In the late 1980s, yoga instructor Yamuna Zake was left with an injury suffered during childbirth. Using her intensive yoga
knowledge, Zake developed a way to rehabilitate herself from her injuries, which later became known as Yamuna Body Rolling.
Specially designed 6-to-10 inch balls are used in Yamuna Body Rolling. These dense balls are firm enough to allow one to work muscles very specifically and create greater joint range of motion. Using a specific order, the ball rolls over the muscle to stretch, remove tension and discomfort, increase blood flow, and promote healing.
According to Ms Fitness Magaine, “The beauty of Yamuna Body Rolling is that it takes you from the origin of the muscle at the tendon, elongating the muscle while stimulating the bone and soft tissue. Working with the body’s own gravity, the exercises ease movement in the muscles to the point of relaxation, offering one of the finest weight-bearing exercises, with the benefits of a deep self-massage.”
You will feel the improvements in your body immediately. Benefits include:
Our club is the only one in the area that offers Yamuna Body Rolling. We’re currently forming Yamuna Body Rolling groups of 3-6 people. Pricing is the same as group training in the Pilates studio: $32/hr. One-on-one instructor pricing is the same at M2 trainer pricing.
Midtown is hosting a Yamuna Body Rolling special event on Oct 29th from 12-1:30pm. $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Sign up is available at the Front Desk, however space is limited to 25 participants.
Currently Joy, Margaret, and Cindy are certified. This is a difficult certification to pass, as the course requires over 75+ hours of training.
For more information, contact Cindy Blake at 847.991.4646, or cindy.blake@midtown.com.
Aloha!
Have you wondered why there were leis on some of our cardio equipment over the past few weeks?
The leis represent “Aloha,” which in Hawaiian means both “hello” and “goodbye.”
“Hello” to our new cardio equipment and “goodbye” to the old equipment!
Midtown has recently changed out 34 pieces of cardio equipment, including:
“At many clubs, you may notice frequent “Out of Order” signs on the cardiovascular equipment, but not at Midtown,” says Chuck Barnard, General Manager. “We have made it standard to replace our most frequently used cardiovascular pieces on an annual basis to minimize the frequency of equipment breakdown.”
What are the benefits of using this equipment?
You can use treadmills for running and walking with up to a 15% incline (good for simulating hill walking and running) and speeds ranging from a half mile per hour to a 3:45 mile, which is great for the advanced runner and interval training. The lower speeds simulate tennis footwork.
This piece of equipment is the personal favorite of Neil Wywialowski, our Fitness Director!
With the AMT, various stride lengths simulate walking, stair-climbing, and running. To Neil, it feels like doing the activities in a swimming pool without the swimsuit, and you can also work your arms while doing these activities!
Using this equipment (with and without arm movement) is similar to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing and is a total body workout, especially when using your arms.
Which one is best for you?
According to Neil, the “The best exercise for you is one you enjoy doing.”
Which new piece of equipment have you tried?
Although his is a die-hard Packers Fan, contrary to popular belief, Fitness Director Neil Wywialowski is not from Wisconsin. He’s actually from Des Plaines,
Illinois. He has 25 years experience in the fitness industry and has been at Midtown Forest Grove for 18 years. He earned his BS in Health Education from Eastern Illinois University.
Neil is a Licensed Athletic Trainer and Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He has also completed all 3 Muscle Activation Technique Jumpstart Courses.
Prior to joining Midtown Forest Grove, he worked as a Health teacher and in an outpatient sports medicine clinic. Neil enjoys with working all types of clients from post-rehab to sport- specific, especially tennis players. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, playing tennis, reading and spending time with his family.
Question: If you only could do one type of exercise (cardio or weights) and only had 30 minutes to work out, which activity would be best?
Total-body, multi-joint resistance exercises, such as push–ups, pull-ups, squats, curls and presses, and a wood-chopping exercise. Research has shown that you get the benefits of the resistance training and the increase in metabolism and metabolic afterburn hours after the exercise. In addition, this routine has shown to achieve the benefits of cardio training, such as decreased blood pressure and heart rate.
Question: What the best exercise for me to do: swimming, running, cycling, tennis, group exercise, walking, or weight training?
The best exercise for you is the one you will enjoy because then you will do it. Something to think about: the more you can incorporate your mind into your exercise routine, the better. Activities such as tennis, group exercise, and martial arts are excellent for addressing the 5 Pillars of Health: Physical, Mental, Social, Emotional and Spiritual.
Question: When should I stretch: before or after I work out?
Current research shows that stretching before activities decreases power and may increase the risk of injury. I suggest that you do some type of light specific cardio activity to the point where you have broken a sweat and warmed up your nervous system. After that, stretch and then do some additional activity-specific exercises.
What would you like to ask one of our trainers?
90% of the world’s population is right-handed.
Can you guess how many Midtown team members are left-handed?
The newest lefty to join our team is Randy Paisley, who is our only left-handed tennis pro.
Randy is Professional 1 certified with the USPTA and comes to us from Freeport High School in Freeport, Illinois where he was the Head Coach for the boys and girls teams.
Prior to that, Randy served as the Head Tennis Professional for 18 seasons at the Dolphin Swim and Tennis Club in Brentwood, TN. He has a Master’s degree in Education from Middle Tennessee State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Northern Illinois University.
As a player, Randy was the 2008 Freeport Men’s singles and doubles champion and played on the Northern Illinois University Tennis team, where he was named MVP his senior year.
Randy will work with all facets of Adult and Junior programming, including cardio tennis and group and private lessons at Midtown Forest Grove.
Other notable Midtown lefties include:
Chuck Barnard-General Manager
Kelli Gottstein-Kidtown
Lisa Martin-Spa
Margaret Rovetuso-Personal Trainer
Patrick Freund-Kidtown
Robyn Kove-Director of Marketing
Sara Kozlowski-Personal Trainer
Scott Mathews-Personal Trainer
Theresa McPartland-Front Desk
Next time you see any of these team members, give them a left-handed high-five!
If you are a left-handed member, leave a comment here and we will send you a surprise.
While we haven’t actually built an ark, Midtown did become a safe place for many of you during the recent power outages in the Chicago area. As you know, over 850,000 folks were left without power after the mid-June storms. With our technology- driven society, many of you were unable to use some of your most important possessions, including hair dryers, refrigerators, and computers.
Midtown became your “home away from home” offices and our lobby was filled with members accessing the internet, working, and playing! You remained cool and enjoyed fresh and healthy food from M-Café, while watching tv to get the latest updates on the outages. Our locker rooms were full of members trying our showers and hair dryers for the very first time, and our pool became a haven for the hot and sweaty!
How many days were you without power? What did you miss the most?
Think you know everything there is to know about Midtown? Whether you’ve belonged to the club for years, or you’re enjoying your first month as a member, I think there are some things that will surprise you about Midtown.MORE
