Gym Bag Essentials for Men and Women

Gym Bag Essentials for Men and Women

by | Jun 16, 2017 | All, Fitness, Home

Gym time, time to grind – do you have everything you need?

 

We’ve compiled a list of some of the most essential items to help you be your best when gym time calls. Check them out below!

 

1. Comfortable workout clothes – Having good quality gym clothes to work out in not only makes you feel better, but may also greatly impact your workout. Try light, breathable clothes if you prefer yoga, running, or dance. If you’re more in to cycling, try clothing that fits a bit more snug.

Shop LA Fitness clothing here.

2. Padlock – It is very helpful to have a strong padlock with you if you plan on leaving your items in a locker.

3. Lightweight sneakers – This can make a huge difference to your workout! Light sneakers help you feel less weighed down and therefore, may help you feel faster than a heavier shoe would make you feel.

4. Water bottle – Hydration is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Make sure to have a water bottle, so you can rehydrate and continue on your fitness journey.

Interested in this sleek LA Fitness stainless steel water bottle? Find out how it can be yours here!

5. Small workout towel/body towel –Keep a workout towel with you to help keep sweat out of your eyes and off your body. This way, you can continue to pedal, push, kick, and fight your way through your workout. If you plan on showering afterwards, don’t forget to bring a body towel with you too.

6. Facial wipes – Guys, girls, this is important for both of you! While it is a good thing for our bodies to sweat, letting the sweat sit on our faces too long can often do more damage than good. Sweat typically “carries with it the grime of what’s built up in your pores and what’s on your face.”1 If you let it settle back into your skin that can cause skin irritation and breakouts.

7. Post Workout Snack – Staying properly fueled is almost as important as staying hydrated. Make sure to carry a snack with you, in case you’re lacking the energy your body needs pre- or post-workout.

How Soon Can You Eat Pre and Post Workout

What Are The Best Foods to Eat Before & After a Workout?

Did you forget to bring a snack? Many LA Fitness clubs have a juice bar. If your local club is one of those, grab a smoothie or health juice shot to keep your body feeling its best.

8. Change of clothes & Shower Essentials – Keeping a fresh pair of clothes with you could come in handy if you feel like rinsing off in the showers after a hard workout. It wouldn’t hurt to also have a reusable canvas bag to store dirty clothes in and sandals for the shower.

9. Body spray – It never hurts to smell nice, right? A little body spray could be the perfect pick-me-up after a quick workout. Not a fan of body sprays? Opt for another kind of protection against odor, with an added benefit of sweat protection. Deodorant can help quickly freshen you up after a hard day’s workout.

10. Toiletries – If you plan on showering at the gym, keep with you a little travel-size bag of shower toiletries. Ladies, don’t forget about feminine products. You never know when the need for these products may arise. Keep some extra feminine products in your gym bag, so you’re never left in a tricky situation. Also for the ladies, hair pins and ties are a nice addition to carry in your toiletry bag. Having a few extra hair pins on hand can help keep those pesky little fly-aways out of your eyes, and off of your face, so you don’t end up with sweaty hair after your workout ends.

11. Headphones – Music can help distract from the fact you’re working out. So make sure not to forget your headphones on your next visit to the gym!

Want to make these yours? Find out how you can earn them here!

Now that you have your gym bag packed and ready to go, do you know what workout you’ll conquer today? LA Fitness offers over 20 types of Group Fitness classes, so why not mix it up and try something new? Find a full list here!

Why conquer a class alone? Refer a friend or family member through our VIP Rewards program and earn some cool prizes along the way!

Sources:

1. “The Effects Of Sweat On Your Face After A Workout.” Into The Gloss. Into The Gloss, Inc., 2015. Web. 08 May 2017.

Recommended Reading

Member Spotlight | Do What You Love

Member Spotlight | Do What You Love

by | Jun 12, 2017 | All, Community, Fitness, Home, Member Stories

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

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.”

Sylvana M.

LA Fitness Member

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!”

Sylvana M.

LA Fitness Member

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).

Recommended Reading

Commit to Fit | Member Spotlights

Commit to Fit | Member Spotlights

by | Jun 9, 2017 | All, Community, Fitness, Home

Commit to Fit

Do you have a fitness goal? Let us know here! To learn more about Commit to fit, click here.

Goals, Commitments, Community

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!

Recommended Reading

Swimsuit Season Is Here – Can You Stomach It?

Swimsuit Season Is Here – Can You Stomach It?

by | Jun 5, 2017 | All, Ask Our Dietitian, Fitness, Health, Home, Nutrition, Wellness

Everyone wants a flatter belly, especially when warmer weather dictates lighter clothing. When it comes time to hit the beach or pool, will you be ready to dive in? To even head in the direction of belly-baring status, you must first know thine enemy – your abdominal fat. Afterward, read on to see what you can do to help chisel a trimmer tummy.

No matter your current physique, the following approaches may help you achieve obtaining a flatter belly.

Your abdominal fat is actually in two places or compartments – under the skin (subcutaneous) and intra-abdominal (visceral) fat. The former lies above the abdominal muscles, the latter beneath. In simple view, here’s what they look like:

It just takes a quick measurement to see how much fat you’ve got and to track changes. Waist circumference can’t pinpoint where fat lies, but this measurement does correlate with overall abdominal fat. Total waist measurement depends on your body frame size, so it’s better to look at waist to hip ratio which shows how your belly area compares to your hips.

How to measure your Waist-to-Hip ratio (either metric or customary):

  1. Standing relaxed, with a flexible tape, measure waist at the smallest area – or if this is not apparent, mid-way between the lowest rib and top of the hip bone.
  2. With feet and thighs together, measure hips at the widest portion of your buttock.
  3. Divide waist measurement by hip measurement to get your ratio. The ratio should be less than 0.9 for men; less than 0.85 for women.

1. Exercise

 

Greater physical activity is associated with lower waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. It’s no secret that moving muscles are the furnace for fat burning. Exercise is really essential in fat metabolism. Exercise burns fatty acids (in processes called lipolysis and oxidation), contributing to reduction in body fat. Aside from exercise aiding in fat-burning, a developing theory is that fat cells, including those in the abdomen, are temporarily ‘starved’ when blood flow is focused to moving muscles.

True, you can’t spot reduce, selectively dropping fat from only one area of the body. But new research indicates that certain types of exercise can reduce belly fat more than others. While the same level of calories are burned with each, anaerobic high-intensity intermittent training has been shown to produce greater abdominal fat reduction than continuous aerobic training.1

2. Diet

 

Energy

Calorie restriction (regardless of energy source) affects both visceral fat and subcutaneous fat. This is only true to an extent, as very low calorie diets end up with the losses of visceral fat regained weeks afterward. In fact, modest weight loss, even 5% body weight for overweight individuals, is enough to reduce visceral fat, regardless of method. One study showed that 4 different calorie-reduced diets were equally effective in reducing abdominal fat, with most loss coming from subcutaneous fat.2

Composition

A greater intake of fat and carbohydrates, typical of Western diets, is associated with higher waist circumference. Conversely, those following a Mediterranean style diet were less likely to gain abdominal fat over 10 years.3 This style reflects a focus on plant-based foods (like vegetables, fruit, and whole grains) with moderate protein intake, minimal animal fats, and a prominence of olive oil, all resulting in a low saturated fat intake. The bulk of research indicates conventional nutritionally-balanced plans are as effective as high protein diets in reducing abdominal fat.

Green Tea

Green tea (vs. black) is made with the youngest leaves, which have the most catechins. See our related article – Nutrition is Sprouting this Spring!

At a certain threshold, catechin compounds in green tea can impact abdominal fat. These compounds (prominently EGCG) may affect the sympathetic nervous system in a way that influences fat distribution. It takes about the equivalent of 5 cups of tea, or 500 mg catechins, for an effect. Studies with significant finding used catechin-enhanced beverages.4,5 More is not better… consuming >800 mg ECGC in one sitting would be like slamming a gallon of green tea all at once, and instead of acting as an antioxidant (as it does at lower levels), you’d get pro-oxidant effects! Also, having smaller servings spread throughout the day is more effective than a single huge dose.

For the most catechins, look for quality packaging to ensure better storage with minimal exposure to oxygen, light, and moisture. Also, don’t take highly concentrated EGCG green tea extracts or supplements while taking acetaminophen.

3. Posture

 

Though it won’t change your belly fat, adjusting your posture could improve the appearance of your midsection. Tilt your pelvis when standing so that your tailbone is in (pointed down, not out), as shown to the right.

References:

  1. Abdominal fat reducing outcome of exercise training: fat burning or hydrocarbon source redistribution?  Kuo CH and Harris MB. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. 2016 Jul; 94(7):695-8.  doi: 10.1139/cjpp-2015-0425.
  2. Effects of 4 weight-loss diets differing in fat, protein, and carbohydrate on fat mass, lean mass, visceral adipose tissue, and hepatic fat: results from the POUNDS LOST trial. De Souza RJ, et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2012 Mar;95(3):614-25. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.111.026328.
  3. Mediterranean diet impact on changes in abdominal fat and 10-year incidence of abdominal obesity in a Spanish population.  Funtikova AN, et al. British Journal of Nutrition. 2014 Apr 28; 111(8):1481-7.  doi: 10.1017/S0007114513003966.
  4. Green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced abdominal fat loss in overweight and obese adults. Maki KC, et al. Journal of Nutrition. 2009 Feb;139(2):264-70. doi: 10.3945/jn.108.098293.
  5. Effects of catechin enriched green tea on body composition. Wang H, et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Apr; 18(4):773-9. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.256.

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.

Recommended Reading

Hooray! It’s National Donut Day!

Hooray! It’s National Donut Day!

by | Jun 2, 2017 | All, Home, Nutrition

It’s National Donut Day! 

Before reaching for one of your favorite donut styles, do you know how many calories you are consuming? Ignorance may be bliss, but too many tasty treats can start showing on the waistline. Have no fear – you can still celebrate the holiday and perhaps even indulge in one of your favorites. We have listed a few different methods below to help you work off that scrumptious splurge.

How many calories are in your favorite donut? *

Glazed Donut | 260 calories2 

Exercise:

**You would need to walk at a brisk pace for about an hour and 10 minutes to burn around 260 calories.

Plain Donut | 320 calories1

Exercise: 

**It would take approximately 30-35 minutes of kickboxing to burn about 320-325 calories.

Chocolate Glazed Donut | 340 calories3

Exercise: 

**You would need to cycle at a moderate pace for about 45 minutes to burn roughly 340-350 calories.

Chocolate Cake Donut | 250 calories4 

Exercise:

**It would take about 1 hour and 15 minutes of engaging in jumping jacks to burn off about 250 calories.

Jelly Donut | 270 calories6

Exercise:

**In order to burn about 270-275 calories you would need to do about 1 hour and 30 minutes of Pilates.

Sugar Donut | 280 calories5

Exercise:

**It would take about 1 hour and 20-30 minutes of constant sit-ups to burn roughly 280 calories.

Vanilla Crème Donut | 370 calories7

Exercise:

**You would need to engage in moderate rowing for approximately 1 hour and 40-50 minutes to burn off about 370 calories.

Sprinkle Donut | 290 calories8

Exercise:

**You would need to jump rope at a moderate pace for about 30 minutes to burn approximately 295 calories.

Donut hole | 59 calories9

Exercise:

**It would take about 20 minutes of yoga to burn about 50-60 calories.

Maple bar | 490 calories10

Exercise:

**You would need to run approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes to burn about 500 calories.

Apple Fritter | 350 calories11

Exercise:

**You would have to engage in about 45-55 minutes of a Zumba® class to burn approx. 350 calories.

Depending on body weight, gender, age and fitness level you may burn more or less calories. If you want to learn the exact amount, there are online calculators that can give you an estimation of how many calories your body will burn based on the exercise you complete. Simply input your personal fitness information and you’ll have a good idea of how many calories you can burn.

*Calorie counts are approximate and may be higher or lower depending on size, brand, and ingredients. 

**Based on a 130 lb. female

Referenced:

  1. Healthstatus.com, Inc. “Calories Burned Calculator.” HealthStatus. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2017.
  2. “Diet Tool: Calories Burned Calculator for Common Exercises and Activities.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 24 May 2017.

Sources:

  • I. “Calories in Dunkin Donuts Plain Cake Donut.” Calories in Dunkin Donuts Plain Cake Donut – Calories and Nutrition Facts | MyFitnessPal.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2017.
  • II. “Calories in Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Original Glazed Doughnut | Nutrition, Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter.” CalorieKing. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2017.
  • III. “Calories in Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Chocolate Iced Glazed Doughnut | Nutrition, Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter.” CalorieKing. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2017.
  • IV. “Sharing the Joy around the World.” Krispy Kreme – Glazed Chocolate Cake Doughnuts | Chocolate Cake Donuts. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2017.
  • V. “Nutrition Guide.” Dunkin Donuts, 23 May 2017. Web. 24 May 2017.
  • VI. Ibid
  • VII. Ibid
  • VIII. Ibid
  • IX. Bruso, Jessica. “How Many Calories Do Doughnut Holes Have?” LIVESTRONG.COM. Leaf Group, 19 June 2015. Web. 24 May 2017.
  • X. “4 Types of Doughnuts You Should Always Avoid / Nutrition / Healthy Eating.” 4 Types of Doughnuts You Should Always Avoid. Fitday, n.d. Web. 24 May 2017.
  • XI. “Sharing the Joy around the World.” Krispy Kreme – Apple Fritters | Apple Fritter Donut. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2017.

Recommended Reading