TitanUp Times:
The Titans Gym, TitanUp Café, and TG Tanning Newsletter
July-August 2009 Vol. 1, Issue 1
In This Issue
What's New at Titans Gym
DelGrosso Triplets and Mom Niki Debut in This Spring's Competitions
Exercising with a Health Challenge: Part I
Featured Equipment of the Month: Power Lift Full Body Squat
Specials This Month at the TitanUp Café
Healthy Eating: Trans Fat, Part I
This Month at TG Tanning
Have Questions? Ask the Professional

We are proud -- and happy -- to roll out the first issue of TitanUp Times, the bi-monthly newsletter from Titans Gym, TitanUp Café, and TG Tanning. We want to make sure you know what's going on at the gym ... at the café ... and in the tanning salon. And if there's something you'd like to hear more about, we're open for questions: check out our "Ask the Professional" feature.
What's New at Titans Gym: GI Jayne and more ...

If you've been following the local news, you've probably seen articles about the way the economy is causing membership declines at local fitness facilities -- but not at Titans Gym! Despite the gloomy economic news, Titans Gym continues to grow, thanks in large part to positive referrals from our current members.

As our membership numbers increase, we're adding more services and programs, and we welcome your suggestions for further enhancements.

Now at Titans: GI Jayne! A new offering that we're especially proud of is GI Jayne's aerobics programs. Jayne Engeman brings 25 years of fitness experience to Titan's Gym with classes in Spinning and Core (Wednesdays, 5:30-6:15 pm), Cardio-Kickboxing (Thursdays, 6-7 pm), and her Bootcamp (Saturdays, 9-10:30 am). Jayne's classes are free to gym members, $5.00/session to non-members.

In addition to Jayne's classes and our regular schedule, we've also added a Muscle Conditioning class on Wednesdays from 6:15 to 7:15 pm. Check out all our classes on our web site or pick up a schedule from the front desk.

You can now access your membership account online. Besides the additions to our fitness programs, we're also making changes that will give us the ability to offer enhanced membership services. As you may have noticed, your billing statement now shows Titans Gym (replacing Club Systems). We are now using YourClub.net to manage membership records, which will allow you to access your account online at YourClub.com's web site to make payments and maintain your account information. (Click here for more information.)

Eventually, we expect to offer member perks and reward points redeemable for Titan's Gym merchandise, and to allow you to use this system to charge front desk purchases to your account.
DelGrosso Triplets and Mom Niki Debut in This Spring's Competitions

Titans Gym's competition season started April 4 with Natural Ohio.

From the beginning of this spring's competitions -- this year's Natural Ohio, April 4 in Lakewood --Titans Gym has been looking good. In the Open Figure "C" competition, Niki DelGrosso finished eighth in a strong field of twenty-two -- just six months after giving birth to triplets!		 Niki in Open Figure Competition
(Click here to see the Natural Ohio results.)


Niki and Geoff DelGrosso and the triplets And of course the Titans Gym triplets came in for plenty of attention on their own.


Natural Ohio was just the beginning. Buckeye Classic was even better!

Three weeks later, on April 25, Niki took first place in Women's Figure Tall at the Buckeye Classic at INBF in Columbus, and then took top honors as 2009 Women's Figure Overall Champ. (Click here to see the Buckeye Classic results.)

And then, just before her first Mother's Day ...
... Niki was nominated for the FitMom contest held by the female physique community web site FitGemsNation.net ... and took 45% of the 611 votes cast in a field of eleven candidates, making her the overwhelming winner of the FitMom title for 2009. (Click here to see Niki's FitMom profile, and here to see the results of the FitMom poll.)

By Father's Day, the local newspaper was talking about them.

On Father's Day 2009, June 21, the feature article on page F1 of Lake County's News-Herald was all about Niki. Under the headline "THREE-pack abs," writer Janet Podolak told the story of Niki, Geoff, the triplets, and the training regimen that brought Niki her success. (Click here to read the News-Herald article.)

Next issue, we'll start talking about gym members who have achieved some outstanding results of their own. Stay tuned for some familiar names and faces!
Tip of the Month: Exercising with a Health Challenge, Part I

If you're facing a health challenge - cardiovascular issues, breathing problems, bone or joint conditions, neuromuscular conditions, hearing impairment, pregnancy, psychological disorders, or mental handicaps - you can still enjoy the benefits of exercise. In fact, physical activity can help increase your energy, strength, balance, and coordination, not to mention easing your pain. But you need to find the best form of exercise and learn proper guidelines.

 Start With Your Healthcare Practitioner. Whether you want to begin exercising because your physician recommends it or on your own initiative, you need to talk with your physician or other healthcare practitioner before you start. When you do so, ask for specific programming recommendations.

 Many physicians or physical therapists provide instructions for exercises for specific conditions (back exercises for low-back pain, for instance). Inquire about special limitations you should be aware of, and ask your physician for a referral to a fitness professional who has experience training clients with your condition.
To read the rest of this article, including a detailed list of conditions that may require special exercise guidelines, click here.

This information is furnished courtesy of the American Council on Exercise and is reprinted with the Council's permission.

 Coming up:
  • Certified Fitness Professionals Make a Difference: how to communicate with your fitness professional about your health challenges, and why it's important to do so
  • Sometimes Health and Fitness Professionals Need to Talk
  • Progression: the importance of having a plan
Featured Equipment of the Month: Power Lift Full Body Squat

This squat machine is a great alternative to Smith Machine squats, free bar squats, or one-legged squats.

Power Lift Full Body Squat The extra large platform allows for many different foot variations to fully hit all muscles of the quads, hamstrings and glutes. The lumbar support provides a pain-free and safe range of motion, while the shoulder pads increase comfort for a great exercise. The foot roller provides great variation for one-legged squats: place one heel over the roller and complete a full range of motion.
 
Click here to see the Full Body Squat in action.
Specials This Month at the TitanUp Café ...

Tip of the Month: Keep your metabolism revved up - instead of cutting carbs, balance your blood sugar! For every 10g of carbohydrate you eat, add 7g lean protein - slice up half a small apple, and then pair it with two tablespoons of peanut butter for a snack that's refreshing, satisfying, and perfectly balanced.
 
Promotion of the Month (good through August 31, 2009): Buy a shake, get a second shake free when you bring a non-gym member friend to the café - and get 10% off your meal!

 Snack of the Month: Pumpkin Chia Seed Muffins - loaded with protein, fiber, and beta-carotene antioxidant, these tasty morsels greet your mouth with the flavors of pumpkin, maple, nutmeg, and cinnamon. $1.75

Shake of the Month: Triple Chocolate Truffle (cold) - a metabolism-boosting combo of soy milk chocolate, milk chocolate mocha, and Bio Whey chocolate protein, with the added boost of Ultimate Recovery nutes. $4.95.

Dessert of the Month: Banana Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies - a great balance of protein and high-fiber carbs, with the mouth-watering flavor combination of brown sugar, banana, and chocolate. $1.75.

 Soup of the Month: Chicken Corn Chipotle - a tasty, creamy blend of chicken with corn, potatoes, onion, roasted green poblano peppers, fire roasted garlic, chipotle peppers, and spices. $2.75/cup, $4.25/bowl.
Healthy Eating: Trans Fat

Trans fat is both very unhealthy and very common. It increases the amount of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides, increases the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL ("good") cholesterol, and disrupts the functioning of cells that line the blood vessels. And it's found in many foods, especially fried foods, baking mixes, cookies, crackers, and stick margarine and shortenings, as well as commercial baked goods.

But trans fat is not hard to identify, and with a little effort you can avoid it, especially in foods you prepare at home.

Part I: Avoiding Trans Fat when Cooking at Home

If you're in the habit of looking at the Nutrition Facts box on the labels of the food you buy, you're used to seeing the food's Trans Fat content. And, obviously, if you want to avoid trans fat, you'll choose foods with zero trans fat content. But you'll need to look at more than the Nutrition Facts box.

To read the rest of this article -- to learn why you can't trust the Nutrition Facts box and how you can really tell whether a food contains trans fat -- click here.

Coming up: Trans Fat When You're Eating Out: what to look for and how to avoid it
This Month at TG Tanning ...

For a Healthy Glow: TG Tanning's Tip of the Month: Be sure to exfoliate thoroughly with a grainy scrub before tanning. You'll avoid blotchy patches of skin, and you'll tan with the even tone everyone admires.

 To make a fragrant, gentle body scrub for your own use, combine:
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/4 cup body wash of your choice
Mix well, apply as desired, and rinse off when through. (Be careful of your footing -- the oil will make the tub or shower floor slippery.)

 Promotion of the Month (good through August 31, 2009): Choose any one product from our line of tan lotions, and get 10% off the price.
Ask the Professional ...

Questions about training? Unsure how to use one of the machines? Need some good combinations of carbs and protein? Looking for the best ways to take care of your tan? Titan's Gym, TitanUp Café, and TG Tanning offer a lot of services, and we hope you'll take full advantage of everything we have to offer!

If you're looking for information, we want to help. Share your questions with TitanUp Times, and two of Northeast Ohio's top professionals will share their expertise.

  • Titan's Gym owner Geoff DelGrosso, CSCS, ACE Certified Personal Trainer, numbers among his clientele many health care professionals and athletes throughout Lake County.
  • Niki DelGrosso is a Registered Dietitian and Clinical Exercise Specialist who specializes in diabetes and renal counseling, sports nutrition, and weight training. (You can see Niki's nutrition savvy and love for healthy food that tastes great in every line of the TitanUp Café menu.)
Send your questions to Geoff at cscsgeoff@aol.com, and to Niki at nikidelgrosso@yahoo.com. Niki and Geoff will answer them in a future newsletter.

For more information about Titans Gym and TG Tanning, click here to visit the Titans Gym web site, and for the TitanUp Café, click here.

You are receiving this newsletter because you're a Titans Gym member or have requested that we add you to our mailing list. Look for the next issue of TitanUp Times during the last week of August. In the meantime, keep moving!