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"Off and Running" |
January 2009 Newsletter
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Greetings!
"Accept challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory."
~ George S. Patton
Welcome to 2009! A new year brings with it a wealth of possibilities and often inspires us to tackle new things in the days ahead. While some things may seem initially daunting (like training for your first marathon, trying a triathlon, participating in the 3 Day Walk for breast cancer, or just getting off the couch), I encourage you to accept those seemingly daunting challenges. You may just surprise yourself with what you can do, and you'll undoubtedly be pleased with the results.
Happy new year and happy running,
Paul Morrison
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| NEW Winter Store Hours!
As always, Fleet Feet of Bonney Lake strives to give the best customer service and provide our customers with high quality experience. To help us do that more effectively, Fleet Feet will boast new winter store hours. Beginning in January, Fleet Feet will be open Monday-Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm. We look forward to seeing you in the new year and helping you start 2009 off on the right foot (and in the right shoe).
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 2009 Fleet Feet Marathon Training Group
Want to start 2009 off with a bang? Join Fleet Feet's annual Marathon Training Group. A 16 week program, this training group is designed for runners of all ability levels and is a great way to prepare for a spring marathon, half marathon, or ultra marathon. Using a variety of workouts including tempo runs, easy runs, long runs, interval training, and hill repeats, our training program can help you meet your 2009 fitness and racing goals - whether that be attaining a marathon PR or tackling your first distance race. The 2009 Marathon Training Program begins on January 10, and we would love to include you as part of the group.
For more information and to register for the training group, click here. Places are limited, and registration will close at 6 pm on January 9, so reserve your spot today! |
 Join Fleet Feet in 2009
Looking for a group of people to help motivate you and share in your athetlic pursuits? In search of a way to get off the couch and get fit in 2009? Fleet Feet has several groups that might be just what you're looking for, and we invite you to join us as we start this new year.
Fleet Feet Bonney Lake's Running Club is always open to and interested in welcoming new runners to their midst. Runners of all paces and ability levels are invited to join this group which is dedicated to creating a community of runners who join together to train, race, and socialize. Stop by the store for more information today!
Also, on Monday evenings, a group of local runners gathers for a weekly 5-7 mile run. Runners of all paces and experience levels are invited to attend, and while many of the regular runners are part of our Running Club, you don't have to be a Club member to run on Monday nights (although we'd love it if you were). Runs start at 6:30 pm and, during the winter months, are held at the Meeker Trailhead on the Orting Trail.
In addition to the running events, Fleet Feet will also be sponsoring a NEW women's walking program in 2009. Led and organized by Misty Strong, this group is called Women Warriors and will be a great place for women interested in walking to find consistent walking partners as well as get fit. The group will walk in the Bonney Lake/Sumner area once a week for 8 weeks, with the first meeting on January 25 from 6:45-7:45 am. For more information, on this fun and exhilarating group, contact Misty Strong ( mistystrong@hotmail.com).
We would love to be part of your walking or running fitness program in 2009, and encourage you to join us today! |
| Physical Therapy Points to Ponder: Fitness Resolutions
Many people look at the New Year as a time to finally get off the couch or back away from the table and make a resolution to get fit. A friend of mine likes to joke that his New Year's resolutions are to eat more, watch more football and exercise less because he knows he won't have trouble keeping them! He is likely in the minority, however, and you may be in the first category - those who resolve to get fit. As a physical therapist, I love to hear that people want to get healthier. Commit to two and a half hours per week of moderate physical activity and you can enjoy a myriad of benefits, as exercise does all of the following:
- Promotes mental status by increasing mental alertness, happiness and relaxation and decreasing depression and anxiety.
- Reduces the risk of developing disease. People who exercise regularly typically have lower blood pressure, more normalized cholesterol levels, are less likely to develop diabetes, coronary artery disease and colon and breast cancer.
- Decreases aches and pains. General physical activity done in a safe manner helps reduce joint pain from arthritis and other rheumatic conditions.
- Promotes improved metabolism and can help normalize your appetite.
- Increases overall energy. Exercise increases the efficiency of the heart to move blood and oxygen to your body. In essence, you get more bang for your buck and can do daily tasks with increased ease.
- Improves sleep. Exercise reduces the time it takes to fall asleep and provides more restful sleep through mechanisms that alter the body temperature and as a response to the physical stress of exercise on the body.
- Improves digestion by increasing the peristaltic (wave-like) action of the digestive system and promotes absorption of nutrients from the diet.
- Improves bone density and therefore reduces osteoporosis through increased "osteoblastic activity." This occurs through weight bearing and resistive activities, less so with swimming or other non or semi-weight bearing activities.
- Improves self image. Weight loss is one benefit of exercise, but increased tone and posture can also provide increased confidence in how you look and feel.
- Provides opportunity for socialization. Many people develop a community of friends through exercise. Grab a walking or running partner, find a person to take a class with, or work with a weight lifting partner. Making an "appointment" with a friend/partner will keep you accountable to your fitness goals and provide time to share and grow personally.
Whatever your goals for 2009, realize there are a multitude of benefits from exercise! Check out www.health.gov/paguidelines online for age group recommendations.
* Guest writer Dennis Eldridge is a local runner and physical therapist, who works for Outpatient Physical Therapy in Auburn, Covington, Maple Valley, Enumclaw, Renton and Bonney Lake. Dennis also does monthly Medical Q & A nights at Fleet Feet. * |
 Tips from the TriGuy
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's Eve! I did, and I can see the proof by looking at my scale. At moments like these, I (and perhaps many of you) find myself asking, "How can so much weight be gained in so little a time?" Ironically, these thoughts are strikingly similar to the saying that occurs approximately six weeks before an Ironman: "How can so much fitness be gained in so little time?" Clearly, this is a recurring theme for our sport.
Anyway, to return to and answer the first question, how CAN so much weight be gained during the relatively short holiday season? For triathletes, it's not hard to gain weight at this time of year, primarily due to two things a triathlete encounters in his/her training schedule:
1) It takes 15 seconds to eat a Christmas cookie, and (depending on how big it was) up to half an hour to burn those calories off while training on the treadmill.
2) Triathletes are "off" this time of year.
Those factors in mind, I propose that we enjoy the holiday season, relish the down time, and then look forward to the season ahead. Our time for intense training will come sooner than you think. In the meantime, have fun melting those Christmas cookies away.
Happy treadmill training and happy holidays!
TriGuy |
 Nutrition Notes: Rate Your Plate
Serving Size & Portion Control
We live in the land of gigantic food portions. From the enormous bowls of pasta and the big slabs of beef served in restaurants to plate-size pizza slices, it's no wonder that the number of overweight adults in the US has increased from one in four to one in two over the past decade. Being obsessed with calorie counting is not a wholesome way to look at food, but learning to eat in moderation, knowing what a serving size is, and educating yourself on portion control is crucial to good health and successful weight management.
So how does it all work? Let's start with the 3 Sources of Calories.
1. Carbohydrates account for 50-55% of our daily calories (1 gram = 4 calories).
2. Protein accounts for 25-30% of our daily calories (1 gram = 4 calories).
3. Fat accounts for 20-25% of our daily calories (1 gram = 9 calories).
Where do we get our daily recommended calories? We have 6 Food Groups to choose from.
1. Grains: Make half your grains whole grains.
2. Vegetables: Vary your veggies.
3. Fruits: Eat a variety of fruits.
4. Dairy (Milk): Get your calcium-rich foods.
5. Meat & Beans: Go lean with protein.
6. Fats, Oils & Sweets: Eat sparingly.
What exactly does a serving size look like?
Food Group # Daily Servings Single Serving Visual Cue
Grains 6-11 1 slice of bread CD case
1 cup cold cereal baseball
½ cup rice or pasta ½ a tennis ball
1 medium bagel hockey puck
Vegetables 3-5 1 cup raw, leafy greens salad bowl
½ cup cooked veggies computer mouse
Fruit 2-4 15 grapes tennis ball
¾ cup fruit juice standard light bulb
Dairy 2-3 1 cup milk std. yogurt cup
1 oz. cheese 4 dice
Meat & Beans 2-3 3 oz cooked lean meat deck of cards
3 oz. skinless chicken breast palm of your hand
Fats, Oils & sweets Use sparingly 1 tsp. oil, salad dressing matchbook
How should this look on my plate (aka portion control)?
When you sit down for a meal, draw an imaginary line through the center of your plate. Draw a line to divide one section into two. About one-fourth of your plate should be filled with grains or starchy foods such as rice, pasta, potatoes, corn or peas. Another fourth should be proteins like meat, fish, poultry, or tofu. For the last half of your plate, fill it with non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, salad, tomatoes, and cauliflower. Finally add a glass of non-fat milk and a small roll or piece of fruit, and you are ready to eat!
When eating out, consider these tips:
- Order the appetizer-size portion of your entree if it's offered.
- Order off the kids' menu.
- Share a main dish with a friend.
- Choose a "small" or "medium" portion.
- When your food is delivered, set aside half of it to go immediately.
- Resign from the "clean your plate club." When you've eaten enough, leave the rest.
Learning to recognize proper portions and serving sizes will keep you from overeating without realizing it. Indulging in an ice cream cone or a couple cookies from time to time won't derail your healthy eating style if you do so in moderation. By becoming mindful of portion control and serving sizes, you will be well on your way to healthy eating and making healthful food choices.
Featured Recipe: Winter Chili
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon soybean or olive oil
1 16-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1 or 2 19-0ounce cans of beans (kidney, pinto or white)
1 28-ounce can of stewed tomatoes
3 medium carrots, sliced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté the onion, pepper and garlic in the oil over medium heat. Add the tofu and sauté until crisp and lightly browned (about 10 minutes). Add the beans, stewed tomatoes, carrots, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes. Serves 4.
Consider having a 14 day personalized meal plan developed just for you. It will display your daily calorie needs, serving sizes, food choices, and recipes based on your gender, age, and activity level. Contact Leslie Funkhouser at wellnessconcepts1@msn.com or 253-670-0830 to get started.
* Guest writer Leslie Funkhouser is a local runner, yoga instructor, and nutritionist. She owns and operates Wellness Concepts. * |
| Upcoming Events
Don't forget to add these exciting events to your running calendar!
- Monday nights - Group "Headlamp" Runs @ 6:30 PM (Meet at Meeker Trailhead on Orting Trail. ALL paces & abilities welcome!)
- January 1 - Ft. Steillacoom Running Club (FSRC) Resolution Run Series 5k & 5 miles
- January 10 - Kick off meeting for Marathon Training Group @ 7 PM
- January 24 - FSRC Resolution Run Series 10k & 10 miles
- January 27 - Garmin 405 user training clinic @ 7 PM
- February 21 - FSRC Resolution Run Series 15k & 15 miles
- March 21 - FSRC Resolution Run Series 20k & 20 miles & 5k
- May 3 - Tacoma City Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10k
See Fleet Feet's Online Calendar for more information on these events and more! |
 In-Store Email Sign up WINNER
Beginning in October 2008, Fleet Feet initiated a monthly drawing to encourage new subscribers for our monthly email newsletter. Those people who visit the store and sign up for the monthly newsletter are entered in a drawing. This month's winner for the New Email Subscriber Drawing is Sonia Chin-Cravens, who has won a Nike Sport Band. Congratulations, Sonia!
Do you know someone who is not on the Fleet Feet email newsletter? Encourage them to stop in, check out our store, and sign up in-store for our monthly newsletter. They then will stand a chance to win in our monthly drawing. (Please note: this drawing is for NEW email newsletter subscribers only.)
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