As promised, we'll be keeping up with 710 ESPN Seattle's, Mike Salk to see how his training for the upcoming Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon are shaping up. 710 ESPN Seattle and MyNorthwest.com have teamed up with Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon sponsor, Brooks Running to give you and up close and personal look into preparing for the marathon. See how Mike Salk's training is progressing below:

The last two weeks of training have been challenging but difficult. If you're life is anything like mine, the toughest part of training for any kind of run is finding the time. Between work, the Mariners games, playoff hockey and other life intrusions, the past few weeks have been busy to say the least. But my wife and I managed to drag ourselves out there a few times.

Last weekend, we tackled Green Lake...twice. Or really thrice (depending on how you look at it). Saturday was one of those days where running felt inexplicably difficult. We were only able to complete the 2.8 mile loop once...which is pretty scary when you realize it's less than ¼ of the half-marathon course!

But we got right back after it on Saturday. Unfortunately, we got a really late start so we only had time for two laps. But we turned that into an opportunity to work on our lung capacity, sprinting final mile and nearly collapsing at the end! Regardless, my Brooks Ravenna's held up great!

Monday's are for cross training and for that I like kickboxing. It's an hour-long aerobic workout that usually leaves me dripping with sweat and exhausted. This week we did a lot of squats and lunges which obviously help with leg strength, but I think the most valuable element of kickboxing is the core workout. So much of running is centered in the core of the body. In fact, coolrunning.com says "The core of the body is 'command central' during all human movement, especially running. The CORE controls the rotational mechanics between the upper and lower extremities (running efficiency and stride frequency) and the force production of the lower body (stride length)."

Fortunately, by Saturday we were feeling much better and much stronger. We did a quality 8 miles along the waterfront just north of downtown. The first four miles out were easy but we needed to distract ourselves on the run back so we played the oldest time-passing game in the book: the name game.

Pick a category (usually athletes work well but we used actors and actresses). Name someone who fits the category (e.g. Jack Nicholson). The first letter of that person's last name is the first letter of the next person's first name. So, in this example, Ned Beatty follows Jack Nicholson. After Ned Beatty, you might have Brad Pitt. You get the idea. Sounds stupid...but it helped pass the 35 minutes home! What do you do to pass the time? Any suggestions?

Until then...keep Running Happy!

Run on!

*Brooks is sponsoring the Fit in the City Blog and Mike Salk's half-marathon training

It's been hot on the market for the past ten years or so, and although it's been used since the 1970's (back then to help correct cross eyes), it's commonly been known as the temporary fix for those pesky lines on the face (I call them lines of wisdom, others refer to them as wrinkles). For those of you who have caught on, you know just what protein produced by bacteria, injection I'm talking about, for those of you who haven't- it's Botox. However, I'm not here to talk about the marriage of Botox and wrinkles, I'm here to talk about what Botox can do besides temporarily paralyze those age indicators.

I recently sat down withDr. Stella Desyatnikova at the Stella Center for Facial Plastic Surgery, and she shared with me more ways than I ever imagined Botox being used for beyond the realm of cosmetic needs. You may be as shocked as me to find out just how many medical uses there are out there that Botox is being used for and seems to be working well with. Check out the list below:

• Scar Revision: Many scars on the face can oftentimes become worse than they need to be because of facial movements during the healing process. With Botox used as crutch/cast to help immobilize the muscle, a doctor will go in, re-cut the scar, revise the scar and then use Botox to stabilize to prevent added movement and in turn making a far less visible scar.
• Enlarged prostates: BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) is caused by rapid cell growth, which lacks a term called apoptosis which is a fancy word for cell death. Without apoptosis, too many cells growing causes the prostate to enlarge. Botox induces apoptosis which helps reduce the cell growth and in turn reduces the enlarging of the prostate.
• Facial muscle spasms and tics: Injections are placed around the face in the areas where the rapid movement occurs, in turn reducing the frequency and ability at which the spasm and twitches happen.
• Excessive sweating: Botox has been known to help with sweating issues on the hands, under the arms and even the feet.
• TMJ (lock jaw): Botox makes the muscles unable to engage in strong and in some cases unconscious movement of the jaw.
• Depression: While this hasn't been proven, there have been a fair amount of Botox patience who say they feel happier since receiving Botox. Some believe this is because frowning and other negative facial expressions are lessened with the treatment.
  
  

While the idea of using an injection that is known to "paralyze" a muscle may make you feel a bit uneasy as it does for some, many of these uses such as excessive sweating, facial spasms and scar revisions are in fact medical uses and have been approved by the FDA. Many clinical studies have also been done, such as the effects of Botox on depression which report positive results.

Regardless of where you stand with Botox and it's approaches to health, who knew a cosmetic tool could also do everything from subdue sweating to reduce facial twitching?

Sweat on! (Unless you're using Botox)

Running is one of those things in life that people either seem to love or hate, but as with most things in life, it's something that can develop an aquired taste with the right kind of mindset and training. I know for me personally, running is the one aspect of fitness I absolutely dread and in my 25 years, have yet to fully embrace. But, after chatting with my fellow coworker, Mike Salk of 710 ESPN Seattle's, Brock and Salk Show, I'm beginning to realize, perhaps it's not an impossible feat.

For the next month in a half, join me in tracking Mike's progress as he gears up for the final round of training for the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon. What do Mike and I have in common? Turns out he wasn't a runner either... until now. Read for yourself:

I'm getting ready to do something I never thought was possible, and I can't wait. On June 26th, I will run more than 13 miles in the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon.

I always thought the world was divided into two categories: people born with the ability to run long distances and people that weren't. And I definitely thought I belonged in the latter category. Although I was a decent athlete in high school, I hated to run long distances. In fact, when I arrived at college ready to play football (Division 3), I had never run more than two miles in my life!

But more than two years ago, when I found myself weighing 215 lbs, I decided I better figure out a way to run. So I stared on a treadmill (it was winter in the northeast) and tried to go a little farther each time. Eventually, I went from being able to run maybe a half-mile without rest to a comfortable two miles. As I saw my weight drop to 185 lbs, I then decided I would try a 5K (3.2 miles).

Eventually, I was comfortable running 3 miles at a time, but never thought I would get beyond that point until I read, "Born to Run" by Christopher Mcdougall. It's the story of a race of people in Mexico who run hundreds of miles at a time, and it inspired me to double and then triple my mileage.

Now, I'm not planning to run 100 miles anytime soon, but the half-marathon seems like the perfect race.

That's where Brooks comes in.

Obviously, your shoes are an important component of any long run. Your feet take quite a pounding on the cement, and if you don't have the right shoes, it'll be your feet that give out on you first! So, I went up to the Brooks headquarters in Bothell where I learned the basics and got the best shoes for my feet.

Now, I'm well on my way to 13+ miles and I want to help you hit your running goals as well. Keep up with my progress here on Fit in the City, and along the way I'll post some tips, tricks, and advice to help you Run Happy! In the next installment, I'll show you more of the details of my trip to Brooks, and how the fitted me with the right shoes.

Stay tuned...and Sweat on!

*Brooks is sponsoring the Fit in the City Blog and Mike Salk's half-marathon training

Maybe it's the tranquility of the inner stillness that goes on while flowing in motion. Perhaps it's the sheen glistening off of the sweltering bodies or maybe it's the euphoric feeling I get after walking out of a hot yoga studio, mind at ease, body relaxed, muscles stretched feeling like I could take on the world. Regardless, for me, hot yoga is an exercise activity that feeds my mind, body and soul.

Right now, one of my favorite hot yoga studios in town, h auteyoga of Queen Anne is offering an awesome special, $100 for 15 sessions. If you're a hot yoga fan like me, then I'm sure you know this is a phenomenal deal (especially if you've already used the intro special like I have). Go check them out, and enjoy.

Sweat on (literally)!

What kinds of things do I love? Food? Yes. Fitness? Yes. After work cocktails? Yes. And, this Thursday there's a special event going on that combines all of these loves into one.

Come out to Westlake Center this Thursday, May 6th from 6p-8p for a Belly, Body, Balance workshop that combines awesome food and recipies, fat blasting, ab crunching exercise and the balance of learning how to keep your life and time balanced... oh yeah, and enjoy a nice cocktail while you're at it!

For more information, check out the event website here.

Sweat on!

You've been reading about me moaning, groaning and raving about my latest circuit training venture with Essential Fitness, so from here on out I'm going to start giving you a weekly to biweekly inside look on the exact workouts that have left me huffing, puffing, and nearly regurgitating at times and yes, ALL of this happens in an hour (sometimes less!).

Warmup (Medicine Ball Exercises 20 reps with 12lb medicine ball

• Squats with overhead press
• Lunges (alternating legs) ball held at chest
• Chop across body with med ball slam (20 per side)
• Rotating lunges with med ball (alternating legs/ 20 per side)
• Squat jumps (holding med ball at chest)
• Slam and shuffles (slam ball shuffle laterally holding at chest, slam on each end) (1min)

Cardio: 4mins elliptical

Tabata workout (20 seconds hard, rest 10 secs (1 round) repeat for prescribed number of rounds).

Pushups: 4 rounds
Lunge chest presses with bands: 4 rounds per side
Squat rows on cable machine: 4 rounds
ABS: Straight leg lifts on bench (1min)

Cardio: Bike (20 seconds hard as possible, easy for 10 secs) total of 4 mins

Tabata 2

• Leg Matrix on bench (done with 15# dumbbell) (step up with overhead press, crossover (holding weight)
• Bulgarian split squat with over head press (not my favorite!)and then lateral leap ups off bench single leg)- All exercises done for 30 secs with a 10 sec rest between exercises, and all exercises done on the right side first and then repeated on the left side
• ABS: Plank on bench driving knee into chest and then kicking back and up (one leg for 45secs then repeat on other side)
• Cable kickbacks (for glutes and hamstrings) 45 secs per side
• Tricep Matrix (med ball) overhead extensions tapping the ball against the wall followed by squat holds pressing the ball to full extension and touching wall) each done for 30 secs with 10 sec rest between) 1 round with 12 lb med ball followed by 1 round with 8 lb med ball.
• Dips on bench with feet on opposite bench: 4 rounds of 20 secs hard, 10 secs rest
• ABS: Vertical hip/leg raises with twist laying on bench
• Curtsy Lunge w/ bicep curl (15lb dumbbell) 2 sets of 30 sec on each side

ABS on mat:
Laying stability ball twist (squeezing ball between feet and legs straight a few inches off the ground and twisting the legs back and forth) 1min

• Feet on stability ball with sit-up (pull heels into ball as you sit/crunch up)- 25 reps

What is Tabata? Learn about it from my trainer, Justin:

Tabata Training: The style of training we are focusing on this week is a tabata style of training. It is an interval form of training, where you go as hard as you can for a certain period of time followed by a rest for an amount of time, which is shorter than the exercise time. This week we are focusing on going hard for 20 or 30 secs followed by a 10 sec rest period and doing multiple rounds for the same exercise. The purpose of doing this is, that it allows you to keep your heart rate up for the entire time, and since the rest perios are so short, it will drop just a little and then go right back up. This allows you to workout out at a high heart rate for a longer amount of time, since the small breaks allow a quick drop in hr and recovery, you can keep you heart high over a longer period and you are able to push the muscles at high level for more "combined time". This also causes more of a breakdown in the muscles due to the higher reps and intensity and also allows the body metabolism to stay raised post exercise. These workouts are great to supplement with workouts already being done, or are great for when you are short on time. Interval and tabata style training has been proven to burn more fat over a shorter amount of time, by spiking metabolism and because a higher amount of calories are burned in a short amount of time. The great thing about this style of training is you can push your muscles to fatigue and while you can do it with weights, you can also just get a great workout in, just doing bodyweight exercises like pushups, squats, lunges, sit-ups or cardio intervals as well. So if you are short on time or just looking to add a little something to your workout or a change, tabata style training is a very effective style of training.

Sweat on!

G'day Mates! Sorry, I just couldn't resist after spending some time researching the latest product that was brought to my attention today. We all know there are copious amount of exercise equipment out there- everything from bracelets to shoes that are all said to help enhance your health and fitness. But, the latest Kangoo Jumps are something that's left me both scratching my head and feeling a tad intrigued.

Kangoo Jumps are a rebound sport shoe that's designed to reduce stress on your joints caused by the impact while running, but has taken a variety of different fitness purposes, everything from home fitness, athleti training, injury rehabilitation, home fitness and more.

The makers of Kangoo Jumps even claim that by using Kangoo Jumps you can improve other aspects of your health whether it be protecting joins, preventing injury or even as they say... a face lift? Sounds pretty sublime to me!

I personally haven't tried the "shoe", but at the Cost Per Point these bad boys range from, I sure hope they're as wonderful as they sound (although, a bit, shall we say, interesting looking). If nothing else, maybe you can at least say that you've walked, or in this case, jumped a mile in a Kangaroos shoes.

Jump on!

If you haven't heard about it yet, then learn about it now. It's Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" Campaign designed to promote healthy and active living in children. I don't care if you're the Obama's biggest fan or the last person on Earth to care what comes from either of their mouths, what I do care about is the fact that there's finally a more active campaign out there designed to promote the importance of health in children and one that's looking childhood obesity dead in the eye saying, "That's it, no more".

Childhood obesity breaks my heart- for a lot of reasons. One big reason being the fact that it's so preventable. Sure, genes are a factor in all of us, but in children who are at a stage in their lives when their little bodies are bursting with unbelievable amounts of energy and metabolism, just isn't right. Between the amount of processed foods they (and the rest of us) are consuming at a very young age to the lack of active movement kids have these days due to less active movement throughout the school day and less active movement after school, it's no surprise to any of us that children are heavier than they've ever been. I wouldn't call this an opinion, I'd call this a fact based on opening my eyes and looking at the world around me and if any of you have done the same, then I'm sure this isn't a shock as you read this.

The Let's Move website is full of great information and resources. If you care about making an impact on child obesity, I'd encourage you to check out the website and learn more.

Sweat on.

Let's start with the obvious statement: it's been a while. Maybe not a terribly long time, but at least long enough to make me feel a tad guilty that I haven't posted in over a week. But, I suppose that's the price you pay when life gets abnormally busy, and while I hate to make an excuse, I'll at least be honest with you. Which leads me to the next thing I'd like to talk about- what to do when life gets too busy for exercise.

Many of you may have noticed that my circuit training posts took a backseat for a few weeks. No, it wasn't because I was done with them and had achieved my results, it was because the power of longer than usual work days, volunteer tasks, after work events, travel and catching up with daily life needs all came racing to the forefront of life at once which made my exercise routines and weekly training sessions a bit tough to keep up with and left a lingering sense of guilt in the back of mind.

When I got an email from Essential Fitness after about two weeks of missing out on my training sessions, I knew it was time to make an effort to get my butt back in there, and given the fact that my gym routines have also been sent to the back corner of my calendar, I figured if I didn't make the effort now, making it later down the road would only get harder.

I walked into my 5:00pm appointment about twenty minutes late with the work tasks I'd left behind still weighing heavily on my mind and the thoughts, "Working out is the last thing I want to do right now" fleeting about as well. But, Justin, my trainer for the day barely gave me a chance to think about it anymore as we got right to it! I'll admit the first 5 minutes or so were hard to get focused on, but once the endorphins started going and the heart started pounding, I was back in the zone.

Since I had already missed half of our time that day, Justin was put me through a pedal to the metal workout that left little to no time for breaks and very quick ones when they did occur. I lunged and shuffled with medicine balls, pushed up, dipped down, pulled in an inverted fashion and after 35 minutes or so, finished off the workout with flutter kicks which due to the amount of lactic acid flowing through my body after being put to the test for 30+ minutes, was the hardest part of my workout- yes flutter kicks!

I'll be honest, since my workout last week, it's actually been a week from today since my last workout. Some people think that's nothing, but for someone who's usually pretty good about a minimum of 3x a week workouts, I feel like this is self-torture. But, here's the glory of it all. It really makes me realize how important it is sometimes to take a moment to think about your fitness goals and how you want to accomplish them. If there's one thing the recent inconsistency in my fitness regimen has done, it's helped me take a step back and think about what I'd like to accomplish going forward. If life is catching up on you and getting in the way of your workouts, I encourage you to take a step back too.

Sweat on!

When I moved from an apartment to a house a few months ago, one of the first things I was both thrilled for and dreading was the decently sized front and back yard my roommate and I now had to "play" with. Thoughts of herb gardens and beautiful flowers and BBQ's where people would say, "Wow, your yard looks great!" strolled through my mind. That was of course until the weeds began popping up and the freshly cut grass began to grow. But, being a proud home.. err.. renter, I was ready for the task ahead. The first sunny day after moving in, I was out in the yard, ho in hand, yard waste bucket ready and my favorite jams quietly playing on the sound dock. The next morning, I admired the fruits of my labor and while also taking notice of something else- sore muscles!

Whether it was the bend and pull, the dig and toss, or the sweep and scoop, I'm not sure, but all I know is between my obliques and legs, I was a sore cookie for a couple of days and all from spending a couple of peaceful hours in my yard! I've heard in the past that gardening is a great way to stay healthy and vibrant and after spending some quality time in mine over the last few months, I can see why.

Beyond the fact that gardening is a highly theraputic (in my opinion) activity- one where it's just you, nature and your thoughts, or if you're like me a little music in the background; it's also an active one! In fact, I have a great-grandma who's a fresh 87 years old, gardens every sunny day she can and still drives, lives alone, does her own shopping, etc, etc. She even has a little bit of a battle with high blood pressure, but her doctor assures her she's going so strong because of her gardening activity. So, if you'd like to stay as strong and healthy as my great-grandma, I suggest you get out the gardening gloves, the lawn mower, the ho and the hose and get to it!

I found a fun little website that really gets into the nitty gritty of Gardening Fitness and there's even a book! Go with your Green Thumb!

Sweat on!