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Looking good this summer means getting it into gear right now as spring temperatures hit the Big D.  While you are thinking about coming out of winter hibernation and getting into shape try these new openings in the Dallas area, two sure fire ways to make you look and feel better right now.

If you have a goal to get in shape do it at one of Dallas’ coolest hotspots, Victory Park, where the North Plano CrossFit box, Legacy Fitness is bringing a premier CrossFit training facility to the area, in fact, it will be the first gym in the district.

Victory Park CrossFit will offer an elite CrossFit experience as well as bodyweight focused Victory Fit programs that will include beginner and advanced classes in a 3000 square-foot,  upscale atmosphere complete with lockers, upscale restrooms and shower facilities for members.

Co-owners and coaches Ozzie Kalil, Jeff Reinhardt, Kahle Lewis and Ryan Southern are bringing a unique partnership between business and physical fitness and say they are hoping to bring a fresh concept to the Victory Park district overall.

 "It’s incredible to see the life-changing effects of CrossFit," Kalil said.  "As a stroke survivor, it has truly improved my quality of life."

Co-owner, Ryan Southern adds "Anyone can do it regardless of their fitness level. Our community comes from all walks of life and all levels of fitness; we encourage our athletes to celebrate every victory – sometimes that can be simply finishing the work out of the day.”

The Victory Park CrossFit grand opening is set for Saturday, April 18 with free workouts beginning at 10:00 a.m. as well as food provided by Snap Kitchen and Medina Oven & Bar, raffle drawings for discounted memberships, free beginner classes, CrossFit apparel, Reebok, lululemon athletica and more until 2:00 p.m.

After your workout head over to Tangerine Salon’s fourth location with its grand opening taking place the same day at Preston Hollow Village on Walnut Hill Lane.

A new Aveda Lifestyle salon, the atmosphere in this new Tangerine Salon creates an airy and modern feel complete with a second story mezzanine and 30-foot ceilings.

Founders Brandon & Janet Hensley’s focus is on staff education, customer service and developing the most talented stylists in the market with a variety of services from cuts to blow outs to the perfect spring hair color. 

Leading the technical service aspect of this new location are Master Stylists Marshall Hatley and Kevin Walsh, who have been with Tangerine for 10 years and whose commitment to service and style sets the tone for the talented staff to offer the best experience for Tangerine guests.

“Our mission is that every guest who walks into our salon enjoys something better than they’ve ever experienced before,” says Janet. “Through creating a culture of excellence and a passion to be the best, Tangerine staff are constantly challenged to be on the leading edge of style and technique.”

Tangerine’s grand opening celebration will be from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the 18th and folks can enjoy visiting the space, meeting the stylists and entering for a chance to win blowouts for a year.

Being Dallas’ leading Aveda lifestyle salon company, Tangerine also offers the entire Aveda product line and the professional products used for treatments and hair color is 99% naturally derived with Aveda using plant power instead of petrochemicals.  

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Many of the locally based eco-food trucks that were popular when the food truck craze first hit the scene seem to have become a thing of the past these days.  For example, food trucks like Good Karma Kitchen and Green House Food Truck, which were the biggest names it seems, have either become brick and mortar are just offer professional catering services these days.

In fact, the much loved Green House Food Truck, one of the first Dallas-based trucks around can now be found inside Northpark mall offering a fresh juice bar and Blue Bottle Coffee; the new name is Green House Market.

Last summer the Green House Food Truck folks did take the all-electric truck out for a spin with a variety of natural and healthy choices, but according to Robin Siegel this summer the truck has become what they are calling a food cart, it’s electric and is currently parked at Northpark by Macy's on the inside.  Siegal says “It is street legal so it can be inside or outside and since it is electric, there's no waste.”

The other popular healthy food truck choice, Good Karma Kitchen is also a no-show these days since the owners expanded the catering and personal chef side of things, unfortunately to the demise of the rolling truck business.

However, there is one food truck still out there that is offering 100% healthy options. It’s called Vegan Noms (http://vegannoms.com/) baking and offering a variety of fresh cookies, cupcakes, muffins and bars. No animal products are used in the baking of the nom-nom good treats and Chief Baker and owner Allison Catalani says “the concept just sprouted from the idea of vegan desserts, which requires a lot of particular ingredients that just happen to be readily available in stores as organic. It adds the extra "touch" to our slogan and marketing, that we can say we are vegan and organic.”

Primarily found in Dallas, but occasionally heading to the suburbs and surrounding towns, Catalani has been operating Vegan Noms for a little over a year and says “customers are overall impressed that their dessert has healthy qualities and it tends to be a selling point in encouraging them to try things. It's difficult to say if organic is popular, I don't think people hunt out food trucks with organic food, or do they really expect to find organic offerings on a food truck, but they are always excited to see it's an option on my truck.” 

Other food trucks in Dallas touting some type of healthy spin include Whats Cook-N Chef offering limited veggie options, the Lean Machine serving Denton with what is reported as calorie-conscious and lower-fat foods or Easy Slider advertising regionally-raised meats and locally-sourced produce.

“In the food truck industry, organic food is not what people are typically looking for in Dallas,” Catalani says regarding the fact that her nutritious and tasty truck is practically the last healthy truck standing. “Most often people in Dallas look for food trucks as "fast food" and do not hunt down a gourmet truck that may sell organic meals. The majority of Dallasites are committed to their favorite local restaurants for vegan, organic or gluten-free or any type of healthy options, they don't expect it from a food truck.”