Category Archives: la fitness reviews

Are You Ready for a Sleeveless Summer? Define your Triceps with These 4 Exercises

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If you’re looking to build lean, well-defined “tank top arms,” then incorporating quality triceps exercises into your weight training plan is a must. The fact is, your triceps make up two-thirds of your upper arm muscle. This is why having exercises that focus on your triceps is integral to building great arms so you can sport a tank top with confidence this summer.

Start toning your triceps today by incorporating these exercises into your routine:

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How ‘Extreme Traveling’ Helped Harry Lose 23 Pounds

travelling can be an extreme activity to say the least-2 Read the rest of this entry

The 6 Weeks to Summer Slim-Down Workout – Look Better in Your Bathing Suit!

Look better in 6 weeks for summer at LA Fitness

If you’re sweating because summertime is drawing near…Perfect! You are on the right track; well as long as you’re sweating from all of the hard work you are putting into getting ready for bikini and board-short season. LIVING HEALTHY is here to help with Part 3 of our preparation for summer workout program – The 6 Weeks to Summer Slim Down Workout to Look Better in Your Bathing Suit!

If you missed Part 1 – 10 Week Workout Routine to have YOU Looking like a 10 this Summer or Part 2 – 8 Weeks Left to Prepare for Swimsuit Season, Your Next Workout is Here, simply click one of the links to get started!

For those of you who are ready, weeks 5 & 6 are sure to challenge your body as we hit the weight room for some Strength Training with Free Weights and integrate High-Intensity Interval Training as your fat-melting cardio workout. Read the rest of this entry

8 Weeks Left to Prepare for Swimsuit Season, Your Next Workout is Here

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Here it is…Your workout PLAN for the next two weeks to get you ready for summer. This is Part 2 of our series 10 Week Workout Routine to have YOU Looking like a 10 this Summer , but don’t worry if you missed Part 1, just CLICK THIS LINK to start your 10 week workout today!

During weeks 1 and 2 you built your strength training base by allowing your muscles to ease into your new workout program, and you strengthened your core with stabilization training. You also built your musculoskeletal and endurance base doing interval training to burn extra calories.

Now it’s time to step it up by challenging your body with circuit training and extended duration cardio for weeks 3 and 4.

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Cut Down on Television and Cut Down Your Weight – 7 Things You Can Do

LA Fitness pits Television against Gardening and other household activity - Gardening Wins!Have you ever wondered how many more calories you could be burning if you actually did something productive instead of watching television? You may be pleasantly surprised at how many calories you can burn making your home and your body look amazing at the same time! But don’t use you these activities as a substitute for your weight and cardio workouts, instead use them as a way to compliment your weight loss efforts while you enjoy beautifying your home.

All of the following activities are based on a 150 pound person performing each activity a duration of 60 minutes at a moderate (as opposed to vigorous) intensity[i]. Read the rest of this entry

5 Great Grocery Tips

LA Fitness Member Joey grocery shopping

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10 Week Workout Routine to have YOU Looking like a 10 this Summer

??????????????????????????????????????????????There’s only 10 weeks left until swimsuit season! If you haven’t committed to a solid workout plan to get your body ready for summer, don’t worry. We have a plan that can help you to get back into the gym and back into shape for summertime with this 5 Part Series.

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Is Protein an Issue for Vegans?

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From a Size 18 to a Size 10, Happy Birthday to Mary!

Mary-Collage-Training at LA Fitness San Antonio

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Eat Like This to Help Maximize your Recovery and Results

LA Fitness member Bryant is ready for a recovery snack after a tough workout

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Amazing Dunks Made on LA Fitness Courts, Really? Watch These!

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Incorporating Explosive and Advanced Stability Exercises

Bryant doing an explosive X pushup at la fitness

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Easter Weekend Hours for LA Fitness Clubs in the United States and Canada

LA Fitness Easter Weekend Holiday hours for US United States and Canada clubs
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Have a BALL! 3 Great Medicine Ball Exercises to Tone and Define your Entire Body!

Joey with Med Ball Close up at LA Fitness

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Competing at the Arnold Sports Festival, Denita’s Big Day Arrives!

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Fuel your Workouts to Maximize Your Results

Fuel Your Workout and Maximize Your Results

This article was contributed by Debbie M., MS, RD 

Did you know that during anaerobic activity like resistance training, sugar is your body’s primary fuel source?

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Daylight Saving Time Change 2013 is this Weekend, Spring Forward Your Clocks and Your Fitness

Time to Spring your Clocks forward againThat’s right, this weekend marks that time of year again when we all sacrifice an hour of sleep in the wee hours of Sunday morning in order to gain a precious extra hour of daylight to enjoy in the evenings for the next eight months. So mark your calendars and set your alarms because on Sunday, March 10th, 2013 at 2 a.m. we all need to “spring forward” our clocks one hour as we tear apart the space-time continuum warping time as it instantaneously changes from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.
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Get Back to the Basics for a Tight and Toned Body (Part 1 – Walking / Running)

LA Fitness Member Nikki runs outside for her cardio on a sunny day

Tips and Exercises to get you Back in Shape – How to get started RUNNING (or back into it again).

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Preparing to Compete at the Arnold Sports Festival, Denita Shares her Experience

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Were you in Better Shape when you were Young? Get back into Sports, and Get back into Shape!

Join a fun and fit time with an LA Fitness Volleyball Racquetball or Basketball League

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Cleanses vs. Detox Diets and How They Can Help Your Body

Yummy Fresh vegetables make for a happy and healthy family

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How Mary’s 38 Lb. Weight Loss Led to Incredible Health Benefits

LA Fitness Member Mary Before and After Losing 38 pounds

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3 Progressive Chest Exercises – (Part 2 of Creating a Complete Chest Routine)

Bryant doing an explosive pushup at LA Fitness - B Read the rest of this entry

13.1 Miles Away and 6 Pounds to Go, Joey’s Goals Meet the Flu Season

Workers clean the sign used at the Start of the Carlsbad Half Marathon Read the rest of this entry

Two ‘Abmazing’ Exercises for a Flatter Stomach and More Ab Definition

Marc doing a reverse crunch at LA Fitness - b

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How to Create a Complete Chest Routine – (Part 1 – Basic Chest Exercises)

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Fun, Get in Shape and Help Augie’s Quest by taking a ZUMBA class? Yep!

Blog-Auggies-Quest

It is perhaps the best opportunity of the year for you to feel great after a workout both inside and out! On Saturday, February 23rd at 3pm LA Fitness is holding a special Zumba class that you can attend in order to support Augie’s Quest and help find a cure for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). CLICK here to learn more about this event and make a donation. *LA Fitness clubs not participating in this promotion: Grove City, OH (Former Urban Active), Grandview, OH (Former Urban Active), and Presale locations.

You probably want to know more, right? Well, who better to tell you than Augie Nieto himself? So, we contacted Augie for a Q&A about Augie’s Quest, ALS and the LA Fitness Zumba event.

Why is it important for everyone to participate in this event?

Augie: The fitness industry has been instrumental to MDA’s Augie’s Quest…we’ve raised over $35 million to date because of clubs and members around the country. YOU have the opportunity to be a part of history and help families fighting ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).  Plus, I can’t think of a more entertaining way to get a workout!

How will the donations received from the LA Fitness Zumba event help Augie’s Quest, ALS and MDA?

Augie: Donations received will go directly to fast-track research for ALS.  Our goal is to find an effective treatment for this disease as soon as possible.

How far has research and treatment come since you were first diagnosed?

Augie: When I was first diagnosed, there were ZERO dollars being invested in ALS research from ‘Big Pharma.’  We’ve been able to change the landscape of ALS research drastically.  The lab we fund is called ALS TDI (www.als.net).  It’s the largest ALS research lab in the world and we are focused on finding drugs to treat ALS.  We currently have two drugs moving into Phase 2 clinical trials and 11 more in the pipeline. I know that one day soon, thanks to the support from the fitness industry, we’ll have effective treatments for ALS.

Your challenges, and the challenges faced with treating ALS are daunting, and yet you continue to persevere with Augie’s Quest, how do you do it?

Augie: What keeps me going is the momentum we have right now…we are truly making great strides in ALS drug development.  Right now there is only one FDA approved drug on the market for ALS patients and it doesn’t do much.  I’m confident the research we are funding will result in new effective drugs for the ALS community.

What would you like to tell those who are attending the Zumba event?

Augie: THANK YOU!  Most people who attend probably haven’t had their lives touched by ALS…it’s amazing to me that so many people come out to support our cause.  Oh…and get there early to get a front row spot!

Fun Question: What would you like to tell those who are hiding behind their poor dance skills as an excuse to skip the Zumba event?

Augie: If I can do it, you can do it!  Zumba isn’t about perfect choreography…it’s about having fun.  I promise you won’t regret it…no one has ever left a Zumba class and said “that wasn’t fun!”

George Gervin ‘Finger Rolls’ in for the Grand Opening in San Antonio and the Next REAL STORY

George Iceman Gervin LA Fitness San Antonio Loop Grand Opening Read the rest of this entry

Eating a Rainbow Every Day

fresh vegetables

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Falcons Cheerleader Denita Trains for National Bikini Physique Competition

Denita flexes at LA Fitness-2 Read the rest of this entry

How Can You Create a Healthy Habit? 21 Days of Dedication

step-in-the-right-direction-v3 Read the rest of this entry

Exercise Your Options to Reach Your Goal

Exercise-Your-Options-Blog-Header Read the rest of this entry

It all Started with Molding Clay – LIVING HEALTHY’s First Anniversary

Clay is still going strong as he works out at LA Fitness in San Marcos Read the rest of this entry

Personal Trainer and Colts’ Cheerleader, Crystal, Helps Client Lose 91 Pounds

aa Read the rest of this entry

13 Resolutions for 2013

Have a Healthy New Year from LA Fitness Read the rest of this entry

The Penny Picker, A Super Simple and Secret Exercise to Define your Legs

A hand full of Pennies can equal toned legs at LA Fitness Read the rest of this entry

REAL STORIES Countdown to 2013

Happy New Year from Living Healthy and REAL STORIES Read the rest of this entry

Dealing with a Major Setback – Chrissy Breaks Her Leg

LA Fitness Member Chrissy takes off her leg brace to reveal the scars from her surgery after breaking her leg Read the rest of this entry

LA Fitness New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Hours

LA Fitness New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Hours

Enjoy Holiday Foods and Lose Weight? Your 3-Step Strategy to Avoid Extra Calories at Holiday Parties!

LA Fitness Holiday Weight Loss tips Read the rest of this entry

LA Fitness Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Hours

LA Fitness Hours of Operation for Christmas and Xmas Eve

Take a Ride on the Resolution Railroad

the LA Fitness Resolution Railroad Read the rest of this entry

Game Day in the Life with an Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader

Altanta Falcons Cheerleader Denita and her team practicing before the game - 2

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4 Easy Tips for Using Exercise and Weight Machines

LA Fitness member Tyler is comfortable working out on any piece of equipment

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How Joey Lost 11 Inches in Her Waist!

Joey is rnning Full Steam Toward her weight loss goal

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No Weights? No Problem! Tone Your Entire Body with These 5 Weight-Free Exercises

LA Fitness Member Haley doing pull ups on the monkee bars at the park Read the rest of this entry

Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader Shaves Her Head to Help Fight Cancer

Indianapolis Colts cheerleader Crystal shaves head for fight against cancer

Indianapolis Colts cheerleader Crystal can personally relate to Colts head coach Chuck Pagano’s battle with leukemia; as a child she fought and eventually beat the disease. So, when a fellow cheerleader, Megan, said she was going to shave her head to show support for Coach Pagano and raise money to help find a cure for cancer, Crystal decided to join her.

It was a gesture that caught the hearts and attention of the entire nation. Video clips of Crystal and Megan donning their shaved heads while cheering-on the Indianapolis Colts has been highlighted numerous times on multiple news and sports shows.

Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders pose with newly shaved heads

“We were both surprised how big this got. We weren’t expecting so much media attention,” said Crystal. “Megan and I helped raise over $22,000 for cancer research in honor of Coach Pagano by shaving our heads. Her (Megan’s) support, my squad and the community has made the meaning of this experience so unforgettable.”

Crystal has also received an overwhelming response via Twitter, Facebook, email and in person.

“I’ve heard stories that have touched my heart and I appreciate knowing that this has meant so much to so many people,” said Crystal. “From my personal experience (with leukemia), this has all meant so much to me.”

You might think that to a cheerleader the idea of shaving their head would be terrifying, but Crystal’s life has given her a different outlook.

“I have been bald before so I wasn’t scared of not having hair,” said Crystal. “It’s actually faster for me to get ready now and my head (feels like it) has more senses. For example, I can feel the cold more, especially in this weather, and my head appreciates my pillow more (laughs)!”

In addition to being a Colt’s cheerleader, Crystal is a personal trainer at LA Fitness. When she went to work after shaving her head on national television the reaction from her clients moved her in a way that she never expected.

“The biggest impact on me was from a couple that I train at LA Fitness,” said Crystal. “They gave me a small jewelry box and inside of it was a breast cancer pin. The pin was from his mother who battled breast cancer for 25 years and passed away. He said that she would have appreciated what we’ve done and that she would have wanted to give it to me.”

Crystal and Megan both donated their hair to Locks of Love, an organization that makes natural hair wigs for those who are battling cancer and as a result have lost their hair.

Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders pony tails that were donated to Locks of Love

For more information about Crystal’s efforts to help find a cure for cancer you can follow her via Twitter at @Crystal_Anne_B.

We will be featuring Crystal and the amazing work she is doing with one of her clients, so be sure to follow us by adding us to your RSS feed or join our community to have the latest articles sent right to your email.

5 Reasons You Should Be Strength Training. Yes You!

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Weight Loss, Workouts, Marathons…Marriage? – A REAL STORIES Fairy Tale

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Popular Thanksgiving Foods, Calories and Healthy Options

Last year Americans consumed around 736 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving[i], which was likely served with several favorite holiday side dishes and courses. This belt busting MEAL can have up to 3,450 calories, which is astounding when you consider that the average amount of calories consumed PER DAY for males is 2,475 and for females is 1,833[ii].

Though your traditions and recipes may make some of your Thanksgiving foods non-negotiable—such as a family recipe for gravy, or maybe this year it is your turn to get one of the savory dark meat legs— perhaps you just didn’t realize how many calories are in some foods, or you never thought to consider other options. You never know, you just might end up loving sweet potato pie, but never considered having anything else but pumpkin pie.

Below is a table with the most popular Thanksgiving Day foods and some healthy options for you to consider. Who knows, maybe this year will be the beginning of some new Thanksgiving dinner traditions that have you feeling energized and invigorated instead of sleepy and uncomfortable.

Food Portion Size Calories        Healthy Option (same portion size) Healthy Option CALORIES Healthy Option Calorie Difference
Turkey, dark meat w/skin 4 oz. 249 Turkey, light meat no skin 189 60
Mashed Potatoes w/ sour cream and butter 1 cup 313 Mashed Potatoes w/ milk and butter 212 101
Stuffing (Bread) 1 cup 404 Stuffing (Cornbread) 358 46
Gravy, made w/meat drippings 1 cup 271 Gravy, made w/out fat 71 200
Green Bean Casserole 1 cup 276 Cooked green beans 44 232
Bread Rolls (white) Medium size (about 2.5” across) 147 Bread Rolls (100% whole wheat) 96 51
Cranberry Sauce 1 cup 418 Fresh Cranberries 51 367
Candied Yams 1 cup 293 Baked Yams 165 128
Apple Pie 1/8 of 9” pie 356 Sweet Potato Pie 265 91
Pumpkin Pie 1/8 of 9” pie 374 Sweet Potato Pie 265 109
Pecan Pie 1/8 of 9” pie 464 Pumpkin pie 374 90
Soda, cola 12 oz. 136 Diet Soda, cola or Water 0 136
Beer 12 oz. 155 Skip it 0 155
Wine 5 oz. 125 Again, skipping the alcohol is the healthiest option 0 125
Squash w/butter and brown Sugar 1 cup 154 Squash w/salt and sugar, no butter 121 33

[iii]

If none of these options work for you, you could just make sure to keep your portions reasonable, but keep in mind that you are having more courses during this particular meal than you may be used to.

Some of you may have noticed that today’s article was not our normal Monday post of REAL STORIES, and was instead a TOP TIP.  We wanted to make sure you had this information before the holiday since TOP TIPS posts every Thursday. So look for another great TOP TIP on Thanksgiving day, and REAL STORIES about real people accomplishing their health and fitness goals will resume on its regularly scheduled day again next Monday.

Want to effortlessly follow our blog? CLICK HERE and we will show you how!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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