Much of the sugar we eat is added to other foods, such as regular soft drinks, fruit drinks, puddings, ice cream and baked goods, to name just a few. Soft drinks and other sugary beverages are the No. 1 offenders in American diets. A 12-ounce can of regular soda contains 8 teaspoons of sugar, exceeding the daily maximum amount recommended for women.
After menopause. Lower levels of estrogen after menopause raise your risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and osteoporosis, a condition that causes your bones to become weak and break easily. What you eat also affects these chronic diseases. Talk to your doctor about healthy eating plans and whether you need more calcium and vitamin D to protect your bones. Read more about how very low estrogen levels affect your health in our Menopause section. Most women also need fewer calories as they age, because of less muscle and less physical activity. Find out how many calories you need based on your level of activity.
Fiber is an important part of an overall healthy eating plan. Good sources of fiber include fortified cereal, many whole-grain breads, beans, fruits (especially berries), dark green leafy vegetables, all types of squash, and nuts. Look on the Nutrition Facts label for fiber content in processed foods like cereals and breads. Use the search tool on this USDA page to find the amount of fiber in whole foods like fruits and vegetables.
Getting enough water also is important. Many experts recommend at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily—more if you exercise frequently or are exposed to extremes of heat and cold. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize drinking more water and other calorie-free beverages, along with fat-free or low-fat milk and 100 percent fruit juices, instead of calorie-packed regular sodas.
Marina Rae Parker grew up in College Station, TX and has been pursuing her love of dance since she was three through competitive dance in a variety of styles. Marina has always loved teaching and has been assisting dance classes since she was eleven. She decided to continue her dancing career at Sam Houston State University and graduated with honors in May 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in General Business. While in college, Marina had the opportunity to learn Creative Movement and has taught at Gibbs Elementary Preschool, Sam Houston State University and now teaches at Holy Cross Learning Center. Marina was also a member and officer of Chi Tau Epsilon Dance Honor Society and had the opportunity to take numerous master classes from a number of distinguished guests. Marina wanted to continue to use her dance training in some form after graduating and had the opportunity to do so through Barre Fitness. She wanted to learn and teach Barre because of the one-of-a-kind work out it gives each individual, while also using some ballet technique and dance related terms and movement. MPOWER provided the chance to fulfill the need of teaching, while also providing a friendly, supportive environment to do so. Marina looks forward to teaching and growing in Barre Fitness with the full support of everyone at MPOWER Fitness. In her spare time Marina enjoys reading many books, going to the movies, playing board games with the family and hanging out with friends.
It's a cliché, to be sure, but a balanced diet is the key to good nutrition and good health. Following that diet, however, isn't always that easy. One challenge is that women often feel too busy to eat healthfully, and it's often easier to pick up fast food than to prepare a healthy meal at home. But fast food is usually high in fat and calories and low in other nutrients, which can seriously affect your health. At the other extreme, a multimillion dollar industry is focused on telling women that being fit means being thin and that dieting is part of good nutrition.
Group Fitness at MPOWER Fitness is functional fitness. Our classes are designed to train and develop your muscles to participate in everyday activities, such as carrying your groceries or playing a game of soccer with your kids. Our classes and bootcamps are specifically programmed (nothing is pre-choreographed) to contain exercises that tend to be multi-joint, multi-muscle movements. We believe that this type of training, correctly applied, make your everyday actives so much easier and will improve your quality of life.
MPOWER Fitness was started with the goal of encouraging, inspiring and motivating people in a way that equips them to do anything they set their minds to do. We started as a small group of 15 in an extra room at a friend's house on May 1st, 2015. We quickly outgrew that space and had to move our training to a local park. I soon realized that there were more and more people that needed this idea of teaching movement within exercise that transferred over into our daily movement in life. I knew immediately who would be able to help me with this goal. Looking to move back to the BCS area, I called my now head trainer, Andrew Ramirez, and asked him to join me on this very risky, yet exciting journey. Andrew agreed, and with the help of some close friends, MPOWER Fitness was born. In just 6 short months, we went from exercising in parks to opening our doors November 1, 2015. With some incredible employees, friends and family by my side, we have created an environment where people not only feel safe but are being taught how to "move" properly. The instruction taught inside MPOWER Fitness is based upon exaggerated movements that mimic everyday life. We believe that simple equipment yields simple movement and our philosophy is such that a strong mind is the prerequisite for a strong body.