By Henry | April 16, 2011 at 11:11 AM EDT | 5 comments
Hi ya'll Hell Runners!
Thank you for signing-up to be part of our 1 Day only 3.2 miles of obstacles plus RUN. This training is open to all who have signed up for the Hell Run which will be held in Smithville, TX on Saturday, April 30. To make it fun, as the saying goes "the more, the merrier" our special training session is open not only to those who signed up for the actual event, but also for the their friends and co-workers, our boot campers and personal training clients who couldn't make it to the actual event.
Hell Run Training Logistics:
***The training which is FREE, is not officially conducted by Progressive Gym, but by Fit City Training (Henry Eliperia- coach, and Progressive Gym Personal Trainer). You are joining the training voluntarily and at your own risk, hence Progressive Gym and/or Fit City Training is not liable to any injury or worst case scenarios that may occur on your way to/during/on your way out of, the training.
***We will be meeting at the trail canopy of Met Center, located in front of PPD along Met Center Drive. If you are lost, text or call me (650-307-0405).
***Training starts at 11:00 am and is open until 1:30 pm. If you can't make it early, feel free to come at least before 12:45 so that you could be done by 1:30 assuming that you are a thunderbolt fast runner.
***The trail has an average elevation of 23 to 35 feet, so no major hills to run, except for the hills to assault which are part of the obstacles.
***This practice run is not to imitate the actual Hell Run race obstacles but it's enough to test your kick-#@$ strategy and agility, your fitness endurance overall.
***The trail is mostly maintained but always be sure with your landing on uneven surfaces and if you are running wild like a pro, watch out for the sharp turns that can cause you to slide due to loose gravels and soil.
***Always display running etiquette by using the warning declarations "to your right" when passing thru the right side of the runner in front of you, or "to your left" when passing thru the left side of the runner in front of you. Slow runner/fast walkers always stay right, and fast runners take the left side of the trail. Be respectful.
***The temperature tomorrow is 89 degrees with 65% humidity. So, dress lightly and if possible avoid cotton t-shirts.
***Make this a family event, bring your lunch, share it, and bring your kids. Sorry, Godot will have to stay home this time as he/she is not allowed at the park. PLEASE, no alcohol allowed. Fit City Training will provide Gatorades and water.
***If you make it extra "fun" for you, a surprise may await you.
***You MUST respond to this blog post to signify your agreement to the conditions above. If not, you will be "forced" to sign the waiver tomorrow, blood compact style plus you will be ordered to do 100 pushups!
By Henry | October 04, 2010 at 11:22 AM EDT | 2 comments
A Decade-by-Decade Guide to Protecting Your Bones
Take a stand: what you should (and shouldn’t) do to avoid breaks, fractures, and bone loss throughout your lifetime.
by Stacey Colino
No matter how old you are, you should protect your bones by eating well, exercising, and avoiding cigarettes. But as your body, hormones, and lifestyle change, there are certain things you should do to make sure your skeleton gets the protection and help it needs. Here, decade-by-decade information on what to do to ensure that the 206 bones in your body stay strong and supportive throughout your life.
Timeless Advice
Throughout your life, be sure to:
Stick with a bone-friendly diet. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. Women should consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium and 400 to 800 I.U. (international units) of vitamin D a day. After menopause, they should consume more.
Keep moving. Exercise may have a greater effect on bone strength than calcium consumption, according to recent research. The more impact, the better: Running, lifting weights, and jumping rope are all excellent bone builders.
Quit smoking. Compared with nonsmokers, women who smoke have lower estrogen levels and typically reach menopause earlier, both of which lead to lower bone density.
Watch the salt. A high-sodium diet (more than 2,400 milligrams a day) is associated with excess calcium excretion.
Be careful with alcohol. Moderate drinking (one alcoholic beverage a day for women) may be good for the bones because it increases estrogen levels; larger amounts could be harmful.
Know Your Diagnosis
There are two medical terms for low bone density. Osteopenia means you have low bone mass that isn’t low enough to be osteoporosis. About 20 percent of premenopausal women have osteopenia. Osteoporosis is much more serious and means your bones have lost so much density that they’re porous and susceptible to fractures, especially in the hips, spine, and wrists. While osteoporosis is most common after menopause, it can occur at any age.
By Henry | September 24, 2010 at 10:54 PM EDT | No Comments
When I run, I...
***Feel sluggish and tired. If this is you: Sip a cup of green tea 20 to 30 minutes before you run. The caffeine will pep you up and power you through to the last step, and it's antioxidants may help with endurance, too.
***Always get a side stitch. If this is you: Try coconut water...it's chock-full of cramp-preventing potassium (15x than most of regular sports drinks) and has less than 50 calories per cup. Try 8 oz. before or during your run to stay pain-free.
***Get really sore the next day. If this is you: With it's perfect ratio of carbs to protein + the calcium- choco milk is an excellent way to help your muscles recover postworkout. Drink a cup within 30 mins of finishing a long run, when muscles are most receptive.
***Sweat a lot. If this is you: A sports drink with body-replenishing sugars and electrolytes, is the best way to stay hydrated. Choose one that's free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives, and sip 4-6 oz every 15 to 20 minutes during your workout...
By Henry | June 23, 2010 at 12:59 AM EDT | 2 comments
From our friends from WebMD:
Shin splints, if that's what you have, can be caused by sudden increases in mileage, walking uphill, overtraining, walking faster than normal, jumping, running stairs, or just too much distance. They can occur on the medial, or inside of the shin, or on the lateral, or outside of your shin. Medial shin splints are usually caused by excessive pronation or flat feet, and often by pounding from running, or sports like tennis, volleyball, and other weight-bearing activities. If you have medial shin splints and flat feet or excessive pronation, an orthotic device or over-the-counter arch support like Powerfeet or Spenco can sometimes be helpful. Make sure it's a full-length insert.
Lateral shin splints (sometimes called anterior shin splints) are usually due to overuse and inflammation of the anterior tibialis muscle and the muscle compartment in the front of the leg, along the outside front of your shin. The anterior tibialis muscle flexes your foot upward. People frequently get anterior shin splints from the repetition of flexing the muscle. For instance, on the treadmill, if you walk fast enough, and for long enough, or if you've suddenly increased the speed, or you're walking on an elevation, the muscle gets overworked and starts to cramp. It would be like doing hundreds of biceps curls until your arm started to cramp. Plus, on the treadmill, there's no letup since the mill just keeps going. You could potentially have the same problem if you walked or ran briskly outdoors for a long period of time at a speed faster than you're used to.
Treatment for shin splints includes rest, massage, ice, stretching, and strengthening. Rest and ice is sometimes the best treatment. You should also be stretching your calves and Achilles tendon. If you have the problem during running or walking, try warming up more and don't increase the speed too quickly. You can also try varying the speed and elevation of the treadmill if you use one instead of keeping it the same.
To stretch your calves:
1. Lean against a wall with one leg forward and the knee bent 2. Keep the rear leg straight, heel on the floor 3. Keep your back straight and lean your hips forward until you feel stretch in your calf. If you don't feel it too much, put your toe of the rear leg up on a tree limb, or a dumbbell, or any other small object, so that you bend the ankle more. Your heel always remains on the floor. That will increase the stretch. 4. To stretch the soleus muscle and Achilles (very important for shin splints), do the same calf stretch but bend the back knee slightly and you will feel the pull on your Achilles tendon.
Also, make sure your shoes are sturdy and give you lots of support, particularly in the arch. If your shins hurt, you should gently massage them and then ice them after you work out.
Here are two web sites with pictures of exercises to stretch and strengthen your anterior tibialis: www.bodyresults.com and www.nismat.org. You can also go to www.nlm.nih.gov and enter "shin splints" in the search window.
Sometimes shin splints are confused with cramping of the anterior tibialis muscle and usually occurs from the constant repetition of flexing the foot. The anterior tibialis is the muscle on the outside of the shin bone that flexes your foot. Imagine sitting in a chair and constantly flexing your ankle up and down (i.e., tapping your toe) with your heel on the floor and in short time you will feel the same type of cramping. People report the cramping more often on the treadmill than outdoor walking, the reason being that on the treadmill the foot flexes repeatedly without any letup (unless you vary the speed). In addition, outdoors you self-select the speed and you probably vary it a bit which helps prevent the constant flexing problem at the same speed as on the treadmill. If you raise the elevation on the treadmill it can be even worse.
Some people report that running is not as bad as walking. This is most likely due to the fact that during walking you take more steps (and more flexes of the foot) than when you run. When you run your stride is longer and your feet are in the air for a longer period of time, which gives the foot a break from the constant contractions.
You can try a few things if this is the problem:
1. Vary the speed on the treadmill and try not to walk briskly for too long. 2. Warm up at slower speeds until you feel looser. 3. The web sites that I already posted above have some good exercises and pictures that should be helpful. 4. If the pain starts, either slow down the treadmill, get off and walk around for a few minutes, or as some people do successfully, start jogging to give the anterior tib a break.
Cramping usually gets better as your muscles get used to the treadmill, but every once in a while it will still cause a problem.
By Henry | June 23, 2010 at 12:49 AM EDT | 52 comments
Congratulations to Ms. Aimee Hartwick (Personal Training) and Ms. Anna Salido (Boot Camp) in garnering the most points for posting exercises on our blog. They both won a $40 Whole Foods gift card each.
Every month we one winner will be awarded a $40 gift certificate. Start posting your exercises now! Next month you could be our next winner.
By Henry | June 04, 2010 at 07:31 PM EDT | 15 comments
It's going to be 100 degrees this weekend. It is very important that you drink plenty of water while running or doing yard work. If you are running on a trail where there are serviced water stations, you still need to be prepared. Bring your own bottled water. Due to high demand, there may not be enough water at the station once you get there. It's better to go outside prepared.
Very important: Consuming alcohol while outdoor under the noontime sun can be VERY dangerous. Think twice!
By Henry | June 01, 2010 at 01:23 AM EDT | 6 comments
Good job Ms. Aimee and Anna on your accomplishments! Keep it up! Points will be added every 15 days and 1 Boot Camper and 1 Personal Training clients will take home a $39 gift card...It's not too late to do it. Post it, now!
By Henry | April 23, 2010 at 11:55 PM EDT | No Comments
Yes, it's been awhile. Since the conclusion of the MS150, I feel battered. No soreness, except for the injury I have in my tibial tuberosity area (probably chipped bone), due to a "little crash" that caused me "huge" incapacity at the moment. I feel like my right leg is shorter... I'm waiting to see how it feels after 3 more days...
Cap10k:
-It was a huge success, with few of our runners were first-timers and were able to finish strong. My team National Instruments bagged the corporate championship trophy again (for 6 consecutive years!). One of our top five runners finished #16th overall...and I finished #766 (arrrrgh). Although I started with the fun-runners, I could have done better have I not rode highway 360 a day before. Great job to our runners: Lori Neyland, Adrienne Patino, Elva Duarte, Aimee Hartwick, Carl Burnett, Emmy Burnett and Karen Fisher plus many more runners from our Progressive group.
MS150:
-I considered it so far...my best ride. Being part of the 12,000-strong riders was awesome. The feeling was indescribable. The word "tired" did not exist. Especially when a 350-pounder lady rider got past me on the hilly long and winding road to Bastrop from La Grange, I was having a "when-does-this-hill-end----does-bastrop-stand-20,000-above-sea-level?"- moment. I would like once again, to thank all our donors: Mark Brazell, Jason Druoilhet, Alie Sterling, Dr. Ruth Smith, Emmy Burnett, Aimee Hartwick, Peter Awbrey, Adrienne Patino and Progressive Insurance. I was able to raise $600, more than my $400-goal. Thanks also to our well-wishers and those who prayed for my safety. Special thanks to Peter Awbrey who rode simultaneously with me on highway-360 for 30 miles to give me "tele-kinetic" energy, while I was riding the last leg of 30 miles from Bastrop to Austin.
Texas round-up 5K/10K:
-Good luck to our runners tomorrow: Lori Neyland, Alie Sterling, Jason Drouilhet, Elva Duarte and Melody Harros. Go get'em!!!!! I will be at the Registration Area at around 7:30 to warm-up and support our runners. Come out and cheer for our runners!
Boot Camp:
-Welcome back campers! This week we started our new sessions. Our recently concluded camp showed Jason and Kaleb to be the biggest "melter" with more than 4% body fat loss. Great job!
-Our 12-week Boot Camp Challenge starts May 10 at a discounted price of $99 per 3-week session. PLUS, it's Buy 3, get 1 FREE! Yes, that's right. You only pay for 3 sessions and attend 1 session FREE! Your referral would be greatly appreciated. Tell your friends about us and if they signed-up, you will receive 50% of their first session's fee. Details of the 12-week Boot Camp Challenge will be announced soon.
Personal Training:
-Our condolences to Sheronda West, who recently lost a family member.
-Hunter, get well soon...
Weekend Exercises:
-You will need a bench for these exercises:
1. Lower Body Lift on the Bench- (both hands holding onto the edge of the bench next to your head) 10x
By Henry | April 02, 2010 at 09:26 PM EDT | 1 comment
Thank you all for your hard work this week. Although all of you are giving your best "push" during our sessions, doing extra exercises on your own on a daily basis or at least on days that we do not meet, would definitely make a HUGE....difference.
BOOT CAMP:
***Welcome back campers, and we would like to welcome Lacy, Susan, Rebecca and Christina S. to our northwest camp!
***We are starting our downtown camp next week, Tuesday, April 6 at 7:15am. Our current campers can get 50% referral fee for the upcoming camps starting April 6 until May 5. Our unlimited camp is only $99. Unlimited means, a camper may attend any morning and evening camps or both in a day in the duration of this camp session or the next session. Refer your friends now!
TEAM FIT CITY TRAINING:
***Team Fit City Training got the 39th place in the recently held Great Urban Race, last Sunday, out of 350 teams! Only 299 teams completed the race, and the rest 'surrendered' their chance. Team Fit City Training was 7 minutes shy to qualify for the nationals to be held in Las Vegas late this year.( well, those canned goods were too heavy to carry in a single plastic bag for half a mile!). Great job Hunter for your courage and skills in most of the challenges. Thanks to our "tech savvies", Georges Schemagin, Sheronda West and Gina Berdeja!
PERSONAL TRAINING:
***Congratulations to Aimee H. on your excellent Lockhart Stampede performance, running the full 5k non-stop!
***I would like to welcome Cindy P. to my personal training practice, and welcome back Tabathia!
CAP10K Run/Walk:
***Aimee, Emmy, Raquel, Eva, Melody, Karen and Adrienne registered to run the Cap10k. Good luck!
***Thanks to National Instruments for sponsoring my run. Team National Instruments was the 2009 Cap10k corporate team champion.
MS150:
***I would like to thank all of you who donated to my MS150 fundraiser. I have reached my goal 100+% and still counting! Thanks to: Mark B., Jason D., Alie S., Peter A., Aimee H and her lovely step mom, Emmy B. and Adrienne P...(Aimee's dad, Dr. Paul Smith, died of MS when he was 37 years old). I will remember you all during my 180-mile ride from Houston-Austin 3 weeks from now!
FACEBOOK/TWITTER/WEBSITE:
***Become a fan of Fit City Training on Facebook and Twitter and share it to your friends. For the next five days, our video is courtesy of Rigo, featured in our current exercise video in our website. The last two videos featured Hunter and Jason. Our next video will feature Alie, Lori and Peter H...Also, check out our campers photos on Fit City Training facebook account. There are 91 published photos.
***If you are using windows 6 or 7, you may not be able to view the full design of our website as it is. Gallery pictures may not be viewed easily. You may want to update your windows, just to stay updated with your internet browsing.
WEEKEND EXERCISES:
***There will be a 5-mile run/walk pre-Cap10k run tomorrow, Saturday at 9am. We will be meeting at the Town Lake water station located under the mopac overpass, just across Austin High School Tennis Court. Please let me know if you are coming to join us. Confirmed to come are: Aimee, Emmy, Carl and Karen.
***If you are staying home, here is the best exercise routine for you: 100 Squat Thrusts/ 1 lap around the track/ 10 push ups...Do all three again for another 6 sets.
By Henry | March 25, 2010 at 08:21 AM EDT | No Comments
Great Urban Race- Team Fit City Training will be competing this Saturday! The race starts at 12 noon. Hunter would be my mighty team mate. He is a tough competitor fresh out of Texas A&M. I have been training Hunter since August of 2009.
Come out and cheer for us, or stay home and volunteer to be our a part of the team by being the "Tech Savvy". We will be needing a couple of volunteers who knows Austin or a "google savvy". During the race, we may need your help finding the answer to "clues" to complete a challenge. Email me if you want to be part of the team...
By Henry | March 20, 2010 at 06:35 AM EDT | No Comments
I like this new website! Thanks to Alex Schemagin of Counter Everything. Awesome job, Alex! Georges of Social Thinker and Michelle Meronek thanks for your help. You guys are cool...
By Henry | January 19, 2010 at 01:35 PM EST | 1 comment
Dear Friends:
After performing more than 15,000 push-ups, 30,000 squats, 60,000 sit-ups and crunches, and burning approximately 400,000 calories, we are celebrating our 1-Year Anniversary today!!!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your hard work and letting Fit City Training be a part of your fitness goal. Special thanks to those whose motivations prevail until today:
Mark B- 12 months (plus 4 months, counting the previuos camp)
Peter H- 12 months (plus 1 month, with previous camp)
Lori N- 10 months
Derrick T- 10 months
Derrick E- 8 months (missed few camps)
Caleb S- 6 months (missed few camps)
Alie S- 4 months
Jason D- 2 months
Jason G- 2 months
Gwen H- 6 months
Andrea/Josh/Mykall or the rest of "The Taylors"- 4 months
By Henry | January 19, 2010 at 02:17 AM EST | No Comments
Announcing the winner of our Fit City Training logo competition...!
Congratulations to:
Winner- Georges Schemagin (logo 1)- 16 votes
Runner-up- Jason Drouilhet (logo 2)- 14 votes
Watch out for our website re-launching with the winning logo on it. The logo will also be used in all marketing materials such as t-shirts, flyers, banners and the likes.
Thank you all for your votes and support!
Plan ahead if you want to join...
-January 23- Charity Boot Camp for Haiti- 100% of the proceed will be donated- Time and location will be announced soon.
-March 13 Boxing- Pacquiao vs. Clottey- (Dallas Cowboys Stadium)- My car fits in 7 people- leaving Austin at 4pm and will drive back home right after the fight.
-March 21 Bataan Death March 26/15/10-mile Run- (White Sands, New Mexico)- leaving March 20, Saturday early morning and will drive back right after the race, Sunday.
Weekend Exercises:
-Jump Rope- 2 minutes (simulated is ok)
-Tricep Extension 25x
-Plank - 2 minutes
-Pushups-25x
-Wall Squat- 2 minutes
-Reverse Flyes- 25x
-Side Plank- 2 minutes left, 2 minutes right
-Run or power walk for 3 miles (if it rains, do all of the above 2x more!)
Nutrition Suggestion:
-no cheeze; no pizza; no white bread; no butter; no high fructose corn syrup in your bevs; no beer; no sugar on coffee (honey is ok)
By Henry | December 31, 2009 at 01:34 AM EST | No Comments
Happy New Year everyone!
I wish that this coming year 2010 will be a another blessed and successful year for all of us! It's exciting for the City of Austin, for all of us, to know how we placed on the list having tried our very best to make this city the fittest in the nation. Why not? Yes, we can! Here are Fit City Training updates:
***There is a plan to coordinate with the city of Austin to be part of the fitness initiative program to keep this city, FIT. More volunteer works are coming up!
***There will be more organized team/group participation in major Austin fitness related activities/races.
***New Fit City Training t-shirt with the logo will be distributed by the first week of February.
***There will be visits to the Veterans Hospital, to returning soldiers who were injured, to teach them how to stimulate certain pressure points to keep proper blood circulation; simple bed exercises to help them cope with sedentariness.
In short, we will be out there!
Logo contest:
-Deadline of entry submission will be Dec. 31.
-The winner will be announced on January 19th.
-The logo will become a property of Fit City Training, and will be subjected to color modification according to the t-shirts, print ads and other media-related marketing.
-Only former/present Personal Training clients; former/present boot campers are allowed to vote. Each vote must be emailed to me.
12-week Boot Camp Team Challenge:
-Challenge starts January 25.
-Challenge will be composed of a team-of-3 or 4.
-If a team member cannot make it to camp, another team member may take another class at another location in lieu of a team member's attendance to put the make on it.
-You may choose your team. If you don't, I will assign you your team mates.
-Prizes for major and minor awards for each team member of the First and Second placer may include- 60 minutes massage with Ms. Amy Lawrence;and/or Bikram Yoga 1-month unlimited yoga; and/or team dinner with me at The Showroom On Fifth Street (very eclectic); and/or whole foods gift cards.
Thursday and Saturday's FREE camps:
Most of you responded saying you guys are working. On a New Year's Eve? Well, I understand. I may have 6-7 brave men and women on Thursday, but is expect more on Saturday. I have 8 people confirmed for Saturday.
By Henry | October 22, 2009 at 05:09 PM EDT | 1 comment
I would like to thank those of you who donated to Fit City Training Manila Flood Victims fundraiser. Your blessings will come "seven-folds of seven hundred times". I have another cause which could be yours too.
Everyday, we hear people succumbed to cancer. This illness has no mercy and chooses no one in particular. It can be anyone we know or just anybody who came into this world seeking to enjoy the ultimate gift of life.
I myself, with God's mercy survived a fatal illness in 2004. Not cancer, but I know how it is to experience such a horrible feeling of having to choose to continue to live or to let go. Most of cancer patients choose to let go, thinking that they may not survive their duel with death in addition to feelings of being a family's burden.
With the help of cancer researchers, foundations and charitable organizations, most cancer survivors tell their stories of survival aiming to twist the feeling of hopelessness to the current victims. Most, if not all of these survivors benefited from researches and all the organizations for the cure.
As a fitness professional, my goal is to save lives and in particular, I would like to be able to take part in making the CURE a reality to those who are suffering from cancer. This coming Sunday, october 25th is a 90-mile ride for Lance Armstrong's Cancer Foundation, the Livestrong Challenge 2009. For this year, I have chosen to sign up and be a part of National Instruments Cycling Team. FYI, I teach classes and work part-time at NI Gym for more than a year now. NI Cycling Team is known for it's record being one of the leading teams in races and fundraising campaigns for MS (multiple sclerosis)-100. NI Running Team has been the champion team for years and current winner of the Capital 10k Challenge. I must say, I am proud to be a part of this team.
If you are planning to donate and would like to support, please support me and my team by helping me raise $250 by Saturday. I was told that since I am in the waiting list, I will get my donation code once I get the final slot on Friday afternoon. The donation code or the website is where you are going to log on to send your donations and I believe it is tax deductible. This email is for me to gather as much support from you and to know how much I would raise by Saturday. Any amount would be equally appreciated. It could from $1 to $250. Please note that I would know the donors but would not know how much they would be donating.
Please respond to this blog for your support and on Friday before 6pm Texas Time, I will send you the information on how to send your donation.
If you choose not to donate to my Livestrong Fundraiser and would rather donate to the foundation directly, you can go to www.livestrong.org
By Henry | October 05, 2009 at 01:13 AM EDT | No Comments
Most of you know that I have founded Fit City Training in support with the City Mayor's health and fitness initiative to make the City of Austin, the "Fittest City in 2010". In 90 days, we will begin the new year 2010. Where is Austin right now?
According to American College of Sports Medicine 2009 Survey, Austin is #9. It's going to be a struggle for Austinites to get up there. Sadly, according to Men's Fitness magazine's 2009 survey, Austin is way down below at #17. Uhhhgh! The saddest thing is, according to one of the medical websites, Austin is #19. Are we going forward or backwards?
For me, it's never too late. So, I would like to do my share of pushing us to the top. Why not? Now that you are doing your share by keeping yourself active, attending the boot camp, I would like you to give your friend, a relative or co-worker a gift of fitness. Our next camp which will start on October 12 will be "Buy 1, get 1 Free!". If you are a current camper, you may only offer this to a new camper or a former camper. If you are a new camper, you may offer this to anyone whom you think would benefit from the program. In our own little way, we could change or influence someone's life. If you have any questions, please let me know.
By Henry | October 04, 2009 at 11:08 PM EDT | 2 comments
Our mind has infinite power to control what we need or want. Most of the times, what we want is what we do not really need. There is a huge difference between the two. (Aside from spelling, ;-D ) 'Need' is something that is realistic and 'Want' is superficial. 'Want' can wait while 'Need' is urgent.
If you need it, no matter how hard, you'll have to do it. That goes with how we take care of our health. I am always amazed with my boot campers and personal training clients who have had to drive 30-35 miles just to get to the camp or see me for private training. All of them say, "I do this because this is what I need". Isn't it amazing? I think that being able to identify what you need and being able to put it in praxis is incredible.
We all need to exercise. By saying "I want to be fit" won't make you fit. Just do it!
By Henry | October 04, 2009 at 03:59 AM EDT | 1 comment
The TCSO Extravaganza was a huge success. Great job Dep. Derrick T! Hundreds of vendors including locally founded businesses were there. The whole event attracted an estimated 3,000 people from the neighboring communities. Fit City Training had 26 booth visitors who were interested in boot camp and gave their email addresses for a free boot camp raffle drawing. The volunteers including our former camper Josh were very helpful. The event was well-organized. Once again, great job Derrick!
By Henry | September 19, 2009 at 02:36 PM EDT | 2 comments
I knew, I was not born a runner. I have always thought I had poor bones and did not have the capacity to run long distances. My longest one was back in 2000 in North Korea, running at below zero temperature with trails blanketed with 2-feet of snow. Then, I stopped running and focused more on few extreme sports. When I got married to Susan, I completely stopped extreme sports. I started running again in 2008 and I'd run 10-15 miles a week but not consistent due to busy schedules training clients. When we moved to Austin, I was amazed at how much time people spent running, and did a lot of outdoor activities including hundreds of different races almost every weekend whole year round. So, after joining the Nike Human Race in 2008, I decided I'd do a race once a month. I knew how to train but I also knew I did not have the time to train. The race days was my main training time. That meant, I'd join the race without preparing for it. My friends called me crazy, probably I was, but looked like everything was looking great. I loved challenges and I knew I was pushing it this time and wanted to see how much my "old body" could endure. My fear was messing up with my knees during training days and not being able to race due to injury (I knew it's wrong). Every time I finished a race, I'd reward myself with a pat on a shoulder knowing that I did great even without training.
Joining races gave me the impression that what I paid to get in the competition went to great causes. I started my journey back in January of this year joining one race a month. Last August was the toughest month. The Capt'n Karl's Series consisted of 3 scheduled races at different venues. The 107-degree summer heat was always a killer plus the "hell hills" in the hill country. Each race was a 30K (except for Mule Shoe, 37K by post-race measurement). I did all three races, finishing 13th at first trail, 13th at second trail. After the second trail, I promised and desired not to get 13th place again at the last trail. If I placed 14th or 12th, I'd have been happier or better yet on the top 10. Since there were elite runners who joined the last trail, I knew my chances to be on top 10 are slimmer. I just wanted to get away from number 13. What are the odds? It's possible. I placed number 18. Why? I did arrive on time at Ink's Lake but I spent more than 10 minutes looking for parking due to strict parking rules at the park. There was a burn-ban that day and the rangers wanted every car be parked at marked parking areas only. I started 8 minutes late and after the race, I calculated my time and realized had I not started 8 minutes late, I would have landed at number 13!!! It would have been 13-13-13 for the whole series for me. I got my wish, out of number 13, not a better rank but I finished great. Be careful with what you wish for. The first 10 finishers did the whole 30K in a little more than 2:00:00 and below 3:00:00!!!
Yesterday, I received a huge envelope from Brad Quinn, the organizer and the grandson of Capt'n Karl's Trail Series. When I opened it, it was a nice piece of art with my name taped on it's frame. Underneath, it also says 3rd place. I emailed Brad asking if he mailed it to me by mistake. I visited his website and found out that I actually finished 3rd overall in 30K's. Some runners ran 30-10-10 or 30-30-10 or 60-10-30 which ever they preferred. But I was consistent running 30-30-30 and am proud of it. Now I have crushed my fear and decided to train porperly before racing. I will do better for sure next time.
By Henry | September 01, 2009 at 11:52 PM EDT | No Comments
Save the date!!! It's time that we support our TCSO and learn what we can do to help build a safe and peaceful community by participating in this event. TCSO gives, we learn and support!!! Thousands are expected to participate and lots of vendors' booth to visit. Fit City Training will be there!!! Come stop by our booth. Thanks to Dep. Derrick! To learn more, here is the link:
By Henry | August 27, 2009 at 04:30 PM EDT | 3 comments
Ok. So, the idea empowering campers by asking them to showcase their ability to design their own routine was great and turned out really awesome. All the workouts were butt-kicking and campers enjoyed doing it. I myself was saying "more, more, more" since we do not allow "bad words" spoken during camps. I enjoyed:
Lori's "grilled abs and cardio drill";
Gina's "lechoned body fat" band workouts";
Goerges and Eric's "churned-glutes power jumps";
Mark's "blazing upper body and unexpected 3-mile run
By Henry | August 22, 2009 at 02:15 AM EDT | 8 comments
I always see to it that I motivate, energize my campers. Now, it's about time that you are empowered! design a workout routine based on our camp's workout and then do it yourself, email me and then we will do it altogether next week! Once I received the first one, I will do it myself, for my Saturday workout....