Group-Oriented Fitness - 1st Anniversary!

I started GOAL-ORIENTED FITNESS one year ago to provide a fitness program where a group of us exercised together, consistently, for a period of time. THANKS to all of you who have participated in the past year!

For the 1st anniversary (June 1), and to emphasize the power & success of working together in a group, GO Fitness is offering:

Group-Organized (GO) Fitness! Form a group of 5 or more, and the Group-Organizer is free! (or share the discount with your group) Alternate scheduling may be available.

Regular appointments for exercise, and meeting friends, will lead you to success! There was an article in the Wall Street Journal about that today! Set goals and achieve them together! Work out with your friends, co-workers, neighbors, or teams. Think about what other groups of people you know, for example: mom’s groups, daycare, preschool, school, organizations, clubs, etc.

Email me the names and email addresses of those in your group, and I’ll take it from there! (Individuals can also register for GO Fitness.)

For details: http://g-o-fitness.com/

Suzanne@BalancedHealthyLifestyles.com

Ibuprofen is My Friend

Saturday, my running group, SOAR (Streets of Alameda Runners), trained along our 1/2 marathon course, to familiarize ourselves with it. The night before, Mary Grace and I marked the course with chalk: the turns and the miles. That morning, we parked a "pitstop" car at the halfway point with drinks, snacks and a first aid kit.

8 of us met at the starting line and met each other for the first time. We all had our SOAR running hats on, which looked great! Most of us took off walking, some as a warm-up and others as a workout. It was nice to see the mileage along the route! About 3.5 miles in, my right knee started hurting! Damn it! I'd been doing exercises and stretches for it for the past couple weeks, but learned that I need to be more diligent about it for the next 4 weeks before the actual race.

I made it to the pitstop, where I stretched a lot, ate, drank and took some ibuprofen. Mary Grace had taken some before she started running, and Annie said she always takes some before a long run! Wow! Why hadn't I ever thought of that? Ibuprofen is my new friend. It really helped decrease the pain in my knee for the second half of the run. I don't want to depend on it for pain relief; I'd rather stretch and strengthen my body than take drugs to kill the pain, but I will take it before long runs in the future, just in case.

I ran the 12.5 miles on my  training schedule and walked the last 1/2 mile to the finish line, where Laurie was there to congratulate me. That was fun! We laid out a picnic blanket and had more snacks and water for the finishers.

I finished 1/2 mile short of race length in 4 minutes over my goal time. On race day, can I run 1/2 mile farther in 4 minutes less time? Well, Saturday, I walked the first 5 minutes as a warm-up, which I won't do on race day. There will also be the excitement and adrenalin rush of the actual race, which will make me run faster at the beginning. Plus, I have four weeks to improve both my distance and time. On the other hand, I won't have a nice pitstop in the middle of the race, when I turned off my stopwatch! Hmm, I think I can do it. That's good to know. I can achieve my goal for my first 1/2 marathon!

One of the best things is that I felt pretty good afterwards and still do. I immediately stretched a lot, ate well, and drank even more. The rest of the day I felt pretty good, although I did take a nap in the early evening. The next day, my legs felt a little stiff in the morning, but I stretched again and they felt fine. Today (2 days later), I feel fine. That's great because I've heard of recoveries taking a week after a long race, and I can't do that!

Thank you, Ibuprofen and Mary Grace, for getting me to do this 1/2 marathon training!

Self-Discovery: I am a Teacher

I've been rediscovering things about myself that I'd forgotten about: I am not a jock; I am a teacher. My style of teaching is not the "Sage on the Stage;" I am a "Guide on the Side."

Because of these things, I do not compete in marathons and triathlons. I'm not addicted to exercise nor want to continually challenge my body to meet increasingly higher standards. That doesn't interest me. It also doesn't fit the image of a Personal Trainer. As a Certified Personal Trainer, I'm supposed to be completely focused on the body and how to improve everyone else's. I'm supposed to critique other people's form and lecture them to exercise more and harder. But I'm not a jock, and I'm not a "Sage on the Stage."

I'm a teacher, and I'm a "Guide on the Side." What I really want, is for everyone to live the SWEET Life. The SWEET Life integrates Sleep, Water, Eating, Exercise and Tranquility. We need all of these, in moderation, to live a balanced, healthy lifestyle. I want to guide people in ways to live a balanced, healthy lifestyle, with everything, in moderation, even exercise.

But what else I've rediscovered is that it's not my style to shout it from the rooftops. I don't meet everyone I come across and lecture them about living the SWEET Life. I'm a guide, and I'm on the side, not in your face. I'm not very out-going; I'm not larger than life. I'm here to support you and to encourage you and to help you create steps to achieve your goals.

I've been a teacher for 20 years. 5 years ago, I changed my teaching subject from ESL (English as a Second Language) to fitness. They are surprisingly similar. In both cases, the point is not to improve myself (i.e., the jock); the point is to help you improve yourself. The point is not to let you know how much I know (i.e., the Sage on the Stage); the point is to help you improve your abilities.

More surprising similarities the next time . . .

Eye-Opening 11-mile Run

I'm very proud of myself for running 11 miles yesterday. No one else cares, so I will take this opportunity to use this self-absorbed blog to pat myself on the back.

1. It's the farthest I've ever run in my life! 
2. I made a plan and followed my plan: 7:30-9:00 run around Bay Farm to Alameda Towne Centre. 9:00-9:30 eat, drink, rest and wait for the AEF, 5k, Run 4 Education, starting at 9:30. 
3. I was well-prepared in appropriate clothing (it was hot), lots of sunscreen, fitness water, GU, energy bar, ID, AmEx, $20, health insurance card, and the usual iphone, GPS watch & heart rate monitor, sunglasses & hat.

Unfortunately, ~6 miles into my run my right knee started hurting badly! Oh no, smack in the middle! What to do? Should I keep it stiff? Or should I keep it flexible? I should pay more attention to correct running form. Should I stop running or run through the pain? Could I focus on what felt good and ignore what felt bad? After 8 miles I had my 1/2 hr break before the AEF Run 4 Education. I ate, I drank, I stretched, I rested.

4.   Fortunately, during the 5k my knee didn't hurt much. I haven't run a 5k, for time, in so long that I didn't know what time I was hoping for. I finished in 25:49. Hmm. ok. That works out to ~8:20 min/mi. I finished 21st overall (only 82 people participated); I was the 7th woman, and only 2 women in my age group finished before me. All that sounds pretty good, especially considering I had already run 8 miles before starting the 5k!

5.   After the race ProBalance had a massage tent set up and Ada Wells, a Physical Therapist whom I know, was there. So I talked to her about the pain in my knee. She analyzed my stance, squatting, flexibility, exact pain points, etc. and told me it was not my knee! It's my IT band. So the good news is that I know both the prevention (stretching and strengthening) and treatment (ice, foam roller and stretching) so that I can continue my distance training without making it worse. So, the lesson I learned is: don't ignore injuries & don't assume rest is the best treatment. See a professional health care provider!


Now I have a couple weeks to stretch and strengthen my IT bands so that I won't have any pain during my next LONG training run. I'm so proud of myself for my 11 mile accomplishment!

3:00 Pep Talk

So I have this idea I want to try out: 3:00 pep talk.

Isn't it true that we do great in our efforts to live a balanced, healthy lifestyle until mid-afternoon, then we lose our willpower? The mid-afternoon slump kicks in and we just want caffeine and/or sugar; we consider skipping the gym after work, and all our good efforts of the first half of our waking hours are shot to hell?

So I was thinking that at 3:00 I should, instead, give myself a pep talk and plan how I'm going to persevere in my healthy efforts for the rest of the day. I'll add to that a healthy snack and big glass of water (dehydration definitely contributes to our afternoon slumps).

I'm going to try it and I'll write about how it goes . . .

GO Fitness! for Mother’s Day

Looking for a Mother’s Day gift idea?

Spread the word! GO FITNESS! makes a great Mother’s Day gift! It says, 

“Honey, you take care of everyone else all the time; this is to take care of yourself.” 

Gift Certificates are available!

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Right now, there are 3 options:

1. JUMP START PROGRAMS: (start MONDAY!) 2 weeks of intense cardio, strength, balance & flexibility training, at Krusi Park, at an affordable rate:

MWF, 6-7:00 am, 4/19-4/30, 6 sessions, $90

TuTh, 8:30-9:30 am, 4/20-4/29, 4 sessions, $60

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2. MAY PROGRAMS: our regular, one-month, Goal-Oriented Fitness program, integrating cardio, strength, balance & flexibility training, and including group discussions & encouragement to help you attain your personal fitness goal.

MWF, 6-7:00 am, 12 sessions, $180

TuTh, 8:30-9:30 am, 8 sessions, $120

10% DISCOUNT off the rates above, if you register by the 24th

25% off, if you refer a friend who registers for the month

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3. SPECIAL GROUP RATES: If you form a group of 5+ participants, the 5th person is free! Gather your mom-friends and work out together! (Alternative scheduling may be available.)

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Email Suzanne@BalancedHealthyLifestyles.com

Website (for details, registration forms & address): http://g-o-fitness.com/

Jump Start Program - 2 weeks of GO Fitness

Spring Break is the unofficial start to spring, outdoor activities, and warm weather clothes.

If all this inspires you to kick start your fitness routine, GO FITNESS has a special. Please share this information with your friends:

JUMP START PROGRAM: 2 weeks of intense cardio, strength, balance & flexibility training, at Krusi Park, at an affordable rate:

MWF, 6-7:00 am, 4/19-4/30, 6 sessions, $90

TuTh, 8:30-9:30 am, 4/20-4/29, 4 sessions, $60

(Babysitting available, add’l fee)
(programs subject to minimum enrollment)

10% DISCOUNT off the rates above ($81 and $54, respectively) if you know RIGHT NOW you want to do it: Email confirmation of your interest by April 4; then send your registration forms and check to be received by April 15. Otherwise, you can still register up to the first session (4/19 or 4/20).

Email Suzanne@BalancedHealthyLifestyles.com

Website (for details, registration forms & address):

http://g-o-fitness.com/