Meet Our Instructors

Jane Sullivan

To say that I have been teaching exercise classes for a long time is an understatement. I have been teaching for so long that I used to wear leg warmers! And I still love every single minute of every single class. What is it that draws me to teaching? Helping people, making friends, and having fun. Teaching exercise classes does all of that for me. I love helping people achieve their fitness goals, and I consider each of my class participants friends. And talk about fun! If you've ever been to one of my classes, you know that I'm having fun!

Back when I first started teaching, instructors didn't have to have any special qualifications. We just sort of winged it. But I really wanted to learn more about the field, so I convinced my husband to move from Denver to Fort Collins, and I went back to school. I received my Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology, which was quite a change for me, since my previous schooling had all been in business. I have Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Business Administration. But my love is Exercise Science - particularly anatomical kinesiology, studying how the body moves, how and why muscles move the way they do, and the right (and wrong) way to move the body. That's why I'm so darn particular about how to do each and every exercise!

My husband passed away 2 1/2 years ago, and I have been spending most of my time since then volunteering. I especially love the arts, so spend much of my time helping out Canyon Concert Ballet, the Fort Collins Symphony Guild, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. I'm also on the Board of Directors for the Centennial Chapter of the American Red Cross. My other interests include gardening (I am so ready for summer!), golf (I've had 3 holes in one - going to work on #4 this summer!), motorcycles (my husband and I rode Harleys) and glass art. I make fused glass jewelry and sculpture, and my sister and I have a business called, "Two Sisters Mosaics." We make mosaic garden and yard art. This all keeps me pretty busy, but I always have time for coffee (well, actually tea) with the Fabulous Fifties group after class!

Personal Training

Exercise and High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major health problem that affects millions of Americans and is closely related to physical activity. Regular aerobic exercise can help prevent high blood pressure, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. If your blood pressure is already high, exercise can help you control it. Studies have shown that exercise lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressure within a few weeks of consistent aerobic training.

How Does Exercise Help?
Aerobic exercise makes the heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood, more efficiently to the rest of the body. It is also theorized that biochemical, neural and hormonal changes in the blood vessel walls due to aerobic exercise induce an acute and long-term blood vessel relaxation. This simply means that your blood vessels become more elastic and allow blood to flow easier. A heart that pumps blood more efficiently, against less resistance, equals a decrease in blood pressure.

What Type of Exercise Counts?
Flexibility and resistance exercises are important aspects of overall physical health, but it takes aerobic activity to lower blood pressure. Flexibility exercises are great to maintain range of motion and elasticity of muscles but do not affect blood pressure. Resistance training, or weight training, improves muscular strength and endurance. Resistance training initially causes an increase in blood pressure. Although this increase is actually beneficial to heart function because it improves the function of the coronary arteries, it does not result in an overall drop in resting blood pressure.

What is Recommended?
Find a type of aerobic exercise that you enjoy doing and try to do that activity or a combination of several activities for 30-45 minutes on most days of the week. Aerobic activities include but are not limited to walking, jogging, swimming, racquetball, basketball, volleyball, etc. Aerobic activity can be accumulated throughout the day and does not absolutely have to take place in one session at the gym. A gradual progression in the intensity and duration of whatever type of aerobic exercise you choose is recommended. It is also important to note that since resistance training actually causes an increase in acute blood pressure, it is important to perform some type of aerobic training after resistance training to bring your blood pressure back down.

Zac Pickett is a certified personal trainer specializing in training athletes who want to optimize their performance in their respected sports. Please contact Zac at the Pulse if you are interested in learning more about his sports specific training programs.

Introduction to Meditation

An Introduction to Yogic Meditation Friday, May 23rd, 6:30-8:30 pm
Numerous traditions across the globe assure us meditation is essential to our spiritual and personal growth, and yoga is no exception. And yet, even avid students can be unclear what meditation has to do with our physical practice, let alone whether it's something we truly "need." In this special, introductory workshop, we'll explore just how a "sitting practice" relates to the physical poses of yoga, as well as how meditation can greatly enhance our relationships, our work lives, our health, and our personal growth. Topics will include basic principles and techniques, how yogic meditation differs from other forms, and simple steps for building a personal practice, including common questions and challenges for beginners.

All backgrounds welcome, including those new to yoga. Cost of the workshop is $20 if pre-registered by May 16th or $25 at the time of the workshop. To register, please call the Yoga Center at (970) 490-1300.

About the Instructor: Michael Lloyd-Billington is a certified yoga instructor and has been a teacher of Eastern philosophy & meditation for over 25 years. Along with teaching workshops on various aspects of yoga, he is also a personal trainer and offers private guidance integrating yoga, strength, conditioning, and nutrition. For more information about this talk or private sessions, call Michael at (970) 412-4526.

Setting a Realistic FAT LOSS Timeline!

By COACH NADINE
Certified Nutrition Specialist & Blood Type Biometrics Practitioner
2007 Pulse Trainer of the Year!
Creating RESULTS
COMING SOON! Nadine's Kleen Up What U EAT class.
Read more about it on the Nutrition Page at www.fortcollinspulse.com.

Realistic Goals... What does that mean? What does it look like, especially when it comes to FAT loss and in keeping the fat OFF permanently?

During a recent consultation, my potential client stated she wanted to drop 120 pounds and she wanted it off within one year. WOW! I was stunned by the expected timeframe she had set for her goal. As we explored this concept she pulled out an advertisement for a 'diet' making outrageous weight loss claims. One individual actually claimed to have dropped 35 pounds in 15 days. That is a reduction of 2.3 pounds a DAY. With her logic, if this person could drop 35 pounds in 15 days, then her goal of 120 pounds in 365 days was no big deal. I will admit to being completely speechless at that moment. My brain on the other hand was very active with questions like, "What happened to the health of this person? When did the 15 days actually begin? Did they keep any muscle? Did they lose only water weight? How much actual FAT was dropped? Were they hospitalized during or after this 'diet'? Did they keep their weight off permanently or did they yo-yo and put on 35 plus pounds within months of this regime? What happened to all the skin that housed the fat?"

To set realistic goals, having realistic knowledge might be helpful. Muscle tissue is denser and more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than fat tissue. Five pounds of FAT is about the size of a loaf of bread. Five pounds of MUSCLE, on the other hand, can fit in the palm of your hand. As you drop fat and build lean muscle tissue, you lose bulk because the dense muscle tissue takes up less space than the fat. Additionally, muscle, not fat, 'fires up' your metabolic furnace utilizing more calories. It takes approximately fifty calories a day to maintain a pound of muscle whereas a pound of fat requires only two calories to maintain. To change the overall appearance of your physique, realistic goals should be set to BURN the FAT and to Build and Keep your Muscle.

The body must be prepared or conditioned before it will drop fat. Prior to the start of any new "diet," consideration must be given as to whether the BODY can support the requirements. Basic knowledge will tell you that to drop fat, one must have more calories being expended than are being consumed. Dropping calories and/or increasing the amount of energy being expended by doing some form of cardiovascular exercise are a few ways to have more calories being burned than are being consumed. If a person has the desire to drop 20-50 pounds of fat, or more, the caloric starting place must be relatively high with the cardiovascular expenditure fairly low or non-existent: AND, the body must have time to adjust to this environment before it is asked to change and drop fat. This is one reason we spend between 8-12 weeks during the Stabilizing Phase of the Fat loss program I teach. First we have to discover the correct 'mix' of proteins, carbohydrates, good-fats, fiber and water that work for YOU. Next we have to get your caloric starting point high enough to support your fat loss goals. Once we have your food at a good starting point, we have to keep your body there long enough so that your body learns how to burn food at that caloric level. We stabilize your foundation so we can build on it. With this knowledge, setting a realistic goal that includes time to stabilize your body is crucial to your fat loss efforts.

Once your body is stabilized and geared up for FAT loss, you are then ready to begin a concentrated effort to BURN FAT. If you are working with me, the rules change during a fat burning phase.

Foods your fat likes need to be discovered and eliminated. Some bodies begin dumping fat immediately, others take a bit of a kick in the butt to figure out it is time to release. Setting Realistic Goals is a must during this phase of the program. You can anticipate releasing up to 2 pounds of fat each week. In my experience most women drop an average of 1.5 pounds a week; men drop an average of 2 pounds a week. Some bodies release slowly on the scale and rapidly on the tape measure. Dropping fat is a process. As you begin shedding layers of fat (protection) the "new you" has the potential to become vulnerable. During these times the body may feel like it is dying and shut down. My job is to keep you and your program moving forward. With all of this taken into consideration it is both unhealthy and unrealistic to drop more than 2 pounds a week or to have an expectation that you will consistently drop 2 pounds each week.

The time needed to stabilize and prepare your body to drop fat, drop fat at a healthy rate, and break through a plateau should all be factored into your timeframe. Set yourself up for a WIN for your entire fat loss program. Set your goals to SUPPORT your efforts. That way you can celebrate a year from now, or two or three because you kept your fat off permanently.

Are you ready for a next step?? Contact Coach Nadine today at 970-443-2541 or e-mail her at Nadine@CoachNadine.com to schedule a free 20-minute consultation.


Nadine is a Certified Nutrition Specialist, Teacher, Personal Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Published Author, Cancer Survivor and Natural Bodybuilder. Nadine has released 74 pounds of fat from her own physique and now teaches you how to Turbo-Charge Your Metabolism, Burn Off Body Fat, Gain Muscle, Break Plateaus, Be Accountable for Your Success and Stay MOTIVATED to Achieve Your Goals.

Whether you choose the classroom environment, or private individual sessions, Nadine works with YOU and Your Body to build a program that will capture the Physique of Your Dreams. Together you will discover the foods that work with your metabolism... and those that choke the very life out of your efforts. As you discover more about your eating habits and patterns, you learn to make CHOICES, and through those choices begin to experience more JOY in your life.

While working with Nadine you will gain valuable KNOWLEDGE, tons of INSPIRATION, the SUPPORT you deserve and EMPOWERMENT to make lifestyle changes to last a lifetime.

Aquatic News

American Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety Program
Indoor Heated (84 degrees) Swimming Pool; Levels 1 - 6; ages 3 years and up; Parent and Tots; ages 6 months - 4 years; Classes offered mornings, afternoons, and early evenings; Non-members welcome; Private Instruction also available; Small classes -- 1:3 Teacher:Student ratio

The last Spring Session will be held May 5-31, 2008. Registration will be held April 28-May 2.

Summer 2008 Swim Lesson Registration
Monday, June 2 - Friday, June 6, 2008; 9 a.m. - noon and 2 - 6 p.m. in the Pulse Lobby

We will run five 2 week sessions with daily classes, Monday - Thursday; starting Monday, June 9, 2008, and ending Thursday August 14, 2008.

Session 1: Monday, June 9, 2008 - Thursday, June 19, 2008
Session 2: Monday, June 23, 2008 - Thursday, July 3, 2008
Session 3: Monday, July 7, 2008 - Thursday, July 17, 2008
Session 4: Monday, July 21, 2008 - Thursday, July 31, 2008
Session 5: Monday, August 4, 2008 - Thursday, August, 14, 2008

Please contact Stephanie Minton, Pulse Aquatics Director, at 490-1300 ext.114, for more information.

Personal Trainers

WOW Training with Michelle
Come join other motivated women in a group weight lifting/circuit training class to increase muscle tone, burn calories and have fun. Cost is $120.00/month for the 4-week commitment. If interested please call Michelle at 232-4303.

Health Tip

Information courtesy of Les Mills - http://www.lesmills.com

The less active you are, the less energetic you feel. It's a vicious circle that many of us fall into from time to time. Our lives are more challenging on our brains than our bodies, and we are often unable to distinguish between mental tiredness and physical tiredness. Movement gets blood moving through the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to muscles but also to the brain. We are designed to be active beings, yet our environment is increasingly sedentary. Fight it and ensure you build activity into each day. Not only will you feel more energetic during the day, but you will also sleep better and feel more refreshed and ready for the next day.

Child Care News

Books... Books... Books! Child Care will once again be offering scholastic books at a discounted rate beginning in September. The orders forms will be available the first of each month in the Child Care. Stock up early for the holidays!

Missing Anything? Has your child lost his/her coat... shoes... cup... favorite toy? Remember to check Child Care's Lost-n-Found each month. Unclaimed items will be donated to Goodwill at the end of each month.

Cluttered House? Is your living room starting to look like a toy store? Can't find any more room on the toy shelf? Child Care will gladly accept gently used toys and equipment or blankets, receiving blankets and bibs.

Pulse Members Receive Discount