We all know we should exercise often but sometimes we let other things get more of our attention. CLASSES can offer a wonderful variety for us. Our class schedule for September is full of some of your FAVORITES…like Drums Alive and Dance options as well as some NEW options like Balletone and MAX.

All of these classes are designed for all fitness levels and will allow for you to workout in a FUN, and SAFE environment alongside other men and women working toward a healthier spirit, mind, and body.

Remember that our classes are FREE with your monthly membership dues and that you do NOT have to pre-register for our classes…simply show up and be ready for some fun!

September 2010 Class Schedule

September Class Descriptions 2010

Nope. It’s TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.

“We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn’t [exercise]
and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time.”
This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a
kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.

I can testify: as a Personal Training for over 15 years I can tell
you that 60% of gym members quit in the first 3 months.
And that’s an industry stat across North America. 

Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published
in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who
exercised “traditionally” — 90 to 120 minutes per day — with
another group exercising far less:  Only 20 minutes per day and
only three days per week.

That’s a whopping one hour per week folks!!

In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise
performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the
presence of oxygen.)

The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their
improvement. Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with
greater focus and more intensity — exactly how I suggests you
train.

This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits
of shorter but more intense workouts.

However, there is a catch:  Train too hard and you will shut down
your fat-burning furnace. 

Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of
time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal
sequence that says, “I’m being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!”

The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary
activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning
off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.

You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and
recover.

Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in
order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.

Just remember these three key points:

    1.  Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.
    2.  Workouts can be short and very effective.
    3.  The body goes where the mind directs.

Until next time, train smart.

Deb

It’s Iowa State Fair time again in Des Moines.  Every year people flock to the fair to see shows, the butter cow, livestock, and of course to see what is the new food on a stick!  Last year it was salad on a stick……it didn’t really go over very well!  When you can get a pork chop on a stick or salad, most people will choose the pork chop!

A day at the fair eating fair food can kill your diet.  It shocks most people to see just how many calories are in their favorite fair foods.  Sometimes people think they are making the best choices only to find out they are assuming that just because it’s turkey its healthy….WRONG!

Here is a list of some of the most common fair foods available.  Check out what you eat and see how you FAIR!

Fair Foods

                                 Item Amount                Calories                    Carbs (g)               Protein (g)                 Fat (g)
Corn dog                                  1                     460                                     56                        17                         19
Cola                                           12 0z.            160                                     39                        - -
Carmel apple                          1 medium     270                                     56                          2                           4
Homemade Taffy                    ¼ pound        450                                    104                        -                            4
Roasted/Salted peanuts         ½ cup           460                                      14                        19                         36
Corn-on-the-cob w/butter       1 piece          170                                      32                          4                           3
BBQ Sandwich                               1               340                                      34                       15                          16
Beef Dog w/bun                              1               250                                     18                       10                          15
Deluxe Hamburger                        1               510                                     40                        26                          27
Funnel Cake                                   1 (6”)        280                                     29                           7                         15
Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza      1 Slice       390                                     42                          19                         16
Soft Pretzel                                 1 medium   190                                      38                            5                           2
French Fries                                 Large         450                                      57                            6                         22
Popcorn                                       4 cups         220                                      25                            4                         12
Ice cream cone               1 drumstick           225                                      23                            4                         12
Dippin’ dots Vanilla                  ½ cup           170                                      16                             3                        10
Dippin’ dots No sugar added-low fat ½ cup 123                                   13                             3                          6
Fried Twinkie                                1                    420                                   45                             2                        34
Fried Snickers                              1                    444                                    42                            4                        29
Cotton Candy                            1.5 oz              171                                      45                               -                       -
Smoothies (Berry)                    1 cup              350                                       80                           7                           1
Smoked Turkey Leg                    1                1,136                                        -                           152                      54
Brat w/ bun                                    1                     804                                     28                           36                    60.5
Dill Pickle                                       1                       32                                        8                             -                       -
Kettle Corn                                     7 cups           490                                     70                            3.5                 12.3
Lemonade                                      1 cup            210                                       52                              -                     -
Gyro                                                12 oz.             680                                       55                           31                  40
Snow-cone                                     1                    540                                     132                               -                   -
Fried Shrimp                        10-12 pieces         555                                       36                           35                  30
Frozen Banana w/chocolate        1                    240                                       53                              2                    4
Fried Oreo                                    1 cookie             98                                       11                           1.3                 5.7
Nachos w/cheese                      9” plate              861                                      70                            19                 59
Fried Onion Flower                   1 onion            1,320                                    140                            16                 72
Donuts Jumbo Twist                  7.5 oz.               907                                    108.6                          11                49
Root-beer Float                          ½ cup                  111                                       20                               1                  3
Cinnamon Roll                           1                          730                                    114                            14.5              24
Fudge                                          1.5 oz.                  199                                        25                               1               11
Frozen Yogurt in sugar cone      1                        476                                        94                               19               2
Malt                                              1 cup                     690                                       85                                13            33
Source: Calorieking.com (Fair foods)

 How much time will you have to workout to burn those extra calories you took in at the fair?? Go to Caloriesperhour.com

Look up your favorite activity and then put your current weight in and how long you will do it, and it will tell you how many calories you will burn.

Example: Average 160 lb. person will burn only 138 calories walking on the treadmill at 3.5 mph. This means you would have to walk on the treadmill for 4 HOURS to burn off one turkey leg!! Yikes!!!!!

So enjoy the FAIR!!

Deb

Join us in the month of August for a variety of classes that are sure to help you take your fitness routine to a whole new level!

We are very excited to offer our MAX class for FREE to our members in the month of August – see our Class Descriptions for more details!

Click here to download the August Class Schedule

Click here to download the August Class Descriptions

by Author Unknown

 A man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it.

 He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom, it died.

 So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The qualities planted in us at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects.

 We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.

 Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and find the rose within them.

 When we make mistakes or feel we have failed, always remember that within you there is a rose. Learn from your mistakes and from your failures, and move forward. Mary Kay Ash once said, “Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try.”  Always remember that within you there is a rose, live to your potential – dream, set goals, take action, and achieve all that is possible.

Deb:)

This gift is for you and all of the woman in your life that
YOU care about the most.

It’s a short movie called “The One Flaw in Women” and
has been produced as a tribute to women all around
the world.  

It’s extremely inspiring and uplifting. It only goes for
a few minutes but boy those few minutes are powerful. It’s
got an incredible message.

So go ahead and enjoy this gift and feel free to pass it on
to all the important women in your life. I’m sure they’ll
love it as much as I did.

http://www.TheOneFlawInWomen.com/mindmovies

Have a wonderful day,

 Deb

I suggest that you try to workout in the morning or late evening during the hot summer months.  I can speak from personal experience about how heat affects you during workouts.  Your heart rate can be elevated by 5 to 15 beats versus exercising in normal temperatures.  You also sweat a lot more and can cramp up easily as you also lose more sodium due to the high sweat levels.  You will also see that it is more difficult to hit target heart rates or target perceived exertion levels in the heat as you can feel exhausted and drained.

I suggest that you avoid exercising outside in temperatures above 90 degrees (maybe even 85 degrees).  Your health is too important to risk by trying to fit in a hard interval workout on a very hot day.  Of course, your doctor is the best source of information on what is too hot a temperature for your workouts.

One last point, regardless of whether you are working out in the heat or on a 70 degree day, you should always have a water bottle with you and keep hydrated during your workout.  If you feel thirsty while working out, then you are too late as you are already dehydrated.  Being proactive about this will keep you safe and performing well.

The #1 thing to focus on while trying to fit in your summer outside workouts is to be safe.  So do some smart planning, avoid making excuses and get your workouts done early in the morning or late in the evening if you absolutely can’t do the mornings.

 When it’s just too HOT outside, hit the GYM!

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!  

IMPORTANT NOTE: IF YOU EVER FEEL SICK OR THE SLIGHTEST BIT DIZZY WHILE WORKOUT (IN THE HEAT OR OTHERWISE), STOP WORKING OUT IMMEDIATELY.  YOU ARE PROBABLY DEHYDRATED, LOW ON CALORIES AND/OR PUSHED TOO HARD.  IF YOU TAKE IN SOME FLUIDS AND FOOD AND DON’T FEEL BETTER, I SUGGEST YOU CALL YOUR DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY.  REMEMBER, BEING SAFE IS THE #1 PRIORITY ON YOUR FITNESS AND/OR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY.

Stay Cool!

Deb

You may have heard the U.S. Surgeon Generals recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity a day. This is intended for people who want to maintain the most basic level of fitness — but not for people who want to lose weight.   If you want to lose, you’re going to have to be prepared for a bit more work, or more intensity during that 30 minutes.  It comes down to quality vs. quantity!

The World Health Organization’s recommendation of 60 minutes at a time as a starting point for weight loss is probably more ideal especially when people are just starting an exercise program.  Once you can do more intense or high intensity interval workouts then doing 30 minutes can still be enough.  It’s not so much about the time it’s more about the intensity of your workouts.  I would much rather spend 30 minutes working out but make it worth a 60 minute workout because of intensity.  Most people say they don’t have time to work out so if you can block out 30 minutes most days of the week you will be more likely to stick with it!  It will be the consistency that really makes you achieve your goals in the long run!!

Bottom line is we need to be moving our bodies almost every day!  Once you achieve your weight loss goals you still need to be moving almost every day for at least that 30 minutes, but now your intensity can go down some and simply moving your body for 30 minutes on most days will help you maintain your efforts!

Remember that any exercise is good exercise….if you only have 10 minutes to move your body, then move it for 10 minutes.  These figures are simply telling you what to do for optimal results.  You can still get benefits from shorter workout times….again it’s the consistency of moving your body over time that will get you the results you want and then allow you to keep it!  Don’t make the excuse that since you can’t get the 30 or 60 minutes in that you shouldn’t do any exercise!  It all adds up…move it whenever you can and you will see results!

Train Hard & Expect Results,

Deb

Who can resist?

 Or that may be some people’s normal weekend eating anyway. Ha Ha!!

 Well here’s a great 5th of July workout to help you burn off those excess calories.

 And best of all, it only takes 10 minutes and you won’t even have to go to the gym.  CrossTrain was open this am 7-11.  I did see a few of you but many of you were NOT there so this is something you can do!!

 This great 10 minute total body fat burning circuit will work your upper body, lower body, abs and heart rate.  All you need is a jump rope and you can do this workout anywhere. 

 10 minute total body fat burning circuit:

 Jump Rope x 100

Jumping Lunges x 10 each leg

Push Ups x 10

Perform as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes.  See if you can get 4-5 rounds.  Write down how many rounds you get through and the next time you do it simply try to get through more rounds!!

 Let me know how many rounds you did!  New circuit starts tomorrow….hope to see you soon!

Deb

 First…while there are thousands of holiday weekend survival tips being shared right now, the best advice I can give you is that it is never just one weekend that sabotages your results.

 Rather – it is how you spend your time BEFORE and AFTER that matters most.

 3 questions for you to Help You Stay On Track:

 1. When does your holiday weekend start?

 Knowing this will allow you to make good choices up to this point. No need to grab a handful of m&ms at work when you know you will be enjoying a picnic tomorrow.

 * My holiday weekend starts Saturday afternoon during our cookout.

 2. What will you watch out for?

 Are there certain foods or drinks that you consider to be a weakness? How will you manage them?

 Put a limit, make a healthier version or avoid altogether?

 * I LOVE Potato Salad & Chips I will make a healthier version of

potato salad and limit my serving of chips to one measured portion vs.

eating handfuls out of the bag! I also found chips made out of veggies that will help too!

 3. When does your holiday weekend end?

 This is the most important question to answer. Knowing when it is time to get

back on track is what will prevent your choices from completely sabotaging your results.

 * My Holiday Weekend Ends on Sunday at 5:00 pm. I will get rid of any tempting leftovers and go for a nice evening walk with Lucky (my doggy).

 Do something to signify you are done celebrating and ready to get Back on Track and you will stay on the path to fast fat loss results!

 I wish you a super fun and safe 4th of July weekend!  We will be open Saturday and Monday 7-11 am so start those days with a great workout!  Remember we Ankeny folks have Summerfest festivities next weekend!!

Deb