Have you heard of Zumba Fitness?? Would you love to join the party?!

Zumba is a latin dance aerobic class that within the routine features interval training using the fast and slow rhythms, targeting every major muscle group in the body to the beats of Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton, Cumbia, Hip Hop, Belly Dancing, and MORE! You’ll be sweating and smiling so much you won’t even realize that you just had a 60 minute full body workout! Zumba fitness is like a heart pumping vacation with your dear friends where you’re dancing the stress away!

Go to a class and follow my steps, come join the Zumba Fitness Party!

Classes will be instructed by Courtney Smallbone and are currently scheduled for Monday and Friday at 6:30pm starting June 6, 2011 at the new Edgehill Village location.

There is a free class this Saturday (May 21, 2011) at 10:00 am at Coleman Park Community Center.

Contact us if you have any questions!

My purpose for this article is to explain the events that make this announcement such a miracle.

Announcement?
We have a new location and will be moving and expanding our business, our vision and our mission.

As exciting as this is to us, we know that in this move there will be some suffering. By suffering I mean, that this whole vision for a holistic personal training company is a vision from God. In that I understand that there will be some people that will think that this vision is cheesy, hokey, or just an advertising ploy to get more people in the gym from the buckle of the Bible belt. I assure you that if you know me or anything about this company that that is incorrect. We do believe that if you are a follower of Christ you will stand to benefit in a greater way as our passion for pursuing God in all that we do may somehow inspire you to do the same. If you are not a follower of Christ, it is our desire that you will stand to be inspired and affected by a fitness company that wants to, and will love like Christ. In that there will never be any judgment or negative communication of what it means to live for Christ.

If I can I would like to take you on the trip on how this vision and new building came to be.

We came to Nashville from Ohio just over 3 years ago, after doing the “two cars, new house, accumulating debt Christian lifestyle”. Following what we thought was the norm in Christian living. Needless to say we weren’t fulfilled in that place. Seeking longterm employment while pursuing physical pleasures wasn’t what God had in store for us. After seeking the Lord on a job change, He heard us and gave us a vision that would lead us to Nashville–but not after a lot of hardships and trials. Being refined by the Lord is a great, painful and exciting ride as you learn what you can be when you fully surrender to a loving, caring God.

After unemployment, food stamps, losing a house and a new education in finances we decided to pursue the vision of a holistic fitness company after failing in that once before. We knew the time was right after being essentially rebuilt and reenergized. I thank the Lord for His patience in making me what He wants me to be.

Now that we were here and the wheels were turning with the new business we made sure that we educated ourselves, practiced what we preach, and pursued wisdom through prayer everyday. God rewarded us with clients and friends that really got behind the vision. We really wanted to follow the Lord in all that we did even growing the business. After coming close to shutting the doors in the first year the doors blew open with our first successful advertising campaign, Groupon. Thanks to that campaign and a strategic relationship with the local community centers we forged ahead into the busiest year we have had so far. It wasn’t long after that that we pursued another instructor to help us out. We were blessed to find Kyla a boot-camper that had what it took to instruct. After the hustle of her new schedule and a new baby she soon had to leave but not before we were blessed with the hiring of Ashley Dance.

To say that she was an answer to prayer would be an understatement, God only knows how right the timing was on that decision. So thereafter we added Sandy, another longtime friend and boot camper with the know-how in instructing that works well with what we do. Having this group has been awesome and the vision was finally taking shape. After years of asking my best friend and nutrition education inspiration Tim Mallon to come on board, we prayed about hiring him to help with everyday operations. God was faithful and Tim is now a valuable part of this company as we teach people healing principles through nutrition. We are now only missing the facility in which to fully grow the vision into a fully functional holistic fitness oasis. As we continue to pursue employees we have been blessed to have Russ Hickman willing and able to teach classes as well. Instructing at the Crag at Cool Springs as well as the new building.

After being blessed to train with Nikki Hightower who was very helpful with the start up of this business, she allowed me to train in her gym for nearly 3 years, through some of the roughest times that anyone who has started up a business knows all to well. She was truly a blessing and used by God far more than any of us really could fully know.

All of this, as well as a very understanding, hard working wife who at one time was managing home schooling of our oldest, finances of the business, the newsletter, working part time at the church and being a great wife and mother. We have finally found the right place for the business to grow. We have been praying and searching for 2 years to find the right place that wouldn’t look down on us for being a cash based business with no credit to speak of, once again, the Lord was truly faithful.

We diligently prayed for a place were we could meet with people on nutrition and fitness while pursuing His vision for our company and that is finally becoming a reality. With our feeble prayers we were afraid to ask for some things that we felt would just be bonuses for our business–like a kitchen for cooking classes and nutrition awareness and a shower for the busy clients that need to be ready for work after their workout. God truly knew our needs and met them with a full kitchen and shower in our new building. We don’t deserve to be so blessed so much and we continue to pray about how to truly serve His purpose in this business.

This is something that has just been on my heart to share with you all and I hope it finds you well. We are richly blessed to know you all and we seek the Lord on every client we meet so that we may fully assist you in being a better steward of your bodies for the glory of the Lord. Know that we care deeply for your health and have a passion that’s unmatched in the fitness industry. Our love for what we do goes to our very core.

Thanks for being supportive and we look forward to seeing you at our new building in Edgehill Village – Suite 406. Starting in June!

We are now offering you a way for you to get your fitness in for the day and for your children to use their energy! During our childcare, your child will have the opportunity to get their exercise as well. We will not place them in front of a tv and ask them to be quiet. We want them to be able to be active and learn the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. We will offer a healthy snack, show some fun exercise for their age, and show them things they can do at home instead of watching tv. We hope this will be a great experience for the whole family.

Contact us with any questions or for more info!

We offer personalized nutrition consultation services to help you achieve your goals in health and fitness. Most people do not understand the food that they are putting into their bodies, in fact, most people cannot pronounce half of the ingredients on the labels of the food they eat. Our consultation services help to teach you about food and provide guidance on a short or long term regimen that can be geared to specifically address and heal issues with your body or provide a long term way of eating that will promote health and disease resistance. With a willing and determined spirit, we can guide you to foods that will dramatically improve the way you feel.

We are happy to have a personal consultation with you either over the phone or in-person. Whether you need direction and motivation for your fitness or nutrition plans, we are here to help! Contact us with questions or for prices, click here.

Life Fitness Academy would like to introduce you to a cooking class called Sweet Sensations – for those of you with a sweet tooth, who are also fitness aware. It will be fun, educational, and did I mention, sweet?!

We’ll go over desserts and snacks and make items such as:
Flourless chocolate cake
Strawberry shortcake
Macaroons
Apple pie
Oatmeal cookies

Our class is hands on so you will help us make desserts and snacks that will not “undo” all that you have done in the gym. We will replace the dangerous ingredients like white flour and white sugar with sucanat and spelt four, just to name a few. Speaking of sweetness, this class will be taught by our cooking queen, Carissa. She will show you how to adapt these concepts to all of your desserts.

The class will start promptly at 6:30 pm on Wednesdays, in the kitchen of the new Life Fitness Academy. Classes will begin June 8th with a price of $25/class. Each class will include a dessert, a snack, and maybe a surprise. If you register early you can receive a discount – contact us for more info!

We have a new program to introduce for the summer. It will go from June 1st to September 1st. For those thinking about getting a concentrated dose of fitness and nutrition education, FitCation is also a great jumpstart to a new fitness goal or help you over your plateau. It can be anywhere from 1-4 weeks. It is 1 1/2 hours a day doing a customized workout for your body with one-on-one attention. We will also spend time working through the hard nutrition issues with nutrition tips including: making a shopping list, executing meal planning, and learning to make tasty foods and smoothies. Whether it is a week long or you decide to do a month, it will be every day for $300/week. Price includes food, childcare, and unlimited attendance to classes at the gym for 1 month. Contact us for details and multi-person discounts.

Contact us for more info!

Does music help you through a tough workout? If so, Fitness Rave is the class for you. It is a fast paced aerobic, plyometric and strength training workout based around a playlist of the best kind of pump-up music there is–Dubstep. In one hour we will progress, with the music, through a series of exercises guaranteed to get your blood flowing and your muscles burning. From jumping and lunging to killer core and stretching, this workout will wear you out while having a blast, raving to tunes from artists like Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, and Flux Pavilion. Don’t be confused, this isn’t Zumba! We aren’t dancing, but the exercises will work along with the beat!

Contact us for times and price!

Turmeric is one of the most powerful and beneficial spices that you can consume. Dr. David Frawely, founder and director of the American Institute for Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico says this about turmeric:

“If I had only one single herb to depend upon for all possible health and dietary needs, I would without much hesitation choose the Indian spice Turmeric. There is little it cannot do in the realm of healing and much that no other herb is able to accomplish.

Turmeric has a broad spectrum of actions, mild but certain effects, and is beneficial for long term and daily usage. Though it is a common spice, few people, including herbalists know of its great value and are using it to the extent possible. It is an herb that one should get to know and live with.“

Research suggests that turmeric has a wide range of beneficial effects such as:

• Helping to maintain and improve intestinal flora
• Improving the elimination of wastes and toxins
• Promoting proper metabolism
• Improving the body’s ability to digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
• Supporting the formation of healthy tissue
• Relieving arthritis pain and stiffness as an anti-inflammatory
• Acting as a powerful antioxidant
• Inhibiting the proliferation of tumor cells
• Enhancing liver function

and more and more.

The active ingredient that gives turmeric some of its potent properties is curcumin, which is also the pigment that gives turmeric its yellow orange color. Curcumin has been shown to influence more than 700 genes, and it can inhibit both the activity and the synthesis of enzymes that have been been shown to be involved in inflammation.

When looking to incorporate this excellent spice into your diet, look for pure turmeric powder as curry powders may contain very little curcumin as opposed to turmeric. Now get to it!

I love to tell people that my job is to maximize their whole health, with weight loss being one of the primary benefits. I know that sounds kind of cheesy, but I assure you, if you can follow some basic guidelines and do your research, then you will have success. For some it comes faster than it does for others, but either way you are doing more for your body than over half the population.

We do things raw, organic, and living, because our bodies are made for that–not the sterile, white, and lifeless food we have come to know. These raw, organic, whole foods are loaded with health benefits. A few of the key ones that I have experienced are these: way more energy, less sickness (once or less a year), no joint pain, faster healing time, and the ability to mold and shape my body the way I want to. Other benefits I see in my clients are: medication reduction or discontinuation, significant weight loss, less joint pain, increased strength and flexibility, not to mention–happiness. But the last one could be because they get to see me everyday…

Teaching someone how to do health and fitness is our goal and my passion, as a matter of fact, I have a hard time turning “it” off. I love talking about how good kombucha is for you, or how you can beat a cold when it isn’t even here yet. I get a kick out of showing people that have spent a lifetime doing things the conventional way in the sports nutrition field and totally change their bodies with raw foods. Watching them beat their perceptions is amazing, especially after they have been told no, or that they can’t.

A lot of what we teach is common sense when it comes to food–not the hype like TV, Jillian Michaels, or People Magazine throw at you that doesn’t stack up or is too much work. Is learning this work? You betcha! As you become more acclimated to it the process becomes far less time consuming and way more fun.

Everything worth doing takes work, if it is easy, stay away from it.

We do this because we love people, we love our clients and want them to feel as good as we do and share it with their friends and family. Change your family tree, do something that will give you and your family abundant life. Ask us and we will help you, no matter what the budget or the location. I offer email, phone, and personal support through any means possible.

A new study in the February issue of Cell Metabolism showed an improvement in the amount of oxygen needed by individuals while exercising after taking a small does of inorganic nitrate for a few days. The findings may point to just one more of the many benefits of eating dark leafy greens.

Interestingly enough, the researchers said the amount of nitrate was equivalent to about what is in a plate of spinach. Maybe Popeye was on to something, ay?

Dietary nitrate, naturally derived from foods, feeds into a pathway that produces nitric oxide with the help of healthy bacteria found in our mouths. Nitric oxide is a well known important physiological component for the body in exercise as it opens blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.

What was also very interesting about the study was that increased mitochondrial efficiency of the cell (needing less oxygen), apparently is owed to the lower levels of proteins… proteins that normally make the mitochondria “leaky” and inefficient.

However, the definite takeaway is that dark leafy greens continue to shine in their benefit to the body. Spinach, kale, collards, and chards are all good choices to incorporate more into your diet.