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PERSONAL TRAINING SUCCESS STORY

Michael was one of our disappearing members. He joined, and then disappeared. When we finally saw him again, he dared us to train him into better shape! So starting in early January, like so many people, Michael started taking steps to make healthier choices with eating and exercise. He gave his cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, strength, and overall health fairly low marks to start with, and chose to maintain focus on improving those aspects of his overall fitness. If his weight happened to come down at the same time, he’d be even happier.

Korey has kept Michael accountable, with a little help from the Polar F11 heart rate monitor. The Polar F11 keeps track of the exercise Michael accumulates each week, and, in addition, it provides some direction about how intense those workouts should be. The results are measurable: Since early January, Michael’s aerobic capacity, upper body strength, and flexibility have all increased. Plus, he’s lost 16 pounds!

How can we help improve your overall fitness? Ask at the front desk how personal training can work for you.

"I thought it was an outstanding program that motivated us to get into an exercise program and healthy eating for the first time in 30 years. It helped me quit smoking and get my blood sugar under control. It helped get Dan’s [spouse’s] blood pressure under control, and helped us commit to a healthy lifestyle." -- Connie

Connie and Dan joined Move to Live to change the health of their whole household, and according to Connie it’s really working wonders! The value of the accountability and support from Move to Live increases dramatically when more than one family member participates, and for Connie and Dan it added up to a 15 pound weight loss between the two of them in the month of March. Feeling good about yourself, and feeling good about consistently making healthy choices, are the cornerstone principles of Move to Live.

Our next Move to Live program begins Wednesday, April 5th at 7:30 pm, and meets each Wednesday night at that time throughout April. Learn how you, too, can change your life for the better through activity and healthy eating. This program is absolutely free for both members and non-members with physician referral. Forms are available at www.plazafitness.net. Call us at 482-2266 to register.

Do you like looking forward to new exercises with each visit? Do you need more motivation to stick with your strength training? Take advantage of your free 2 week trial on Activtrax, and make an appointment with one of our staff to get started with your initial assessment. As you can see in the table below, Mark has improved his posture, strength, and body fat composition using a combination of Activtrax programming and personal training visits every week:

ANNUAL MEMBER SURVEY COMING SOON

Another of the principles that guides what we do and how we do it here at Plaza Fitness is what we call “relational service.” It’s an approach to customer service that encourages building quality relationships with our members by reaching out and listening to you. If we’re not meeting your needs, we’re not likely to stay in business. So every year we conduct a membership-wide survey to learn from you how we can do even better. You can expect to see the next annual member survey sometime around the 17th of April, and we hope you’ll return the completed survey as soon as possible. We appreciate your feedback!

GROUP EXERCISE SIGN-UPS

Participation levels in almost all the group sessions have grown very nicely in our functional training center, and it’s more important than ever to sign-up prior to attending the session of your choice. Sign-ups are accepted from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm the day of an afternoon or evening session, and for morning sessions we ask that you sign up by 5:00 pm the night before. It is also an important courtesy, in the event you can’t attend a class you’ve signed up for, that you call us to cancel no less than two hours prior to the start of class so we have time to notify those on the waiting list. The more closely we all adhere to this policy, the less confusion and more enjoyment for all! Thanks for your cooperation.

MINI-TRIATHLON IN APRIL

Welcome back to our cross-training extravaganza, the Indoor Mini-Triathlon! It’s an all-day event on Wednesday April 26th, so you can participate any time of day you like. Complete a 1200-meter row, followed by a 5-mile bike ride, and a 2-mile run or elliptical and enjoy both a great workout and a sense of accomplishment. We can help you train for the event or even suggest goal times to aim for. The mini-triathlon is also an active and healthy way to support a local health-related organization, since your $10 entry fee goes to the American Diabetes Association. To register sign-up at the front desk, call 482-2266, or e-mail info@plazafitness.net.

PLAZA FITNESS PROFESSIONALS LEAD TRAINING COURSE

Education is the cornerstone of the fitness and wellness approach at Plaza Fitness and to reinforce that mission, we are hosting the nationally-recognized, 6-week WITS Personal Training Certification Course starting Sunday, May 7th, 2006 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Kyle Jenks and Jane Hawksley Ogle, two of our fitness professionals, are the course instructors and between them bring over 25 years of experience. Whether for a career move or for your own personal knowledge, with the WITS course you can receive the foundational information you need to become a Certified Personal Trainer.

The training occurs over a five week period for better retention and skill competency, and the national exam is held on the sixth week. The cost of the course and the national exam is $499 if paid by April 23rd, or $524 thereafter, and includes a study guide and a student workbook. There is also a required textbook, which is sold separately on www.witseducation.com. Entry forms are available at the front desk, and phone registration is offered by WITS toll-free at 1-888-330-9487. For more information, e-mail us at info@plazafitness.net, or phone 518-482-2266.

GROUP EXERCISE SPOTLIGHT

Rise and shine and start your Tuesday or Thursday mornings with a great group workout! On Tuesday at 6:30 am, Nancy leads an Indoor Cycling session which covers challenging terrain on our top-quality Schwinn bikes. She’ll help you set up the bike and adjust your effort level so that no matter what shape you’re in you’ll feel better at the end of the ride. Then at 7:00 am on Thursdays, Tina leads an outstanding Strength/Core session that will strengthen and stabilize your body from the inside out. It’s a very balanced approach to lengthening and strengthening your major muscle groups, improving your posture and alignment, and boosting your core performance. Our current group session schedule runs through April 29th, with no classes planned for the Easter weekend of April 15-16 (Plaza Fitness is closed on Sunday, April 16th). Please visit www.PlazaFitness.net for updated information.