News from Oasis Women's Fitness & Spa

We hope that you are continuing to enjoy your summer! Here's what's going on at Oasis and in our community in August. And see our free guest pass at the bottom of the newsletter - bring in a friend for a free workout!

Class Schedule Change

IntenSati (Sundays at 9:30am) is no longer being offered as of July 25th as instructor Andria Kozica is moving to the west coast to pursue other career opportunities. Unfortunately there are no other IntenSati instructors in the area so we are not able to continue offering the class at this time.

Move of the Month - the "Ball Transfer"

The Ball Transfer comes courtesy of Laura Mungai, who is an ACE Certified personal trainer and a Group Power and Cycling instructor at Oasis.

The ball transfer is a great exercise for working the core and for developing coordination. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged throughout the entire movement. If this exercise bothers your back you may want to keep your legs high throughout the movement instead of bringing them to the floor.

1) Lie on your back while holding a large exercise ball between your hands, with arms reaching overhead and behind you.

2) While engaging your abdominals, curl your head and shoulders off the floor and hover your legs off the floor - at no point during the exercise will your head/shoulders and feet touch the floor.

3) Keeping your abdominals engaged, raise your legs up to the ceiling while simultaneously raising your arms to the ceiling.

3) Transfer the ball from between your hands to between your feet.

4) Lower the arms and legs (now holding the ball) back to the starting position.

5) Repeat the movement transferring the ball from between your feet to between your hands.

This cycle completes one repetition. Start with two to three sets of eight repetitions, eventually working your way up to three sets of 12.

EATING WELL
by Cris Harder,
Oasis Registered Dietician

Eat Right on Game Day

Training for a race this summer or playing on a sports team? What you eat the day of a competition can make a difference in your performance. Your body needs carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and fluid to fuel it.

Here are ideas to top off your fuel tank and keep you performing at your best. Try out your game-day meal during training to make sure you don't eat too much and that you get enough to keep your energy level high.

Consume a carbohydrate-rich snack or meal before exercise to top off muscle stores. With pre-competition jitters, liquid meal replacements may be a better choice than whole foods.

2) Choose pre-exercise meal(s) that are low in fat and fiber to ensure optimal digestion.

3) Include small amounts of protein in your post exercise meal(s). Protein helps build and repair muscle tissue. Adequate protein after exercise may help to reduce muscle soreness.

4) An hour before competition, take in fluids such as sports drinks or water, along with easy to digest calories such as a piece of fruit or a sports gel or bar.

With the right nutrition, you'll be feeling good all the way to the finish line!

(Produced by the American Dietetic Association PR team.)