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CNN Saturday Morning News
Summer Shape-Up: Interview With Sara Kooperman
Aired July 20, 2002 - 08:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, it's time now to shape up or ship out with some of the hottest trends sweeping exercise clubs nationwide. This morning, we'll demonstrate a few of those things.
Health and fitness expert Sara Kooperman is joining us and she's part of the well renowned Mania Fitness Convention taking place here in Atlanta this weekend, which means there's fitness people from all over the world here, is that right?
SARA KOOPERMAN, SARA'S CITY WORKOUT: Yes. They're from all over the world and all over the country.
O'BRIEN: Ah, this is -- so we'll be shamed as we walk down the sidewalk here.
KOOPERMAN: You will see a lot of Lycra this weekend.
O'BRIEN: We'll feel like tubs of goo, as the Lycra passes us by.
All right, let's, what's hot in the health clubs, Sara?
KOOPERMAN: Well, we're finding that a lot of mind-body, strength, stretch, and that combination to enhance your life. I'm seeing a lot of personal trainers working on equipment that enhances balance, core stability, upper body strength.
O'BRIEN: All right, so you want to give us one? Can you show us some of this?
KOOPERMAN: Well, we've got some great experts with us in the studio, which is so exciting.
O'BRIEN: What a coincidence.
KOOPERMAN: Yes, what a coincidence.
O'BRIEN: There they are.
KOOPERMAN: Oh my goodness. We've got Douglas Brooks, who's working out on the bosu. He's a master's in exercise physiology.
O'BRIEN: Say it again? A bosu?
KOOPERMAN: Bosu. I know. B-O-S-U.
O'BRIEN: OK.
KOOPERMAN: It's both sides up.
O'BRIEN: Ah, there you go.
KOOPERMAN: And it enhances stability and strength for the lower body and core strength. And you can see the balance. Now, Douglas has worked with fantastic athletes, Olympic skiers. And it's terrific. But it's great for your mom or your mother-in-law because you're talking fabulous strength capabilities, enhancing stretch and it's very secure and stable. Because we've seen a stability ball before, but this has a solid platform so you feel comfortable during your balance exercises or your core exercises.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's move on from the bosu. And next on our list it looks like an implement of -- some kind of weapon there.
KOOPERMAN: A weapon? Oh my god.
O'BRIEN: Is it archery? Is this archery?
KOOPERMAN: Really.
O'BRIEN: What is this? Yes.
KOOPERMAN: Yes, and if this won't get you into strength, it'll scare you into it. We've got Kelly Roberts, who is actually a trainer to the stars.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
KOOPERMAN: And Kelly's working out with a body blade. And we've seen the body blade come from infomercials on different, you know, networks advertising it into not only, it started in the physical therapy arena and now it's going into the fitness arena. And you can see Kelly is working on, again, balance, but also you can see the muscles firing all throughout her arms, as well as her core stabilization. Show us that butt one, will you, Kelly?
O'BRIEN: Oh, please do. Please do show us the butt one, yes. OK.
KOOPERMAN: This is -- it may not be pretty while you're doing it, you know, ladies and gentlemen, but this will work you out later. And you can see the whole chest, her abs are working.
O'BRIEN: Wow, all right.
KOOPERMAN: And I don't think you want to turn her around and see her butt but...
O'BRIEN: No, that's all right.
KOOPERMAN: Yes. But it's great for core stability. O'BRIEN: And if she tries hard enough, she might become airborne there.
All right, let's slide over to the next. Our next tip is?
KOOPERMAN: Well, we have wonderful strength. We have Gay Gasper (ph) with us and she's a fitness expert who travels worldwide and trains fitness instructors.
O'BRIEN: Look at those guns she has.
KOOPERMAN: I know.
O'BRIEN: Wow! Man, she could kick my back side, speaking of butts.
KOOPERMAN: There's no fear in a back alley for Gay.
O'BRIEN: Wow!
KOOPERMAN: And it's wonderful because this is a piece of equipment you can take with you on an airplane, you can pack in your suitcase, you can shove it in your laundry room.
O'BRIEN: I don't know. Wait a minute. Will security let that through?
KOOPERMAN: They will, actually.
O'BRIEN: I don't know.
KOOPERMAN: They will actually.
O'BRIEN: OK, good.
KOOPERMAN: Now, the body blade we're a little scared of, but the tubing words great because you can anchor it at your feet, you can work your upper body, you can see her arms working, her chest working, her deltoids, which are her shoulders. We call these armoids, right? Working...
O'BRIEN: Yes, wow. Armoids?
KOOPERMAN: And she's -- yes, armoids.
O'BRIEN: I never heard that before.
KOOPERMAN: It's a technical term. Yes. And it's, she's got such versatility because not only can she work her back and her lats on it, she can also, you can see she's stabilizing with her abs. And, again, you're getting that strength and that stabilization. And it's just beautiful, the form and the flexibility that you get.
O'BRIEN: All right, I'm humbled now. Anything else for us?
KOOPERMAN: We've also got yoga. Yoga is huge and I'm going to be showing you some yoga stuff, simple positions like the tree pose. And this, of course, also enhances your balance and your strength for that core.
Now, I'm 43 years old and I've had four children. I have four boys, 11 through the ages of five. And you're going to, your seeing, you know, all these women, especially, you know, the women that have children, working in the yoga postures because it enhances that strength as well as that stretch and it gives you that mind-body combination.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
KOOPERMAN: And you're talking also the rotation that works in the spine because you want that flexibility enhanced and you also want to have that strength. And it's in a very comfortable, usually a comfortable environment.
Now, I'm wearing shoes here, but you do not need to wear shoes. We can integrate this into the cool down like personal trainers are using simple yoga postures to cool down their clients. Even you're seeing yoga being done in a pool for aquatic exercise. So that's always unique. You know, yoga afloat is really fun.
O'BRIEN: Wow, all right, quick, give us the lotus position. Come on. You can do it real quick I know.
KOOPERMAN: All right, here we go.
O'BRIEN: All right.
KOOPERMAN: Somebody take a picture quick.
O'BRIEN: And I've got to tell you, I'm very impressed with the credentials, 43 and mother of three and you...
KOOPERMAN: Four. Mother of four.
O'BRIEN: Four.
KOOPERMAN: Don't forget Max.
O'BRIEN: You look -- I'm sorry.
KOOPERMAN: He'd be very upset.
O'BRIEN: Oh, god, he'd be upset. That's really mean of me. Anyway, you look marvelous. You all look great. I'm going to go home and run around the block six times and keel over.
All right, thank you.
We're going to take a break.
Sara, don't go away because we've got some opportunity now for viewers to figure out how they can get guns like Gay's. Holy cow, she looks good with those armoids there. Call us at 404-221-1855. Operators standing by. We will accept a collect call.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right, Sara Kooperman is still here. She'll ask, answer a few of your questions. She could maybe ask a question or two. I don't know about that. But once again that number is 404-221- 1855, 404-221-1855. Of course, we know you have it in your speed dial already and, of course, we do take collect calls.
And let's get right to a call. This one comes from Florida from, is it Bill?
BILL: Yes, it's Bill.
O'BRIEN: Hello, Bill.
BILL: Hi. How are you doing this morning?
O'BRIEN: Good. Do you have a question for Sara?
BILL: Yes, I wanted to tell Sara Kooperman I can't believe how beautiful she is after having four kids.
O'BRIEN: I concur. Anyway, your question.
BILL: I'm looking to find those exercise balls. Do you know where I can find one?
KOOPERMAN: The stability balls? You can get them at usually any sports store that you have. You can also go on, there's a Web site, www.fitnessquest.com. Great way to get them. And, again, those sports stores and gyms sometimes have them available.
And here's the bosu. You can go to www.bosu.com to get the half a stability balls. And that is, that's, again, the newest, newest form of fitness craze that's arising in the fitness clubs.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's go to, I didn't get the name, Niva (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm on national TV right now.
O'BRIEN: Hello, Niva. Niva, are you there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: How are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
O'BRIEN: How are you feeling this morning?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fine.
O'BRIEN: You been working out?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, yes, I've been walking.
KOOPERMAN: Good for you.
O'BRIEN: Well, good. Good, good, good. All right, well, you have a question for Sara?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, first of all, I was very impressed. She looks like she's doing a great job. And I was wondering if she has any tapes that people could order from her?
KOOPERMAN: Yes. We have those at -- here we go, another Web site for you. But it's...
O'BRIEN: Oh, oh, I'm going to try to type it out quickly. Go ahead.
KOOPERMAN: He's working fast here. It's www.saracity.com. It's 1-800-545-CITY. And they're wonderful. We do, we have...
O'BRIEN: Oh, there you are in your lotus position, to.
KOOPERMAN: There we go.
O'BRIEN: On the vid, yes.
KOOPERMAN: We have about 300 fitness instructor training videos, which train fitness instructors how to teach. And they're wonderful for people to use in their home because they're made for professionals, which means the focus is on education and on proper and safe execution of the exercises.
O'BRIEN: The video catalog includes aqua, kick boxing, specialties, sports sculpting, mind-body, aquatic specialty, high-low -- what's high-low?
KOOPERMAN: High-low, high-low impact.
O'BRIEN: It sounds like -- that's something you do in Las Vegas, isn't it?
KOOPERMAN: Yes, the bungee jumping.
O'BRIEN: Oh. Oh my goodness. Personal training -- we've got to see high-low here. And then step, of course. All, so check it out at saracity.com. We've got the plug in, I'd say, Sara, right?
KOOPERMAN: Oh, well, thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right. Any other phone calls out there or should we go to the e-mails? Let's go to an e-mail, shall we?
This one comes from a viewer who happens to be in Williston, Vermont. "I have some problems with my knees," she says, "arthritis. Any weight training exercises that don't bend knees require squats. These are pretty painful when they are doable. I walk in water. I bicycle. I walk. What else -- what do you suggest for somebody who has an arthritic problem?"
KOOPERMAN: Well, of course, you've always got to consult your physician, work with a physical therapist. But I love the aquatic exercises that you're doing. That's a very important way to exercise. There's also another piece of equipment called a glider out there. Maybe you've see those with like Tony Little, you know, the glider man with the ponytail.
But anything...
O'BRIEN: What, the Web site?
KOOPERMAN: No, no, no. But it's a wonderful way for people to work out without flexing the knees, and that's when you bend your knees. Another enhancer is that bosu, standing on the bosu to work on that stabilization. The tubing exercises that can work and primarily focus on the upper body, because that's a great way to work out and still burn those calories without just focusing on your lower body.
O'BRIEN: All right, I think we're out of time, unfortunately, Sara. I would challenge you to an arm wrestle, but I would be humiliated before a national television audience.
Thank you very much. Good luck with your convention.
KOOPERMAN: Nice to be here.
O'BRIEN: Thanks for bringing everybody in.
KOOPERMAN: Thank you so much.
O'BRIEN: We appreciate it.
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