City Fitness Gym Member Spotlight - Ben Cunis in Synetic's Dante!

Click on the above title bar to visit Synetic's website for more detailed information. Dante runs through March 23 in Rosslyn - and this company always provides an amazing show!

City Fitness Member Spotlight - Mary Hall Surface is a Helen Hayes Nominee!

Mary Hall Surface, City Fitness member, has been a member of the theater community in Washington, DC, writing and directing numerous productions. She and a couple of her productions have been nominated in several categories for Helen Hayes awards this year. Click on the above title bar to review all of the nominees. When you see her congratulate her...and keep your fingers crossed that she wins!

City Fitness Gym Member Spotlight - Soupergirl in the Express!

Sara's "Soupergirl" concept is really taking off...delicious meal-style soups delivered to your door (or to easy pick-up locations if you are out of her delivery area). Click on the above title bar to read about her in the Washington Post Express.

February 14 is National Organ Donor Day

February 14 is the 10th Annual National Donor Day. In addition to organ donors, there is always a need for blood, marrow, and umbilical cord stem cell donations. There are around 100,000 people waiting for life-saving transplants. Click on the title bar to learn more about how you can help!

February is National Heart Month

February is National Heart Month - celebrate by treating your heart well! Adding cardiovascular exercise, modifying dietary intake, and lowering stress levels can help keep the heart healthy and strong. Check out the American Heart Association web site at www.americanheart.org for more ideas - and leave some of your own here to share.

Resolution Step #27 - Don't Skip Checkups

A lot of us procrastinate in what should be our regularly scheduled dental and other medical checkups. You've heard about things as simple as an infected tooth causing heart trouble...or elevated blood pressure causing health problems down the road. Go get everything checked out on a regular basis and stay healthy and on track for your fitness goals.

Resolution Step #26 - Reduce Your Stress!

Stress can railroad a health and fitness plan. Elevated stress levels can change your hormone and other body chemical levels causing weight gain, it can inspire over-eating, it affects sleep, it can cause tension and pain in the muscles and joints, and it can definitely throw your workout schedule off-track if you are feeling overwhelmed. What can we do to reduce stress? Of course, exercise and body work including massage and acupuncture can help, but let's also focus on attacking the mental part. Assess the things that are causing you stress and decide "What can I do?" Hire an organizer to help streamline, take a long weekend to relax, schedule time for yourself, work on relationships with friends, family and co-workers to get more support. And if none of this works?? Sometimes there is nothing you can do to and stress is going to be a part of your life. If so, just acknowledge it and enjoy everything about life you can. The more you dwell on your problems, the harder it is to reduce your stress.

Resolution Step #25 - Help Someone Else Get Healthy - Donate Blood!

January is National Blood Donor Month - help blood banks keep up with the demand by donating as soon as you can!

Resolution Step #24 - Improve Your Posture

Poor posture is the cause of many of our aches, pains and injuries. So many of us have ended up in sedentary (or mostly sedentary) professions, that we frequently slump forward with rounded shoulders, a forward head, tucked under tailbone, and lean to one side or another. Doing this day after day can cause some muscles to get short and tight and others to over-lengthen. That combination = an injury waiting to happen. Click on the above title bar for a good Wiki articles about easy ways to improve your posture. Not only will your mother thank you, but your body will too!

Resolution Step #23 - Improve your ergonomics!

Sore hands and wrists? Hip or low back hurting? You might need to address your ergonomics to reduce soreness. A sore tight muscle can be injured so much more easily in your workouts - so nip it before the injury comes! Creating an ergonomic workstation is easier than you might think, and the payoff can be huge. Click on the above title bar for tips and resources that can get you on the path to making your workstation more ergonomic and maybe even more productive, while keeping you healthier and happier.