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Annual Peak of Fitness Challenge Returns

6/29/2016

The Downtown Athletics Club’s annual Peak of Fitness Challenge is back! Get your fit on from July 5 through September 11. During the Peak of Fitness Challenge, DAC members can opt to collect points for activities and get rewards based on total points.

We hope to inspire our members to reach for fitness (even in the busy summer months) through this challenge.

How Does Peak Of Fitness Work?
If you’re a DAC member, all you have to do to enter is to simply start tracking your activities in the logbook at the check-in desk.

Here’s how to earn points:

For every 30 minutes spent doing a cardio activity (e.g. treadmill, cycling, elliptical, rower); playing active sports, such as basketball and racquetball; and doing resistance training (e.g. weights and TRX), you will receive 1 point.
30 minutes of massage therapy equals 2 points, and 30 minutes of personal training equals 2 points.
Group fitness classes are 3 points, and group training sessions lasting at least 30 minutes will earn you 2 points.

You can earn a maximum of 15 points per day through these activities.

So, What Are These Rewards You Mentioned?

We tally up all the individual points members have earned through September 11 at 6 p.m. Members who earn 75 points will receive a $10 credit to the Pro Shop; those with 175 points get a $25 credit to the Pro Shop; and those who earn 300 points will receive a DAC t-shirt and a $50 credit to the Pro Shop.

The top 10 male and top 10 female points earners will then be entered into a drawing to win a piece of jewelry from Graham Brothers Jewelers. The male and female winners will be announced at a customer appreciation party at the end of the competition. Winners need not be present to win.

If you have any questions or concerns, the DAC staff will be happy to answer or address them.
Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to get bonus point updates each week.

Good luck!

The DAC reserves the right to correct any miscalculations in points. Current point standings will be updated weekly. You must be a DAC member to participate. Off-site activity is not eligible for points.

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Shorter Workouts Can Still Help You Lose Weight

6/27/2016

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By Dominic Zumbrun

Sometimes life just gets in the way when it comes to your fitness program. Long work hours, children, and a multitude of other activities compete for time you'd hoped to spend at the gym. If only you could do a shorter workout, one that still provided fitness benefits.

The good news is, you can. Microworkouts have been shown to provide many health benefits, including weight loss.

What Are Microworkouts?

Microworkouts are high-intensity workouts of 10 minutes or less that can be interspersed throughout the day. They can include everything from sprints, jumping jacks, to a brisk walk. The idea behind them is that they're easier to fit in throughout the day rather than a large block of time devoted to exercising.

What Are Health Benefits of Microworkouts?

While microworkouts might not provide the overall fitness benefits of longer workouts, they clearly provide benefits that otherwise wouldn't be possible in a sedentary day. Studies have shown that several of these workouts a day not only help you burn calories, but help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, and improve your mood.

And if you're looking for a great way to start your day, a few minutes of intense exercise in the morning will set a positive tone for the rest of the day.

What Are Examples of Microworkouts?

Fitness experts suggest doing exercises that don't require setting up equipment or going to a different location, because doing so will defeat the purpose of using your free time most efficiently. Here is a 6-minute workout circuit that will help you get a sweat going and burn calories:
Exercises

High knees - Run in place while lifting your knees above your hips.
Bear crawls - Start on all fours with your knees off of the ground and crawl four steps forward and four steps back.
Cross mountain climber - Bring your opposite knee to your opposite elbow while in a plank position. Quickly repeat on the other side.
Crab Crawl - Lift your hips a few inches off of the ground while in a seated position with your hands under your shoulders. Move your limbs four steps forward and four steps back.

The Circuit

High knees for 20 seconds with 10 seconds recovery.
Bear crawls for 20 seconds with 10 seconds of recovery.

Repeat this circuit three times.

Cross mountain climbers with 20 seconds with 10 seconds of recovery.
Crab crawl for 20 seconds with 10 seconds of recovery.

Repeat this circuit three times.

The Downtown Athletic Club of Amarillo is an upscale, professional health club that offers fitness and overall training while focusing on overall wellness, nutrition and group fitness.

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Weight Loss As Easy As Drinking Water?

6/20/2016

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By Dominic Zumbrun

The virtues of drinking water are many, including the fact that it's easily incorporated into your weight loss plan. Indeed, water has been shown to help you lose weight as well as being a foundation for all body functions.

How Will Water Help Me Lose Weight?

Here are five reasons why water should be part of your weight-loss plan:

1. Water curbs hunger
When you're dehydrated, your body may actually send signals that you need to eat, because the part of the brain that acts as a thirst center — the hypothalmus — also regulates your appetite. Staying hydrated helps you stave off fake hunger signals and drinking water before meals has been shown to help aid in weight loss. Another recommendation is to drink a glass of water before you go to a social or sporting event where there may be an endless supply of unhealthy snacks.

2. Water boosts your metabolism
Dehydration slows bodily functions and your metabolism, which means you'll also have less energy for your workouts. Drinking water has been proven to contribute to the body's ability to burn calories, while dehydration slows the fat-burning process. An easy way to speed up your metabolism first thing in the morning is by drinking a glass or two of cold water. Doing so forces your body to warm up to the cold water entering your system, which means increasing your metabolism. Water also helps prevent muscle cramping, another reason to stay hydrated during workouts. It's also important to note that your water needs increase during long endurance workouts.

3. Water keeps you mentally sharp
Water helps transport oxygen to the brain while ensuring that it functions at optimal levels. Research has shown that even mild dehydration can negatively impact your cognitive performance, as well as affect your mood and make you feel tired. Your mood and fatigue can in turn lead you to mindless stress eating and poor food choices.

4. Water saves on calories
Not only does consuming liquid calories such as sodas and juices fail to fill you up, but they also have high sugar content that can affect your body in negative ways. Drinking water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages over an extended period can stop weight gain.

5. Water keeps you regular
Water is a great aid in preventing constipation. From the saliva in your mouth to balancing the acid in your stomach, water works from start to finish in keeping your digestive system running at it its best.

The Downtown Athletic Club of Amarillo is a professional, upscale health club that offers personal training as well as group fitness, overall wellness and nutrition.

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20 Things To Eat Before Hitting The Gym

6/13/2016

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By Dominic Zumbrun

There may be times when you're tempted to skip eating before working out, whether it's lack of time or a myriad of other reasons. But if you want perform at your best — and get the most out of your workout — you need to properly fuel your body. Not eating before a workout can lead to low blood sugar, which can then lead to dizziness and fatigue.

Here are some pre-workout foods that will leave you energized and ready to work hard.

1. Coffee Protein Shake
Blending one cup of iced coffee with one scoop of chocolate whey protein will give you a nice pre-workout jolt.

2. Peanut Butter & Apple
Serve one medium apple with two tablespoons of all-natural peanut butter for a good dose of carbs.

3. Fruit Cup
It's sweet but simple: combine one cup of banana, oranges, berries and melon for the perfect pre-workout snack.

4. Fruit & Yogurt
Fruit is high in carbs and yogurt is packed with protein.

5. Oats
Oats are loaded with fiber, which means they will gradually release carbohydrates into your bloodstream.

6. Dried Fruit
Try 1/4 cup serving of dried berries, apricots and pineapple for a quick, easy pre-workout snack.

7. Bananas
Bananas have plenty of carbs to fuel your workout, but are also rich in potassium to help prevent muscle cramps.

8. Yogurt Parfait
Load up with a 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt, 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, and 1/2 cup whole grain cereal.

9. Pistachios & Blueberries
This is another protein and carbohydrate packed combo.

10. Eggs & Toast
Feeling particularly hungry? One or two hard boiled eggs with one slice of whole wheat toast will fill you up the right way.

11. Coffee & Milk
The caffeine in the coffee provides a kick while the milk offers proteins and carbs.

12. Fruit & Cottage Cheese
Use 1/2 cup of fresh berries to top off 1/2 cup of cottage cheese.

13. Oats & Eggs
Try 1/2 cup oatmeal with two whole eggs.

14. Wafflewich
Combine one frozen Kashi waffle with two teaspoons of almond butter and one teaspoon of jam.

15. Veggie Omelet
Combine two whole eggs with one teaspoon of water and one cup of sauteed veggies.

16. Whole Wheat Toast
One slice of whole wheat toast with jam will help fuel your workout.

17. Energy Bar
Opt for a bar with no more than 200 calories.

18. Oats & Almond Butter
Combine 1/2 cup oats with almond butter.

19. Energy Gel
Energy gel will help power an endurance workout.

20. Coconut Shake
Add two teaspoons of extra virgin coconut oil to one scoop of chocolate whey protein.

Use your fuel at the Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo, an upscale health club that focuses on nutrition, group fitness, personal training and overall wellness.

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Planks For Every Part Of The Body

6/6/2016

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By Dominic Zumbrun

The great part of incorporating planks into your workout routine is that they can offer a full-body workout. Your core and upper and lower body are worked hard, and your muscles are stretched for greater flexibility. Better yet, by doing different variations of the standard plank, you can target specific areas of your body.

Flutter Feet
This exercise targets your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps.

How to do it: Begin in a standard plank position and lift one of your legs a few inches off the ground. Keeping your torso still, gently but quickly pulse your leg up and down, making sure to work your glutes, hamstring and quads. Five times constitutes one rep; do nine reps before switching legs.

Standard Plank
The standard plank can specifically target your abdominals.

How to do it: Start on all fours, hands directly under your shoulders, knees and feet about hip-distance apart. (Beginners should rest on their forearms instead of their hands.) Next, tuck your toes until your feet are flat, then extend your hips and push up until your body is in a straight line. Draw in your abs and hold for 30 seconds.

Heart-to-Heart
This exercise targets your back muscles and triceps.

How to do it: For this exercise you'll start in a modified plank position with your feet several inches wider than your hips and your hands beneath your chest. Form an upside-down heart with your hands by turning them until the thumbs and fingers touch. Using your toes, push your body forward so that the center of your chest is aligned over your hands. Hold this position for 30 seconds while making sure that your chest, backs and triceps are fully engaged.

Falling Leaf
The Falling Leaf plank specifically targets your shoulders.

How to do it: Start in the standard plank position and rotate your right shoulder and hip toward the ceiling with your abs engaged. Extend your arm and reach toward the ceiling. Return to the starting position and then repeat four times before switching sides.

Cross Body Plank
This form of the plank is designed to work the often hard-to-target oblique muscles.

How to do it: Starting in the standard plank position, lift your right leg a few inches off of the floor, toes pointed, and then draw your right knee toward your chest and in a diagonal motion across your body until it taps your left elbow. Return to the starting position and repeat this nine times.

The Downtown Athletic Club of Amarillo focuses on overall wellness, including group fitness, nutrition and personal training. The DAC's personal trainers are available seven days a week.

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4 Outdoor Activities That Double As A Workout

6/1/2016

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By Dominic Zumbrun

Getting a good workout outdoors this summer doesn't have to feel like drudgery. And you already may be doing healthy things without even realizing it just by participating in some of your favorite activities. Here's a look at four outdoor activities and how they help keep you fit while you're having fun.

Volleyball
If you've ever watched competitive volleyball — including beach volleyball — you know how physically taxing it can be. Just the training alone for beach volleyball is considered among the most intense in any sport. But volleyball is a favorite summertime activity for all kinds of people, not just elite athletes, and can be played in backyards, parks, gyms and, yes, the beach.

One study by the Harvard Medical School reported that a person can burn between 90 to 133 calories just by participating in a half-hour game of non-competitive volleyball (depending on your weight). A competitive game in a gym can burn between 120 to 178 calories in a half-hour.

If you want to up the ante, but still have fun, play an hour of volleyball on the beach and burn up to 480 calories. Another study showed that you use the same amount of energy playing a leisurely game of volleyball as you do jogging one mile.

Badminton
Badminton is a fun activity enjoyed by people of all ages and doesn't require a lot equipment (or skill) to get a good game going. It's a great workout because you'll lunge from side-side and change directions while engaging your core and building strength in your lower body. It also provides aerobic fitness, helps to improve hand-eye coordination, as well as testing your stamina and flexibility.

Frisbee
Frisbee is another fun sport that can be played in the backyard, on a beach, or anywhere with a decent amount of open space. You'll get some great aerobic work in by chasing a thrown Frisbee, and you can develop some serious lower body muscle tone by playing it on sand. A light game will keep you fit, and help you burn off some weekend food and beverage, while a game of ultimate Frisbee will help you burn over 450 calories during a match. And the cardiovascular benefits are comparable to an interval workout.

Touch Football
Another traditional fun activity for the backyard or beach, touch football is a great cardiovascular workout in which you can burn nearly 300 calories in a 30-minute game thanks to its start-and-stop sprinting.

The Downtown Athletic Club of Amarillo provides the ideal venue to reach your health and fitness goals. The DAC is an upscale club that combines wellness, nutrition, and group and personal fitness.

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Annual Peak of Fitness Challenge Returns

Shorter Workouts Can Still Help You Lose Weight

Weight Loss As Easy As Drinking Water?

20 Things To Eat Before Hitting The Gym

Planks For Every Part Of The Body

4 Outdoor Activities That Double As A Workout

Archives

Categories

Site Map

Employment Opportunities

Group Fitness Classes

Personal Trainers

Contact Info

Annual Peak of Fitness Challenge Returns

Shorter Workouts Can Still Help You Lose Weight

Weight Loss As Easy As Drinking Water?

20 Things To Eat Before Hitting The Gym

Planks For Every Part Of The Body

4 Outdoor Activities That Double As A Workout

Archives

Categories

Site ﻿Ma﻿p

Employment Opportunities

Group Fitness Classes

Personal Trainers

Contact Info

Site Map