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Federal Way Community Center PULSE

Play More. Spend Less.

This winter, lose pounds not your wallet. For one low price, enjoy:

Get your first month free when you buy a yearly pass by January 15, 2010. Makes a great gift for the holidays!

Household memberships start as low as $10 per month per person. Great rates are also available for youths, adults, seniors and couples. Stop in or call us at 253-835-6900 for more information.

Plan Your Special Event

Contact us to make plans for your next holiday party. We have free on-site parking, and can accommodate up to 300 guests in our light-filled banquet rooms. Let our experienced event staff help you coordinate your winter event.

Download our events brochure (PDF)

Now Open: The Splash Cafe

From bagels, fruit and smoothies to Caesar salads, soups, and vegetarian or chicken panini sandwiches, you'll find your fill at the new on-site cafe. You can even indulge in your favorite espresso, latte or mocha.

Ask the trainer

Send us your fitness question.

Ever wonder what a good goal weight is for you?  We all know what we weighed in high school, but is that number realistic as we reach our 30's, 40's and beyond?  Probably not.  Times have changed and our knowledge about the benefits of strength training has added lean muscle mass to our frames.  Here is a calculation you can do to figure out your "new" goal weight.  Knowing your body fat and lean mass percentage is required to do this calculation.  If you don't know yours, then please sign up for the $10 body composition test we do at the FWCC on the last Monday of each month (3/22, 4/26, 5/24, 6/28).  Call (253) 835-6900 to register.


*American Council on Exercise
Classification        Women (% fat)           Men (% fat)
Essential Fat        10-12%                      2-4%
Athletes               14-20%                      6-13%
Fitness                 21-24%                     14-17%
Acceptable            25-31%                    18-25%
Obese                  32% plus                   25% plus

Knowing your body fat percentage can help you determine if your weight loss goals are realistic. Remember, weight loss doesn't always mean fat loss. For example:

Let's say you're a 130lb. woman with 23% body fat, and you goal is to "lose 20 pounds":

Initial body fat: 130lbs. x 0.23 fat = 30lbs. body fat

Lean body mass: 130lbs. total - 30lbs. fat = 100lbs. lean body mass (bones, organs and all else)

Goal: 130lbs. - 20lbs. = 110 pounds

As you can see, the goal of losing 20 pounds is not realistic or healthy. At 110 pounds, this woman still requires 100lbs. of lean body mass (bones, organs, etc.), but would only be carrying 10lbs., or only 9% body fat. From the chart above, you can see that this is a dangerously low percentage.

A better goal might be for the woman to reduce her body fat from 23% to 18%. In this case:

130lbs. x 0.18 = 23lbs. body fat

100lbs. lean body mass + 23lbs. = 123lbs. goal weight

So, for this individual to achieve a lean, but healthy 18% fat, she would need to lose only 7 pounds of fat, reducing her weight from her current 130 pounds to 123 pounds. Losing more than 7 pounds means losing lean body mass (usually metabolically-active muscle tissue), which is clearly not desirable.

So before you decide that you need to "lose weight", remember to consider that "weight" consists of both lean body mass and body fat. Try to keep your weight loss goals realistic, and remember, keep the calorie-burning muscle, and lose only the fat.

Source: http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm

 

Fitness

The Benefits of Getting Fit with Friends

Working out in a class or with a buddy can lead to better results by providing support, accountability and structure. The Federal Way Community Center has some of the area's top fitness instructors and classes to get you motivated.

Activities in Federal Way

March 26th: Sprint Triathlon training begins.  Cost is just $135 for 12 weeks of training plus a paid entry fee in the 5 Mile Lake Sprint Triathlon on Saturday, June 19th.  Call (253) 835-6900 to register.

April 1st:  Sound to Narrows training begins.  Cost is just $75 for 10 weeks of training plus a paid entry fee into the Sounds to Narrows run on Saturday, June 12th.  Call (253) 835-6900 to register.

April 6th:  Rock N' Roll 1/2 Marathon training begins.  Cost is $150 for 12 weeks of training plus a paid entry fee into the Rock N' Roll 1/2 Marathon on Saturday, June 26th.  Call (253) 835-6900 to register.

Send any questions about these programs to kimberly.shelton@cityoffederalway.com.  Let's get fit Federal Way!

Food for Fitness

It's a good idea to have a healthy snack after your workout. Fiber keeps you feeling fuller longer and can help you lose weight.

Jillian's Hotcakes (serves 3)

  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 3 tablespoons nonfat sour cream
  • 3 teaspoons Smuckers' sugar-free jam

Preheat a griddle to 380 degrees or on high, until a drop of water sizzles.  Separate yolks from egg whites.  Beat egg whites until peaks form.  Beat egg yolks till thick.  Add cottage cheese to yolks and beat well.  Stir in flour.  Fold in egg whites.  Pour batter onto the griddle, making each hotcake about 5 inches in diameter.  Cook for 2 minutes on each side.  Then remove and dollop 1 tablespoons sour cream and 1 teaspoon jam on each hotcake.  Serve immediately.

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Federal Way Community Center • 876 S. 33rd St. • Federal Way, WA 981103 • 253-835-6900