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Adult Stretch

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Adults ages 16 and up are invited to an afternoon session of stretching and more!

Donna Gambino is owner of Infinity Health in Centerville, a licensed physical therapist, certified Pilates instructor, and fitness author with over 30 years experience.   DONNA’S STRONGEST BELIEF is that if you perform the correct exercises with the right mind work, your body will respond by changing its presentation to the world via changes in your posture, thus allowing pain syndromes to lessen or dissipate completely. Your issues are in your tissues, and through the therapeutic power of awareness you can heal yourself.

 Dates:  April 9
Time:  1:00-2:00pm
Location: Springboro Branch
Free.  No registration required.

Ages 16 & up.  If under 18 years a parent or legal guardian must sign a waiver.

All abilities are welcome.  Please bring a mat and water bottle.

Adult Beginner Dance Classes Offered Downtown

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Looking for an adult dance class that is truly for beginners? Well, look no further! Brittany Butler, a former professional ballerina with the Dayton Ballet, is offering a 6-week adult dance class for all ages and levels of dance with her business “Brittany Moves.” If you’ve wanted to dip your toe into dance – for the first time or as a refresher, this is your class.

This series will take place at The Brightside (905 E 3rd St) in the beautiful Upside Loft (upstairs). This series starts on Monday, April 18th, and runs each Monday through May 23rd, from 5:30-7pm. You can join at any time along the way!  

“We will begin with stretching to allow the kinks to loosen up and work themselves out. This 15-minute period will also work as a grace period for those who may need a few minutes after work, to get parked, changed, etc. Then we will focus on warming up the body by moving the muscles and joints – getting the heart rate up,” Butler explained.

‘Then we will learn some ballet,” Butler continues. “And we’ll end with some simple jazz combinations since jazz has many foundations in the creation of dance. You can take away these moves and practice on your own time. It’s a great feeling to be working in a group creating movement to the beat. Don’t sweat if you aren’t able to make each class – there is plenty of variety to cover week to week!”

Butler explained that regular workout clothing is fine to wear to these classes. Ballet attire is not required. 

HOW TO GO?

The Brightside (905 E 3rd St)

Upside Loft (upstairs).

This series starts on Monday, April 18th, and runs each Monday through May 23rd, from 5:30-7pm. (15 min grace period before doors lock)

Single classes are $15
4-week class package is $50
6-week class package for $72

Secure Your Spot Here: 👇
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adult-beginner-dance-class-tickets-315556346527

 

5 Tips to Staying Active and Healthy This Winter

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Baby it’s cold outside-just because the mercury is dropping don’t let your activity level drop too!  Don’t let the winter blues get you down and keep you from living an active lifestyle.  The winter isn’t meant for us to hibernate.  We still have to get up and go to work every day just like in the summer so why shouldn’t we still keep active.  Here are five easy remedies to fighting winter hibernation and starting the year off right.

1.      Go out and PLAY!

If you can’t seem to muster the energy to work out this time of year, try “playing” instead. You can burn quite a few calories playing indoors or out. The best part is that it doesn’t feel like working out—though you can still get your heart rate up and have an excellent cardio and muscle toning session. Take advantage of this snow filled winter and have a blast in the winter wonderland outside by making snow angels, having a snowball fight, building a snowman or sledding! These are fun activities you can do by yourself, with friends or kids.  They are great family bonding activities that will leave everyone sweaty, fit and exhilarated!

2.      Take up a winter sport

If, like me, you’re a competitive type, why not try a new winter sport?  From skiing to snowshoeing or ice-skating, there are many great options that burn mega calories and put a whole new twist on staying active this winter.  In the Dayton area we are fortunate to have the Five Rivers MetroParks that offer outdoor skating to add some scenery to your activity.  Ski slopes like Perfect North and Mad River Mountain offer a lot of discounts this season and are a short drive away.  This winter, try something new, challenge yourself in a way you never thought possible, and I promise you won’t regret trying.

3.      Try a workout class

Workout classes are a great motivator for me.  They offer accountability and the hardest part is showing up.  Don’t have a gym membership?  No problem!  There are plenty of drop-in classes open to anyone in our area.  Hot Yoga is a “hot” trend right now with multiple classes all over the Dayton area.  Kettering Rec Center has some awesome Zumba and TRX classes as well as many of the other recs and YMCA’s in town.  If you’re a woman, I highly recommend trying out BAER Fit Chicks!  All of these classes offer great workouts in different ways and will keep you going through the cold months.

4.      Try a workout DVD

Too cold to leave your house?  No time for an hour workout or feel you need to spend more time at home?  Try a workout DVD!  You can find DVDs that offer rejuvenating workouts ranging anywhere from 8 minutes to 1 hour.  I am a huge fan of the Jillian Michaels DVDs, especially the 30 Day Shred.  Jeannette Jenkins also has a great kickboxing DVD that is so much fun I don’t even realize I’m getting a workout.  Want something you can do with the kids or the whole family?  Try Just Dance on the Wii!  I have worked up some of my best sweats playing this game and it is SO MUCH FUN!!!!

5.      Do your household chores

Admittedly, this isn’t my favorite option.  But it does help me not spend the entire day on my couch, in my PJs, accomplishing nothing.  Unless you’re tuning in and working out with a fitness show, limit your downtime at the TV and computer. If you’re stuck indoors, get a jump on spring cleaning. (Remember, when the warm weather returns, you’ll want to be back outside, not cleaning the house.) Collect and recycle old clothes and used appliances that have been taking up space in your closets, and take care of the various household chores you’ve been putting off since the summer. An hour of housework burns about 200 calories; plus, this winter activity will give you a great sense of accomplishment.

So it’s time to get excited. If you’ve never been a winter fan, start focusing on what you do love about it and how this time of year provides new opportunities for your fitness and health. From eating delicious in-season produce (oranges, kale, and chestnuts, oh my!), to curling up with a steaming mug of hot cocoa in front of the fireplace after a long workout, there is much to love about winter when you embrace it and appreciate all it has to offer.

Living Healthy as a College Student

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Healthy habits are hard to stick to for many people, especially those of us still in college. With limited choices of healthy eating, and not much help from university cafeterias, loaded class schedules and weekend drinking, it can be hard for students to avoid the “Freshman 15”. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are many things that college students, and anyone else that’s struggling with their health, can do to curb their decline in fitness.

The University of Dayton RecPlex

The University of Dayton has many clubs and activities that students can take advantage of in order to stay active and in shape. “It’s easy to get caught up in the drinking culture and realize you’ve wasted a whole day playing outside and eating nothing but 12 wings for an entire day,” said UD sophomore Seetha Sankaranarayan. Organized clubs like Triathlon Club and the rowing team can provide workouts and direction for some students. I am president of Flyer Marathoners, a running club, and our goal is to get students to be able to run a half marathon at some point. This can be done with proper diet and exercise, all which can be achieved through our group runs or the wealth of advice our club members have.

Besides clubs, UD’s state-of-the-art recreational facility, the RecPlex, has fitness classes that can be taken. This includes anything from kick boxing to personal training. “Typically there are between three and eight participants (at least two in order to teach) in each class,” said UD fitness class instructor Sara Mrowzinski. Attending these classes can be a great way to get yourself motivated if you lack the self-motivation. The city of Dayton is also a great biking community, as headlined by this article, and provides some great routes.

Although I may be a little biased, running, along with a healthy diet, seems to be one of the best ways to shed pounds and stay healthy. Even though it may be hard to start off, once you get yourself going you may find yourself actually enjoying it. Setting goals for yourself is key for running or any workout plan. A goal like “run 5 miles this week”, or “sign up for a 5k race” is a simple idea that can help you stay motivated. I am a definite example of this as I started running during the summer after my freshman year at UD (2008). Since then I have lost 25 pounds and hope to never look back at what I used to be. Setting goals around your work or school schedule is something that will help you not only in health, but also in time management. On Friday June 11, there will be a 5k in downtown Dayton. For more information on that you can read over the race details. For a list of 5k’s in your area click here.

A late-night favorite among UD students: Cousin Vinny's Pizza

The biggest dilemma on the weekend is what to wear when you go out to party, and not what you are actually doing to your body in the process. A typical night for some of UD’s biggest drinkers can yield more than 10 beers. That’s almost 1,000 calories, and that’s if you’re drinking light beer! Add this to late night food items like pizza and burgers and your body screams at you in the morning, along with a few added pounds of weight gain.

“I think if you make a strong enough effort it’s easy enough, but when work picks up staying healthy always falls by the wayside,” Sankaranarayan said. Although some of this may be okay in moderation, the elimination of exercise from a diet can lead to a terrible combination.

The main point here is in order to stay on track and not get sidelined from any unnecessary weight gain, you must take the initiative apply yourself. Don’t wait for your health to get out of control. Joining a running group, club sport, playing weekly intramural sports or even cutting out the soda in your diet can lead to a healthier lifestyle that you will never regret.