It's almost here; our widely popular winter blizzard bootcamp. Today is the start of a brand new month and in just four more days our session begins. Starting on February 5th through March 30th is our winter bootcamp special promo where we combine the excellence of working out with the fun that our gym has to offer. This special session goes on every Saturday from 7am to 8am and is for sex weeks. If you have been thinking about working out but don't think that you need to, then you are mistaken!

Regular physical activity helps stave off depression and greatly improves your mood. Exercise makes you feel better and relaxes your body, thanks to the brain chemical released during a workout. These "feel good" endorphins boost your mood. It encourages you to take steps to reduce stress through constant physical activity and a healthy food choices for the long-term. To cut to the chase, working out makes you happy.

Exercise is also a form of detoxification. It rids your body of unwanted toxins that constantly weigh you down and generally make your body feel as if you're carrying a big amount of lead. Working out makes you feel lighter and infinitely more comfortable with your own body. So what are you waiting for? Get moving!

>We guarantee you will be satisfied with our winter blizzard bootcamp. This is unlike anything we have through the entire year. Not only will you experience the above benefits of working out but you will see results in just 6 weeks. For more information contact us today or call 888-270-3640 or sign up at the front desk of our gym! We hope to see you all there!

While you are under a weight reducing diet, there are certain times of the day that are better for eating because the energy provided by food is better used by your body. The times of the day when is better to eat are not tied to specific hours, but to the kind of activities that you have. This means that for example it is not important that you always eat breakfast at exactly 7AM, but you should always eat breakfast in the morning.

The first time to eat during the day is in the morning. This is especially true if your workout routine is in the morning as well. About 30 mins before you workout is the best time to eat a good breakfast. It is important to eat a good breakfast, one that stops the urges of eating for several hours. The breakfast you eat should be balanced, because when you wake up all the nutrients in the blood are already depleted.

After working out is another good moment to eat. This is so because after you eat your metabolism is still accelerated, which makes it easier for your body to use the energy that comes with your food. This makes it less likely for your food to get deposited as fat in your body.

This is the same reason why it is recommended to eat a light dinner. Since while you sleep your body burns less calories, if you have a heavy dinner all the extra energy will get deposited as fat. A good advice is to eat your dinner at least three hours before going to sleep and to eat a light dinner. In that way you will give your body time to burn some calories while awake.

Staying on a fitness plan while eating healthy will not only help you lose weight but turn it into lean muscle. If it proves to be too difficult try doing group exercises such as the ones we offer  or use a personal trainer. Be sure to contact us should you have any questions regarding fitness and being healthy and we'll be happy to help.

Training your abs is a easy task. However its best to know which exercise is best and that there is a distinct difference between our abs and our core. Our "abs", or what we refer to as our abs is actually one muscle- our rectus abdominus muscle. It is one small part of the whole area between our rib cage and our pelvis that we know as our "core". For now let’s talk about that six-pack, or your abs. This may be the area of the body where most people make mistakes in training. So we will go through a few basic ground rules for training our abs:

• More is not better! Your rectus abdominus is made up of fast twitch muscle fibers. That means that it responds best to low reps such as 8-10 at a time. Your best bet is to do 3 or 4 sets of 8-12 crunches for your 6 pack. That's it. You can train your deeper core muscles after these surface ones are tired but that’s a whole discussion in itself.
• Abdominal training should always come LAST. Some people think that you should train your abs first while they are "fresh" in order to get the best results. It’s o.k. if that’s the only thing you are training that day, but if you are doing another body part- do that first. Your abs provide structural support for other exercises. If you tire them out, you will not be able to perform your best and may hurt yourself in the process.
• Remember diet is the key. No matter what you are doing in the gym, the only way to really get definition in your middle is by watching what you put in your mouth. Eating smaller meals often throughout the day will help turn your keg into a 6 pack!

Keeping your mind focused and making sure you stay consistent with your workout routine is the best way to get results fast. If you feel as though its a bit harder to get motivated then check out our excellent group exercise programs. They provide a lot of support and fun activities to get you into the spirit of working out. Contact us today to find out how you can join our gym and get started on being more healthy.

The reason it's important for you to get the right kind of sneakers or footwear for your dance fitness work out is because this is a unique cardio exercise session. Regular sneakers just won't do. Why you might ask? Well, you would think that you could use your regular sneakers or dance footwear but you’ll soon find out that dance shoes will not provide enough support and comfort for an hour-long workout.

Sneakers on the other hand, have grips on the bottom and will trip you up and may cause you to fall in class. Therefore, it is best to buy a shoe or sneaker specifically designed for this type of cardio training. And your dance exercise footwear has to be flexible and lightweight. And, they have to have good shock absorption. Because of some of the movements in this type of dance workout you'll be jumping, twisting, and moving all around. So then you might be wondering what are the best Zumba shoes? Well first of you need to take into consideration 3 key factors when buying your Zumba dance shoes:

Look for Flexibility

A flexible shoe or sneaker is a must-have when you're looking for good or shoes for Zumba. They need to be not too firm and they should be able to adjust to some of the exciting movements involved in this type of workout. Rigid shoes are a no-no.

Insoles of the shoes is very important

Spend a few extra bucks and pick yourself up a pair of dance insoles. You will not believe how comfortable this will make your feet and consequently you will get more enjoyment out of your aerobic workout.

Lastly, are they comfortable?

Adding the insole helps a great deal however, you don't want shoes or sneakers that are way too tight don't fit or hurt you. Remember, the key to this type of workout is consistency.

However, don't let the fact that you don't have the perfect shoes stopped you from your Zumba workout . The main thing is for you to get started and to begin reshaping your body. Feel free to contact us should you have any questions about our Zumba workout or any other fitness programs we offer.

Have you ever wondered whether you should have a personal trainer ?  Well, part of the answer is simple ... our professional trainers are the best in the area. Each one of our trainers are there specifically for you, and will help you get into a powerful workout routine. Below are five great benefits of why our trainers are the best choice for you, should you be considering using a personal trainer.

Professional Instruction: Just because you go to the gym doesn't mean you know what you are doing there. With a certified trainer by your side obtaining your goals has never been easier. We look for and teach technique, form and proper breathing. We also choose the right exercises to match your goals.

Staying Disciplined: With all the distractions out there at home and at work, it is easy to become stressed and unfocused. Real life can definitely make you want to put your workouts on the back burner. Receiving a text message or call from your trainer can help you refocus and get right back on track.

Optimize Exercise: To get the best results from your workouts, personal trainers will combine the right exercises and stretches with specific work/rest intervals and proper fuelling (nutrition) to ensure you reach your health and fitness goals in a quick and timely manner.

Supervision and Safety: Making sure you are safe at all times is the number one priority of a personal trainer. Knowing your surroundings, what exercises to do and how to do them correctly, what amount of weight to lift and how hard to push yourself, are all things that can easily lead to bodily harm if done incorrectly.

Friendship: One of the other added benefits of having a personal trainer is gaining a friendship and someone who you can really trust and count on to be there for you. We may not be licensed shrinks but sometimes we sure do feel like it and let me tell you, we are a whole lot more affordable.

In closing, if you are new to exercise or needing a good exercise partner, trust us when we say that you will experience quicker results and enjoy exercise a whole lot more when working with a personal trainer as oppose to working out alone at a gym. Contact us today to find out how you can have a personal trainer help you when working out.

Ever thought about adding a strength training routine to your normal fitness routine? Fitness experts say that full body workout is perfect for people who are new to exercising, but those who are regular should opt for split routines. Split routines allow for variation in exercises, the person does not get bored easily and every muscle groups get equal amount of attention. In addition the split routine allows the major muscle groups to recover - something which the fitness experts always recommend. However it is important to remember that there are no strict rules regarding how one should split up the workout routine. One should follow a routine which he/ she finds comfortable. Below a rough guideline regarding a strength training routine.

• The total workout can be split into upper and lower body. Then one can do different types of exercises on various days and lift weights two-four times every week.
• There are many who prefer to do push exercises one day and pull the other day. Pushing exercises generally targets areas like chest, triceps, calves, quads, shoulders etc. and includes bench press, calf raises, squats, and overhead press. Pulling exercises, on the other hand, focus on areas like biceps, abs, hamstrings etc. They usually include hamstring curls, bicep curls, and pull-downs.
• Another way to make the strength training routine fun is to opt for three days split. For example one can target chest and triceps on the first day, biceps and back on the second day and shoulders and legs on day 3.
• Many people love to target each muscle group every day. For them the strength training routine can look like this-day 1-chest, day 2-back, day 3-shoulders, day 4-arms, and day 5-legs.

There is a belief that one needs to devote large amounts of time to reap the benefits of this popular method of exercising. However this is not a right idea. Health expertsagree that 2-3 training sessions per week (each lasting for 20-30 minutes) is enough for most people. If you feel as though you don’t know how to begin this, we offer a great program called Group Power. It is a wonderful session much like our other Group Exercises, in which a group of people get together and work on the same routines with a trainer. People who are into this particular exercise will agree that it has a positive effect on the physical and emotional health. Give it a shot and it will surely make the strength and fitness routines easier and fun. Contact us today to find out how you can get involved.