Trot Off the Turkey Challenge

Trot Off the Turkey Challenge

by | Nov 14, 2018 | All, Fitness, Home

LA Fitness invites you to trot off the turkey with us this season!  

Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to give thanks to all that is good in our lives – including giving thanks to our bodies. Before sitting down with friends and family, try challenging yourself to this 2-week pre-Thanksgiving dinner workout! 

But first, a fun fact.  

Did you know the average number of calories that a person consumes at Thanksgiving dinner is a whopping 4,500!?1 That’s a whole lot more than the daily recommended amount (over double for some!), and that’s just one meal.  

But fear not, let yourself splurge for the holiday by burning off the 4,500 calories in the next 15 days leading up to the big event.  

The Turkey Trot Challenge is designed to increase in difficulty as we get nearer the holiday, but make sure you go at your own pace and never push yourself to the point of exhaustion. Remember, this should be fun!  

Share your journey with us using the hashtags #LAFitness #TurkeyTrotChallenge. 

Starting Point: 4,500 calories to burn. 

DAY 1 – Starting off slow 

  • Running (5 mph) 
  • Time: 30 minutes 

Calories Burned: 240 

Calories Remaining: 4,260  

DAY 2 

  • Walking (3 mph) 
  • Time: 60 minutes 

Calories Burned: 247 

Calories Remaining: 4,013 

DAY 3 – Time to up the training! 

  • Elliptical Trainer  
  • Time: 60 minutes 

Calories Burned: 645 

Calories Remaining: 3,368 

DAY 4  

  • Jogging 
  • Time: 45 minutes 

Calories Burned: 298 

Calories Remaining: 3,070 

DAY 5  

  • Running (6 mph) 
  • Time: 45 minutes 

Calories Burned: 427 

Calories Remaining: 2,643 

DAY 6 – We’re in the home stretch! 

Workout #1 

  • Elliptical Trainer  
  • Time: 60 minutes 

AND 

Workout #2 

  • “Power” Walking (4 mph) 
  • Time: 60 minutes 

Total Calories Burned: 937 

Calories Remaining: 1,706 

DAY 7  

Workout #1 

  • Running (7 mph) 
  • Time: 30 minutes 

AND 

Workout #2 

  • Hiking  
  • Time: 60 minutes 

Calories Burned: 832 

Calories Remaining: 874 

DAY 8 – One day out from Turkey Day (The cool down.) 

  • Walking (3 mph) 
  • Time: 60 minutes 

Calories Burned: 247 

Calories Remaining: 627 

DAY 9 – GOOBLE GOOBLE DAY (Thanksgiving!) 

  • Elliptical Trainer 
  • Time: 60 minutes 

Calories Burned: 645 

Calories Remaining: -18 

Yay! 18 extra calories burned!  

A Special Message from the Writer: 

In the spirit of the holiday season, I would like to take this time to thank all of our Living Healthy readers and subscribers. Each of you is such an inspiration to our community. I hope this holiday season brings you an abundance of love and gratitude and a desire to keep working towards all your health and fitness goals!  

Now it’s time for the moment we’ve all been waiting for… Thanksgiving dinner!  

Disclaimer: Calories burned are approximate and based off a weight category of 125lbs. In order to calculate calories burned using your own weight, click here.  

 Separately, a healthy balanced exercise program should consist of a mixture of both strength training and cardio. Do not use this as an exercise training program. This challenge is simply designed to be a fun addition to your normal workout routine.  

Sources:  

  1. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/how-many-calories-do-we-really-eat-at-thanksgiving/  

Referenced:  

  1. https://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc/  

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Member Spotlight | Meet Female Stuntwoman and Mom, Danielle G. – Part 1

Member Spotlight | Meet Female Stuntwoman and Mom, Danielle G. – Part 1

by | Nov 12, 2018 | All, Fitness, Home, Member Stories, Workouts

Meet Danielle G., a stuntwoman and mama-bear who wasn’t always the strong superwoman she is today. In college, Danielle weighed well over 200 lbs., wore size 18 pants, and felt uncomfortable in her own skin. Wanting to make a change, she started training at a local gym but a move to a new area brought with it limited access to the gym she was attending. As a result, her training started to slack, there was a decrease in motivation and subsequently, she began regaining the weight she had lost. A friend and mentor of Danielle introduced her to LA Fitness and encouraged her to continue with her training. Danielle credits the wide range of LA Fitness gym locations for making it possible for her to continue training again. With training once again underway, Danielle set a goal for herself to compete in her first ever NPC (National Physique Committee) Figure Competition. When the big day finally arrived, she recalls being in the best shape of her life.

“With the open environment, friendly gym goers (some of which I call friends now), I continued to see improvements in myself and was planning on competing again, but then I was given the blessings of being a mom (well, stunt mom).”

Danielle G.

LA Fitness Member

Even once pregnant, that didn’t stop Danielle from continuing her training at LA Fitness. She combines weightlifting and cardio and pulls ideas from the LA Fitness Living Healthy blog on nutrition to help her better balance her diet at the same time. Many of Danielle’s friends at her home gym are impressed with her continued dedication. She plans to stay a healthy mom and to continue her training to become a better and stronger stuntwoman. She is a firm believer that if there is a will there is a way. While she is now a mom, she believes that it is possible to find a balance between family and yourself. Danielle hopes to one day get back on stage for her second NPC figure competition.

“Don’t let excuses get in the way of what you want. Whether single or a mom, make sure to take time to take care of your health because if there is no you then the family will suffer.”

Danielle G.

LA Fitness Member

Typical Gym Routine –

My typical gym routine is basically working to separate muscle groups (i.e., legs and arms, biceps and back, etc.) for about an hour, followed with 30-45 min of cardio, and some days strict cardio only. Always mixing it up to keep the body aware.

Nutrition –

In the very beginning (college days), I would eat whatever was in front of me. Originally obtaining my degree in medicine meant a lot of stress dealing with early to late night classes, lab time and exams. So, I did a lot of emotional/stress eating, such as eating fried foods, high carbs, sugars, you name it. When I was prepping for my competition and my career as a stuntwoman, I was on a stricter diet. I was on a high protein low carb diet eating about 1,675 calories per day and drinking a gallon of water per day as well. I focused primarily on making sure I was meeting my macro count per day. Eventually, I was seeing about 0.5-1 lb. of weight loss per week. Occasionally there were times I plateaued, but with encouragement, the weight continued to drop. I had to keep reminding myself it took me time to get to being overweight, so it’s going to take time to get it off.

Changing Lifestyle –

In all honesty, I wasn’t happy with who I was with the amount of weight I was carrying. I didn’t feel attractive at all. And in complete honesty, it took one guy, when I was in college, who was the first to tell me he loved me. That made me think: how could he love me when I didn’t love myself?! Talk about a wakeup call. I gave myself a hard look at myself, being over 200lbs and asthmatic where the outside world literally was my enemy. I knew I had to make a change. So that initially started me on my journey to redevelop myself into the person I wanted to be. I focused on finding a balance between school and going to the gym with diet, and slowly started to see the changes that I didn’t think could happen for me.

Setbacks –

I don’t care if you are an average person or the fittest person in the world – there are always setbacks. And it’s really just finding that push/dedication to overcome it and not make bland excuses. For me, it wasn’t just being overweight; being asthmatic also was a huge setback for me. How did I overcome it? I just listened more to my body and the orders of my doctor. I figured by doing that, it would mean a faster way for me to get back into the gym and continue training.

Active Lifestyle & Career –

Fitness plays a huge role for me as a stuntwoman. You must not be just mentally strong, but physically strong and flexible as well. If I was going into my career being overweight as I was, that would have made it difficult, if not impossible. The physical aspects of the job are so demanding that being overweight will not just tire you out faster, but it would also be so much harder on the joints, increasing chances of injury. So, striving to be not skinny but fit is imperative. Fitness is also important especially for stuntwomen in the fact that the clothes and pads we have to wear on set are sometimes minimal compared to our male counterparts. So the added weight, in addition to pads and clothes when you are doubling for the actress can be a big thing.

? Subscribe to Living Healthy and keep an eye out for Part 2 of Danielle’s fitness journey, coming soon!

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Butter Poached Floridian Lobster from Essensia

Butter Poached Floridian Lobster from Essensia

by | Nov 7, 2018 | All, Home, Nutrition, Recipes

“Cooking to me means creating the most flavorful cuisine by acquiring the best local ingredients, and letting nature speak through culinary artistry.”

Chef de Cuisine, Ilde Ferrer

Essensia

Photography provided by: The Palms Hotel & Spa

Essensia is located at the following location:

Essensia

Distance to closest LA Fitness: 0.8 miles to Connecticut Ave. LA Fitness

Essensia is located at The Palms Hotel & Spa, 3025 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140.

Open Daily

For reservations, menu, and additional details, please visit thepalmshotel.com/dining/essensia-restaurant.

Photography provided by: The Palms Hotel & Spa

Butter Poached Floridian Lobster

Ingredients

For the Poached Floridian Lobster

  • 2 spiny lobster tails
  • 1 ear of corn kernels removed
  • 1 pint mixed mushrooms
  • 8 each asparagus spears
  • 1 orange segmented
  • 2 scallion stalks grilled
  • 2 cups saffron butter sauce (recipe below)

For the Orange Saffron Butter (Yield 1 qt)

  • 1 cup orange juice reduced to glaze
  • 1 cup heavy cream reduced until thick
  • ½ lb. butter chilled and cubed
  • 3 tsp. saffron
  • ½ cup honey
  • Salt to taste

Method

Poached Floridian Lobster

Step 1: In a stock pot blanch the lobster tails for 5 minutes in boiling water and shock in ice water to stop cooking and set aside

Step 2: Cut mushrooms and asparagus into bite-sized pieces.

Step 3: In a medium sauté pan bring it to medium high heat and sauté the mushrooms for 1 minute then add the corn and asparagus cook the veggies until translucent and split onto 2 plates.

Step 4: Split the lobster tail in half keep the shell on and heat up the lobster in the saffron butter sauce slowly don’t boil the sauce and place on top of the veggies.

Step 5: Garnish the dish with the orange segments and the scallions.

Orange Saffron Butter

Step 1: Reduce orange juice until glaze.

Step 2: Add heavy cream and reduce until thick.

Step 3: Add saffron.

Step 4: On low heat add butter slowly while whisking to make a beurre blanc (emulsion).

Step 5: Add honey and salt to taste.

Featured Recipes

AAT: Ep. 32 – How to Lose Body Fat for People with Cerebral Palsy

AAT: Ep. 32 – How to Lose Body Fat for People with Cerebral Palsy

by | Nov 2, 2018 | All, Ask A Trainer, Fitness, Home

Ask A Trainer: Featured Question of the Week

On this episode of ‘Ask A Trainer’ we speak with LA Fitness Pro Results® trainer Morgan C., and get her expert advice on how to lose body fat for those afflicted with cerebral palsy.  

Do you have a fitness question? Ask one of our certified Pro Results® trainers here! Your question may be featured in an upcoming Ask Our Trainer video.**

15 + 11 =

**Selected submissions will be featured on the LA Fitness blog and possibly other LA Fitness digital media entities & websites. By making a submission, you hereby grant LA Fitness a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable license to use and make copies of the contents of such submission for any purpose and in any medium whatsoever, and you hereby waive and relinquish any copyright or other intellectual property right you may have in the contents of such submission and your right to pursue any claim for LA Fitness’s violation of those intellectual property rights.

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Korean Picnic Salad & BBQ Shrimp from Brian Malarkey’s Green Acre

Korean Picnic Salad & BBQ Shrimp from Brian Malarkey’s Green Acre

by | Oct 24, 2018 | All, Home, Nutrition, Recipes

“Making everyday meals memorable is something that excites me, so at Green Acre being able to provide elevated farm-focused breakfast, lunch, and happy hour options provides our guests to have delicious, simple food. The menu makes it easy to come back each day for the favorite dishes they trust and love. We utilize ingredients from our onsite organic garden at the Campus Pointe location to create fresh, local food.”

Chef Brian Malarkey

Brian Malarkey's Green Acre

Photography provided by: Katalyst PR

Brian Malarkey’s Green Acre (Campus Pointe) is located at the following location:

Brian Malarkey's Green Acre

Distance to closest LA Fitness: 6.5 miles to 4984 Shawline St., SD, CA 92111 LA Fitness

Brian Malarkey’s Green Acre Campus Pointe is located at 10300 Campus Point Drive SD, CA 92121. Open Monday through Friday from 7am to 3pm. For the menu and additional details, please visit greenacresd.com/campus-pointe/.

Photography by: Katalyst PR

Korean Picnic Salad & BBQ Shrimp from Brian Malarkey’s Green Acre

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • 1 Large Head of Napa Cabbage – Sliced Thin
  • 1 Large Handful Bean Sprouts
  • 1 Each Pineapple – Diced
  • 1 Each Fresno Chili – Sliced Thin and Rinsed
  • 1 Bunch Cilantro – Rough Chopped
  • 1/2 Bunch Mint – Leaves Picked and Rough Chopped
  • 1/2 Bunch Thai Basil or Regular Basil – Leaves Picked and Rough Chopped
  • 1/2 Cup Cashews – Toasted – Salted – Rough Chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons – Furikake – Japanese Sesame/ Nori Seasoning

For the Dressing

  • ¼ Cup GoChuJang – Korean Chili Condiment
  • 2 Tablespoons – Lime Juice
  • 2 Tablespoons – Soy Sauce
  • 1/3 Cup Avocado Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Ginger – Peeled and Chopped

For the BBQ Shrimp

  • 4 Wooden Skewers – Soaked in water for a few hours
  • 16 Shrimp (16/20) 4 on each Skewer
  • 2 Tablespoons – GoChuJang
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Method

Step 1:

For the Shrimp

  • Rub the Skewered Shrimp with the GoChuJang
  • Grill until the shrimp are cooked all the way through, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Step 2: Toss in salad mixture and enjoy!

Featured Recipes

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