seriously fun fitness

Nike Women's Marathon & Half Marathon Lottery

Nike sent out their announcement last week that the half (and full) marathon this year is October 19, 2008. Several of you expressed interest in training for the Nike Women's or Half Marathon (including the coveted Tiffany necklace at the finish), so we wanted to pass along the info.

This is from the email they sent out:

Due to an overwhelming 3-day sell out last year, we will be holding 2008 registration through a random drawing process. We believe the random drawing will provide all those interested in participating in the event an equal opportunity to register. We invite you to register for the random drawing between 10 AM PST on March 4th & 11:59 PM PST on March 18th. All who enter the random drawing will be notified of their selection status via email on April 1st.

We have not yet made plans to train the group for another half marathon, so if you're at all interested in doing this race in October (whether CCABC offers training for it or not), you can sign up for the lottery online here: www.nikemarathon.com. You can apply individually or with the a Group ID...registering with the Group ID may increase your chances of getting selected. If you're interested, email me for the CCABC Group ID.

The race is a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, so another way to participate is to train with Team in Training.
   

"Heavy"-Duty Female Athletes Talk about Weight

Great article by Dana Villamagna over at Active.com (courtesy of Her Sports + Fitness) on size and weight of female athletes.

I can't tell you how many times per week I get asked "When will I start losing weight?" It's a tough sell to convince someone that the number on the scale is not a number to live and die by. But somehow we've become married to that number as the only indication of our fitness level, and success, as exercisers.

The muscle on your body is higher-value than the fat mass on your body. It burns more calories than fat at rest, so we like to focus on body composition, or the percentage of weight that is fat mass versus lean mass. (Obviously, we look to increase lean mass and decrease fat mass.) This is a more accurate and favorable way to evaluate our fitness journey and if you're exercising and eating efficiently, a decrease in body fat percentage is exactly what you should get.

SLO County Sitter Special Offer: March Special

We know many of you are busy moms or caregivers of small children who deserve a break from time to time. Co-owned and operated by a former boot camper, SLO County Sitters, Inc. is offering a membership special to Adventure Boot Camp participants for the month of March only. More details are offered in our email newsletter; if you don't subscribe to our newsletter, you can sign-up on our website (on the right side of the page).

Here is what you get when you purchase a package from SLO County Sitters, Inc.:

The sitters have gone through:

• Initial phone/email screening
• 3-part interview process (verbal and written)
• Reference checks
• Fingerprinting
• Background checks (Trustline.org)
• Random Drug Testing
• CPR/First Aid Certification
• DMV record checks
• At least one year of childcare experience

As they say, "all the things that a mom really wants but doesn’t insist on!"

There is an annual membership fee (discounted for Central Coast Adventure Boot Campers), and packages are available in the form of hours (5 hours, 10 hours, 40 hours, etc.).

For more information, please contact Tina Porter, President, at 805-365-5028.

101 Reasons to Cook Dinner Tonight

As some of you remember from a previous newsletter, I think Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking is a wonderful enhancement to any cookbook collection. According to her, a natural ingredient has to meet these two criteria: "If pressed, could I make this in my own kitchen? And, can I explain how this is made to an eight-year-old?"

While her book is inspired and educational (she includes a primer on all sorts of grains), sometimes you want an even fresher idea. Enter 101cookbooks.com, Heidi's online brilliant recipe repository. She posts 2-3 times/week, and I've never been disappointed.

So, if you want to get a preview of her style before buying the book or are looking for something seasonal, it's worth checking out. Lots of gluten-free options there, too.

Why We Stretch: Muscle Soreness versus Improved Flexibility

Some of you may have seen the recent NY Times article on stretching. (I hadn't; thanks, Susan.) I had, however, seen the studies this article references, which suggest stretching before and/or after a workout has no effect on post-workout muscle soreness.

It has long been accepted in the athletic community that stretching before a workout is less effective than doing a dynamic warm-up. This is what we do at boot camp: we warm-up through walking or jogging, then lead the muscles in a series of movements, much like the exercises do later in class, but this time without weights, or at a different angle.

Personally, I know I feel better when I do a light stretch session after a workout. Placebo? Perhaps. Still, if I can improve my flexibility while stretching, even if I'll still be sore after a workout, then I say stretching is worth the time.

This is because flexibility is one of the components of fitness, as is cardiovascular endurance, strength, balance, and other measurements. Just because stretching doesn't provide the "fix" we thought it did with regards to muscles soreness, it's no reason to neglect the activity, at the expense of our flexibility.

So we'll keep on stretchin' to improve flexibility, at the very least.

Roses to La Playa 2008: Race results

"Team CCABC" performed beautifully at Roses to La Playa 5k in Santa Barbara this past weekend. Despite a downpour at the start, everyone who started, finished the 3.1 miles! In fact, our team placed fourth in the team competition...way to go!

We're taking some time off from Saturday runs, but be sure to check out Active.com for upcoming local races, for example, the April 13th Wine Country Run (half-marathon and 5k) in Paso Robles.

Yoga Village in Arroyo Grande - Grand Opening on 3/1

For those of you that live in South County/5 Cities, there is a new yoga studio opening in The Village of Arroyo Grande, Yoga Village at 132 W. Branch Street. The Grand Opening is on March 1, offering *free* classes from morning to afternoon that day.

I don't personally know any of the instructors, nor will I be able to attend until my knee heals-up, but anyone up for a free yoga class on Saturday should check it out! As many of you know, my yoga practice is dear to me and I encourage exploring a practice of your own as a complement to boot camp and as a tool for relaxation.

Anyone who ends up going, let me know about your experience!

Out of Blog-Retirement (Plus: 7-day challenge)

I promised myself I'd post before February was out, and lucky for me, I even have an extra day with leap year. Nonetheless, sorry for my extended absence from the blogosphere. We took some time off during the holidays to enjoy time with friends and family. And then I took a little bit more time off to rehabilitate my knee.

And as much as I enjoy posting updates and staying in touch, sometimes it's easier not to...sound familiar? With January and February (nearly) behind us, it's time to take a look at things we love doing, but currently aren't, because we tell ourselves it's easier not to do them. Example: don't we all feel better after a walk or run? or an hour of boot camp? or drinking more water in the day? or getting 8 hours sleep?

Maybe these were your New Year's resolutions, or maybe you just "know better." My challenge to you is to pick one thing you absolutely love doing (or even being done with!) and do it for the 7 days. If you feel like sharing what this activity is, post it in comments, and maybe some others will come out of the woodwork and become part of your team of support. Seriously. One week.

For my end of the bargain, I'll post at least every-other-day. Ok?!

5k Training Challenge

Our 5k training program begins December 17th!

I'll post more later, but in the meantime, we have a flyer with all the details: Download boot_camp_training_flyer.pdf

Feel free to email with any questions.

Saturday Runs Resume

This Saturday, November 8, we'll resume our informal Saturday walks/runs at 7:45am in SLO.

If you're interested, please email us for location information. Past and current boot campers: feel free to bring friends and family. Walkers and runners welcome, as we'll provide a 2-mile route and a 4-mile route.

It's very casual. We won't be there every weekend, but we encourage you to meet and keep up your fitness.