N2Fitness

This is a commentary from a friend of mine who will really make you think...pretty powerful blog!  This was written after this past weekend's robbery at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

As you know, St. Louis regularly tops the "most dangerous city" rankings, and year-in, and year-out suffers from increasingly more violent crimes as national statistics show. 

Sure, there are those that counter with how the studies only look within the St. Louis "city" limits, with a population of about 300,000, and don't take into account the suburbs in St. Louis County or the rest of the metropolitan area (~2.8 million people). This may be true, but it is a technicality that too many St. Louisans rely on, while they revert back to their "Pleasantville" lives of denial as jobs, businesses, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, artists, and youth steadily depart the community for brighter futures elsewhere.    

Now, what does all this have t o do the armed robbery at the Waldorf-Astoria?

This stuff can happen anywhere anytime.... but I can't imagine any hotel staff in St. Louis tackling and wrestling a gun away from, and subduing an armed robber! (read news account or via NY Times web link below)

This episode, as reported in the NY Times, is a depiction of what is meant when it is written that the citizens of New York City decided to take back the streets from the thugs and criminals. Maybe these were plain clothed security guys... but someone decided it was worth the price to hire them.

This kind of brazen crime is unacceptable in New York City (~8.5 million people), and it wasn't until the New Yorkers experienced out of control violent and threatening street crime in the 70's and 80's that they collectively banded together to take their city back. In the early 90's there was a "tipping point" toward law and order, which provided an environment that allowed for the New York renaissance and revitalization that took place during the Giuliani and Bloomberg years.

Yet in 2008, the citizens of St. Louis are apathetic, indifferent, and in denial like the New Yorkers of the 70's and 80's. All one hears from St. Louisans is... Oh, "That's the city."  Or, "That only happens in the city." And, "We don't have much crime out here in the county. It's safe out here... We don't even lock our doors."

I ask you, have you shopped at the Gall eria, Wholefoods (Brentwood), Plaza Frontenac, walked the Delmar Loop, walked to your car at the Barnes Hospital complex, or taken the Metro Rail lately? It's not safe.  And no one wants to publicly acknowledge it ("it's not polite"), or take the initiative to access the hundreds of thousands of federal Homeland Security dollars available to upgrade public area security in St. Louis ("we don't need it").

That's not to mention the Fox Theater, Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum, Maryland Plaza, or any of the other St. Louis City parks and treasurers situated in the heart of the "city's" war zone.

What's going to cause St. Louis to have a tipping point in the right direction? It took Bernard Getz being mugged on a NYC subway... and a mob boss being gunned down in front of Spark's steakhouse for New Yorker's to fully engage and say enough is enough.

What about the University City career police officer who was shot while sitting in his squad car two weeks ago right off the main drag in the Delmar Loop - blocks away from U-City Hall?! Are we hearing the same old, "it didn't happen to me or anyone I know," response from St. Louisans? Who say things like... "Oh, it hasn't really ever been safe there for years." Or, "That's right near the city line." Or, "You know... that was drug related." 

As if to say, "That's their problem, and not mine?!"

I'm sorry to be so "impolite" and "negative," but i t's a problem that affects ALL of us!

When will St. Louisans have their awakening? Or will the "outlying" city, situated on the riverbanks' edge of its "red" (no longer bellwether) state, slowly fade away into some blighted irrelevant relic of the past?

The first step, is for citizens to speak out and start the inquiry with our private and public institutions that manage our open facilities, infrastructure, and law enforcement departments about taking the initiative to secure the federal Homeland Security dollars available to make our city/metropolitan area safer and ready for growth and commerce. 

A friend of mine was heading home tonight from downtown and we were near BB's Blues, Jazz and Soups...we were stopped at a red light just down Broadway and he made a left turn and I laughed and called him a rebel.  The street was a one way so he figured he could turn....we are both wondering now if that was right or not.  He figured since it was one way that you could turn left at the light just like you can make a right on red.  Do you know if this is legal or not?

I introduced myself to pilates a month ago after having been in the gym lifting weights, doing cardio and introducing myself to every aspect of interval, dynamic training, drop sets, giant sets, pyramids, etc...You name it I have tried it.  I came from the old school mentality of training hard, resting those muscles for 48 hours and expecting soreness.

I remember Madonna talking about pilates and yoga about 6 or more years ago...she shocked all of us with her amazingly lean physique and flexibility.  I was intrigued but for some reason never started it...why???  This goes back to me not doing things for NUMERO UNO!  I made the decision this year to take back my life and starting pilates was one of the factors in my master plan.  I wrote a blog earlier this month about meeting Monika and Michael Nobs, owners of Performance Pilates in Chesterfield, and the amazing connection I felt when I walked through their doors.

I am doing a monthly check in as to my progress and my experience.  I would love to hear from you if you do pilates at a center; whether that be in group classes or private and what your experience has been.  I am amazed at how many muscles I have not worked over the years, simply because the gym experience has always been working those BIG muscles and not the stabilizers that get the workload in pilates.  Ladies have been loving this form of exercising for years but now we are seeing both men and women and even children doing pilates.  Men used to see it as a woman only exercise until they get introduced and realize how great it is to work those core muscles, help with balance and stability and give you that lean look that the men and women of Hollywood are sporting.

I would love for you to join me in classes or experience private lessons firsthand...this is truly changing my life.  Their website is www.performancepilatesstl.com.  Do this now..don't wait until January 1st when everyone makes those New Years resolutions...start early and you will be two months ahead of reaching your goals.  Let's Move it! :-)

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My best friend asked me to write a blog this morning about something we saw last night at the Blues game. When it comes to wearing socks and choosing which color to wear, do you match your socks to your shirt or jacket you are wearing, your pants, your shoes, your purse, etc? We are looking for a big response here so we can do our own poll.

Keeping everyone in great style! :-)

As many of you know I have been an athlete and personal trainer for years.  I started training when I was 15 and playing soccer, softball and basketball in high school.  I really got bit by the work out bug when I was in college and have continued it religiously ever since.  I have been put through many hard core workouts but none has really clicked with me as much as my newest find...PILATES!  I have been wanting to really focus on pilates ever since Madonna brought it on the Hollywood scene when we turned to this new century.  Women really jumped on board the Pilates train when they saw the lean Hollywood bodies.  The thing that excites me now is that men are realizing its advantages to prevention of injuries and helping to work those core muscles.

I met Monika and Michael Nobs of Performance Pilates off Long Road in Chesterfield a week ago and am starting my regular workouts with them.  Take it from someone who has done every circuit known to man, high intensity training, interal training, sport specific training, muscle confusion, etc...This is definitely a different animal!  I am beginning a 3 month program and will blog with you over these three months to let you know how my body is changing.

If you have done pilates let me know how it has changed your life.  If you want to join me and really change your life check in to www.performancepilatesstl.com.  I will be doing one on one and class training.  I am told this will take my body to a completely different look...I will lose bodyfat and just look amazingly lean!  Here's to our wellness and here's to starting well before New Years Day!  Jump on the wagon with me now and in the words of Nike..Just Do It!

I have met a wonderful man this past month who was an artist in Nashville for 12 years.  He did that circuit but got tired of all the fakeness that many of us hear about in that industry.  He just recently moved here (good for me:-)) but is itching to play again.  Are there any musicians in town looking for a great singer/songwriter and guitarist?  Do you know anyone looking for musical entertainment at their clubs/restaurants, etc?

Shoot me an email with any leads you can think of!  Your help is much appreciated.  I am doing all I can to help with the contacts I made while working at WIL for 8 years.  I can't wait for you to hear him!

Monica

 

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You know the dance! You've most likely wiggled your butt, moved your hands in the form of a quacking duck and shimmied across the floor at weddings.

The man who inspired the song and that dance craze passed away.

Bob Kames ran a very successful Hammond organ business in Milwaukee for many years, and he dabbled in songwriting as well.

The dance was recorded in 1982 and became famous and earned him a gold record.

We discussed this on during Fox 2 News in the morning as to whether you know it as the Duck Dance or Chicken Dance. I grew up in Florissant and always knew it as the Duck dance (the song even had quacking noises in the song) but a handful of years back I heard people start calling it the chicken dance

This prompted the question this morning whether you call it the Duck or Chicken dance and if it depends on where you grew up as to what you know it as?

At the hardware store that is!  I'm sure many of you did.  I went to the local hardware store to buy a 12 lb bottle of ice melt and it was over 9 dollars. I heard many grunts and comments about how ridiculous it was to have to pay that much.  I also bought some windshield washer/deicer for almost 6 dollars.  By the time I was through I spent over 30 dollars on a one day snowstorm.  This is definitely a time to own a hardware store.

What did you have to buy today and how much did you spend?

I just returned from Hawaii and experienced one of the biggest thrills of my life.  I went on the Skyline Eco Adventure tour.  This is the first zipline tour ever estabilished in the U.S.  Troy and Charles, our guides, were hilarious, informative and awesome at calming all of us down.  Prior to this I had gone skydiving so I wasn't too scared.  The view with the Ka'anapali tour was second to none.  We were zipping over waterfalls, through beautiful greenery.  It simply was amazing.  I highly recommend this as an event for your Maui vacation.  Go to  www.zipline.com for more information and be sure to ask for Troy and Charles...they call themselves the "B Team". LOL

This brings me to my question, what is the craziest thing you have ever done?

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There is a major pothole causing damage to vehicles driving on Highway 40 near the construction at Brentwood. I got this email from a viewer over the weekend with a very valid question. Do you know the answer?


Monica,

Myself along with about 5-6 other automobiles hit a series of potholes in the middle of the 40 construction at Brentwood Sunday around 11. The potholes caused all cars to have flat tires, one was undriveable and had to be towed, my car has extensive damage to the frame. I will be filing a complaint with Gateway but was wondering if you or anyone that reports on the construction has heard of these problems? MODOT was
basically no help and simply told me to call Gateway and
that I was pretty much at their mercy. Do we have any
options with this problem, does Gateway have contractual
obligations to maintain a safe highway in the construction
zones?

Thank You

Monica,

I wanted to let you know that the problem is not fixed and MODOT was repairing tires and cars again this (tuesday) morning. There were about 5 cars on the side of the highway, and my girlfriend hit the same hole. This is not an average pothole, I guessed it to be 8-10 inches deep and 3-4 feet long when I hit it.

Darin

Tammy is in her fourth week of her 12 week program. She is losing weight, gaining a positive mental attitude, learning to eat more throughout the day, all the while getting healthier!

She is loving her workout program with her personal trainer and learning that Pilates is not some workout that requires you be in a Cirque Du Soleil show :-).

Here is a video of Tammy in her pilates class with Mary Zorich at the Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis. Their web address is www.pilatescenterstl.com. Their phone number is 314-781-5050. You can do the same 12 week program Tammy is doing. To find out more join Tammy at the center on McCausland on December 15th at noon. You can ask her questions about her success and also see how this can allow you to Take Back Your Life!

Tammy Pilates

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It is really happening, HIGHWAY 40 will shut down in less than a month and we are ready to start using our traffic spotters all around town. We want you to join John Brubaker and me as we report back ups, accidents and problems all over town. Here is what we are looking for:

Those of you who are driving around 5am or earlier and knowing those alternate routes you will be taking.

I need you to email me your contact information and we will be lining up several of you to be a part of our team.

Email me directly at monica.adams@fox2ktvi.com. I need phone numbers, best times to call, availability, etc.

Can't wait for you to be a part of our team! We will be putting you on the air so don't be afraid to talk with us.

We will be highlighting the nutrition side of Tammy's transformation program this coming Sunday (November 18th). Emily Small is the registered and licensed dietitian with Nutriformance at the Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis. Tammy says she is really getting a wake up call as to what she should be eating...and how much food she really CAN have!

She is also now doing Pilates 3x per week. She will have an equipment class, a mat class and a private class. If she does this with us 3 time a week, she will be well on her way with her fitness plan. Any other cardio, free weights etc that Ellen designs for her she will be able to do at home on her own.

Tammy's pilates instructor, Mary Zorich, says they have pushed the envelope and that Tammy did great. I told her to stop the reps if she ran out of steam, also that control and form were the most important elements, and just wait til the next sequence. Mary gives us a rundown of what they covered:

Proper breathing through ribs instead of low belly
Core connections to movement and pelvic floor
Pelvic stability in movement
Spinal articulation
Balancing out leg strength (more inner thigh work, more hamstring stretch)
Foot and ankle alignment to help core and spine in exercise
Connecting movement sequences for better flow and endurance

Take all of this information and realize that you too can have the same success! Anything you need directly for your own program can be obtained by calling the TEAM at 314-781-5050

We have been following the success of Tammy (our Fox 2 receptionist) for the past couple of weeks.  She has lost weight, gained so much health and fitness knowledge, talked about the root of her eating issues and has been kicking butt in Pilates.  Tammy is taking back her life...are you?  Here is a video segment of Tammy on one of the KMOX shows.  We will be blogging about what you can do to take back your life all the way through January.  Remember the Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis has the TEAM for you.  Call them when you are truly ready to get healthy.

 

We are following Tammy (Fox 2's receptionist)on a 12 week transformation program. The main reason behind this is to jump on board with Tammy and take control of your life, all the stressors in life that have caused you problems over the years.

Here is the latest from Tammy's dietitian and life coach with the Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis on McCausland.

Dietitian wrap:

Tammy has made some very positive changes in just one week alone. While working on her own she went from stress eating and feeling stuffed from most meals; because of meal spacing being too spread out and waiting too long to eat and choosing quick but unhealthy options and then went the opposite direction to the "diet" track. Starving herself by eating frozen meals and not enough protein. DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?

Emily, her dietitian gave her permission to eat and eating by learning to listen to her hunger and satiety cues. She also did her resting metabolic rate test which will give information on her resting calorie needs to formulate how NOT calorie count! This will be a very small step/small change process.

We also discussed that her having diabetes doesn't mean she has a "special diet". Everyone should try to eat meals/snacks every 3 to 4 hours balanced with lean protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrate (whole grains, fruits & vegetables).

Life Coach wrap:

Tammy already has many of the factors she'll need to achieve and maintain her ideal weight, including motivation, commitment, an exercise program and a positive image of herself at her ideal weight. What we'll be working on is adding the other factors, such as the ability to set and adhere to limits, making eating a choice (not a must-do whenever food is around) and of course, working a lot on the emotional components (secondary gains) of her being at the weight she is now. This will get into what staying where she's at has allowed her to not have in her life, and what might even be a little scary about being at her ideal weight. But since every behavior has a positive intention (there are no inner enemies), we'll be looking for healthier ways to satisfy the positive intentions of her eating behaviors that have been keeping her heavy until now. We'll also be targeting specific foods that have been just a little too tempting in order to change her automatic reaction to them. Last night we did McDonald's fries. Next week, pizza!