Season of Wellness
As summer fades, everyone starts to get back into their day-to-day routines. For many of us, that means busier days and nights — and more opportunities to put your health and fitness on the back burner. Instead of forgetting about your wellness, make a pact with yourself to make it a top priority this fall.
BeFitSRQ has the tools you need to become the best version of you. In the studio as well as in this newsletter, you’ll find key resources to help you on your wellness journey.
Exercise of the Month: Strength Training
Strength training is key for people of all ages, but it’s especially important as we age. It can help prevent muscle loss, bone loss, encourage mobility and prevent falls.
Don’t be intimidated by the thought of having to use a lot of equipment — you can do exercises that use your bodyweight to build strength.
Here are some exercises you can try to get started:
- Squat — Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold your arms straight out in front of you. Brace your core. Push your hips back and bend your knees, lowering your body into a squat. Pause and push up through your heels to return to your starting position. Do 10 to 15 reps.
- Incline Pushup — Stand facing a wall. Put your hands on the wall a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Move your feet back until you’re at a comfortable angle. Keep your arms straight and perpendicular to your body. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the wall. Pause and press back up, straightening your arms. Do 10 to 15 reps.
- Seated Row — Sit on the ground with your legs extended. Put the middle of a resistance band behind the arches of your feet. Take one end of the band in each hand. Bend your elbows to pull the band toward your core. Don’t let your elbows flare to the side. Reverse the movement to the starting position. Then pull the band toward your core again and return to the starting position again. Do 10 to 15 reps.
- Stationary Lunge — Stand up straight. Step back with your right foot and place your toes on the ground with your heel lifted. Bend your left knee and lower your body down. Allow your back knee to bend, too, until it’s a few inches above the floor. Keep your weight pressed into your front heel. Press through your front foot to raise your body back up so you’re in a standing position. Do 10 to 15 reps.
- Dead Bug — Lie on your back on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat. Raise your bent legs up so your knees are over your hips. Keep a 90-degree bend in your knees. Brace your core and press your low back into the floor. With your palms facing each other, bring your arms up and point to the ceiling. Straighten your left leg and bring it toward the floor. At the same time, bring your right arm toward the floor. Pause and then bring your arm and leg back to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side with your right leg and left arm extended. Do 10 to 15 reps.
Read this article for more information about these exercises and for photos to help guide you.
Recipe of the Month: Smoky Sweet Potato Wedges with Mashed Avocado
If you’re looking for a great side dish that’s packed with nutrients, give this sweet potato wedge recipe a try.
Ingredients
- 3 sweet potatoes, unpeeled, well-rinsed, cut into wedges
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup goat cheese (or cheese of choice), crumbled
- Handful fresh mint leaves, chopped, to garnish
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, cut into cubes
- ½ lemon, juice only
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 355°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the sweet potato wedges. Add all the spices and cornmeal, drizzle with coconut oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until crispy. While the wedges are roasting, smash the avocado with a fork into a medium ball, add the lemon juice and make a puree. Serve the wedges warm, garnished with fresh mint and next to the avocado mash.
For more about the benefits of eating sweet potatoes and avocados, read this recipe background information.
Brighten Up Your Day
Clean beauty company Beautycounter doesn’t just bring you skincare products that are safer. It also brings you skincare products that are effective, helping you become more radiant each and every day.
One of Beautycounter’s bestsellers is the No. 1 Brightening Facial Oil. It’s a citrus-scented oil that absorbs quickly and helps your skin look more awake and replenished. This blend of oils includes omega-rich marula oil, which provides intense hydration, and antioxidant vitamin C, which helps brighten and even your skin tone.
You can use the No. 1 Brightening Facial Oil by itself, under your moisturizer or under your makeup. You can even use it at night after washing your face.
Along with being a Beautycounter bestseller, it was also named a Best of Beauty Award winner by Allure. Now is your chance to try it for yourself. Here’s to brighter days ahead!
Fall into Place
Even though it won’t feel like fall for a while here in Sarasota, doTERRA has a great diffuser blend that will get you into the autumn spirit and help you welcome in fall when it officially starts on September 23.
To create an autumn bouquet, all you have to do is add two drops of doTERRA Cassia oil and two drops of doTERRA Wild Orange oil to your diffuser. Enjoy the fall fragrance as it fills the air!
In a Good Light
Many of us experience pain on a regular basis. September is Pain Awareness Month, so it’s a good time to think about how we can alleviate our pain and improve our lives.
Laser therapy can help with several conditions that are difficult to treat. Five conditions that respond particularly well to laser therapy are TMJ, epicondylitis, low back pain, knee arthritis and plantar fasciitis.
BeFitSRQ offers LightForce Therapy Laser treatments so you can get back to living a life with less pain. If you suffer from one of these conditions, visit the studio and take advantage of this technology today.
Festival Fun
September kicks off a season of festivals in Sarasota. These events are the perfect way to enjoy time with friends and family. Here’s what I’m looking forward to this month:
The 6th Annual Taste of Downtown Food & Wine Festival takes place September 21 at the historic Sarasota Opera House. This festival includes menu tastings from downtown restaurants along with wine pairings, beer and specialty cocktails. Plus, proceeds go to a good cause — Sarasota Youth Opera.
That same day is the 35th anniversary of the Siesta Key Triathlon. The event includes a 0.3-mile swim in the Gulf of Mexico along Siesta Key Beach, a 12.2-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run on the beach. This year, organizers are also offering free beer to participants. Proceeds from the triathlon help support the Sarasota Sharks Swim Team.
For car lovers, the Exotic Car Festival St. Armands 2019 is on September 28. The festival, held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is presented by the Ferrari Drivers Group Sarasota. You’ll be sure to see a lot of impressive cars at this event, and it’s always fun to explore St. Armands and get in some good walking around the circle.
Here’s to a fall season of wellness for us all!
