Shhh, quiet - here comes 2009

Be brave, have no fear
With big smile and small tear
A happy New Year

It's 2009
Toughen up, it will be fine

Peace to yours and mine

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Trey was cornered but enjoyed being seated next to Frank!
Frank has Wendy convinced that "hashing" would be a fun thing. Melissa is praying that there will be enough beer if John decides to join Coach Cooper.
Mark kept up an engaging conversation with that empty chair most of the afternoon, while Wendy told one of her favorite Ride-the-Rockies stories ("The Seven Train - Or how 20 friends and total strangers made it into Steam Boat Springs fresh and well-rested after 90 miles in the saddle")
Two new special friends - Aubrey on the right, who belongs to Frank and Melissa, and Jessica Ann (aka "Sprout") who belongs to Coach Cooper.

Well, fellow yogis and pugilists and cyclists and fitness friends of every ilk and persuasion, very best wishes for a glorious and joyous holiday season, fast upon us with CHRISTMAS DAY tomorrow.

Above are a few photos from a nice little holiday gathering at one of our favorite eateries, NG's in Z'ville: It was pulled together to thank some special people for some special help they selflessly gave ProMotion Fitness over the last few months. We drank a little wine, ate a little sushi, and had a big fun time.

We were all nestled cozy inside while the ice came down yesterday - in fact, Trey received a call telling him that everyone had been dismissed early due to the weather. And while it took awhile to get home, at least we were spared from sitting on 465 for 5 hours while it was closed from Michigan to Keystone.

Hope you all spend quiet, relaxing time with family and friends and loved ones. Be safe, and be well.

Sales and Specials - Beware!

So, in these particularly challenging economic times (aren't they all, challenging that is? these times we live in - last month, next month, it's always something - anyway, I am about to seriously digress....) And holiday spirit of deals and specials and favors, one must be extra careful and leery of anything screaming at you, "EAT THIS! It's a great deal, you're saving big money, and besides, it's the Holidays!"

Check out the nutrition content of these 'specials' that I ran across this week:
# Steak nachos - 1940 calories; 1098 of which are from fat.  (That's approximately 6 x 30 minutes on the treadmill!)
# Mozzarella sticks - 110 calories per stick; 60 calories from fat.  *
# Veggie Burger - so, was that a burger made of fat-free veggies and fresh, crisp, wholesome ones at that? Or was it a big, seared cow flesh/cow fat patty with veggies on top?

So what is a 'special' exactly?  

good night and good health,

*information obtained from dietfacts.com;  numbers correlated to the "On the Border" and "TGI Fridays" versions of these items and may or may-not reflect the actual numbers at the establishment referenced here.

ohhhh SNAP!

So, here's the deal - the other day, Kathleen earned "first-sticker" for bringing in a plate of brownies. She made many excuses that they weren't any good, made from a mix, blah-blah-blah.
Well, they still fueled and re-fueled many a spinner that day, even though she was right, they weren't very good.

As she always does, Kathleen came through in the CRUNCH, when time was running short, the crowd was on its feet and hope hung in the balance: Today, when I entered the Fitness Center to help out Coach Cooper with a large helping of Holiday This-n-That, I found another batch of Kathleen Brownies (note - capitalization of "brownies" in the preceding is intentional and warranted). These we on a nice glass plate, with each layer separated by wax paper, contained walnuts, and made from scratch!!

For someone who doesn't drink that much milk any more, do you know just how YUMMY a homemade brownie and a tall, ice cold skim milk taste!?!? Thank you so much, Kathleen, for restoring my faith and belief in your ability to accomplish absolutely anything you put your mind to, in a range and breadth of endeavors that stagger the frailty of the human mind.

In other brownie notes for today, Chris Aiello also brought in a plate of brownies - very moist, very yummy, yet we suspect they were from a boxed mix. If so, one of the BEST mix brownies we've ever sampled. Thanks to not being covered with wax paper, this batch disappeared pretty quickly once Gospel and Blanchard visited the fitness center this afternoon.

And lastly for this evening - in the BIGGEST news of the Holiday Challenge:
a. Amy Reeder is quitting smoking and is smoke free for 30 days! Please send her your positive chi - she deserves it.
b. Mark Blanchard achieved some remarkable weight and body composition changes in the past thirty days - WAY to go, Mark!
c. The over/under on the number of Holiday Sweaters that Young Brad not only owns but will wear out in public is 7.

See you all tomorrow - with bells on!!

john

Chef Wendel and Aunt Jemima

Wendy, Brian and Brad scheming where they might find some more of Chef Wendel's quinoa and stir fry - it was AWESOME! (Note the pretty layer of snow falling in the background - unfortunately, it only lasted about an hour and then turned to freezing Indy winter yuck.)

The ladies from HR - Shannon, Stephanie and Dee - join Lori as chef Wendel tells of of the poison that is high fructose corn syrup.

The audience really sat up and took notice when Chef Wendel started citing off the origins of all those fancy sweeteners - bottom line: If you want it sweet, look for REAL sweet things in nature, like evaporated cane juice, molasses, brown sugar, or stevia.

"So, 300 pounds ago, I would wake up every day and spend my quality morning hours, in nothing but my boxer shorts, with this lady, Aunt Jemima, never knowing that she was KILLING ME! High Fructose corn syrup is POISON!!"

Lori and Wendy flashing big smiles after listening to Chef Wendel's inspiring, entertaining and practical story of making simple yet crucial changes to our diets in order to enjoy long, healthy lives.

It is our intention that 'our people' learn to make nutritional choices based on fact - not fad.  And eventually learn to make these choices by listening to their bodies vs. ego-noise.  Help one-another along by sharing 'new-finds' of items without high fructose corn-syrup, partially-hydrogenated oils, and other miscellaneous chemical 'stuff'.  As you make your discoveries, share them as requests in the Cafe.  We're all learning this stuff together!

yours in health,

What the heck....

So, was Singleton smoking something? What on earth did the title of the previous post have to do with, well, what was posted? Simple - he left out half the story. It goes something like this (please hum "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" as you read this).

On Tuesday of this week, Dec. 16th, PLEASE join Coach Wendy, JJ from the Klipsch cafe, and Chef Wendel for a fabulous and entertaining diet, nutrition and sound cooking advice. See you in the cafe at 11:30 (I think that's the right time). Please get your friends/coworkers to rsvp and join us - this is gonna be BIG!!

Jingle Bells and Fine Dining

(One of the most beautiful ladies John spied during the run - and he keeps a keen eye out for such sights: This baby's stride was incredible, and the glutes!)
(Coach Cooper still all smiles at about the half-way point - John sprinted ahead, fished out the camera, jumped the railing on the bridge to snap this shot - then sprinted to catch back up, jump back over the railing and re-enter the fray: well, something like that...)
(Part of the Klipsch Family present - Charles Lanham's daughter, Lisa, - ran with her husband, Mike, and joined the ProMotion party!)
(Registration scene this morning before the start of the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis)

(That's Young Jess under the Santa hat with Coach Cooper - and this was while we were inside where it was quite warm!)

So, John has lost any ability to arrange photos in the order he wants for his posts - hmm, could be the minor frostbite he incurred during the little run this morning (not really - he was dressed nearly perfectly). Coach Cooper posted a PERSONAL BEST time for the 5k, and so did Lisa! Way to go, LADIES!! Haven't heard how Young Jess fared, but she sure was pumped up at the start - bet she was fast and light. The jingle of the bells, the red hats and antlers, it was a fun, festive sight I hope you all try out next year.

So what happened in your day? Did you breath deeply? Feeling the brisk and welcome bite of winter down into the bottom of your lungs? Did you sweat? Long enough to grow frost on your forehead? Did you share life with those you love? Did you trim a tree, or ponder that perfect gift for someone close? Did you see joy in a young child's eye, hear it in their voice, see it in their strides full of jump and juice? Did you fuel your efforts with whole, wholesome foods and keep toxins at bay? Did you strive, dig deep, put out effort and wonder just how much was left? These things, and more, make for a fine Saturday....

Winter Holiday Haiku

Boxing heats up Cave (5)

Ladies love to hit Blanchard (7)
Fun welts and bruises (5)

Vanessa leads the troops (note, four ladies in class! - Melissa B was manning the camera) through punching drills. Six pugilists in class that day, and sweat was bountiful!

(Melissa B had to jump REAL high and snap quickly to get this shot - actually, I think Spitz just reached up and took this one)

Tall guys, short women (5)
All have fun lacing up gloves (7)
Work is hard, sweat pure (5)

Hey - and a sneak preview for any of you out there actually checking this out - You're in store for a SPECIAL lunch and learn next TUESDAY - JJ and Chef Wendel (with a whole lot of encouragement from Coach Wendy) are cooking up something extra special in the cafe that day - you won't want to miss it (Plus, you'll get a sticker for attending!)

CLASS SCHEDULE CHANGES!!!

The New Klipsch Group Exercise Class Schedule is posted above. These changes will start on January 5th. Options are still available for evening spinning, noon time spinning, noon time cardio boxing with Ian and/or Vanessa, spinning with Matt and yoga with Jamie. Trainer-is-In time will be curtailed greater with the most noticable change being: No more Coach Chris on Wednesday mornings (Jay and Amy, hope you choose to attend Jamie's class on Monday's at noon!)

yours in Health!

Brownies - Workout Fuel?

Or festive treat? How many of the six basic food groups are covered by the common brownie? Well, let's see....there's dairy (I think), and of course you have your sugar and chocolate food groups. That's three! Not bad, all in one simple little treat....For future reference, the other three basic food groups are complex carbs, beer and pizza. This may be on a future Fitness Challenge Quiz.

You know, the so called "experts" claim that workout fuel such as the brownie simply do not provide the sustained energy release necessary for optimum performance and training. These experts are so limited in their vision and foresight: They wax eloquently about the "crash" you get after the sugar "high" - well DUH! What kind of idiot would it take to figure out that all you need to do is eat another brownie before the crash comes! Problem solved!

Zumba on a Snowy Day!

Cesar Acosta at the start of the ProMotion Client Zumba demo class on Saturday, Dec. 6th. We had big fun with representatives from Delta (duh - it was their gym), RCI, St. Vincent and some special guests (like John's daughter! that's her on the left in this photo). Unfortunately, we had no one from Klipsch - ah well, maybe next time.

Cesar was still a little chilled by the snow storm everyone had to go through to get here. But it didn't take too long for things to heat up! People had Latin rhythms stuck in their head all day.

BOXING and CHALLENGES!!

Look carefully at the photo above - stare deeply, and open your mind. Now, if you dare, notice Chris on the left, with the mitts, and in your mind's eye, insert Melissa Fry - that's right, "Small Fry" - imagine Melissa and Blanchard going at it in boxing class with Ian! Well, if you were around today (Friday) at noon, you could have seen precisely this image - real life, real time.

Word has it that the combination of earning stickers, the pre-holiday party spirit, and the intense, burning, animalistic desire to HIT SOMETHING, preferably a person, and knowing that Mark always attends Ian's Friday noon time boxing class, and who better to hit than Blanchard - well, Melissa just couldn't resist!

Word also has it that she was a NATURAL - took to it like a duck to water, or hip-hop artist to a sub-woofer (hmmm, stretching the analogies a bit too far?). Anyway, she was slipping and sliding, throwing combinations and generally whoopin' some ass.

You ROCK, Small Fry!!

Jumpin' for Fitness!

(Warrior Mark Blanchard at the Earn-the-Bird Spin)

Blanchard and Gospel Meet JumpSquat Goal!

Yesterday, while prepping for yoga, Coach Cooper witnessed, scored and officiated over THIRTY perfect Jump Squats from Mark Blanchard and Tom Gospel! This earned them both coveted "STICKERS" for their Holiday Challenge score-cards. I wonder who is going to be the fist one to conquer the Speed Bag!?!?

Holiday Challenge is Off and Hoppin'!!

Jump Rope: Beth Mendenhall was the FIRST ONE to accomplish the challenge of "100 jump ropes without missing"!! Way to go, Beth!!

Perfect Push-Ups: Kathleen Ravotti, well rested from her last several weeks of goofing off and taking it WAY too easy, was the first one to accomplish the challenge of "50 Perfect Push-ups"!
This feat was closely monitored by Coach Cooper, so you can bet they were, indeed, "perfect"!

Congrats to Beth and Kathleen - and kudos to the rest of you out there who are well on your way to filling in your card with stickers!

(photo above is of Wynona Davis, Beth Mendenhall, and Coach Wendy at this year's "Anna's Run" for special-needs children)

Get Your Jingle Bells On!!

Dec. 13th, NIFS, 8am, Jingle Bell Run!!
The above photo is from this year's Mini Marathon, Coach Wendy gleefully finishing the 5k. We can promise you weather just a little bit cooler for the Jingle Bell Run - Come out and Join the ProMotion Fitness team on a festive, fun, 5k jaunt through downtown. Wear your red Santa hat and tie jingle bells to your shoes - hope to see you there!!

ZUMBA!

Or is that "ZoomBa", or perhaps "ZoomBah"?
In any event - come join us at the Delta Faucet gymnasium this Saturday morning, 8:30, for a FREE zumba class demo from ProMotion Fitness' new zumba partner, Cesaer! We promise LOADS of fun. Please rsvp to www.wcc1@mac.com.
Delta Faucet is located at 55 East 111th Street, Indianapolis. That is just about a mile north of 465 on Meridian. Please enter from the South entrance (there is a guard there who will let you in if Wendy or John are not at the door to greet you).

Got your back...

So, today, after spending 57 minutes (I'm not kidding: 57 minutes to - find three messages in outlook, open each of the messages, save an attachment in each message to the computer, then addressing a new message, and attaching three simple documents to the message, and writing a line or two) to send an email on the Klipsch Fitness Center computer, I had a small photocopying job to do. Made my way over to the machine in Engineering - and after about 3 of fifty copies, it jammed. Larry came by at that moment, and became nearly frantic about protecting me from the wrath of Charlie - who evidently had been in a sour mood all day. Larry ran guard, went searching for Charlie, and generally looked out for my well-being until I got the jam cleared and the machine was humming once again. This was really nice, really thoughtful, and I appreciated Larry's care and concern.
(The photo above was taken at the 2007 Hilly Hundred an is one of my favorites. Hope too have a similar shot with Larry some day in the Rockie Mountains).

Daily Spinning Update

Playlist:
Thievery Corporation - Sleeper Car (a little techno/electronica to get things rolling, adhering to Coach Cooper's rule of starting with "no words")
George Benson - Inner City Blues (his take on a classic, still no words)
Los Lonely Boys - Carol of the Bells - don't be late, you won't want to miss this one!
Joe Satriani - if Michael Shirrell was still coming to spin class he'd guess who this was correctly
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - You Better Pray (I wish I had come up with that name for a band)
Evil Nine - Restless (we've played this one before, see if you recall)
King Sunny Ade - Synchro Feelings
Peter Frampton - Cornerstones - this guy can really lay it down, no wah wah pedal on this one
Dave Matthews Band - Too Much - as in turkey, food, time, effort, thought, craziness
Gabrielle Roth - Bush Beat - spent two solid months listening to Gabrielle Roth once upon a time
Steve Earle - Warrior - the lyrics to this song are pretty incredible, I honestly thought he'd taken from some powerful piece of poetry - but it's his own...
Ben Harper - Better Way
George Duke - Reach For It - tell me if you know who is playing the bass on this cut, marvelous!
Brandi Carlile - we wrap it up with two cuts from this beautiful songtress: Turpentine and The Story.

HOLIDAY CHALLENGE!!

Klipsch Holiday Challenge 2008

It's started! Get in on the fun. Check out the bulletin board in front of the Fitness Center for details. Pick up your score sheet, and start laying it down! Lots of ways to play, lots of ways to win, lots of ways to improve your health and lots of ways to have fun.

Earn-the-Bird Spin

Congrats to all our pre-Thanksgiving spinners! Gary arrived early and spun a LONG time. Melissa brought Frank (or did Frank bring Melissa?). Larry pedaled hard and kept his head down, and Chris kept up for every pedal stroke. Brad conquered the rollers, and Laura smiled all the way through. Mark B. brought his pugilistic attitude and chi. Oh, and Larry brought the snacks.