The Healthy Goddess

Billy Jean King

Christi — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:10:24 +0000

Billy Jean King won an amazing 20 Wimbledon tennis championships. She has new knees and and a new message for boomers. Read on for some inspiration from Billy Jean:

Billie Jean King on new knees and boomer fitness

Billie Jean King is back playing tennis in Central Park with gusto after double-knee replacement surgery. And at 67, she’s encouraging all ages – especially baby boomers – to exercise and stay fit. Read the full article

What’s News at The Healthy Bride

Christi — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:03:56 +0000

Hello from The Healthy Goddess! Summer is underway and I know many of you are looking for new, invigorating, and goal achieving programs!

Before I pull off the veil to some new programs, I want to bring you up to date on new changes at The Healthy Goddess.

Dillon Kreider of Soma Training and I will be working together to to create and run some great, invigorating, motivating programs. (We would LOVE to know what sounds great to you and we have a survey below).

Dillon and I went to fitness school together back in 2001 and we have been sharing fitness ideas over all of these years. We have finally decided that it’s time we forge our energies and start working together.

Most of our new programs will run out of Dillon’s space at Fitness Lab on Stone Way near Gasworks Park.

We are gearing up for our first program to start in July – you can read the details of the program below.

On a personal front, I achieved one of my big fitness goals recently. I stood on top of Denali on May 23, 2011 at 6:20pm. This was a goal of mine for the past 7 years and it finally came to fruition. It took me until my 50th year to do it, and I am super glad I did.

What’s your big goal for this year? Can we help you achieve it? Let us know!

10 pound Weight Loss Challenge

Blast Off Your Summer Love Handles
July 11 – August 20

Soma Training and The Healthy Goddess are partnering to bring you the 10 Pound Weight Loss Challenge, a six week program specifically created for participants to lose weight and gain fitness. This challenge has been a smashing success! Every participant has lost weight and body fat. They are fitter, stronger, healthier and look better than ever! Participants report feeling more energetic, more rested and have a greater feeling of well being. This is a first class program that will have even better results and a greater impact on creating a healthier, fitter lifestyle for you!

If you are ready to rock this summer and lose 10 or more pounds and inches off of your waistline – then wait no more! Sign up today!

WHAT YOU WILL ACHIEVE
• Lose 10 or more pounds
• Decrease in body fat
• Decrease belly fat, waist and hips
• Firmer arms, legs and butt
• Increase in your metabolism, which burns more calories at rest
• More energy, improved mood and better sleep

“>Learn more about the 10 pound weight loss challenge

Summer (Boot) Camp!
Come workout with us this summer! We have a bunch of classes around the area and would love to have you join us! Check out the schedule – you can pay by the class, buy a punch card or sign up for 7 weeks of Summer boot Camp.

The schedule:

Monday 6:00am Mt. Baker
Monday 6:30pm Western and Broad Street Downtown
Tuesday 6:15pm Hard Core Bootcamp (lots of running, location varies. but all are in the city)
Wednesday 6:30pm Western and Broad Street Downtown
Friday 6:00am Mt. Baker
Saturday 9:30am Western and Broad Street Downtown.

$15 per class
$125 10 class punch
$250 unlimited classes for the summer.

(No classes 4th of July weekend – Sat-Mon)

Join us!

Tell us what you WANT!

We have put together a short survey and would love to know what programs, classes or workshops we can design to help you meet your goals.

Take the survey now

You will be entered to win 2 free Training Sessions for answering our survey. Thanks!!

IT Band Problems

Lately, I have met several people (all in separate groups) who have pain from IT Band issues. This “syndrome” seems to be more of a plague.

If you understand what is happening, and how to treat it, you might be able to manage through on your own before it gets so bad you have to stop being active.

I found this article that gives great advice and direction on what to do about IT Band Syndrome.

The short version is:
Treat the pain with NSAIDS
Ice after a workout
Roll – use a foam roller to stretch the IT Band or
Massage – this hurts like a mother!
Strengthen – the gluteus muscles

Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement always. Hope to see you soon!

Girl Friends and Workouts

Christi — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:11:45 +0000

shoppingforworkoutwear

From Flora: Yet another reason why our workout group is so good for us and why it’s so great! Enjoy this lovely day, all!

They Teach It at Stanford

“I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection – the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.

At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time” helps us to create more serotonin – a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf?

Yes. But their feelings? Rarely.

Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There’s a tendency to think that when we are “exercising” we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged-not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let’s toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it’s very good for our health.”

Forward this to all your girlfriends

Better yet, send it to some men!!!

New Class in Mt. Baker

Christi — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 01:03:16 +0000

We are back in the saddle for 2011 and will be offering a Wednesday morning class at John Muir from 6am – 7am. You can pay by the class or the session. For now, we will plan to run the class for 12 weeks, but will keep going from there as long as you want to.

More information is here.

Hope to see you soon!

Warning!

Christi — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:50:47 +0000

SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle Police searched Tuesday night for a suspect who reportedly grabbed a 44-year-old woman in Seattle’s Colman Park. It’s the second such attack in the area in the past two months.

The reported assault happened at approximately 5:12 p.m. near Lake Park Drive South and Lake Washington Boulevard South.

According to police, the victim was jogging through the park when the suspect approached her and grabbed her clothing. The woman then fell to the ground on her back and the suspect proceeded to get on top of her. The victim broke free after a struggle.

The Seattle Fire Department reported to the scene and treated the victim for a bloody nose and scratches.

Officers searched the park and surrounding area, but did not find a suspect. The suspect is described as a black male, in his 20s or 30s, approximately 5-feet 8-inches tall and 170 pounds. He was clean shaven and carrying a bag.

Anyone who has information about the suspect is asked to call 911 or contact Seattle Police.

In October, a 55-year-old woman out for a jog was attacked in Seattle’s Seward Park, just three miles south of Colman Park. It was near dusk when a man with a knife came at her from behind. She escaped, as did the suspect. That suspect had similar characteristics to the one in Tuesday’s assault.

Seattle police are not saying whether the two cases are related.

12 Hot Fitness Trends You Should Know About

Christi — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:44:37 +0000

Check out this cool article Zumba, Piloxing, Pole fitness…..and more!

poledance

Gardening is good exercise

Christi — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:09:42 +0000

I spent some (rare) time in our yard yesterday mowing, trimming and cleaning up. I wondered if I was working hard enough to burn even a calorie. Apparently, it’s not a bad way to burn off a few. I found this excellent article that dives deep into the subject. Read on to make yourself feel even better about your gardening hobby!

gardening

If you garden for pleasure, you may not be aware of how beneficial this hobby is for your health. While you’re preparing your garden plot to grow fresh veggies, or while you’re busy turning the compost pile, you’re actually doing a decent amount of exercise as well!

Basic yard care tasks such as mowing the lawn and raking up leaves are also good ways to get exercise. Additionally, gardening and yard care are beneficial for your mental health, too. Just think of the relaxation you experience when working in the garden.

Not convinced that mowing the lawn and planting veggies can be as good for you as an aerobics class? The research proves it! Various health professionals and university studies show that gardening and yard work are more than just enjoyable hobbies.

In this article we’ll take a look at the research that shows just how beneficial gardening and yard care is for your health. Additionally, we’ll share some tips with you so that you can maximize the health benefits of your gardening experience.

What gardening for exercise can do for you
Gardening and yard care are unique forms of exercise that allow you to do something calming, creative and fun while you work various muscle groups and get a moderate level of cardiovascular exercise as well.

This is truly the great thing about gardening for exercise, as you can use your whole body while you’re working. Gardening involves a number of different kinds of exercises, including stretching, weightlifting, and a moderate cardiovascular workout.

Barbara Ainsworth and Associates published an excellent article about exertion values related to a number of common gardening activities. The study showed that you can expend as much effort raking the lawn as you would during a leisurely bicycle ride. Trimming trees and shrubs is roughly the equivalent of walking at a moderate pace. Heavier work like clearing brush and stacking wood can give you the equivalent workout as a light aerobics class. You can check out the full results of the study at the Virginia Cooperative Extension website.

Dan Hickey, the former editor of National Gardening Magazine, is also a big fan of gardening and yard work as a form of exercise. He has been involved in studies related to how many calories you can burn while you garden and claims that 45 minutes worth of gardening can burn as many calories as 30 minutes of aerobics. He also talks about turning compost as a great alternative to lifting weights, and raking the lawn as the equivalent to using a rowing machine. Read more about his study here.

Like other forms of exercise, gardening can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and keep away problems with heart disease, diabetes other diseases related to inactivity and excess weight.

You can also use gardening and yard work to keep extra pounds off. Later in the article, we have listed some information on roughly how many calories you can burn doing different gardening activities. Remember, if you burn more calories than you consume, you’ll generally loose a little weight.

The National Institute of Health also recommends gardening 3-5 a week for 30-45 minutes as a way to help reduce problems with obesity.

digging

Activities in the yard and garden are also a form of exercise that is appropriate for a variety of people and age groups. Depending on the activity, gardening and yard work are not quite as hard on your body as say jogging and other forms of moderate to strenuous exercise. This means that even if you’re older, you can still enjoy puttering in the garden and cleaning up your lawn. There are a lot of activities that you can do in your yard and garden with a wide range of physical exertion levels, so you’re bound to find something to fit your needs.

For older gardeners, especially women, gardening can also help reduce problems with osteoporosis. Just make sure you check with your doctor first if you’re older and haven’t already been gardening for a while. That way you can tackle the gardening tasks that are appropriate for you.

Another great thing about gardening is that for many people it’s already a hobby. If you enjoy the form of exercise you’re doing, you’ll look forward to it, and you’re more likely to stick to your routine. Personally, I’d much rather be among my plants and out in the sunshine than in a crowded room with music blaring doing aerobics.

If you already garden, good for you! You can increase the amount of time you spend gardening to improve your health even more. If you’re not an active gardener, think about starting a small garden plot of veggies. This way, you can combine the joys of growing your own food with a light exercise regimen.

How Best to Garden for Exercise
When gardening, like will other forms of exercise, you’ll need to follow a few basic tips to maximize your experience. First off, you should warm up a bit. Do some basic stretches so that your muscles are ready. Also, if you plan on lifting any heavy objects, remember to always lift with your knees, not your back. Check out this excellent gardening exercise program designed by a professional.

A good bit of advice Dan Hickey from National Gardening Magazine gives is to start off with a moderate exercise/gardening program and then work your way up to heavier tasks and activities. This is especially important if you’re not already an active gardener, or if you’re an older gardener. Don’t overdo it the first time or you may strain a muscle or two.

For gardening and yard work to actually provide a beneficial workout, you must garden for at least 30 minutes a day. Try including a variety of activities in your routine so that you use various muscle groups. Moderately strenuous activities are best.

If you’re busy and don’t garden for 30 minutes at a time, not to worry. Even if you perform a few gardening and yard care tasks throughout the day, you’ll benefit. Dr. William Haskell, professor of medicine at the Stanford University Center for Research in Disease Prevention states that 10 minutes of moderate exercise, 3 times a day, can give you a similar amount of exercise as an extended 30 minutes program.

You have to be doing something like raking, spreading compost, etc. to make these short spurts work, though. Haskell also says that ideally you should perform regular aerobic activity to maximize these benefits. Regular aerobic activity will overall work to strengthen your heart and lungs.

In the winter, you may wonder what kinds of activities you can do in the yard and garden to keep up a level of activity. Try shoveling snow, turning the compost pile, or having a small collection of houseplants that you can weed, etc.

Calories Burned During Specific Gardening Activities
Here, we’ve listed some statistics related to how many calories you can expect to burn during specific gardening and yard care activities. Source: Iowa State University

• Iowa State University claims that women in general can burn up to 300 calories with an hour of moderately strenuous gardening activities like cultivating or using a spade. Men typically burn around 400 calories per hour while doing these activities.

• Raking is another good activity and burns a little less calories that using a cultivator or a spade. This provides some exercise for your legs, back, and arms as well. The reason is that the ground is providing resistance and thus, your muscles work hard to move the earth.

• Using a lawn mower is also an excellent workout. However, not all mowers will give you the same kind of exercise. Naturally, we recommend manual reel mowers to maximize the amount of calories you burn. If you use a reel mower, women can burn almost 400 calories an hour, while men burn almost 500. A power mower will reduce this to around 250 calories for women and 350 for men. The folks from the National Gardening Magazine also recommend using a reel mower instead of a power mower. In addition to reel mowers, if you use other manual tools in the garden, like a rake instead of a leaf blower, you’ll be better off.

• Planting transplants including trees, shrubs, etc. work out to 250 calories burned for women, and 350 for me. This activity will also provide your arms some exercise. If you’re planting trees and shrubs, you can expect to be digging holes, so that translates to a pretty decent upper body workout.

• Weeding is a necessary chore in the garden. Some people hate to weed, but if you consider that you’re exercising while you weed, you can think of as replacing a trip to the gym. Weeding burns as least as many calories as mowing the lawn with a power mower.

• Some of the best gardening activities you can do to both work muscles and burn calories are to move compost, rake, dig holes for transplanting, etc. You can burn over 100 calories when you turn the compost pile for 15 minutes.

TABLE TALK…feeding your family in peace!

Christi — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 02:49:01 +0000

kidshatingveggies

Looking for some help in getting your kids to eat their vegetables?
Want your kids to try new foods willingly?
Want to sit down as a family for dinner?

Join Brandi Olden (Registered Dietitian and Family Nutrition Expert) and Melissa Benaroya (clinical social worker, Gottman Educator, Parent Coach, and co-founder of Mommy Matters Seattle) for this informative and fun workshop on creating peace at the dinner table.

Who: Parents of 18 month to 4 year old children
Where: Twirl Café (2111 Queen Anne Ave N., Seattle, WA)
When: October 21 6:30- 8:30pm

Pre-registration is required.
For more information please contact Brandi at brandi@brandiolden.com

What would you give up to lose 10 pounds?

Christi — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:08:48 +0000

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
For some women, weight control is more important than sex, according to a new poll of 1,001 people.

scale

About half of women say they would rather go without sex for the summer than gain 10 pounds. A fourth of men feel the same way.

OBESITY: Can weight down your sex life

More people say they would rather shed 10 to 20 pounds during the summer than get promoted at work.

Of course, weight loss would make them feel sexier. About 66% of people say they need to lose weight to feel sexier than they currently do. It would take a loss of an average 23 pounds to feel hotter.

“What this shows is that people are highly motivated to not gain weight,” says Bruce Daggy, vice president of research and development for Nutrisystem. “They recognize what it will do to their feeling of well-being and fitness.”

Another poll conducted a few years ago for Fitness magazine found more than half of Americans say they’d rather lose their jobs than get fat.

Other findings from the Nutrisystem poll, conducted by Kelton Research for the diet company:

•Three-quarters of both men and women would have been willing to give up something — such as watching TV, shopping, using a cellphone or computer for the summer — for a flat tummy.

•Almost half say they don’t diet because they don’t want to give up their favorite foods.

•About a third don’t want the inconvenience of dieting, and a quarter don’t want to deal with the stress.

•Half of dieters have tried to lose weight within the past two years.

•A third have tried over the past year.

•About half say that you have to start planning in the winter (January through March) to get your body in shape for summer.

•Participants in the survey attemped to diet an average of 13 times in their lifetime — women, 16 times; men, 8.

READERS: What would you give up — or not — if it meant avoiding weight gain?

Relax- Relapse is part of recovery

Alyson — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:23:09 +0000

A lot of my clients are addicts with serious addictions. I’ve noticed that they all relapse at some point, some more than others. Even the clients who have been sober the entire time I’ve worked with them and who I view as very stable, went through phases of relapse after relapse. This article confirmed what I have been telling my clients for a while. Don’t get so down on yourself about a relapse; it is part of the recovery process.

What is most important is to learn from the relapse and to catch it as soon as you can. Because you relapsed the one time, doesn’t make it okay to go on a bender! Ask yourself questions about it: what led to the relapse; did I try all of my coping skills first in order to avoid relapsing; what was I telling myself in the moment I decided to relapse. The answers to these questions will help the next time you are faced with a similar situation.

I am using the words addiction and relapse, and many of you may be feeling like this doesn’t apply to you, however, we all struggle with things that we wish we could have more control over. This could be smoking, eating too many fatty foods, or avoiding exercising. It’s up to you how you want to see these issues and if you are ready to make permanent changes.