Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Pink Ribbon Program

This week's workout is special. It's specifically designed for breast cancer survivors. Doreen Puglisi is a Pilates Instructor and Exercise Physiologist in New Jersey who created the Pink Ribbon Program several years ago after working with breast cancer survivors. The program was up and running when Doreen herself was diagnosed with breast cancer. The Pink Ribbon Program has expanded across the country and there are several locations in Des Moines that offer it.

Sonya and I found out about the program through Gigi Filer. Our story this week takes us back to Gigi's Pilates Studio and gives you the opportunity to learn more about the Pink Ribbon Program and meet Janelle Larkin - one of the participants. Janelle tells us she felt somewhat disabled during her recovery. Even after physical therapy she didn't have full use of her upper body. She says Gigi's classes gave her back her freedom and she's now 100% mobile. In Gigi's words, "They think pain and loss of motion is a burden of their cancer but it doesn't have to be."

If you or someone you know might benefit from the Pink Ribbon Program visit the website www.pinkribbonprogram.com. You can also contact Gigi Filer.

Gigi's Pilates Studio
www.gigispilatesstudio.com
3708 Ingersoll Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50312-3411
(515) 279-0242

As always, thanks for reading and for tuning in to the Channel 13 News at Five!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What the ?!?!?

Hey fitness fanatics! First, thanks for all of the great feedback on this new series. Sonya and I have gotten emails, calls and comments from many of you and we're thrilled that you like this new adventure. Second, this blog will be brief because we did a BRUTAL workout this morning. I'm not going to ruin the surprise because this particular segment won't air for several weeks, but here's a hint ... the temperature in the room was more than 100 degrees. Whew! My body is still shaking.

On to this week's workout ... it's one both Sonya and I thought would be fairly easy. It's hula hooping. Fun, right? Maybe a little bit embarassing, but not that difficult, right? WRONG. The so called "Energy" class we attended on a Friday morning at Fitness World West was insane. Yes, it does involve hula hooping but you also get the snot beat out of you by instructor Dee Hoogenakker. She had us doing speed and agility drills, step, jump roping, running, lunges, weight lifting, abs ... I am tired just recalling the experience!

If you need to bust out of your workout rut, we highly recommend this class. Dee says she'll hook you up with a free pass to try an Energy class at any of the Fitness World locations in the metro. Call her at (515) 223-5111.

Keep those workout ideas coming - you'll have us whipped into shape yet!

EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

Monday, February 8, 2010

Jane Fonda

Break out the leg warmers, there's a reference to the actress/activist/workout queen in this week's "Workout of the Week" ... talk about a blast from the past! The focus is abs, and we learned that a lot of what Jane taught us "back in the day" is the wrong approach.

The workout is Pilates, and we learned it is harder than it looks! Many thanks to our instructor - Gigi Filer at Gigi's Pilates. She is patient and funny and knowledgeable and really put us through the paces.

A lot of you have emailed with great ideas for upcoming workout segments ... keep 'em coming, and please use the blog as your space to discuss!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

It's fun to hit things!

Hi gang!

Welcome to the "Workout of the Week" blog. Sonya and I have decided to bring you health and fitness stories every Tuesday during the five o'clock show, and so far shooting them has been fun (and sometimes painful)!

This week's segment is boxing. Not kickboxing (ie: aerobics, like some of you have taken from me at the Y over the years), but BOXING. Our trainer is Rodney Filer. He and his wife Gigi own Gigi's Pilates & Personal training on Ingersoll Avenue. Rodney is a certified trainer, a football player and in our case - a very patient teacher! He taught us the basics of boxing, starting from the ground up ... literally. We learned the importance of stance and posture before we ever moved on to punches, and there was a lot of practice before we ever got to hit anything. The point is - form is important, particularly so you don't injure yourself. Once Rodney felt we had the hang of things, out came the mitts. Whoooohooooo! There is nothing like the feeling of throwing punches and actually hitting something. If you've never given boxing a try, we highly recommend it. It takes a lot of coordination and concentration, you build strength and agility and the calorie burn is tremendous. Sonya and I were sore for days after this workout, but it was so fun we can't wait to put the gloves on again! Another bonus - we got to box with Rebecca Meyer from "The Biggest Loser" since she trains with Rodney and Gigi. Rebecca is fierce, funny and full of life and you'll be hearing more about her fitness journey as "Workout of the Week" continues.

If you have questions about boxing, or any other comments - leave them here and we'll post a response ASAP.

As always ... thanks for stopping by the blogs!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com