In This Issue
It's Fox 8 HOT LIST time again, we'd like to have your votes for best gym and best eatery around Cleveland. So cast your vote and earn a free shake!
To be counted, please vote for Titans Gym here and for the Titan Up Café here today. Voting ends Friday, December 3rd.
Bring the receipt from your vote for us to the Titan Up Café in Mentor or Downtown Cleveland an Geoff will buy you a Recovery Smoothie!
Hello all!
As we roll into the holiday season, I hope this issue of Titan Up Times finds you all healthy and happy! As always, there are a lot of things happening at both the Mentor and Cleveland locations.
On December 3rd, Titans Mentor will celebrate our nine-year anniversary. I want to thank all of you, especially those who have been here since Day One — without your support none of the Titans success would be possible. Nine years is also more than twice the average stay for past owners of the Mentor City Center facility — in the fourteen years prior, our space changed hands four times. Needless to say, WE AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE, BABY!!!
The Mentor Titans are obviously aware of the remodeling work going on in the aerobics room. We are very sorry for the dust, but I'm going to blame Jayne and Erin because they just keep bringing more and more people to boot camp, and they need more room. We'll be adding another nine hundred square feet to the space, so you won't have to share steps! We're also exploring blowing up the shower area in the women's locker facility and making it a little more friendly. Also, if the distributors are not too busy, there should be some new cardio equipment rolling in towards the new year. So keep those eyes open!
Cleveland Titans should be prepared for some new pieces of strength equipment. There is so much out there that I want to add — it's a matter of what is most needed. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I do love equipment! At the moment, I have my eye on a Flex hack squat, a new leg press, and a Hammer Strength row. Those of you who have been to Mentor realize I just love the leg and back equipment. We are also looking for some fun ab pieces.
That's about all for this addition. Have the happiest of holidays, from not only the Titans staff, but also from Niki, Teigan, Tyler, Vincent, and myself.
Thanks!
Geoff DelGrosso, CSCS
President, Titans Gym
Takes a Holiday Vacation
Our Member of the Month feature is on vacation for the holidays, but we'll be back with another member's terrific story in the January-February 2011 issue.
To read any of the past Member of the Month articles click here.
NPC Natural Northern October Results
For Titans Gym competitors, Autumn means Dave Liberman's October NPC Natural Northern USA Drug-Tested Bodybuilding, Figure, and Bikini Championships. Titans members were out in force at the Lakewood Civic Auditorium on October 2:
- Michelle Colegrove, 7th, Figure Open Class "A"
- Stan Crutcha, 6th, Men's Open Welterweight
- Jim Letzelter, 5th, Men's Open Middleweight
- Kelly Letzelter, 5th, Figure Open Class "E"
- Anthony Mazzarella, 1st, Teenage
- Jenny Miozzi, 3rd, Figure Open Class "C"
- Dan Orlando, 5th, Masters 50 and over
- Patrick Potter, 4th, Men's Open Middleweight
- Stephanie Rebenack, 7th, Open Bikini Class "C"
- Alex Russo, 3rd, Teenage
- Scott Stoltz, 11th, Men's Open Welterweight
Titans was also represented in the NPC Natural Pennsylvania Championships (Homestead, PA) on October 9 by middleweight Jeff Curtis, who place 4th in his class.
You'll find more information about Dave's NPC Natural Northern USA Drug-Tested Bodybuilding, Figure, and Bikini Championships, including next year's April 2 and October 1 events, on his web site: http://daveliberman.com.
From the Titan Up Café: Pumpkin Bread
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray 3 mini loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
In a bowl, blend well:
- 1 1/2 c. wheat bran
- 1/2 c. old-fashioned oatmeal, ground (Don't use instant or quick-cooking.)
- 1 1/2 scoops vanilla protein powder
- 1 c. pumpkin purée (NOT pie filling)
- 1 c. egg whites
- 1 Tbsp. sugar-free fat-free vanilla pudding mix
- 1 c. (20 packets) Splenda
- cinnamon and nutmeg (to taste)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
Divide batter evenly among the 3 loaf pans. Bake at 350ºF for 35 to 40 minutes.
Yield: 3 (one-loaf) servings
Nutrition Information (per serving):
Calories: 227 / Fat 2.2 g / Carbs: 39.1 g / Protein: 22 g
Winter will be upon us, so it's time for comfort food — and we're ready for you with this month's specials from the Café. All special prices are good through December 31, 2010 except where noted.
Special Promotion for November and December: any wrap for $5.00.
At that price, you can try them all! Twice!
Breakfast of the Month: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
What happens when you add pumpkin to that old favorite, oatmeal?
It becomes the perfect cold-weather breakfast!
Take $1.00 off the regular price.
Entrée of the Month: Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin as the basis for a soup? Of course! It's a vegetable! (Who knew?) With flavors of garlic, ginger, cumin, cardamom, and coriander, it's healthy, tasty, and now at a special savings:
take 50¢ off the regular price.
Side Dish of the Month: Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Colorful, flavorful sweet potatoes, mashed with vanilla soymilk, Smart Balance, and garlic powder: how good! And how good a deal — 50¢ off the regular price.
Snack of the Month: Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter in cookie form has been a favorite since all of us were kids. Natural peanut butter and non-nutritive sweetener make our version a guilt-free treat! Now you can indulge yourself at the special price of 3/$1.25.
Shake of the Month (November): Fall Honey Spiced Chai
This creamy shake has been designed as a great Performance Shake, with no hydrogenated fats, packed with 20 grams of protein. Its medium blend of honey, vanilla Bio Whey Protein, black teas, and spices are sure to soothe you on a crisp fall day.
(Available now through November 30, 2010)
Shake of the Month (December): Frosty Holiday Mint
Packed with all the aminos you need to build a new you and nutrients to melt the fat, this shake combines vanilla whey protein isolate, mint extract, milk, and Performance Food Center's Burn Fat Burn. This holiday season, please your tastebuds and slim the waistline with this festive and minty shake.
(Available December 1 — 31, 2010)
Recapture That Sunny Outlook
November, December: this can be a tough time of year. Summer's gone, days get short, skies turn grey. And while the holidays mean celebrating with family and friends, they also add stress to our already busy lives. So maybe it's no surprise to find that you're losing some of your summer energy and sunny outlook.
This is not just all in your head: lack of sunlight, shorter days with longer periods of darkness, and staying indoors can suppress your body's production of serotonin, the hormone that helps regulate moods, lessen anxiety, and relieve depression.
In serious cases this deficiency can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder, a clinical condition that calls for a physician's assessment and care. But if you're just feeling a little down, not concentrating well, having trouble sleeping, a tanning session could help you feel like yourself again. Like sunlight, the UV light from a tanning bed helps stimulate your body's production of serotonin — so the healthy glow from your winter tan not only makes you look better, but can help you feel better too!
Promotion of the Month (good through December 31, 2010): purchase a yearly EFT tanning contract (sign up for a year's contract and have the charge paid monthly through your credit card or withdrawn from your checking account), and you'll receive a free sample of tanning lotion and a coupon worth 25% off a future tanning lotion purchase.
Cardio or Strength Training — Which Comes First?
Does it matter whether you perform your cardio workout first or start with strength training? While the most important thing is that you do your workout at all, you'll find that the order in which you perform your routine can make a difference in your results. This month, Niki explains how and why this works.
Q. Is it better to do my cardio workout before or after my strength training exercises?
A. That depends on your primary workout goal. Which component of fitness is more important to you: developing cardiorespiratory endurance, or building muscular strength? Unless your workout is designed for maximal muscular gains and athleticism, it's a matter of personal preference. But here are some things to consider:
If your primary focus is cardiovascular endurance, do your cardio workout first. For the general cardio enthusiast — the non-competitive athlete who wants to be able to do a long-term, sustained 30- to 60-minute cardio workout with ease and comfort — it may be best to perform the cardio workout when the muscles are fresh, before your strength workout.
While research actually supports both approaches — cardio before strength training, and strength training before cardio — you want to develop the energy and neuromuscular systems necessary for endurance activities. So if you're an endurance athlete, your workout would start with cardio, to develop muscular endurance. You would then progress into a light strength program, working all the major muscles with multi-joint, functional movement patterns specific to the needs of your endurance activity (walking, jogging, running, biking, hiking, etc).
If you are working for strength gains, do your strength workout first. This allows the muscles optimal energy to complete the workout at maximal ability. If you perform your cardio first, you'd be dealing with an element of muscular fatigue when going into the strength workout. You want the muscles to be as fresh as possible to be able to exert maximal or near-maximal efforts, so start with your strength workout.
Then, perform the cardio immediately after the strength workout. This helps enhance recovery by supplying the muscles with more oxygen and nutrients, and also removes muscular waste products accumulated during strength training. Keeping the cardio workout at a low to moderate intensity level helps keep muscles from getting too sore during the workout and allows for improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness while facilitating muscle recovery following intense strength training.
Regardless of which you do first, it is always important to perform a 10-minute warm-up. Before you start, perform some type of mild cardio exercise (walk briskly while pumping the arms, or cycle on a stationary bike while taking the arms through full-range movement patterns) or dynamic movements such as calisthenics. This prepares your muscles and joints for the stress of the workout.
While you will benefit from your workout no matter which routine you perform first, you'll get the best results from your hard work if you start with what's most important. If you're working for cardio endurance, start with the cardio. If you're after strength gains, begin with strength training.
It's Pumpkin Pie Time — BOGOHO!
Just in time for your holiday entertaining — grab some of Niki's super-nutritious Pumpkin Pies at this special price: buy one for $8.50, get the second pie for half off. That's right: Buy One, Get One Half Off! (No gym member discount on this item. Must order in advance for more than five pies.) Offer expires December 31, 2010. Click on the coupon to have it open in a new window for printing.
Titans Gym will be open to members 24/7, as always.
Non-member hours at both locations will be:
Thanksgiving Day:
Wednesday 11/24 (day before Thanksgiving): normal Wednesday hours
Thursday 11/25 (Thanksgiving Day): 7 am – 12 pm
Friday 11/26 (day after Thanksgiving): normal Friday hours
Christmas:
Friday 12/24 (Christmas Eve): 5 am – 1 pm
Saturday 12/25 (Christmas Day): member access (scan card) only
Sunday, 12/26: normal Sunday hours
New Year's:
Friday 12/31 (New Year's Eve): 5 am – 1 pm
Saturday 1/1 (New Year's Day): member access (scan card) only
Sunday 1/2: normal Sunday hours
Titan Up Café hours at both locations will be:
Thanksgiving Day:
Wednesday 11/24 (day before Thanksgiving): normal Wednesday hours
Thursday 11/25 (Thanksgiving Day), downtown: closed
Thursday 11/25 (Thanksgiving Day), Mentor: closing at 12 pm
Friday 11/26 (day after Thanksgiving): normal Friday hours
Christmas:
Friday 12/ 24 (Christmas Eve): closes at 1 pm
Saturday 12/25 (Christmas Day): closed
Sunday 12/ 26: normal Sunday hours
New Year"s:
Friday 12/ 31 (New Year's Eve): closing at 1 pm
Saturday 1/1 (New Year's Day): closed
Sunday 1/ 2: normal Sunday hours
Want a new style? long hair? different color for your holiday parties?
If so, stop by and see Danielle LaFaye, stylist at Pierre's Hair Salon, 7663 Mentor Ave (two doors down from Titans Gym in Mentor). She does the works — great cuts, color, styles and hair extensions.
Gym members enjoy 10% off Danielle's services now through December 31, 2010. Call and schedule your consult with her today at 440.269.1773.
For a complete list of Titans Gym, Titan Up Café, and TG Tanning business hours and contact information, please click here.
Newsletter design/production by Emily Oldiges of CulurCreative Design Studio
Newsletter copy by Lenore Collins, the Compulsive Editor
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