Welcome to Active Living with April.

Today's episode is filled with being fit physically and financially.

We'll talk about the importance of strong abs being fiscally fit, and we'll take a road trip to Marengo Cave All that and more next on Active Living with April.

Production support provided by West Side chiropractic, offering patient specific care and massage therapy located at 2732 Mt.

Vernon Avenue, Evansville.

Kasey Fuquay, State Farm Insurance Protecting Futures.

Today.

The injury law firm of Robert John and Associates, proudly supports Public media.

Robert John and, Associates.

and viewers like you.

Thank you.

So one of the things we have to think about is trying to be fiscally fit and get our finances in order.

So Jenni Casten-Juhl is a financial adviser.

She's going to help us get our finances fit.

And so I guess the first thing is how do you get started?

Well, we get this question a lot.

And whenever clients come in, we usually or a general rule of thumb is, you know, first of all, you have to put together a budget.

And a lot of people think when they hear budget, they think it's a bad word and that you're going to restrict how much they spend.

But I would argue that it's just like anything like if you were going to go on a diet or start to become more active and get more fit physically, you know, if you went to a trainer or personal nutrition coach, they would ask you, first of all, how much do you eat and what activities do you do?

So when you come in for your finances, I'm going to ask you how much you spend and how much money you actually bring in.

Because, yeah, we kind of associate the word budget with, again, something negative and we just have to associate it with something a little more positive.

It actually is a budget is a plan.

Yeah.

And you need a plan for everything that you I mean, it says has a goal and you want to become successful at.

Exactly.

So, you know, we try to tell people and try just to remind them that it doesn't matter how much you make or how much money that you have.

It's all about really what you spend.

You know, you could have 500 or $5,000 in the bank, but if you're spending more than what you're bringing in, you're you're not really doing yourself a good service.

Well, I think it always seems daunting, the part about figuring out how much you spent.

I mean, how do you suggest that people track that or even come up with that number?

Well, a lot of people will keep like a spreadsheet.

So just have their monthly expenses, you know, their fixed expenses, like their electricity bill and their utilities, their mortgage or their rent payments.

But then we always tell people were like, you know, these are great, but we also have to account for, you know, clothing and haircuts and people like, well, I never get my haircut or I never buy clothes.

And I'm like, You're wearing clothes.

Right.

At some point you’ve bought clothes Yeah.

So you wouldn't hear words come out of my mouth.

It would be, I do get my hair done and ideas about buy clothes and shoes.

And my husband would certainly tell you that.

But anyway, that's good.

You're being very honest about it and very honest yourself.

So we actually have.

I give people an expense sheet that we've used over the years that really has a lot of those things already cooked into it, and people are really surprised like, Well, I have no idea how much I spend.

And, you know, I've literally seen people come in saying that their expenses are, you know, almost $1,000 off a month.

Wow.

And then what they thought then what they thought.

Yeah.

And so that's a pretty big number, you know, if you're thinking about it, because we don't account for all the little things.

I mean, gas.

And every time we go into a convenience store, I mean, I love convenience stores.

So I go in there and we spend it just an extra $20, you know.

So you're doing that once or twice a week.

I mean, that really adds up over time.

Well, who doesn't go to Target and end up with the shopping cart full when they really had three things on their list?

Exactly.

You become more mindful.

Yes.

Is what you're wanting.

So where do you go after that?

You put together your list.

So what you bring in and what you're spending.

And then And then what happens after that?

Well, then we kind of look at it and we say, okay, is do you have any discretionary or do you have any excess income?

And if the numbers on the paper say that they do, but they're saying that, no, I don't.

I don't have any.

So we'll go back and again, we'll kind of reexamine where it is that maybe they're missing their little spots that they're missing.

And a lot of times, like I said, they'll they'll find where it is and then we'll have to go from there.

So once we find that number and we get really honest with ourselves, which is hard, you know, and that's why it's the most intimidating thing, is when people come in, they always feel like I have people who will come in and they'll say, I really thought you were going to like, yell at me and tell me that I couldn't do that.

And I'm like, my gosh, no.

Like, you know, this would be a very comfortable conversation.

But if you were wanting to get serious about it, you really do have to be honest with yourself.

Right.

And so then after they have all that, then that's an opportunity for them to maybe look at how they could save some more or maybe invest.

Yeah, exactly.

So and then we'll look at things like, you know, what are they doing at work as far as their retirement plans and savings there and, you know, can a lot of people maybe put too much in there, quite honestly, and they can kind of cut back And we really want to help people set themselves up in a way so that at the end of the day, when they get to that age or retirement or when they, you know, reach that age where they want to hit a certain goal, like buying a house or sending their kids to college, that they really have some different options to choose from.

Because if you're saving everything inside of your retirement plan with your employer, chances are, especially years ago, not so much now, but years ago it was all tax deferred.

So if you wanted to take anything out, not only would you be taxed on it, but if you're not at a certain age, you're going to be penalized as well.

So we really want to set your.

You really want to set yourself up to make sure that you have that excess, that savings, essentially.

Wow.

So so these are some great suggestions.

I know.

I think I need to go back and sit down with my list and we all do.

Everybody does.

All right.

Well, thank you so much for joining us.

And Jenny is going to stick around and plank with us in just a little bit.

So we're talking about abs today and why they're so important.

My friend Julie is with us to share some of her favorite abs and some that I don't really like.

But but they're good for you.

I read that.

Why are I mean, why is it so important to work on her abs?

Well, abs are central to everything we do every day for anyone, no matter if you're an athlete or a non athlete.

Our core separates the bottom half of our body from the top half.

And so it's so important to have a good supportive core to prevent back pain to help with posture, It creates stability so we can balance whether you're seated or standing.

Truly, it really is important for everyone.

What I think, you know, everybody thinks of abs is just trying to get that washboard stomach and have a flat stomach.

And it's not it's I think this is kind of like the command center.

Absolutely.

That's I love that.

That's a perfect way to put it, because it is the command center and washboard abs.

Yeah, they're great.

But really, we want to have a balance of that strength and some of the flexibility with that and, you know, working some ab exercises that add in not only that tightening the strengthening, but then that flexibility is what creates that overall healthy central core.

Okay.

Well, and you have some nice little exercises for us to do.

So let's.

Yeah.

All right.

So under our backs, we go, okay, we're going to start off with what I like to call pelvic rocking.

And this is just a great way to start to warm up the muscles in our core.

So softening to where exactly.

Right.

Heating it up and just.

Yeah, preparing for the work ahead.

Okay.

All right.

So I like to start with knees bent, feet separated, hips distance.

We're going to take the arms up overhead on your inhalation.

Let your ribs kind of open apart and let your back a little bit off the mat.

So arch a little bit arched is okay.

Yeah, absolutely.

And then as we exhale, we're going to try to flatten our spine.

You're going to let your tailbone curl up, but still keep your hips on the floor.

And then we'll do that again.

So we inhale, sway the back, and you can exaggerate it or make it slight and then exhale, try to draw down.

And then so you're pulling your ribs to the front of your hips.

We're going to do that one more time.

Just feels good in the spine again, warming it up, loosening up, exhale, push down.

So this almost seems passive.

It's a little bit passive.

Yeah, but it still.

I feel it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's that's the key.

And so now as we exhale and pull down, we create like, this bowl in the pit of the belly, and we're going to interlace our fingers behind her head.

And this is where we're going to prepare to contract up keeping the elbows wide.

You don't want to pull on your head, take your inhale, maybe a little bit of a sway back and then exhale.

We're going to lift our shoulders, hands supporting the head, your belly about the spine, inhale to lower down.

Maybe that little bit of arch and then exhale.

Do it again.

Curl tailbone.

So you get that full contraction we hold.

Inhale, lower down.

I think that was important, what you said about not pulling up on the head.

Yeah, I think that, you know, that can be really common.

Go ahead and exhale up.

So we don't want to pull our head forward.

We want to lift from the center of the chest.

Right.

Inhale.

Lower down.

All right.

Now we're going to start to build on a little extra here, a little heat, because we love that, right?

So we do that, you know, eight, ten, 12 times build on.

We're going to lift our knees up over her hips again.

We want to take the belly button down towards the spine.

As you exhale, flatten your back and lift the chest.

Good.

And add a little more.

Doesn't.

yes, it does.

Inhale.

Lower down.

Exhale.

Curl it.

So is your lifting your really pressing, your lower back down?

Absolutely.

That is the key to hug that all together.

Take your inhale.

Exhale, curl.

Now we're going to stay here.

Tap right foot down, lift it up top, left foot down.

Lift it up.

Lower down.

Take your inhale.

Exhale.

Do it again.

Right foot down.

Isn't it amazing how just these little taps?

Yeah, absolutely.

Another dimension that the key getting those now would those are Go ahead.

Put your feet on the floor for just a moment and you can let the knees rock if it feels good.

So what that gets is your transverse abdominals and that's the deep, deep lower abdominal muscles that really support our low back.

So can help prevent low back pain and just, you know, creates that good support system we're looking for.

All right.

So a rest is over.

Ready for our next one?

We'll get these back over hips.

Here we go.

Take your inhale.

Exhale.

Curl up.

Now, this time we're going to twist to the right.

Extend your left leg, left elbow.

Just reach of the round towards that right thigh.

Inhale.

Come back to center.

Exhale.

Go left, left, elbow back, right arm forward.

And we want to try and keep our shoulders lifted, right?

That is correct.

So we're trying to kind of lift to underneath that shoulder blade area as best you can.

It seems like a lot of times when people are bicycle ing, they're doing this.

Yeah, which isn't wrong, but you're not getting as much out of it, right?

Yeah.

The key is to really keep that lift so you can feel that hollowing of the belly.

So we try to twist below the rib area rather than just at the shoulder area.

Okay.

Yeah, that's kind of what you were saying to.

She was on her knees.

Let's do that.

Yeah.

And absolutely making her way up and over.

So this is a great one to again, just create that flexibility, mobility along with the strength.

So a couple of cat cows kind of start with an inhale, bring the chest forward, belly towards the floor.

You feel that nice stretch, exhale to round it out tuck the chin, tuck the tail do it again.

Inhale heart forward and roll the shoulders back.

exhale to round it out.

Okay, we're going to come to a neutral position.

You want to keep your ribs drawn and push the floor away we’ll send the right leg back behind and you can stay there or raise the left arm forward.

Taking inhale to reach.

And as you exhale, bring your chest and your arms up.

elbow to knee inhale to reach out.

So here we're getting some balance and working exhale or that's it reach it out.

Let's switch sides so we can do both.

Okay.

The left leg back, maybe that right arm for if you feel unbalanced, hand down is fine.

You can just curl in that way.

Good.

Do it again.

I'm kicking the couch but, and that and we're getting the wrap.

So we're just going to keep going and we're going to tell everybody, stay with us.

Keep doing core.

It's all right.

Stop.

So important.

Keep it up.

Julie.

Yes.

Thank you.

Road trip to Marengo Cave.

Here we are.

Look a sign!

yay!

Yay There's another sign.

We're on the right track.

Can we see it yet?

Enter here.

Enter, the cave?

Are we gonna drive through?

No really, turn here, Seriously.

Turn here.

U.S. National landmark.

it's festive, too.

So this is.

the Crystal Palace.

This is the highlight of the tour, where the tour gets its name We were actually designated a national natural landmark, mainly because of the beauty here in this room and we are a textbook definition of a cave What is the textbook definition of a cave?

A cave is an underground cavity formed by the movement of water.

So an underground river came through, dissolved the softest parts of the limestone, and opened up the passages for us to walk through.

So what are all these things hanging down and what what is this made of?

Yeah.

So the rock that we're seeing is limestone 95% of caves are made of limestone and then the formations on the ceiling, are called soda straws So they’re actually a baby stage of a stalactite, so they're all the way hollow.

So letting water drip through them to get to the floor.

So stalactite on the top, stalagmite on the bottom Do they connect?

They're called columns or pillars, and then, the scientists actually believe that it takes about a hundred years for a cubic inch to form.

So if we came up in 100 years, they'd only be an inch bigger.

Wow.

Take that long.

That's amazing.

Okay.

Tell me a little bit about the temperature of the cave.

So the average temperature here in Marengo is about 52 degrees, so it doesn't get any hotter or colder all year round.

The further you go south, the warmer the cave’s going to be To tell tell me about the significance of this particular spot.

Yeah.

So on September 6th of 1883 two kids, brother and sister Blanche and Orris crawled into the bottom of the sinkhole that blue light is, 40 feet on their stomachs to get inside.

Tell me a little bit more about their story even, what happened after that So they crawled 40 feet on their stomachs using the two candles, to light their way, to explore the cave.

They didn't tell anyone they were down here and wanted to keep the cave a secret so they did for three days.

What about that water?

Would it be safe to drink?

No.

Okay, so all of the water has come through the grass, the soil, and into the limestone, dripped through the limestone, mixing with the minerals.

So one of the main minerals is magnesium sulfate, which can act like a natural laxative Marengo Cave is just off Interstate 64 and is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas Wear comfortable shoes for walking and be prepared to see spectacular sights So Jenny agreed to stick around and do a plank.

And so first we're going to talk about your fitness routine.

What do you do?

Well, so right now I am a gym rat.

Pretty much.

Right.

What does that mean?

So I go to the gym probably 5 to 6 times a week, and I'm there for about an hour and a half, maybe 2 hours, depending on what my trainer tells me to do.

And then I also practice hot yoga.

And I do that at least three times a week.

So I cycle.

I like to run occasionally.

And I think that's about it.

That's about it.

Well, she kind of does everything.

But how did you when you were growing up, is this something that fitness has always been a part of your life or.

gosh, no.

No.

I was not a fit child at all.

I played softball and that was about it.

But it wasn't until I got into college I was a theater major in college, so we were doing movement exercises.

And I realized later in life that they were yoga exercises.

And when I started working in a theater, we would get together and we would put a DVD or actually it was a VHS tape at the time into the TV, and we would do yoga together.

And then I moved to Evansville.

I started doing hot yoga, and that was at the age of 29.

Okay.

But I only did hot yoga exclusively until I was about 40.

And then when I turned 40, I remembered hearing or reading an article about how, you know, as we get older, as women, we lose muscle mass.

So I was like, you know, I'm going to start going to the gym and start doing like some light weights and things like that.

So I asked a trainer if I could work with them and they got me going.

And from there we just I started to do like powerlifting competitions and bodybuilding competitions and then I'd say I've been doing for the last seven years.

But it's pretty amazing.

I think a lot of times people think that everybody has been working out since they were a kid.

I mean, I hear that people ask me that, well, you always were active and that wasn't true.

You really can take it up later in life.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I remember like, you know, being around all my friends and everybody dancing and I remember I can't dance.

Why can I not dance?

And I think it was because, like, I just I had no coordination and mind body connection.

I had, like, no, like, physical strength even, you know?

And now it's really funny.

But like, my girls and I, we, like, have like, dance offs in the kitchen, right?

So and I'm like, my gosh, I'm more in control of my body and so much more in touch with myself.

And I really feel that that is due to all the years of yoga and then, you know, gaining some strength as well.

Isn't it funny how yoga is kind of like a gateway, you know, for so a lot of us I mean, because I had no activity at all, I started doing yoga and then, you know, now I'm doing five minute planks and I'm doing my handstands.

And I never would have done that if it hadn't been for yoga.

So yeah.

Plus we get all these nice relationships.

That's another thing I think when people if they sit around and maybe are watching and say, you know, I don't have any, maybe I need more friends or whatever.

Yoga and other fitness activities are a great way to meet people and socialize.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, you really do form like a community when you go out and you know, expose yourself to that kind of stuff, So it's okay.

So we're going to get down on the floor and plank.

So if you're at home watching, you can plank with us.

We're going to plank on our hands.

So I'll set us up and then we'll start the timer and we'll be good to go.

I know you can do a minute.

There's no problem for you.

So we've even done some fingertip plank.

So we have.

Okay, so you start in table position, pull your shoulders down your back, then lift your upper back, lift your chest, pull in your belly, come up on your toes, Shift your weight forward slightly.

The timer has begun.

And then once you're in your plank, you know you want to do all of that again.

So you're pressing into the floor again, separating your shoulders, actually broadening in your upper back and and pulling in your belly again.

I always say pretend like somebody is punching you in the stomach.

That's how much you're pulling in and tightening up your glutes.

So everything's active.

I mean, I think Plank is one of the best things for people to do, especially, you know, if you're watching at home and you're thinking, I just don't know where to start with fitness, I think playing is a great place to start.

I was totally a great place.

It's one of the best core strengtheners ever.

It is.

And it's very accessible.

And, you know, that's how my arms are so different since I started planking.

I know.

I can tell they were I mean, they were tone from yoga.

But once I started planking and worked up to 5 minutes, my gosh, it's like a whole different world.

So we're clipping along here.

We're almost we've got five more seconds.

I hope everybody's planking at home and whew, that was one minute.

Yeah.

So that was that was good stuff.

I was good.

I have never planked in heels before I know.

I usually don't take I usually do not plank with shoes on, but it's like a minute I can do it.

So thank you so much for joining us today.

I really appreciate it for doing the planking and talking about finances.

Thank you all for watching.

Active living with April.

Production support provided by The injury law firm of Robert John and Associates, proudly supports Public media.

Robert John and Associates.

Kasey Fuquay, State Farm Insurance Protecting Futures.

Today.

West Side chiropractic, offering patient specific care and massage therapy located at 2732 Mt.

Vernon Avenue, Evansville.

and viewers like you.

Thank you.