I am as tightly wound as they come. 

Type A

Anal

High-strung

Whichever adjective you choose for someone who lives a life heavy on self-imposed stress and light on relaxation, the description fits me. I work hard. I work out hard. I wish I could say I played hard too, but with three small children, two careers, and one house that I struggle to keep from being condemned for unfit living conditions by my town’s authorities, there’s not much time for that.

Sleep is for the weak, right?

And so it’s surprising that prior to my visit to The Spa at Midtown a few weeks ago, I was a spa virgin.

I had not experienced so much as a manicure, facial, or neck massage. I was under the mistaken impresson that spa trips were something other people did.

You know, more relaxed, more zen, more chill people. Definitely not me.

Don’t worry. I know what I’ve been missing now.

About a month ago, I sustained a painful calf strain during the weekly long training run for my half-marathon. When the pain didn’t subside, I called a chiropractor recommended to me by trainer Bruce Hedlund. He suggested I get a calf massage. And desperate to heal my injury quickly, that’s exactly what I did.

Once I entered the waiting area of the spa and closed the door, I instantly forgot that I was at Midtown. There was pleasant instrumental music playing. The lighting was soft. I could not hear a sound from the club. The spa is really its own insular, peaceful entity amidst the bustling energy of the rest of Midtown.  

I was soon greeted by Aimee Brodeur, who is one of the spa’s Licensed Massage Therapists. And while I was a bit apprehensive about what to expect, she immediately put me at ease with her calm and welcoming demeanor.

She led me into a dimly lit room, and then left me to get situated. Once she came back in, we chatted a little, but then I allowed myself to just…relax. This is something I do not do on a regular basis. I lead a pretty hectic and highly scheduled life. And while I pride myself on my ability to keep most of my balls in the air at all times, doing so requires a lot of effort.

During my 30-minute massage, I was somehow able to completely let go. I was comfortable. The massage felt wonderful. And perhaps most incredibly, stressed-out, sleep-deprived, chaos-driven me was thisclose to falling asleep mid-massage.

It felt that good.

And it was over too soon.

If I had know that that was what I had been missing all those years of shunning spa services, I would never have let 34 years elapse before receiving my first one.

And it certainly won’t be that long before I get my next one.

I have nothing with which to compare spa experiences, but in showing The Spa at Midtown brochure to several friends and to my mother, a spa veteran, I learned that the extensive services offered at the club’s spa are extremely affordable when compared with some other spas in the area. You do not need to be a member of Midtown to book services at the spa.

And Aimee was fantastic. She is friendly, professional, and extremely good at what she does. If she could make someone like me feel completely relaxed and practically fall asleep on the table, I’m confident in saying that she must possess some magical powers in her hands. Book a massage with her. You won’t regret it.

What do you like best about spa services? What’s your favorite Spa at Midtown service?

Women have been stuffing themselves into corsets, girdles, and girdle-like garments since the beginning of time.

For the last ten years, many women have worshiped at the altar  of Spanx, that miracle-working undergarment that promises to “promote comfort and confidence in women” while simultaneously cutting off our supply of oxygen.

 But, what price beauty, right?

And now it’s the guys’ turn.

Meet Spanx for men.

Before you laugh and come down firmly on the side of “No Man Will Ever Wear These,” you need to know that, Spanx for men are a huge hit. They are selling out of stores as soon as shipments arrive, and as you might suspect, online sales are even hotter.

Of course, unlike some of the garments in the Spanx for women line, the men don’t have the traditional tummy-sucking and thigh-squeezing shapers.

Instead, they have undershirts, as modeled by men who, interestingly, do not need to wear Spanx, given the fact that they are currently sporting six-packs.

Spanx claims the undershirts feature “powerful compression zones” and are “physique-improving” and “game-changing.” The men interviewed in this article seem to support the claims, saying that the super-tight undershirts gave them “pecs…definition” and “confidence,” in addition to back-pain relief.

It seems a bit unfair that men love their Spanx. Women are held to physical standards of beauty that men are fortunate to avoid. And while we love our Spanx too, they are a necessary, and often uncomfortable, evil: pregnancies change our bodies, our breasts succumb to forces of gravity beyond our control, and losing weight has always been more difficult for us than it is for men. If we want to even approach these unattainable beauty standards, we must look a certain way.

So guys: Can’t you pretend to hate them just a little, for our sakes?

Regardless of who’s wearing the Spanx, “shapewear” has become a hugely popular (and profitable) industry.  Much like the multi-billion dollar diet industry, which peddles quick-fix weight-loss miracle cures that do not touch the underlying causes of the American obesity epidemic, shapewear offers a similar short-term solution.

What do you think of Spanx for men? Guys, would you wear them? Would your boyfriend or partner wear Spanx?

And what do you think of shapewear in general? Harmless figure-enhancers or dangerous fads?

Answering your questions this month is personal trainer Dina Smock.

Dina has been with the club for over 14 years and is N.A.S.M. (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified.

Kristi: How did you get into personal training?

Dina: I have a B.S. in Health Sciences, and I began my career at Midtown as a floor trainer. This developed into a passion for training and running special events, so I transitioned into the Events Coordinator role for awhile. After that, I became the Fitness Director and worked in this role until the birth of my twin daughters in 2002.

Since then, I’ve worked part-time as a personal trainer, with a focus on pregnancy exercise and Kinesis. I love my work, and I’m still training my very first client who started working with me 14 years ago.

Reader Question: “I have about an hour to work out every day. I would like to lose about 10 pounds and I prefer the cardio machines to the weights. Which machines should I use and for how long?”

Dina:If you can get to the gym and do a solid 30-to-60 minutes of cardio a day, three-to-four times a week, you will be on the right track. To burn the most calories, you have to work at a high intensity. The harder and longer you work, the more calories you will burn.

As far as what is the best machine, I believe that you need to have variety in your workouts.  If your program has variety, you are less likely to become bored.  Having variety also helps to prevent overuse injuries. If there are certain machines on which you are more likely to exert maximum effort (and thus burn more calories), the definitely fit those into your workout program. I joke with my clients by telling them that the machines on which they like to work out the least are the ones they should be doing!  The Gauntlet (the never-ending flight of stairs located in the back of the cardio room) is very challenging, and running or walking with a high incline on the treadmill are also great calorie-blasters.

Reader Question: “What kind of resistance training do you recommend for toning my arms?”

Dina: There are a lot of fun resistance exercises using weights, bands, and even your own body weight that you can do to tone your arms. Push-ups are a great exercise for focusing on the upper body and arms. Depending on your fitness level, start off with a few and then work your way up to doing more repetitions and sets.  Here is the proper way to do a push-up:

1. Lie on the floor on a mat or towel.
2. Flex the feet so the toes are on the floor, pointing toward your upper body.
3. Place hands, palms down, with palms at chest level, and fingertips at shoulder level.
4. Keep hands close to the body; later, you can spread your hands out further to work different muscles, or place them under your chest, but it’s important to start with the basic push-up.
5. Keep your head in an upright position so you are looking forward, and not down at the floor.
6. Slowly push up with the strength of your arms, keeping the body straight.
7. Hold the upright position for a few seconds.
8. Slowly lower yourself to the ground.

Also Yoga and Pilates are great workouts for your arms!

Reader Question: “How can you best train for mountain climbing without supplemental oxygen? How is it that only a few elite athletes can complete class 4 or class 5 climbs? How does a person train for this?”

Dina: I spoke with fellow trainer Dave Statt who has a client who has climbed several class 4 and 5 summits. There is no one correct answer to this question. In terms of training, obviously being in great shape will help with climbing, but it’s really the luck of the draw in terms of being able to do it without oxygen and there are many reasons why someone summits or does not summit.

Reader Question: “I’ve been swimming a lot this summer. I feel great after leaving the pool, but is swimming a good workout?”

Dina: Swimming is a full-body exercise. The more body parts you involve in your workout, the more calories you’ll burn. For example, spend 30 minutes doing the breast-stroke and you’ll burn almost 400 calories. Best of all, your joints are fully supported so you don’t have to worry about high-impact injuries. It’s also great cross-training for other cardio and weight-training activities.

Reader Question: “I don’t make it to the club as often as I would like to. Can you suggest some strength-training exercises I can do at home?”

Dina:  When you can’t make it to the gym here are some key exercises you can do at home with weights or without.  These exercises use your body weight and can be done anywhere. You can also take them on the road if you’re traveling.

1.    Squats.

Why They’re Great: Squats are one of the best exercises you can do. Squats work your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves all at once.

How to Do Them: Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes facing straight ahead or angled slightly outward. Slowly bend the knees and lower your hips towards the floor, keeping your torso straight and abs pulled in tight. Keep your knees behind your toes; make sure everthing is pointing in the same direction.

2.    Push-Ups.

Why They’re Great: Push-ups, like squats, are compound movements that use almost all of the muscles in your body. You’ll work your chest, shoulders, triceps, back, and abs.

How to Do Them:See above!

3.    Lunges.

Why They’re Great:Like squats, lunges work most of the muscles in your legs and bring focus to the glutes.

How to Do Them: Stand in a split-stance (one leg forward, one leg back). Bend knees and lower body into a lunge position, keeping the front knee and back knee at 90 degree angles. Keeping the weight in your heels, push back up (slowly!) to your starting position. Never lock your knees at the top and don’t let your knee bend past your toes. Variations: front lunges, back lunges, and side lunges.

4.    The Plank.

Why They’re Great:The plank (or hover) is an isolation move used in Pilates and Yoga. Planks work the abs, back, arms, and legs. The plank also targets your internal abdominal muscles.

How to Do Them: Lie face down on a mat with elbows resting on the floor next to your chest. Push your body off the floor in a push-up position with your body resting on your elbows or hands. Contract the abs and keep the body in a straight line from head to toes. Hold for 30-60 seconds and repeat as many times as you can. For beginners, do this move on your knees and gradually work your way up to balancing on your toes.

5.    Seated Dips

Why They’re Great: This exercise focuses on the triceps (the back of the arms).

How to Do Them: Sitting on a step, bench, or floor, place hands next to your hips. Lift hips off the step and forward until lower back is almost touching the step, keeping the knees bent (easier) or straight (advanced). Staying close to the step, slowly lower your body until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle.  Keep shoulders down and abs in. Then bring yourself back up and repeat.

You can add hand weights to your lunges or squats for more resistance. Do 2 –3 sets of each exercises at 12-15 repetitions, 2- 3 times a week.

Thank you, Dina!

I’ve received some really great questions from readers, so now it’s time for you to submit yours! If you have a question you would like one of the personal trainers from the Fitness department to answer, you can post your question as a comment to this post, or email it to me at kristi@meetme-atmidtown.com. If you email the question, I will ask it anonymously on your behalf, and post the question and answer (but not your name) on the next “Ask the Trainer” post. You do not need to be a member to ask a question.

What do you want to know?

My daughter, who turns four next week, has kept active this summer by scaling rock walls at various playgrounds, riding her bike around our neighborhood, doing “sprints” in our backyard (she wants to run like her mommy someday), and pummeling her younger brother and sister when their teeth get too close to her limbs.

Some of her peers to the North, however, are finding more “non-traditional” ways to exercise.

Tweens and children as young as five are taking pole-dancing classes at a studio in Ottawa.

Oh, and the studio offers kids birthday parties too.

The media has extolled the physical and psychological benefits of pole-dancing for a few years now. Not just for strippers anymore, poll dancing can help women lose weight, tone the tummy, and embrace their inner sexpot, which helps their relationships.

It’s not something I would feel comfortable doing (13 years of Catholic school education will do that to you), but hey, if you’re an adult and looking for a fun group exercise class, I say, go for it.

But for me, there’s something deeply disturbing about young girls pole-dancing.

The studio’s owner says, “Kids love the pole” and that “Children have no (erotic) association with the pole whatsoever” because they see poles at playgrounds, fire houses, and circuses. She contends that the focus of the kids’ classes is fitness and technique, and not stripper moves.

But if it’s all innocent, non-sexualized fun and a great way for kids to avoid the allure of the Playstation and the television, why do the pole-dancing classes have names such as “Bellylicious,” “Sexy Flexy,” “Pussycat Dawls,” and “Promiscuous Girls“?

There’s a lot that’s wrong with these classes. Young girls are exposed to overtly sexual images at very young ages. From inappropriately short and skimpy clothing, to not-so-innocent music and movie idols, to messages that in order to be accepted, they must wear make-up, have mani-pedis, and dress much older than they actually are.

And because there is no denying the sexual history of the pole, five-year-olds don’t need to know how to dance on, around, or near it, no matter how “rockin” their abs might look from taking the classes. 

Last time I checked, a six-pack wasn’t required to get into Kindergarten. 

What do you think of pole-dancing classes for young girls?

There is depressing news from the CDC this week. From 2007 to 2009, 2.4 million more people became obese. This means that 72.5 million Americans, or 26.7 percent of the population, now have this dangerous and costly medical condition.

In addition, nine states (concentrated in the South and Midwest) now have an obesity rate of 30% or more, as compared with just three states in 2005.

And then there are the results of the Nurses Health Study, which came out at the end of June. 18,000 women in their 30s and 40s answered questions about their medical, exercise, and living habits, and it was found that women gain an average of 20 pounds over 16 years, but that those who bike or walk briskly were able to better control their weight.

Doctors blame the usual suspects:

• Not enough exercise
• Poor food choices
• Lack of education about healthy living

I happen to think these startling obesity and weight-gain statistics can also find their causes in the recession.

Unhealthy food is cheaper than good food. McDonald’s “restaurants” are popping up in low-income neighborhoods across the country.

And with regard to the weight gain in women over a 16-year period spanning the study participants’ 30s and 40s, it’s no secret that this is the time when many women are getting married and more susceptible to the so-called “love chub.” Women in this age group are also busy raising young children.

Finding time to exercise and eat correctly while knee-deep in diapers and preschooler tantrums is no small feat.

But as someone who has spent years trying to convince a certain loved one that a healthy lifestyle change is needed, I can honestly say that when all things (education, socio-economic status, and physiological makeup) are equal, it basically comes down to one thing.

You have to want it.

I think a lot of Americans are simply okay with being overweight. They don’t exercise. They don’t belong to a gym. They choose to eat garbage food regularly. In many ways, they’ve just made a conscious choice not to make their health a priority.

But then their bodies begin to fail. They develop Type 2 diabetes or sleep apnia. They have strokes and heart attacks. Their doctors tell them that their behaviors are shaving years off their lifespan.

It’s only then that they begin to make the changes necessary to save themselves.

Don’t get me wrong. These people deserve credit too. It is hard work to lose weight. Hard when you have 10 pounds to lose. Even harder when you have 50 or more pounds that must come off. Choosing to take control of one’s life, even after health problems have surfaced, shows a willingness to stop the cycle that’s created the deterioration in the first place.

I know it’s not as simple as putting down the fork and picking up the free weights. I know mitigating factors make it supremely difficult for some people to get healthy.

But I believe in many cases, it’s the drive that’s missing.

It’s the drive that motivates the athlete in marathon training to rise at 6am and run long for three hours. It’s the determination of the college student to take group exercise classes to look fabulous in her bridesmaid gown at her sister’s wedding. It’s the desire of the beer-and-chips-loving dad to drive himself to the gym after work so he can see his youngest child graduate from college.

And unfortunately, the way I see it, too few Americans have it.

I would love to know why.

What do you think about the latest obesity findings? Besides the usual culprits of poor diet, lack of exercise, and limited food education, why do you think Americans are so unhealthy?

Read any article about weight-loss tips or healthy living and you will undoubtedly find a line in it that knocks the so-called “fancy gym.”

It might say something like:

“You don’t need a fancy gym membership to get in shape.”

Or

“Fancy gym memberships won’t take off the pounds.”

Or

“Who needs to go to a fancy gym when staying active is as simple as lacing up your sneakers and hitting the road. “

These statements are true, to a certain degree. No one needs the new iPhone, the NFL Sunday Ticket, the state-of-the-art laptop, or the leather sectional when the wool one was just fine. These upgrades might make your life more fun or more comfortable, but these are wants, not needs (although my husband might beg to differ about the NFL Sunday Ticket).

But where emotional and physical well-being are concerned, I have absolutely no problem with admitting that I am deeply in love with my “fancy gym.”

Here’s why.

I have belonged to and visited other gyms. And while the experiences haven’t been terrible, these other establishments do not hold a candle to the environment, support, and facilities of Midtown. It’s the atmosphere of Midtown that has made it so much easier to attain my fitness goals.

At Midtown, if I have a question about how to work a machine, I can find a fitness attendant or personal trainer within seconds who is willing to drop everything to help me. They are highly visible. They are incredibly knowledgeable. And they have never, ever made me feel like my question was unimportant or silly, even when my question was, “Um, how do you start this Arc Trainer?” and the answer was, “See this large, green QuickStart button? Press it.”

At Midtown, I can work out, have lunch, take a tennis lesson, attend a yoga class, and get a massage, all without ever leaving the grounds. And on my way out, I can skip the Starbucks run by grabbing an iced coffee in the cafe. Considering my schedule is anything but flexible, having everything under one roof is very convenient.

At Midtown, my children are able to enjoy 4,000 square feet of Pure Kiddie Heaven in Kidtown, where they are enthusiastically greeted by name every time we arrive by the friendly, energetic, warm, and helpful associates who work there. My 21-month-old twins love the people who work in Kidtown so much that they yell the name of their favorite staff member the minute I push them through the door in the stroller. Where once they clung to me and cried, they now practically trip over their own feet to rush into the play area, leaving me in their Cheerio-laden dust. They love being there because the staff members take the time to make each experience a joy for them. And this makes my workouts all the more productive because I do not have to worry about them for one second.

At Midtown, the staff I’ve met ask me about my training. They’ve offered me tips to improve. They are genuinely interested in me and my progress. And the staff members I do not know personally are always supremely friendly and accommodating. Encouragement means everything when you’re training for a solo-sport event, like a marathon or half-marathon.

At Midtown, the facilities are always clean. There are towels on the racks at all times, the rugs and floors are grime-free,  and the locker rooms and bathrooms are spotless, even during high-volume times. The club does not have the funky gym smell I immediately noticed in other clubs. Working out in a clean club makes a difference. It helps me enjoy my time there, and it encourages me to stay longer.

At Midtown, I have never had to wait for a treadmill. I’ve only ever had one instance where a machine wasn’t working. The treadmills and ellipticals are replaced every year, even if they’re in perfect working order, to ensure the best experience for the members using them.

At Midtown, the pool is an oasis, especially in the hot summer we’re experiencing in Rochester. I don’t belong to a country club, but I’d imagine the atmosphere is similar to the one in the outdoor pool area, minus the pretension.

I’m always with at least one of my young children, but that doesn’t stop me from looking longingly at the people reading on lounge chairs, or enjoying a glass of wine with friends under the umbrellas, and thinking, “Someday, that will be me. It may be 18 years from now, but one day, that will be me!”

At Midtown, the opportunities to make new friends and business contacts abound. From tennis socials to Sunshine Yoga on the Great Lawn to PowerNet meetings, for me, belonging to Midtown has been about gaining a new community of like-minded individuals. And it’s a community to which I feel lucky to belong.

And this is why you’ll never find me knocking my “fancy gym.”

How does your membership make a difference to your fitness goals?

This month’s “Ask the Trainer” post features Midtown personal trainer Dave Statt, whom I asked most of the questions I received from last month’s “Ask the Trainer” post.

Dave has been at Midtown for 19 years, and holds an M.S. in Exercise Physiology. He is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and an NASM Certified Personal Trainer. His recent personal accomplishments include competing in the Musselman Triathlon and being a two-time finisher of the Adirondack Canoe Classic (AKA “The 90-Miler”).

 Kristi: Tell me about your background and how you became interested in personal training.

Dave: I began lifting weights at age 12, and haven’t stopped since! I began college with the goal of becoming a Physical Education teacher, but I soon realized I loved training and science, so I switched my major to Exercise Physiology. My job is very fun. I enjoy helping clients develop a passion for exercise and achieving fitness goals.

Reader Question: “I am training to run a half-marathon in September, but don’t want to give up my regular yoga practice. What is a good balance? I try to go to 3-5 yoga classes a week.”

Dave: 3-5 yoga classes per week is too much. I would do two per week, and then do two full-body stretch sessions, which may include static and dynamic stretches that are running-specific. In general, yoga is a workout so you have to take that into account with all of the running so you don’t over-train.

Reader Question: “There was a discussion on Facebook awhile back about the ideal number of days to work out per week. Some people said they worked out 4 days, some 5, some all 7. What’s the right answer, and is it possible to work out too much?”

Dave: Frequency of workouts depends on many factors.  The more intense you train, the more days off you need. It is a difficult question to answer. You have to listen to your body and if you’re feeling worn down, then take a day off.  It also depends on what you are doing. I recommend strength-training 3x per week and cardio 4x per week, but you can do those on the same days as well. I would not train 7 days per week. Always take a day off.

Reader Question: “Which cardio machine at the club is best for burning fat and losing weight?”

Dave: Any cardio machine that uses a lot of muscle groups is most effective at challenging the heart and metabolic system. Here are the cardio machines that are best in terms of calorie expenditure in order from most effective to least effective:

1)      Running on treadmill

2)      Step mill

3)      Rower

4)      Cybex Elliptical

5)      Crossrobics

6)      Precor Elliptical with upper body

7)      Precor Elliptical without upper body

8)      Bikes

Reader Question: “If you could design a nutrition plan for a 40-something male who wants to lose about 50 pounds, what would it include?”

Dave: That is a difficult question to answer on a blog. You may want to meet with a nutritionist or trainer that can assess your current status to provide you with a thorough program.

Reader Question: “I’ve been reading a lot about sports drinks lately. Some research says they’re good for refueling after exercise, while others say water is best. What do you think?”

Dave: The best time to refuel for enhanced recovery is within 30 minutes of completing an intense workout. The fuel should be a 4-to-1 ratio of carbs to protein. Some drinks meet those requirement (e.g. some new products made by Gatorade, Endurox, and even chocolate milk). Water is best for hydration, but not for refueling. They are different.  Always rehydrate. Sports drinks are not bad, but some are full of sugar and unneeded calories.

Thank you, Dave!

If you emailed me a question and don’t see it answered here, it will appear in next month’s “Ask the Trainer” post.

As for the rest of you, don’t be shy! If you have a question you would like one of the gods or goddesses of the Fitness department to answer, you can post your question as a comment to this post, or email it to me at kristi@meetme-atmidtown.com. If you email the question, I will ask it anonymously on your behalf, and post the question and answer (but not your name) on the next “Ask the Trainer” post. You do not need to be a member to ask a question.

What do you want to know?

I grew up in the water.

As a young child, I spent a lot of time in my grandmother’s huge, in-ground pool. I was leaping off the diving board with an old-school, plastic swimming bubble strapped to my back around the age of five, and swimming bubble-free in the deep end around the age of six or seven. Uncoordinated and nonathletic on land, I was fearless and confident in the pool.

And this summer, I wanted to encourage my almost-four-year-old daughter to love swimming as much as I had. I had heard from many fellow club members that the preschooler swimming lessons were fantastic because they gave kids two solid, uninterrupted weeks of pool time with top-notch instructors. Unlike other swimming programs in the community that offer lessons once a week, the lessons at Midtown take place on four consecutive days each week, with the fifth day (Friday) set aside for makeup lessons or for further instruction if your child needs it. Each person that I talked to told me that her child had learned an incredible amount and had made significant improvements in swimming ability through the lessons.

The rave reviews sold me, and as soon as the Summer issue of Spirit came out, I paged through until I found the schedule, and signed up my daughter, who had been in pools often but who had never experienced any formal instruction.

On the first day, we met her instructor who was warm, welcoming, and very brave to take on the task of teaching preschoolers how to swim. Three-and-four-year-olds sometimes have the attention spans of gnats, and getting them to follow you is a bit like herding cats. I had no idea how my daughter would react to her instructor, to being in the water, or to being told what to do by someone she just met.

But now, a week after her lessons have ended, I can say unequivocally that the lessons were fantastic and a huge success.

Here’s what I loved:

The water temperature was always perfect. The instructors did not have to waste anytime coaxing the kids into the water because it was too cold. The kids got right in and were eager to get started. In addition, the depth of the Intermediate pool is exactly right for lessons. 2 feet, 6 inches is the perfect depth for a preschooler to move around comfortably, and without fear of the water level being too high for their bodies.

Fundamentals were first. One of the first things the kids worked on was their kicks. They would grasp the edge of the pool and when the instructor said “Splash me!”, they would kick like crazy. At the beginning of the lessons, my daughter would only kick with one leg, leaving the other firmly planted at the bottom of the pool for balance and security. By the end of the first week of lessons, she was a two-leg-kicking fool.

The lessons were fun and the kids were excited about participating.The noodles (used for floating while practicing kicks and arm movements) were a big hit, as were the boards. They did “Ring-Around-The-Rosey,” “London Bridges,” and jumping games.

There was no pressure to participate. If a child was unsure about a particular activity (for my daughter, it was jumping in by herself), then he or she didn’t need to do it. The instructors encouraged them, but did not force them or pressure them in any way.

The multiple-instructor format.I don’t think my daughter’s class was meant to have several different instructors during the course of the two weeks, but while some parents saw this as a negative, I saw it as a positive. Each instructor had her own style. While some were nurturing and sweet, others were more firm and direct in their instruction, and my daughter benefited from both of these styles.

One-on-one instruction.There were different points throughout the lessons where the instructor would give individualized attention to each child. With the other kids practicing their kicks or hanging on to the side, the instructor would take each child out into deeper water and help her float on her belly or her back, practice “scooping” the water with her hands, and near the end of the lessons, combine skills (bubbles, kicking, scooping) to “swim” on her own.

Here’s what my daughter can do now that she couldn’t do before:

• Blow bubbles in the water while floating on her belly.
• Kick with both legs simultaneously.
• Go underwater completely, while blowing bubbles out of her nose.
• Use her arms in the water for something other than splashing me in the face.

 My daughter won’t be tackling an Iron Man anytime soon. She will not jump into the pool on her own without holding onto my arms, although several kids in her class did this enthusiastically. She’s not quite a natural in the water and would still prefer to play than practice what she learned in her lessons.

But she’s three. And next year, when the summer rolls around, I’m signing her up for another round of lessons. I couldn’t be more happy with her first lesson experience at the club.

When my husband and I were married in 2001, I was about 25 pounds heavier than I am now. Not quite at my heaviest weight (that would come a few years later), I had been steadily piling on the pounds since college, when I spent time eschewing meat but not Doritos.

Apparently, I was not alone in eating my way through the first few years of marriage. An interesting NYT article details the results of a recent study of 12,000 married women and men ages 18 to mid-forties. It was discovered that compared with when they were single, married men’s BMI rose 1.5 percent above what they would normally gain through age, and women’s BMI rose 2 percent.

In another study, it was found that those who were married or living together were much more likely to be obese than those who were dating.

Reasons for the weight gain in the “happily coupled” make complete sense to me. Socializing with other couples is often done over meals. Cuddling on the couch lends itself to often-unhealthy snack foods. And perhaps most significant is the comfort factor. The days of working the bar or club scene, of preparing yourself for hours beforehand, and of agonizing over every bit of exposed flesh are over. You’ve snagged your partner for a lifetime, and you no longer have to worry about maintaining a perfect physical appearance at all times because Mister or Miss Right could be examining packages of organic peas in the freezer section of Wegmans when you made the mistake of running in for milk wearing sweat pants and a ratty t-shirt.

However, I’m not so sure the so-called “love chub” is a good thing. Of course it’s great to feel confident that your partner will love you no matter what you look like, and physical appearance certainly should not become the focus of a couple’s life together, but I also think maintaining health and fitness for yourself as well as for your partner is also quite important.

I have no delusions that I still look like the 25-year-old I was when my husband and I got married. I have had three children and my body, while slimmer than my 25-year-old one, is still different than the one I had in graduate school. I have many more gray hairs, wrinkles in places I’d rather forget, and I’m more susceptible to running injuries than I ever was before.

But I work out 5-6 days a week. I’m training for a half-marathon. I eat relatively healthfully, and while I won’t be beating Jillian Michaels in an arm-wrestling competition any time soon, I like to think that my overall health and fitness is pretty good. And while I do this primarily for myself, I know my husband appreciates it too.

What do you think about married/serious relationship weight gain? Is “love chub” important to lose, or do you think of it as a small price to pay for a committed relationship?

Do you work out with your spouse or partner? Is exercise and a healthy lifestyle something that’s a shared part of your relationship, or something that you mainly pursue on your own?

Two news stories about kids and nutrition have caught my eye recently.

The first article reported the findings of a Yale University study in which it was discovered that children found snack foods with pictures of popular cartoon characters on the front of the package tastier than the same foods packaged without the characters. Obviously, Shrek, Dora, and their pals have a powerful influence over kids that extends beyond their television choices, and the results of this study are hardly surprising. Unfortunately, most of these character images appear on junk food and not on healthier choices, making it difficult for parents to encourage good nutritional choices.

The second article told of a possible lawsuit against McDonald’s on behalf of a consumer-advocacy group. The group is charging that McDonald’s deceptively markets toys to children via its Happy Meals, which leads to kids nag their parents to take them to McDonald’s, where the food is less-than-healthy.

I’ve written here before about my strong dislike of the garbage food available to kids in restaurants and school cafeterias.

But I’m torn regarding my feelings about the study and the lawsuit. I believe that ultimately parents have the most influence over what their children do and don’t eat. Children cannot drive themselves to fast-food restaurants, and they can’t pay for their meals. Kelloggs, Nabisco, and other food-industry giants are in the business of marketing and selling their products. We make the choices over what we buy for ourselves and our families and what we don’t.

But I also find more than a little disturbing expensive marketing campaigns blitzing children with alluring messages that use their favorite characters to entice them to buy something that’s not good for them. Kids should be able to watch television or play a game on the Internet without being bombarded with food ads whose intent they don’t understand.  

And do the majority of consumers know what’s really in their food, or understand how to read a food label? I haven’t been inside a McDonald’s in over 10 years because I know how unhealthy their food is, but even I was surprised (not to mention disgusted) to read this week that Chicken McNuggets (incidentally, the main course in one of only two ”healthier” Happy Meals that McDonald’s pledged to advertise to children younger than 12) actually contain an “anti-foaming agent” found in Silly Putty. Interestingly, Chicken McNuggets in the UK do not contain this delicious-sounding chemical.

Do you think it’s parents or the food industry (or both) who shoulder the responsibility for the childhood obesity epidemic and related health problem crisis we have in this country?

Is the pending lawsuit against McDonald’s a frivolous waste of court time, or is it an important step toward corporate accountability?