Fitness: Bakersfield Life

Becoming an Optim-Mom

Becoming an “Opti-Mom”

By Michelle Garner, Stroller Strides franchisee

With contributions from Lisa Druxman, Chief Founding Mother of Stroller Strides

We’ve all heard about the childhood obesity epidemic, the amount of overweight adults in America, but what have you heard about those parents who are obsessive calorie counters and compulsive about their exercise regimen? Recent studies have shown that a mom’s dieting habits can have a negative influence on children, since children learn so much through observation. Experts now say that watching mom constantly dieting, speaking negatively of her own body or that of others, or exercising compulsively (or not at all) can all possibly lead to an unhealthy fixation on body image and dieting. No one wants this for their children.

We all have insecurities about our bodies, so what is a mom to do? Lisa Druxman, Chief Founding Mother of Stroller Strides™ and author of the new book, Lean Mommy asserts that we need to work at becoming “Opti-Moms.” According to Druxman, “And Opti-Mom chooses healthy foods, is physically active every day, and models positive attitudes. Everything from a loud pronouncement to a small under-the-breath comment will have a powerful effect on the way a child views themselves and others, and as parents, it’s our responsibility to transmit positive messages – whether we believe them or not.”

Sound challenging? To make it easier for you, Druxman has created 11 Commandments to help you achieve Opti-Mom status:

Turn off the TV: Clever advertisements still blast out strong messaging that’s designed to capture kids’ interest in junk foods. The more time they’re in front of the TV, the more likely they are to battle obesity.
Teach your child to cook: When parents eat healthfully, so do kids (and vice versa). Get your kids excited about healthy eating by growing veggies together, letting them mix and pour, talking about what’s going into your meals.
Don’t force food: Forcing veggies on a kid will not lead to a love of all things healthy! Try fixing veggies only for you and don’t serve them to the kids. When they ask why, tell them something to the effect, “These will make you strong like a superhero and I’m just not ready for that yet.” They’ll come around quickly!
Expose them to the best (not the rest): Why give a child a highly-processed chicken nugget when they can have a grilled chicken breast instead? Offering them berries for dessert will be a treat for your child if you present it that way. Children will not crave these addictive foods unless they are exposed to them.
Beware of getting defensive: Just because you grew up eating junk and turned out ok doesn’t mean your child will. If you crave junk food, you’re going to have to train yourself to eat healthier foods. This way, both you and your child can grow used to good foods and have fewer junk food cravings.
Don’t glorify junk food: If you happen to splurge on a milkshake in front of your child, treat it like an iced tea, minimizing its importance and not acting as if it’s a prized reward to be craved. Later, don’t focus on how guilty you feel having eaten it!
Don’t treat boredom with food: Using Cheerios to alleviate an anxious whine? Stop! You’re teaching your child that food treats boredom and anxiety! If your child’s not actually hungry, encourage them to entertain themselves in a more positive way.
Label food and fitness in a positive way: Don’t treat exercise and healthy food as something you force yourself to endure. Create fun names for your healthy food like “Hulk Juice” for a veggie drink. Don’t resist outdoor playtime because you’re “too tired.” You want your kids to see that you find exercise energizing, not the opposite.
NEVER disparage yourself of others: STOP body-bashing yourself and others. Make sure you don’t project your weight and body issues on your children. As with any prejudice, attitudes towards overweight or thin people are learned!
Find creative ways to relax: Just as you shouldn’t reach for the ice cream when you’re stressed, you shouldn’t offer a cookie or DVD to coax your child out of a tantrum. If your child is stressed or upset, suggest physical activity (a bike ride or walk) or special bubbles in the bath. Make sure your child sees you de=stressing in a non-food related manner as well.
Keep Daddy in line, too! Dads can sometimes thwart your Opti-Mom efforts by complaining about the ‘health food’ or by bringing home treats. Children often side with dad in this power game. Make sure you educate Dad about why these changes are important so that you can present a united front for the children, even if he isn’t ready to revamp his own lifestyle just yet.

Need more support in your journey to becoming an Opti-Mom? Druxman’s company, Stroller Strides™, has a franchise in Bakersfield! Come out for your free trial class Monday, Wednesday, or Friday at 9:00 a.m. at Riverwalk Park. Stroller Strides™ also offers social support through playgroups and Mom’s Nights Out. Log on to www.strollerstrides.net/bakersfield for more details. You can also purchase your copy of Lean Mommy (Center Street, 2007) from any major bookstore or your local Stroller Strides™ franchisee.

Michelle Garner is a local elementary school teacher and Stroller Strides™ franchisee. Garner has a passion for health and fitness and enjoys helping women to become positive role models for their children.

The Truth Of Stretching

What’s the first thing you do in the morning immediately after waking up? You stretch. Think about how good it feels, reaching over your head, extending your legs and yawning. After a peaceful night’s sleep, or even a fitful night, stretching transitions the body into consciousness, awakening the muscles and sending blood flowing throughout the body. While we involuntarily stretch throughout the day, we often leave it out of our workouts.

When discussing fitness, we include cardio, strength, and flexibility. It seems that women tend to enjoy cardiovascular exercises such as aerobics while men tend to enjoy strength training, but both genders tend to ignore flexibility. When it comes to working out, stretching ranks right up there with getting your car’s oil changed or doing your laundry. I think stretching is ignored because it doesn’t burn a ton of calories, make you lose weight, or develop rippling muscles. We live in an “I want it now” society. If we don’t get immediate and visible results, then we get disappointed and give up. It’s true, stretching does not create immediate or visible results, but stretching does a body good. It is tremendously important for developing and maintaining good posture, avoiding injury and alleviating pain in the joints and back.

Flexibility is defined as the ability to move a joint through its full range of motion without pain or discomfort. As we age we seem to tighten up. As flexibility diminishes, movements become shorter and slower. Posture becomes stooped and muscular imbalances occur. The body functions like a chain; one link being out of kilter can cause a negative “chain reaction.” Loss of flexibility eventually will cause a disruption in the chain. For instance, when the back of the legs (the hamstrings) are tight they pull on the back and may cause lower back pain. If the muscles in the front of the neck are tight the head begins to lean forward, pulling on the upper back. Tight chest muscles and weak upper back muscles cause a slumped appearance or “hunch back.” Often when one groups of muscles become tight, the opposing muscles become weak. Therefore a routine to strengthen the weak muscles and stretch the tight muscles can save the body pain and suffering.

Now the importance of stretching is clear, let’s go over a few stretching basics. The most important thing to remember is, “stretching is not warming up and warming up is not stretching!” You may have heard of studies reporting that there is no link between stretching and injury rates. Do not be misled –this study showed warming up with stretching did not reduce injury rates. I agree! I do not recommend stretching as a warm-up. Research does show that runners who stretch before a workout have higher injury rates than those who don’t stretch. But it also shows that those who stretch after their workouts have lower rates of injury.

Please remember these four important words – always stretch warm muscles. Think of bread dough or pizza crust. How successful do you think you would be at stretching or rolling frozen or cold dough? Dough that has just come out of the freezer must be thawed or warmed up in order to be pliable and stretchable. Have you ever seen anyone making a pretzel? They twirl, twist, and turn the dough before shaping it. Can you imagine doing that with cold dough? The same is true for muscles. A warm-up prepares the muscles for work; it delivers oxygen to them in the form of blood. When we sit and perform normal daily activities, our heart is pumping out blood, which is primarily being directed to our midsection, or gut, for digestion and regulating bodily functions. As we begin to exercise the vessels going to the gut begin to restrict blood flow and redirect it to the rest of the body, feeding the muscles with energy. The muscles now become warm and ready for action. The best type of warm-up for any workout is the “same but slower” principle. Perform the type of exercise that you are going to do, but slowly and gently. For instance, the perfect warm-up for a run is a walk that becomes faster and faster, eventually becoming a run.

A cooling down period, which will gradually lower the heart rate, should follow an intense workout. The best time to stretch is after the heart rate drops below 100 beats per minute. Lowering the head below the heart while the rate is still above 100 bpm may cause dizziness, nausea, or even fainting. Stretching after a workout should, at a minimum, involve the muscles used in the workout. When strength training, after a brief ten-minute warm-up, each muscle group may be stretched after it has been worked. There is no need to wait until the end of the workout when performing strength training, although following the entire workout with a five-minute stretch would not only feel good, but be an added bonus for the muscles.

When it comes to stretching, the phrase “no pain, no gain” should be erased from memory. Stretching should not cause pain. It’s not how far you go, but how good it feels. Stretching should feel good. In order to avoid painful stretching, ease into each stretch slowly, take deep breaths, hold for 10 to 30 seconds, then slowly ease out of the stretch. Never jerk or bounce through a stretch – this in an invitation for injury. Think of a rubber band. Stretching a cold rubber band will cause it to break immediately. And if you take a rubber band and violently stretch it, jerking and bouncing, it will break. But gently stretching a warm rubber band slowly and not beyond its limits can make it more flexible and useful.

Extending out your workout by 5 to 10 minutes for stretching exercises is like a gift you can give yourself. It is free and feels good. If you want to move more gracefully, have enviable posture, avoid injury and pain as you age, as well as improve circulation, stretch and stretch often. If it feels good do it, then do it again. Stretch out your muscles, and stretch out your quality of life!

Setting a Marathon Goal

Spring has sprung! Flowers are blooming, grass is getting greener, and summer is but a thought away. April in Bakersfield seems like a gift from above, meant to be enjoyed before the intense summer heat reminds us that we do actually live in a desert. This is a great time to strap on a pair of running shoes and jump head first into “spring training.” Use this mild weather and longer days to shape up for summer and the impending bathing suit season.
Getting into shape and staying fit require motivation. There is nothing more motivating than a specific goal. This year why not be more creative with your goal and forget the “I want to lose 10 pounds” verbiage. Try making your goal an event, like a race. Yes, a race. Just because it is called a “race” doesn’t mean you have to be competitive.
Many races are held to benefit a worthy charity and most of the runners are not competitive athletes. Surely you have seen the massive numbers of “normal” people participating in marathons, triathlons, and other events – why not you? It’s really not as difficult as it seems.
Running is an easy and inexpensive sport to begin. It is all about putting one foot in front of the other. The scope of people participating in running has broadened tremendously. The sport of running is not just for the elite athlete, but for people of all ages and athletic ability. The average running time for the marathon is increasing, reflecting the variety of skill levels joining in. And distance runners tend to improve their performance over time; it may take them a decade or so to reach their best times. Most importantly, running is not just a sport for the young and fit.
The marathon is just one type of race that people think of when they think of running. You don’t have to plan to run a marathon to become a runner. In fact, many runners, both recreational and serious, have never run a marathon, but chose to stick to shorter venues. Some of the most common race lengths are 5K (3.1 miles), 10K (6.2 miles), 15K (9.3 miles), half-marathons (21.1K or 13.1 miles) and the marathon (42.2K or 26.2 miles). There are of course longer events like the 100 mile or the Ultra-marathon, but these usually have limited participation from recreational runners.
While each individual course is different and times will vary according to terrain, hills, and weather, below are approximate times for completion of each of the courses.
An average 5K will take a novice runner about 30-45 minutes and a 10K will take the same person from 60-90 minutes. An elite runner will finish the courses in about half that time. A half-marathon will take most runners between 90 minutes to 2-3 hours and a full marathon will take the average runner from 3-5 or more hours and an elite athlete over 2 hours.
There are of course many other types of events that involve running, as well as other skills, such as the triathlon or biathlon which combine swimming and/or bicycling. And then there are events like the Marine Corps Volkslauf Mud Run, held in Bakersfield in October. This is a 10K course with mud pits and various obstacles including walls and ladders to climb, ropes to swing on and pits to crawl through. It is appropriately termed the “Ultimate Challenge” and attracts people of all athletic backgrounds, young and old, fit and novice.
It is the hardest type of fun you can have.
Training for each of these events is obviously different. What they all have in common is that they require endurance over speed (for the average non-competitive runner) and the biggest challenge is often mental rather than physical. Most relatively fit people without any debilitating conditions can finish a 5, 10, or even 15K course with at least moderate training. More intense training will improve time, performance and the enjoyment of the event. I began a series of training about 8 years ago in order to prepare for Volkslauf.
The variety of participants surprised me; I had been expecting serious athletes. But many of them had never even run a 5K before. What I saw was that in that relatively short period of time (I think I only did a 4 week program) was vast improvement in everyone. I had each individual walk or run at their own pace and we increased the pace and distance each week. Many did not run at all the first week; then began alternating walking and running, gradually increasing the running distance.
That first year of Volkslauf training has morphed into something I did not expect. I now train hundreds of people with an incredible range of experience and variety of athletic ability. Spring training sprang up due to a growing response and requests.
It is very inspiring to see all sorts of people of all walks (or runs!) of life show up to run the trails and the river bed with me. Running can be social sport or a solitary one. In our case it is social and that social interaction keeps people coming back for more.
No matter what distance you are training for, there are many threads in common. When running any distances stay well hydrated. Water is your friend. Runners should consume fluids throughout the day in order to maintain proper hydration. Trying to hydrate right before a run may cause “sloshing” in your stomach. Try to consume 8-12 ounces every hour when not training. Clear urine indicates good hydration.
Running distance should be increased gradually over time. You can not hurry the process up without causing injury. I tell beginning runners to walk 40 steps, then jog 20 steps. Counting the steps keeps the beginner from just walking and focuses their attention. Over time we increase the running steps while decreasing the walking and next thing you know you are running! Later when the goal becomes to increase speed we can add in some interval training, alternating aerobic activity with anaerobic (more intense) activity in order to increase overall endurance.
Running may not be your “thing,” but I think it would be difficult to find anyone who could not enjoy some activity in this beautiful spring weather. Get on a bike, take a walk, play volleyball, tennis or rollerblade! This is the time of year to enjoy our fine town and all it has to offer. If you would like to join my merry gang for spring training, feel free to e-mail me at the address below. Whatever you do, keep the spring in your step.

Perfect Abs?!?

“What can I do to get rid of my stomach?” a person asks me as they grip onto the excess fatty tissue stored around their midsection. The sarcastic side of me is always tempted to reply with something like, “do you really want to get rid of your stomach, how will you digest food?” or “well, I suppose a surgeon could remove it”, or better yet, “I guess a wild rollercoaster ride could cause you to lose your stomach!” Of course what they really want to know is how to trim and tone their abdominal region, their belly.
To be clear, the stomach is an organ used for digestion and cannot be toned up, worked out, or lost. Although, what we put in our stomachs has a lot to do with the belly we want to lose. The truth is, great abs are very easy to achieve, but being able to see them is not quite as simple. It is entirely possible to have a “six-pack” that is covered by a “keg.”
There are literally hundreds, maybe thousands, of books, videos, infomercials and gadgets that rightfully promise great abs in 10 minutes a day. Believe it or not, they can most likely deliver. But getting rid of the belly fat is not accomplished with abdominal exercises alone. A great set of washboard abs comes from a commitment to a healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of exercise, good food and water. Following are three steps to great abs.
The first step is to control what goes into your stomach, via your mouth. Excess calories are actually energy that the body didn’t use, so it stores it as fatty (adipose) tissue. You have no control over where or how the body stores this fat, and worse yet, you also have no control where your body will take off fat when it begins to need that stored energy (i.e. lose weight). Since many of us first store fat in the mid-section; that is the last place we will take it off. Now all the crunches and curls in the world cannot change that. What they can do is help the body increase its muscle mass, which in turn helps it to lose weight. Muscle tissue, whereever it is, is a fat burning machine and acts somewhat like “Pac-Man” all over the body eating up fat.
Since your stomach is for digesting food, why not feed it good and healthy choices and let it go to town. A calorie is a measure of energy. 3500 units of unused energy (calories) are stored in the body as a pound of fat. If you take in 3500 more calories than you burn you will gain a pound; and the opposite if you take in 3500 calories less than you burn. Since there are seven days in a week, a person taking in 500 calories less per day than they burn will lose a pound a week. Creating a caloric deficit can be accomplished with either diet or exercise, or both.
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This brings me to the second step to great abs. Keeping the body moving and active is vital in weight control and general health. The more the body moves, the more calories it burns. It is not at all difficult to increase your calorie burn by 500 calories per day, thus causing a pound a week of weight loss. The best combination of exercises for total health is a mix of cardiovascular exercise and strength training.
Doing a moderate amount of each will help peel off those layers covering the abdominals that you are working so hard for below. Beauty may be only skin deep, but abdominals go to the core. The abdominal exercises that will be discussed are considered “strength training.” They should be combined with some conditioning for the rest of the muscles in the body in order to increase the body’s ability to burn fat (raise the metabolism).
Cardiovascular conditioning is the other form of movement that should not be overlooked. This type of exercise elevates the heart rate and sends oxygen in the form of blood throughout the body. The heart is actually a muscle and needs to be worked just like any other muscle. Some form of cardio should be done for 20-40 minutes on most days. Elevating your heart rate will not only increase the caloric burn, but will also elevate your mood and alleviate stress. It is always best to exercise warm muscles, so including a nice walk, run, bike ride, or aerobic class before a strength training session, even abs, is recommended. At least do a 5 - 10 minute warm-up so the body can send blood to the muscles about to be worked.
The third step to great abs is of course abdominal exercises.
The most commonly known abdominal muscle is the Rectus Abdominis (aka the “six-pack” or washboard). It is one long sheath that runs from the sternum (breast bone) to the pubic bone. Its primary function is to flex the body, bend it over. We often refer to the upper and lower abs. In actuality there is only one long muscle, however we can target the upper and lower regions, even though the entire muscle is working the entire time. The most common and effective exercises for this muscle is the good ol’ crunch, reverse crunch, and double crunch. The key to an effective crunch is to actually use the abs, not the head, neck, or hips. Crunches are performed lying face up with the knees bent. To keep the head in position think of placing a baseball under your neck so that you can crane your neck forward. Contract the abs in order to lift the shoulders off the floor, while keeping the head and neck relaxed. In order to target the lower portion, squeeze the abs to lift the buttocks off the floor. These two exercises can be put together to perform a double crunch. Another effective way to crunch is to use a Physioball.
The Obliques (Internal and External) are thought of as “love handles.” They wrap around your sides and frame the rectus abdominis. You use these muscles when you twist, turn, rotate or bend at the waist. The most effective way to work these is to add a twist to the traditional crunch or curl. With the hands behind the head lift into a crunch, at the top of the lift, rotate the body to one side keeping the arms back and open. The elbow on the side of rotation should stay in contact with the floor while the other elbow should remain in line with the shoulder. Think of reaching your shoulder (not your elbow) toward the opposite knee.
Lastly, the most forgotten about ab muscle, the Transverse Abdominis (TA). It is a deep internal muscle that runs horizontally beneath the others. The TA pulls the abdominal wall inward and upward and is responsible for good posture. This is your body’s girdle, providing support and stabilization for the spine. This muscle is worked by breathing and drawing your navel into your spine. It is often worked in Yoga and Pilates. Planks and side planks are a most excellent way to work this muscle.
In all, a great abdominal workout can be completed in 5 – 10 minutes. That is the easy part. Getting plenty of cardio and other strength training as well as maintaining a healthy diet are the challenges to uncovering your great abs. It is important to know that fat stored in the abdominal region is the most detrimental to your health. And above all remember, you have your body “until death do you part”, take good care of it and it will take good care of you.

Extraordinay Pepole

Runners take your mark, Get Set, GO! And the cannon goes off. Yes, the cannon. This is the beginning of the Marine Corps Volkslauf Mud Run, held annually in October to benefit Toys for Tots. It is quite an event, affectionately called the “Ultimate Challenge,” a 10K run through mud trenches, with walls and fences to climb, tubes to crawl through, ropes to scale and swing on, logs to cross and much more. It is an experience that cannot be described or duplicated. But who and why would anyone voluntarily participate in such an event? The answer will probably surprise you.
I’ve been in the fitness industry a long time and before that I was always an active person. I wouldn’t have called myself athletic, but very active. I live and breathe fitness and preach it anytime I get the chance. It has become almost a mission to spread the word about how important fitness is and how fun it can actually be. Seeing people change, become healthy, and maintain that lifestyle is very rewarding, it is motivation for what I do. The Volkslauf Mud Run has given me a great opportunity to see these changes more dramatically and in a more diverse group of people than I would have ever expected.
A few years ago after some major life changes, a member stopped by my office and asked if I wanted to participate in a 5K that evening. I had never run any distance, let alone a “race,” but I was bored and needed a challenge so I said yes. I was teaching numerous classes and was in great physical shape, so, why not? To my surprise, I did pretty well. I pushed myself harder than I had ever even thought of before. I finished the race, sweating with my heart pounding, feeling both exhausted and elated. At 39 years old I had tried something new and liked it.
I will never be a competitive runner, but I learned it is not about competition. It is about pushing your limits and stepping away from your safety net. It’s about making and meeting goals, expanding your boundaries, and the incredible people you meet. My newfound athleticism eventually led me to the “Ultimate Challenge,” Volkslauf.
In 2001 I ran the Volkslauf for the first time on a team of four – all women. I will be forever grateful to Michelle for asking me to be on her team. It was truly a life changing experience for me. I loved it so much that the next year I put a sign up in the gym asking if anyone wanted to train with me to run as a team.   I was very surprised at those who came to the meeting; they were not athletes, not even weekend warriors. They were everyday moms, students, and working women. Most, if not all, had never run before. I recruited the help of a true runner and my athletic hero, Sally Baker. Now Sally and I had approximately 15 women ready to train for the Ultimate Challenge, in four weeks, and no one had ever run before. But we did it and had a great time. These women amazed me with their determination and spirit.
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That experience also changed their lives forever. Each had their own reasons for deciding to do such an event. Some had weight to lose, some had strength to gain. What they had in common was that none of them were runners and had never attempted anything like this before.
In only four weeks we all became thinner, stronger, more agile and dirtier than before. I held the training in the sandy river bed in the September heat; there was no water in the river then. Each of us plodded along and brought our fitness levels to new heights. Each of these women is still active and has gone on to participate in other events, even triathlons. Mary, Robin, Janelle, Angela, Nellie, Carol, Kelly, Angie…not only did you change your own lives, that year led into many more years of life-changing Volkslauf Training.   I hold a special place in my heart for these women; they have indirectly helped so many others. Without them sharing their experiences the training and the event would not have grown to what it is today. Here are some women who have inspired me.

MARY HUFF
Mary was among the pioneers of this training program in 2002. She was about to turn 30 and felt as though she was in a rut with her workout routine. She joined our little group of crazy women running in a dry river bed and successfully completed the Volkslauf. She had this to say about her experience, “I can honestly say that besides giving birth, crossing that finish line was the most rewarding thing that I have accomplished so far in my life.” Since that year Mary has lost 20 pounds and kept it off, continues to train and participates in various events around town. Mary is training with us this year and is barely recognizable from her picture in 2002. Now she is sharing the experience with some friends and I am watching them change just like Mary did.

KATHY WARKENTIN and SARAH CAUGHELL
I met Kathy and Sarah (mother and daughter) in 2004 in a Body Pump class I was teaching. After class they were looking at pictures from the previous year’s Volkslauf. I remember suggesting to them that they should do it, my words were, “it’s fun.” I will never forget the look on their faces, like I was completely crazy! But I was determined to recruit and to show them that they could do things they didn’t think they could do. Somehow I did talk them into coming out. To say that neither had ever run before would be an understatement. They had never even considered it a possibility.
But they did. They started off very slow. Kathy only walked and primarily stayed on the bike path. She was concerned about stepping on the rocks and was unsure about balance. That year I had gotten a little bit smarter and the training was 10 weeks. The two of them kept coming out and hung in there. Sarah began keeping a very nice pace and Kathy continued to walk, with a little jog here and there. She became confident enough to leave the safety of pavement and ventured into the dirt and river! They even entered a local 5K for practice and Kathy got a medal.
Both women successfully completed the Volkslauf. I remember Kathy as she crossed the finish line with pure exhilaration! The following year they recruited Sarah’s husband, Mark, and daughters Merik (11) and Kiera (7). Kiera did the kids’ event while Mark and Merik ended up on the front page of The Bakersfield Californian.
Kathy and Sarah have gone on to compete in numerous races, running and cycling as well as a triathlon. Kathy now has 8 medals hanging on her wall. These women have become weekend warriors and changed the health and wellbeing of their families and friends. Although there were vast physical changes, I think the most profound change I saw in both of these women was in their confidence and attitude. They now know they can do anything they set their minds to. Kathy will be 60 this month! Her advice is if she can do it any one can, no excuses.
These are but a few of the hundreds of stories I could tell about how people improved the quality and eventually quantity of their lives through exercise – it is never too early or too late to change your life!