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.

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3. CHILL OUT LA LAUNCHES REVIEW FEB 2010

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

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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?

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Is having good posture a drag?  Good posture can be easier than you think.

Most people donʼt know how to sit or stand with good posture in a way thatʼs comfortable. We have never been taught how to balance our bones and move with the least amount of stress on our bodies. In fact, not only can it comfortable to sit and stand but it can feel easy and very freeing

How about walking?  Wouldnʼt you like to be able to walk anywhere, either a hike or into a room with poise and confidence and fluidity?  It has nothing to do with age.  It has everything to do with learning how.

Do you find yourself getting short of breath?  You can learn how to breathe freely , giving yourself more energy and a better voice!

The principles of the Alexander Technique enable us to change anything thatʼs getting in the way of our mind and bodies having lightness and ʻfree flowʼ, throughout our day, no matter what our activity.  Our overall health changes and top to toe pains and strains diminish dramatically.

For more info visit: www.alexandertechniquewithjune.com or www.alexandertechnique.com

This is a guest post from  June Chadwick, Image via bgh.com

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2. Open your heart with Pilates
3. Low Back Discomfort and Ways to Address It

by Rich Fahmy

I’ve been getting asked a lot lately by client and trainer alike about knee discomfort for exercisers. You know, the knee discomfort that appears usually as the subtle tugging feeling or tightness felt at the outer side or front of the knees. And can at times escalate to pain.

Let’s talk about the knee a little. It essentially is a pretty helpless joint. By this I mean it does what the ankles and hips tell it to do, the knee is at their mercy.

So what’s the point? The point is that when a client or you has knee discomfort, it almost always is never the knee itself, but what lies above and/or below it. To put it quite simply: the motion I don’t have in my hips and ankles will be found in my knees. Remember when we move, our body will get us from ‘point A’ to ‘point B’. It may not look pretty and it may not be the most efficient or optimal motor recruitment pattern, but it will find a way. So it is quite common that my knees take the hit for the lack of mobility of the joints around it. This sets up overuse patterns, and structures that normally would be responsible for let’s say, stabilizing the knee in a particular plane of motion, end up doing even more work than needed. This often leads to some form of pain and tendinitis.

**READ THIS** It should be noted that our job as fitness professionals and as active individuals is NOT to diagnose or treat medical conditions, including tendinitis. This is NOT to serve as a guide for diagnosis, but an article to recommend some flexibility exercise choices for clients that report discomfort in the knee. If you at all suspect tendinitis or other structural issues, always refer the client or yourself to a qualified health-care provider. Remember folks, our world is about motion and exercise not medical conditions. “We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.”

While traditional muscle group exercises for the quads and hamstrings, usually in the form of leg curls and extensions, will do fine at strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee, they may not do much, if at all, to increase motion in the joints that are impacting the knee.

So what do you do exactly?

1) The idea is to increase the mobility of the hips and of the ankles so they can do their jobs, and the knees won’t have to pick up the slack. There are all kinds of ways to do this but to keep things simple, seek out good stretches for hip flexors and calves, these are the most common muscle groups that reduce the available motion in the hips and ankles respectively. And if you or your client doesn’t even have any knee issues, these are good to do anyway.

2) It’s a good idea to also build stability in the joints of the lower body. It is one thing to increase the available motion in a joint with flexibility exercises, it’s entirely another thing to train the body to actually know what to do with the new-found motion once it has it. For the sake of keeping things simple again: for the lower body this just means get your clients standing and actually bearing their weight. If they are sitting on machines all workout long, the body isn’t learning to manage and stabilize their body weight with their lower body. You can then try staggering a stance, narrowing the width of the stance, or even trying single leg exercises if they qualify for them.

Until next time…

Rich

About the author
Rich Fahmy MS is the Director of Education for Oracle Fitness Education, a company that specializes in continuing education for health and fitness professionals (more info can be found at www.oraclefited.com). He is a trainer’s trainer, and some, although very few, would say he’s a handsome man’s man. And by some, that usually refers to himself and his mother. Contact him at rich@oraclefited.com.

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We loved hosting Chill Out LA for a Press to Impress Retreat Package. See what they had to say in their review:

http://www.chilloutla.com/chill-out-la/getaways/

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3. ANGELENO MAGAZINE, Feb 2010

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Check out our most recent press in the daily healthy online magazine Vital Juice.

We hosted the LA editorial team here for one of our weekend retreats and they absolutely loved it.

Click below to read the full review and save 20% off your next retreat.

http://vitaljuice.com/entry_detail/la/1037

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Part II: The Program

by Janet Rifkin, Ph.D.

So Scott began to work with me. He started by asking me to articulate the goals I had for myself. I had a lot of trouble answering his questions. I knew a few things: I wanted to stand up straighter, lose what I saw as the “humpification” in my upper back and lose the 8 pounds I had gained during the 8 years I was working as Dean of a College in Massachusetts. However, what I really wanted to talk about were my fears-my fear of not having a professional identity, my fear of looking like an old bag and my fear of falling into the abyss of the Grand Canyon where I was going in 10 days time.

Clearly, my most immediate need was to get ready for my upcoming rafting trip which involved a 7 ½ mile hike down the Grand Canyon carrying a 30 pound pack and daily hikes climbing over boulders and traversing narrow ledges. Scott had his work cut out for him. His first challenge was to stop me from chatting incessantly. People tell me I ask too many questions. My sons call me “the interrogator” and given that I once was a trial lawyer, cross-examination comes naturally. During our first two sessions, Scott let me chatter. Maybe it helped him to get to know the person, as well as the body he was training? Maybe it was to make me feel comfortable with him? Maybe it was because he was entertained? Whatever it was, by session three, he began by telling me that I wasn’t allowed to talk so much. I laughed but he was serious. More importantly, he was right. I needed to focus on what he was trying to teach me. Talking too much was a way to protect myself from feeling awkward and uncomfortable.

So Scott worked with me to open my hips-to move them front to back, side to side and to “twist.” I did this as I was stretching my calves and my Achilles tendon. Remarkably, the bump I had in my right Achilles got smaller and the pain that I was feeling abated. Every session with Scott ends with body work which “opens” the tight areas. To be honest, the work he did on my sore Achilles wasn’t a barrel of laughs. It hurt-a lot. But it worked and I now look forward to the end of every session when he works on me, finds tightness I didn’t even know I had and releases areas of tension and strain that have building for years.  But we also did more than this. He started me on a regimen of lunges, of abdominal crunches, of pullies, of push-ups and more. He even let me start talking again-of asking questions most of which he answered. He gave me a plan for what I should to on the days that I wasn’t working with him, most of which focused on building up cardio-vascular capacity.

After 10 days, I felt mentally prepared for my rafting trip. I was excited and no longer felt I was going to fall into the depths of the Canyon. My husband I left LA early on the morning of September 26 and got to Flagstaff 8 hours later. The next morning, we met our group and headed to the South Rim where we would begin our hike the next day at 4:30 am and where I was eager to start putting Scott’s program to the test.

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Part 1: The Beginning

by Janet Rifkin, Ph.D.

On June 30, 2009, I retired from a 35 year career at major public university. I started my life there at the age of 27 and left at 62. While I can say that I accomplished many good things during my professional life, I felt tired and cynical and found it harder and harder to believe in what I was doing. I had been the Dean of a big college for 8 years, I had helped many people start their academic careers, I had taught many hundreds of students, built relationships with faculty, students and alumni, raised money, built interesting programs and more. But I was finding it harder and harder to believe that what I had done and was doing had much value. I had seen too many people get to this point in their careers, but couldn’t let go because of fear of loss of status, power and fear of a future without the professional identity that had given their lives meaning and security. I knew it was time to make a change, but like others before me, I was uneasy and conflicted. I had several things going for me that helped me embrace this moment of change. I have a husband who wasn’t conflicted and wanted us to change our relationship to work and place and pursue adventures that we had imagined; we have a son, daughter-in –law and 15 month old granddaughter who were living 3000 miles away in Los Angeles and even though another son is in NYC, the pull was strong to come out west; and we are lucky enough to have the means to live more than decently. So on August 20, 2009, we packed up our car and headed to LA.  While we were both feeling a sense of liberation and excitement, we also realized that we had no idea how we were going to organize our lives on a daily basis. We did however know two things. First, we had signed up for a 9 day rafting trip down the Colorado River which would require us, among other things, to hike down the Grand Canyon with 30 lbs packs for 7 and ½ miles. Second, that while both of us were relatively active, we wanted-and needed to find trainers who could help us get ready for this challenging adventure.

I found Scott Crawford.  I don’t think Scott knew exactly what he was getting into when you started working with me. What he did know was that I had two and one half weeks to prepare for the trip. What he also saw was a woman who couldn’t touch her toes, whose hips are extremely tight, whose right Achilles tendon was swollen and sore, whose hamstrings are like concrete and whose shoulders were hunched over and knotted. What I knew from the moment I started working with him is that he believed in my ability to change my body. Maybe more importantly, he was intent on helping me to change my attitude.

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3. Moving Through Fear