West Des Moines, IA Health and Fitness

The experts at LA Weight Loss understand the full breadth of the weight-loss process. Their counselors fuel clients’ drive to lose pounds—from the initial push to the last few difficult pounds—with moral support and custom diet plans that incorporate real, healthy foods instead of frozen dinners or icicle cocktails. In-store counseling helps clients tackle unhealthy habits head-on, and online support and chat rooms are always available to provide encouragement. The program’s metabolism-sparking beverages, lifestyle guides, and multivitamins sail directly to doorsteps faster than an Olympic runner hopped up on soy smoothies. A full palette of healthy recipes are complemented by nutritious meal bars and supplements packed with vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile, food scales, monthly diaries, and a portion-control kit help clients keep track of their eating habits and maintain accountability in their own homes.

For more than 26 years, the fitness experts at Push Pedal Pull have shared their knowledge with customers purchasing new and used muscle-pumping equipment. The staff happily equips exercisers with brawn-building devices for home, commercial, and hovercraft-based gyms, such as treadmills, ellipticals, and free weights from brands including Precor, Everlast, and Spri. Push Pedal Pull’s refurbished selection of used equipment from health clubs and commercial fitness facilities rotates regularly, stocking workout rooms for discounted prices. Manufacturer-certified equipment technicians repair malfunctioning equipment according to manufacturer standards and stock spare parts in the store to speed up repairs so customers can return to running, lifting, and astrally projecting as soon as possible.

Countryside Golf Course's 18-hole layout takes golfers across 160 acres of bucolic, gently undulating Iowa countryside. The horticultural oasis challenges golfers from the moment they stake their tree slivers into the soil of the first tee box, which plays into a 574-yard par 5 featuring a subtle dogleg-right and a green guarded by sand and water on either side to form the course's hardest-rated hole. Water comes into play on seven holes—including six of the first nine holes—placing a high premium on precise approach shots and ties to Poseidon's family tree.

After traversing the Bent grass circuit astride a golf cart, which helps hunt down wayward drives while daydreaming about a dream job as a Mars rover, players can head toward the clubhouse for a post-round meal or drink. At the wooden u-shaped bar, guests can crack open a beer and refuel with hot dogs and sandwiches.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole course
• Bent grass fairways and greens
• Length of 6,366 yards from the farthest tees
• Three tee options
• Link to scorecard

Goals in Motion Fitness Studios challenges students of any fitness level to push the boundaries of their exercise comfort zones via supportive group classes and nutritional education. The 5,500-square-foot studio accommodates up to 70–80 students per class. The studio offers a variety of classes including strength-training, kickboxing, yoga, Zumba, circuit-training, and power 45 high-intensity workouts and the trainers include modification in each class to ensure each participant is always hot on the heels of their physical-possibilities frontier. For a longer-term challenge, students can enroll in a nine-week challenge program.

The Goals in Motion program imparts the value of a positive attitude while emphasizing a lifestyle of balanced eating with regulated carbs, lean protein, and healthy fats over short-term diet fads, and supplements. The founders of Goals In Motion, Mardi Pfannebecker and Sandy Hafner, strive to maintain the studio's family-like atmosphere and even work out among members. Both owners graduated from Iowa State University, Mardi with a degree in exercise science and Sandy with a degree in business.

Fitness World West has been trimming Iowa's waistlines since 1986. Its two modern, fully equipped facilities hold more than 75 weekly fitness classes, an aquatic program accredited by the Arthritis Foundation, and advanced strength equipment from Hammer, Cybex, and Paramount. During the diverse lineup of fitness classes, the gym's trainers pump up their students' motivation with rigorous, varying workouts that include Zumba, yoga, cross training, and Greco-Roman spelling bees. For one-on-one instruction, personal trainers work with clients to design fitness plans that optimize results, taking advantage of the center’s cushioned track and the cardio theater's elliptical machines, cross trainers, bikes, and treadmills. When working out solo, clients can set brainwaves to one of 80 channels broadcasting from the cardio machines' personal flat-screen TVs, jogging or biking along to motivational music videos, athletic competitions, or home-shopping auctions. The gym’s selection of Olympic free weights stands ready to fatigue muscles before the whirlpool, sauna, or steam room relieves and relaxes deep-rooted aches.

In addition to increasing clients’ physical prowess, Fitness World West's knowledgeable staff help overhaul the unhealthy habits of their clients through computerized fitness assessments and personalized nutrition consultations. And, during workouts, they welcome parents to entrust their children to the kids' gym and nursery, where an eagle-eyed staff member watches over little ones as they romp around or lead troops of G.I. Joe figurines in taxing pushup regimens.

A bodybuilder and former firefighter, a competitive runner, and a martial arts champion lead the workouts for Elite Body Boot Camp at Elite Edge Gym. Having handpicked his team of certified personal trainers, UFC fighter Joe Brammer utilizes their backgrounds to plan brief but intensive routines. He combines kickboxing drills with weightlifting, yoga, and kettlebell maneuvers, staving off boredom with an ever-diverse exercise lineup. He has also structured the program for optimum results—ideally, his campers report to two days of kickboxing and two days of weight training per week, or one day of kickboxing in iron boots.

Joe and his staff don't believe in sitting by and bellowing orders at their students. They prefer to be involved both inside and out of each 45-minute class, dispensing tips for technique, nutrition, and goal setting.