March Newsletter 2021
CLUB UPDATE
As many of you know, it's been a crazy ride over the past year. In my wildest dreams would I have thought we would still be battling this virus a year later. The good news is that numbers are dropping fast and people are getting vaccinated in record numbers. It's very encouraging that we might be dropping into a lower tier soon and able to open up the indoor facility. If that does happen, please be aware that we will keep the outdoor area permanently by the volleyball court. We always want to give you guys the option to workout indoors or out. As things change, we will give everyone email updates on what is now open and what remains closed. Let's keep our fingers crossed that COVID cases keep dropping and we can get back to normal! As always, thank you for your support of OVAC. We are beyond proud to be able to keep our staff employed and the doors open for everyone to enjoy!
See Ya at the Club!
Ryan
FOX STREET EATERY
The Club Cafe, Fox Street Eatery staff has been enjoying making you Take a Break Tuesday Take-home Dinners. If you have an idea for a dinner for April send Rebekah an email at [email protected].
Here is the Take a Break Tuesday Dinners we will be making during March:
March 9th Chili Cheese Dogs
March 16th Corn Beef Cabbage
March 23rd Thai Peanut Stir Fry
March 30th Taco Salad
WELCOME PERSONAL TRAINER JUSTIN ENGLISH
Hi all,
My name is Justin English and I am a personal trainer here at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club. I have a bachelor's degree in sports psychology and am certified as a personal trainer by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. The pairing of the world of psychology and fitness has found a unique place in all of our lives lately. This last year has been incredibly strange and many of us have found peace and mental strength within the environment of our gym. We all are familiar with the amazing feeling of completing a workout. However, the psychological benefits of exercise go beyond the good-feeling neurotransmitters that engulf our system after a workout.
It is well known in the fields of medicine that regular exercise can have major beneficial implications on long term health. For example, exercise has been shown to lower the odds of developing some forms of cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity (e.g., Dubbert, 2002; Schaie, Leventhal, & Willis, 2002) Beyond these heavily discussed benefits of exercise on our physiological well being, there are also massive benefits to be gained from exercise in the realms of psychological and neurological well being.
According to Curt Lox and colleagues in The Psychology of Exercise, an increase in reported feelings of positive mood as well as reduced feelings of depression and anxiety are all common results from regular exercise (Lox et al. 7). These are the incredible feelings that we all gain after a difficult workout. They relate directly to very specific neurotransmitters being released into various areas in our brain. We could all use more of this during these incredibly trying times. We can literally exercise the stress of the pandemic away, while at the same time better preparing our body for any ailments that we may face. In addition to all of this, the neurological benefits of exercise are equally amazing.
According to Seo and his colleagues, regular exercise has been shown to play a very important role in reducing and preventing neuroinflammation. Neuroinflammation is a nasty process that involves the production of harmful cytokines. This process eventually leads to horrible diseases such as Alzeihmers, Parkinsons, ALS and MS. But its not all bad news! We can prevent all of these diseases with regular exercise!
As members of the club, these physiological, psychological and neurological benefits of exercise are a zoom call or drive away. We have many talented individuals at our club that are ready to help you with your fitness journey, but if you would like to work with me, my contact information is below. I focus on helping you achieve your goals while helping you stay injury free.
Contact me to talk more! My phone number is (805) 212-0813.
BENEFITS OF BREATH
By Georgia Cotsis
One of the main factors that I always talk about when it comes to Pilates; is that we are encouraging physical health AND mental health. It is very common for most people to suffer from anxiety at some point in their life, or throughout their life. I have heard so often how important it is to focus on breathing exercises to reduce anxiety/stress and simply for overall better health. In my experience, it is hard for me to take time out of my day to remember to structure my breathing to accomplish this.
Pilates is a form of exercise where we embed breathing patterns into each movement. Not only does it help the exercise flow, but over time, it gives our bodies the chance to think and move with way less stress. When we work out, it is so easy to tense up because we want to get everything right and to remember what the next step is. Having a breath pattern, reminds us that the main important thing when we exercise is to connect to our own body and to not strain the body.
I have noticed that after a Pilates work out, when I have taken a full hour, or even half hour, to connect to these sequences and these different breath patterns, I feel happier/lighter during the work out and more steady and upright throughout the entire rest of my day! How efficient is that? Being able to tone up and trim the body while we are also practicing our breath in detail all at the same time.
With that being said, the Pilates studio has been busy! Please sign up for a private session to claim your spot and to kickstart your stress free day! Also, group Mat Pilates class on Mondays at 4pm and Fridays at 10:30am
TENNIS NEWS FROM STEVE BECKENDORF
Hello OVAC members!
Hopefully this is the last time you'll ever have to hear me say this. As I am sure most of you are aware, the prestigious and historic Ojai Tennis Tournament has again been cancelled this year due to the pandemic restrictions. Here's hoping that The Ojai 2022 will be back and better than ever.
Thank you all for keeping your balls out of the trash. The recycling receptacles are being well-used and we've kept over 2,000 balls out of landfills so far. THANKS!
I continue to mend following hip surgery- thanks to many of you for the well wishes - I hope to be returning to light duty here in the next week or so!
TENNIS CLINICS
* Please be advised that all clinics may not be running during Covid restrictions.
Contact Steve at [email protected] to sign up for any clinic.
JUNIOR CLINICS:
Intermediate Clinic- Invitation Only
Monday & Wednesday 3pm-4:30pm
Ages 9-14. Cost: $18 member/$21 non-member
Future Stars
Tuesday & Thursday 3pm-3:45pm
Ages 5-8. Cost: $12 member/$15 non-member
Bigger Littles Clinic
Tuesday & Thursday 4:45pm-5:45pm
Ages 8-12. Cost: $15 member/$18 non-member
ADULT CLINICS
Advanced Live Ball- Invitation Only
Mondays 4:30pm-5:30pm. Cost: $15 member/$18 non-member
Ladies Intermediate Live Ball- Invitation Only
Wednesdays 5pm-6pm. Cost: $15 member/$18 non-member
Saturdays 9am-10am. Cost: $15 member/$18 non-member
Adult Beginner/Intermediate Clinic
Saturdays 10-11:30am. Cost: $18 members/$21 non-members
DROP IN TENNIS
Drop in Doubles: Tuesday/Thursday at 3:30pm Courts 1&2
Cronies Doubles: Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 7am Courts 1&2
PICKLEBALL
Adult Beginner Pickleball Instruction
Wednesdays 10-11am. Cost: $15 member/$18 non-member by appointment
Open Play: Pickleball is open all day, 7 days a week. Paddles and balls available at the front desk. All membership types may play.
AQUATICS NEWS
Hi OVAC Swimmers!
The club pools have been an amazing respite during this last year and I am so thankful we continue to be open and available as an outlet for families to recreate. With spring approaching and pool usage ramping up, I just want to remind everyone to stay safe and follow the Covid guidelines until we get an Aquatic update from the county. Also, with the rec pool becoming busier please be aware of the lap lanes in the rec pool, those lanes are for lessons and lap swimming. If a swimmer swims across the lanes when someone is lap swimming, a serious collision could happen and it's also frustrating for the lap swimmers.
Additionally, as the days become longer and the weather heats ups, swim lessons become a must have! We currently have three options for families looking to get kids ready and safe for the summer swim season. Please contact me if you are looking for swim options for you or your kids, or have questions about reservations.
See you at the pool!
Elin Cheverez [email protected]
Private Lessons packages-4-30 min lessons 1 swimmer $150 or 2 swimmers $220
All abilities/levels. Water safe swimmers will be instructed from the deck, swimmers who need assistance will require a parent or guardian in the water. Contact an instructor by email to set up lessons according to your schedule.
Swim Instructors:
Bethany Wickholm: [email protected]
Caysee McCormick: [email protected]
Justin English: [email protected]
Saturday Drop in Lesson 12:15-12:45 $15/per class
Less committed water safe swimmers can drop by the club Saturday's for a stroke development lesson. Swimmers will work on basics like freestyle side breathing, kicking, and backstoke. No pre-registration required, but to secure your spot click here
Novice Swim Team Tues/Thurs 2:45-3:15 $85 month per swimmer.
Beginning swim team classes offer more consistent swim instruction for water safe swimmers who need stroke development and are interested in pursuing Aquatic sports. These classes are currently full but spaces come up frequently and hopefully Covid restrictions will be updated soon allowing more swimmers per lane! Click here to join the waitlist.
