KRISTIN FROST COMMENTS FROM SOLACE RETREAT

Kristen Frost was our 20th guest since soma has launched as an LLC in 2009 and here is what she had to say about her experience:

“Scott-

Transformed? Highly Satisfied?  ABSOLUTELY!!!

I know that you know I had a wonderful time in your care.  I just had a video call with my 2 best friends today to catch up (1 lives in Boise, the other in CT) and they want to do a retreat, they loved what I shared.  Needless to say you may never get rid of me.

OK-so my favorite moment?  Though quite painful, I still giggle out loud when I recall laughing uncontrollably while you grinded my PSOAS muscle…..Laughing is so central to my being but I don’t let it out quite like that anymore–THANK YOU!!  I needed to remember how good that feels.

You are phenomenal and I thank you for making my retreat beyond perfect.

LOVE and HUGS,

Kristin”

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on November 20, 2010 at 9:38 pm, filed under Bodywork, Experiences, Life is Fitness, Outdoors, Retreats and tagged , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

SOLACE RETREAT WITH SOMA GET FIT

by Janet Rifkin

If you had the chance to design and then enjoy a weekend retreat that was tailored to your own needs and preferences, what would it look like? Would you want to be in a beautiful place, eat wonderful healthy food, to get to know the natural environment of ocean and mountains? Would you want to meditate and have personalized restorative yoga sessions? Would you want to end your evening with the most amazing bodywork you will ever experience? Does that sound better than the usual spa experience where m

ost of your time will be spent inside and eating food that is cooked for multiple guests? Having been to many spas in different parts of the country, my recent weekend at Soma Get Fit was in a different league entirely and far surpasses all my other experiences. Here’s why: For starters, the staff spends considerable time before you arrive to develop a personalized itinerary and menu. They want to know what priorities you have, be it cardio/aerobic, yoga and meditation, hiking, biking, kayaking or other water sports. Once that is established, they develop a schedule that integrates the extraordinary natural environment of Santa Barbara into your entire exper

ience. I biked in town, stopped at a number of beautiful parks where Karen led me and my friend Marlo in Yoga sessions. Scott and Karen took is on an amazing hike into the hills of Romero Canyon where the views and flowers were terrific. We visited a soothing Buddhist temple, which allowed us to appreciate silence and some time for reflection and more. Karen guided us on our kayaking trip in the harbor and educated us about the marine biology of the area.

We went to the Farmer’s Market with our personal chef Lys Poet where we picked out the produce that she transformed into a 4 star meals. Each evening ended with Scott Crawford giving us each the most amazing 2 hours of bodywork. His talent must come from the Gods. His work is magical and you won’t want your session to end.

The activities, the setting, the food and the tone all contribute to this unique experience. But the essential quality of the Soma Get Fit stems from its people. They are invested in creating experiences for their guests that change body and mind. Their goal is to facilitate personal transformations that their guests have envisioned for themselves. They come to you without judgment, they don’t have preconceptions and they really want to “be there” for their guests. They are gentle but determined that the time you spend at Soma Get Fit will mean something, both while you are there and after you leave. The only drawback to this entire experience is that you have to leave. I for one will go back as soon as I can.

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on May 5, 2010 at 9:18 pm, filed under Bodywork, Experiences, Fitness, Hiking, Life is Fitness, Lifestyle and Spa, Los Angeles, Meditation, Pilates, Retreats, Santa Barbara, Yoga and tagged , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Running the L.A. Marathon As Green As I Can Be

If you’ve ever participated in a marathon, triathlon or other serious athletic competition, you may have noticed a lot of waste that goes along with it. Whether it’s disposable cups, synthetic clothing or corn syrupy beverages, there’s a lot is going on that isn’t in the eco-friendly realm. I sought to challenge myself to see if running a marathon could be something I could do in a greener way. So now, after weeks of training with a green foot forward, here’s what I’ve come up with: My inspiration to you green athletes out there.

1) I’ve Completely Trained Outdoors: I’m fortunate to live very close to some of the great hikes of Los Angeles. So rather than spend hours indoors using treadmills and other machines (aka massive amounts of electricity), I’ve been generating my own and enjoying the beautiful scenery and weather all around me. Plus, with all of the recent rains, the sky is clearer and the hills are greener than I have seen in a long while.  I’ve also had the privilege to train with SOMA Get Fit’s Scott Crawford.  In addition to my cardio regimen, Scott has me on the Gray’s Functional Training system.  I believe this on top of the targeted body work that Scott also provided me with is the number one reason I was not very sore after the race as was able to recover so quickly.

2) I’ve Used Clothing and Shoes Made From Sustainable Materials: I ran in Brooks Green Silence Shoes. We’ve covered their eco-cred in a previous article, but one of my favorite things about them is that parts of the soles are biodegradable. It’s great to know the shoes won’t be sticking around for a bazillion years after I stop using them. I also treated myself to an outfit from Lululemon . Lululemon is possibly the best athletic company when it comes to using sustainable resources and being mindful of its environmental impact. I opted to buy something new because a majority of my workout clothes are made of cotton and cotton can chafe after a while. Realizing that I was going to be sweating it out for over five hours, I decided it was a worthy investment, and something I will continually reuse.

3) I’ve Hydrated with H20 and Coconut Water: I’ve steered clear of the Gatorade, Powerade, Sugarades etc and have been using healthier sources of hydration from filtered water (my own filter and reusable bottle) and Naked Coconut Water which is chock full of electrolytes. During the run I enjoyed Clif Bar Blok Chews, which are also a healthy source of electrolytes. I also munched on the Clif Bar Protein Roks to keep my energy high. I did end up having a few cups of Powerade along the way, but not that many.

4) I’ve Minimized Waste: I always use my own water bottle, but for a 26-mile race running with one in hand will be too much. The race staff are generous to offer water and hydration stations along the route, but I noticed from my last race (a half marathon) how much trash was created by paper cups being guzzled and quickly chucked to the ground by exhausted runners (even in a race, I can’t stop thinking about this stuff). For this one, I’ve invested in a water belt so I can carry some of my own water (and coconut water) and I won’t have to be so dependent on the stations. I did end up having to visit a few of the stations, but I reused the same cup over 10 times.

5) We Carpooled: 25,000 people will be running this race, so hopefully 25,000 cars won’t be driving to the starting line. My fellow We Run Green teammate Lauren Selman and I will carpool to and from the race and to pick up our materials a few days before. The marathon is also offering a shuttle service for runners to take advantage of.

The Verdict? I don’t think these massive races can really be super green; they’re by definition big productions that create a lot of waste. However, I do think individuals can make their own experiences less wasteful and these big races could partner with more eco-friendly companies like Naked Coconut or Lululemon.

Training however, can definitely be done greener and truthfully I’ve enjoyed doing it outdoors and using healthier food and beverages more. Plus I love knowing I’m not running in materials laden with chemicals.

So what do you think? Did you run the marathon? What did you think about the eco-friendly nature of the race? Do you run green or train green? Tell us how in the comments below.

Originally posted by Tracy Hepler from Your Daily Thread.com

Images via Fishbowl2009 Flickr, Brooks Running and Interbike

This entry was written by Soma Get Fit Guest Writer, posted on March 29, 2010 at 11:52 am, filed under Bodywork, Fitness, Green Lifestyle, Life is Fitness, Los Angeles and tagged , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

New baby goats at the Chivas Skin Care farm!

Soma Get Fit uses Chivas Skin Care products in its body treatments and bodywork.  While you might already know that many of the Chivas products are made with goat milk, you might not know that the we actually raise French Alpine goats on our farm and use the fresh milk in our soaps.   And you definitely don’t know that we just had 4 new baby goats on our farm (because I haven’t even posted this on our own website yet).  We are super excited – the babies, also called “kids”, are adorable, friendly and healthy!

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Our newest baby goat at the Chivas Skin Care farm (she is still in need of a fitting name, any ideas?)

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The baby goats all get along pretty well.  Sometimes they kiss & snuggle.  Sometimes they fake fight.

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They are all healthy and active, especially “Bart” who you can see here jumping up on the water bucket.  (with his protective mother not far behind)

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Bart is not only the most active, but also the most friendly.  Here he is jumping up on my leg.  He also likes when I hold his front feet and “dance” with him.

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Can you tell I have a crush on Bart?  Here he is kissing my hand.  I told you he was friendly!

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Want to see more pictures and videos of the goats? (coming soon)

Want to learn more about the benefits of goat milk skin care?

Want to learn more about how Soma Get Fit uses Chivas Skin Care in their spa packages?

This entry was written by ljohanson, posted on March 8, 2010 at 1:11 pm, filed under Bodywork, Skin Care and tagged , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

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