All posts by Diana

The best time to stretch

Leave a comment

Stretching offers many benefits: mobility, injury prevention and stress relief, to name a few. But when exercising, is it better to stretch before or after? The answer is: before and after.

Before exercise you need to warm up and dynamic stretching can be combined as part of the warm-up. The goal is to get the blood flowing and raise your body temperature a little. It’s important to have your muscles, ligaments and joints experience the functional range of motion required of your sport during the warm-up. Movements such as arm circles, torso twists and hip rotations are examples of dynamic stretches.

After your workout, it’s time for static stretching. This is the time to relax, wind down and improve flexibility. Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds and stretch consistently to see results. Focus on breathing during the stretch, using each exhalation to go a little further.

On nutrition: Myth, presumption or fact?

Leave a comment

By Barbara Quinn McClatchy – Tribune News Service

Belief that something is true without evidence — such as betting on your team to win the Super Bowl — is a presumption.

Belief that persists despite evidence to the contrary — such as refusing to believe your team lost — is a myth.

Understanding supported by good evidence — such as realizing the trophy resides with another team — is a fact. 

How do these definitions apply to our long-held beliefs about weight loss? A group of researchers looked at the evidence in a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Here are a few beliefs they determined to be myth, presumption, or fact (along with a few unsolicited comments):

Small changes in how we eat or exercise over a long period of time will cause us to lose large amounts of weight. It’s a myth. Studies show that small changes result in small weight losses and large changes result in larger weight losses. Duh.

Eating breakfast on a regular basis helps guard us from being overweight. It’s a presumption, based on a few small studies done several years ago, say researchers.

Eating more fruits and vegetables will cause us to lose weight or gain less weight. This is also a presumption. Health benefits abound from eating fruits and vegetables. Yet there is no evidence that we will automatically lose weight if we eat more of these foods.

Eating breakfast or adding more vegetables to our diet does not help us lose weight unless if we also eat fewer calories. This is a fact. We can lose weight with any diet strategy if our calorie intake is low enough.

Setting realistic goals for weight loss is important so we won’t become frustrated. This is a myth, say these researchers. Really? They explain that more ambitious goals are sometimes associated with more weight loss. To which I respectively argue that “ambitious” goals can also be “realistic” goals.

Losing large amounts of weight quickly is not as good for us in the long term as slow, gradual weight loss. This is a myth, believe it or not. According to controlled clinical trials, people who lost weight quickly at the beginning of a weight loss regimen were as successful after one year as those who had lost it slowly from the beginning.

Our genes do not determine our destiny to be overweight. This is a fact — and a challenge, nutrition experts say. Think of it this way, someone once explained: What we inherit from our parents “loads the gun.” But what we choose to do — or not do — each day “pulls the trigger.”

Physical activity improves our health, regardless of what we weigh. This is a fact.

 

 

 

Protein: What you need to know

Leave a comment

High protein diets now dominate the weight-loss scene. Many of you may have tried one of the many popular diets such as the Zone and Atkins diets.

Nutritionists are constantly being asked, “Do these diets work?” and “How much protein should I be eating?” The truth is, protein has many more functions than simply assisting with weight loss. We should be focusing on protein’s health benefits instead of what it can do for our waistlines.

Apart from being required to build muscle, protein is also the basis of our tendons, ligaments, collagen, hair and skin. Dietary protein sources are necessary for healthy hormone production, correct fluid balance and the transportation of vitamins, minerals and oxygen throughout the body. Protein is also essential for antibody production and a healthy immune system.

Including protein in meals promotes the feeling of fullness, satisfies hunger and reduces the need for extra, unnecessary kilojoules. And foods that are naturally high in protein also have a low glycaemic index which means they have little effect on blood-glucose levels.

But protein-only diets are unbalanced and lacking in vital vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

The recommended intake of protein is between 0.7 to 1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight depending on activity levels and whether or not you are pregnant.

Greats sources of protein include meat, poultry, fish, dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes and beans and good sources include grains such as rice, quinoa and multigrain bread.

Protein sources:
100g chicken or meat            =   22g-25g
Half a cup soybeans               =   14g
200g yogurt or 40g cheese   =   10g
1 cup dairy or soy milk          =   8.5g
Half a cup legumes                 =   8g
1 cup cooked rice                    =   4g

 

    Teresa Boyce, Nutritionist, in Body + Soul 20/05/12

Choosing shoes for Jacki’s

4 Comments

Students often ask about the shoes that instructors wear, and what we would recommend for Jacki’s program.

Please read Things to look for in an aerobic shoe at the end of this article.

For myself, I’ve worn Ryka shoes for the past 15+ years. Their Studio Flex model (http://www.ryka.com.au/products/studio-flex) is designed for indoor aerobics and is very light-weight, so is perfectly suited to Jacki’s Dance classes. Another big plus for me is that these shoes are available in black, and since I generally wear black pants I can achieve a “longer” look. Pairing dark long pants with white shoes visually cuts you off at the ankles and makes the wearer appear shorter. At 5’2″ I don’t need any help to look short!

Ryka shoes (from the USA) are made specifically for women’s feet and feature a narrow heel with a wider front. Ryka change their styles from year to year, so I’ve worn plenty of different models, but all work well for our classes. The Athlete’s Foot carry a limited range of Ryka shoes but they are expensive.

Many students have mentioned that when they are shopping for a new pair of shoes for aerobic dancing classes, the shop assistants always recommend a cross trainer. This occurs, I think, because the retailers do not know what aerobic dancing exercise is, and they think that a cross trainer will do the job simply because it is a general all purpose type of exercise shoe. However, because the design of the cross trainer is non-specific (for any particular sport or activity), this means that functionality may be compromised in other areas.

I would recommend a shoe designed for netball, squash or tennis, since the moves in these sports are quite similar to those used in aerobic dancing classes — swivelling and lateral movements in amongst the jogging and lunging actions of the dance routines.

The good news is that this style of shoe is readily available in many brands and price ranges. And I’ve even seen them in black. 🙂

 

Climb Stairs Whenever You Can

Leave a comment

Then climb ‘em again!

Stair-climbing is a remarkable form of exercise. It’s aerobic because it increases your heart rate and works your lungs, it conditions and strengthens your lower body, and it prevents osteoporosis. On every step, your legs bear the load of your body weight. The vigorous action of your leg muscles pulling against your leg bones increases bone density.

‘Counting steps instead of miles can boost your walking workout and save you time,’ says www.prevention.com. ‘Researchers in England and Northern Ireland asked 12 sedentary women to climb a 200-step staircase, progressing from once a day to six times a day (they were allowed to take the elevator down.) Each ascent took about 2 minutes, so by the end of the study, the women were exercising only 12 minutes a day. In less than two months, they saw a boost in their fitness level, along with improvements in their cholesterol level that were enough to cut their risk of cardiovascular disease by 33 percent.’

 If you live in a two-storey house you will have a set of stairs in your own home. You may have a stairwell at work or in your local shopping centre. Outdoors, you may find a good flight of stairs in a park or a parking structure that you can work out on.  Stair-climbing machines are also great if you have a gym membership or the motivation to use one at home.

As with any exercise, don’t overdo. Warm up and cool down and stretch your legs before and after, and consult a doctor before beginning if you have an existing condition like knee or hip problems.

Even if you don’t have time for a workout, just taking the stairs instead of the lift or escalator as you work, travel and shop delivers benefits. So don’t shun stairs—climb them whenever you can!

 

Farewell Roslyn Gemeren

10 Comments

“Mourning is one of the most profound human experiences that it is possible to have… The deep capacity to weep for the loss of a loved one and to continue to treasure the memory of that loss is one of our noblest human traits”.

~ Shneidman (1980)

One of our former instructors, Roslyn Gemeren, passed away on Friday March 30. Ros had suffered from an eating disorder for many years and her death has been attributed to complications arising from this.

Ros started teaching for Jacki’s in June 1998 and over her years as an instructor she taught at Hornsby, Carlingford, Ryde East and St. Ives. Students from many other classes would have met Ros when she filled in for sick or injured instructors. She was generous to a fault and never said “no” when asked by another instructor to take over a class at very short notice.

Ros was open, honest, sweet-natured and a truly “good” person.

After she stopped teaching for Jacki’s in late 2005, we kept in touch from time to time. She always enquired after everyone in my family, and was famous for posting handmade cards for birthdays, Christmas and, touchingly, Mothers’ Day.

I visited Ros when she was staying at a treatment facility in Ashfield, and on some occasions I brought her back to my house for afternoon tea. Instructors Jennifer Lee and Sue Pretty both accompanied me on various visits and I know that their support meant a lot to Ros.

I’ll miss Ros, and my heart goes out to her family – her sister Meredith, her father Joost and her stepmother Helen.

Ros was 42 years old.

If you have a memory of Ros please feel free to share it here.

Diana Royds

Roslyn

Triceps hinges

Leave a comment

Getting it right: Triceps hinges



The triceps muscle works in opposition with the biceps to bend and straighten the arm. It’s the wobbly bit at the back of your upper arm and a pair is sometimes rather unkindly called mother-in-law arms, Bingo arms or tuck-shop arms. 🙂 It is probably the muscle ladies want to tone more than any other – at least in the upper body.

Two Vertifirm™ moves that target the triceps are Hinge Back and Hinge Sides. The elbow is the hinge. In both moves, the only part of the arm that moves is the forearm. From shoulder to elbow, the upper arm remains still. In both moves, keep your neck long and don’t hunch up your shoulders. As with all Vertifirm™ moves, focus on the targeted muscle, feeling it alternately contract and relax, and think resistance and control.

Hinge Side. This session, we Hinge Side in Vertifirm™ during Pose Behind Then Squat, and also in the Booster, in the Long Glide in and out of the circle.

Your elbows point to the side walls and your fists extend out to the sides and back to the chest as your forearms hinge down nearly 180 degrees. Keep your fists close to your body, not out in front, as your arms bend. Your knuckles face front throughout the move.

Common mistakes: dropping the upper arm; engaging the back muscles by hunching the shoulders.

Hinge Back. This session, we Hinge Back during the Hover Squats in Vertifirm™. Your elbows point to the back wall while your fists extend back till the arm is straight, then arc in to end near your armpits. Don’t drop your elbows as your fists move forward or you’ll be working your deltoids, not your triceps. Your knuckles face the side walls throughout the move, and you should not see your arms at any time.

Common mistakes: dropping the elbows to the waist and swinging the forearms to the front of the body as the arm bends. Check your form by standing side-on at a mirror and ensuring that your entire arm remains behind your back and your upper arm does not move.

 

Choosing and Caring for Your Aerobic Wear

Leave a comment

Most workout clothing is made from LYCRA® or a blend of cotton, elastane, polyester, spandex and nylon in varying percentages. These fibres give the fabric stretch, flexibility and “memory” – the ability to return to its original shape after stretching.

The best pants I’ve found currently on the market are from the Lululemon range. They’re expensive but they last and last and keep their appearance for years if you care for them correctly. Unlike cheaper workout pants, the fabric doesn’t “pill”. www.lululemon.com/sydney

Lorna Jane stores have a dazzling range of great tops in lots of fresh colours. Again, LJ’s gear is not cheap but the quality and variety are good. www.lornajane.com.au

The in-store experience at both these establishments is exemplary. They clearly train their staff well.

Taking care of your gear

You pay a good deal for your workout gear, so you want to keep it looking good for years. Here’s how:

• Hand wash (unless your washing machine has a delicate cycle) in cold to lukewarm water, straight after wearing. Don’t leave it sitting in the hamper for days!

• Use a wool mix-style detergent. You don’t need much – lots of suds are unnecessary.

• Do not use fabric softener on aerobic wear, as this coats the fabric and reduces the moisture wicking and quick-dry capabilities. If you accidently use it, don’t worry, as after a few more washes, the coating from the softener will wash off.

• Dry away from the sun. Ultra violet rays damage these fabrics so although they’ll take longer to dry (particularly in winter), always dry either inside, or outside in the shade.

• If, in time, your black gear begins to lose its blackness, try this: soak for a couple of hours in water with a little white vinegar added, then rinse in clean water. This will remove any soap or detergent build-up in the fabric.

• Save your “good” aerobic gear for class only. If you wear it as casual clothing, chances are you’ll wear out the derrière section from sitting or driving. You might not notice, but others will.
We’ve all been behind someone in class wearing pants so thin in the “seat” that it’s hard to know where to look during the squats!

Session Names

Leave a comment

Session Names
Here’s every session we’ve danced in Australia! How many have you done?

No.  Term    Year  Session Name

180 Term 1 2026 WOW

179 Term 4 2025 Summer Love
178 Term 3 2025 Lights, Camera, Dance *in memory of Stephanie Greenbury
177 Term 2 2025 Everybody Dance
176 Term 1 2025 Follow The Sun
* Stephanie Greenbury, Instructor 1981 to 2024, RIP

175 Term 4 2024 Feel The Love
174 Term 3 2024 Celebrate Dance
173 Term 2 2024 Curtain Call
172 Term 1 2024 Sunshine and Sunsets

171 Term 4 2023 Crazy Love
170 Term 3 2023 Follow Your Heart
169 Term 2 2023 Keep Dancin’
168 Term 1 2023 Beach Party

167 Term 4 2022 Wild & Free
166 Term 3 2022 Everlasting Love
165 Term 2 2022 (more) Good Times
164 Term 1 2022 Summer Feelings

163 Term 4 2021 Celebrate Blessings
163 Term 3 2021 (Pushed to term 4 due to COVID-19)
162 Term 2 2021 Get Up & Dance
161 Term 1 2021 Dreams

160 Term 4 2020 Never Too Late
159 Term 3 2020 Smile
159 Term 2 2020 (Pushed to term 3 due to COVID-19)
158 Term 1 2020 Dance Like There’s Heaven On Earth

157 Term 4 2019 Island Time
156 Term 3 2019 What A Feeling!
155 Term 2 2019 Celebrate Fun
154 Term 1 2019 Joy Love Dance

153 Term 4 2018 Summer Breeze
152 Term 3 2018 Shape Of The Heart
151 Term 2 2018 Generation Dance
150 Term 1 2018 Illuminate

149 Term 4 2017 Time Out
148 Term 3 2017 Dance More
147 Term 2 2017 Decades of Dancing
146 Term 1 2017 Looking Up

145 Term 4 2016 Blue Skies
144 Term 3 2016 Carpe Diem
143 Term 2 2016 Love
142 Term 1 2016 Rock

141 Term 4 2015 Sweet Summer
140 Term 3 2015 Good Times
139 Term 2 2015 Live It Up
138 Term 1 2015 It’s All About Dance

137 Term 4 2014 Happy
136 Term 3 2014 Dancing In The Rain
135 Term 2 2014 Unfurl Your Dreams
134 Term 1 2014 Live Love Laugh

133 Term 4 2013 Shine
132 Term 3 2013 Festival of Fitness
131 Term 2 2013 Girl’s Night Out
130 Term 1 2013 Star

129  Term 4  2012   Getaway
128  Term 3  2012   Feeling Good!
127  Term 2  2012   Hit The Lights
126  Term 1  2012   Rock On

125  Term 4  2011   Fireworks
124  Term 3  2011   Just Dance
123  Term 2  2011   Wings
122  Term 1  2011   Dynamite

121  Term 4  2010   Ship Shape at Jacki’s
120  Term 3  2010   Love Love Love
119  Term 2  2010   Enchanted
118  Term 1  2010   The Original

117  Term 4  2009   Summer’s Coming
116 Term 3   2009   All Things Bright and Beautiful
115  Term 2  2009   Celebrate Life
114  Term 1  2009   Superheros

113  Term 4  2008   A Summer Collection
112  Term 3  2008   Forever Young
111  Term 2  2008   Best Friends
110  Term 1  2008   Can’t Stop Dancing

109  Term 4  2007   IslandGirls
108  Term 3  2007   Starring Role
107  Term 2  2007   Strut Your Style
106  Term 1  2007   An Invitation to Dance

105  Term 4  2006   Spring 2006
104  Term 3  2006   Winter Workout 2006
103  Term 2  2006   Seasons of Love
102  Term 1  2006   Magic Moments

101  Term 4  2005   Spring Break
100  Term 3  2005   Back to the Island
099  Term 2  2005   From the Bottom of My Heart
098  Term 1  2005   Still Fired Up

097  Term 4  2004   Break Away
096  Term 3  2004   Wildflowers
095  Term 2  2004   A World of Good
094  Term 1  2004   Still Hooked on Dancin’

093  Term 4  2003   Barefootin’
092  Term 3  2003   Love Is a Wonderful Thing
091  Term 2  2003   I Got the Music in Me
090  Term 1  2003   Here Comes the Sun

089  Term 4  2002   Still Lookin’ Good
088  Term 3  2002   Rock & Roll Party at Jacki’s
087  Term 2  2002   Let Freedom Ring
086  Term 1  2002   Reach for the Stars

085  Term 4  2001   Spring Fling
084  Term 3  2001   Sweet Summer
083  Term 2  2001   Jacki’s Dance Mix
082  Term 1  2001   Dance Party

081  Term 4  2000   Center Stage
080  Term 3  2000   Summer
079  Term 2  2000   Rhythm Divine
078  Term 1  2000   Serious Fun

077  Term 4  1999   Dance into the Millennium and Beyond
076  Term 3  1999   Summer Breeze
075  Term 2  1999   Hot Ticket
074  Term 1  1999   Jump Swing Rock ‘n Roll

073  Term 4  1998   Come Dance With Me
072  Term 3  1998   Living On Sunshine
071  Term 2  1998   Flying High
070  Term 1  1998   It’s Magic

069  Term 4  1997   Lighten Up
068  Term 3  1997   Love Travels
067  Term 2  1997   Do Good Anyway
066  Term 1  1997   Dance! Shout!

065  Term 4  1996   Earth Fire Water Air
064  Term 3  1996   Summer Games
063  Term 2  1996   Play
062  Term 1  1996   Pizza

061  Term 4  1995   Colors of the Wind
060  Term 3  1995   Hakuna Matata
059  Term 2  1995   Wildflowers
058  Term 1  1995   You Gotta Have Faith

057  Term 4  1994   Circle of Life
056  Term 3  1994   Summer of ’94
055  Term 2  1994   Above & Beyond
054  Term 1  1994   At the Movies

053  Term 4  1993   Moondance
052  Term 3  1993   Ragtop Day
051  Term 2  1993   New Horizons
050  Term 1  1993   Love & Luck

049  Term 4  1992   With Spirit
048  Term 3  1992   Fun & Games
047  Term 2  1992   Love Revolution
046  Term 1  1992   The Good Life

045  Term 4  1991   Going Dancing
044  Term 3  1991   Escapade
043  Term 2  1991   Anything Is Possible
042  Term 1  1991   Boogie & Beethoven

041  Term 4  1990   Make It Happen
040  Term 3  1990   Gypsy in My Soul
039  Term 2  1990   Rock Rolls On
038  Term 1  1990   Free To Be

037  Term 4  1989   Summer Lovers
036  Term 3  1989   You Should Be Dancing
035  Term 2  1989   Wild Again
034  Term 1  1989   What a Wonderful World

033  Term 4  1988   Endless Summer
032  Term 3  1988   Dare to Dance
031  Term 2  1988   Love Power
030  Term 1  1988   Shoot the Works

029  Term 4  1987   Summer Madness
028  Term 3  1987   On My Way
027  Term 2  1987   Come On Shout
026  Term 1  1987   Headed for the Future

025  Term 4  1986   Summer Camp
024  Term 3  1986   Command Performance
023  Term 2  1986   Rising Star
022  Term 1  1986   Turn Around the World

021  Term 4  1985   Here Comes Summer
020  Term 3  1985   The Show Must Go On
019  Term 2  1985   Reach Out
018  Term 1  1985   The Best of Times

017  Summer* 1984   Christmas of ‘84
016  Term 4  1984     Strive
015  Term 3  1984     Voice of the Heart
014  Term 2  1984     Fired Up
013  Term 1  1984     Hooked on Dancin’

012  Summer*  1983  Sailing
011  Session 4#   1983   Harmony
010  Session 3#   1983   Lookin’ Good
009  Session 2#   1983   High Spirits
008  Session 1#   1983   Hearts

007  Summer*  1982   Carnival of Love
006  Term 3  1982      One in a Million
005  Term 2  1982      A Chance to Dance
004  Term 1  1982      Camelot

003  Summer*  1981 Dreams
002  Term 3  1981 Rhapsody in Blue
001  Term 2  1981 Hallelujah

*  For the first four years, some instructors taught a 6-week session during the summer school holidays.

#  In 1984, the NSW school year changed from three terms to four terms. Jacki’s was a year ahead, presenting four sessions in 1983 across the schools’ three terms.