Our personal trainers and fitness instructors have turned the cameras on themselves to bring you a video clip featuring a popular fitness topic. This month we feature an effective way to tighten that mid-section as Jaq and Matt from Great Neck Recreation Center demonstrate proper breathing techniques, body alignment and common mistakes when doing crunches. Watch now!

We'll have a new clip each month, so if you have an idea or exercise that you would like to see demonstrated, email us at fun@VBgov.com.

If you've been to Mount Trashmore Park lately, you've probably noticed some heavy machinery and orange fencing. We're in the process of widening the existing trail to 12 feet and adding a new linkage to connect Kids Cove with the lakeside trail.

Once the trail project finishes, we'll also be adding various outdoor fitness stations that can accommodate multiple users at any given time. These fitness stations will provide low-impact circuits for novice users and older adults, including ones that are ADA-accessible, as well as high-impact stations for more intense workouts.

For many of us, March signals the beginning of the outdoor workout season. Whether your preference is running, hiking or biking, what you put into your body following the workout is very important to your conditioning and recovery. This season, consider reaching for a homemade smoothie. Using fresh, wholesome ingredients not only tastes great, but is quick to make and easier to digest than prepackaged shakes or big meals. By making your own smoothie, you can tweak it to your taste and nutrition needs.

Here's a recipe from RunnersWorld.com that balances lean protein, carbs and healthy fats, all important post-workout. 

• 1 cup frozen berries - darker colored berries help reduce inflammation and soreness
• ½ banana - bananas are a good source of potassium and help regulate fluid balances
• 1 cup low fat kefir - think of kefir as a pourable yogurt, a great source of protein and calcium, but with more probiotics to support your immune system
• 15 to 20 whole almonds - almonds are good source of healthy unsaturated fat and vitamin E
• 2 tablespoons of wheat germ - wheat germ is an excellent source of protein, zinc and vitamin E
• 1 tablespoon of honey -honey is an easily digested carb and sweetener with trace minerals and antioxidants not found in sugar or sugar substitutes

Co-ed leagues are offered Thursday nights as double headers beginning March 28. Each team must have 10 players (age 18 & up) on the field during play, with 5 males and 5 females. Up to 20 players are allowed on a team. The season runs through May and consists of 12 to 14 games.

Registration continues through March 15; franchise fee is $350 per team. There is no residency requirement. Download a registration form and get your team ready to play!   [Photo credit: Gamma Man | Flickr]