Search Weight Loss Topics:

Page 4,299«..1020..4,2984,2994,3004,301..4,3104,320..»

Home » Page 4299

One of the nation's largest fitness chains is about to gobble up one of Tampa Bay's most popular gyms: LA Fitness has reached a deal to acquire St. Petersburg-based Lifestyle Family Fitness.

The terms of the deal for the 33 Lifestyles locations in Florida were not disclosed, according to Club Industry, the trade publication that first reported the deal on Monday.

"The transaction is subject to various closing conditions," LA Fitness said in a statement to the magazine. "While the parties are hopeful that the transaction will be completed within the next several weeks, there can be no assurance as to when or whether a closing will occur."

Neither officials from LA Fitness nor Lifestyle returned repeated calls for comment from the Tampa Bay Times. Nor did the companies make any announcements on their respective websites or through social media.

That left Lifestyle's employees and patrons in Tampa Bay with plenty of questions and no answers: What will happen to their jobs, their memberships, their gyms?

"My wife is not happy," said retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Brian Potridge, 46, who hoped to find an open treadmill late Monday. He and his wife work out at the St. Petersburg Lifestyle at 5900 Fourth St. N.

"Her main reason for coming is the classes," Potridge said. "She's heard that LA Fitness doesn't have the same ones."

Indeed, Stuart Goldman, an industry analyst and managing editor of Club Industry, said that the two fitness chains are dissimilar: Lifestyle is known for bigger facilities that hold more fitness classes; LA Fitness is known for having smaller buildings with fewer offerings.

There's also bound to be confusion ahead for Lifestyle members. That's what happened to Bally Total Fitness members when LA Fitness acquired the chain last year. Bally members even filed suit in federal court claiming that LA Fitness would not honor their lifetime memberships.

"You have a lot of members wondering, 'Am I being transferred to the nearest LA Fitness? How are my rates going to change?' " Goldman said. "It's going to be a long process. I can see where a lot of members won't be happy."

Read more here:
Lifestyle Family Fitness members left without answers as LA Fitness takes over

Read More..

SHERWOOD, Ark., June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Viewers of ABC's "Secret Millionaire" Sunday night were undoubtedly moved as they watched the co-founders of Anytime Fitness pour their hearts out, and open up their wallets, after learning about economic and other challenges faced by countless children in Oklahoma City, OK. What viewers may not have realized is that more than a dozen of Anytime Fitness' preferred vendors, including ABC Financial, teamed with the world's fastest-growing fitness club chain to provide opportunities and enrich the lives of children for many years to come.

"The young children we met in Oklahoma City are dealing with unbelievable hardships," said Chuck Runyon, Anytime Fitness co-founder and CEO. "Many of them are essentially homeless. Others have educational and nutritional needs that aren't being met. The generosity of companies like ABC Financial will go a long way towards giving these children a better chance to enjoy happy, healthy and productive lives."

Among other things, Runyon and Dave Mortensen, Anytime Fitness co-founder and president, donated an entire Anytime Fitness club to benefit the OKC Youth Wrestling Foundation an organization which mentors underprivileged children with a focus on teaching positive character traits. Twenty percent of the proceeds of the club will go directly to the Foundation, which assists hundreds of children in Oklahoma City each year.

ABC Financial supported Anytime Fitness' efforts by providing a free year of payment processing services to the club. "We are truly honored to have the opportunity to partner with Anytime Fitness in their efforts to empower youth through positive extracurricular activities like those performed at OKC Youth Wrestling Foundation," stated Paul Schaller, ABC Financial President. "By investing in our children, we invest in our future."

"The week we spent with the kids in OKC changed our lives forever," said Mortensen. "As anyone who watched the show could tell, it's tough not to get emotional when you see the challenges that these kids face every day. At the same time, it's incredibly heart-warming to know that there are organizations out there, like OKC Youth Wrestling, that are so dedicated to making a real difference in young people's lives."

The new Anytime Fitness club benefiting the Foundation is located at 7140 NW 23rd Street in Bethany, OK. For more information about how the club and the Foundation are assisting children, or about how you can get involved, contact Tyler Williams at tylerjoewilliams@live.com.

About Anytime Fitness

Founded in 2002, Anytime Fitness is now the fastest-growing fitness club franchise in the world, with nearly 1,600,000 members and 2,000+ clubs worldwide. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Anytime Fitness prides itself on providing its members with convenient and affordable fitness options in friendly, well-maintained facilities which feature top-quality exercise equipment. Clubs are now open in 49 states, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Grand Cayman, Poland, the Netherlands, Qatar and Japan. Join one club and use them all. Members also enjoy free access to AnytimeHealth.com, the most comprehensive wellness website available.

About ABC Financial

Launched in 1981, ABC Financial has revolutionized software and payment processing for the health and fitness industry. Headquartered in the Little Rock, Ark. area, ABC Financial serves approximately 3,800 health clubs with approximately two million members throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The company's innovative club management software, DataTrak, is the most complete web-based software in the health and fitness industry.

Follow this link:
ABC Financial Teams With Anytime Fitness On ABC's "Secret Millionaire"

Read More..

CHANHASSEN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Life Time Fitness, Inc. (LTM), The Healthy Way of Life Company, today announced that Michael Robinson, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will present at the Oppenheimer 12th Annual Consumer Conference. John Heller, senior director of investor relations, also will attend on behalf of the Company.

The Conference will be held June 26-27, 2012, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. The Life Time presentation will occur on June 26 at 2:45 p.m. ET. The presentation will be webcast and may be accessed via the Company's Investor Relations section of its website at lifetimefitness.com. A replay of the presentation will be available through Tuesday, September 25, 2012.

About Life Time Fitness, Inc. As The Healthy Way of Life Company, Life Time Fitness (LTM) helps organizations, communities and individuals achieve their total health objectives, athletic aspirations and fitness goals by engaging in their areas of interest or discovering new passions both inside and outside of Life Times distinctive and large sports, professional fitness, family recreation and spa destinations, most of which operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Companys Healthy Way of Life approach enables customers to achieve this by providing the best programs, people and places of uncompromising quality and value. As of June 19, 2012, the Company operated 105 centers under the LIFE TIME FITNESS and LIFE TIME ATHLETIC(SM) brands in the United States and Canada. Additional information about Life Time centers, programs and services is available at lifetimefitness.com.

Originally posted here:
Life Time Fitness to Present at Oppenheimer 12th Annual Consumer Conference

Read More..

Published 10:59am Tuesday, June 19, 2012

By ALDO AMATO / Staff Writer

PELHAM Residents of Alabaster and Pelham can enjoy summer fun and exercise in their own backyard with camps and programs offered at the YMCA.

With kids out of school for the summer months, parents are always searching for an alternative to keep their children occupied during the three months off. Alabaster and Pelham YMCA Director Lane Vines said that childcare is always a popular option during the summer.

Childcare is the largest and most popular programs we offer in the summer months, he said. They usually operate between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day and parents can drop off their children as early as 7 a.m.

Summer camps draw a large number of children to both locations. Vines said that around 400 children attend camps at the Pelham location and about 75 at the Alabaster location.

We offer a wide variety of camps at all of our branches, he said. Theres a sports camp, princess camp, water sports camp and a bunch of other specialty camps that we offer. One of our most popular camps is called the Tour de Playground.

Among the specialty camps offered, Vines said that the YMCA offers more traditional camps which tend to be popular as well. He said that the branches have a long standing partnership with Oak Mountain State Park in which campers can hike, swim and geo-cache around one of the states foremost parks.

They are a great resource, he said. Campers can do a variety of things at the park and hang out at the beach so there is a lot that they offer.

Sports and aquatics activities also are also a popular choice among YMCA attendees. Vines said that the sports camps offered are not as grueling or demanding as those offered at universities however they are both challenging and fun at the same time.

Read more:
YMCA branches offer summer fun, exercise

Read More..

Readmore: Local, Health, News, Consumer, Diet, Lose Weight Fast, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten, Bi Lo Store Manager Greg Esper, Gluten Free Products, Gluten Intolerance, Dietician Kelly Rose, Food

If there's a diet that can help people lose weight fast, you can bet it will become an instant craze and the Gluten Free Diet is no exception.

Gluten is the protein found in wheat products and many people lose weight avoiding it.

Bi-Lo Store manager Greg Esper says Gluten Free products have always been available, but now labels are reflecting it.

"You can see we carry several gluten free products right here in the cereal aisle that have not always been advertised as such," says Esper.

This change in advertising may be due to an increase in people learning they have a gluten intolerance, and because more people are trying gluten free diets.

Gluten free items are in such demand that the Bi-Lo had to expand their freezer section just to accommodate customers needs.

So, is it safe for people without a gluten intolerance?

"For those people who are trying many diets this is definitely one that's doable," says dietician Kelly Rose.

Rose adds grocery stores make these strict diets more accessible to everyone. "Pretty much anything you want that had gluten in it, you can get without"

More here:
You, me, and Gluten free

Read More..

Amy Tatum, KYTX, Reporting, Courtesy CNN

LONGVIEW, Texas A father and son are walking across America. Theyve made it to east Texas this week. The father jokes about his weight problem but hes taking action to fix it.

The father is known as Toddzilla. When he began the journey, he weighed in at 435 pounds. His son, about 330lbs. Both are on a mission to lose weight as well as give others the courage to do something out of the ordinary.

Todd and his son Colin are braving the Texas heat for a mission that began in January in their home state of Georgia. Im a man of faith so I started walking and praying a little bit around town and then one day it just hit me, says Todd.

He had to walk to San Diego, California. There was no particular reason he chose that end point. The former music minister says he just needed a break from an unfulfilled and unhealthy lifestyle. He didnt want to go alone. I was excited that he asked me to go on this adventure with him, says son Colin.

From Longview father and son will walk to Dallas, on to New Mexico, then Arizona and finally San Diego. Theyre hoping to make it by September.

Its turned into a walk of inspiration for a lot of people that have followed us along the way, says Todd. The walk is supported by donations from their 650 facebook followers.

For this father and son, each step forward is a step closer to their weight loss goals and so much more. You dont have to let your circumstances always dictate your actions. Your actions are capable of controlling what circumstances are around you, says Todd.

At night Todd and Colin either stay in a hotel or at the homes of people theyve met along the way. By the end of this journey, Todd is hoping to be down to 275. His son Colin is shooting to get down to about 230 pounds.

Todd and Colins relatives are driving along with them to provide support. The duo invites you to walk a mile with them. You can catch up with them somewhere along Highway 80 in east Texas.

See the original post:
Father & Son Walking Across America To Lose Weight

Read More..

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com

A recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that adults who underwent common bariatric surgery to lose weight had a higher risk of developing alcohol use disorder (AUD) two years after having the surgery.

With 1,945 participants in the study, researchers looked at alcohol consumption and alcohol disorder systems from the Longitudinal Assessment of bariatric Surgery (LABS). LABS, a NIH-funded project, examined patients who had weight-loss surgery at one of 10 hospitals throughout the U.S. Study participants completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification (AUDIT) test approximately 30 days after the surgery as well as one and two years after the surgery. The test was created by the World Health Organization and aimed to identify symptoms of alcohol use disorder, otherwise known as alcoholism. Symptoms of the disorder include alcohol use and dependence.

Given a standardized quantity of alcohol, patients reach a higher peak alcohol level [in the bloodstream] after surgery compared with case-controls or their pre-operative levels, the group of researchers wrote in the report.

If the patients demonstrated at least one symptom of alcohol dependence or had a total AUDIT score of 8 out of 40, they would be categorized as having AUD. Around 70 percent of the study participants had Roux-en-Y (RYGB) gastric bypass surgery that could reduce the size of the stomach, shorten the intestine, as well as limit food intake and body consumption of calories. Another 25 percent of patients had laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery that could make the stomach smaller with an adjustable band. Lastly, 5 percent of the patients had other, but less commonly known weight-loss surgeries.

7 percent of those who underwent the RYGB procedure reported symptoms of alcohol use disorder before having the surgery. One year after the surgery, there was no major increase in AUD. However, two years after having surgery, 10.7 percent of patients stated that they had symptoms of AUD; this was an increase of over 50 percent as compared to the pre-surgical rate. As such, one in eight LABS study participants reported that, after the weight loss surgery, they had a minimum of three drinks per day the second year after having the surgery. Even though having AUD before the surgery is a strong predictor of having it after the surgery, many of the participants reported that they did not have the illness before the surgery.

This is concerning, given the negative impact heavy drinking may have on vitamin and mineral status, liver function and weight loss, commented lead author Dr. Wendy King, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, in a prepared statement.

There were other factors involved as well. For those patients who had less social support or who reported recreational drug use and smoking before the surgery, they were more likely to show symptoms of AUD after the surgery. As well, men and younger adults also had a higher change of developing AUD. Binge eating, depressive symptoms and mental health treatment were also not independently related to an increased rate of AUD after surgery.

The study results suggest that clinicians should be aware of the importance of monitoring for signs and symptoms of AUD and consider counseling after bariatric surgery, remarked Dr. Mary Horlick, project scientist for LABS at the NIHs National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), in the statement.

The results from past studies also show that bariatric surgery could possibly increase the change of alcohol use disorders in a small, retrospective way.

See the original post:
Weight Loss Surgery May Increase Alcoholism

Read More..

PITTSBURGH, June 18 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers found patients who had gastric bypass surgery to lose weight had a significantly elevated risk of alcohol use disorders.

Lead author Dr. Wendy King of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and colleagues investigated alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder symptoms in 1,945 participants from a prospective study of patients undergoing weight-loss surgery.

Within 30 days before surgery, and again one and two years after surgery, study participants completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification test, which identifies symptoms of alcohol use disorders. Study participants were categorized as having alcohol use disorder if they had at least one symptom of alcohol dependence such as not being able to stop drinking once started, or alcohol-related harm.

About 70 percent of the study participants had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery -- which reduces the size of the stomach and shortens the intestine, limiting food intake and the body's ability to absorb calories -- while 25 percent had laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery, which makes the stomach smaller with an adjustable band. About 5 percent of the patients had another weight-loss surgery.

The study, published online ahead of the print edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found among participants who had the Roux-en-Y procedure, 7 percent reported symptoms of alcohol use disorders prior to surgery, no significant increase in alcohol use disorder one year after surgery, but by the second year 10.7 percent of patients reported symptoms of alcohol use disorder.

The findings were presented Monday at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery meeting in San Diego.

Read the original post:
Weight-loss surgery linked to alcohol use

Read More..

Public release date: 19-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

Human Insulin Suppresses Mosquito Immune System: Increasing Cases of Type II Diabetes Could Abet Malaria's Spread

Human insulin suppresses the mosquito immune system, according to a paper in the June Infection and Immunity. And while mosquitoes and malaria might seem to go together like baseball and hotdogs, mosquitoes' immunological resistance to the malaria parasite actually slows its spread among H. sapiens.

"A fair portion actually fight off the infection," says first author Nazzy Pakpour of the University of California, Davis.

But now the rate of type 2 diabetes is climbing in Africa as in most of the rest of the world, to the point where by 2030, one in five adults there are predicted to be so-afflicted. More diabetes means more hyperinsulinemiamore human insulin to inhibit mosquitoes' immune response to Plasmodium falciparum, thus aiding and abetting transmission of this dread disease.

As horrific as the medical consequences of all this might be, the science is intriguing. "It's crazy to think something in our blood could change how mosquitoes respond to parasites," says Pakpour.

In earlier work, Pakpour and collaborators showed that ingested human insulin activates the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway in Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, making them more vulnerable to invasion by P. falciparum. The new study showed that insulin signaling reduced expression of certain mosquito immunity genes that are under the same regulatory control, and that human insulin suppressed mosquito immunity by activating the so-called PI3K signaling pathway, and that artificially inhibiting that pathway could reverse the immunosuppressive effects of human insulin.

(N. Pakpour, V. Corby-Harris, G.P. Green, H.M. Smithers, K.W. Cheung, M.A.Riehle, and S. Luckhart, 2012. Ingested human insulin inhibits the mosquito NF-KAPPAB-dependent immune response to Plasmodium falciparum. Infect. Immun. 80:2141-2149.)

Download the journal article at http://bit.ly/asm061912a

See the rest here:
Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology

Read More..

WHAT WORKS FOR YOU? Different kinds of diets work for different kinds of people. For Dr. Davis' patients, it's getting rid of wheat. Screen grab from YouTube

MANILA, Philippines - Its one thing to posit that organic lechon (roasted pig) may in fact be healthier than transfat-logged fastfood meals.

Its quite another to be advocating an ample amount of meat in ones diet.

The hypothesis is more than enough to raise a few people's eyebrows in curiosity, and yet is easily dismissed due to age-old correlations between meat, cholesterol and heart disease.

Yet this is exactly what a new wave of nutritionists are doing. The startling thing about it: the way these nutritionists champion eating food that has traditionally been deemed unhealthy.

They also fight against what people have considered to be a staple in many countries around the world: grains, whether they come in the form of steaming hot rice or the breakfast pan de sal (bread of salt).

Cardiologist Dr. William Davis is quick to suggest the elimination of wheat in his patients diets whenever they have an unexplainable ailment. He narrates in his best-selling book Wheat Belly how his patients quickly lost much of their unhealthy weight, effectively cured their diabetes, regained energy and even slowed down their aging process by doing so. A myriad of glowing testimonials are also included in the book; theyre almost too good to be true.

He suggests that much of the United States obesity problems started when the countrys Food and Drug Administration began to advocate wheat products.

Dr. Davis noticed a pattern among his patients who consciously tried to live healthy lifestyles with proper diet and exercise. Most will say, I dont get it. I exercise five days a week. Ive cut my fat and increased my healthy whole grains. Yet I cant seem to stop gaining weight, Davis writes.

He cites many reasons as to why wheat is a culprit of poor health: the wheat we eat today is not the wheat that our grandparents used to consume (thanks to rampant and uncontrolled cross-breeding); high glycemic indices in wheat products that raise blood sugar more than table sugar or a bar of Snickers; wheats addictive properties that cause overeating, and more.

See more here:
Eating like a caveman

Read More..

Contact Us Today

Page 4,299«..1020..4,2984,2994,3004,301..4,3104,320..»

Home » Page 4299