SERVICES

We offer a full spectrum of fitness services including:

• Relaxed Family Atmosphere
• Unmatched Expertise
• Personal Training Sessions as low as $20
• Memberships with NO contracts and 3 & 6 month contracts
• Group Classes (see below for schedule & cost)
• Nutrition Programs Developed by Our Dietician
• DotFit Programs
• Customized Regimens for: 

    

Weight Loss & Management

Weight Gain & Management

Athletic Speed & Strength Training

Sport Specific Training

Kids Programs

• 3500 sq. ft. of Equipment Including: 

    

Cardio – Treadmills, Ellipticals, Recumbant Bikes, Steppers

Machines – Pin Select(upper & lower), Plate Loaded(Hammer Strength)

Free Weights – Dumbbells(up to 150 lbs.), Kettlebells, Barbells

Other Fitness Equipment – Training Rope, Ab Dollys, Weighted Ab Machine, Bosu Ball, etc…

• Massage Therapy:

Soft Tissue & Injury Rehabilitation

Only $40 for 30 minutes

Only $70 for 60 minutes

Hours of Operation:

• Monday:       5:30am – 7:00pm
• Tuesday:       5:30am – 7:00pm
• Wednesday: 5:30am – 7:00pm
• Thursday:     5:30am – 7:00pm
• Friday:           5:30am – 4:00pm
• Saturday:      9:00am – 12:00pm

$40 per session – Month to Month(No contract)**

$25 per session – 3 month contract required* **

$20 per session – 6 month contract required* **

*All prices require a minimum of 2 sessions per week.

**Includes a full membership.

-Membership Pricing-

$30 per month – No Contract *

$20 per month – 3 Month Contract *

$15 per month – 6 Month Contract *

*Special Discounted Pricing for Families on Gym Memberships ONLY! No Discounts on Personal Training Sessions.

- Group Class Prices -

$15 per class *

* Classes last between 50 minutes to an hour.

Monday: 7pm – 8pm with Ben Moore

Wednesday: 12pm – 1pm with Kevin Drake

Wednesday: 6:30pm – 7:30pm with Chris Davis

Saturday: 9am – 10am with Ben Moore

Make an appointment today by calling Drake Fitness at 205-298-1001 or write your name in on the schedule the next time you’re at the gym.

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Fact or Fiction? Enduring Fitness & Nutrition Myths

Elvis lives! There are alligators in the sewers. People love a good story. The more sensationalistic and absurd, the longer the myth seems to endure. In the health and fitness world, there are exercise and nutrition myths that have survived for decades, even though a preponderance of information proves their inaccuracy. As if the task of improving one’s health or fitness level isn’t challenging enough, fitness myths can cause confusion and frustration, and often result in wasted time. Here dotFIT experts debunk several fitness myths that seem to be particularly pervasive.

MYTH #1: Sugar is making America fat

FACT: Poor choices are making America fat



All legitimate science agrees that the causes of continuous weight gain in developed nations consists of a variety of environmental, psychological and physiological factors, not sugar and sweeteners . Researchers found that obesity was positively linked with time spent watching TV or at a computer and diets high in fat. This review looked at 38,409 individuals ages 20-74 and found no increase in body mass or obesity in populations that consumed sugar sweetened beverages vs. those that did not. Sweeteners are unfortunately guilty by association because of their presence in the foods and drinks (thus calories) we choose to consume. In other words, we can get fat on anything if we eat more calories than we burn, even if we only ate whole grains, fish and salads. According to a 2003 article in Obesity Research, “The use of caloric sweeteners has risen across the world, and has contributed to an increasing number of calories consumed per day, which leads to weight gain” . The sad truth is that as a society we simply make poor food and drink choices. No one would argue that a diet high in sugar (and high in the nutrient deficient foods that deliver it) is good for you, but in the end these poor food choices are simply a delivery vehicle for excess calories. And don’t forget, too much of any nutrient can become unhealthy, including, meats, vitamins and minerals, fish oils, etc. If we consumed sugars in moderation like we should, there would be no health-related issues. Sadly, we would probably fill the calorie gap with something else and then blame all our problems on the substitute food. So, there is nothing inherently fat-producing about sugar. The reality is that sugary foods do make up a significant portion of the typical American’s diet. Coupled with low daily activity, this is a recipe for disaster, tipping the scale in favor of weight gain. A more accurate take-home message is, “reduce junk food intake and increase physical activity to improve health and body composition”. Not, “don’t eat sugar, it makes you fat.”


MYTH #2: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) makes you fatter than sugar and leads to type 2 diabetes


FACT:  Consumption of caloric sweeteners in America has declined since its peak in 1999 while obesity has climbed more rapidly than any other time in our history



This is an offshoot of the sugar myth. It’s just another urban legend, according to John S. White, Ph.D., a leading research consultant who specializes in nutritive sweeteners. “These allegations–such as increased fat production or increased appetite–are based on poorly conceived experimentation of little relevance to the human diet, which tests unphysiologically high levels of fructose as the sole carbohydrate, often in animals that are poor models for human metabolism.” Most of the anti-HFCS nonsense available to the public is based upon research showing the adverse effects of a diet unusually high in fructose, not HFCS. To clarify, HFCS is similar in fructose content to regular sugar. HFCS starts as corn syrup, which is primarily glucose. Through an enzymatic process, much of the glucose becomes fructose, making the syrup comparatively high in fructose when compared to regular corn syrup. White, granulated sugar is about 50/50 glucose and fructose. HFCS used in most beverages is 42% or 55% fructose, not significantly higher and maybe even lower in fructose than regular sugar (sucrose). The ratio of glucose to fructose in the American food supply has remained quite constant since the 1960s . To truly eat a diet high in fructose, one would have to go out of their way to do it and it would not be easy to do. Studies have looked at the metabolism of HFCS, its affect on insulin, appetite, leptin, and ghrelin and found no significant differences from sucrose (table sugar) .  It would be a simple argument if HFCS were the villainous substance many claim it to be, but consider that the rise in obesity in the US is mirrored around the world in all developed countries. HFCS is not a significant contributor of calories to the daily diet of countries outside of the US. In Latin American countries for example, soft drink consumption makes up a significant portion of total daily calorie intake, and obesity is on the rise, yet the makers of Latin American soft drinks still use good old sucrose to sweeten their beverages. In this case, it is the CALORIC contribution, coupled with decreased physical activity, which is increasing the region’s heft.

Regarding the safety of sugar and other sweeteners consider this: since the advent of HFCS (and remember the vast majority of the US population is consuming it), the average lifespan has increased by about two years (not because of HFCS, but clearly the substance is not systematically killing off the population). As for sugars, including fructose and HFCS, making us fat, the American consumption of ALL caloric sweeteners has been going down since its peak in 1999—to the tune of about 10 lbs. per year per person—while obesity during the same time period has climbed more rapidly than any other time in our history! 


MYTH #3: What muscle you work determines where you lose fat (spot reduction)


FACT: Genetics determine where you lose fat 



Let’s get right to the point: a muscle has no control over the fat between it and your skin. At some point everyone has tried to spot reduce. Plié squats for the inner thigh? Every ab device ever invented? Butt and gut classes? Fitness professionals are often asked questions such as

a) What is the best way to tone your legs, stomach and back? 
It’s the word “tone” that confuses people.  What does it mean?  People think it means something like “create muscle definition”, but what they really want is less fat, and what is often overlooked is the fact that muscles become more visible by reducing the layer of fat that conceals them. No specific exercise will create muscle definition by removing fat from an area. So what’s the solution?  Lose body fat, and your muscles that are as hard and toned as any bodybuilder’s (however smaller) will be revealed. In other words, simply consume fewer calories than you burn until your fat levels are reduced to your satisfaction. All that said, weight training can add muscle so that when you lose fat your body has more pronounced lines or muscle definition. Larger muscles may help accentuate the body’s natural contours. 

b) How can I get rid of the excess fat around my thighs specifically? You can’t. Consider this: your thighs generally move more than any other body part but the fat still ends up there. As you maintain a calorie deficit (eat less than you burn), body fat will leave from whatever area your body was genetically programmed to draw it from at that point in time. As a rule of thumb, the last place on is the first place off, but this can change as you age. And again, if you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn, that stuff on your thighs will go, it just might be the last to do so.

A word of caution–many exercisers, in an attempt to accelerate the loss of fat from a trouble area, will launch an all out exercise attack on that area. Performing a high volume of resistance training for an area that is viewed as fat or bigger than one likes may have the undesired affect of increasing muscle size (called hypertrophy) in that area. If caloric intake is sufficient (and it often is), and body fat is not being lost systemically, then the area of focus can increase, pushing the fat over it farther out.


MYTH #4: If your goal is body fat reduction, you’ll burn more fat in your target heart rate zone; if you go over it you will burn muscle 


FACT: If you’re maintaining a calorie deficit, then the harder you work the more calories you’ll burn and the faster you’ll lose fat



Let’s look at the evolution of this myth. Heart rate zones and tracking intensity were measures designed to aid endurance athletes. This was to ensure that an athlete did not work at a rate that would cause them to prematurely fatigue. If the athlete worked at too high an intensity, they would deplete their muscular CHO stores and “hit the wall” which impedes performance. Training in the proper “zone” ensured that muscular carbohydrate would not be depleted and that activity could continue for the required time or distance.

At rest, our bodies are primarily burning fat. As the intensity of activity begins to increase, so does the contribution of muscular and systemic carbohydrate. At about 20% VO2 max, fat contributes 60% and CHO 40% of the energy used. This contribution equalizes (50/50) at about 35% VO2 max. By 70% of VO2 max, CHO makes up 80% and fat 20% of the energy used to fuel activity . So, while it is true that fat makes up a bigger contribution of calories burned at a lower intensity, this has no application to a weight loss client. Fat or weight loss is ensured by being in a caloric deficit. The practical goal for the typical exerciser is how to maximize their time working out, so as not to “live in the gym”. At a higher intensity of exercise, more calories, and usually even more fat, are burned. Period. Additionally, there is a phenomenon called EPOC (excessive post oxygen consumption) that indicates a higher rate of fat usage for many hours after the exercise session, BECAUSE of the exercise session. EPOC is directly correlated with higher intensity exercise. Ultimately, you would have to exercise for twice as long at a lower intensity as you would at a higher intensity to get the same degree of calorie burn. As for muscle being burned, that is influenced by total caloric intake, availability of glucose and duration of activityv. It can be a good thing if muscle is called upon to supply energy needs for the body as this leads to new muscle growth, just as weight training disrupts muscle tissue and leads to growth. In both instances, exercise served a stimulus to “damage” muscle, leading to a rebuilding response.

In summary, exercise itself does not burn a significant amount of fat. It is the contribution of exercise to a person’s total daily energy expenditure, including the intensity, that affects overall fat loss . In other words, exercise simply adds to your daily calorie needs, so do all you can during your workout time because the longer and more intensely you move, the greater the amount of calories you burn, leading to a greater fat loss. And the less fuel you put back in, the more must be drawn from your fat stores during the non-workout portions of your day.


MYTH #5: Eating a diet that is too low in calories will cause the body to go into starvation mode and not burn any calories


FACT: Severely cutting calories will cause the metabolism to adjust slightly, but not enough to prevent fat loss 



Remember that people around the world who truly die of starvation are not overweight when they expire. It’s true that when you severely cut calories your metabolism will make a slight adjustment, allowing your body to run on fewer calories—but it’s not a large compensation. If you need to lose weight and you are not, eat less and/or move more and forget about slowing your metabolism.

That said, the point is not to lose weight too quickly by drastically reducing calories because that method is generally not sustainable. Second, although there is a slight down regulation in metabolism in response to a very low calorie diet, the main reason it may appear to slow down more than it actually does is because the extremely low calorie intake is slowing YOU down. In other words, you become less energetic, forcing a reduction in your daily activities, therefore burning fewer calories overall. Crash dieting with excessively low calorie intake leads to low energy, so you burn fewer calories all day and work out less intensely. This leads to increased hunger, which in turn increased the chances of rebound and binge eating behavior. This can result in a calorie intake that temporarily exceeds your pre-diet intake, leading to a rapid re-accumulation of weight. This is easily misinterpreted as the results of a “damaged” metabolism. It is worth noting that any temporary, minor reduction in metabolic rate due to excessively low caloric intake is regained once caloric intake is increased. Your metabolism is not damageable. Take home message: Never blame failure on metabolism, no matter what anyone tells you! Simply move more.


MYTH #6: Naturally skinny people have faster metabolisms, so they don’t have to exercise and can eat anything they want 


FACT:  Naturally skinny people consistently burn as many calories as they consume



Individual metabolisms do vary, but not much. And people who stay slim and eat anything they want either don’t want much (total calories) or move enough (daily activities including fidgeting) to cancel whatever they eat. In other words, people who are overweight eat too much relative to how much they move, whether they exercise or not. People who stay thin and don’t exercise eat as much as they move. Those who tend to stay thinner have the habits that overweight people need to adopt. They tend to eat more slowly, eat smaller portions and move continuously. The calories in are countered by the calories out. In fact, the heavier you are (no matter who you are) the more calories your body burns. So put that heavier, more calorically expensive body to work and get moving! More weight in motion means more calories burned per unit of time.

Final note on metabolisms and plateaus: The “fast and slow metabolism” thing has become a bad excuse for many people. Anyone can get their daily calorie burn (overall metabolism) as high as they need by simply moving or standing more. The main reason the body comes to plateaus during dieting or exercise (besides cheating) is that when weight is lost you become fit, your body uses fewer calories to perform the same work (because it’s easier than when you were heavier and out of shape), forcing you to add work or eat less in order to continue to progress .

People who eat well and exercise regularly (and are “tapped out” as far as time or cutting calories) need to simply increase your daily movements at home or at the office. Stand instead of sitting. Pace the room while on the phone or thinking. Take stairs instead of elevators or escalators. Park further away. Take a walk at lunch. Walk to a colleague’s office to talk rather than using e-mail or the intercom. Additionally, you can try changing your workout, including the type of cardio you perform, which may help temporarily fire up your metabolism .

So there you have it. You can now take these myths off your list and get on with your fitness goals. Most people know in their heart that these myths can’t possibly be real, but then there’s another segment on the news or an article in a “health” magazine that makes these myths sound plausible. Relating weight control back to calorie balance may not be as sensational as the idea of damaged metabolism, but it’s the truth. At the end of the day, no matter what the news and magazines say, fitness professionals are left with the simple truth that body weight and appearance are controlled by the laws of science and thermodynamics (the science of energy relationships). Calories (energy) in versus calories out determine whether you will stay the same, gain or lose weight. Those are the facts.

Here are some things to know before we get started:

DISEASES AND CONDITIONS THAT PUT YOUR HEART AT RISK – According to the CDC these include arrhythmia, heart failure and peripheral artery disease (PAD).  High cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, tobacco use and secondhand smoke.  (For a full list of diseases, conditions, risk factors and other health information, visit the American Heart Association).

THE GOOD NEWS is we have the ability to not only prevent these Diseases and Conditions but also to reverse them.  Who knew that our body was so incredible?  A healthy diet and lifestyle are the best weapons you have to fight heart disease.  It is as simple as that.  Good daily food choices and a less sedentary lifestyle are the 2 best places to start. 

As Americans we have the abundant choices of whatever food we want.  There is no need to go without something you crave, because reality is it is probably right across the street from where you are in a fast food restaurant.  That has caused us to make poor choices to the things we put in our body.  It doesn’t mean we are doomed or that we should blame Heart Disease on our favorite fast food chains, but we do need to stop and take notice of what we are putting in our bodies and what it might be doing to our heart.  Listed below are some recommendations on how to lower your risk of Heart Disease related conditions.      

As you make daily food choices, base your eating pattern on these recommendations:

   * Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat.

    * Select fat-free, 1% fat, and low-fat dairy products.

    * Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.

    * Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.

    * Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.

    * Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Aim to eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. All persons who have hypertension, all middle-aged and older adults, and all African-Americans should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.

    * If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means no more than one drink per day if you’re a woman and two drinks per day if you’re a man.

    * Keep an eye on your portion sizes.

Physical activity in your daily life is an important step to preventing heart disease as well.  On average the CDC recommends that adults should be getting 2.5 hours of moderate intensity aerobic activity (i.e. brisk walking) and  muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest,  shoulders, and arms).  Back in the old days when most people worked on the farm, this physical activity was easy to accomplish.  But in our times, our lives are more sedentary with the amount of time we spend at our desk and on our computers.  All it takes though are some simple readjustments and in no time you are meeting and exceeding the recommended amount of physical activity in a week. 

DRAKE FITNESS is here to help you with the pursuit of a Healthy Heart.  Our DRAKE FITNESS trainers and staff are ready to help you get started or to help adjust your plan to reach that goal.  By joining DRAKE FITNESS you have access to our on-site Nutritionist who can help you evaluate your food choices and set a realistic plan for your lifestyle to help you combat conditions that cause Heart Disease.  Also your DRAKE FITNESS trainer will set a personalized regimen to get you active and healthy.  We have the tools to help you avoid being a Heart Disease statistic.  All it takes is the first step into the door and a passionate commitment to your Heart.  Take the first step, we will be there to help you the rest of the way. 

    Since 1963, February has been declared American Heart Health Month.  Heart Disease is the number one cause of death in America.  According to the CDC, every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event.  But more devastating is that one American every minute will die from one.  This is staggering and as Americans we know the causes and lifestyle addictions that we have that cause Heart Disease and yet for some reason are still not motivated to do anything to prevent it.  So as I type these words, I am being convicted to live the best life I can and that means taking care of myself.  Truth is…..It isn’t that hard.  It just takes some simple readjustments to our everyday schedule.  We do that anyways to make sure we are at home to watch our favorite TV shows (did anyone watch LOST the other night).  Why can’t we do it for our heart? 

Saturday, October 04, 2008
by dotFIT experts

When people think of exercise, the first thing that comes to mind is cardio. My first years of being in a gym were formed by a man my friends and I affectionately called “backwards elliptical man”(or “BEM” for short). This guy came in around 3 o’clock every day, dressed in several layers of sweats and took his Reader’s Digest and stepped onto “his” elliptical. This guy would get after it, seriously. There would be a small river of sweat flowing from his machine as he pedaled backwards for what seemed like days. I would do my sprints next to him on a treadmill, always encouraged by his tenacity on the elliptical and thinking if I really wanted to get in shape, I was going to have to devout hours of my time to the treadmill every day.

One morning, during a week off from school, I decided to be adventurous and head to the gym at 6am. Upon sitting on a bench and surveying the early birds, one person caught my eye in particular, it was “BEM“. This time however, something was different about “BEM“. He was still sweating profusely, but this time he was doing curls, had a tank top on and looked like a Spartan from 300. I was perplexed and had to ask him bashfully, “I thought you only did cardio?” He laughed and said, “That stuff wouldn’t get me anywhere if I didn’t do the weights to go along with it.”

The bike, the treadmill, the elliptical, the stairmaster, all of these things are great tools for helping you stay in good health and lose weight. These things alone rarely get you where you want to be before you give up. Without weight training included in your weekly exercise program, cardio will sometimes seem ineffective, just because it doesn’t show results quickly. During weight training, you not only burn tons of calories, but you are also replacing your fat weight with muscle weight. This lean muscle mass not only helps increase aesthetics and athletic performance, but it also allows you to burn more calories in every day life. The fact that you are training your muscles to burn calories for you is a great thing!

And for all the ladies, don’t think that just because you are adding lean muscle mass that you are going to “bulk up.” The really great thing about weight training is that it can be tailored to any need and goal. Women’s bodies do not naturally have the hormones that promote them to bulk up from lifting weights. So combined with a natural predisposition and the expertise of your trainer, you can get the same calorie burning benefits without deepening your voice and adding 10 inches to your biceps.

And so, in a “Real Men of Genius” fashion, we salute you, Mr. Backwards Elliptical Man, for your superior understanding of the most efficient way to burn off that extra serving of turkey, and helping us realize the importance of weightlifting in every person’s weight loss routine!

Believe me you are not alone and we at Drake Fitness know that.  But like everything you try for the first time, all it takes is practice and soon enough those overwhelming feelings will be long gone and you will be an old pro.  And because a gym is such a great resource for getting healthy, I encourage you to go ahead and get started soon. Drake Fitness has professional trainers and an encouraging environment and that will make the greatest difference in your journey of getting healthy.  I promise the money will be well spent.  Just remember to keep these details in mind when you are out gym shopping:

1.  LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION:  This might be the most important detail to keep in mind.  Make sure you choose a gym that is close to your home or work, or somewhere along your regular daily route.  If you have to go out of your way to get to the gym, you won’t go!  Choose one that is easy to get to – rain or shine!  Be sure to ask some of your friends, neighbors or co-workers for recommendations on where they work out.

2.  CONVENIENCE: Is the gym open when you need to go and if so, how crowded is it?  Ask the staff – or better yet, visit during the time you’ll probably go, and see for yourself.

3.  OPTIONS: Make sure the gym has the kind of services you are looking for.  Do they have the machines you want to use?  Are the group classes at the times you can attend?  Do they offer personal fitness programs designed just for you (and double-check that these are included in your monthly membership fee)?

4.  STAFF MEMBERS: Are they friendly?  Are they certified through a recognized fitness certification organization?  Are they knowledgeable enough to answer your questions patiently?  The answer to all of these should be YES!

5.  THE EXTRAS: Gyms should welcome you with a guided tour and a short, free trial membership. Look around and take note of how clean the gym is, how loud the music is, and what the other customers are like. Is the atmosphere a good fit for you? Will a staff member be able to show you how to use a few machines to get you started? Be sure to ask; it’s very common and it’s the staff’s job to help you!  Be sure to read the sign-up forms, ask about any hidden, tacked-on costs.  This is important so that you don’t get stuck paying something you didn’t expect or get stuck in a contract you can’t get out of.  Make sure you are paying for exactly what you want and nothing more.

As human beings we are often not as committed as we should be, especially when it comes to getting ourselves to the gym!  If you choose a place that is a good fit, you might actually enjoy going, and not only that but you will have a happier, healthier life in the end.

At Drake Fitness we offer a type of environment that is sure to fit your lifestyle and personality.  We want to help you find your reason to live a healthy lifestyle.  Whether it’s for your children, your spouse, your future or for your general happiness, Drake Fitness wants to be there to help get you to the place you want to be.  We are a studio gym, where everyone knows your name when you walk in the door.  It’s a family in here and we are ready to introduce you to the other members that will be the best part of your day when you step into this place!  Come see us, and find that important reason for being healthy!