Hi, my name is Desiree Winkel, owner and founder of Fitness Coaching. I’ve been working for years in my own personal training studio with clients who like to get fit and healthy, and even those who are in pain. My clients love to train in a cosy, clean, and absolutely friendly atmosphere. Follow what we do on Facebook.
Over the last couple of months, we in Sint Maarten continue to deal with the issues of no jobs, houses still broken, street lights still not working, a government that should be ashamed of you name it – we did and still have a lot on our plates. The sad part is that even people with normally NO signs of depression seem to be more and more depressed. First of all, depression is a serious illness. For example, one in 10 adults in the USA is struggling with depression. It would not surprise me that at this moment in Sint Maarten, the numbers are one in 20.
This has just been a lot to deal with. Soon after the hurricane, I started to feel very different. Helping others made me feel a bit better, but still I felt I had sort of lost my identity. Like so many others, my house was badly damaged, my roof gone, my car broken, my clients left the island and my possessions gone. Photo albums I had kept for years were just gone… I had to find the new me without all that baggage I had so carefully collected over the years.
At the end of September, I felt so lost, mainly because I had lost my home – my secure space. I decided to start training again and had to force myself into it as my studio had gotten damaged and was a mess. Other gyms were not open, but I started. I told myself, “You have to train at least three times a week” and so I did. I noticed that I started to feel better again; stronger and able to handle all the things we had to deal with. I became happy again.
Let me explain what happens when you exercise.
Exercising starts a biological cascade of events that results in many health benefits, such as protecting against heart disease and diabetes, improving sleep, and lowering blood pressure. High-intensity exercise releases the body's feel-good chemicals called endorphins, resulting in the "runner's high" that joggers report. But for most of us, the real value is in low-intensity exercise sustained over time. That kind of activity spurs the release of proteins called neurotropic or growth factors, which cause nerve cells to grow and make new connections. The improvement in brain function makes you feel better. In people, who are depressed, neuroscientists have noticed that the hippocampus in the brain (the region that helps regulate mood) is smaller. Exercise supports nerve cell growth in the hippocampus, improving nerve cell connections, which helps relieve depression.
So I would say, ladies and gentleman of Sint Maarten, check out any of our great classes: Yoga, losing weight, building muscles, cardio and abs – it’s all possible. You may also work out on your own or go to any of the other local gyms; but at least START working out. It will help you.
Check out our training facility in Simpson Bay. Open House takes place on March 17 from 10:00am until 2:00pm.
Conclusion: Spend time, change habits and live happy for you and your children. Let me help you! If you have questions or need more information about Fitness Training, call me, Desiree Winkel, at 524-7700. We are located on Welfare Road, next to North Eastern Insurance, on the first level of the building.
