summer Archives - Living Healthy

Summer Sizzle Fitness Tips

by Candice Currie | Jul 19, 2017 | All, Community, Fitness, Home

Beat the Heat at LA Fitness

There are many reasons to love summer: the longer days, the sunshine, the warmer weather. Although, that summer heat can certainly leave our bodies feeling a bit sluggish. This is because when the weather starts to warm up our bodies go into what can be explained as a sort of hyper-drive cooling state. Internally, our bodies are working extra hard to maintain a consistent temperature and while that is happening, our heart rates and metabolic rates can increase too.¹ The extra effort being exerted by your body can leave you feeling sleepy even if you’ve been doing something as simple as sitting in the sun.

So the question stands, how can you motivate yourself to get to the gym and work out when all your body seems to want to do is lay around? Well, it’s important to first note that it’s OK to let your body rest. In fact, our bodies need it! Especially in hot weather. Fatigue can be a cause of dehydration or exposure to too much sun. Make sure that you’re drinking plenty of water. The more our bodies sweat, the more they need rehydration. Your body also loses salts when you sweat too, so if you feel like your body needs a bit of extra replenishment, try rotating between water and a refreshing drink with electrolytes.

Tips to Beat the Summer Heat

1. Opt For Indoor Exercise

Yes, it’s safe to say that most people seem to enjoy spending extra time outdoors in the summer time. However, when it comes to working out, you may want to bring the exercise indoors. Try brining your run to the treadmill, cool off while swimming some laps at an indoor LA Fitness pool, or try cycling in a Group Fitness class instead of outdoors.* When your body gets too hot, it puts more of a strain on your workout routine. Maintain your normal workout pace by keeping cool.

2. Give Yoga A Try

Why yoga? Well, when the temperature gets hotter it can help the body to become more flexible.² Not only may you have better luck engaging in yoga when your body temperature is higher, but yoga has been known to have relaxing effects on the body.³ If you’re feeling too tired for your typical workout routine, this may be a nice alternative. Find an LA Fitness club that offers yoga here.

3. Eat More of Nature’s Candy

Summer time treats can be amped up with the addition of healthy fruits. In fact, watermelon and strawberries contain about 92% water. Other high water volume fruits are cantaloupe, peaches, pineapple, raspberries and oranges, all ranking between 87-90% water. This helps replenish fluids in our bodies and can give our bodies a natural boost of energy post-workout.⁴

4. Chill Out

Taking a cold shower before your workout may “help reduce the risk of your body’s core temperature rising too quickly.”⁵ What does that mean for you? Well, it can help increase your body’s performance by allowing a greater possible increase in muscle temperature and heart rate before your body begins to overheat. Essentially, by allowing your body to experience the drop in temperature, you have given yourself more time to work out before your core temperature reaches peak levels.⁶ It’s important that you check with your physician before trying this technique, as a cooling pre-workout shower isn’t meant for everyone.

5. Take Exercise Along on the Vacation

Summer is a great time for vacations with family and friends! One of the best things about exercising is that it can be done almost anywhere. If you’re heading to the lake, splash around and burn some calories. Are you taking the vacation to the beach? Spend some time building sandcastles with the kids. Are you escaping to the mountains? Try hiking to get some cardio in. Just make sure no matter what you’re doing for exercise, you’re listening to your body and staying hydrated.

LAF, LA Fitness, LA Fitness guest pass, send a guest pass for LAF

Why workout alone? Send a friend or family member a guest pass today!**

*Classes and amenities vary by location.

**Guest passes subject to additional terms and conditions. See website for details.

How do you choose to exercise in the summer? Do you have a favorite hobby that’s both fit and fun?

Share it with us below!

Sources:

Ware, Arista. “Why Being in the Sun Makes You Tired.” Sleep.Org. Sleep.Org, 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 22 June 2017.
Rossi, Carey. “Increase Your Flexibility 205%.” Prevention. N.p., 10 Jan. 2014. Web. 22 June 2017.
“Stress Management: Practicing Yoga to Relax.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 22 June 2017.
Sklar, Hallie Levine. “Love Your Summer Workout: 10 Motivation Tricks.” Fitness Magazine. N.p., 11 Feb. 2008. Web. 22 June 2017.
Trimarchi, Maria. “Should Men Shower before a Workout?” HowStuffWorks. N.p., 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 22 June 2017.
Ibid

Breaking: Summer Is OFFICIALLY Here!

by Candice Currie | Jun 21, 2017 | All, Community, Home, News

Fire up the barbecue, cue the sound of beach waves, and bring out that bikini from storage! Because on June 21st, 2017 summertime officially begins for the Northern Hemisphere.

But – what is summer solstice exactly?

The summer solstice occurs when our planet’s rotational axis is most tilted towards the sun. Because of this, it is the longest day of the year and we receive more sunlight today than any other day of the year. While summer solstice isn’t as widely celebrated as it once was, some places have kept traditions alive.

Summer Solstice Celebrations

In Sweden, summer solstice is celebrated by eating the first strawberries of the season¹ and marked with fun festivals involving flower crowns, maypoles, and tasty foods.
In ancient Egypt, summer used to symbolize the start of the New Year!²
Each year in Fairbanks, Alaska a baseball game known as the Midnight Sun Game is held from 10:30PM until sometimes as late as 2AM! Alaska Goldpanners’ general manager, Tom Dennis, jokes that his team doesn’t need caffeine because they have sunlight!³
In New York City, a day-long yoga practice runs from 7AM until just before sunset. Not in NY? Not a problem! You can participate remotely via their live webcast.⁴
A Southern California summer solstice celebration takes place in Santa Barbara, CA each year. It was started in 1974 by an artist and mime and has grown in popularity ever since.⁵

Splash Into LA Fitness

Now that you better understand what the summer solstice is all about, let’s talk about how you can celebrate the day! Try taking advantage of the extra time by heading to the gym early. Not a morning person? Perhaps take a break from the sun and head indoors to take a dip in one of our super refreshing LA Fitness pools*. After all, now that summertime is upon us, keeping cool is a must!

Try an Aqua Fit Group Fitness class* to beat the heat and switch up your typical workout routine.

To find an LA Fitness that offers these amenities, click here!

*Photos depict a typical LA Fitness facility. Classes and amenities vary by location.

Sources:

Almanac, Old Farmer’s. “First Day of Summer 2017: The Summer Solstice.” Old Farmer’s Almanac. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2017.
Ibid
Than, Ker. “First Day of Summer: 4 Things to Know About the Summer Solstice.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 25 May 2017. Web. 12 June 2017.
Cheapflights. “Top 10 Summer Solstice Celebrations Around the World.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 June 2015. Web. 12 June 2017.
Ibid

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

by Fitness Contributor | Apr 29, 2013 | Fitness, Home, Nutrition, Workouts | 2 comments

LA Fitness, LAF, fitness, swimsuit season, bikini season, workout plan, summer body, how to get a summer body, fitness advice

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.

THE PLAN

WEEKs 3 & 4

THE WORKOUT – Increase the number of calories burned and promote muscle development with Circuit Training – 3 to 5 days per week.

Alternate between the following two workouts to hit all of your muscles groups over the course of the next two weeks.

TIP 1: Circuit training involves you going from one muscle group to the next with little or no rest until all exercises in the circuit are complete. This maximizes your calorie burning potential. You will rest after completing the circuit.

TIP 2: Choose machines and equipment that are close to each other, and have a backup exercise ready, or just skip to the next muscle group and come back to the exercise you missed before completing the circuit. For example, if your circuit is ab crunches, the shoulder press machine, and the leg press machine; you would do the shoulder press immediately following your set of ab crunches. If however, the shoulder press machine is not available, then go directly to the leg press machine and do the shoulder press after that. If the shoulder press is still unavailable, then do another shoulder exercise that you are familiar with. DO NOT WAIT FOR EQUIPMENT is the bottom line.

DAY 1 – THE CIRCUIT – Do each of the following exercises back-to-back without resting.

Bicycle Crunch – Do for 1 minute or as many reps as you can do until your muscles fatigue.

Lateral Raise or Shoulder Press – Pick a weight that you can do 8 – 12 times.

LA Fitness, LAF, fitness, swimsuit season, bikini season, workout plan, summer body, how to get a summer body, fitness advice

Standing Body Squat – Do for 1 minute or as many reps as you can do until your muscles fatigue.

Plank – Hold for 1 minute.

LA Fitness, LAF, fitness, swimsuit season, bikini season, workout plan, summer body, how to get a summer body, fitness advice

After completing each exercise in the circuit rest for 3 minutes and do it again until you have completed the circuit 4 times.

DAY 2 – THE CIRCUIT – Do each of the following exercises back-to-back without resting.

Dumbbell Row or Lat Pulldown – Pick a weight that you can do 8 – 12 times.

LA Fitness, LAF, fitness, swimsuit season, bikini season, workout plan, summer body, how to get a summer body, fitness advice

Chest press or Chest Fly – Pick a weight that you can do 8 – 12 times.

LA Fitness, LAF, fitness, swimsuit season, bikini season, workout plan, summer body, how to get a summer body, fitness advice

Bicep Machine or Dumbbell Curl – Pick a weight that you can do 8 – 12 times.

Triceps Overhead Extension or Triceps Pushdown – Pick a weight that you can do 8 – 12 times.

LA Fitness, LAF, fitness, swimsuit season, bikini season, workout plan, summer body, how to get a summer body, fitness advice

After completing each exercise in the circuit rest for 3 minutes and do it again until you have completed the circuit 4 times.

THE CARDIO – Sustained Tempo Endurance Training – 30 to 35 minutes – 3 to 5 times per week.

Get the same piece of cardio that you were doing your interval training on during the past two weeks, and choose a level/speed that you can sustain for at least thirty minutes without stopping. Remember, cardio is your best tool for burning calories and reducing body fat, so don’t skip it!

THE DIET and NUTRITION – You have been tracking all your food, drinks and calories right? If not, you’re doing yourself and your goal a huge disservice. For those of you who have been diligent about keeping a food log, it is time to check for accuracy and completeness. Have you HONESTLY been logging EVERYTHING, and are you sure that your calorie counts are ACCURATE? The more accurate you are, the better your results are going to be. Your diet and nutrition are the primary factors that are going to help you lose weight. Now that you have gotten the hang of tracking your food, consider weighing and measuring your food to take your diet efforts to the next level. CLICK HERE for more information about the benefits of WEIGHING and MEASURING your food, so you can weigh less!

The MORE you WORKOUT, the MORE you will see RESULTS. So challenge yourself to get into your LA Fitness five days-a-week as you prepare for swimsuit season!

Don’t forget to come back again in two weeks to get Part 3 – WEEKS 4 and 5 – of your 10 Week Workout Routine to have YOU Looking like a 10 this Summer!

For more great TOP TIPS be sure to come back every week and follow LIVING HEALTHY. To learn how CLICK HERE.