According to Vegetarian Times, approximately 7.3 million Americans consider themselves “vegetarians” and 22.8 million more
say they follow a vegetarian-inclined diet. The American Dietetic Association supports this diet, citing appropriately planned vegetarian diets as healthful, nutritionally sound, and helpful in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.
Think vegetarianism isn’t for you? It’s not as difficult as you might think, and the health benefits are significant.
Vegetarian diets are plant-based and consist of vegetables, fruit, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. The diet is absent of animal products, including meat, poultry, seafood, fish (and sometimes dairy). While there are many varieties of this diet, these are its main categories:
Most vegetarians eat healthfully, which makes weight control easier for them. Doctors have long advocated that a healthy weight lowers the risk for disease. This diet is also known to promote more physical activity and exercise, which also actively lowers the risk for disease.
A vegetarian diet includes colorful fruits and veggies, which are loaded with antioxidants, known to prevent many types of cancers. Because it’s nutrient-dense and high in fiber, the diet lowers the “bad cholesterol” that causes heart disease. The diet is also low in cholesterol and saturated fat, which helps to control blood lipid levels, an indicator of heart disease. What’s more, the plant-based protein in the diet lowers the risk of kidney dysfunction, kidney stones, and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis occurs when calcium is excreted in the urine from excessive protein.
Many vegetarians worry that they may not get enough of certain nutrients, but truth be told, meat-eaters miss many of these same nutrients, too. Healthy options for a vegetarian include fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, essential fats like olive oil, flax seeds, nuts and seeds, avocado, peanut and other nut butters.
The Vegetarian Food Pyramid can offer some guidance for those new to the plant-based diet.
People often become vegetarians to lose weight and eat “healthier.” Keep in mind, however, that one can still eat unhealthily on a vegetarian diet, so it’s worth taking the time and effort to reap its rewards.
What’s your favorite vegetarian recipe? We’d love to read it!
Were you at Midtown’s first Chicago Fitness Party?
On the night of Friday, January 13th, we opened our doors to the creators of WERQ, Julie Steffan and Haley Stone, to host a full-body cardio dance party at the club.
Midtown Group Fitness Instructor Angela Gusman (center) with WERQ creators Julie Steffen & Haley Stone
40+ members attended the Chicago Fitness Party featuring this hot dance fitness workout!
Julie and Haley took over our new, beautiful 3,200 square foot Group Fitness Studio on a cold, snowy evening, and together with our own master WERQ instructor, Mary Williams, led the 75- minute class.
Members laughed, smiled, and sweated their way through the class, and the evening ended with post-workout refreshments and fun Midtown giveaways.
WERQ, held Monday nights at 6:10pm and Thursday mornings at 10:10am, has received rave reviews:
“I schedule my entire week around my WERQout.” Mallory S.
“I bring all my friends to WERQ class!” Stephanie E.
“When I hear a WERQ song on the radio, I can’t help but do the dance steps from class.” Eddie S.
“WERQ is my weekly escape from cancer.” Jennie G.
Julie, Haley, and Mary said it was a record-breaking WERQ class for “most male participation.” The next Chicago Fitness Party will be help on Friday, February 10th, so mark your calendars.
Did you come to the party? What did you think?
Do you have a dress or suit you want to fit into this weekend? Are you sick of that bloated feeling?
With some easy changes to your every day diet, you can lose those last few stubborn pounds.
Jenny Maloney, Registered Dietitian at Midtown Chicago, shares her expertise.
Instead of two or three large meals, eat smaller portions throughout the day to keep your metabolism working. This will allow you to burn more calories.
Try to eat no larger than about a fist-size of each type of food on your plate.
Enjoy fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and avoid sugar and white flour. When presented with a choice in grains, opt for the whole grain version, such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, beans, oatmeal, whole grain cereal, and whole grain crackers. Fiber takes longer for your body to break down and will keep you satiated until your next meal or snack.
Not only does processing take out the nutrients from many nutrient-rich foods, they often contain hidden sugar, salt, and fat. Try for all fresh foods instead.
Reducing sodium will eliminate bloating. Sodium is found in most processed foods. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables cuts down on your salt intake. Salt dehydrates and causes our body to retain water, giving you that bloated feeling. Drink more water and less diet sodas and coffee, as these drinks dehydrate you.
By following these nutrition tips, you’ll eat healthier, which can decrease bloating, give you more energy, and hopefully lose that extra water weight gained by eating heavy food and processed food.
When are you getting started?
Have you been thinking about your New Year’s Resolution already? Let me guess. One of your items might have to do with being healthier. Did I get it right? If so, we’re ready to help you meet your goals!
We have many events in the coming months to help you on the path to a healthier new you.
Adult and Junior Tennis Clinics and Camps
December 26-30
9-11am, 3-5pm, 7-9pm - Adult Clinics
9am-12noon or 9am-3pm - Junior Development Camp
9am-12noon – Junior Competitive Camp
January Group Fitness Class Schedule
Check for updates on new classes and times.
Intro to Chakras: An Experiential Workshop
January 14
2-4:30pm
Group Fitness Studio
Members: Complimentary
Guests: $20
Complimentary Refreshments
Weight Loss Challenge
Jan 23
Contact Keith Mierzwa or Jenny Maloney to enroll and for details.
Pilates and TRX Intro Sessions
January 23-27
Contact Liz Chier or Keith Mierzwa for class times.
Midtown wants to help you reach your New Year’s Resolution Health Goals.
How are you creating a new you in 2012?
Jenny Maloney is a Registered Dietician and NASM- and ACE-certified personal trainer for Midtown. An expert in improving health and fitness through proper nutrition, Jenny shares tips for eating wisely this holiday season.
Most people gain weight during the holidays. If you don’t lose the added weight, you could gain 25-50 pounds in five years! This weight gain is mainly due to the high-calorie, high-fat foods that traditionally go along with holiday meals — and too much of it.
Why not try to make healthy and smart choices that will help you to maintain or even lose weight?
Here are some tips to keep weight gain to a minimum while still enjoying yourself this season:
What’s your tip for enjoying the holidays without overindulging?
Cardio Tennis ranks among our most popular classes.
Our exclusive Cardio Tennis Pathway program, which matches your skill level to the most appropriate Cardio Tennis class we offer, delivers a terrific new member experience.
If you haven’t checked yet checked it out, here’s why you should:
We offer four different Cardio Tennis classes for players with NTRP rankings between1.6-5.0, as well as a new TRX Cardio Tennis class (think cardio class on caffeine).
Midtown features 34 classes, totaling more than 40 hours of Cardio Tennis per week.
Our starter Cardio Tennis class is for 1.6-2.9 players and is held on a 60 foot court using three different balls: foam, transition, and red felt. The slower balls result in more confident strokes, better repetition, longer point play, longer exchanges and an overall better workout. Because pace of play is slower, beginners are allowed ample time to work on their swing shape.
Starter cardio has also proven a great experience for new tennis players because they no longer have to worry about getting whacked with the ball, which often happens when mixing different levels of players on the same court.
Drills stay the same throughout the levels and instead, it is the ball and court sizes that changes to meet the players’ needs. Best of all, as skills improve, players have a Cardio Tennis “ladder” to climb.
Tennis is our history, and we’ve spent over 40 years perfecting the teaching of the game. If you haven’t given Cardio Tennis a try, now is the time!
Have you tried a starter Cardio Tennis class? What did you think?
Will you be in town this Thanksgiving weekend?
If so, spend it with us!
On Thanksgiving Day, Midtown will be open from 7AM to 1PM. Invite your friends and family to join you on Thanksgiving Day – no guest fee required.
Here are ways to ”pre-burn” some calories before you enjoy your Thanksgiving meal.
Cardio Tennis Class Schedule
8-9:30am and 9:30-11am
Group Fitness Class Schedule
Cycle 7:10-8am
Yoga 8:10-9am
Group Sculpt 9:10-10am
Zumba 10:10-11am
Cycle 11:10am-12noon
Tennis Camp
Junior Competitive Camp 9am-12noon
Since we don’t have regular tennis programs on Friday, November 25th, we will have Tennis Camp and Clinics.
Tennis Camp and Clinics
Junior Development and Competitive Camp 9am-12noon
Adult Clinics 1-5pm
What are you doing to stay active this holiday weekend?
It’s 2pm and you are three hours away from being done with your work day. 
If you’re hungry, low in energy, or feeling lethargic from a heavy lunch, then a healthy afternoon snack can give you that extra energy to finish your work day and avoid overeating at dinner.
Snacking has had a bad rep in the past because the word “snack” conjures up images of chips or candy bars.
However, snacks can and should be healthy and one of the most important parts of your day.
When choosing a snack, try to include carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The carbohydrates will give you immediate energy while the protein and fat will satiate you. Aim for about 100-to-200-calorie snacks to give just the right amount of energy without making you feel too full.
Snacks are a good way to add more nutrients to your diet as well. Fruits and veggies are hard to fit in throughout the day so incorporate them into your snacks.
Here are some healthy, 200-calories-or-fewer snack ideas from Midtown’s own Registered Dietician, Jenny Maloney:
What’s your healthy go-to mid-day snack?
Congrats to all Chicago marathon runners!
You’ve achieved something great. Beyond the race itself, all the time spent training and the dedication you put in to be able to run this past Sunday are incredible accomplishments.
Was this your first full-marathon?
If so, I know your feelings firsthand.
Last year, I turned 30 and after many years of not understanding why someone would ever want to run 13.1 miles, I signed up for my first half-marathon, the Chicago Rock and Roll Half-Marathon. This was a major change to my life’s bucket list. Halfway through my training last summer, I decided to run a full marathon. I thought, “If I’m already running part of the mileage then I should go for the full-marathon…26.2 miles!”
They say that some people complete an item on their bucket list and move on. There are others that try something new and get hooked. I guess I caught the bug after successfully finishing my first half-marathon.
For the next few months, I put my heart and soul into full-marathon training. I daresay I had little social life and I became best friends with my trainer and my chiropractor (thanks Midtown trainer Justin Moore and Wrigleyville Chiropractor Dr. Andrea Butt). Let me tell you, it was one of the most fun, ‘new’ experiences I have ever had.
I had some of the most amazing support from family and friends. I couldn’t have dedicated my time and energy without their help. Race day came and I was one of the crazies I had always secretly made fun of.
I ran 26.2 miles on purpose and loved it!
I have since raced in another half, run with a team for the Madison to Chicago Ragnar Relay, raced with colleagues in a super sprint triathlon and signed up for another half with friends in December. I guess you could say I caught the racing bug.
Did you?
Want an insider’s look into the US Open?
Vasiliy Guryanov, Master Stringer in our Pro Shop, strung racquets at the Open with the Wilson Stringing Team, and shares his experience with you here.
Take it away, Vasiliy!
The greatest tennis players live for Grand Slams – the four tournaments a year that put the players through their paces with long matches and grueling conditions.
And none are bigger than the US Open.
It comes at the end of the summer and the athletes are not only fighting each other, but also fatigue from the long professional season. The atmosphere at this event is simply electric – each match is a “Do or Die” test for both players, and all competitors fight to the very end.
As a member of the official Wilson Stringing Team for the US Open, I felt like I became a part of the entire process. When Rafael Nadal comes in to drop off six racquets for his match, everyone in the room knows that his on-court success lies partially in our hands. 
Professional tennis players are fine-tuned machines, and even the slightest change to their equipment will make a difference in the length and control of their shots – tennis is a game of inches.
That is why all members of the Wilson Tour Stringing Team go through hundreds of hours of training and fine-tuning to our stringing technique, to make sure that each racquet we string is perfect.
This year’s US Open was one for the record book! First, on August 23rd, we felt the earthquake that reached us all the way from Virginia. The mighty Arthur Ashe Stadium was swaying from side to side. Then, on the weekend of August 27the, Hurricane Irene threatened the event when it moved up the East Coast and the National Tennis Center was closed for one-and-a-half days.
Little did we know that the worst was yet to come!
Because of Sunday’s NTC closure, players were not able to get their racquets strung for Monday matches. Our 14-member team started the day at 7:30 am and by the time we finished the last racquet at 11:30 pm, we had set a new record for the most racquets strung in one day – 490 racquets!
The previous record was 378. It will be tough to beat our record, because it was created by a perfect storm of events.
It was an amazing experience to be a part of such a well-oiled machine as the Wilson Stringing team. The team is comprised of stringers from all over the world: Czech Republic, Australia, Hong Kong, Croatia, Russia, Japan, France, and the United States. All members of the team are world-class stringers with many years of tour experience. It is at events likes this that I have an opportunity to learn new stringing and racquet customization techniques to better serve our members through the Pro Shop.
Thanks, Vasiliy!
Stop by our Pro Shop and let Vasiliy, Dave, or Sonny string your for your next match.
