Volleyball Championship Recap: Can You Dig It?
The clock struck 7PM, on an otherwise typical Monday night, yet the air of the LA Fitness Irvine-Jamboree volleyball court was dense with anticipation for the night’s Club Leagues championship game. The sounds of sneakers squeaked against the polished court floor, as teammates started revving one another up with words of encouragement. Everyone was all smiles, undoubtedly excited for the big game that lay ahead.
After a quick warmup, suddenly, it was the moment everyone had been waiting for: Game time.
The teams took their places and got into formation – the blow of the whistle signaled the start of play. It was down to the top two teams: The Sea Otters vs. Polar Bear Sunshine. Both teams were hungry for the win.
The game seemed to be going favorably for The Sea Otters, as they led with a comfortable 2-0, but by the third set Team Polar Bear Sunshine brought their A-game and the game was suddenly 2-1, with good effort coming from both sides. As each team competed to be better than the other, the game heated up and took the players into the fifth set.
While both teams were still having fun, there was suddenly a more competitive dynamic to the game. An excited nervousness seemed to fill the room, as each team battled for victory. It was down to the final points – who would become this season’s volleyball champion?
With a strong serve from Team Sea Otters, they managed to win the championship! However, this result came despite solid efforts from Team Polar Bear Sunshine.
If you’re interested in joining an LA Fitness Club League, click here for more information.
We offer volleyball*, basketball and racquetball leagues and would like to welcome YOU on the court!
Our Club Leagues, both competitive & recreational, are open to members of all skill levels who are 18+.
*The average volleyball season is roughly 8-10 weeks long, including playoffs. Winners receive championship shirts and their team picture displayed on club TVs.
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“I’m a firm believer in [that] you can only make yourself better if you try; I just had to try.”
Have you ever had a photo taken of yourself, and not recognized the person staring back at you? Rebecca Guy of Hamburg, NY, knows that feeling all too well. The picture to the right was taken at a friend’s Easter party in 2015 and Rebecca could not believe how much she had changed since she had started her office job in 2013. A retail job she held prior, kept her naturally fit by constantly staying active on her feet. Once her new office position started, she began noticing that she was sitting 8.5 hours a day, 5 days a week. When the extra weight started accruing, Rebecca invested in a step tracker, only to realize she was barely averaging around 3,000 steps a day. Depressed at how inactive she seemed to be, Rebecca threw out the step tracker, but made no further attempt at changing her sedentary ways.
The months progressed and life carried on, until Rebecca found herself at an office outing where another photo was snapped and caused Rebecca to no longer want to wear tight shirts – too embarrassed of who she had let herself become. (Photo shown to the right) Shortly after, in October 2015, Rebecca took a trip to Los Angeles, CA to visit her sister where they hiked, went to the beach, visited Hollywood Blvd., and various parks. But instead of enjoying the experiences and beautiful sights, Rebecca recalls feeling miserable. It was after this trip that Rebecca knew something had to be done, and soon.
“My journey began when I realized if I didn’t change my lifestyle, I would spend the rest of my life unhappy, uncomfortable, and with preventable health problems. I knew nothing about working out, though, and I was terrified of the gym! When I joined LA Fitness, the staff was amazing and understood my goals – to get happy, comfortable and healthy.”
Step 1
In December 2015, Rebecca joined LA Fitness. Her only goal was to show up. She kept telling herself just to get there and she would figure out the rest later. What Rebecca didn’t know is that a complimentary fitness assessment is included with new member enrollment. When LA Fitness staff offered to schedule her assessment Rebecca shared with us, “Honestly, I had no interest in knowing how out of shape I was, but I stopped myself- if I’m going to do this I have to do this right, maybe this would encourage me to show up.” As Rebecca was given a tour of the club she was asked what she wished to accomplished. She just wanted to be happy, comfortable, and healthy. Those became her goals. And on December 26th, 2015 Rebecca had her first training session with Master Trainer, Sarah O.
Change Is Scary
For most people new to working out, gym equipment can be somewhat intimidating, and the free weight zone is oftentimes looked at as the no go zone. When Rebecca first began her membership, she only knew how to use the treadmill. She didn’t know what either a rep nor a set was. But, with the help of her personal trainer Sarah, she became knowledgeable of the gym and began to feel relaxed, rather than intimidated and stressed. Rebecca explained her goals to Sarah, and was told that her goals would be met if she kept showing up for training, working out, and made some healthy lifestyle changes. And that she did – but it didn’t come easy. Rebecca shared that, “at first this was really hard, I mean really hard- but [Sarah] was always there for me […] guiding, coaching and encouraging me to be a better me.”
Within just a few sessions Rebecca’s fear of the gym was reduced, she knew what reps and sets were, which muscle groups to train together, and was surprised to find that she was working out with free weights, just like Sarah had taught her, all on her own! Rebecca started finding herself looking forward to going to the gym. She knew if she worked hard, her goals would be met. She was beginning to feel happier and healthier, and knew that the feeling of being more comfortable in her own skin would come in due time, with the more weight she lost.
Hard Work Pays Off
While Rebecca’s initial goal was to simply become a version of herself, Sarah introduced her to the idea of fitness competitions. At first, Rebecca laughed off the idea, with the assumption that fitness competitions were simply about fit individuals showing off muscles on top of muscles; she soon came to know that there were a lot more to fitness shows. Rebecca had never competed in anything before – even as a child – and therefore, had never known the feeling of winning a trophy. Sarah began inspiring her daily, and training her to lose weight, gain muscle, and tone. There were times Rebecca questioned if all the “extra” work was really worth it… until the big Natural Muscle Association Can/Am Competition arrived (March 2017), and Rebecca placed in the top three!
So where is Rebecca now?
Today Rebecca is 130 lbs., happy, comfortable, healthy, and a natural muscle figure competitor. She continues to train with Sarah and has plans to compete in yet another fitness competition in the upcoming months.
Words of Wisdom
“My words of advice would be: don’t wait- just try it. I waited, I knew I had to do something to make myself better, but I waited; ignoring the problem and thinking it would go away. If I hadn’t waited, I would have been a lot happier a lot sooner. Just try- get there and try. Some days trying is easier than others- I have my days. Getting there is more than half the battle and when you get there, give it an honest effort you will thank yourself later when you feel and see the results.“
A Little About Her Trainer
“Be a story worth telling.” – Sarah O. MS; MBA; PhD
Sarah O. is a championship bodybuilder and figure champion, who placed as the 2009 USA winner. She been inducted into the Buffalo Bodybuilding and Weightlifting Hall of Fame, and featured in the National Fitness Hall of Fame, for both her accomplishments and efforts to revive the sport. She has been featured in several magazines, and owns a non-profit company which rescues cats from abuse and neglect. Sarah serves as a role model to those who look to become more.
Are you searching for “kickboxing near me”? Stop the search party because you’ve struck fitness gold with Kickbox Cardio classes at LA Fitness. These classes aren’t just a workout, but an experience. With classes designed to kick, punch, bob, and weave your way to...
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In today’s fast-paced world, finding balance and maintaining mental and physical health can be challenging. However, combining exercise and mindfulness offers a powerful approach to achieving holistic well-being. Let’s explore how these practices complement each...
“You can either celebrate what you can do, or mourn what you can’t. Every day I wake up and create a new normal. I don’t dwell on what has changed, but instead, I focus on keeping busy achieving my goals.”
“While there’s life, there is hope.”
– Stephen Hawking, English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge
ALS, otherwise known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a debilitating disease that many never see coming. It’s a progressive neurodegenerative disease that typically begins with the slightest of changes to one’s daily routines. For some people, they may notice a change in their vocal pitch when speaking, for others, they may experience trouble trying to grasp onto objects or lifting things up. The gradual onset usually includes muscle cramps, spasms or twitching in the arm or leg, but the symptoms vary from case to case, making this disease hard to diagnose, as doctors have to rule out other diseases with symptoms similar to ALS.1
There are two types of ALS: sporadic and familial. Sporadic is the most common and accounts for about 90% to 95% of all cases. This means it can affect anyone, anywhere, at any time. Familial ALS makes up the remaining 5% to 10% and is inherited. The offspring of those affected with ALS have about a 50% chance of inheriting the gene mutation and developing this crippling disease. Every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS.2 A bit scary, right?
LA Fitness recognizes the importance of finding a cure for this devastating disease and partnered up with Augie’s Quest, an organization founded by Augie Nieto, Co-Founder and former CEO of Lifefitness. Augie was diagnosed with ALS in 2005 and has since worked relentlessly in finding a cure. Augie’s Quest funds the ALS Therapy Development Institute, which has made huge advancements towards finding a cure. Most recently, they have found an antibody therapeutic which “blocks specific immune cell activation and protects nerves against the progression of ALS and Alzheimer’s Disease.”3 While this is a major breakthrough for scientists and those living with ALS, there is still no cure.
On February 25th, all LA Fitness Group Fitness classes participated in an event called Action for ALS. From Bodyworks to Cycling to Kickbox Cardio to Yoga and Zumba® classes, our dynamic and diverse classes teamed up in the fight for a cure! Additionally, on Friday, February 24th, LA Fitness hosted three special Zumba classes at their Irvine Crossroads, Atlanta Brookhaven and Miami Flager locations, taught by marquee instructors. These special events featured a live DJ, complimentary snacks and giveaways. With the help of our caring and dedicated members, LA Fitness has been able to raise over $280,000 for Augie’s Quest since 2010. With your donations you helped those affected with ALS stay hopeful in the quest for a cure.
To continue these efforts, LA Fitness hosted an additional event following Action For ALS. On Saturday, March 11th, we held the Augie’s Quest Racquetball Tournament at the LA Fitness Santa Clarita location and raised an additional $2,040 – way to go guys!
If you still would like to donate or learn more about LA Fitness’ philanthropic efforts, please visit www.lafitnesscares.com.
To learn more about how ALS can impact a life, watch Chris Mehess story below.
Sources:
Are you searching for “kickboxing near me”? Stop the search party because you’ve struck fitness gold with Kickbox Cardio classes at LA Fitness. These classes aren’t just a workout, but an experience. With classes designed to kick, punch, bob, and weave your way to...
Incorporating cardio exercises between sets, also known as ‘cardio-acceleration’, is a revolutionary way to maximize your workout efficiency. This technique involves performing short bursts of cardio exercises, usually lasting 30-60 seconds, in between your...
In today’s fast-paced world, finding balance and maintaining mental and physical health can be challenging. However, combining exercise and mindfulness offers a powerful approach to achieving holistic well-being. Let’s explore how these practices complement each...
Do you have a fitness goal? Let us know here! To learn more about Commit to fit, click here.
These are our most recent members who have committed to their fitness goals.
Katheryn E.
Katheryn wants to loose 20 lbs. of fat and gain 10 lbs. of muscle. She’s well on her way to accomplishing her goals!
Sean T.
At LA Fitness every member has their own personal goals, for Sean, he wants to get stronger and gain size. We believe in you!
Eric C.
Eric is studying food and nutrition, and simply trying to stay active and fit by living a healthy lifestyle. Keep it up!
Ready to make a commitment? Get started here.
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When it comes to working out, our bodies are grateful no matter the time of day! However, if you choose to exercise in the morning you may get some additional benefits. A morning workout can help influence you to choose better food options throughout the day. That’s right, pushing yourself early on may help you to be more conscious of the nutrition choices you make over the course of the day.1 By making healthier food choices, you’ll save calories overall!
Aside from eating healthier, when we exercise, our bodies are blasted with feel-good hormones known as endorphins.2 And who wouldn’t want to feel a bit happier in the morning? A good morning mindset kickstarts the rest of your day. If you’re feeling happy, that mood carries with you as your day progresses.
Understandably, a rise and grind attitude may be hard for some of us to adhere to consistently. It’s easy to want to stay in bed for that extra precious bit of sleep. But, it’s possible to achieve better long-term results if you can manage an early morning workout. Our bodies become used to routine and develop habits, which can take an average of about 66 days to develop.3 If you motivate yourself to get through the tough times, you can develop a healthy new behavior that will benefit you long-term.
Oftentimes, as the day progresses our schedules get busy, making it hard to find time to workout. If you get it done early you save yourself from the distractions that can arise throughout the day. As Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, Chief Exercise Physiologist of the American Council on Exercise once said, “by doing the bulk of exercise first thing in the morning, you get your exercise in before other distractions can intrude…because once the day gets going, it’s hard to get off the treadmill called life.”4
And for those of you coffee enthusiasts out there, a morning workout could help you cut back on caffeine by improving brain function naturally.5 However, it’s important to note that not everyone’s daily exercise ritual is going to be the same, or affect them in the same way. What is important is that you’re up and moving on your way to becoming a better, and healthier, you.
This article is sponsored by Belvita Breakfast bars. Good Morning, Energy. For a list of hours to visit your favorite LA Fitness gym, click here.
This article should not replace any exercise program or restrictions, any dietary supplements or restrictions, or any other medical recommendations from your primary care physician. Before starting any exercise program or diet, make sure it is approved by your doctor.
Sources:
Are you searching for “kickboxing near me”? Stop the search party because you’ve struck fitness gold with Kickbox Cardio classes at LA Fitness. These classes aren’t just a workout, but an experience. With classes designed to kick, punch, bob, and weave your way to...
Incorporating cardio exercises between sets, also known as ‘cardio-acceleration’, is a revolutionary way to maximize your workout efficiency. This technique involves performing short bursts of cardio exercises, usually lasting 30-60 seconds, in between your...
In today’s fast-paced world, finding balance and maintaining mental and physical health can be challenging. However, combining exercise and mindfulness offers a powerful approach to achieving holistic well-being. Let’s explore how these practices complement each...