Happy Thanksgiving

As the holiday season approaches, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our success possible. We thank you for being a part of our fitness family and for allowing us to be of service to you.

Focus on Your Workout

Exercise is work. Anybody disagree? And to work most effectively and efficiently you need to concentrate and focus on the task at hand. We’ve all seen the people in the cardio room and weight room who read, watch TV, listen to music, socialize with their friends, etc. While this isn’t necessarily bad, there is another approach to exercise that says to put all your concentration into the exercise at hand.

Listening to music or reading may help pass the time while you are doing your cardio work and make a somewhat boring activity palatable. However, it also may inhibit you from working most effectively. When exercising, your body constantly gives off signals as to its condition.

Are you able to listen to those signals?

Are you really pushing yourself and doing the most work you can do?

Doing 20 minutes of high intensity exercise may be more effective than 60 minutes of low intensity work. And most people don’t have time to spare in their day.

The next time you are working out, skip the headphones, books, and social hour. Make your 30 minute workout really intense. Listen to your body and push yourself as hard as you can. Don’t go overboard, however, and push too far. Listen to what your body tells you. Monitor your heart rate. Monitor your breathing. Maximize the benefits of your exercise time to make your session the most productive it can be.

Join in November and pay $0 enrollment fee.

Pass it around to others you think might be interested in experiencing the Lifestyle difference!

8 Steps to Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

(excerpted from the Cleveland Clinic website)

One of the toughest times of the year for those trying to lose weight is the holiday season. While the holidays are a time to rejoice, celebrate and share fond memories, it also a time for eating, eating and more eating. Wherever you go, whatever you do, food always seems to be the central focus. Here are 8 steps to surviving the holiday excess.

1. Get moving
One of the most effective ways to maintain or lose body weight is to engage in regular, sustained aerobic activity. Exercise is a great way to burn those extra calories you may be taking in this time of year.

2. Aim for five-a-day
Eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. It is a great way to fill-up your stomach but not your calorie level. Pack your refrigerator with bags of cut-up vegetables and whole or cut-up fruits.

3. Control the risk for temptation
While you won’t be able to control all situations, focus on the many you can. For example, do you keep candy or cookies at your desk or workspace? Do you frequent the dining room table or pantry where you store all your holiday goodies? Make a mental note of tempting places and try to control them. For example, make a pact with co-workers that goodies will be kept solely in the break room, Then, plan to go into the break room only once a day to take a small treat.

4. Limit to one-a-day
Allow yourself one small treat each day during the holidays. Remember that you may have to compensate for it later in the day by reducing your total caloric intake or by burning a few extra calories while exercising.

5. Never go to a party hungry
One of the worst things you can do is skip eating all day to ‘save up’ for a party. Have a nutritious snack like a low-fat trail mix, a piece of fruit, cut-up vegetables, yogurt, whole grain crackers with peanut butter or even a glass of skim milk before the party. This way you’ll be satisfied when entering the party and enjoy small portions of foods without overeating.

6. Plan ahead and bring a low-calorie dish with you
Offer to bring a dish with you to a holiday party. Whatever you bring, make sure it’s low in calories such as fresh fruits, vegetables or low-calorie dips. You’ll know you have at least one good dish to choose from.

7. Say No Politely
Learn to say no politely, such as "No thank you, I’ve had enough. Everything was delicious", or "I couldn’t eat another bite. Everything tasted wonderful". You’ll find saying no isn’t so hard to do after all.

8. Focus on socializing
Don’t stand around the food table when you are at a party – focus your energies on making conversation with others instead of focusing on foods. Conversation is calorie-free.

Remember, the holidays are meant to celebrate good times with family and friends. Enjoy the holidays and plan effective strategies to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Achieving what you sought out for will give you one more good reason for holiday cheer! Happy Holidays!

The BOSU
You've seen that funny looking half ball sitting around the weight room floor. Next time, try standing on it for one minute.

This simple exercise will improve balance and strengthen your core.

We hope that by now you have tried at least one of our Grab 'n Go workout routines. The new ARC Mountain Top has been popular with many members.

We encourage you to get into the Grab 'n Go habit to add more variety to your workouts. Remember, to get the results you want, you need to keep your body guessing.

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, our hours will be:

Wednesday	5a.m.-12p.m.
Thursday	Closed
Friday	7a.m. - 4p.m.
Saturday	7a.m. - 12p.m.
Sunday	12p.m. - 4p.m.

There will be no classes
on Friday or Saturday.

Smart Food Choices

Of course there will come a time when your family wants to go out for a treat, perhaps ice cream at Coldstone Creamery. You've been working so hard on your fitness plan, but you don't want to spoil the fun.

As we've said before, knowledge about the food we eat is key to making smart choices and staying healthy. Even Coldstone Creamery has some healthier choices.

Next time, try some yogurt. You will save almost 200 calories and 20 grams of fat! A word of caution though, remember that calories are calories, so order the small ("Like It") size.