Angie Sellers of Fit Columbia leads a 'Yoga with Puppies' class now at the yoga studio in Columbia's Five Points. Sellers held two classes on May 13, 2017, with ten participants bringing in their favorite 4-legged friend to enjoy the relaxing exercise and fitness class. Here, Angie Sellers teaches the class some yoga poses on the aerial silk as the dogs explore and play. Rob Thompson rthompson@thestate.com
Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article150415387.html#storylink=cpy
Erin Shaw
First, there was goat yoga. Now, there’s puppy yoga.
Fit Columbia in Five Points will offer a yoga class where dogs are welcome on Saturday.
Owner Angie Yong Sellers said she was inspired by the goat yoga trend.
“It's been really successful and I thought about it and realized I have the perfect space for puppies,” she wrote in an email.
The class is $20 and BYOP - Bring Your Own Puppy. It will include yoga on mats, “so everyone can smell each other and explore,” as well as aerial silks “to see our cute, furry friends playing down below,” Sellers said.
As of Monday afternoon, the class was nearly sold out. If you miss it, there will be a second class on June 17. Find out more at Fit Columbia.
Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/entertainment/local-events/article149354624.html#storylink=cpy
Fit Columbia's Angela Yong Sellers gives presentation on her growing business to the 1 Million Cups group of entrepreneurs.
About 1 Million Cups:
1 Million Cups is a weekly educational program designed to engage, educate, and accelerate communities of entrepreneurs. Developed in Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation, and continually refined by a dedicated community of entrepreneurs across the United States, we have created an educational program that holds the promise to revitalize, empower, grow, and activate your city’s community of entrepreneurs through online curriculum, coaching and experiential learning.
Website: http://1millioncups.com/columbiasc
Twitter: @1MillionCupsCOL
Seated Straight Leg Raise
This exercise can be performed by people who are affected by joint problems. It helps to strengthen the quadriceps muscles. Here are the steps that need to be followed:
➞ Sit on the floor, with your legs extended straight, and your hands on the sides. You could sit against a wall for support.
➞ Bend your right knee, and bring your right foot closer to your body.
➞ Tighten the thigh muscles of the left leg.
➞ Lift your left leg about 6-7 inches off the ground.
➞ Stay in this position for five seconds. Slowly lower your leg to the start position.
➞ Repeat this 10 times with each leg. You can do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Fit Columbia Women In Fitness Features have moved from The Columbia Star to Midlands Anchor! Last year we featured 12 women and hosted a Garden Party at Fit Columbia to honor them. I'm so excited to do it again this year. My purpose is to promote and encourage the growth of women fitness professionals in our community. Theres no charge or deception. I believe that supporting another's success won't ever dampen yours. Namaste friends.
If you would like to nominate a female fitness professional who represents the Best of the Best in her heath and wellness career Send nominations to fitcolumbia@live.com.
ELIGIBILITY: The nominee must be based in an office or location within South Carolina. She must have a minimum of five years of teaching, training, and educating in the health and wellness industry. Small business owners, not franchises or box gyms please.
JUDGING CRITERIA: Eligible nominees are reviewed by a committee on the following criteria: Community Service and Involvement, Industry Experience and Education, and Career and Industry Leadership.
PHOTOGRAPHS: Each nomination must include a minimum 4x6 in, 300 dpi photograph of the nominee. You may also include up to two optional photographs or renderings depicting significant projects or other examples of the nominee’s accomplishments. You may also include one optional supplemental document, such as a testimonial letter.
Research shows that only 8% of people who have made a New Year’s resolution were able to meet their goal, according to a study from the University of Scranton that was compiled by Statistic Brain.
So, how do we increase our odds of setting realistic goals and sticking to them? The answer is called habit stacking, chaining, anchoring or piggybacking. If your life today is essentially the sum of your habits, then we need to take a closer look at our reoccurring patterns of behavior.
We have patterns and behaviors that have been strengthened over years. Things we don’t even think about because they have become like second nature to us. By linking the new desired habits to a cycle that is already built into the brain, we make it more likely to stick to the new behavior.
To get started, simply write out a list of the current habits that you do each day. (Don’t forget about all the boring everyday routines.) Then, write out a second list of the habits you want to start. Finally, pick one habit and look for the appropriate place to stack it.
I encourage you to pick one habit because you’re more likely to be successful. Asking your mind and body to make one change will likely yield an 80% success rate! Asking for 2 decreases to 35% and continues to drop with each new expectation. So choose one wisely and be specific.
If you are what you repeatedly do, then it should be pretty easy to identify your daily routines. Here’s an example of my personal piggy backing habit I’ve incorporated into my mornings.
My goal was to move better and be warmed up to train my 5am clients. My current habit is to roll over and check my phone. I drink some water (I keep a water bottle next to the bed at all times) before I get out of bed and do my routine. My routine consisted of personal grooming, coffee, grabbing things here and there, kissing the family and off to the gym in a whirlwind.
My new piggy back keeps a skin brush by my bedside. By putting my skin brush by the bed, I’m able to brush my skin every morning helping to improve my vascular blood circulation and lymphatic drainage. Dry body brushing helps shed dead skin cells (and encourages new cell renewal), which results in smoother and brighter skin. It literally added less 1-2 minutes more to my routine and I don’t forget to do it.
Some folks like the use of technology to help their progress. Here’s a few options that might be a great addition.
2. https://exist.io/blog/habit-apps/
3. https://exist.io/page/habits-resources/
Start today and do something everyday. 10 min walks matter and I encourage you to make them a time to contemplate and be relaxed. Or take a friend or a your pet for accountability and companionship.
21 days to make a habit myth:
On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact.
In other words, if you want to set your expectations appropriately, the truth is that it will probably take you anywhere from two months to eight months to build a new behavior into your life — not 21 days.
So commit to doing something 10 minutes daily...as a lifestyle change not a short term goal.
http://jamesclear.com/new-habit
I mentioned 10 minutes of walking but here are some other ideas:
Don't drink "sports drinks".
Most sports drinks are just made up of sugars, chemicals, and salt. While many people use them to hydrate, these drinks can cause a myriad of health issues in the body.
Let’s talk about the dyes for a moment:
Blue No. 1, a common dye found in Gatorade, is especially potent. Not only does it turn your tongue blue, but researchers have speculated it may cause temporary discoloration of your body tissue and brain. Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5 are also used in Gatorade and have been linked to numerous health problems. A research study in the 1970′s found that rats that consumed Yellow No. 5 contracted intestinal cancer at much higher rates than those who did not. Most medical professionals agree that Gatorade has high health risks and low nutritional value. A 35-year study, conducted on children aged 3-4 and 8-9, found that artificial coloring perpetuated the severity of chronic ADHD and other behavioral problems.
Solution: Try coconut water or chia seeds instead. Coconut water provides much-needed electrolytes, and both coconut water and chia seeds are great hydrators. I love Ultima and Nuun as a mix to add to my water.
http://ultimareplenisher.com/
http://www.nuun.com
Occasional itching is a normal, common experience. Just like a red face during exercise, itchy legs are no cause for alarm, that is unless the itch is accompanied by hives. Exercise-induced urticaria is in a sense an allergy to exercise, and if you're also experiencing stomach cramps, swelling of the face or tongue, or difficulty breathing, seek medical attention immediately. Sometimes, though, it can result from a specific stimuli, such as allergies, environmental factors like the ones listed below.
If your body starts itching when you exercise consider the following possible reasons:
1. Inconsistent exercise. Keep exercising to allow the body to adapt.
Runners itch also seems to be more common in those who are getting back in shape. If you’ve taken some time off of running and are just getting back into it, you may also experience uncomfortable welts or rashes. As your heart rate increases, blood flows faster, and the millions of tiny capillaries and arteries in your muscles begin to expand rapidly. The capillaries stay open to allow for maximum blood passage when you're fit, but if you're out of shape, your capillaries tend to collapse, not allowing as much blood to pass through. When your capillaries expand, the surrounding nerves become stimulated and send messages to the brain, which reads the sensation as itching. So if you want to prevent itchy legs, keep up with your regular exercise routine.
2. Showering too often. Try dry brushing daily and shaving your legs...even in the winter.
Shower less, skin brush & use natural oils/lotion. Ladies, watch out if you happen to shower more than once a day. Too many showers can wash away some of the skin’s natural oils that keep it moist, leaving your skin dry and itchy. This is something to consider for women is non-shaved legs. A lot of women don’t shave their legs in the winter, but that “stubble” can cause itching—especially when wearing running tights,
Skin brushing helps move lymph fluid into the lymph nodes so this waste can then be eliminated. Dry skin brushing boosts circulation, delivering oxygenated blood to the skin and other organs, which helps them do their jobs better. Dry skin brushing should be done daily for best results, or even twice a day if you like.
3. Producing too much histamine. Try taking an antihistamine before working out to see if the itch stops.
Histamine is a known vasodilator; it increases blood flow to injured or infected tissues to help the immune system get at the problem area. And one Japanese study showed that histamine may be released during exercise to help protect the body against exercise-induced fatigue or exhaustion.
Unfortunately, histamine also sends itch signals to the brain, which means an increase histamine production in your body could induce general feelings of itchiness, which seems to be what you’re experiencing. (For more on how histamine induces itch, check out this study.)
4. Maybe it's your laundry detergent.
Laundry detergent. Some fabrics can also irritate the skin and wick away moisture, leaving the skin even dryer. Laundry detergent may also be the culprit. Opt for sensitive skin detergent to avoid any irritation.
http://www.thecolumbiastar.com/news/2016-09-16/Society/Amanda_Holland.html
75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?
Here are some interesting facts:
One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day (half of that coming from food and drinks other than plain water) could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
Purposely turning ourselves upside down is contrary to our nature and yet the benefits of upending ourselves are many. Just as yoga gently encourages us to move away from any unconscious habitual patterns, the invitation to invert is simply another way by which to shake things up, step out of rut.
At Fit Columbia we offer safe alternatives to headstand, handstand, forearm stand and shoulder stands which typically come to mind when we consider inversions. Because an inversion is most generally categorized as any asana in which the head is below the heart...we use props. These props help us get things moving in new directions without jumping in the deep end and or risk injury.
Here are three reasons to try inversions at Fit Columbia using the yoga wall or the aerial silks.
Inversions reverse the blood flow in the body and improve circulation: Work smarter, not harder! Use gravity to provide the brain with more oxygen and blood thus increasing mental functioning, and improving concentration, memory, and processing abilities.
Increase immunity and prevent illness: The lymphatic system is a key player in keeping the body healthy. As lymph moves through the body it picks up toxins and bacteria to be eliminated by the lymph nodes. Because lymph moves as a result of muscle contractions and gravity, getting upside down allows lymph to more easily travel into the respiratory system where much of the toxins enter the body.
Energize: Feeling that 3pm slump coming on? Get upside down! Inversions get more blood moving to the brain, which results not only in physical invigoration but mental revitalization as well.
Fit Columbia, a versatile fitness center in the Five Points area of Columbia will host a garden party to celebrate 13 local “Women of Fitness” and to benefit local children’s charity Innersole Thursday, June 30, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Fit Columbia, 2002 Blossom Street.
Guests will enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and champagne in the charming outdoor courtyard of Fit Columbia —a multi-practice, personalized training center focused on individual and small group sessions, opened in 2011 by certified fitness expert Angela Sellers while mingling with fellow health and fitness supporters. Next door, The Swept Yard home goods and garden shop will be open for browsing. Attire is business casual.
The two- faceted event will honor 13 local women influencers in the health and fitness industry and serve as a new shoe drive for children via statewide nonprofit Innersole co-founded by Dawn Staley, three-time Olympic gold medalist and Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of South Carolina. Innersole provides new athletic and lifestyle shoes to children and teens facing poverty and health risks from low-income households across South Carolina.
Guests are asked to bring donations of new shoes for Innersole to the event for admission. Fit Columbia will present donations to Innersole at the garden party. Donations will be distributed to kids during multiple backto school events held by the nonprofit across the state.
Todd and Moore, local athletic retailer, will offer a 20 percent discount to customers who purchase shoes to donate.
Thirteen local women in the fitness and health fields will be recognized at the event for their contributions to the industry. These “Women of Fitness” each profiled in our local publication The Columbia Star over the last year were chosen because they have actively and admirably worked to make Columbia healthier and stronger; are enthusiastic about their job and engaging to a wide client base; and have longevity in the fields of fitness and health.
“Being in the health industry isn’t something that’s going to get you a lot of notoriety,” says Fit Columbia founder Angela Sellers. “For this celebration, I was looking for women who are digging deep into the roots of the community. We want to promote them and honor them because there aren’t necessarily awards out there for helping someone on a path to health or for being a positive force in someone’s life.”
Celebrated Women
• Alison Beard | licensed acupuncturist; Chinese medicine herbalist at Palmetto Acupuncture
• Tammie Coleman Epps | Certified Zumba instructor
• Anne Marie Cockrell | certified advanced rolfer
•Maxine Deutschendorf | owner and instructor at Infinite Yoga
• Fran Harlow | buyer at Rosewood Market and Deli
• Ashley Hayes | Pilates and yoga instructor at Pilates of Forest Acres
• Rachel Hipszer | aerial silks performer at Soda City Cirque
• Elise Matthews | personal trainer at KORE Wellness
• Pam Meriwether | yoga alliance- certified experienced registered yoga teacher
• Stephanie Rosehart | athletic-trainer at University of South Carolina
• Milena Stephens | co-owner and trainer at Stephens Tennis Management
• Claudia Tudose | owner and specialized master trainer at Gyrotonic Devine
• Kim Williams | volleyball coach at SC FCA Volleyball; formerly University of South Carolina
Throughout June 2016, Fit Columbia is focused on serving individuals from low-income areas of the Midlands.
Each Monday and Wednesday in June, Fit Columbia holds donation-based classes aimed toward individuals with irregular working hours and financial barriers. These “pay-what-you-can” classes are held at both 7 and 8 p.m.
Fit Columbia will continue hosting a month- long new shoe drive throughout June, during which donations of new children’s and adult shoes of any kind will go to Innersole. Shoes, plus cash and check donations, are accepted at Fit Columbia, 2002 Blossom Street, during business hours: Monday–Friday, 5 a.m.– 7:00 p.m.
Fit Columbia Hosts “Women of Fitness” Garden Party and Benefit for Innersole, June 30
Five Points fitness center to honor 13 women of the midlands; give to local nonprofit at free event
Fit Columbia, a versatile fitness center in the Five Points district of Columbia, S.C., will host a garden party to celebrate thirteen local “Women of Fitness” and to benefit local children’s charity Innersole on Thursday, June 30, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Fit Columbia, located at 2002 Blossom Street.
Guests will enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and champagne in the charming outdoor courtyard of Fit Columbia – a multi-practice, personalized training center focused on individual and small group sessions, opened in 2011 by certified fitness expert Angela Sellers –while mingling with fellow health and fitness supporters. Next door, The Swept Yard home goods and garden shop will be open for browsing. Attire is business-casual.
The two-faceted event will honor thirteen local women influencers in the health and fitness industry, and serve as a new shoe drive for children via statewide nonprofit Innersole – co-founded by Dawn Staley, three-time Olympic gold medalist and Head Women's Basketball Coach at the University of South Carolina – which provides new athletic and lifestyle shoes to children and teens facing poverty and health risks from low-income households across South Carolina.
Guests are asked to bring donations of new shoes for Innersole to the event for admission. Fit Columbia will present donations to Innersole at the garden party, which will be distributed to kids during multiple back-to-school events held by the nonprofit across the state.
Todd and Moore, local athletic retailer, will offer a 20% discount to customers who purchase shoes for donation to Fit Columbia and Innersole in June.
CELEBRATING CHAMPIONS
Thirteen local women in the fitness and health fields will be recognized at the event for their contributions to the industry. These “Women of Fitness” – each profiled in local publication The Columbia Star over the last year – were chosen because they have actively and admirably worked to make Columbia healthier and stronger; are enthusiastic about their job and engaging to a wide client base; and have longevity in the fields of fitness and health.
“Being in the health industry isn’t something that’s going to get you a lot of notoriety,” says Fit Columbia founder Angela Sellers. “For this celebration, I was looking for women who are digging deep into the roots of the community. We want to promote them and honor them because there aren’t necessarily awards out there for helping someone on a path to health or for being a positive force in someone’s life.”
The featured women are:
CONTINUING CAUSE
Throughout June 2016, Fit Columbia is focused on serving individuals from low-income areas of the Midlands.
Each Monday and Wednesday in June, Fit Columbia holds donation-based classes aimed toward individuals with irregular working hours and financial barriers. These “pay-what-you-can” classes are held at both 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Fit Columbia will continue hosting a month-long new shoe drive throughout June, during which donations of new child.
