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At 26 years old and a professional horseback rider, you’d think the last thing Jennifer Bliss would need is a workout—after all, on most days she’s training horses, carrying saddles and gear, teaching lessons and running Harris Hill Farm in North Salem, NY. It would seem her daily life is rigorous enough to keep her fit.

Not so, says Jennifer, a four-time national champion in the pony hunter division who is now wining ribbons in the professional hunter division. “I have a baseline level of fitness, but my body is so used to riding that I feel I don’t get fit from that alone,” she says. Jennifer had a cardio habit, but wondered what a total fitness regimen would do. So five years ago Jennifer began training twice a week with Jane Nielsen, fitness manager of APOGEE Bedford Hills. “Jane has me doing things I never would have thought of,” says Jennifer, “and I work so much harder than I would on my own.” The personal training paid off: Jennifer is stronger and has more energy and less back pain—even after hours in the saddle.

Jennifer’s personal training sessions focus on strength training with weights. In addition, the North Salem resident takes Pilates or Spinning class twice a week, for a total of four weekly visits to APOGEE. Jennifer has found that Pilates especially helps her on horseback. “You use your core muscles so much in riding,” she says. “They help you maintain your position in the saddle.” A rider’s back absorbs the shock of every hoof beat, and the core strength from Pilates has helped alleviate the lower back pain that can result. “It’s definitely not as bad,” Jennifer says.

The personal training has helped Jennifer take on new riding skills, too. “Last summer I started reining—a type of Western riding,” she says. “In English you use your inner thighs, but Western calls on your outer thighs—totally different muscles.” Jane helped Jennifer build the strength she needed, switching to different weight machines. “Jane opened my eyes to how creative you can be during a workout,” Jennifer says. “Adding strength training to my cardio has made a big difference in my day-to-day strength and energy.”

APOGEE instructors can create a personal training program just for you. Take advantage of our special pricing on personal training and private Pilates sessions.

APOGEE Anniversary Facebook Contest
Prizes Every Week, plus One Grand Prize!

March is the one-year anniversary of APOGEE White Plains and we’re planning a month-long celebration. It’s also been one year since we started bringing you wellness information from APOGEE instructors and staff on this blog.

And this blog is where our anniversary celebration starts. Twice a week we’ll be posting a question in this blog space and on our Facebook and Twitter accounts: 10 questions in all. The answers can be found somewhere in our blog entries—just hit the “older entries” arrow at the bottom of each blog post or use the “Categories” or “Archives” lists on the right to delve into the blog history to find your answer.

Post your answer on our Facebook page as a comment. There is more than one answer to each question, so be sure to post an answer even if someone else has already submitted one.

Daily Prizes: We’ll draw one winner from all of the answers posted to each question–prizes include skincare products from the APOGEE line and clothing from the APOGEE Shop.

Weekly Prizes: At the end of each week, we’ll draw one winner from all of the entries posted that week—prizes include massage sessions, nutrition and life coaching consultations, private Pilates and fitness sessions and café and retail credit.

Grand Prize: Our Grand Prize is a three-month APOGEE membership! We’ll draw one Grand Prize winner from all of the entries from the month on March 31.

The more questions you answer, the more chances you have to win!

When Judith Gerst started training at APOGEE Bedford Hills a year ago, she hoped that regular cardiovascular training and work with weights would help maintain the strength of her bones. Gerst says, “In 1996 I was diagnosed with osteoporosis,”  or dangerously thin bones. Her doctor prescribed a drug, Fosamax, which treats osteoporosis. Doctors also recommend weight-bearing exercise to make her bones more dense.

With her skeleton in mind, Gerst started training three times a week with Lynn Ozzello, a personal trainer at APOGEE Bedford Hills. Now the 67-year-old Gerst has progressed to doing weighted lunges, explosive moves with a heavy medicine ball, squats using the Smith machine and upper-body work on the Gravitron. “I got so much stronger and my balance improved, I no longer experience back pain,” Gerst says. She is able to lift her 4-year-old and 18-month-old grandchildren with ease. “This is functional—it’s not just for looks, it’s for health,” Gerst says. “It’s definitely made a difference in my daily life.”

Of course, Gerst was hoping to slow or even halt her bone loss and a recent visit to her doctor showed something completely unexpected: “The osteoporosis was gone,” Gerst says. Her bone density had improved so much that she was out of that dangerous category altogether and her doctor told her she can take a break from the medication (she will need to test her bone density twice a year). With improved strength and balance from the personal training, Gerst moves with confidence—she knows she’s strong, inside and out.

For APOGEE instructor Noell Clark, yoga doesn’t end when she steps off the mat. “Part of a complete yoga practice is Seva, the practice of selfless service,” says Clark. Clark fulfills that aspect of her yoga at My Sister’s Place, a Westchester County-based non-profit that helps survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.  For the last two years, Clark has been teaching yoga to the women enrolled in the center’s Life Skills Program, a 12-week empowerment and job readiness program.

For ten women at a time—a total of about 30 a year—the Life Skills Program provides skills and empowerment workshops. Clark has managed the Life Skills program since 2006. As a whole, My Sister’s Place provides legal services, counseling, education, and emergency shelter to thousands of women recovering from abuse and trafficking.

Yoga and My Sister’s Place are a good fit for Clark. She has a degree in Women’s Studies and Political Science from Purchase College, with a concentration in human services and social work.  And she knows personally how yoga, with its focus on joining the physical and spiritual, can help someone to become empowered. “I don’t come from the most pristine background—I’ve faced many challenges and overcome a lot in my life. Yoga has helped me with these transitions.” Clark says. “Yoga completely changed my life. For me it’s a no-brainer to give others the gift that was given to me and allowed me to get to the other side of my adversity.”

Exactly what yoga poses Clark teaches depends on her students. “If the women need to work through their anger, I do a rigorous practice so they can release their emotions and take it out on the mat,” she says. “If they’re farther along in their resolution, I do healing, restorative poses.” (We recently featured one of Clark’s restorative poses on this blog.)  Clark teaches five classes a week at APOGEE White Plains and encourages APOGEE members to practice Seva, too. “There’s a concept that in order to keep a gift you have to give it away,” Clark says. “If you act compassionately to others, the more you are open to receive compassion from the world around you.”

We hear it again and again: Good food and physical activity create a deep well of energy that you can draw from all day. Christine Corvalan has been discovering just how true this is. Christine has type 1 diabetes, and, since starting to work at APOGEE in March 2009, she’s been exercising regularly and eating the fresh, whole foods from the APOGEE Café in White Plains.  “It definitely makes a difference in how I feel,” says Christine. Her healthy habits help create a natural energy balance so the 23-year-old often needs less diabetes medication.

November is American Diabetes Month, a time to build awareness of the disease. Type 1 diabetics, like Christine, are born without the ability to regulate blood sugar naturally. They lack insulin, the hormone that moves blood sugar into cells where it’s used for energy. Type 2 diabetics develop the disease as adults; they either no longer produce insulin, or their cells have lost the ability to use it. Both types must monitor blood sugar several times a day. High levels mean they must take insulin to lower their blood sugar as excess blood sugar damages organs.

Christine has found firsthand that exercise is powerful medicine. “When I take a Pilates class at 5:30 I need a very small dose of short-acting insulin with my evening meal, if any at all,” she says. Exercise lowers blood glucose and improves the body’s ability to use insulin. The effect is the same for everyone, including type 2 diabetics and people who don’t have diabetes. Regular workouts create balanced, healthy energy and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The APOGEE Café’s soups and whole-grain based salads are also a boon to Christine’s control of the disease. Christine must eat regularly to balance her blood sugar and having such healthful foods available is a real plus. The whole grains deliver fiber, which slows absorption of food; the protein and good fats in the salads also create a steady stream of energy into the bloodstream. “Quality grains require less insulin coverage,” says Christine. “The fiber and the mix of proteins and fat have less of an effect on my blood sugar. “ A fiber- and nutrient-rich diet is another way that everyone can provide their body with steady energy and reduce their risk of developing diabetes.

Now working as APOGEE’s marketing coordinator, Christine knows firsthand how the company’s wellness philosophy translates into a healthy life.