Kathy Corff Rodgers, a certified group fitness instructor at the Jewish Community Center, encourages everyone who exercises to keep workouts safe and pay attention to good form.

She also insists that age is no barrier.

Even if you start when youre 70, its going to be a benefit, Rodgers said. Getting into Silver Sneakers or any type of yoga or low-impact aerobics is going to help with everything from your mood to your longevity to your fitness.

Rodgers teaches Silver Sneakers exercises classes for seniors twice a week at the JCC Holland Family Building on Delaware Avenue, as well as classes entitled Cardio, Sweat and Sculpt, and Tighten Up, Stretch it Out.

Below is her home workout plan, along with other exercise tips.

Multitasking at home

Warm up your body by vacuuming, sweeping, making beds, carrying laundry up and down stairs for about 5 to 10 minutes, recommended Rodgers, who has led fitness classes at the JCC for 28 years. This way your conscience is clear knowing youve completed something on your list.

Find a space, turn on the music that energizes you and begin to march or jog lightly in place. Make sure you keep breathing in through your nose, out through your mouth.

Her routine:

16 counts each of the three following aerobic combos:

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Workout wisdom for all ages

BANGKOK: Thai stocks ended at a 14-week low on Friday as the domestic political deadlock spurred fund outflows while Indonesian shares faltered due to weakness in the rupiah and on worries over U.S. stimulus tapering. The Thai SET index was down 1.1 percent at 1,341.13, the lowest close since Sept. 6, with selling most active in large-caps and telecoms shares, such as Advanced Info Service and PTT. The benchmark dropped 1.5 percent on the week, with a year-to-date loss of 3.7 percent, making it Asia's second worst performer. Foreign investors were net sellers of 3.5 billion baht ($109.10 million) on Friday, taking their redemptions since November to around $2.5 billion and nearly $6 billion so far this year, much larger than in many neighbouring markets. The leader of a protest group trying to overthrow Thailand's government and scrap planned elections said on Friday the prime minister should either step down or be forced out, and his movement would then need around a year to push through reforms. Indonesia's index was down 0.9 percent at 4,174.83, the lowest close since Sept. 6, with foreign investors selling a net 341.2 billion rupiah ($28.38 million) worth of shares, Thomson Reuters data showed. Domestic buyers helped many markets regain lost ground, including the Philippines and Malaysia, while redemptions by foreign investors continued ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting on Dec. 17-18. The Philippine index ended up a tad higher at 0.08 percent after an earlier loss of nearly 1 percent. Shares of Jollibee Foods Corp jumped 3.1 percent, reversing Thursday's falls and leading gains on the index of 30 large-cap stocks. The benchmark underperformed its peers on the week, down 4.1 percent, falling for a second week. Foreign investors sold a net $34.6 million on Friday and a combined selling of $47.2 million on the week, stock exchange data showed. Malaysia's index edged up 0.4 percent at 1,840.35, recouping some of the losses over the past two sessions and near a record close of 1,842.82 hit early in the week. It rose for a fourth week, up 0.7 percent, making it the region's best performer during the week. The Malaysian bourse said local institution bought a net 115.6 million ringgit ($35.80 million) while foreign investors sold a net 116.7 million ringgit ($36.14 million) For Asian Companies click; For South East Asia Hot Stock reports, click;

SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS Change on day Market Current Prev Close Pct Move TR SE Asia Index* 388.32 390.23 -0.49 Singapore 3066.02 3059.04 +0.23 Kuala Lumpur 1840.35 1833.87 +0.35 Bangkok 1341.13 1356.21 -1.11 Jakarta 4174.83 4212.22 -0.89 Manila 5767.13 5762.53 +0.08 Ho Chi Minh 506.06 506.92 -0.17 Change on year Market Current End prev yr Pct Move TR SE Asia Index* 388.32 424.10 -8.44 Singapore 3066.02 3167.08 -3.19 Kuala Lumpur 1840.35 1688.95 +8.96 Bangkok 1341.13 1391.93 -3.65 Jakarta 4174.83 4316.69 -3.29 Manila 5767.13 5812.73 -0.78 Ho Chi Minh 506.06 413.73 +22.32 * The Thomson Reuters South East Asia Index is a highly representative indicator of stocks listed in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Stock Market Volume (shares) Market Current Volume Average Volume 30 days Singapore 274,630,600 219,173,977 Kuala Lumpur 115,997,900 126,811,153 Bangkok 6,210,995 6,368,263 Jakarta 2,682,784,000 3,190,937,700 Manila 96,092 73,691 Ho Chi Minh 67,670 94,073- Reuters

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Southeast Asia stocks -Thai stocks down, M'sia up

BY TINA SFONDELES Staff Reporter December 10, 2013 4:38PM

Yoga instructor Becki Richards of TriBalance in Schaumburg practices a stance in the new yoga and meditation room in O'hare Airport Terminal 3. | Tina Sfondeles/Sun-Times

storyidforme: 59091906 tmspicid: 21492301 fileheaderid: 10128801

Updated: December 11, 2013 6:32PM

Travelers hoping to find inner peace an escape from the constant motion at OHare Airport can downward dog their way into some restfulness in a brand new yoga and meditation room in the airports Terminal 3.

The tiny mirrored studio open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily is tucked away in a mezzanine corner room outside the airports lush indoor urban gardens.

At a media preview Tuesday, five local yoga teachers showed off their best moves.

Free yoga mats are provided, and those wanting to stretch or meditate in the room are blocked from public view by a frosted window. There are no showers, but travelers can change into workout clothes in several bathrooms nearby. And a small area inside the yoga room is meant to place luggage and personal belongings.

San Francisco International Airport was the first airport to debut a yoga-meditation room, but other airports have followed suit, including Dallas-Fort Worth and Burlington International Airport in Vermont.

Were always looking for opportunities throughout the airport to again create little respites like this where people can come and find a sense of peace and balance during their hectic, or what could be a hectic journey, Chicago Dept. of Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino said at OHare Tuesday.

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Looking for an escape at busy O’Hare — try yoga

SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A smog-bothered Chinese school has turned to the country's traditional kung fu for self-defense against polluted air, although the method's effect has been widely doubted.

Guangming Road Primary School in north China's Hebei Province, has designed a set of kung fu aerobics which are claimed to mitigate the effects of smog on the human body.

They consist of 23 moves, with two of them, pressing an acupoint called Hegu and breathing into the belly, being particularly effective against air pollution, said Wei Huanqiang, deputy dean of the school in the provincial capital Shijiazhuang, one of the Chinese cities worst hit by smog.

"Pressing the Hegu acupoint, located between the thumb and index finger at the back of the hand, helps promote lungs' detoxification. Breathing into the belly dispels more residue gas left in human organs, reducing the harm caused by smog," he said.

Wei designed the moves in September and October. They can be performed in the classroom, helpful considering China's smog often forces the school to cancel outdoor exercises.

Students will sweat a little after the whole set of exercise, taking about two minutes, according to Wei.

In recent months, heavy smog has shrouded north and east China intermittently, with schools and highways closed and flights delayed or canceled in extreme cases.

"The smog particles inhaled in our lungs are harmful, and we have to wear mouth cover on our way to school or home. We were taught that the aerobics help us to get rid of the dirty particles," said He Linxuan, a fourth-grade student.

The school, famous for its martial arts classes, has 470 students. All of them are required to do the aerobics four times daily on smoggy days.

The supposedly anti-smog kung fu has drawn wide controversy. Although some Internet users have remarked that indoor exercises can indeed be healthy for children, many others have poured scorn on the idea that a few simple moves can be used to resist the effects of polluted air.

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School uses kung fu as smog self-defence

School uses kung fu to fight air pollution (Reuters)

A primary school in China has started teaching children kung fu - as a form of self-defence against air pollution.

Heavily contaminated smog is a huge problem in China, with children regularly kept indoors to protect them.

Many children grow up with asthma and other respiratory illnesses and the pollution was recently blamed for a child being diagnosed with lung cancer. State media said the eight-year-old girl had contracted the disease after being exposed to harmful particles in the air throughout her life.

In a bid to protect children from the air pollution, the Guangming Road Primary School in China's northern Hebei province has designed kung fu aerobics to mitigate the effects of the smog on the body, Xinhua reports.

The school has developed 23 moves, two of which involve pressing an acupoint and breathing deeply into the belly.

Acupoints boost immune system

Wei Huangiang, the deputy dean of the school who designed the kung fu aerobics, said the moves are effective against air pollution: "Pressing the Hegu acupoint, located between the thumb and index finger at the back of the hand, helps promote lungs' detoxification. Breathing into the belly dispels more residue gas left in human organs, reducing the harm caused by smog."

The kung fu moves can be performed in the classroom and the exercises take about two minutes to complete. All the 470 students at the school are required to do the exercises four times per day on smoggy days.

He Linxuan, a fourth-grade student, said: "The smog particles inhaled in our lungs are harmful, and we have to wear mouth cover on our way to school or home. We were taught that the aerobics help us to get rid of the dirty particles."

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China School Teaches Children Kung Fu - to Fight Against Air Pollution

This week I am revisiting last year's "8 Questions on Diet and Exercise" for Santa Claus. Santa has been spreading joy and happiness in North Idaho and around the world for a very long time. Santa has had a lifelong passion for good health, exercise and nutrition. Santa holds many records including the fastest time for the most chimney climbs in a 24-hour period and one of the fastest sleigh-to-roof transitions ever seen.

Q. Let's start with a basic question. What workout regimen do you use to prepare for what must be a physically demanding time of year?

A. Well that's a very good question. It is a physically demanding time with a vast amount of climbing, carrying heavy bags and running from place to place. In the off-season, the reindeer and I run a lot of backcountry trails at the North Pole. Of course, one of my elves is a Certified Personal Trainer so she helps me stay focused in the gym.

Q. Nutritionally, it must be difficult to be given access to so many amazing cookies that the kids leave out for you. How do you manage your cookie intake?

A. Well, I approach it like you would for any endurance race. When you know you have a long demanding race you need to fuel up. Cookies are an amazing way to maximize the amount of glycogen stored in your muscles and Mrs. Claus reminds me all the time that poorly fueled muscles are associated with needless fatigue this time of year.

Q. Santa, I had heard you are an avid fan of Zumba? How do you find time to work that into your busy schedule?

A. Zumba is very stimulating and I am fond of the catchy Latin beats they use for music. Plus, Zumba is a very fast way to squeeze in a heart-pumping cardio workout in less than 40 minutes. I must admit my belly sometimes moves left when the rest of me moves right, so it does become a bit awkward for me. Those Zumba instructors go pretty easy on me though, since they want to stay on my nice list... Those Zumba instructors need a lot of help in that department.

Q. So what is your favorite and most difficult exercise program?

A. A few years ago, my elves introduced me to Parkour. This is where you develop the physical skills to effectively jump, climb and roll through obstacles without aid of ropes or climbing gear. This is quite a workout, but very good for me since I must scale so many roofs, slide down chimneys, dodge wires and other hazards while delivering toys to all the good girls and boys.

Q. Now Santa, you're not a young man anymore... how do you avoid injury doing all this physical activity?

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Santa talks diet and excercise

SAN ANTONIO - Exercise might help women beat breast cancer. Researchers found it can ease the achy joints and muscle pain that lead many patients to quit taking medicines that treat the disease and lower the risk of a recurrence.

The study is the first major test of an exercise program for women on aromatase inhibitors. These estrogen-blocking pills, sold as Femara, Aromasin and other brands, are recommended for five years after initial breast cancer treatment for hormone-driven tumors, the most common type.

The pills also increasingly are being used to help prevent breast cancer in women at high risk of it because of family history, bad genes or other reasons. A separate study found that one of these medicines anastrozole, sold as Arimidex and in generic form cut this risk by 53 per cent. It's the second aromatase inhibitor shown to lower risk that much.

Despite how effective the drugs are, many women shun them because they can cause aches and pains, hot flashes and other side effects. About 15 per cent of U.S. women have enough risk to merit considering the pills to prevent breast cancer, yet less than 5 per cent take them, said Dr. Powel Brown, a prevention expert at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The exercise study involved 121 postmenopausal women taking various aromatase inhibitors to treat breast cancer who complained of achy joints on a pain survey.

About half were assigned to two supervised strength training sessions a week plus at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. The rest got advice on the benefits of exercise and did their usual activities.

After a year, joint pain scores fell 20 per cent among exercisers and 3 per cent among the others. The severity of pain and how much it interfered with daily live also declined more in exercisers.

The exercise group improved cardiorespiratory fitness and lost weight nearly 8 pounds versus a slight gain in the others. Eighty per cent stuck with the program, helped by free access to a gym and a personal trainer.

The National Cancer Institute paid for the study, which was led by Melinda Irwin of the Yale Cancer Center and Dr. Jennifer Ligibel of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Dr. Eric Winer, breast cancer chief at Dana-Farber, said the results may help more women stick with the drugs.

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Excercise helps women tolerate side effects of breast cancer drugs