{Exercise} Watch These Now and Win!

{Giveaway} A signed copy of Denise Austin’s “Get Energy! Empower Your Body, Love Your Life” + 3 workout DVDs

{Exercise} Denise Austin’s 5 easy ways to get energy back now!

LEAVE A COMMENT 2011 January 12

In her just-released book Get Energy! Empower Your Body, Love Your Life, 53-year-old Denise Austin–who “makes the Energizer Bunny look lethargic,” according to People magazine–shares the food and fitness plan that’s allowed her to maintain her booming body and her booming business for the past 30 years. Here she shares 5 easy ways for you to get your energy back now:

1. Expend energy. A sedentary lifestyle is an energy drain: ironically, the more you sit, the less energy you have. Regular exercise boosts your circulation and delivers much-needed oxygen to your body. And you don’t have to sweat buckets, either. I exercise just thirty minutes a day. I know how tough it can be to get to the gym when all you want to do is curl up on the couch. But research shows regular exercise can reduce fatigue by 65 percent. Just remember: to get energy, you need to expend it.

2. Stretch. Each time I take a break from working at my desk, I stretch. Presto! Instant recharge. Remember: energy begins with oxygen. Stretching enhances blood circulation, which brings fresh oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to your body. During a good stretch, your brain calms, your mood lifts, and your energy generator comes online again. Then you’re ready to jump back into the fray.

3. Go to bed earlier. It’s better to sleep and wake early (i.e., 10 p.m.– 6 a.m.) because your body’s functions—temperature, digestion, and restorative processes—are linked to its exposure to natural light. Research suggests that getting ninety minutes’ less sleep for just one night can reduce your alertness by 30 percent the next day. Can’t sleep? Make a list of worries and possible solutions in the early evening to avoid the fretting that keeps you awake; turn off the bedroom TV; create a soothing pre-bed ritual; get earplugs to drown out distractions, such as your partner’s snoring.

4. Breath deep! Renewing your energy can be as easy as breathing! I’ve always said that energy begins with oxygen. Take a deep breath right now..in through your nose…and then slowly exhale through your nose. Repeat a few more times. With each breath, you delivered energy-giving oxygen to every cell in your body, from head to toe. When you breathe correctly, you can melt away stress and relax and unwind–and of course, it all benefits your energy level.

5. Savor a square of dark chocolate. To rev up and bliss out, indulge in one square of dark chocolate. It’s rich in anandamide, the so-called “bliss molecule” associated with post-workout euphoria, according to research conducted at the University of California — Irvine. Caffeine and another stimulant called theobromine are also at work.

This is adapted from Get Energy! Empower Your Body, Love Your Life by Denise Austin. Copyright (c) 2011 by Denise Austin. Reprinted by permission of Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

[Read FOF’s complete interview with Denise Austin]

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{Passion Projects} 3 FOFs Who Gave From Their Hearts (Not Their Pocketbooks)

LEAVE A COMMENT 2010 November 24

Babbie Lovett
In 2007, FOF Babbie Lovett helped restore the Ken Theatre in McCrory, Arkansas from an abandoned movie house to a cutting edge performing arts center for children and adults who had little exposure to theater.

“The mayor of our town bought and renovated an old movie house, the Ken Theatre. I told him, you can’t have a movie house in a town our size, it just won’t pay. Let’s put in a stage and I’ll get the lights and the sound and we’ll have a production place where we can introduce theater to children. We started three years ago and it’s doing great. Kids and adults (many who have never been involved with the arts) are writing their own shows and having the best time. It just proves that it doesn’t matter where you are, the creativity is there, it’s just a matter of exposure and opportunity.”
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Sherry DeRosa

FOF Sherry DeRosa had been in and out of medical centers for months after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Frustrated with navigating the often-confusing medical system, she swore if she survived she would make changes so other women facing the same plight would have more choices and guidance. After being told she was cancer-free this past year, she started her advocacy services, Shining Light, to help people navigate the medical system and other life challenges. This past June she was named “Honorary Survivor” by Sacred Heart Hospital in Au Claire, Wisconsin.

“I was ‘the noisy patient.’ I’m passionate about improving care for women. I don’t care what cancer you have, when you walk in the door I want somebody to shake your hand and say, ‘I’m a survivor.'”

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Alexis Marnel

FOF Alexis Marnel spent 13 years volunteering as an art counselor in group homes for troubled youth. In 2001 she formalized her volunteer work into an organization called The Artists Collective for Social Change.

“I bring art to people who do not have access to quality art education. I’ve realized I’m a ‘spiritually creative mother’ to these kids, many of whom don’t have parents. When I came to that realization, I just cried. The kids have such distinct memories based on art activities we did together. They send me e-mails and Facebook messages saying they remember cakes we sculpted together when they were 8–and now they’re adults. The other day I got a Facebook message that said, “Is this Ms. Alexis who took me to my first Broadway show?”

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