Note: The following classes were cancelled for this week: Thursday 6pm Cardio Camp, Friday 7pm yoga.  We will be back next week.

Locations:

KOH Physical Therapy Lab ~ 9080 Irvine Center Drive ~ Irvine, CA 92618

Sun and Sail Club ~ 24752 Toledo Lane ~ Lake Forest, CA 92630

Synergy ~ 23762 Mercrury Rd  ~ Lake Forest, CA 92630

As low as $12 per class!  Email Erica for more details.

To Register for Classes:

Our classes max out at 14 people (7 people for spin) so it is important to pre-register for all sessions to ensure your space.  Please email Erica at Erica@DrivenFitnessNow.com to register today!

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This week I chose to repost an entry from several months ago regarding crunches.  Ryan Owen, a certified strength coach and personal trainer, recently published a blog sharing new research that supports our “no crunch” rule.  The researcher, Dr. Stuart McGill, is a well-respected researcher on spinal biomechanics.  Dr. McGill recommends removing all crunches and situps from your exercise routine.  I was lucky enough to learn about the detrimental effects of crunches while shadowing my own mentor, Lynda Head.  However, I do believe that functionally speaking, as a human being you do need to be able to situp from a laying position in everyday life.  And thus, I do include full situps occasionally in classes.  But, as the fitness world continues to grow and evolve  I too grow and evolve and I will continue to change my practice to reflect solid, current research.  Read the article below:

http://ryanowen.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/no-more-crunches/

REPOST:

If you have ever trained with me or taken one of my classes you have probably noticed we rarely do crunches. Yet open any health and fitness magazine and you see this exercise demonstrated time and again.  So why do I not utilize this exercise more often?  The fact is, I don’t like them.  And here’s why:  most people spend all day sitting at a desk in front of a computer.  Are you sitting up nice and tall, shoulders rolled back, head held high?  Of course not!  You are probably like me – the longer you sit the more you slouch.  The shoulders roll forward, the spine sags and effectively you are in a perma-crunch.

So why would you go to the gym and simply exacerbate the problem by doing crunches, which pretty much reinforce that position for your spine and anterior (in the front) ab muscles?  Your core actually contains 27 muscles and includes not only your typical “6 pack” abs, but also muscles in your pelvic floor and back.  Most people need exercises to strengthen these underutilized muscles and stretch the front of their body, including muscles in the stomach and chest.  Try adding these exercises to your routine for a well-balanced core:

The Plank – Planks are one of my favorite exercises.  Not only do they challenge almost all the muscles in the body, there are countless variations, including twisting planks and side planks, that you can perform to make them more or less difficult for your ability:

Cobra/Back extension – Use this exercise to strengthen the muscles along the spine.  The most important part is to really turn your palms outward pointing your thumbs toward the ceiling and opening the chest:

Situp – I am a fan of the good old-fashioned situp.  You have to be able to sit up from a laying position in everday life so it is a more functional exercise than a crunch and takes your body through a fuller range of motion.  Find a partner and add a medicine ball with a ball pass for added difficulty:

Bridge – Like the plank, there are many variations of hip bridges to help strengthen the glutes, hamstrings and lower back muscles:

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Source: peggyparks.files.wordpress.com

It’s funny, when meet new people and they hears that I am a personal trainer, the next few minutes usually involves my new friends apologetically explaining why they are not currently exercising enough, why they can’t keep weight off, or why they are about to munch on the unhealthy party food wherever we happen to be, which I don’t mind and happily answer any questions or give advice.  But I find it funny because what they don’t realize is that even as a person who lives a pretty healthy lifestyle, I also believe in moderation.  I have definitely been known to enjoy a slice of pizza or glass of wine or bowl of ice cream every once in awhile.   Or munch on a bowl of chips and guacamole at a party.  But…for the most part I eat a healthy diet of lean protein, whole grains and fruits and veggies. I stay away from pre-packaged foods and watch my sugar and fat intake.

One of my favorite things to do is have people over for dinner at my place.  What is better than great food, great wine and great company? So when I have my friends over for dinner I take the night off and don’t worry so much about what I am eating.

Lasagna - source: dallasnews.com

And I don’t always cook low-cal low fat dinners – this last weekend I had a great time with my pals over a home-made lasagna.  However, I also tried this new recipe which I found in Shape Magazine.  It is quick and easy,  low in fat, high in protein and completely yummy!  Enjoy

Whole-Wheat Crostini with white beans

Serves 2

Prep time: 5 minutes

Crostini - source: 4.bp.blogspot.com/.../s320/crostini.jpg

Total time: 15 miutes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup low sodium chicken or veggie broth

1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

zest of 1 lemon

8 slices whole-wheat baguette, toasted

2 plum tomatoes, cut into 8 slices

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1. Combine olive oil and onion in a medium skillet.  Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
2. Add rosemary, broth and beans to the onions.  Simmer gently for another 5 minutes or until broth is reduced and thickened.  Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. Fold in parsley and lemon zest.  Top each baguette slice with a tomato slice and 2 tablespoons of the bean mixture.  Garnish with pine nuts and serve.  – Kyle Shadix, RD

Serving – 4 crostini

252kcal, 9g fat, 1g sat fat, 32g carbs, 11g protein, 8g fiber, 137mg calcium, 4mg iron, 43 mg sodium

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