TENNIS SHOES FOR JAMAICA, MON!

I'll be headed to Montego Bay, Jamaica on March 14th for a week with students from Hope College. This will be my fourth time attending the trip and I'm so excited to go back down and see familiar faces and places. We'll be hanging out with kids and doing various construction, clean-up and maintenance projects at the Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf (CCCD) - I'm especially pumped to see the little boy I sponsor (Clifton) and Shenicia, who is sponsored through the generosity of you, my Valeo-ians (Swim for Shenicia event!). A small but meaningful aspect of the trip each year is being able to leave a few items behind that would be useful to the campus, including sport shoes.

Do you have an old pair of not-too-demolished tennies you'd be willing to give to the students at CCCD? If so, bring them to me at Ultimate Fitness and Health (91 e. Douglas Ave, Ste 140 - across from D&W) in the next couple weeks and I will arrange for them to be packed up and sent down with our team.

Be a part of something bigger - the feel-good comfort of shoes makes a huge different in the lives of kids, teens and adults at CCCD!

PS - Is it time for new shoes for you anyways? Ask me for my Valeo-Gazelle coupon for $5 of any footwear, $2 off any insole and 10% off apparel at Gazelle Sports!

MY BIG FAT POINT EXACTLY...

Below is a Q&A from the Blog of Alywn Cosgrove (http://www.alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/) - a leading Personal Trainer specializing in scientifically-sound fitness programs (with an emphasis on fat-loss research and exercise). His training methodologies and concepts are among the top in the field and I've had the privilege of learning from him and hanging out with him at the Perform Better Conference last year in Long Beach, CA.

The Q&A here is reinforcement of the post I wrote last summer...but it's been an issue I've come across over and over again with many of my Valeo-ians...so READ ON and BE ENCOURAGED!

Q: This weekend I got on a scale at a friend's house (I don't own one) and much to my disappointment, the numbers haven't budged all that much since my last weigh in several months ago. Now, my clothes fit better, I'm in better shape than I've perhaps EVER been in, I know muscle weighs more than fat, I look GREAT, etc...but those numbers scream overweight to me. They make me feel like I've made no progress at all.

A: First off - your clothes "fit better", you're "in better shape than you've ever been in" and you "look GREAT"... but you're disappointed solely because the bathroom scale didn't go down "All that much".

Here's something we tell clients (thanks to Chris Shugart for the inspiration): If we had a magic fat loss machine -- that you stepped in and pushed a button and you came out looking EXACTLY how you've always dreamed of looking and feeling - the exact dress or pant size you wanted, with the definition and muscle tone you want, at the bodyfat percentage you want - you can see your abs (if that's what you want) etc etc.Would you be interested? Of course you would!!

But what if the side effect of the fat loss machine is that it increased bone density and muscle density by 100%. So while you looked and felt better than you've ever felt before -- the scale is 50lbs higher than it's ever been. So for example a 150lb-er would come out looking amazing, but weighing 200lbs...Would that number on the scale make you not want the other results?

Now what if the machine did the reverse - you look exactly the same as you've always done, but you'd weigh 50lbs less? Would you be happy with that? Probably not right?

Just understand that how you look and feel, and how much you weigh are not necessarily related at all.

The picture (above) shows the difference in size between five pounds of fat (top) and five pounds of muscle (bottom). You can see that it's a pretty big size difference.

If you add ten pounds of muscle and lose ten pounds of fat -- you're going to look like you lost at least 20lbs.

But the scale won't move.

YOUR BODY: An Efficient, Fuel-Burning Machine!

A lil' "Did You Know" tidbit from Mike Luepke...

Don’t laugh at that crazy guy on the bike!

A gallon of gasoline contains 31,000 Calories, and a car burns about 900 Calories/mile. At BEST, a very fuel-efficient car may get 35+ mpg. The human body is one of the most efficient machines on the planet! Coupled w/a mechanical aide (such as a bicycle), it can go a LOOOOOOONG way! Supposing he weighed 170lbs (and could metabolize gasoline) that crazy guy on the bike could go 918 MILES ON JUST ONE GALLON OF GAS!! Quick math: For tax purposes, the IRS says it costs 50.5 cents/mile to operate a car. It would take just 594 miles to start seeing a return on a $300 bicycle investment!

Ultimate Cycle Challenge: benefiting the LiveSTRONG - Lance Armstrong Foundation

This past weekend proved to be one of the most positive experiences I’ve professionally been involved in. The UCC event, held at Ultimate Fitness and Health (yup, we got our workout in by clearing almost the entire weight room out by hand!), kicked off at 8pm Friday night and concluded 8pm Saturday night. We had 44 teams (up from 26 last year), almost 400 riders and well over 600 people in and out of the gym cheering each other on.

I had two teams this year – a 24-hr Team Triple Threat, comprised of mostly Velo/Valeo Vixens (V to the 3rd degree...my triathlon ladies) and a few good men :) and also a 12-hr Team Valeo, comprised of my stud clients and friends. Teams rode on spin bikes or brought their own road bikes that they hooked up to a hydraulic trainer. I had so much fun greeting them each hour as they came to ride their hour…or two…or three…or four... The atmosphere was filled with sweat, music, flashing lights, inspiring videos – 24 hours of non-stop action! A Yellow paper chain was created, each link containing a name of someone affected by or living with cancer. The length of the chain was both humbling, daunting and inspiring at the same time – what purpose it brought to the event! The best part: $37,500 (and still coming in!) was raised for the LiveStrong Lance Armstrong Foundation to help progress cancer research and support those living with cancer. Wow – God is good. THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO RODE!! Our team motto: BeStrong. RideStrong. LiveStrong!

John Jasker and Mike "MC" Clark represent!! LiveSTRONG Kids - Go Austin!!Michael says, "Safety First!" hahahaVixen Kelly Slagh and her hubby, Ryan. Kelly rode 4 hrs at the event!

TEAM VALEO

Julie Steggerda

Anne Veltema

Shawn Luepke

Mike Clark

Linda Oosting

Ted Etheridge

Tiffany Andre

Will Polik

Ashley Gruenberg

Leslie Brown

Nate Bender

Jess Oosting

TEAM TRIPLE THREAT

Curt Wiltse

Carmen Hannah

Jess Oosting

Nate Bocks

Elizabeth Bocks

Kelly Slagh

Sloan Dorr

Heather Sellers

Marci Michermerhuizen

Marlene Overhuel

Tara Kuhnlein

Mike Luepke

I'M HERE! I'M HERE!

Wow, looking back, I’ve realized that Blogging has really taken a backseat and my good intentions of keeping up on my posts has fallen to the wayside. Life happens! But I’M BACK and committed to bringing you tidbits of health and fitness info on a weekly basis that I hope you find helpful in your daily living. Stay tuned! :)

2008 ULTIMATE CYCLE CHALLENGE: An Indoor Team Cycling Event

Join me for an event that is sure to get your heart rate up, be inspiring and team-building and promote wellness! The Ultimate Cycle Challenge is a fundraising event I participated in last year and had an absolute blast. The fact that the net proceeds are donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation makes this a not-to-be-missed opportunity. Come ride with me this year!
*You do not need your own bike or previous cycling experience to participate.

WHAT:

An indoor cycling event full of non-stop motion, music and fun! Help raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation by getting a team together and riding an indoor bike (stationary spin bike or personal bike with back-wheel trainer) in segments for 12 hrs or 24 hrs. The UCC Committee, along with the Lance Armstrong Foundation, believe that in the battle with cancer, unity is strength, knowledge is power, and attitude is everything. Funds raised through Ultimate Cycle Challenge will be donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation to aid in the progress against cancer and to empower people with cancer to never give up hope.

WHO:

Anyone interested in an event full of entertainment, exercise, friendships, fundraising, and promoting cancer awareness. Participants ages 8 and up are welcome and will include everyone from elite athletes to those who just want to make a difference. Regardless of who you are, everyone who comes is promised an unforgettable time! This event can be done just by yourself or up to 24-people breaking up the time in segments as a relay team for 12-hrs or 24-hrs.

I would like to get a TEAM VALEO 12-hour group together and, if you're interested, this is what I need from you:

1. Your name and/or name of friends interested.

2. $30 entry fee per person, payable to Ultimate Fitness and Health, to go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

3. I will create a schedule once I know how many people are interested and you can let me know the time-frame you would be willing to cycle (typically 1-hr to 3-hr segments - or whatever you'd prefer!).

WHEN:

The 12-hr ride will take place:

Saturday, February 16th, beginning at 8am and ending at 8pm.

WHERE:

Ultimate Fitness and Health

91 Douglas Ave, Ste 140

Holland, MI 49424

Contact me today and be a part of TEAM VALEO 2008!

CYCLO-CROSS RACE

Road Bike meets Dirt Bike = Cyclo-Cross.
Hills. Dirt. Snow. Lactic Acid. Grass. Cold. Barriers. Fun!

On Saturday, I participated in a KissCross (Michigan's local CycloCross group) event and was the stoker on a tandum with captain Mike Clark, owner of Velo City Cycles (Thank goodness Mike did all the bike handling; I just had to close my eyes and pedal hard). :)

Cyclo-Cross is a autumn and winter sport and, according to MC,

"Cyclo-Cross is the fastest growing segment of competition nationally and right here in West Michigan - and it’s a great way to extend your season, stay in shape and have a blast. The races are short and furious, the venues are usually city parks or other local areas and the terrain ranges from single track to pavement to pretty much everything in between. Don’t wanna race? Come and watch then! ‘Cross is spectator-friendly to the nth degree and the vibe is nice and mellow. (Around here anyways). We count 19 races on the Michigan calendar alone, not to mention Chicago and rumours of races farther north."

[ check out www.velo-citycycles.com for schedule and other cycling news! ]

Each Cyclo-Cross event is done in laps (this race was about 8-min per lap for a total of 3-9 laps), with each lap combining some sort of varying terrain, with multiple dismounts off your bike to climb up steep hills or jump over logs or other barriers. It's tough and crazy but the good 'ol atmosphere, campfires, soups, beer tents, and people made it one of the coolest winter sports I've seen and done!

Jumping the barriers.

Climbing the hill -'bout the time I lost feeling in my legs...lactic acid burn or numbness from the bitter cold?? Crazy Mike is wearing shorts. Whaaaaaat?!

Me and "Velo City Mike" - Finished! Whew.

"Boyfriend Mike" also raced (individually) and did awesome! I'm very proud of him. :)