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It’s good to be serious about your health and fitness, but, says APOGEE Fusion Funk instructor Theo Philip, you don’t have to be serious while you’re working out. Philips is a model for his students, sporting a huge, infectious smile while he leads his popular Fusion Funk class every Wednesday at APOGEE White Plains. The class is a mix of cardio, strength and “freedom” says Theo. “Dance for me is a big escape—when you dance you can let yourself go!” The fact that Fusion Funk is a total-body workout is icing on the cake.

Theo brings his formal dance training (modern, ballet, jazz, improvisation), his experience as a performer (everywhere from the street corners to concert stages), and the latest selection of dance music (from the Latin groove of Enrique Iglesias to the latest from Flo Rida) to class every week. “I choreograph small sections and repeat it so people can follow easily,” Theo says. He uses the same music and movement sequences several weeks in a row so it’s familiar to everyone in class, then mixes in new steps and tunes to keep it fresh. “If you’re just starting you will catch on after the first few minutes,” he says. “I get everyone pumped up.”

Fusion Funk has a devoted following at APOGEE White Plains, and it’s easy to see why: Theo is a master of using music to bring the class to several cardio peaks, slowing it down for a recovery period, then building it up again. He weaves in bounces with light hand-weights and easy stretches such as plies. The variations in intensity, upper- and lower-body moves, and straight-from-the-clubs dance beats make an hour of movement speed by. Everyone in the studio follows Theo’s lead: dancing, sweating, smiling and feeling free.

More Funk: We’ve just scheduled a very special 8-weeks of dance fun with Theo. In Funk It Out (Mondays, 6:30pm, White Plains) you’ll learn dance moves choreographed by Theo Philip to five current hit songs. Each week you’ll learn a little more and by the last week, you’ll be a master on the dance floor.
Begins 10/4.

Finding the time, energy and motivation to keep your body fit can be as challenging as completing the workouts themselves. That’s why APOGEE’s new Power Pilates OneShot class is quickly gaining a devoted following: In 55 minutes, you can raise your heart rate, burn off calories and work your core with Pilates moves. “It’s motivating because there’s so much variation,” says APOGEE OneShot instructor LucyAnn Doino.

The OneShot class alternates between Pilates mat work and ropeless jumping—think of a boxer’s workout, with foot shuffles, side-to-side footwork and hopping. The difference: You’re holding just the handles of a jump rope—there’s no actual rope to get tangled or miss. The Jump Snap handles make the noise of a rope so you know your pace. With feet, legs and arms moving, OneShot gives you an exhilarating total-body workout.

“In the 45-minute Intro class, we do a 25-minute Pilates mat warm-up, followed by 5-minute jump routines alternating with 5-minutes of Pilates mat work,” says LucyAnn. The Pilates moves are similar to those in a Beginning Mat class. The jumping routines are easy and anyone can revert to the basic side-to-side move if they need to lower their intensity. “We do 20-, 30- and 60-second jumping intervals,” says LucyAnn. “The choreography is simpler than a Zumba class.”

In the 55-minute Regular OneShot class, the Pilates mat warm-up is 10 minutes long, followed by 10-minute jumping intervals with mat breaks lasting 5 minutes.

“The music is really motivating,” says LucyAnn. “No one is bored!” With music, the snapping sound of the Jump Snaps and just enough footwork to keep you challenged, OneShot is 55-minutes of sweat you’ll look forward to.

OneShot is open to everyone. It is helpful to have taken Intro to Pilates Mat so you understand the instructions during the mat-work portions of the class. Find a  OneShot class in White Plains or Bedford Hills.

If you’ve been to the APOGEE Café in White Plains or Bedford Hills, you’re familiar with our fresh, convenient food: You can pick up a nutritious natural meal or snack after class and be home, at work or running errands with no worries about your diet or energy level. You know you’re eating fresh, natural whole foods.

This month, we’re revamping our smoothie menu: These new, cool drinks are packed with nutrition, providing a balance of macro-nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats) with the micro-nutrients your body needs for optimum health. We can’t think of an easier way to provide you with fast, portable, tasty nutrition and energy. Our menu will feature gluten-free and vegan smoothies, too, so everyone can find a drink to suit them.

How do we pack so much nutrition into 16- or 24-ounce cup? The key is quality ingredients.

Protein: Our smoothies contain rice protein powder, almond butter, almond milk, or kefir made from low-fat milk. These are easy to digest, gluten-free sources of protein. Protein is especially useful to aid recovery after exercise. Our signature smoothie, “The APOGEE,” contains rice protein; our Nutty Monkey has almond milk and butter; the Super Green Machine is mixed with almond milk.

Fats: Many of our smoothies contain coconut milk or flax seed oil, which are natural, heart-healthy fats. Both of these fats also have disease-fighting properties and they contribute to a creamy, satisfying smoothie. Flax seed oil and coconut milk give our Apogee smoothie a nutritional punch; the Calypso Colada gets its rich flavor from coconut milk.

Fruits and vegetables: We use fresh berries, kiwi and wheat grass, providing antioxidants that help with every aspect of health, including detox and repair. Some smoothies also contain Metagenics organic greens and berries powder, which delivers the benefits of fresh fruits and greens in a concentrated, whole food form. Our Super Green Machine, Anti-Oxidant Cleanse and Apogee smoothies are packed with powerful fruits.

Probiotics: Probiotics are cultured foods that contain the beneficial bacteria essential for digestive and detox system function. Our smoothies that contain the probiotic kefir deliver multiple strains of bacteria. We’re offering both low-fat dairy kefir and coconut kefir, for vegans. Jennifer’s Kiwi Pick-Me-Up is a vegan option, with coconut kefir and wheat grass juice; low-fat dairy kefir gives the Orange Creamsicle and Calypso Colada their creamy texture.

Filtered fresh and iced water: Your body needs water to function at its best! Our smoothies will help keep you hydrated.

Read more about probiotics and kefir here.

Rye resident Patti Whalen is successful in many ways: She’s raised two kids, works at a job she loves, is active in the community, and has a happy marriage. But until recently, she’d forgotten one thing: Fitness. “I had not done any exercise since the birth of my daughter, who is now 19,” Patti says.

Patti had made some attempts to deal with the 30 pounds she’d put on over 20 years. “I tried Jenny Craig and lost weight but gained it all back,” she says. She went on Weight Watchers, joined the Y and started walking. “Nothing worked,” she says. Weight became more of a struggle when Patti was diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer 10 years ago: She retained a lot of fluid due to the chemo.

Then in late 2009, Patti’s cousin, Dr. Howard Sichel, made a comment. “He told me, ‘Movement heals,’” she says, “and that rang the bell.” The statement made sense for Patti: It was motivating without being punitive, and it was about the process, not a pie-in-the-sky end result. Howard told her about APOGEE and suggested she start private Pilates sessions with Dorothy Polanowska.

In January, Patti walked into her first class. “I told myself, ‘I don’t know where I’ve been for 20 years, but now it’s time to take care of me,’” she recalls. She began Intro to Mat classes with Dorothy, then added Intro to Tower with Lisa Klasner and Beginner Mat with Deborah Slade. When Patti balked at trying a cardio class, Dorothy walked her to the Cardio Circuit class and rode on the bike next to her. Patti tried her first Pilates group class during the Open House in March. “It was helpful because I broke out of my safety zone and did a group class on the Tower and the Reformer. I had only done those privately. I now know that I am capable,” she says. “It was a whole new level for me!” Now Patti is taking three or four Pilates classes a week and fitting in at least one cardio session.

Pilates makes Patti feel “taller, stronger, thinner and more toned,” she says. “I’m more grounded on my feet; I feel more symmetrical.” In March, Patti slipped on some ice but didn’t fall—with her strong core, she was able to regain her balance quickly. “When I walk outside I feel lighter, I don’t have that exhausting feeling,” she says. Emotionally, she’s healthier, too. “I feel more relaxed,” she says. “Maybe it’s because I’m doing something for myself.”

By early May, Patti had lost 11 pounds—“without dieting!” she says. “I’m just making better choices.” Upon joining APOGEE, Patti met with APOGEE nutritionist Jennifer Vagios, who gave her a handout detailing high-energy snacks such as nuts and yogurt. Patti has also learned a lot from the APOGEE Café: she now drinks lemon water and green tea at home. “I take my cues from APOGEE,” she says. “It’s such a peaceful place, it even smells good. It’s like a spa!”

Patti feels as if she’s reclaimed her body and her life. She’s introduced her daughter to Pilates and they’re both “addicted,” she says. She hopes to be a model for others who have gotten in a rut. “I felt sad,” she says. “I hope I can inspire someone who felt sad like I did.” Her own inspirational phrase might just work: “No matter what you do, keep moving!”

If you want to improve your golf game, you could spend more time on the fairways and greens, but that’s only part of the solution. Train your body and mind off the course, and you’ll have the tools you need to up your game when you’re standing at the tee.

Golf requires physical and mental strength, control, flexibility, and power. The swing itself is extraordinarily demanding, requiring strength and flexibility from the thighs to the wrists. A strong core is crucial. “Golfers often think they have to strengthen their upper body and legs so they can hit the ball harder, but the most important focus is the musculature around the pelvis,” says Lesly Levy, director of Pilates and Pilates programming at APOGEE.  With a strong, flexible center as a base, the spine and limbs can rotate with greater ease, producing a balanced and centered swing. 

Just as important as strength is the ability of the muscles to work together in a coordinated manner. While certain muscles are contracting, others need to lengthen. Specifically, golfers need flexibility in their spine, ribs, shoulder rotators, inner and outer thighs, forearms and wrists. They will also benefit from strength in the posterior deltoids (back of the shoulder), latissimus dorsi, hips and inner and outer thighs.

Pilates training will help prevent soreness, pain and injury. Lower back pain after 18 holes is most often due to weak abdominal and back muscles, tight hamstrings, chest muscles and deltoids and poor flexibility in the entire torso, says Levy. The swing itself can create physical problems. “Although golfers rotate in both directions to produce the swing, the force of the swing is only in one direction,” says Levy. “Over time, a golfer can develop asymmetrical muscles, creating pain and increasing risk of injury.”

Pilates is designed specifically to promote balanced rotation. Some exercises include the Criss-Cross and Saw on the mat; the Short Box, Snake and Twist on the Reformer; and Twist and Side Pull-Ups on the Wunda Chair. Work on the Barrel is a great way to stretch and open up tight areas. “All of these exercises demand that the body function as a whole unit and work all muscles simultaneously during the movements,” says Levy. Address the ball with these strengths and skills, and you’ll see the results when you swing.

Would you like to know more about fitness for golf? Attend one of our Golf From the Inside Out workshops: Monday, April 26 in Bedford Hills and Wednesday, April 28 in White Plains.