What's Happening At Longevity Studios
Eat Smart Program
Saturday, March 15th to June 28th - 8:00-9:00 AM | La Plata Studio
Our 2014 class is forming now. Eat Smart is a unique approach to fat loss. It is a 16-week fat-loss
program that combines multiple strategies to help you achieve the body composition you desire. Eat
Smart is much more than just lists of what to eat and what not to eat or how many calories to
consume. It incorporates a habit-based coaching approach, instruction on how to change your
thought process about fat loss, daily text reminders and follow-up, weekly class sessions or video
lessons and daily educational emails, along with weekly contact with a registered dietitian or Eat
Smart
Practitioner.
Long-lasting
fat-loss
requires
a
lifestyle
change.
For more information, check out our website or call our studio at 301-934-8855.
"Myofascial Massage for Movement Freedom" Seminar
Saturday, March 15th - 12:00-1:00 PM | La Plata Studio
If you deal with chronic muscular or joint pain, this is the seminar for you. Tracy Morris, Licensed
Massage Therapist, will be discussing the benefits and the methods of myofascial release, a soft tissue
therapy for the treatment of skeletal muscle immobility and pain. She will pick volunteers from the
audience demonstrate the technique on various areas of the body.
For more information or to register for this seminar, please call our studio at 301-934-8855.
"Bodyweight Training" Workshop
Saturday, March 29th - 12:00-1:15 PM | La Plata Studio
This is a workshop exclusively for Longevity Studios clients. Whether you are newbie to resistance
training or an old-school gym rat, bodyweight training is great way to get in shape, change up your
program and workout when you don't have access to weights. You will learn various bodyweight
exercises, how to make them easier and harder and how to combine them to fit you. Sign up early! We
are
only
taking
10
participants
for
this.
To take advantage of this workshop, please call our studio at 301-934-8855.
Ready for Spring Running
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Oh no... wait, I want to exercise
outside. Why did that groundhog have to give us such a bad report?
Although Mr. Groundhog thinks spring is a ways off, it is actually time to
get ready to be running outside again.
Ways to Get Ready for Spring Running
Expanded Small Group Training Program- World Gym La Plata
At World Gym La Plata, we are expanding our Small Group Training program on February 25th. The
new schedule will have will have sessions on Tuesday & Thursday at 9:30 AM and 5:30 PM and on
Saturday at 8:30 AM. The session is our Longevity Interval Training (LIT). The LIT is a fast-pace
combination of resistance, cardio and metabolic intervals that are designed to give you a caloric
burning boost, challenge cardiorespiratory endurance and drive your fitness to the next level. This
session can be modified for most levels of fitness. Come try it out for FREE!
Coming soon to World Gym La Plata is the World Gym Running Club. The club will start in March.
For more details, stop by the World Gym La Plata front desk or keep an eye on their Facebook page.
Move of the Month
Member Highlight
Toe Touch Progression
Sandra Merchant
About the exercise:
The toe touch progression is a simple exercise to
improve body awareness for deep squatting and
bending. It simply teaches the relaxation of the
tension in the lower back and how to shift weight
from the heels to the toes in a smooth and
consistent fashion.
Let's paint the picture of how Sandra described
she was before she came into Longevity Studios.
"When I came in, I was 217 lbs, size 18, eating
one meal a day, if at all. Most of my meals
consisted of carbs and junk. I was full of piss
and vinegar. What I thought I could do in my
head I couldn't do or my body was barely
capable of doing without gasping for air."
To perform this exercise:
Stand erect with the feet side by side, heels and
toes touching. The balls of both feet should be
elevated onto a 1 to 2 inch platform such as a
board or free weight plate. Insert a towel roll or
foam roll between the knees by flexing the knees
slightly and separating them without changing
foot position. The towel or foam roll should be
thick enough that the knees cannot be locked
backward or hyperextended. This position will
feel bowlegged and extremely awkward, but do
not change it. If foot position is altered in any
way, the towel roll is too large; unroll a layer or
The decision to make a life change brought
Sandra to Longevity. She was ready for a
commitment but did not want to go through the
experience of another typical gym environment
and knew she needed one-on-one attention to
help her make this change.
The initial consultation with Natasha, Studio
Director, had her sold. As Sandra puts it, "She
talked about ME, and not how to get a gym
membership or how long the program was or
the cost. She asked about ME, my physical
condition, what I was looking for and what were
two before continuing. The back should be
relaxed and without tension. You should feel
tension from the outside of the knee up through
the outside of the hips.
Reach for the ceiling, stretching the arms as high
as possible with palms facing forward. Hollow
out the abdomen by pulling in as deeply as
possible with the abdominal muscles. This
should not alter breathing. If it does, continue
practicing the movement until it can be done
without significantly changing breathing.
Bend forward so that the fingertips touch the
toes. If the fingertips do not make it completely
to the toes, remember to keep the abdominal
area pulled inward. Also, squeeze the towel roll
slightly to help relax certain muscles in the outer
thigh and back so that the toes can be reached. If
you still cannot reach the toes, bend the knees
slightly to reach them for the first repetition.
Return to the starting position, keeping the heels
on the ground and the hands raised as high as
possible overhead with palms facing forward.
Keep the abdominal region pulled inward and
repeat the movement. If a slight knee bend was
required for the first repetition, try to bend the
knees a little less this time. Reduce the knee
bend with each repetition and try to go a little
farther each time. You will feel tension in the calf
behind the knee, in the hamstrings and possibly
in the lower back.
Phase two of the toe touch progression uses the
same movement but from a different position.
For phase two, elevate the heels on a 1 to 2 inch
platform. The toes should be on the ground.
Insert the towel roll between the knees without
changing the foot position. Repeat the toe touch
movement, reaching up to the ceiling, pulling in
the abdominals and reaching to the toes. There
may be slightly greater tension in the lower back
and hamstrings and slightly less tension in the
calves than in phase one. Bend the knees as little
as possible to allow a toe touch and bend the
knees less and less with each repetition until
they can be held in a nearly straight position. At
no time during the exercise should the knee
hyperextend or the foot position change. You
should be closer to touching your toes or doing
so more comfortably following this drill. You
should be comfortable touching your toes before
starting deep squatting activities.
some of my habits and activities, We must have
talked for an hour and she didn't look at her
watch or act like she needed to go or had
another appointment. She created a profile and
paired me with two trainers that would fit ME.
Both of my trainers were concerned about ME
at every session. They always asked questions
like how was I feeling, what did I eat and did I
get enough sleep."
Her life has been significantly affected by
joining Longevity Studios. The areas that have
been most impacted are her physical, mental,
emotional states and eating habits.. Some of the
successes she has seen while at Longevity are 25
lbs. of weight loss, approximate 26 overall
inches lost and she is down to a size 14. She has
finished two 5K races. The first race, in March
of 2013, was a run only and the second race, in
May of 2013, was a run with an obstacle course.
She finished both of them with a pretty good
placing.
Some of what Sandra calls her "smaller"
successes is that she able to do 30 pushups,
jumping jacks, the crab walk, balance on the
BOSU ball, jumping on a step that is 17 inches
high and plank for more than a minute ... with
great form we might add!!! She has only missed
three sessions since October 2013 and she is
consistently eating 3-5 meals a day.
Sandra in part attributes her success to the fact
that Longevity is a small environment filled
with people who genuinely care about helping
people make changes in their lives. She really
likes that the trainers have empathy for her
situation and know firsthand the emotional and
physical obstacles that come with a life change
in weight loss or a healthier lifestyle. She thrives
on the knowledgeable and diverse nature of the
personalities and abilities of the training staff.
The goals for the future are to lose another 57
lbs. to get to her "goal" weight, fit in a size 12,
run longer and faster, do 5 pull ups and
continue on the path towards being healthier.
She would also like to bring her friends that are
in the same shape that she feels she used to be
and have them get the Longevity Studios
experience. Sandra sees her future this way,
"My future goals, hopes and dreams that I plan
on achieving are incorporating what I have
accomplished and learned at Longevity and
teaching it to my husband. I want him to learn
from my example, get into better shape and
improve his health so he can live to be 110."
All we can say is "Great work Sandra!" and that
we will do everything in our power to make your
future a reality!!!
Longevity Studios™ is a health and wellness company
headquartered in La Plata, Maryland, providing
training, services and education that help individuals,
groups and businesses realize their full potential.
We offer free consultations to talk about your personal
fitness needs. Please feel free to contact us for more
information through our website, on Facebook or at
our studio at 301-934-8855.
Longevity Studios
6770 Crain Highway
La Plata, Maryland 20646
301-934-8855
Our Services Include:
Fitness Assessments
Healthy Lifestyle Coaching
Corrective Exercise Programs
Longevity at Work
Personal Training
Small Group Personal Training
Longevity Studios at World Gym
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