This morning marked the first group workouts of 2010.  What a way to celebrate!

When not cheffing or belling, she can be found heaving heavy weights off the ground.

Miriam continues to WOW us all by consistently training right into her third trimester.  While some of us grew allergic to physical exercise by this point in our pregnancies (understandably so, of course!), Miriam is finding that movement is key to her prenatal health and sense of vitality as a working mom to her five year old son, Sam.  …and check her out, just like Emily and Lori, Miriam is more proof that prenatal fitness is the way to go!

Melissa sent us this crazy video. This guy has some moves we can all learn from.

Quinn is another amazing Flex member who comes to class with a full spirit and tons of supportive energy.  Not surprisingly, he is achieving nearly every one of his personal fitness goals: an increase in lean muscle mass and a decrease in body fat, but most importantly a greater sense of health and wellness.  Today, we salute you Quinn!

September has been a busy month at the new IC and we have been surrounded by great positive energy from this community. Thank you for being here with us during this special time.

In addition to opening our new space this month, our son is in preschool now and for the first time in our lives, we are among you parents feeling the crunch and anxieties that come along with the start of a new school year. To help calm my nerves, I have been reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, “Peace Is Every Step” because it’s organized into short chapters about different ways to practice mindfulness in everyday life. I have talked about emotional eating with you guys before, but this time instead of focusing on weight loss, I thought I would give you an excerpt from Thich Nhat Hanh’s chapter about mindful eating in the spirit of cultivating peace and family time at the dinner table.

Maya

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“Eating a meal in mindfulness is an important practice. We turn off the TV, put down the newspaper, and work together for five or ten minutes setting the table and finishing whatever needs to be done… After breathing, we smile. Sitting at the table with other people, we have a chance to offer an authentic smile of friendship and understanding… we look down at the food in a way that allows the food to become real. This food reveals our connection with the earth. Each bite contains the life of the sun and our planet. The extent to which our food reveals itself depends on us. It is possible to see and taste the whole universe in a piece of bread! Contemplating our food for a few seconds before eating, and eating in mindfulness, can bring us much happiness.

…In order to aid mindfulness during meals, you may like to eat silently from time to time. Your first silent meal may cause you to feel a little uncomfortable, but once you become used to it, you will realize that meals in silence bring much peace. Just as we turn off the TV before eating, we can turn off the talking in order to enjoy the food and the presence of one another.

I do not recommend silent meals every day. Talking to each other is a wonderful way to be together in mindfulness. But we have to distinguish among different kinds of talk. Some subjects can separate us: for instance, if we talk about other people’s shortcomings at the dinner table. The carefully prepared food will have no value if we let this kind of talk dominate our meals… So, while eating, we should refrain from discussing subjects that can destroy our ability to be present with our family and with our food… When instead we speak about things that nourish our awareness of the food and our being together, we cultivate the kind of happiness that is necessary for us to grow… Eating mindfully brings life in and makes life real.”

-Thich Nhat Hahn (Zen monk nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr.)

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What an awesome crew – delivering ahead of schedule and beyond expectations. So many to thank, so little time: Lisa B, Ross, Calvin, Jill, Mel, Jen C, Melissa, Jared, Neil, Brooks, Eric F, Beth, Polly, Sam, Dona, Surya, Sara, Jeff D, Jess, Paul, Christina W, Craig, Jeff H, Steph, Barb, Kris, Brenda, Guy, Prateek, Pam, The Reeves, Danielle, Nick, and a special shout out to the IC design team: The Mecklers, Lorena, Daniel D, Tracy L! You guys rock like no other.

It’s coming together. 24 hours and counting…

Greetings to my fellow bootcampers and Ice Chamber enthusiasts!

Since returning from an incredible month of being a camp counselor at Plantation Farm Camp (How lucky am I!?), I have been involved in the Slow Food USA “Time for Lunch” campaign. This endeavor is aimed at improving school lunches on the national level, as well as teaching children healthy habits that will last through life. The Child Nutrition Act, which is the federal legislation that funds school lunches, is coming up for re-authorization and the time is now to make some much needed changes in what our nation’s children are fed.

A big part of this campaign are “Eat-Ins” which are all scheduled for Labor Day, and are akin to a virtual march on Washington. As of this writing, there are 281 scheduled eat-ins all across the country! I encourage you all to come to the East Bay eat-in at Martin Luther King Civic Center on September 7th from 11:30 to 3pm. It’s a pot-luck style picnic, and promises to be a fun time to share some food with your community, enjoy entertainment, hear some great speakers, as well as participate in a national show of support for changing school lunches. If you aren’t able to attend, please tell your friends, colleages, schools and communities about it! Please visit the website, and our local blog for more information. If you can’t make it to the Eat-in, you can sign the petition (PLEASE!!) and learn how to contact your legislators at the first link.

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/

http://www.sfebtime4lunch.blogspot.com/

We also hope to have a bunch of hula-hoops there, which are not only fun but promote physical activity, which as you all know is a big part of this picture. So come and show off your stuff!

Thanks for listening, and thanks for supporting the road to healthier food!

Tracy Tingle (devoted 9am’er)

“When Steve and Maya invited me to share an aspect of my experience in Chicago on the blog I was inspired to share something that might be informative to all of those IC community members who, like me, love Kettlebell Sport. This inspiration came as a result of having once again received generous and invaluable information from Master of Sport Catherine Imes as well as Master of Sport Marty Farrell. I continue to be deeply appreciative that such accomplished athletes take time to share their personal experience and knowledge so that new competitors such as myself can learn and progress.”

-Read more from Surya below video highlights…

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“Over the last couple of days I have had the opportunity to reflect on the rich experience of competing in Chicago. One of the many reasons I love Kettlebell Sport is that it is as much a mental sport as it is physical. Each time I compete I learn something new about myself, the sport, the critical importance of technique, and about how to be a better competitor. For me this competition illuminated the differences in who I experience myself to be when training in the gym as opposed to taking the platform. I am learning that there is both an art to training as well as an art to competing. The medium in which these art forms are practiced is in fact quite different.

While training in the gym I have creative control over each aspect of my training: the time of day, the music which elevates me, the individuals with whom I train, the focus of each training session, the food I draw energy from, the time I start a set, how long I want a set to be, etc. Each of these deliberate choices allow me to maintain an element of control over my training and have created an optimal atmosphere (calm, quiet, and out of the public eye) in which to learn and progress. I know how much sleep I need each night to allow my body and mind adequate rest time. For me, finding ways in which to feel in control in the midst of manipulating a 20kg kettlebell over extended periods of time have become essential to maintaining a calm and focused emotional state. Tuning in to the nuances which support my training as opposed to hindering it has been essential to my success. For the majority of my training sessions I am at peace, focused, determined, playful, and optimistic. I feel as though in many ways I have begun to master the art of training.

The art of competing, however, is one which I am just beginning to understand. While in the gym I experience myself to be calm and confident, I find it extremely challenging to maintain this inner quiet and self-assurance during the long hours of a competition. Regardless of the amount of hours I have put into training and the numbers I have hit in the gym, I have found it very difficult to be a confident competitor. I love the comfort of the gym and training in familiar surroundings. As an individual who thrives on routine, I have found the unpredictable elements of competition to be quite unsettling. Traveling long distances, crowds, inconsistent meals, lack of sleep, stress, the unknown of who my competition will be and what time of day I will be taking the platform, managing my own anxiety, sustaining excitement, and preserving energy can ultimately have quite an impact on my performance on the platform. As with many things in life, experience and self reflection have provided me with the opportunity to learn more about preparing myself mentally as opposed to just physically. Visualization, positive affirmation, self reflection, patience, and determination are all tools which I have begun to use to prepare myself for a competition. I have also begun to ask myself questions: How much energy can I afford to exert enjoying the company of my fellow competitors? Would I be better able to manage my anxiety if I distanced myself more from an event while waiting to take the platform? What types of food will sustain my energy? How do I remain calm and confident? How do I “warm-up” mentally?

My hope is that in asking these questions and reflecting on the positive & negatives of the experience, I will come to understand myself better as an athlete and as a person. The reality of competition is that it is grueling, emotional, vulnerable, inspiring, heartbreaking, and wonderful. Nothing is predictable or guaranteed and that is what makes it so exciting. Each time I decide to compete I know it will be an adventure, an opportunity to learn more about myself and others. That is the hidden gift in this experience–true self discovery!”

-Surya