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Spookzilla Halloween Party at XTC Fitness & Sports

October 14th, 2011

Spookzilla is an all out adult Halloween party for those who still like to have a little spooky fun. This is a MIX 93.1 event and will be happening on October 29th at 7:00 p.m. at the Tony Cruz XTC Fitness & Sports location.

This Halloween if your an adult don’t go trick or treating, your an adult, that time has past. Instead do something a little more age appropriate with absolutely no annoyance factor to your neighbors. Mix 93.1 will be hosting this top of the line Halloween party at one of the nicest fitness facilities in town. Below are some of the things that will be happening there on Oct 29th at 7 p.m.

  • Live Band and Dancing
  • Carnival Games
  • Grown-up trick-or-treating
  • Food and Drinks available for purchase
  • Must be 21 or older

You can buy tickets here:

General Admission Tickets $25

VIP Package Tickets $100
VIP package includes unlimited food and beverages at no additional cost, plus VIP seating by the dance floor.

Workout number 22 at XTC Fitness & Sports

August 23rd, 2011

kickboxing class xtc fitnessI finished workout number 22 at Tony Cruz XTC Fitness & Sports last week and I have yet to change my eating habits but I am now at 174 pounds from my all time maximize size of 195 pounds.

I am getting pretty good now at coming in almost every time to the group kickboxing class at noon at XTC. I am able to fit this 45 minute class in on my lunch break and get a really good cardio workout in while building a little muscle.

Because I am maintaining a moderate heart rate throughout the class it helps to decrease my appetite so even though I have not changed my eating habits I most likely do not eat as big of portions as I used to because I am just not that hungry anymore.

For having only done 22 workouts I would say that my weight loss is a pretty awesome result of this class and as a 35 year old male I see the main benefit being my increased health and lower chances of developing heart disease as I age.

I will likely eventually change up my diet more and eat healthier simply because as you move along the pathway of your goals you start to see your pathway light up in front of you showing you what to do next.

It simply becomes clearer as you move forward in business and life what the next step is and this is all a part of the game of success in whatever you do.

The important point to take away here is to do something. Move forward in some small manner and even though you don’t yet know what the end result or next step will be it will become clearer as you make some effort.

Tony Cruz XTC Fitness & Sports makes your progress even faster as when in a group workout class you are told what to do throughout the entire workout. A group exercise class does not have much of a learning curve or self motivation factor as you are almost forcing your will into action.

Every time I go to do one of these workouts I am amazed at the level of intensity and can admit that if left on my own I would have likely not forced myself to complete the workout with the same amount of effort.

A good group exercise class like the kickboxing or cycling class at XTC is a great way to move yourself into a new positive routine in your life. I truly believe you will feel better, healthier, and have a new outlook on how easy it can be to achieve new goals in your life once you do this class a few times.

Go check out their website blog here to learn more: Tony Cruz XTC Fitness & Sports

Tony Cruz XTC Fitness Workout 8

July 5th, 2011

I completed workout number 8 today at Tony Cruz XTC Fitness & Sports.

This workout is done during my lunch hour and lasts 45 minutes so I can make it back to work on time.

I highly recommend you check it out. I love it, and it has me on a solid established routine now.

This is my first time weighing myself and I have gone from:

195 pounds down to 180 pounds.

Pretty cool… Check them out here http://www.xtremetc.com

7922 S. Broadway
Tyler, TX 75703
Phone: (903) 509-4269

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Workout number 7 at XTC Fitness in Tyler TX

June 29th, 2011

 

I am now officially at workout number 7 after completing it today around 1:00 p.m.

During my lunch hour I run over to Tony Cruz XTC Fitness and Sports gym and get in a 45 minute kickboxing workout.

Since almost all of this workout is cardio with the occasional push ups you feel the pain. Regardless if you think your tough stuff if you don’t do normal cardio stuff on a regular basis this workout out will remind you of that.

Back on my 6th workout day I started to actually feel stronger. I could do quite a few more fist push ups and I didn’t feel so much like I was about to die.

I know that will power is the number one most powerful asset we as humans have and that my emotions would be telling me to quit at workout number 1.

As you can see I did kickboxing class number 7 and I am still alive and well and feeling much healthier, happier, and more alert than ever.

The kickboxing trainer I had to today was Andrew and on other days it is Corey. Both group exercise trainers are extremely helpful and encouraging throughout the 45 minutes.

If you want to get yourself into shape quick and don’t feel like you have the time then make some time during your lunch break. Go by Tony Cruz XTC Fitness & Sports and meet a personal trainer or two and see what group exercise class and time would work best for you.

To read more on the benefits of an XTC Fitness gym workout read this

Brookshire’s World of Wildlife Museum & Country Store

September 28th, 2010

Brookshire’s World of Wildlife Museum & Country Store

1600 W.S.W. Loop 323 and Old Jacksonville Highway

Tyler, Texas

(903) 534-2169

www.brookshiresmuseum.com

Since the Caldwell Zoo started charging admission there just aren’t a whole lot of places in Tyler that are both fun for the whole family and free. You could go to the park, I suppose, but that’s more fun for the kids than the parents and besides who wants to hang around outside when the temperature is into triple digits for most of the summer. But at least there is one place left in Tyler that can interest both adults and children, has air conditioning, and is free – Brookshire’s World of Wildlife Museum & Country Store.

Brookshires World of Wildlife Museum

Brookshires World of Wild Life Museum

Our family has been to Brookshire’s Wildlife Museum several times now and we have always enjoyed it. When you enter the building you just sign your name in the guest registrar book and your good to go. There is always a friendly lady around the front to greet visitors and to answer any questions you might have. Then you can begin your tour of the place. The Brookshire’s Wildlife Museum has three main sections to it. The first is the Wildlife Museum of course. The second is the old country store. And the third is a little gift shop.

The wildlife museum takes up two rooms in the museum and has more than 400 animals on display. Many of these animals were caught on safari in Africa by Wood T. Brookshire and his wife Louise. They obtained special game permits for many of the animals with the agreement that they would use these animals for educational purposes. It was the Brookshire’s desire to make these animals available to the general public who would never get to go on safari or view these exotic animals in the wild. Thanks to the Brookshire’s you can get up close and really study the animals. And since they are all dead you don’t need to worry about them breaking out of a cage and mauling you to death. Other parts of the Brookshire’s animal collection was donated by other families and the sum total is pretty impressive.

In addition to the many exotic wildlife specimens from Africa (lions, hippos, rhinos, wart hogs, gazelles, giraffes, leopards, zebra, crocodiles etc.) there are also many examples of North American Wildlife (bears, wolverines, badgers, hummingbirds, fish, hawks, deer, mountain lions, bob cats, buffalo, raccoons etc.) and animals from other parts of the world like polar bears. Many of the animals have been placed in displays which show what their natural habitat looks like. One of the coolest one shows a lion with it paws outstretched and its teeth bared, about to take down a deer. It is kind of funny though because the deer appears almost bored. He is just standing there as though he has no idea there is a lion right behind him.

I also love standing by the ten foot polar bear and imaging what it would be like to be face to face with it in the wild. It’s claws are huge and it’s mouth looks big enough to fit my head inside. The most fun display shows four monkeys dressed in grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts playing Monopoly. They all have tropical drinks with umbrellas in them. One monkey is pointing at another one who has his hands raised in surrender and is holding a “Go To Jail” card.

The wildlife museum also has on display several artifacts from Africa such as carved wooden statues, shields, spears, drums, and more. Another cool feature of the museum is a long log which has several holes cut into it. A child can reach his hand into it and feel around. Inside are things like bear fur and deer pelts. It’s fun for kids to feel around inside, guess what it is they are touching, and then pull it out and look at it. Unfortunately the people at the museum haven’t labeled the holes so sometimes you are not sure what kind of animal fur it is even after you have removed it from the log.

My oldest son has been a huge nature and animal lover ever since he was a baby so he is happy to spend a lot of time looking around the whole wildlife museum and talking about the animals. His two younger brothers also like the museum but they don’t like to spend near as much time in it as he does so we usually end up rushing the older, trying to slow down the younger two, or just splitting up for awhile.  One part of my strategy for helping the two younger boys to wait was to sit down with them and watch the short video that the museum has on a constant loop. The video is shown on a TV in a little alcove with one bench where three or four people can sit. It features Louise Brookshire and tells how the museum came about, its history, and its mission.

When the boys just can’t wait any longer we head into the old country store. The country store is a life-sized replica of a 1920’s grocery store. This is my wife’s favorite part. She is as much a lover of history as our son is a lover of nature. She loves to museums and things which show what life was like in the past. The country store shows in detail what grocery stores looked like and sold eighty to ninety years ago. It even has antique display cases and cash registers. There is 1920’s era candy, sewing machines, meat carvers, cameras, food, soap, gum, coloring books, a malt-machine, baking powder, and much much more. My wife would spend two hours in the country store carefully perusing all the items if we let her. But of course we never do. The boys are always in a hurry at this point to get to the last part of the museum – the gift shop!

The gift shop has lots of souvenirs from Texas and the Tyler area such as t-shirts, glasses, and post-cards. They also have wildlife souvenirs and stuffed animals. But what our boys are really interested in is the candy. Besides lots of modern candy the gift ship also sells candy and gum which would have been sold in the 1920’s grocery store. We always let our kids pick out a little bit of candy or an ice cream treat if they behave themselves. The gift shop is a good deal for parents because there is a section which has several jars full of a variety of candies and the best part is that they are only five cents. So you don’t have to spend a fortune to make your kids happy. Outside the gift shop, besides the very necessary bathroom facilities and water fountains, there are more antique items such as old Coke machines and bottles, typewriters, a juke box and more.

Outside of the wildlife museum there is a nice park area which is great for picnics and letting the kids run around (if it’s not too hot). Besides the playground equipment there are also a few interesting vehicles at the park. There is a circa 1950’s LeFrance fire truck which I believe was once used in Dallas. The kids can crawl all over it and pretend to be firemen. I had fun goofing around on it with my boys and seeing all the features up close on an old fire engine. There is also a restored railroad caboose. This is also pretty neat to go through, play in, and look over. Unfortunately, the caboose was locked up on this visit. I don’t know why but I think maybe it had something to do with the heat. Then there is a 1926 McCormick Deering farm tractor. My youngest son loves tractors he calls them track-a-ders) so this is pretty cool for him. We’ve got some great pictures of him on this tractor and in the country store. We dressed him in some vintage looking clothes so he looks like a little boy from the 1920’s and fits right in with that store and tractor.

The museum is open on Tuesdays thru Saturdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm from March 1st thru September 30th. The museum is open from 10:00am to 4:00pm from October 1st thru February 28th.

I highly recommend the Brookshire’s World of Wildlife Museum & Country Store to all families, lovers of wildlife, and lovers of history. It’s definitely worth at least one visit and hey its free. You can’t beat that.