Check out the How to Choose Your Workout Facility and Personal Trainer guide in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Contrary to what you may believe, personal trainers enjoy training small groups just as much as one-on-one sessions. Not only does it present a different challenge and break up the day, but there are many benefits to training three or four people together. Let’s take a deeper look into why our trainers love small group workouts and why you should, too.

Some people come to Park Avenue Fitness knowing they want to join a small group, usually because they already know someone in the group. However, most new clients want one-on-one sessions and don’t always understand the benefits of small groups. We totally get it, working in a new group can be nerve-wracking, but most of our clients truly enjoy their small group classes. Here’s why we think you’ll love it too.

Streaming services churn out so much material so quickly these days that most movies come off as kitschy and cliché. I always cave and watch what’s new, but most of the time, it leaves me wishing for the days of quality films. Today, I couldn’t quote a good one-liner or tell you which scene I think a movie will be remembered for. 

That’s not to say I don’t enjoy newer Gen Z movies, because I’ve seen a few that I did — like “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” However, the golden age of rom-coms has passed us by, and the younger generations need to see these prime examples of what rom-coms were back then.

Whether you want to take a trip down memory lane with me or see what we “old folks” watched on girls’ night, you’re in the right place. The movies on this list are all iconic for one reason or another and picked to represent rom-coms of their era.

When I think of Adam Sandler, movies of the comedic variety come to mind; after all, it’s where Sandler got started. Sandler has been acting for over 40 years, starting on “The Cosby Show” before being discovered and moving on to “Saturday Night Live” and then starring in movies. I was dubious when I heard Sandler was cast as the lead in a drama, but I’ll admit—it piqued my interest. As a millennial, Sandler appeared on my TV screen a lot as a kid. At my mom’s house, it was rom-com with Drew Barrymore, and at my dad’s it was sports comedies.

I’ve loved “Gilmore Girls” since day one. I developed a kinship with book-loving Rory (Alexis Bledel) and obsessed over everything to do with Stars Hollow. Like most fans, Rory’s relationship with her mother, Lorelai (Lauren Graham), holds a special place in my heart. Upon reflection, though, the show features many mother-daughter relationships and ruminates on all the shapes and dynamics they come in. I took it upon myself to personally rank which mother-daughter duos I found heartwarming to outright shameful.

There’s always been a big debate about Rory (Alexis Bledel) and her boyfriends on “Gilmore Girls,” dividing fans into Team Dean and Team Jess. Yet I firmly believe neither of them were good for her. There’s a third group, with which I’m firmly aligned, that holds the unpopular — but I’d argue correct — opinion that Logan (Matt Czuchry) was actually Rory’s best boyfriend. I’ve broken down the reasons why Logan and Rory were actually good together — and why Dean and Rory and Jess and Rory just weren’t.

The story of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster is well-known — as it should be; it’s been around for over 200 years! You don’t need a literature degree to know how it goes, as movies frequently retell the tale. The most recent iteration is the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe Award winner “Poor Things.” (My favorite detail from the film is the scientist named after Mary Shelley’s father, Dr. Godwin Baxter.) If you love “Poor Things” and everything “Frankenstein,” or you want to dip your toes into older “Frankenstein” films, I’ve put together a guide to help you get started.

The first week at the box office can define a movie’s success. For it to be considered a smash, it needs to make double its budget while in theaters. I’m sure Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are at the forefront of everyone’s mind when they think of a box-office hit.

A movie is considered a flop when it doesn’t make back the budget invested to make it. The films on this list are considered failures, but I loved every one of them and cleared my schedule to ensure I could see them in their first week.

The series finale of “Nancy Drew” aired in late August this year. I simultaneously enjoyed it and was devastated by it. It’s over, so what do I watch now? While the CW did a good job wrapping up all the plotlines and loose ends, I felt a few details were lacking. It left me wanting a little bit more, though I know it won’t ever come to fruition. Let’s take a look at everything that worked in the finale and what didn’t.

Swifties will remember Nov. 15, 2022, as the Ticketmaster debacle. For some of us, like myself, we were stuck at work and didn’t have the time to step away and purchase tickets before they were gone — and they were gone fast. Then there were others, like my fiance who wanted to surprise me with seeing my favorite artist live, who had to deal with the nightmare that was Ticketmaster’s never-ending technological glitches.

If you’re a bibliophile, you might’ve come across movie or TV show adaptations of your favorite book at some point. Regardless of the genre, you may feel excited and slight trepidation in seeing your favorite characters and worlds brought to life through cinematography. While some flop at the box office, many stand out for getting all the important details right. Whether it’s the cast, script, or CGI – everything matters. Read this list of nine book-to-movie or TV show adaptations that, dare we say, are better than the original.

It’s a challenge to pick a favorite character on the CW show, “Nancy Drew,” as each one has a list of attributes and quirks that make them so loveable. For instance, I love how George (Leah Lewis) takes care of her younger sisters, showing a softer side instead of her usual tough demeanor. I also love Ace’s (Alex Saxon) endless amount of patience. However, I think Bess (Maddison Jaizani) is the most underrated character — here’s why.

Although “Nancy Drew” has maintained a lot of themes and plots from the Carolyn Keene novels, it has strayed quite far from the original material. The show added new characters, relationships, locations, and magic, which have all been welcome changes since they added to the story in a positive way.

I’ve embraced those changes, but a few moments left me either squirming with discomfort or scratching my head, wondering if they were really necessary. Here are a few moments that the CW show “Nancy Drew” took too far.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May 2, with no resolution in sight. Not long after, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike as well because it couldn’t reach an agreement with the studios. So, what does that mean for you as a consumer? We explain whether or not you should boycott the streamers during the strikes.

We’re all guilty of hate-watching; it’s similar to having a guilty pleasure TV show or movie. We’re either embarrassed to admit that we love the show or hate it so much that we can’t tear our eyes away from the screen. However, this can also be an opportunity to bond with friends and family — you can unite in your hatred of it and still have watch parties! Here’s our list of movies and TV shows we hate-watched (and rewatch).

If, like me, you were obsessed with the original 56 “Nancy Drew Mystery” novels, then you may be taking the CW show as a completely separate entity. If you’re paying close attention, however, you’ll notice all the nods and themes from the novels.

Some of my favorite Easter eggs include the color representation of the Claw and the uniforms, which feature blue, green, yellow, and red taken from the 1950s Nancy Drew board game; Keene High School, named after the books’ author, Carolyn Keene; Nancy’s classic blue roadster, which she always drives in the books; and my personal favorite — the Tandy’s in Season One, which refers to Russell H. Tandy, the artist who did the covers for the original books.

Those are just a handful of Easter eggs, but what about the plotlines from the novels? You might miss them if you’re not looking, so I rounded them all up.

In the Nancy Drew book series, it’s typical for readers to associate Nancy with dating Ned. Many fans weren’t too happy when the CW show premiered, and the couple split partway through the first season. Fans felt they missed out on the infamous relationship since audiences only saw the tail end. However, the show creators and writers felt that it would’ve been too predictable to see Nancy (Kennedy McMann) and Ned (Tunji Kasim) from the beginning. I have to say, I agree with them. Here’s why.

Most people ask you what your favorite movie is, but not many ask which one you hate the most. I usually find that disliking a movie is a stronger emotion — more visceral. You can’t help but scoff and shake your head whenever the film is mentioned. Sometimes you don’t tell people about it because it’s such a beloved film, and you want to avoid the judgment or controversial conversation that’ll come afterward. In other cases, it just needs to be said — so, here are the movies that I loathe with a burning passion that, for some reason, others love.

We all have a favorite film franchise blockbuster that we desperately wait for to land in theaters. Mainly, it’s the characters (and the actors themselves) that we fall in love with. Every so often, we come across a movie where a character has either been written off or replaced by a different actor, and it’s just not the same. Here are eight actors and actresses who quit their film franchise roles, to our dismay.