Balance Blog

This month’s recipe comes from the Balance Gym Wellness and Nutrition Coach Tami Zeevi!

Chia Seed Breakfast Bowl

Chia mixture

• 4 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 – 1.25 cups almond milk
• 2 small bananas, chopped small
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 pinches of cinnamon

Toppings:

• 2 tbsp raisins, soaked
• 2 tbsp whole raw walnuts or almonds, chopped and soaked
• couple pinches of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds
• 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
• [Read more →]

This post comes from Purvi Sheth from Pure Sports Physical Therapy, now located at Balance Gym Glover Park! 

Hey guys!

My name is Purvi and I’m a physical therapist now based at Balance Glover Park. I’ve been practicing for over 10 years and focus on orthopedic and sport related injuries, so it’s great to be located in a gym setting. I started at Georgetown University Sports Medicine Department and then moved on as a senior physical therapist at the Sports Club/LA. In 2007, I launched SET Sports Physical Therapy, where I was the orthopedic director.

I have my CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) and believe that manual therapy is a significant part in returning to pain-free exercise. I also do trigger point dry needling, which is great for all the overstressed joints and tendons.

You will see immediate changes and all you CrossFitters out there will love it!

I founded Pure Sports Physical Therapy and opened about one month ago and I’m really excited to be a part of the Balance community. If you have any questions about physical therapy and if it would benefit you or if you have pain and want a free injury screening just email me at purvi@purepsortsdc.com or call me at 202-656-8184. You can also visit www.puresportsdc.com for more information.

Thank you all for letting me introduce myself. I look forward to helping you become pain-free!

April is National Stress Awareness Month. You know what helps stress? Exercise! Come on, you knew we were going to say that. But seriously here’s just a few way exercise helps:

• It gets your endorphins going – other wise known as the feel-good neurotransmitters. It also reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol.

• Focusing on your workout for many is a form of meditation because it helps take your mind of your current irritations, releases tension, and gives you energy. Plus, a good workout can provide a sense of accomplishment and optimism.

• Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety, even after the workout is over, according to a study from the University of Maryland.  Another study found that those who got regular vigorous exercise were 25 percent less likely to develop depression or an anxiety disorder over the next five years. [Read more →]

This month’s recipe comes from the newest member of the Balance Gym Team — Carolyn Willeford!  Please join us in welcoming Carolyn as our new Business Manager at Balance Gym Thomas Circle.

Healthified Banana Whoopie Pies

We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again… and again… and again. Sleep is important!

In yet another study that backs this up, researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder found that insufficient sleep for just 5 consecutive days could lead to weight gain.

From the University:

For the study, researchers monitored 16 young, lean, healthy adults who lived for about two weeks at the University of Colorado Hospital, which is equipped with a “sleep suite” for controlling sleep opportunities — by providing a quiet environment and by regulating when the lights are on and off — and a sealed room that allows researchers to measure how much energy participants are using based on the amount of oxygen they breathe in and the amount of carbon dioxide they breathe out.

[Read more →]

Thanks to our friends over at the 9:30 Club, we’re giving away two tickets to the The Dan Band on Saturday, April 13!

All you have to do to enter to win, is give us a glimpse into how you spend your time at Balance Gym by uploading a photo onto Instagram with the hashtag #balancegym!  Whether it’s your sweaty face after a Spin Class, performing a Turkish get-up in the CrossFit Studio, or a snapshot of Ben looking at his watch during a BootCamp — it’s up to you! Get Creative!

The contest starts…. NOW (March 8) and the Balance Gym team will choose their favorite on April 1 (no, this is not a joke…)

You can check out all the photos — or competition — HERE.

Don’t know the Dan Band? You’ve probably spotted them in the background in Old School, Starsky & Hutch and The Hangover.

“THE DAN BAND plays to sold out crowds from Los Angeles to New York and has appeared on numerous shows including Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly, Ellen, The Late Late Show, Spike TV’s Guys Choice Awards and eventually caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, who signed on to executive produce Dan’s one hour concert special “The Dan Band: I Am Woman”, directed by McG.”

*Must be 21 to Enter

More proof that a diet high in unsaturated fat is a GOOD thing!

In recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers gathered together more than 7, 400 men and women between the ages of 55 and 80 who were at high cardiovascular risk (diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, smokers, high blood pressure, etc.) and either put them on a Mediterranean diet, or a low fat diet

Those on the Mediterranean diet were either followed a diet enriched with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), or one enriched with mixed nuts — walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. Basically they were eating a high fat diet, as long as most of the fat was derived from olive oil, nuts, fatty fish, and vegetables. They also limited their consumption cream, butter, cold meats, duck, carbonated/sugar beverages, pastries, and a few other “no-no’s.”

[Read more →]

Exercise is more than a hobby, it’s science. As a matter of fact there are probably hundreds of studies being conducted as we type this about working out  and how it affects your body. So it’s no surprise that sometimes rumors and myths get started that may cause some confusion, and frankly how some are just flat out wrong.

The New York Times recently reported that a group of scientists released an article in the New England Journal of Medicine which lays out 7 myths, 6 unsubstantiated presumptions about obesity, and 9 facts “that, unfortunately, promise little in the way of quick fixes for the weight-obsessed.”

[Read more →]

Helping out the Balance Gym Cupid’s Undie Run team is as easy as choosing to eat healthy at one of our favorite local places — sweetgreen!

Head to sweetgreen Logan Circle and the brand new sweetgreen Glover Park on Friday Jan. 25 between 5:30 and 7:30 PM and let them know “I’m with Cupid!” when ordering your salad, wrap, or frozen yogurt and 20% will go toward the Balance Cupid’s Undie Run Team. 

Get an awesome, feel good dinner, while supporting The Children’s Tumor Foundation all at once? COUNT US IN! See you there!

When: Friday, January 25 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Where: sweetgreen Logan Circle (1471 P St NW) and sweetgreen Glover Park (2200 Wisconsin)
What: When you order your favorite sweetgreen treat, make sure you say “I’m with Cupid” when paying. 20% of all “I’m with Cupid” purchases will go toward the Balance Gym Cupid’s Undie Run Team!

The January recipe comes from the Balance Gym Wellness and Nutrition Coach Tami Zeevi.

Tami’s Favorite Raw Cookies EVER
Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• Wet pulp from almond milk
• 1 banana
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 5 medjool dates, pitted
• ½ cup medium flake shredded coconut
• ½ generous cup raisins or dried cranberries or both
• 1 tablespoon agave or sweetener of choice (taste batter when finished to see if it’s sweet enough for your individual taste
• ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• Dash of cinnamon

[Read more →]