Goals, Commitments, Community
Welcome to a very special edition of Commit to Fit – the Dad Edition! These incredible fathers are dedicated to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reaching their fitness goals.
Father’s Day Club Hours will remain the same.
Satish C.
Satish hopes to have a six pack by the time his daughter goes to college (3 years). You’ve got this, Satish!
Jim S.
Jim’s goals are to keep his muscles toned, cardio strong, and to stay as active as possible as he ages. We know you can do it, Jim!
Ryan C.
Ryan’s fitness goals are to live healthy and lose weight so he can be around to see his grandkids. What a sweet goal. We believe in you, Ryan!
Hartzell A.
Hartzell has been an avid runner since the 1960’s and wants to be able to keep running well into his 80s!
Tony L.
Fitness is Tony L.’s life! He wants to maintain his overall health for his family, 9 children & future grandchildren!
Joshua S.
Josh hopes to be 20 lbs. lighter by the end of summer! We believe in you. Keep up the hard work!
Kevin F.
Kevin wants to look younger & hopes to lessen his knee pain so he can enjoy riding the waves more often!
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...
The Holiday Season can get stressful, so we may stick to a routine for the sake of easy planning. Try any of these 10 simple ideas to bring new life to your Thanksgiving celebrations.
I’m a long time member in Arizona. I was wondering if you have some tips for after gallbladder removal. Things tend to run right through me. It seems perhaps I’m not absorbing nutrients like I should. Plus, I tend to not get enough protein. Not a big meat fan. I’d like to bulk up a bit. I work out 4-5 times a week.
– Sherry H.
If you don’t have advice from your surgeon/physician regarding an appropriate post-cholecystectomy diet, ask for one! Generally speaking, without a gallbladder to hold bile until it’s needed to break down fat globules, bile just constantly drips into the gut (like a leaky faucet) and fat digestion may be impaired. You do have pancreatic enzymes to digest fat, but they work best when ingested fat globules are first broken down by the bile.
My recommendations for after gallbladder removal: Consume small meals. Avoid more than 10-12 grams of fat per sitting. Chew slowly and thoroughly. Stay hydrated. Ask your doctor about taking supplemental lipase enzymes.
In regards to not getting enough protein, you can add non-meat sources such as eggs, beans, nuts, tofu, reduced-fat cheese, milk and yogurt. Vegetables are essential for consuming enough nutrients, plus they give modest amounts of protein with negligible fat (except avocados and olives).
– Debbie J., MS, RD
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.
Some questions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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Have a nutrition question? Our registered dietitian is ready to help!
Email nutrition@lafitness.com or submit your question below and it may be featured in an upcoming article!
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...
The Holiday Season can get stressful, so we may stick to a routine for the sake of easy planning. Try any of these 10 simple ideas to bring new life to your Thanksgiving celebrations.
Baby Steps
Coming out of high school, Sylvana M. of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, didn’t quite feel like herself. She felt as if her body “had been stuffed into a tight shell and [she] just didn’t fit.” Weighing in at 156 pounds, and standing at roughly 5’6″, she wanted to feel comfortable in her own skin again. Unsure of where to begin, she started adding walks to her daily routine and watching YouTube fitness tutorials. She cut her calorie count down to 1,000/day and began running. Not before long, the weight slowly started to come off – until she plateaued.
May 2013
May 2013
A New Horizon
Sylvana realized that she wasn’t eating the right amount of calories for what her body needed, and admits that her exercise routine was at times, inconsistent. After years of trial-and-error, with varying diet and exercise routines, she came across a bodybuilding website that seemed to help. She started noticing that she was gaining muscle, but with that, came a good amount of fat due to poor dieting.
“I was [consuming] whatever I wanted, full pints of ice cream, bottles of wine, medium fries – and it was showing,” shared Sylvana. With that, the familiar feeling of not fitting into her own skin began to come back. She started feeling insecure and lethargic, and with that, decided something had to be done. In June of 2015, Sylvana walked into an LA Fitness and was determined to make a lasting change.
“I was never the ‘fit’ girl. No one ever ran to me with questions or to seek advice in the gym. But I’m getting there! I’ve lost 10 pounds since last May (2016) and my confidence has soared. Not just from how I look, but how I feel. I know what I put into my body and I know what I put into my workouts. My body is mine and I finally feel at home in it.”
Her original fitness goal was to lose fat, with the intent to become “bikini ready”. However, since first joining LA Fitness, Sylvana shared that she has gained a lot of perspective on what makes her truly happy and comfortable in her own skin. She realized that for her, it wasn’t the way she looked or a goal number on the scale, but how exercise made her feel inside. Although, she did joke that losing over 20 pounds wasn’t a horrible side effect of her newfound exercise routine.
Her goals today are a lot more strength driven. She hopes to become better at burpees, improving her sprint speed on the treadmill, while also tackling pistol squats and pull-ups. She appreciates that her newer goals are not as aesthetically centered, but instead, more focused on how she’s pushing her body into becoming stronger than ever.
Tasty Talk
Having made strong advances in her fitness routine, Sylvana understood that it was only half the battle. In order to achieve her overall goals, she was going to have to adjust her eating habits too. While diet varies from person-to-person, Sylvana noticed that what worked for her was increasing her veggie and lean protein intake, while completely cutting out dairy, and drastically decreasing her intake of junk foods and red meat. She has noticed a remarkable difference in her body’s health since she made those changes.
A Word of Advice
“My one piece of advice to others on their fitness journey, or just starting out, would be to do what you love. I tried so hard to like spin classes and 6 AM jogs when I started out because I believed those to be the best workouts. But I found it difficult to get myself out of bed knowing that’s what I had to look forward to. I’ve found that I love weightlifting and interval body-weight exercise (like push-ups and jumping squats and even burpees) and that’s what gets me excited to hit the gym! Find what works for you and work it!”
BEFORE – July 2016
AFTER – February 2017
Where Is She Now?
Sylvana continues to work out and eat healthily and credits her boyfriend for helping push her to get out of her sweatpants and into the gym. While Sylvana doesn’t have a trainer, she does appreciate the encouragement from her boyfriend, who oftentimes works out with her at the gym. (Multiple studies have shown that working out with a partner can better increase the chances of you reaching your fitness goals, read more here).
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...
The Holiday Season can get stressful, so we may stick to a routine for the sake of easy planning. Try any of these 10 simple ideas to bring new life to your Thanksgiving celebrations.
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.
Carlie B.
Carlie is training for her first fitness competition! We wish you the best of luck!
Kathleen M., Cathy R., Terri M.
Friends who workout together, stay together. Looking great ladies, keep up the hard work!
Denise A.
Denise is committed to becoming fit – and it shows when she works out with her trainer!
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...
The Holiday Season can get stressful, so we may stick to a routine for the sake of easy planning. Try any of these 10 simple ideas to bring new life to your Thanksgiving celebrations.
I work out 4-7 times a week and have been going consistently for the last 8 months. I just found out I am pregnant. I would like to continue working out and keeping my body strong and fit for the baby and myself. What do I need to do differently than I did when I was not pregnant, regarding eating and working out, to make sure I am getting proper nutrients for baby and me?
– Melinda
Congratulations, Melinda!
As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I will address the eating side of your question. For initial advice on working out during pregnancy, see our previous article Can you Exercise While You’re Pregnant? and this and this link to tips from the U.S. National Institute of Health. Of course, these suggestions shouldn’t replace the guidance of your obstetrician.
You’ll need extra fluids, nutrients and calories as your pregnancy progresses. See details from the U.S. Office on Women’s Health by clicking here. In the first trimester, folate and other vitamins and minerals are crucial for proper neural tube development, so a good prenatal vitamin is key. Strictly avoid alcohol during this time. The second trimester is when you start to expand blood volume and increase maternal stores while your baby grows rapidly from the size of a nut (3”, 1 oz.) to a football (12”, 1 lb.) while developing all of its organs and features. About 2 additional cups of fluids are needed per day. Adding around 300 extra calories from healthy foods with adequate calcium and iron will support this growth. In the last trimester, your baby is filling out to full-term weight. This is when you are truly “eating for two, ” although in terms of energy, you really only need an additional 200 calories on top of your 2nd trimester needs.
For weight gain recommendations, click and be sure to ask your obstetrician for guidelines tailored to your specific needs.
– Debbie J., MS, RD
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.
Have a nutrition question? Our registered dietitian is ready to help!
Email nutrition@lafitness.com or submit your question below and it may be featured in an upcoming article!
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