Somebody forgot to bring her lululemon to the gym today…

In my defense, my day begins at 5:30 a.m. and it gets awfully dark in that closet of mine. Imagine my surprise when I reached into my gym bag twelve hours later, and pulled out a child sized, cut-off, sled-dog puppies tee that I bought five years ago at an Alaskan flee market for a quarter. I could have sworn I grabbed the lulu, but all I got was the lemon.

I guess I could have packed up at that point and called it a day, but exercise is my daily calm – it’s my inner peace – it’s zentastic.

At my mom’s office, everyone meditates together after lunch (as a kindergartener, I called that nap time, but I guess if you have a masters degree you can call it whatever you want.) She claims that it helps everyone stay stress-free and grounded. Unfortunately, at my place of work – there’s no standing meditation date; my thoughtful reflection time has to wait until later in the day when I can settle in at the pool or on the treadmill. This physical activity is imperative to my mental and physical well being!

So, there I was, staring into the mirror surrounded by classy ladies in their work out duds – and I in my 1987 off-the-shoulder Iditarod top. I did what any sporty fashion-victim would do, I popped in the headphones, and tried to avoid making eye contact with anyone on the way up the stairs (even though I’m sure you’re all super down to Earth and wouldn’t dream of judging my retro gym-wear…)

First, I would like to apologize to your friends and family, as I know that this is Access Card month. Let’s be honest, the parking lot was packed with aspiring club goers this afternoon (probably really trendy ones too), and I broke a fashion bylaw. Thou shalt not wear husky-pup screen prints on the treadmill.

It won’t happen again. I don’t usually dress like that (at least not while I’m in the lower-48.) I swear! I’m not just an Uggs and sweatpants sort of girl! I am a workout professional!

You have my word: I will pack my gym bag with the light on from now on.

IT WILL BE A JANUARY THAW IN THE SPIN ROOM TONIGHT!  GET READY FOR OUR 3 HOUR “SPIN FOR HOPE” ON MARCH 4.  TIME IN THE SADDLE WITH SOME OF YOUR BFFS!!!!!

“Hot -n-Fun” N.E.R.D. & Nelly Furtado

“Boys Boys Boys” Lady Gaga

“Work (Freemasons Dub Mix) Kelly Rowland

“King of Anything” Sara Bareilles

“Lonely Boy” The Black Keys

“Fortunate Son (feat. Scott Stapp) Santana

“Turn Me On (feat. Nicki Minaj) David Guetta

“Immortal Megamix:Can You Feel It/Don’t Stop “Til You Get Enough/Billie Jean/Black or White (Immortal Version)     Michael Jackson

“Nailed”  from The Final Destination     Brian Tyler

“Don’t Stop” (Color on the Walls)     Foster The People

“Rock Star” (Jason Nevins Remix Edit)     N.E.R.D.

“Someone Like You”     ADELE

HEY SPINNING CRAZIES!!  SEE YOU AT 5:30PM )    LOOKING FOR SOME ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM!!!

Due to the complete and total lack of attention paid to the NFL Championship game, it’s sometimes easy to forget about the Super Bowl.

What with the growing popularity of “Celebrity Sumo Wrestling” and “Shirts and Skins Extreme Chess”, football has somehow been pushed to the background.

But not at Worcester Fitness!

Worcester Fitness may be clinging to the past but we still love the NFL! No amount of “Blind Folded Bass Tournaments” or “Ultimate Typing Championships”, currently taking the nation by storm, will ever be enough to kick the NFL off the Worcester Fitness sports pedestal.

So yes, we are gearing up for some good old fashioned, kick butt football! We even have the NFL channel which allows any other football die hard’s the opportunity to watch about a gajillion games during the regular season.

But as we all know, the Super Bowl is different!

This here is the BIG GAME! That’s why we have a ton of BIG T.V.’s! You can’t watch a BIG GAME on a small TV? It get’s all scrunched up and squeezed. You can only see half the field on some of them.

At MacDonald’s Tavern inside Worcester Fitness you see the whole field. From as many angles as they make available to us. That’s right, we show them ALL.

Like replay’s?

We show them ALL! That’s right, even the ones that seem so ridiculously obvious to even the most remotely interested bystander.

So it’s time to make a decision.

You can stay at home and tune into “Olympic Style Lampshade Tossing” or “Telekinetic Shuffleboard”.

OR…you can come down to MacDonald’s Tavern on February 5, 2012 and watch the BIGGEST game of the year on our giant TV’s and hang out with your friends.

Let us know, we need to know how many bags of chips to buy!

In 2012, Worcester Fitness nation will be joining ranks with an incredible organization committed to educating people as to the importance of self examination and self advocacy when dealing with the risk of cancer.

The 15-40 Connection was born out of an alarming statistic. It is one that has cut lives short and impacted many hundreds of thousands. Nearly 72,000 15 to 40-year-olds in the United States are diagnosed with cancer every year. Yet, cancer survival rates for this age group have been nearly stagnant since 1975.

How can this be true? When an ache, pain, or fatigue does not go away 15 to 40-year-olds typically wait, and then wait some more for it to resolve itself. They attribute the change in their health to stress or feel that calling a doctor is over-reacting. What they do not know is the most obvious sign of cancer is an often subtle change in your normal health. Time spent waiting for these issues to resolve themselves provides cancer with time to progress. Cancer is much more difficult to treat at more advanced stages. This is a major contributor to this alarming statistic.

The 15-40 Connection is dedicated to creating a world where “invincible” adolescents and young adults take their medical care and cancer screenings seriously. Motivating teens and young adults to take action when they notice changes in their normal health and to be strong self-advocates when their instincts tell them something is wrong will save lives and improve cancer survival rates.

In the coming months, Worcester Fitness Nation will be asking for your support in very simple and easy ways. Please help us to help protect and support this awesome organization!

Do you know the common signs and symptoms of cancer? Early detection is key to improving cancer survival rates. Learn more.

Worcester Fitness Nation announced today the premier of a brand new Zumba class to take place every Tuesday night at 6:30PM at it’s Grove Street location.

While a regular Zumba class is exciting and fun a Toning Class adds another dimension to the workout party. This class takes the original dance/fitness class to an entirely different level.

ZUMBA® TONING is a breakthrough muscle shaping system with the use of lightweight toning sticks that you use like a set of maracas. The sticks weigh approximately 2 1/2 pounds and are filled with sand.

In a very short period of time this workout will help you build coordination, muscular strength and reshape your body.

You’ll not only lose pounds and inches but you will have curves in all the right places, as a result of this program. This exciting breakthrough workout is designed to offer you a safe and yet very effective total body sculpting workout.

If you haven’t tried this type of dance workout yet then you owe it to yourself to give it a try. What you will find is that it is more like being at a swanky nightclub rather than an exercise class.

The class is available to everyone, no previous dance or Zumba experience is required.

Sarah is an incredible instructor who puts her heart and soul into every class! You are guaranteed a tremendous workout that is also a ton of fitness fun!

If you are a member of Worcester Fitness you should have received something very special in the mail last week!

Some of you have been members since the day we opened in 1978, and others may have just recently joined.  Whenever you became a part of our family, I hope you have always felt at home here and continue to make Worcester Fitness part of your life.

However, it’s no secret that a health club, like any other business, always needs to grow to better serve our clients.  Historically, Worcester Fitness has needed to do very little traditional advertising – choosing instead to let our members tell our story.  For this, we have nothing but our sincerest thanks to you.  To show our thanks, I would like to invite you to spread the health and wellness you are giving yourself and encourage your family and friends to join you here at Worcester Fitness.

Simply put – we want more members just like you!

That is why we sent you a gift card for you to give to someone that you think would be a great addition to the Worcester Fitness family.  This one week pass will allow your friend or family member to experience all of the services and classes that you enjoy every visit.  And, if your guest joins our club, you will receive a free one month membership!

If you didn’t receive your gift card, please let us know and we’ll give you a one!

Thank you all for continuing to make Worcester Fitness a special place to be!

Well, Zumba Tone and Babyoncé have arrived in my life, and all is well with the world.

Let’s start with the ZT: awesome due in equal parts to the instructor (Sarah – great name!) and a Zumba 2.0 mentality that maintained the party but never ditched the workout. Sarah was like an athletic Penny (yes, that was a Happy Endings reference) who brought enthusiasm, intensity, and personable leadership to the Zumba sanctuary. Evidenced by my aching quads, Zumba Tone is a delightful departure from the routine. Loved it! From what I understand, there’s another demo tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.

As for Bey, Jay, and their totally cray baby gurl (Blue Ivy Carter), if you haven’t heard “Glory feat. B.I.C.” then you’re the cray one.

Have a great week Worcester Fitness!

Currently I’m reading “We Are All Weird” by Seth Godin and, while it’s essentially a marketing book, it made me think of all products people buy that are not really what they want or need. The fact is we ARE all weird whether we want admit it or not. And that simply means that nobody is exactly like anyone else. We all have individual lives with unique problems and circumstances.

Relating this to health and fitness, we all have our own particular goals and personal issues in reaching those goals. Health and fitness products for the masses include fad diets, supplements, exercise videos, etc. They don’t deal with the obstacles that confront you as an individual on a daily basis. The results are never as good as they could be because the product was made for the hypothetical average person, not you.

So , why is it that we tend to buy the products that target the masses? Convenience is certainly one reason, as is price. It’s easy to knock off a product when there’s no personalization needed. Many people also like to believe they are like everyone else. They want to be normal. But let’s face it. There’s no cookie cutter for people and wouldn’t life be boring if there was?

Where does that leave us when we seek to reach our own individual goals with our own individual set of obstacles? Seek out personalization and, yes, pay a little more to get it right. That goes for hiring a personal trainer, registered dietitian (RD), life coach, business coach, etc.

Wouldn’t it be worth it to finally get what is right for you in all your weirdness?

Best wishes in the new year, Mark

Mark Nutting, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT-AR*D

Welcome to 2012, the year of Swiss Spa diets, sweatworking, and fidgeting fitness.

I could claim that 2011 was a promising year for my health, but if I’m being honest, it ended with two Ditch Plains hotdogs covered in Mac and Cheese.

Resolution #1: Cook my own meals at least five days per week.  I was intrigued by an article about the Beau-Rivage Palace in the Swiss Alps where women can lose weight while eating morning cheeses and afternoon chocolates. According to these chrono-nutrition experts, you can target troubled areas when you eat the right things (however sinfully delicious) at the right time of day. It’s all about the enzymes ladies and gentlemen.

Resolution #2: Why go out on the town with my friends and colleagues when I can sweatwork instead? Ok, so I think that Courtney Rubin had “client services” types in mind when she wrote this article, but the concept is simple: in a sweat stricken and cell phoneless state of exhaustion– people are more accessible.

Resolution #3: “Incidental activity” isn’t enough; this girl needs to schedule her workouts. I won the lottery. You know, the lottery where you get to run a painful half marathon while you wear a paper number on your chest and one of those timer chip things that inevitably flips up and digs into your ankle? Watch out New York Half Marathon! I’m back on my training plan and feeling…old.