything with heavy cream, butter, sugar or deep-fried.

3. Look at the Menu Beforehand

When you enter the dining hall, it can be overwhelming with all the sugary and fun options. Most dining halls offer cereals, desserts and pizza on hand at any time you stop by. It’s easy to get distracted by those foods instead of creating a balanced meal.

Before you go to the dining hall, look at what they’re offering to eat that day. You can create a plan so the temptations of the other foods don’t get to you. Pick your favorite option on the menu and stick with it instead of sampling all the treats they offer.

4. Eat the Rainbow

Most people eat less than the recommended amount of daily fruits and vegetables. The best way to ensure you get

n Just because you’re on a tight budget as a college student doesn’t mean you need to forsake the art of eating healthy.

the proper amount is by including a fruit or veggie in every meal. There are so many delicious options to choose from that provide you with the nutrients you need.

For breakfast, throw berries on top of your oatmeal. At lunch, eat your sandwich with a side of carrots and at dinner, pair your chicken with broccoli. There are so many options you can choose from to add color to your diet.

5. Drink More Water

Doctors recommend that the average male intake 15.5 cups of fluid a day and a woman intake 11.5 cups. Your body needs water to stay energized and hydrated, so carry around a reusable water bottle to fill up throughout campus all day.

Soda is available in dining halls, but it’s best to stay away from it most of the time. Replacing soda can save you from adding sugar and calories without any nutritional benefits. It can make you crash throughout the day, so if you want something with more flavor, try coffee or tea instead.

Enjoy Your Time at School

College is a short and exciting time of your life. You shouldn’t worry too much about what you eat and focus more on the memories and time you have on campus. Do your best to eat healthy most of the time, but don’t let it stop you from enjoying your life. afm

Mia Barnes is a health and wellness writer and editor-in-chief at Body + Mind. She specifically enjoys writing about women’s fitness, as well as mental healthrelated topics. When she’s not writing, Barnes can usually be found reading poetry, taking a dance or cardio class, or hiking.

AUTHOR Kate Bushman

GIVE GRANDMA HER ICE CREAM: UNDERSTANDING PROPER NUTRITION FOR AGING ADULTS

n Growing older means more problems, not only with how your body wants to move but also with what your body wants to eat.

Living a full life is easier with a full stomach. According to a review from the National Library of Medicine, aging adults are facing nutritional deficiencies that cause a decline in health. But, with the right resources and support system, these deficiencies can be prevented and corrected, and time spent in the hospital can return to time spent with family.

AFM got the chance to speak with Adrien Paczosa, a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified eating disorder dietitian supervisor, about nutritional deficiencies in aging adults and how to help.

AFM: What are common nutritional deficiencies in aging adults? How can you tell when these deficiencies start to emerge?

Adrien Paczosa: A nutritional deficiency could be malnutrition, which could be anything. If we’re looking at a micronutrient deficiency, (it could be) iron, vitamin D or vitamin B12. It could also be dehydration; hydration is a huge issue in aging adults.

We start to see (nutrient intake) decline when someone has a drop in (oral intake) and overall intake. (Other signs of deficiency are) a decrease in cognition, in taste – so when patients start to complain nothing tastes good – and also in lean muscle tissue.

AFM: Why are these deficiencies more common in older adults than in other age groups?

AP: As our body matures, things don’t work as well. The way our mouths work changes. The ability to chew and dysphagia, having difficulty swallowing, kicks in. (This) decreases our ability to find enjoyment in food. There’s also a decrease in basal metabolic rate and gastric activity. (Food) isn’t getting broken down as much. If it’s not getting broken down, our body isn’t able to absorb (nutrients).

Financial insecurities play a role as we get older, too. When working with Meals on Wheels, there would be patients (who) cut their meals into thirds to make them last longer when (these meals) were designed (to be) one.

AFM: If our older adults want to eat ice cream all day, how can we sneak in nutrients to aid in proper nutrient intake?

AP: Sweet is the first taste receptor we have as a little human, and it’s the last one we lose as an older adult, so you’ll see older adults only want sweet things. The more we don’t demonize food and call it good or bad across all age groups is wonderful. If grandma just wants to eat ice cream all day, (she’s a) rockstar! She could (also) have Ensure or an oral supplement with it. Those are

helpful because they have all our vitamins and minerals, or enough of them, to help.

AFM: How can nutritional deficiencies in older adults be prevented?

AP: Prevention is easier than correction. (Having) family involved in our aging adults’ nutrition is important. Have family meals, and make it a priority. That’s easier to make sure grandma is getting those necessary nutrients. Or just stop by and say, “Hey, Grandma. I made this zucchini loaf. Let’s have some tea together.”

Also, as we get older, we have a lot of medications. Sometimes, medications impact the ability to absorb (nutrients). Working closely with a pharmacist to see what is actually going on with all these medications would be helpful.

I am a huge believer in food first (as opposed to supplements). From a scientific standpoint, our body absorbs food way easier than it absorbs supplements. You can’t supplement a poor diet.

AFM: How do you help aging adults find the motivation to fulfill these nutritional deficiencies?

AP: (Food) is super individualized and personal. What’s important to one older adult and what gets them to eat versus another is going to be different. Find what does taste good. Go off of taste and what’s available. The biggest thing we’ve found in research is eating with others. If they are in a community setting, people eat. Food is a shared experience so getting our older adults in and eating with them is helpful.

For aging adults who don’t have familial or financial support, Paczosa suggests using Meals on Wheels’ services as well as connecting with churches and community centers across Austin for free support. afm

LIFESTYLE

AUTHOR Shannon Lawlor

PHOTOGRAPHY Elisabeth McAllister

DOWN & DIRTY: HOW AUSTIN CHILDREN’S GARDEN HELPS KIDS WITH HOLISTIC EDUCATION

n What do you get when you cross the holistic approach of modern parenting with the outdoors free-playing mindset of the past?

Georgina Guerrero was picking up her son from preschool when she saw a couple of young students climbing a tree in the courtyard. Though it was an endearing sight, she had forgotten the last time she saw a kid climbing a tree; this harsh reality made her realize how much we rely on technology now.

Older generations who weren’t saturated with technology spent more time outdoors as children. But nowadays, children are more focused on electronics. Studies have shown that spending time online has become one of the leading activities for children and teenagers.

Guerrero was one of many parents who didn’t want her child to fall into this sedentary lifestyle, so she enrolled her son in Austin Children’s Garden.

“One thing that was really important for me was (having my son) being outdoors and exploring because he loves being outside,” Guerrero says. “We came across Austin Children’s Garden… it had everything I envisioned as far as kids being outside a ton, a large space of outdoor exploration, gardening and everything like that.”

Austin Children’s Garden is a preschool program that follows a holistic and experiential approach to education. They’re focused on nature-based learning, a type of education that allows kids to get down and dirty in nature and creativity.

Elisabeth McAllister, who has worked with children for over 20 years, took over the program early last year. She felt compelled to open a school that highlighted her values and made nature the kids’ classroom.

The school’s approach differs greatly from a traditional school. Austin Children’s Garden focuses more on the child and their choices; children are still given structure, but they have more power in making choices within that structure. This means deciding each day whether they want to participate in the indoor or outdoor classroom, something they always have access to. There’s also a heavy focus on hands-on lessons — from getting dirty while gardening to getting grounded with yoga.

“A lot of good educators believe that the hands are the first way we learn — by doing,” McAllister says. “This is what stays with you.”

Guererro says she loves the gardening element at Austin Children’s Garden because it inspires empathy through understanding that everything has life.

“If (kids) have respect for plant(s) and flowers, you can only hope and imagine what empathy they’ll have as adults toward other people,” Guerrero says.

Jessica Powers, another parent who enrolled her child in the program, also appreciates the nature-based environment that the school offers.

“The nature-based play programs I’ve been a part of seem to honor each child’s own development instead of pushing them to learn on a curriculum,” Powers says.

Another benefit of this holistic education is its impact on a child’s self-esteem and sense of community. McAllister says it’s easy for kids to compare themselves to their peers, especially if they’re a different kind of learner. Constant access to technology, especially, makes children mature — or feel like they must mature — much faster.

“Some of the beauty we offer is just allowing children to not have to hurry ahead, be any different (or) feel weird because they love this certain haircut or love to wear this certain outfit,” McAllister says. “We are just a loving, embracing community of whoever, and so we embrace differences.”

In an increasingly digital world, it’s easy for kids to miss out on playing outside in the dirt and instead are playing inside on their phones and tablets. But schools like Austin Children’s Garden allow kids to be kids and embrace the natural curiosity that comes with childhood.

“There’s gonna be plenty of time for lessons, work and all of the things down the line, education-wise,” McAllister says. “(But) we want to (prolong childhood) for as long as we can.” afm

AUTHOR Sam Hacker

THE SEED OF A HOCKEY DREAM

When people asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, few people actually become what they once said as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed children — except for Travis Morin and Riley Damiani.

Both Morin and Damiani started with the same seed of a goal: to be in the hockey world. And today, they’re living out those dreams from childhood, Morin as Texas Stars’ skills coach and Damiani as a Stars forward. As time goes on, the two men’s dreams continue to evolve from just being involved in hockey to pursuing higher goals within the sport.

From a young age, the two men had hockey goals; Morin was only 5 years old when he knew he wanted to have a career in hockey. His father played hockey and when his older brother started playing, Morin followed suit.

“Growing up in Minnesota, hockey is kind of a religion there.,” Morin says. “(... And) I was born into it.”

After a childhood full of hockey, he went on to play hockey in college and then eventually professionally

for 12 years. Morin played for the South Carolina Stingrays for two years and also played four games for the Hershey Bears before the Texas Stars launched in 2009. Morin went on to play for the Stars for the next 10 years.

When he retired in 2019, Morin was offered the position of skills coach for the Stars, allowing him to continue playing hockey as well as nurturing his love for the sport. He’s been coaching since his retirement and has enjoyed the competitiveness of it.

“Being in coaching has kept me in that competitive environment,” Morin says. “It’s not something you can replicate in any other job.”

Morin hopes to stay in Austin and continue participating in the growth of the team.

“I could still use some more years of learning, and I’m happy learning from the (other coaches),” Morin says. “In an ideal world, I would love to become the head coach for the Texas Stars… It’s become my home.”

Similarly to Morin, Damiani’s hockey dreams started at a young age — only two years earlier than Morin. At age 3, Damiani realized he wanted to not only be a professional hockey player but also a forward.

n Whether it be through coaching or playing, the Texas Stars are full of driven individuals skating toward their goals.

“(Being a forward) made the most sense,” Damiani says. “They get to go everywhere.”

Damiani grew up playing in the Greater Toronto Hockey League before he was signed with the Kitchener Rangers in 2016 in the Ontario Hockey League. He played for them for 3 years before signing with the Texas Stars.

Currently, Damiani is a prospect for the Dallas Stars, and he hopes to play in the NHL full-time.

“I’ve played a few games (with the Dallas Stars) but (have) never been able to sustain a full season,” Damiani says. “It takes a lot of commitment and drive to compete and be the best you can be every day.”

The Texas Stars are an affiliate of the Dallas Stars, meaning that while the two teams play in different divisions, players can move between the two teams throughout the season as needed.

“You never know when you’re going to be given the

opportunity or when it will be taken from you,” Damiani says. “So (you have to) stay consistent and keep going.”

While both Morin and Damiani have future goals — Moring being Head Coach and Damiani playing for the NHL — the two still have goals in the present they’re always aiming for. Especially for the Texas Stars, winning the Calder Cup trophy is the goal.

Since the Stars’ conception, the Texas Stars have made it to the Calder Cup Finals three times, winning in the 2013-2014 season. With little time left in the season, they hope to win it a fourth time this year.

“We’ve got a really good team,” Morin says. “We want to win a championship, but we’ve got to start with the micro goals (of making it to playoffs) before we get to the big goals of finishing (the season) with a championship.” afm

COURTESY OF TEXAS STARS/ANDY NIETUPSKI

COURTESY OF TEXAS STARS/TIM WATKINS

LIFESTYLE

AUTHOR Emma Aguirre

KIDS CAN EXPERIENCE BURNOUT, TOO

n Go, go, go? More like no, no, no — especially when it comes to raising your kids. Here’s why you should look out for burnout in your children.

Gone are the days when children could ride their bikes and play with the neighbors till dusk on a school night; now their days are full of piano lessons and practice.

Most parents have the best intentions and want nothing more than to give kids a childhood filled with enriching activities, so they tend to fill their kids’ schedules. But when is it too much? Where do we draw the line and let our kids be kids?

Alvin Rosenfeld, a psychiatrist and author of “The Overscheduled Child,” wrote that by forcing so much “extra” into children’s lives, we’ve “professionalized” childhood. Rosenfeld says our children are “passive and pressured” as a result of too much on the calendar.

“By the time (kids) reach high school, they are bored and burned out,” Rosenfeld says in his book. “And it’s because their parents have the well-meaning idea that the right way to parent is to overschedule them, with hopes of keeping them busy, active and out of trouble.”

Burnout symptoms are showing up in school with slipping grades and at home with more moodiness and sharp tempers. In a Cleveland Clinic article, one pediatrician says overscheduled kids usually don’t eat or sleep well nor do they make friends properly.

In a New York Times article, clinical psychologist and author Michael Thompson says though there’s a fine line between highly enriching, growth-promoting, after-school activities and too much, nobody actually knows where the line is. Rosenfeld agrees.

“Enrichment activities are perfect; they add a lot to kids’ lives,” Rosenfeld says in the article. “The problem is, we’ve lost the ability to balance them with downtime, boring time.”

The Parents

An overscheduled child starts with the parents. According to Rosenfeld, “parenting (is) the most competitive adult sport” and parents must examine the motivation behind the extracurriculars in question. Does the child really want to play soccer or learn the violin, or does the parent want them to? Essentially, it’s about control and status.

Clinical psychologist Jeff Baldridge says being busy is often associated with importance, giftedness or being chosen. Often, Baldridge sees anxious parents who are overbooked and they assume kids can handle a similar schedule.

“But they are children,” Baldridge says in an article. “They are not little adults.”

According to Thompson, highly successful parents who then try to control their children are also a major part of the problem. This leads parents to make choices about extracurricular activities from a place of anxiety

rather than an interest in their children’s well-being.

Polly Young-Eisendrath, a clinical psychologist and the author of “The Self-Esteem Trap,” says the problem is with parents who are overly involved in their children’s lives.

“All these lessons and classes are about parents competing with other parents,” Young-Eisdendrath says in a NY Times article. “Children need that time to lie around, play more freely and have periods when they are side-by-side with their parents in the same room, being ‘alone together.’”

Control The Chaos

With too many places to be and not enough time to do it, experts say after deciding what activities are truly important to the child, scheduling family time at home with nothing on the calendar is the perfect way to add balance to the home. It’s not about the number of activities; it’s about how much they enjoy it.

By demonstrating strong time management skills, parents can take back control of the calendar and even get time back. Cross out a few things that are optional in lieu of more home time and say no. Take that time to plan quick, easy, nutritious meals at home

for your athletes so less time is spent at fast food drive-thrus. Develop a colored-coded system for each family member and see where the time is spent. Don’t negotiate bedtime.

Extracurriculars are really just that, “extra” – extra enrichment, joy and fun outside the home. But showing kids the soul-warming value of a great, lifelong passion is the true parenting moment. afm

Emma Aguirre’s training career began with spinning almost 20 years ago in a small women-only gym in South Texas. After a career in journalism, Aguirre switched to fitness full time, certifying in Practical Pilates, TRX and Jillian Micheals BodyShred program. She’s also qualified as an AFAA Group Fitness professional and holds several personal trainer certificates as well as Precision Nutrition’s Level 1 certification. She’s currently becoming certified as an International Sports Sciences Association master trainer and spends her days coaching clients online as a Personal Health Advisor at Austin’s Wellthy Soul.

LIFESTYLE

AUTHOR Laura Bond Williams

WE ARE STILL DANCING

n Lucky for Gen Xers and Boomers, this local dancing collective provides a space and community for moving and grooving.

It’s Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, and my call time is 4:30 p.m. Our show starts at 7.

I stand in my closet to gather my costume: tan tights, beige fishnet stockings, black shorts and bra, and a fitted, thigh-high black velour dress. I look for a sparkling pin with black feathers and rhinestones and text our group chat before curling my hair and applying mascara. I double-check for my shoes.

I’m 52 years old, wearing stage makeup and a skintight dress, my graying hair in soft curls, and I’m about to go dance my heart out.

I only started taking dance classes in 2008 at Ballet Austin’s Butler Dance Education Center. At the time, I had no idea I’d perform with David Voss (one of the original Barney actors 30 years ago) at Austin’s Trail of Lights one day — or at the Rollins Studio Theatre at the Long Center, Stateside at the Paramount, Dougherty Arts Center and many others.

But here I am; fourteen years and dozens of shows later, I’m still dancing. And I’m not alone.

I’m one of 10 members of STILLDANCINGATX including Voss, Nancy Penner and seven more dancers. Our 4-year-old company of friends is dedicated to sharing our joy of dance. Our ages range from 40- to 60-something, and our collective experience

represents about 100,000 hours of taking, teaching and performing dance — though most of it before age 30. Individually, we’ve performed on a hundred or more stages across Texas and beyond, including Oklahoma, New Mexico, New York, Illinois and California.

The seed for STILLDANCINGATX was planted in a Broadway jazz dance class in 2008 by teachers and choreographers Danny Herman and Rocker Verastique. It was sown in 2017 by our founder and director Nancy Crandall. She credits Herman and Verastique for creating a class culture that treated everyone like performers. They renewed in us the possibility that we could dance and perform at any age.

Crandall, then, began producing seasonal performance opportunities for STILLDANCINGATX. For the first two years, we met three times a month to practice, learn, review and rehearse choreography for local performances.

And then came COVID.

Locked down in 2020, we doubled down on our commitment to dance together on Zoom. A few months into quarantine, Crandall began contacting teachers and choreographers in New York to ask if they would teach virtual classes for us — and they said yes. Our teachers in 2020 included Emmy Award-winning choreographer Al Blackstone, director/choreographer Richard Hinds, and acclaimed Broadway dancers and choreographers Billy Griffin, Ian Saunders, Danny Gardner and Sarah Meahl.

Our new teachers became our choreographers. Saunders created our 2020 holiday dance, “Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and in 2021, Meahl gave us a sassy number, “Bad Girls Need Christmas, Too,” which we performed for two years. Last summer, we premiered Gardner’s “Get Ready/Dancing in the Streets” as guests of The Dance Project. In 2023, we’ll perform another work by Gardner, a tap/vocal ensemble called “Fascinating Rhythm.”

We are still dancing — and to some audiences, we’re surprising.

Performing says, “Watch me.” It’s an act of generosity and also, selfishness. On stage, we’re both vulnerable and confident, even rebellious. The process from studio to stage requires time and attention, which might conflict with expectations of how we should spend our time.

Because when I’m dancing, rehearsing or performing, I’m not making dinner, working overtime or watching TV. When we’re STILL DANCING, we’re not being spouses, parents, pharmacists, artists, teachers, entrepreneurs, landscape architects or any other role.

When we perform, we have something to give because we first gave it to ourselves. We dance to become more of who we are, together. We dance with possibility. It’s possible I could be performing for another 15 years. It’s also possible that any dance could be my last.

COURTESY OF STILLDANCINGATX

So why are we still dancing? Mutual desire. When we acknowledge something we desire deeply, we must respond to it or risk losing a part of ourselves forever. When we ignore a strong desire for something good in our lives, there are only two reasons: a selflimiting belief, or a lack of community for support.

In STILLDANCINGATX, we overcome both. We live and dance beyond our limitations — those of time, energy, responsibilities and physical ability — and into the possibility of performing for a lifetime. afm

Laura Bond Williams is a dancer, certified Pilates teacher and professional life coach helping clients discover new ways of moving through life with ease and awareness. She loves a good Broadway dance class or “Thriller” flash mob and is happy to perform anywhere from the Long Center to a parking lot.

COURTESY OF STILLDANCINGATX

ANNA BALLEW

AUTHOR LANDRY ALLRED PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN FITZSIMMONS

On an average day after warming up, Tim Minnick can deadlift 300 pounds. The crazy part? He’s 80 years old.

Since 2020, Leander-based Minnick has held the Guinness World Record title of the oldest active fitness trainer in the world. He’s currently a trainer at the Gold’s Gym in Cedar Park whose main clientele includes those 60 years old and up.

However, Minnick isn’t a seasoned veteran of fitness; he only started getting serious about fitness in his later years, specifically after his wife died in 2007. Though it was daunting, especially without a partner to consult with, he aimed for diligence, waking up at 5 a.m. daily to work out.

Because of his journey, Minnick says he’s more equipped to work with his current clientele. Today, he enjoys being involved in fitness, especially as it relates to aging.

“Aging is a very interesting process,” Minnick says. “Someday, you’ll see that your body changes; you can do different things but, at the same time, you have some limitations.”

Getting the Title

Though Minnick wishes he started his fitness journey earlier, he was still able to receive his personal trainer certification in 2015 at 73 years old. He then visited several gyms looking for a job but none of them took him seriously enough to even do an interview because of his age – except for Gold’s Gym in Cedar Park.

“The first day of work (at Gold’s) with a bunch of people (who) were less than half my age caused me to be apprehensive,” Minnick says. “Am I going to fit in? Am I going to be able to do this at this stage of my life? (But) this worked out extremely well.”

Since becoming a trainer, Minnick has received about 10 other certifications and became a member of the FUNCTIONAL AGING Institute, a leader in the industry of fitness for older-aged communities. He’s also worked with people who have had heart transplants, multiple injuries, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and more.

Minnick recalls one of his clients who had cancer, experienced a stroke and was in a severe roll-over car wreck. He worked with her for two-plus years to get to the point where she could finally get off the ground if she was sitting.

“That’s gratifying to see because it didn’t mean I’m so super but that she’s intent on getting better,” Minnick says. “That’s what it takes – the attitude that, ‘I’m going to get better, focus on this, and my mindset is going to be right.’”

It wasn’t too long after Minnick got his training certification when a friend of his in Atlanta shared during a phone call that Minnick might be the oldest trainer in the world. Minnick didn’t believe it at first, but after doing the research, he discovered the oldest trainer was 65 years old; Minnick was 76. After this fateful conversation, it took Minnick a year to get the title, as he had to submit proof of his career and age.

“I always tell people, ‘I’m in the Guinness Book of World Records. I didn’t really do anything to do it; I just got older,’” Minnick chuckles.

Shifting the Industry

Since starting his fitness journey, one aspect Minnick especially noticed about the industry was that most people viewed it to be dominated by younger folks. Because of this, Minnick says many older people feel discouraged from going to the gym and even pursuing fitness at all.

“Especially an older person, if they’ve never been in a gym before, they’re scared to death,” Minnick says. “(At Gold’s), we give everybody a free training session when they (first) come in, and if I meet with somebody (who’s) 60 and up, I can tell they’re nervous because they think, ‘I have to do stuff that (I) can’t possibly do at this point.’”

Minnick says many people over the age of 60 who visit Gold’s for the first time never return because they convinced themselves that they can’t lift weights and bodybuild like the younger adults.

“If you’re older, you should be lifting weights (but) you don’t have to deadlift,” Minnick says. “I try to get people to see (that) they can improve without trying to lift massive amounts of weight(...) You can get a lot better just doing resistance training on machines, but you gotta do that as you get older.”

Luckily, Minnick says he’s seen gyms shift away from the concept of gyms being for younger adults, but there’s still room to grow. He hopes his training can contribute to the narrative that older adults can pursue fitness, too.

Minnick says only when people realize how weak they are and are willing to put in the work to push

through that, they can do a lot more things they couldn’t before. He encourages this in his clients by practicing functional training – things that can help them do regular daily activities. This includes helping them with stability, range of motion, mobility, balance, posture and core strength.

“(Older) people are so limited physically that they can’t do the normal things they would do every day,” Minnick says. “For instance, getting in and out of the car, going to the grocery store, picking up groceries, taking them in the house, putting them up on the shelf – you think that sounds simple but, for a lot of people, it is not.”

This inability to do regular activities is a result of muscle loss. According to a review published by the National Library of Medicine, people lose 3 to 8% of their muscle mass every decade after reaching the age of 30. At 60 years old, the rate of decline is even higher. Minnick remembers one client who couldn’t get off the toilet without help.

“He’s significantly younger than I am, and that’s just scary to me,” Minnick says. “It puts everybody in your family and realm in a position of going, ‘How do I help this guy if he falls down or gets hurt?’”

Even though working with older people is a daunting task, Minnick says it’s also exciting when you see people progress.

“When you see people (who) actually accomplish things at an older age, it’s exciting to see that because it’s rare,” Minnick says. “It shouldn’t be rare, but it is.”

Live to Train

When it comes to Minnick’s personal life, his schedule is structured around all things fitness –from blocking out time for classes he’s instructing in the mornings and afternoons to fitting in clients throughout the day. In the evenings, he studies for other certification exams. Right now, he’s working on getting his CSCS certification. Minnick is also a SilverSneakers instructor and was a finalist for SilverSneakers Instructor of the Year in 2022.

Though Minnick’s full-time job is training others, the training doesn’t stop there. Minnick trains himself personally as well, working out at least four days a week.

“I’m in such a habit and nature of (training),” Minnick says. “I don’t feel right if I’m not active every day.”

His current fitness goals include working on building muscle throughout his body as well as achieving a highintensity exercise, which he aims to complete in the next six months.

“I’ve done part of (the exercise), but I haven’t done the whole thing yet because I’m not in good enough shape to do it,” Minnick says. “But I’ll get there; it’s just a question of time.”

Along with his personal fitness goals, Minnick also hopes to get at least another five years in as a trainer. However, he says it ultimately depends on if he’s healthy enough to demonstrate the movements to his clients.

Overall, he hopes his fitness journey – whether people see him as the world’s active fitness trainer or just another older guy in the gym – helps others in their later years know they can do it, too.

“Most people automatically think as they get older, they can’t do this or that and truthfully, that might be the case for some people (with injuries),” Minnick says. “But they could still do way more than they think they can.” afm

Fathers, Friends & Family

Being a devoted dad doesn’t have to be a solo battle; this local dads group brings weekday and weekend warriors together.

AUTHOR KATERINA COTRONEO PHOTOGRAPHY OLIVER DREWES

They’re not like regular dads; they’re COOL dads. Long gone are the days of daycare dads, hands-off diaper changing and absentee daddies. In Austin, we do things differently, and that includes parenting.

Austin Dads Group is a community of fathers who are dedicated to having active roles in their children’s lives. The group meets up several times each month, encouraging dads to bring their kids to parks, playgrounds, museums, sporting events, parentand-me classes and everything in between. Their meetups are during the week and on the weekends to accommodate both dads who stay at home and work. Whether you’re a single dad, father of five or dad-to-be, this group does not discriminate.

Co-organizer of the group Oliver Drewes stumbled upon the Facebook group one day, eventually receiving the reins to lead it. He says he needed support while raising kids, especially because, for men, it’s much harder to strike up a conversation when out and about with children.

“When I see other fathers at the playground, there is a silent nod instead of an embrace,” Drewes says. “This group is the embrace.”

Drewes has cultivated the group into exactly what he wanted it to be when he needed people to turn to. He says he does his best to create activities and meetups he thinks everyone will enjoy and be able to loosen up and open up to one another. Clearly, he has been successful since the group has nearly 540-plus members and is climbing.

The Austin Dads Group group is a part of a larger entity called City Dads Group, which started in 2008 in New York City. In 2013, the City Dads Group expanded

to include other major cities throughout the U.S. — Austin Dads Group being one of these. Today, City Dads Group has communities in at least 41 cities.

Drewes says the goal for Austin Dads Group was to create a space where dads who took on the role of stay-at-home parent could chat, ask questions, meet up and even host outdoor park hangouts to get their kids out and about. This way, not only the kids were making friends but so were the dads.

“(They wanted) a space for fathers to have a community, which is an untapped source,” Drewes says. “I’m a full-time dad and anytime I attend an event, I’m the only dad. I was like, ‘What’s going on?’”

As mentioned in the group’s Facebook page, Austin Dads Group prides itself on its inclusivity and accommodates multiple walks of life including “at-home or working dads; married, single and divorced dads; straight or gay dads; young and old dads; dads of different ethnic and racial backgrounds; and dads across the economic spectrum.” Whatever the circumstance, Austin Dads Group aims to reach that common goal of being an active parent in their children’s lives.

As someone who was raised primarily by a stay-athome dad, it never once crossed my mind that this was not the “ordinary way” of how things go. The stereotypical breadwinner role and stay-at-home parent in the past have certainly relied heavily on moms being the stay-at-home warriors. However, these days, it’s not uncommon for the roles to reverse. For me, my mother went to work and my father took me to school, nothing odd about it.

According to Pew Research Center, the trend of

stay-at-home dads has increased over the years — jumping from 4% in 1989 to 7% in 2016 — and only continues to rise. This comes with great benefits as dads are an important part of children’s lives. The more children get to be around their fathers, the more stable their relationships are down the line; the presence of a father growing up cultivates the way children view family life.

However, there are still stereotypes and stigmas surrounding stay-at-home dads or even prominent dads, but communities like Austin Dads Groups are breaking the boundaries by shaking them off, hanging out together and having a great time with their kids.

“We’re not heroes,” Drewes says. “We’re just doing our job.”

For years, mothers have had “mommy-and-me” classes and plenty of opportunities to spend time with other mothers; it’s no new concept. With Austin Dads Group, fathers across Austin can finally find this camaraderie.

Drewes says he wished he had known about this group when he was first settling in with his kids here in Austin. Today, he tries to put on events that he thinks will encourage more fathers to join such as Top Golf, storytime for the kids, holiday-themed hangouts and more. One unique event they host is Dad’s Nights Out, where dads can let loose and have fun while embodying their inner child with activities such as laser tag, bowling and other games. Drewes says this event is all about bonding with other guys who have kids and want to be friends with people who are in the same boat.

“This is your support system if you’re new to town, a single dad, anybody at all; we don’t turn people away,” Drewes says. “Take the risk and show up!”

The Austin Dads Group doesn’t require any group dues or attendance expectations, and there is a mixed variety of involvement among the members — some dads will come consistently while others come once or twice a year. There’s no right or wrong way to go about it, but if you’re an ATX dad, give it a shot. Ultimately, the Austin Dads Group is a place where fathers can be honest, no matter the subject.

“We’re real in this group; we give advice and help each other out with everything,” Drewes chuckles. “(...) Prepare yourself for a lot of dirty diaper talk.” afm

Katerina Cotroneo is an author and professional photographer who uses her marketing background and talent behind the camera and has been published in AFM, Authentic Texas, Waterways Magazine, Tribeza and more.

Cotroneo captures idiosyncratic stories through her lens and portrays diverse perspectives in her writing.

WELLNESS

AUTHOR Kellie Keeling

MINDFUL TECHNOLOGY USAGE

Children today will never know a time when phones, computers, tablets and other devices weren’t a part of our daily lives.

According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, about 95% of teens are online.

Additionally, Erikson Institute reports at least 85% of parents allow their young children to use technology, and the Institute of Education Sciences says 70% of schools reported their teachers using technology for normal classroom activities. The growing presence of technology in children’s lives impacts their development, social interactions and future.

Since technology is deeply intertwined in our lives — especially our children’s — it’s important for parents to be mindful of how technology is used in their homes. While the technology itself is neutral, how children use it can have both positive and negative effects. Like most things, it’s about balance.

What Are The Risks?

Technology allows us to easily communicate with loved ones from any distance. However, this increased use of technology for social interaction can ironically prevent children from developing adequate social skills, leading to more children being socially awkward and not knowing how to interact with other children or adults.

Socializing online distances children from who they communicate with, giving them more anonymity and less responsibility for their actions and words. Hiding behind screens has given rise to cyberbullying, a huge problem among young people today. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, about 37% of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have been bullied online. Thirty percent have had it happen multiple times.

This leads to low self-esteem and higher risks of suicide. It also hinders a child’s ability to develop and maintain healthy relationships with family and friends. One study even proved that excessive phone use leads to less smiling.

In addition to the negative impacts on social skills, relationships and mental health, research shows that overexposure to blue light given off by screens can negatively affect our physical health. Prolonged overuse can affect vision, hinder sleep and increase anxiety.

n Raising children is already a handful in and of itself, but what happens when you add in the complexities of technology?

Crafting a Healthy Tech Household

Since devices fill our homes and many people rely on them for work and school, it’s virtually impossible to remove technology completely from our lives. But healthy technology use is about balance.

As parents, it’s our responsibility to help our children develop healthy relationships with technology early on. If children develop addictive habits at a young age, the negative effects will follow them into adulthood and continue to negatively impact every aspect of their lives.

Set boundaries and limits for children and actually enforce them. Technology use typically increases as children get older, so teaching young children how to balance their screen time, homework, personal time and family time is vital to a healthy relationship with technology.

Plan to incorporate activities both with and without technology into your and your child’s life. By engaging in a wide variety of activities with your child, you can not only help your child find their passions in life but also strengthen the parent-child bond, creating and maintaining healthy habits for yourself and your child.

Parents must pay attention to how the adults in the home use technology. Young children learn by observing

the adults in their lives. Use and view screens with your young children and guide them on navigating the deep well of information that technology gives us access to. This way, parents can be sure their children use technology for meaningful purposes and avoid any dangerous public content.

All About Balance

The decisions we make as parents are some of the most important decisions because it affects our children’s well-being. Technology will continue to be a huge part of our lives, and as our children grow, learn and develop, parents can help them cultivate a healthy relationship with technology by modeling healthy habits and using technology together.

Each family and child has a unique set of needs, so relationships with technology can look different from one family to another. Balancing tech use with non-tech use is the key. Showing young children how to use tech for learning, personal development and keeping in contact with loved ones far away while minimizing the amount of screen time for entertainment purposes can create that balance. afm

WELLNESS

AUTHOR Jessica Tranchina, PT, DPT

FOUNDATIONAL WELLNESS FOR ALL

Wellness can be portrayed as both a simple and complex concept, but it all starts with the same thing – the basics. Though any age may differ in how you approach wellness, it’s important to have a solid foundation for pursuing wellness. According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness is an individual pursuit of our activities, choices, behaviors and lifestyles that lead to holistic health, and it’s something that’s greatly influenced by our surrounding environment. When we measure our own “wellness,” we’re actually measuring our physical, mental, spiritual, environmental, emotional and social health.

These four strategies below may seem basic, but they’re extremely important to your overall wellness and should be addressed at any age. Here are four tips on how you can practice wellness at any age:

1. Exercise Regularly

According to Argye Hillis, M.D., director of the cerebrovascular division at Johns Hopkins Medicine, exercise lowers your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and some cancers. This effect leads to “compression of morbidity,” meaning that you stay healthy longer in your late years, as compared with someone who spends the final five or 10 years of life battling chronic illness.

In addition, several studies have shown that our bodies get more out of interval training compared with slow-and-steady exercise. A Mayo Clinic study found that interval training led to changes in muscles at the

cellular level, essentially reversing the natural decline that occurs with aging. This research tells us that even if you start exercising later in life, you can still achieve these benefits; therefore, it’s never too late to start exercising!

In the study, older people’s cells responded more robustly to intense exercise than the cells of the young did. Exercising as a 10-year-old looks much different than when we’re 30, 50 or 80 years old. Children use different forms of play for physical activity like soccer and dance, but as we get older, we must allow for time to move our bodies intentionally.

2. Eat Well

Even just small changes in body weight can have a big impact on health risks. Losing just 5% of your body weight has been shown to reduce your risk for diabetes and heart disease as well as improve metabolic function in liver, fat and muscle tissue. It may sound obvious, but it bears repeating: you should strive to eat a balanced diet, regardless of your age. This will help ensure you get all of the nutrients and energy you require to go about your daily life.

3. Stay Connected & Engaged Socially

Connecting with others is one of the most important things you can do for your health and happiness. Loneliness becomes more prevalent as we get older and has become even more prevalent since COVID due to

n When it comes to pursuing wellness at any life stage, you always need to start with the basics.

restrictions around social interaction and gatherings; loneliness can even be detrimental to both your physical and mental health. It’s important more now than ever to make an effort to maintain your current relationships, as well as meet new people.

4. Take Care of Your Mental Health

There are a variety of ways this can be achieved, and it’s just as important to take care of your mental health as it is your physical health.

• Practice mindfulness. Focus and appreciate the present moment. Breathe. Practice gratitude.

• Engage in activities you enjoy. Try a new hobby. Research shows that people who engage in hobbies, leisure and social activities are happier, experience less depression and live longer.

• Lower your stress. There are a number of ways to achieve this including, but not limited to, connecting with a friend, getting sufficient sleep, relaxation and deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga and exercise.

• Expose yourself to the cold. Research shows that the increase in our longevity via cold exposure could be due to hormesis. Hormesis refers to

the paradoxical adaptation that makes animals stronger and more efficient if they’re exposed to environmental stresses. Cold exposure also causes the prolonged release of dopamine, which is a powerful molecule capable of elevating mood and enhancing focus, attention and goal-directed behavior. Even short bouts of cold exposure can cause a lasting increase in dopamine and sustained elevation of mood, energy and focus. afm

Jessica Tranchina, PT, DPT is a co-founder of Generator Athlete Lab and has been an athlete her whole life. As the creator of the Generator Method, Tranchina works to help guide others to better performance and recovery and is passionate about bringing the active community of Austin together from all fitness levels and athletic backgrounds. She’s the owner of PRIMO Performance and Rehabilitation, which started in Austin in 2010, where her expertise and unique skillset have been established as one of the best in her field. Her certifications include NASM-CPT, ART Certified Provider and CKTP.

WELLNESS

AUTHOR Mia Barnes

MINDFULNESS IN MINI-MES

Perhaps you practice mindfulness by taking a yoga class a few times a week or practicing a few deep breaths before handling the 10th sibling squabble of the day. These little rituals calm you down and keep you centered in the here and now, but did you know they can do the same for your kids, too? In fact, children of all ages can benefit in many ways from daily mindfulness practice.

Even a few minutes a day can significantly impact your children’s lives. You’ll notice kids get many of the same benefits from mindfulness as adults. Here are some benefits of mindfulness for children:

Increased Attention Spans

Kids have several challenges to their attention span. The average child can only focus for the equivalent of 2 to 3 minutes per year of their age. So, a 3-year-old might concentrate for six minutes at a time, and a 12-year-old could focus for 24 minutes.

Add this already minimal amount of time in their attention spans to the lengthy lessons they sit through in school and the need for immediate gratification they get from TV and their attention spans reduce even further. Mindfulness can help your kids ignore distractions and stay in the moment.

Less Stress

Our kids’ worries and stressors may seem trivial to us as adults. However, our children have to deal with circumstances they’re not developmentally prepared for yet, such as bullying, terror in the media, racism, sexism, difficulty building friendships, social pressures and academic performance stress. Adding in daily mindfulness practice can help them perceive what’s in their control and let go of what isn’t.

Easier Transitions

Transitions are especially difficult for kids — moving from one activity to another can induce panic and frustration. Your child may struggle with small transitions like stopping one play activity and moving

n Mindfulness isn’t just for adults or even students who need to relax and de-stress; it can be for our mini-mes, too.

to the next or something more complex like ending summer vacation and returning to school. Practicing mindfulness with kids through these transitions will help them stay grounded and reduce their anxieties.

Ability to Better Regulate Emotions

One of the most challenging obstacles for children is their impulsiveness and inability to think through the situation and their reactions before letting loose. A broken toy or unkind word from a friend can turn into a blow-up or a meltdown in no time at all.

Mindfulness techniques like deep breathing can help your kids learn to pause before they react. They’ll gain better control over their emotions and select more

appropriate responses — something we, parents, could probably use as well.

Higher Self-Esteem

It’s a natural response for kids to look to external sources for validation and acceptance, just as they’ve been relying on their parents since birth. However, this focus can quickly bring your children down and make them feel less than others.

One look at any magazine, TV show or social media platform, and you’ll see why even young kids don’t feel good enough — they compare their average day to someone else’s edited highlight reel. Mantras are a powerful form of mindfulness that can help your kid or teen transform the way they talk to themselves.

Consistent Practice Is the Key

Just like with any other new skill, you must encourage frequent practice. Add mindfulness moments to their daily routines. Demonstrate how you incorporate these practices and work on improving as a team. Hold their hand while they’re just starting, but slowly release the responsibility of remembering over to them. Check in every so often with mindfulness activities designed for the family to share progress with each other. afm

Mia Barnes is a health and wellness writer and editor-in-chief at Body + Mind. She specifically enjoys writing about women’s fitness, as well as mental healthrelated topics. When she’s not writing, Barnes can usually be found reading poetry, taking a dance or cardio class, or hiking.

Easy Mindfulness Activities for Children

Teach your kids a variety of mindfulness activities, almost like building up a mental health toolbox. With these methods, your children will be better equipped to handle their daily stressors:

• Deep breathing

• Guided meditation

• Gratitude

• Sensory awareness

• Mantras

• Progressive muscle relaxation

This list only scratches the surface. Feel free to add whatever practices you or your child want to try and anything you already do that seems to work well.

WELLNESS

AUTHOR Maria Luque, Ph.D., M.S., CHES, ACE-CPT, ACE-FNS

MENOPAUSE & BODY IMAGE

As menopause affects your appearance and mood, it’s no surprise it can impact your body image, as well.

During menopause, women experience a hormonal shift that can often affect their quality of life and body image. Physical changes in appearance, such as graying hair and wrinkles, are a normal part of aging, but during menopause, the challenges go beyond the purely physical aspects.

Psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety are very common. It’s estimated that 26 to 33% of women experience their first episode of depression during menopause, and 45 to 68% of women report a significant increase in clinical symptoms of depression. Physical and mental symptoms experienced during menopause can result in body image issues, similar to those experienced during puberty.

Approximately 80% of menopausal women report having body image issues, and research shows that as few as 12% of older women are satisfied with their body size; even women who have embraced physical changes struggle with the increase in weight gain and abdominal fat that often accompanies this stage of life.

n This shifting season does more than incite hot flashes and mood changes; it also affects the way we perceive our bodies.

How Does Menopause Affect Body Image?

Body image is a multifaceted construct of perception, imagination, emotions and cognitive components about our relationship with our bodies. The most important word of that definition is “perception” – it’s all about how we see ourselves, not how others see us. Body image issues aren’t dependent on size, gender, age and/or ethnicity; they can affect anybody, and during menopause, that risk is increased.

One common phenomenon expressed by women in midlife is feeling disconnected from their bodies; they don’t feel that their aging body represents their personality and identity.

I’ve worked with many women who express this disconnection and feel betrayed by their bodies. Active women, especially, seem to express this feeling. When you learn to follow a formula of exercise, nutrition, recovery and self-care that has always worked, it’s expected to work forever. However, menopause can throw a wrench into that equation and seemingly make women start from scratch. This can lead to a feeling of frustration, despair and, yes, betrayal.

The Battle of Body Image

Unfortunately, body image is mostly used negatively with topics including eating disorders, depression and low self-esteem. Rarely do we hear about positive body image.

Daily, we’re bombarded with photoshopped images advertised as “real” women. Even articles in magazines promoting healthy body image use photos that have been retouched and altered to the extreme. And although we know those images aren’t real, we still tend to see them as the desired body type.

The quest of achieving the unachievable body is futile, which explains why more women feel unhappy with their bodies, always chasing the next “solution.” The futility of this battle is based on a natural process that happens to everyone, no matter your gender, race and economic status — aging!

As we age, our bodies go through changes, and with that, aging inevitably moves us further from the sociocultural ideal body that is supposed to be thin and young forever. It’s a lost battle.

Tips For Maintaining a Healthy Body Image During Menopause

So how do we fix it? There’s no simple answer, but here are some tips that can help:

• Pay attention to your own body and know what’s realistic and what’s not. Don’t chase someone else’s version of yourself.

• Focus on health and quality of life versus appearances; health has no age limit, and appearances will change!

• Clean out your social media feed: Unfollow accounts that try to sell you products, diets and workouts based on weight-related goals.

~ Follow body-positive accounts. There are many amazing accounts out there that share positive messaging and create a nurturing community.

Although body dissatisfaction is a common issue for most women experiencing menopause, the good news is that body image issues tend to decline during

post-menopause. Women don’t attach as much value to other people’s opinions of themselves and put more value on self-care, health and functional ability. Whichever stage you’re in, remember that menopause is a transition and although it’s often rocky and challenging, it does end. You got this! afm

Maria Luque, Ph.D. is a fitness expert, health science professor and menopause researcher with over 20 years of experience. She’s the creator of Fitness in Menopause, a company dedicated to helping women navigate the challenges and rewards of menopause. She holds graduate and post-graduate degrees in health sciences and teaches at the College of Health and Human Services at TUI. Her certifications include ACECPT, ACE-FNS and CHES.

THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD OF THAT DEFINITION IS ‘PERCEPTION’ – IT’S ALL ABOUT HOW WE SEE OURSELVES, NOT HOW OTHERS SEE US.”

FITNESS

AUTHOR Sarah Leahy, CPT

STRENGTH BY THE YEARS

With each year of life, strength training doesn’t become less important but actually more.

Strength training is one of the most effective ways to get healthier and stronger as well as improve your body composition. No matter your fitness goal – aesthetic, performance-based, having that “toned” look – strength training can get you there. There are numerous ways to approach strength training, and it can seem intimidating if you’re just starting out. But no matter your age or skill level, strength training is one of the best things you can do for your health.

Here are reasons why strength training is important for every age:

Young Adults

When you’re a young adult in your 20s, strength training can help set yourself up for a lifetime of healthy habits. Building the consistency of going to the gym from an early age, especially as you’re building other professional and personal commitments, can help create a base of stability that you’ll carry with you throughout your life.

In your 20s, you’re able to make some larger strides in weight training, as your body is very adaptable. While recent studies have shown that metabolism

doesn’t actually start to slow down until about age 60, when you’re in your 20s, you tend to lead a more active lifestyle outside of the gym, which allows you to gain muscle while keeping your body fat lower.

This combination means you can see great results in body composition changes and strength gains with a progressive weight training program, whether it’s bodybuilding- or powerlifting-focused. Building that base when you’re young means, as you get older, it’s easier to maintain.

Middle-Aged Adults

Moving into their 30s and 40s, many people already feel like it’s too late to start or have slipped into an endless cycle of extreme diet trends, all-or-nothing workout challenges, and a lot of ups and downs. The reality is it’s never too late to begin building a sustainable fitness and nutrition routine that allows you to strength train at any age.

When you already have a set schedule, family commitments and a busy professional life, the key to setting yourself up for success in strength training is more about timing than anything else. Plan your day the night before – block off workout time on your calendar, plan meals a day in advance and be prepared with meals and snacks on the go if you have a hectic day ahead.

The actual programming of strength training is the

n As you age, strength training continues to stand as one of the most effective ways to maintain your health and body composition.

30-50 50+

same as you age – following a basic, progressive, weight training program will get you results, but you may need to focus on increasing your steps and general activity outside of the gym, as your lifestyle typically becomes more sedentary as you move into middle age. Building muscle will help increase your resting metabolic rate, but you still need to move more between sessions; you spend more time outside of the gym than in it, so make that time count by getting more active with your friends and family or taking short walks throughout your work day.

Older Adults

Many people in their 50s, 60s and beyond think if they aren’t currently active, that’s how they should stay, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. At this age, if you’re unfamiliar with the gym or not sure how to get rolling, hiring a trainer will provide you with programming that starts at your current level and builds safely from there but also will give you the structure of a set time and place to be so you’re committed to getting your workouts in.

Strength training is one of the only ways to improve and maintain your bone density, which is incredibly important as you age, especially for women. The risk of falls and the associated potential for serious injury also increases significantly as you age, so incorporating

balance and unilateral work into your strength training programming is essential to improve your ability to prevent falls and move safely as you age.

Staying strong and active is the key to moving and feeling better, and it will keep your muscles and bones strong, your movement patterns stable and capable, your blood pressure lower, and help maintain your mental and emotional resilience.

Strength training is for everyone, and it’s never too late to start. At any age, the key is starting at your current level and following a progressive strength training program that starts with the basics. Consistency with training will keep you strong and capable throughout your life. afm

Sarah Leahy, CPT is a Minneapolis transplant in East Austin, certified personal trainer, award-winning interior designer and former gym owner. She offers in-person and online training with an emphasis on strength training and building confidence in and out of the gym.

Leahy’s passion for strength extends to your business, with a full offering of gym design and business consulting services.

AUTHOR Sadie Flynn

THE AILMENTS OF AGING

n When it comes to understanding strength and mobility as you age, if you don’t use it, you will lose it.

If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”

This statement is true for all of life’s most important things: PTO hours, HSA funds and our physical strength, function and mobility.

Gone are the days of skating by on youthfulness alone, nourishing our bodies with caffeine and Crunchwrap Supremes, considering four hours to be a good night’s sleep, and claiming a trip to the fridge and back a workout well-done. Rather, here are the days of 3-day hangovers, random onset food allergies, sleeping aids and exercising through the neck pain your pillow caused.

Kelsy Vick, PT, DPT, PCES is a spritely 27-year-old physical therapist and the owner of

Kinetique. She also happens to be my guiding light when it comes to keeping my body strong and moving well. I sat down with her to discuss some of the most common ailments of aging, and what we can do to preserve our strength and mobility and prolong our quality of life.

Sadie Flynn: What are the most common ailments of aging, and what are their causes?

Kelsy Vick: Without a doubt –balance, speed, lower extremity strength and control, thoracic mobility, and core/pelvic floor strength and control. These changes are oftentimes due to a combination of many factors, including personal and external contributors and normal

KELSY VICK

physiological changes as we age. Some of these factors we can change (modifiable), and some of these factors we can’t change (non-modifiable).

Physiological processes slow down as we age, (which) can impact how easy it is for us to build strength and cardiovascular endurance, improve our bone mineral density, heal an injury, maintain our mobility, react to a misstep, maintain continence, etc. Our nerve/muscle communication becomes impaired, our body starts

to lay more fatty deposits in our skeletal muscle tissue, the sensory systems involved in balance and posture slow down, and the heart’s ability to adapt and handle different stressors weakens.

SF: How can we relieve these aging ailments?

KV: “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it” definitely amplifies these processes, so it’s important we include some modifiable practices and prevention strategies to help out.

One of the best things we can do includes strength and resistance training! No matter your past health history, strength and resistance training in the proper dosage and with the proper exercises can help reverse, delay and/or improve so many of these processes that occur as we get older, not only from a motor standpoint but also at a cellular level!

SF: What are some specific exercises people can do?

KV: Strength and resistance training is the magic pill we are all searching for, especially when it comes to longevity. It just so happens that the dosage is structured less like a bandaid and more like a probiotic, where consistent application is needed for the best results! So while there are some specific movements we can incorporate into our training to help preserve the five aforementioned areas, the best exercise you can do to help combat these changes is the exercise you do consistently.

But if you’re looking for some personal favorite movements, here are a few:

• For preserving or improving balance: Go unilateral (lunges, single-leg deadlifts, pistol squats, single-arm presses, marches, suitcase carries, waiter carries, asymmetrical isometric holds)

• For preserving or improving power and speed: Go monostructural (biking, swimming, running, walking, jumping rope) and get comfortable with explosive movements (box jumps, thrusters, broad jumps, kettlebell swings, burpees)

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KELSY VICK

• For preserving or improving strength and control in lower extremities: Do what’s functional (squatting, deadlifting, lunging, stepping, running, jumping)

• For preserving or improving thoracic mobility and strength: Put your t-spine in positions it isn’t used to and open it up (open books, pallof presses, face pulls, overhead pressing with varied grips, any upper body rotational work)

• For preserving or improving core and pelvic floor strength and control: Work with a pelvic floor physical therapist or a trainer It’s undeniable that as we age, our bodies require more time and attention to thwart injury and illness. But here’s an industry secret — if we stop treating our bodies like garbage disposals, and more like welloiled machines, we’ll find that combatting the ailments of aging doesn’t have to be so arduous, but it does require effort. afm

Flynn is a CrossFit level 2 certified trainer, pregnancy and postpartum fitness coach, and former collegiate athlete with a penchant for power lifts. As a mother, Flynn is deeply passionate about pregnant and postpartum fitness and wellness; she works hard to help educate and empower women to take intentional care of their bodies before, during and after birth. When she’s not coaching at CrossFit Renew, or forcing her ‘90s alternative music beliefs upon you, you can probably find her playing a basic board or card game over some beers with anyone who’s willing or, like most millennials in this town, eating her way through Austin with her husband and their two kiddos.

Sadie

FITNESS

AUTHOR Emma Aguirre

TAKING THE FALL

One of the fears many of us have is getting the phone call that one of our older loved ones has fallen — and this fear is well-earned.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 36 million falls are reported annually among the older population, those older than 65, with 32,000 resulting in death. As we age, our bodies change. Over time, our metabolism starts to slow, our cognition changes, our

n While aging and falling may seem to go hand in hand, balance training can put an end to this unfortunate cycle.

bones begin to degenerate and our sensory capabilities decrease, which directly impacts how steady we are in the world.

With vision declining and vestibular capabilities compromised, balance and stability are often serious challenges among the aging population. Dizziness can also throw people off their balance and is often the result of multiple medications, such as antihypertensive, antidepressants and tranquilizers, leading to more falls and a lack of confidence in movement.

Aging is a big unknown that comes for us all, and there is no way to know when or how it will start to creep into our lives. One thing we know for sure is that lifelong good and bad habits, the environment, and genetics will all play a role in how we age. And though we do not have much control over the environment or our genetics, our habits are something we can take action with.

Mind Over Matter

The CDC says that only four in 10 senior adults in the U.S. currently do any kind of intentional balance training, leaving room for improvement.

Without an effective and safe program in place, a fall for an older person could be devastating. Whether it’s playing with grandchildren, simply taking a walk or reaching for something on a high shelf, any simple action could easily challenge the center of gravity for someone in our

older population. However, these quality-of-life activities are important for overall well-being, and being able to participate in them without injury should be a priority, much like getting up and down off the floor.

Oftentimes, the fear of falling will often lead to a fall itself, with or without a history of imbalances, according to the authors of a 2015 study published in the National Library of Medicine. The report says that multitasking will increase the fall risk even more for both healthy older adults and those with balance issues.

The key is to help older adults feel more confident in their stability, and the means of accomplishing this is balance training.

Balance work can be divided into static and dynamic work — static, meaning the ability to hold steady; and dynamic, meaning the ability to remain steady when posture has been thrown off. Exercises such as chair sits/stands, heel walking, stair climbing and one-leg balance holds should be included. Adding in a BOSU ball will change the base of support and push the client to progress in their balance work. According to a presentation put together by Carol Sames, Ph.D. of Upstate Medical University, the training needs to offer a moderate to high balance challenge in order for it to be effective.

Find Balance Now

The good news is that research is pointing to improvements in balance with consistent exercise and the earlier we start, the better. According to the International Sports Science Association (ISSA), training for balance will increase neuromuscular control, proprioception, posture and overall joint control.

To help prevent falls that could result in serious injuries like a broken hip or head injury, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends varying multicomponent physical activity that should emphasize both function balance training as well as strength training. This training should be moderate or at a greater intensity and must be done at least three days each week in order to improve one’s functional capacity and help prevent falls in older adults. Yoga and dance have also proven to be beneficial.

The benefits speak for themselves; moving more and moving in a varied way provides benefits that take us through all stages of life. afm

Emma Aguirre’s training career began with spinning almost 20 years ago in a small women-only gym in South Texas. After a career in journalism, Aguirre switched to fitness full time, certifying in Practical Pilates, TRX and Jillian Micheals BodyShred program. She’s also qualified as an AFAA Group Fitness professional and holds several personal trainer certificates as well as Precision Nutrition’s Level 1 certification. She’s currently becoming certified as an International Sports Sciences Association master trainer and spends her days coaching clients online as a Personal Health Advisor at Austin’s Wellthy Soul.

AUTHOR Kati Epps

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

Guadarrama

During childhood, our foundations don’t have to be built only through classes and homework; they can be built through sports, too.

Starting children in team sports in elementary school is a great way to teach them teamwork and coachability, build self-confidence and spark a love of movement that they’ll take into adulthood.

Sonny Guadarrama is one person who can vouch for the importance of starting children in sports early on; he started playing soccer in his youth because of his own father’s love for soccer. Today, Guadarrama is a commentator for Austin FC, a professional soccer player with Austin Bold FC, and the director of Roots Futbol and Sonny G Academy.

I got the chance to speak with Guadarrama about his experience

playing soccer and his vision for today’s youth.

Kati Epps: How do you want to use your professional experience and influence to impact the future of soccer?

Sonny Guadarrama: Growing up in Austin, I felt like there (weren’t) a ton of opportunities… but I had certain coaches (who) could influence my career. I would have been more appreciative if they had held me to a higher standard… When I became (a) professional, I was good at soccer but didn’t know how to play soccer – playing professional soccer and youth soccer are totally different. I try to teach every kid I (coach) to play soccer with the mind. My desire now is to teach kids and hold them to the highest standard, whether they are the best kid or just learning. Can I hold them to the

highest standard to be better and better each and every day?

KE: How did you get into coaching children?

SG: I kind of knew while I was playing that I wanted to give as many kids as possible in Austin the opportunity to do what I did or surpass it. So, I made it my mission to take as many kids as I could to as many professional teams and give them opportunities that I didn’t have, then, really teach them the game of soccer.

KE: How did you start Roots Futbol and the Sonny G Academy?

SG: The name “Roots” is the foundation. It was built around younger ages; I felt like the biggest problem (in American soccer) was that they weren’t getting great coaches at the youngest

n Sonny

of Austin Bold FC shares the importance of starting children in sports early on.

ages. Kids ages 3 to 8 can soak up a lot of information. It is really important to get great coaching at that time, but no one really offers that training. So, Roots is a lot of technical work from a young age. It is affordable and (has) four days

a week of training because it takes time to develop their skills. Then, my competitive edge said, “I want the next step!” So we created the Sonny Guadarrama Academy, which is a school where kids go to school and train five days a week. It is much more intense. But it really is to keep up with the professional clubs out there across the world that combine school and soccer, which is what is required to be great.

KE: What do you hope the children you coach take with them into adulthood?

SG: In all reality, only a small percentage of kids make it professionally, so I hope these kids have a winning mindset (for) whatever they want to do. Being a part of a soccer team throughout your life will teach you teamwork (and) leadership. (It teaches you

to have) no fear to make decisions under pressure, (feel) confident (in) yourself, speak in front of people, express yourself and then, hopefully, they will have the desire to win – whether they become a professional soccer player or a teacher. Can they take that mindset and transfer it into whatever job they have? (That’s) my ultimate desire.

KE: What about nutrition? Do you see a correlation between young athletes and healthy adults?

SG: I do! The younger you make something a habit, the longer it will follow you through your life. Hopefully, (others) are telling (children) how important it is to fuel your body. It doesn’t make sense to push the limit on the soccer side (and) not be pushing the limit on what you’re eating to fuel your body to prepare for that. It is a battle for people to see how important it is: sleep, food (and) how you train are the three important pieces. As soon as they can make it a habit… it will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

Thank you to Coach Sonny Guadarrama for the work you’re doing for our young athletes in Austin to help shape a healthier future! afm

Kati Epps is the founder of MyBody

GX with a background in chemistry from Colorado State University, an ACE-certified personal trainer, a health coach and a nutrition specialist.

Coach

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SONNY GUADARRAMA

WORKOUT OF THE MONTH

AQUA CARDIO & SENIOR STRONG AT THE SPRINGS FAMILY YMCA

n From water exercise to senior fitness classes, many local facilities such as the YMCA offer programs to keep their seniors moving.

If you have physical limitations that prevent you from doing high-impact activities, the Springs Family YMCA has got you covered with their senior fitness classes including Aqua Cardio and Senior Strong.

Aqua Cardio

The Aqua Cardio class led by Bernadette Johnson is more like a pool party than an exercise class. Johnson leads the group from poolside, dancing to a variety of upbeat songs. You can do the same with music from your phone or Bluetooth speaker.

• Use your hands to displace water; try claw hands or scoop hands for more resistance or blade (flat/side) or fist for less resistance.

• Keep one foot on the pool bottom for less impact or rebound to increase exertion.

• Start with a march, arms pumping, then add side steps.

• Sweep a bent leg forward and back while moving the arms forward and back at the same time; change sides.

• Roll the shoulders forward and back and figureeight each leg to loosen the hips, keeping the moving leg bent at a 90-degree bend.

After warming up for one or two songs, increase your intensity.

• Change to forward leg swing, knee slightly bent, swinging arms, for 30 seconds. Switch legs.

• Do single-leg sidestep or, if able, jumping jacks, again for 30 seconds.

• Change to cross-country ski, arms and legs stretching long.

• Bend slightly forward from the waist, keeping your elbows pinned to the side and scooping the water up, then pushing away, all while jogging.

• Keeping water at shoulder depth, sweep arms with force, forward and back.

• Sweep water from one side to the other hip, while crunching the knee up; repeat on the other side.

Repeat all the above for as many cycles as you choose, and make sure you do it with gusto!

SPONSOR Springs Family YMCA

Senior Strong

Annette Hiller’s Senior Strong class is one of the most popular at the branch. Here’s a quick, smaller version of a typical workout:

WARM-UP: 3 minutes

Take time to warm up the muscles by marching a couple of eight counts to a song. Move to a step-touch side-to-side movement.

CARDIO/BODYWEIGHT: 5 minutes

Begin with your step-touch side-to-side movement from the warm-up and increase the width of your feet until they’re outside your shoulder width and lean to each side, tapping the toe of the opposite foot. Swing your arms low from side to side like a pendulum. Then, lift the arms to shoulder height and swing directly across for a couple of 8-counts. For the remaining time, alternate 8-counts of marching in place, running in place and power squats, extending your hands overhead each time you rise.

WEIGHTS/BANDS: 3-6 minutes

You can modify by sitting at the front of a chair, using no weights in your hands or even helping to brace with hands on the thighs as you rise. Alternate 8-counts of deadlifts, upright rows and overhead extensions.

Next, introduce several 8-counts of bicep curls, then tricep kickbacks using a ski squat stance. Sit on the front part of the chair. To do a chest press, push the fist holding onto the bands forward at chest level under the shoulders. Complete three 8-count of chest presses.

To do a fly with bands hands, hold onto the bands with arms extended wide, a slight bend in the elbow and then squeeze knuckles together in front of the chest and repeat. Complete two 8-counts of these.

ABDOMINALS: 1-2 minutes

Sit with your arms holding bands extended at a 45-degree angle toward the ceiling, sitting in the front third of the chair, with no support from the back. Do two 8-count sets of slow crunches followed by two 8-count sets of side crunches.

COOL DOWN/STRETCH: 2 minutes

Seated in front of your chair, stretch your hamstring, chest, upper back and shoulder. Then, stretch your hip and quads. Finally, stand and stretch your calves.

For more information about senior programs at the YMCA of Austin, visit https://www.austinymca.org/programs/ senior-fitness. afm

AUTHOR Nikki Zahka

Corner AMBASSADOR’S

FREE PEOPLE MOVEMENT

n Check out this month’s edition of Ambassador’s Corner featuring AFM ambassador Nikki Zahka at Free People Movement.

Hello, Austin Fit Fam! It’s AFM ambassador Nikki Zahka (@Getfitwith_nikk) again, and this time, I’m so excited to highlight the Free People Movement studio! I’ve actually been a few times before this because they have so many fun classes with some of the best Austin teachers from various studios, all under one roof. But this time, I wanted to try Athletic Barre with Erin Stewart. Let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint.

Barre is one of those classes I only do once in a while, and I always forget just how hard it actually is. Erin somehow still managed to humble me without an actual barre in the studio, too. She uses small weights, a band and a ball for equipment and gets your legs shaking in no time.

The workout was technically full body, broken into segments for the lower body, upper body and core;

however, I felt the burn in my booty and lower body the most. We started with a quick warmup and then did standing arm work, standing lower body, floor lower body. We finished with lighting those abs on fire using all the props on our mats.

Before getting into what makes this studio special, this Ambassador’s Corner is dedicated to I Live Here I Give here. Supporting 750+ local nonprofits, I Live

Here I Give Here has produced year-round programs and activities that actively engage and empower individuals, companies, nonprofits and foundations to be more generous and contribute to a more equitable community for all.

THE WORKOUT

The FP Movement studio is in a great central location on Guadalupe Street by the University of

Texas, but it still attracts a range of people largely due to the wide variety of classes for all abilities. Whether you’re just starting out on your fitness journey and looking for some soft movement or an expert looking for a real challenge, there’s a class and modification for you.

You can register for class online or walk into the studio and sign up before class. You can bring your

own mat if you prefer, but the studio has all the necessary equipment for whichever class you choose.

Some of the class offers include:

• Athletic Barre

• Yoga (power or detox)

• Chroma Dance Cardio

• Booty Burn Board

• Pilates Fusion

• Sculpt and Tone

And I’m not joking when I say they’ve gathered some of the best Austin group instructors under one roof; there’s not one class or instructor I haven’t loved. It also opens the doors to learning more about them and the other places at which they teach! Once again, this is a studio designed to help connect people through fitness and well-being.

Although Guadalupe was FP Movement’s first real studio for classes, there’s also a Domain location that hosts community fun runs, hike days, and community classes both on the lawn and at various studios across Austin for people to gather, move and connect.

I’ve participated in various yoga on the lawn events and even one of FP Movement’s larger events that had a half day of different classes, including yoga, HIIT and dance. Plus, they hosted many local Austin vendors, ranging from services like massage therapy and acupuncture to great products like organic smoothies and running sneakers.

The best (and maybe a little dangerous) part of working out with FP Movement is getting to shop FP Movement before or after class! They have some extremely cute and comfortable sets, and oftentimes, with their larger community events, the tickets include a new outfit with goodies from other Austin fitness brands – sneakers, ankle weights, acupuncture, massages… you name it!

The first class is always free! After that, they have options for drop-ins, class packages or a monthly membership for unlimited classes. The classes and teachers also rotate, so always keep your eye out for new offerings and events to try. There’s even an option to book a class for a special event you’re planning –what a fun way to connect and move, whether it be a work event, bachelorette or birthday!

FP Movement is a great studio to check out if you love variety. There’s always something new whether it be new classes, teachers or fun events. Plus, who doesn’t love some new activewear?! Look good, feel good – am I right?! afm

FEATURED Pet

RETURN TO SENDER

n Check out this month’s featured pet of the month, Return to Sender, brought to you by Austin Pets Alive!

Hello, AFM! This month’s featured pet is Return to Sender, brought to you by Austin Pets Alive!

Return to Sender is a sweet 2-year-old domestic shorthair cat who weighs about 10 pounds. He loves his snuggles and perching up with his people. He looks forward to playtime just as much as nap time. He saunters into a room as if he owns it and loves getting all the attention possible.

He also is great at wearing and showing off costumes, so if you want a cat you can dress, look no further than Return to Sender. In these pictures, he’s dressed as a mail carrier in honor of the USPS Love Forever Stamps Reveal, which happened at Austin Pets Alive! on Jan. 19!

This loveable cat is Feline Leukemia (FeLV+) positive, which is not cancer but rather a virus that makes him immunocompromised. He is completely healthy right now and should just be viewed as a human who is immunocompromised.

For that reason, he needs a home where he is the only cat or where the other cats are also FeLV+. But it’s fitting seeing as this boy/prince deserves to be spoiled all day, every day.

You can check out more information here about Return to Sender: https://www.austinpetsalive.org/adopt/cats/apa-a-116719.

Austin Pets Alive! will host their Amplify Austin Day on March 1 but all are welcome to start contributing now, as gifts made early will be matched by an anonymous donor. More information can be found online.

SPONSORED BY AUSTIN PETS ALIVE!

COURTESY

CALENDAR Events

FEBRUARY 2023

Submit your event online at austinfitmagazine.com

ALL MONTH LONG

Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and Austin is one of the best places to celebrate this memorable time! Venues, businesses and organizations across Austin will put on events to celebrate this month, so keep an eye out online for ways you can learn more about and honor the Black experience throughout history.

Austin, TX

FEBRUARY 16-19

FEBRUARY 4

Carnaval Brasileiro Austin Austin is back with their Brazilian-style Mardi Gras, Carnaval Brasileiro. Since 1978, Carnaval has evolved from a small party for Brazilian students in Austin who missed home to one of the largest indoor Carnaval parties in the world. Get ready to dance, groove and move while showing off your crazy costumes. Tickets can be purchased online.

FEBRUARY 11

The Bloody Mary Festival Are you a bloody mary fanatic? Or maybe just someone who wants to try it out? The Bloody Mary Festival is back this year and will be held at Fair Market from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with different sessions and ticket types available. Tickets include access to some of the best bloody marys in Austin as well as other boozy and non-boozy beverages.

COURTESY OF AUSTIN RV EXPO

FEBRUARY 11-12

Brick Fest Live

Building with blocks is a part of the kid experience, and this year’s Brick Fest Live will let your children do just that! Guests will be welcome to see life-size models made from bricks, build some creations themselves and even meet contestants from the LEGO® Masters TV show and more! The Brick Fest Live in Austin will be held at the Austin Convention Center, and tickets can be purchased online.

FEBRUARY 15-19

OUTsider Festival

This February brings one of Austin’s most progressive festivals, OUTsider Festival, which unites Austin’s LGBTQIA+ creatives. This year’s theme will be Shapeshifting Underbellies, which was inspired by the secrecy and subtexts of the ‘50s. More information and updates can be found online.

FEBRUARY 16-19

Austin RV Expo

The annual Austin RV Expo is back, welcoming all those drawn to RVs –whether you are obsessed with or slightly interested in them. The expo will take place at the Austin Convention Center, and it will be the event’s 15th year. Come see the latest models and check out their hosted vendors, seminars and live music. The schedule can be found online.

FEBRUARY 24-26

Nosferatu Festival

Get ready for vampire weekend – this year marks the 101-year anniversary of the Nosferatu film and the 5th year of the Nosferatu Festival! This festival will celebrate one of the first famous on-screen vampires, Nosferatu. Come enjoy live music, screenings, food, beverages and even a garlic-eating contest! Tickets can be purchased online.

FEBRUARY 27 - MARCH 5

ATX Open

Calling all tennis lovers – for the first time, the world’s best tennis players will come to Austin this year! The ATX Open is one of four professional tour-level and women’s-only tennis tournaments; it is a part of the Hologic WTA Tour, featuring highlighted talent from across the world. The tournament will take place at the Westwood Country Club, and tickets and the tournament schedule can be found online.

*Dates and times are subject to changes or cancellation. Check event websites for more information.

FEBRUARY 2023

Submit your event online at austinfitmagazine.com

Rides & Races

SAN MARCOS HALF MARATHON

FEBRUARY

FEBRUARY 4

Texas Med Run Houston, TX

FEBRUARY 4 & 5

HOKA Rocky Raccoon 100 Endurance Trail Race Hunstville, TX

FEBRUARY 5

San Marcos Half Marathon San Marcos, TX

FEBRUARY 11

Hot Chocolate Run Dallas, TX

FEBRUARY 11

HOKA Rocky 50 Trail Race Huntsville, TX

FEBRUARY 11

Plano Half Marathon Plano, TX

FEBRUARY 11

Steps for Students Houston, TX

San Marcos, TX

FEBRUARY 5

FEBRUARY 11

Cupid’s Chase 5K San Antonio, TX

FEBRUARY 11

Katy Half Marathon, 5K & Kids K Katy, TX

FEBRUARY 11

Be My Valentine 5K Run/Walk San Antonio, TX

FEBRUARY 15-19

Jackalope Jam Spring, TX

COURTESY OF SAN MARCOS HALF MARATHON

CUPID’S CHASE 5K

FEBRUARY 18

Form Follows Fitness 5K Dallas, TX

FEBRUARY 18 The Run of Pi Houston, TX

FEBRUARY 18-20

Dalmation Run Fest & Dizzy Dalmation 101 Fort Worth, TX

FEBRUARY 19

Street2Feet San Antonio, TX

FEBRUARY 19

Austin Marathon Austin, TX

FEBRUARY 24-26

Cowtown Marathon Fort Worth, TX

FEBRUARY 25

Graeme’s Run Katy, TX

San Antonio, TX

FEBRUARY 11

FEBRUARY 25

Border to Badland Ultra Comstock, TX

FEBRUARY 25

Get Your Rear in Gear Austin, TX

FEBRUARY 25

Rodeo Run Houston, TX

FEBRUARY 26

Happy Trails Trail Race Dripping Springs, TX

FEBRUARY 26 The Maze Austin, TX

FEBRUARY 26

Galveston Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K Galveston, TX

TX

The Fit Wire

AFM’s daily coverage of health and fitness in the Austin community #keepaustinfit