Special Event For Augie’s Quest

Special Event For Augie’s Quest

by | Feb 15, 2017 | All, Fitness, Home, Member Stories

On Saturday, February 25th, all LA Fitness Group Fitness classes will participate in ACTION FOR ALS! From Bodyworks to Cycling to Kickbox Cardio to Yoga and Zumba® classes, our dynamic and diverse classes will team up with Augie’s Quest in the fight for a cure for ALS! This is a fun day that you will not want to miss!

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On Saturday, February 25th, all LA Fitness Group Fitness classes will participate in ACTION FOR ALS! From Bodyworks to Cycling to Kickbox Cardio to Yoga and Zumba® classes, our dynamic and diverse classes will team up with Augie’s Quest in the fight for a cure for ALS! This is a fun day that you will not want to miss!

Learn More

Donors who give $100 or more will receive a complimentary event shirt, while supplies last!

Donate Now

Donate $20 or more and take action by taking a class near you to help find a cure for ALS!

For over 6 years, LA Fitness has supported Augie’s Quest, a nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for ALS. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that can impact anyone.

To learn more about LA Fitness’ efforts to help support Augie’s Quest, please visit www.LAFitnessCares.com.

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Donations collected online only. Zumba® is a registered trademark of Zumba Fitness LLC. ©2017 Fitness International, LLC. All rights reserved.

Share In Good Habits To Keep Fit By Dining With A Friend

Share In Good Habits To Keep Fit By Dining With A Friend

by | Feb 14, 2017 | All, Community, Fitness, Home, News, Nutrition

SHARE IN GOOD HABITS TO KEEP FIT BY DINING WITH A FRIEND

Workout with a friend & dine with a friend. Good news – if your friend is a healthy eater you may make better food choices, too! Simply put, we use what others eat as a guide for our own eating behavior. People are prone to mimic the behaviors of others that they want to affiliate with, often without conscious awareness. Simply observing others making lower-calorie food choices increases the likelihood that you’ll make similar choices. More than “monkey see, monkey do,” this reflection of action is with intent and direction.

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VIP Rewards is here! If you want to share a workout experience with a friend and they are not yet a member, you can have a 14-day VIP Guest Pass sent to them. And if they join LA Fitness within 90 days of using the 14-day Guest Pass, you’ll earn 1,000 points to redeem for rewards.*

Positive messages in your environment work, too. Reading a daily affirmation or reminder about healthy eating can also impact decisions and actions at mealtime. Consider signing up to receive a daily inspirational quote to your phone or email each morning. Subscribe to our blog to be notified of new Living Healthy articles.

Eating with These People can Help Keep the Weight Off, Can You Guess Who They Are?

So what does that mean if you are a healthy eater, but your meal partner is not? Consider the dining opportunity as your chance to model healthy food choices and intake for him or her. The effect is subtle and can happen over time with repeated occurrences, so no verbal discussion about nutrition or health with your friend is necessary, which may be construed as unwanted “advice” and end up being counter-productive. Just set a good example of eating nutritious foods in appropriate portions, and order first if you are at a restaurant.

If your wider social circle regularly consumes unhealthy foods, don’t conform to the majority! They may unwittingly undermine your intentions to be healthy. Keep in mind that when others ask you to share in their indulgences, they don’t just want you to enjoy that specific food or drink, but may really be looking for your acceptance and approval of their choices by your participation. It generally takes three polite “No, thank you” responses before people quit asking. Your demonstration of self-restraint might be the influence they need to do the same.

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.

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Heart Healthy Month

Heart Healthy Month

by | Feb 8, 2017 | All, Ask Our Dietitian, Fitness, Home, Nutrition

Heart-Healthy Fats for Every Body

Debbie J., MS, RD contributed this article –

We’re on a mission to help Augie Nieto’s nonprofit charity find a cure for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that can impact anyone. Augie was diagnosed with ALS over 10 years ago and established Augie’s Quest to help find a cure for ALS. For over 5 years, LA Fitness has held an annual fundraiser each February to raise funds for Augie’s Quest. This year’s fundraiser, Action for ALS, will be on Saturday, February 25.

To stay committed to healthy eating & help improve his longevity, Augie focuses on a nutritious diet that includes extra virgin olive oil and good fats. Choosing the best types of fat is indispensable for your heart health and weight management.

You may have heard that a high intake of saturated fat, trans fat and dietary cholesterol raise the risk of cardiovascular disease. But did you know, recent studies show that consuming unsaturated fat as the predominant form of dietary fat, combined with adequate omega-3 fats, actually protects your heart from coronary artery disease1? The impact is even greater in combination with a plant-based diet low in salt and sugar2 and in conjunction with an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains as the main forms of carbohydrates1.

 

Augie Nieto, Founder of Augie’s Quest

 

 

5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Heart Health

Substituting saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol production by the liver, meaning less potential for artery-clogging plaque. Keeping the “pipes clear” with healthy fats and adequate fiber is only one piece of the puzzle. Preventing damage to the epithelial cells lining the vascular wall and avoiding high blood pressure are also critical to avoiding stroke and heart attack. Unsaturated fats do both. In particular, olive oil’s polyphenols have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant functions3 to protect epithelial cells.

What’s the difference?

Virgin olive oil is result of cold extraction of the fat from olives, resulting in acidity less than 2%. Extra virgin olive oil is a higher quality virgin oil with less than 0.8% acidity.

 

The Mediterranean diet, of which olive oil is the predominant fat source, is associated with increased longevity3 as well as reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, improved health, lower mortality, and prevention of cancer and age-related cognitive decline as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Olive oil has bioactive compounds that alter cells’ gene expression, including those active in pathways of the aging process. In short, cells and tissues live better, longer.

Changing the fat that you eat may also change your body fat. While weight loss is multi-factorial, studies indicate that a high monounsaturated fat diet induces more weight loss compared to one with high saturated fat4. Why so? Olive oil, largely comprised of unsaturated fat, also contains phenolic compounds which have been shown to positively affect insulin sensitivity3 and therefore blood sugar control. These benefits are metabolically beneficial and that translates to better fat burning.

How to maximize your heart-healthy fats without increasing calories:
  • Use virgin olive oil for cooking in place of vegetable oil
  • Replace cream cheese with nut butter on bagels
  • Substitute marinara or pesto for alfredo sauce on pasta
  • Choose fish (omega-3 source) instead of meat three times per week
  • Opt for avocado instead of cheese on sandwiches
  • Try hummus in place of cream-based dips
  • Use an oil-based spread on toast & rolls instead of butter
  • Munch on a handful of nuts instead of a bowlful of chips

Use healthy unsaturated fats to your advantage, and your body will thank you in the long run!

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.

References:

  1. Optimal Diets for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease. Hu, F; Willet, W. Journal of the American Medical Association 2002; 288 (20): 2569-2578.
  2. A Plant-Based Diet, Atherogenesis, and Coronary Artery Disease Prevention. Tuso, P; Stoll, S; Li, W. Permanente Journal 2015 Winter; 19 (1): 62-67.
  3. Olive Oil and the Hallmarks of Aging. Fernández del Río, L.; Gutiérrez-Casado, E.; Varela-López, A.; Villalba, J.M. Molecules2016, 21 (2), 163.
  4. Effect of Dietary Fatty Acid Composition on Substrate Utilization and Body Weight Maintenance in Humans. Krishnan, S and Cooper, J. European Journal of Nutrition 2014 53 (3): 691-710.

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Commit to Fit | Member Spotlights

Commit to Fit | Member Spotlights

by | Jan 3, 2017 | All, Community

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.

Buzz C.

What’s the best way to gain and maintain muscle? Buzz knows what that is all about, maintaining his muscle tone is his commitment! What’s yours?

Sam R.

Sam’s commitment is to get back to 100% after a motorcycle accident. We are happy to see him stick to his commitment at LA Fitness!

Marsha G.

This hard working mom is striving for a more balanced life of being with her kids, succeeding in her career and making time for the gym. Keep it up Marsha!

Erin M.

Can you be committed for 12 weeks? Erin wants to strengthen her lower body with an intense 12-week program. Keep working hard Erin, you are doing great.

Al M.

Al has walked through more countries than some people have ever been to! Training for a 400 mile walk, motivation to stay fit and waking up every morning are his commitments. These are such awesome goals!

Donna M.

20 mile walks and upper body strength are Donna’s goals. How does she achieve them? By going to LA Fitness and living an active lifestyle of course!

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Ready to make a commitment? Get started here.

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**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   

How Much Sugar Should You Have in a Day? | Q+A

How Much Sugar Should You Have in a Day? | Q+A

by | Dec 18, 2016 | All, Ask Our Dietitian, Home, Nutrition

How much sugar do you consume in a day?

Find out nutrition tips below about sugar intake and where to get the best sugars from.

 

Question:

What is the high and low for a healthy daily sugar consumption?

-Michael B.

 

 

Answer:

“Sugar” includes small carbohydrate compounds, both natural and added. Let’s start with natural…

Natural sugars such as fructose and lactose comprise 50-100% of the calories from fruit and non-fat milk and 25% calories from some vegetables, so they make up a small base portion of the diet. There are minimal sugars in protein sources (egg, meat, fish, poultry) and most unprocessed starches (e.g. rice, oats), while none in pure fats. Natural sugars are not restricted – there are healthy fruitarians – although I will say that traditional strained juices are not recommended, and only endurance/pro athletes can probably balance out their diet while still eating 5+ servings of fruit.

The word sugar written into a pile of white granulated sugar

Added sugars, either for flavor or structure, are what we are concerned with. Corn syrup, table sugar, beet or cane sugar, honey, molasses, agave syrup and concentrated fruit juice are from natural sources, but used as sweeteners in food products and recipes. There are many diets that may reflect the newest 2015 US Dietary Guidelines for sugar consumption, including vegetarian, Mediterranean, higher-protein/modest carbohydrate, and medically prescribed patterns. Each one can affect an energy balanced diet with no more than 10% of daily calories coming from added sugars. This would be the high that you refer to in your question.

The limit is not a free license to eat ‘clean’ for a week then splurge on a dessert buffet, sending your body into a blood sugar spike. We’re talking about daily balance. A teaspoon of jam on toast, a drizzle of caramel in coffee, a splash of honey mustard dressing on a salad, and a tablespoon of sweet Thai chili sauce on salmon could hit the 10% mark for added sugar in a smaller diet. The idea is to consume your needed amounts of healthy protein, carbohydrate and fats, then only add sugars to meet your remaining calorie goals if not already met.

On the low end, you can survive without any sugar whatsoever if you eat enough other carbohydrates, but you’d be missing all the benefits from fruits, milk products and several vegetables which would NOT be healthy. No added sugar is certainly possible, though! It just means avoiding most condiments (think ketchup, teriyaki, marinara, BBQ sauce, dressings), sport or soft drinks, and processed foods, while eating wholesome mostly home-prepared foods. The result would not necessarily be bland. For example, oatmeal could be sweetened with dried fruit and cinnamon, meats can be marinated in vinegar or dry-rubbed, plain yogurt can be jazzed up with berries and nuts, and pasta can be dressed with diced tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.

Let us know the successes you’ve had in reducing added sugars by commenting below!

– 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.

 

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How to Get Your Kids to Eat Right

How to Get Your Kids to Eat Right

If you’re a parent, it’s likely you have some picky eaters on your hands. Our Registered Dietician, Debbie James, gives you the scoop on healthy eating for your kids and teens.

Ask our Dietitian

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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!

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