Coming to the Lansing Center on September 25th from 10-4, the Healthy & Fit Expo will feature kettlebell instruction on the demonstration stage.

The fitness world has been turned upside-down by a new craze. A combination of toning moves and Latin dance styles, Zumba is a way to burn calories and firm up while having a blast. Participate in this year’s Healthy & Fit Expo (Saturday, September 25th from 10am-4pm) and check out the main stage for your opportunity to try a Zumba routine FOR FREE!

But how can Zumba benefit you?

It’s a total body workout!

With weight lifting and resistance training, you’re focusing in on one group of muscles at a time. Even when you do cardio on the treadmill or an exercise bike, you’re mostly working the lower body. Zumba provides a total body toning routine along with a heart pumping aerobic workout. It’s a way to get toned, benefit the heart, and burn calories all at the same time.

You’ll feel the beat and won’t get bored!

A primary reason people give up exercise is due to a lack of time and boredom. Zumba addresses both of these problems by providing a total body workout in one session and making exercise fun. The music is lively and the mood is incredibly upbeat in a Zumba exercise class. Time goes by quickly because the dance routines are anything but boring. Most people look forward to coming to class – and so they keep coming – and seeing results.

It relieves stress!

Zumba dance routines are all about releasing your inhibitions and losing yourself in the movements. Some people who attend Zumba classes say it’s better than therapy. Not only do the energetic moves cause release of mood altering endorphins, you can feel your worries melt away as you lose yourself in the music and the movements.

Interval training!

Interval training is one of the best ways to burn calories, and Zumba incorporates the principles of interval training into every workout by using alternating fast and slow sequences to vary the intensity. An hour spent in a Zumba class can burn as many as 800 calories.

Tone your abs!

Most Zumba instructors have ridiculous abs! Zumba dance moves really work the core abdominal muscles. This means firmer abdominals and a lower risk of back pain.

Many local gyms provide Zumba classes if you just can’t wait until September to try it out. Stay tuned to the blog to find out more about the wonderful FREE opportunities to come at the 2010 Healthy & Fit Magazine Expo!

This year, the Healthy & Fit Magazine Expo, held from 10am to 4pm Saturday, September 25th, will host the YMCA Olympic Weightlifting Invitational presented by the YMCA of Lansing.

“We’re excited to bring a family-friendly event to the expo,” said Healthy & Fit Magazine publisher Tim Kissman. “This is something people can watch or participate in.”

Olympic weightlifting has been an official sporting event of the Summer Olympic Games since 1920. Women’s weightlifting became an Olympic event in 2000. Weightlifters report experiencing many benefits, including improved coordination, sprinting speed, flexibility and jump speed while strengthening bones, increased and decreasing body fat. Generally participants improve their overall athletic ability and performance while preventing injuries.

The YMCA Invitational will consist of two events:

The Snatch

Krikor Mouradian, age 20, from Central Michigan University during a "snatch."

Entrants lift a barbell from the platform to locked arms overhead in a smooth continuous movement. The lifter must hold the bar overhead motionless until the judge gives a down signal. Each lifter has three attempts. Three judges will determine if each lift has proper form by signaling with a white or a red light.

The Clean and Jerk

Debbie Hudson, 49-year-old master lifter from Lake Orion during a "jerk."

Entrants lift a barbell from platform to their shoulders, then in a second motion, overhead to arms length. The lifter must hold the bar overhead motionless until the judge gives a down signal. Each lifter has three attempts. Three judges will determine if each lift has proper form by signaling with a white or a red light.

Weight Classes

Lifters will be weighed in at 10 a.m. and are placed in classes:

Men: 56kg, 62kg, 69kg, 77kg, 85kg, 94kg, 105kg, and 105+kg

Women: 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, and 75+kg

Scoring

The best score from each event for each entrant are added together to make a final score. Medals (gold, silver, and bronze) will be awarded for each weight class for men and women.

Quick Facts:
Weigh-in at 10 a.m.
Lifting beings at noon.

USA Weightlifting (USAW) is the National Governing Body (NGB) for Olympic weightlifting in the United States. USAW is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and a member of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). As the NGB, USAW is responsible for conducting Olympic weightlifting programs throughout the country. The USAW will sanction this meet.

For more information, contact:

The Healthy & Fit Magazine Expo is a free family event that is fun for all ages.  Vendors from across the Lansing area will offer the newest innovative health and fitness information. The event offers health screenings, healthy eating tips and interactive workout and sports areas.  The demonstration stage will feature exciting live workouts including Jazzercise, Pilates, Zumba and more.  Attendees will have the opportunity to watch or even get up and join in. Children can participate in kid’s games, climb the Tiki-head rock wall, and race through the inflatable obstacle course.

This year, we’ve decreased the amount of paperwork for vendors (your insurance coverage is included in the registration price), increased the amount of advertising we are dedicating to the event, and we’re targeting Healthy & Fit Magazine’s extensive readership base to attend the event.

Last year, well over 3,000 people attended the expo following an extensive advertising effort that included monthly ads/references to the expo in Healthy & Fit Magazine; billboard advertising in Lansing, East Lansing and surrounding communities; live radio interviews in front of the Lansing Center before and during the expo; distribution of posters and handbills, prior the event, to vendors who displayed them in their businesses and advertising on both TV-6 and TV-10.

Our goal, this year, is to top that number!

Think of how much easier life would be if you could just talk face-to-face with potential customers/clients, and register, now, for the 2010 Healthy & Fit Magazine Expo. Download the 2010 Healthy & Fit Magazine Expo Kit and register today!

For more information, visit http://healthyfitexpo.com.

Twitter: @HealthyFitMag

Facebook: Healthy & Fit Magazine

For me it was great to finally see Zumba in action. I had heard so much about it, but never had a chance to see for myself why it was considered the new, fun way to stay in shape. It was clear to me that is was fun too after seeing community members get involved in the demonstration with huge smiles on their faces. It was also great to see everyone participating in the Jazzercise workouts. Everyone from kids to senior citizens alike had a chance to get a feel for what Jazzercise was all about. The instructor, Pam Lynch, was great about getting everyone on their feet and involved. Then there was the Kettlebell demonstration. I’ve never pictured myself as a weight lifter but after learning more about Kettlebells and trying out the weights for myself on the demo stage, I was surprised to find I actually enjoyed it.

Parents and kids alike could then head over to the large-scale inflatable obstacle course. Here they could race one another to the finish, weaving through five foot padded stanchions, and climbing up a wall before crossing the finish line. I’ll never forget racing through the course with my sister while a large group of bystanders cheered us on.

If your interested in becoming a vendor yourself be sure to download the 2009 Healthy & Fit Magazine Expo Kit and sign up as soon as possible to be sure that you get first priority in vendor booths! And be sure to call Healthy & Fit Magazine with any questions regarding the expo at 517.244.1844.