West Whittier-Los Nietos, CA Health and Fitness

Fitness guru [Dr. John Spencer Ellis] http://gr.pn/Q9WKQk) set out to research the ideal method for burning fat and conditioning muscles, and in the process, he developed the IMPACT program, a collection of intense workouts, motivating coaching, and nutrition resources. This program forms the foundation of Impact Long Beach, where head trainer Peter McMahon leads functional training sessions that build strength, burn calories, and boost speed, endurance, and energy. Instead of having exercisers jog on treadmills or attempt to tow tractor-trailers by pedaling bicycles, he challenges them with agility drills and bodyweight exercises. Many classes take place at local parks and beaches, where exercisers can soak up sunbeams or challenge smug octopi to arm-wrestling matches.

The ICE locations in Anaheim, Westminster, and Yorba Linda bring the frigid thrill of icy sports to southern California. Westminster and Yorba Linda ICE centers boast NHL-size rinks, and Anaheim ICE center boasts an Olympic-size rink. In addition, Anaheim's league-certified surface is used as the official training facility of the Anaheim Ducks. Skaters can take to the ice for classes on such blade-top pursuits as hockey, figure skating, and freestyle drifting into a wall totally on purpose. Open-skate sessions give aficionados the chance to take a few laps, riding atop their own blades or donning a rental pair from the front desk. On Friday and Saturday nights, rinks morph into icy dance clubs, blasting hit music booming through the speakers and projecting music videos onto a jumbo screen.

Lauded by Pasadena Weekly for having the best fitness program in 2011, Stadium Fitness earns its praise with a full schedule of energetic workouts held inside the hallowed walls of Rose Bowl Stadium. During each one-hour session, coed groups of all skill levels shed calories as a knowledgeable, certified fitness coach encourages quadriceps to put forth their best effort. Workouts are customized to each attendee's abilities—whether they want to jog up stadium stairs, sprint full-speed across the field's sun-splashed grass, or develop innovative cheerleading routines on the sidelines. Inside, a 5,000-square-foot locker room volunteers its spacious layout, allowing groups to participate in a variety of circuit-training routines or read plaques engraved with quotes from legendary tackling dummies.

Shawn Crawford has been climbing for more than 40 years, working with wilderness search and rescue at age 13 and later serving as a park ranger. Today, he’s the owner and head instructor at Rock City Climbing, where he puts his American Mountaineering and Guiding Association certification to use as he teaches climbers of all experience levels techniques of top-rope climbing, belaying, rappelling, and bouldering.

Inside a gym equipped with more than 10,000 feet of climbing walls, as well as top-rope and bouldering areas, students learn basic and advanced climbing techniques in a range of classes. As they climb, instructors introduce techniques such as hand and foot placement and what to do if gravity starts working in reverse. Visitors can leave the main floor to explore a tunnel maze behind the climbing walls, filled with trap doors, narrow passageways, and drops of up to 11 feet.

When not overseeing his gym, Shawn leads outdoor climbing excursions to challenging locales such as Joshua Tree, Riverside Quarry, and the Statue of Liberty. He also oversees a nearby ropes course, where staffers help groups and individuals navigate two ziplines, as well as more than 20 aerial challenges at heights of up to 60 feet.

The professionals at Oceanic Dental strive to transform mouths with cosmetic and restorative dentistry. They tackle a range of oral issues, from simple fillings to trickier tasks such as fastening implants, performing teeth-whitening treatments, and informing cavities that they only have a few days to live. Whether they're examining chompers or applying veneers, the dentists use the latest technology, including digital and panoramic x-rays.