Monday’s health and fitness section tells Sara’s story: how a freak accident that left her blind in one eye did not stop her from becoming a world class mountain bike racer. The article is inspirational and gives a small insight into what drives Sara to live life fully and keep Ultimate Fitness going. Read the full story here: marinij.com

Sara Ellis on her bike

Clients often come to us because of Doug McGuff’s book “Body by Science”.  In the book, John Little, a columnist for Ironman magazine, and fitness medicine expert Dr. Doug McGuff, team up to present a formula that builds strength and develops muscle using slow motion training.  The information is well presented and makes a clear case for the efficiency and safety of that method.  Whether you’re considering joining us at Ultimate or simply want to gain better understanding about the slow training workout you’re doing with our fitness trainers, you’ll find this book informative.

While slow training is at the core of Ultimate Fitness’ philosophy, what sets us apart from the book’s very purist approach is that we believe our clients get better overall results from a varied and personalized exercise program. Call us to learn more about what we do, or even better, call us to make an “orientation” appointment. We’ll talk about your health and fitness goals and take you through a sample slow workout. You’ll see, you’ll love it! And who can’t make time to workout 30 minutes twice a week?

A new study finds that elderly women’s mental functioning significantly improved after 6 months of strength training. The study focused on women between 70 and 80 years old who had complained of memory difficulty. The testing done after 6 months of supervised weight lifting showed improved activity changes in the part of the brain associated with cognitive behavior.  So there you have it:  slow motion strength training will keep you strong AND smart!

Read the article here: Strength Training Benefits.

Most of you already know Syndee Collison, Ultimate Fitness’ long time personal trainer, nutritionist, and healthy food lover.  Here, she shares one of her favorite winter season recipe; yes, it’s a comfortable 64 degrees today but it’s still officially “winter”.  In addition to her fitness training knowledge, Syndee is also a great resource for information about food, nutrition, and creative vegetarian dishes, so if you train with her, don’t forget to take advantage of that!

Here is a little bit more about her:  Syndee Collison’s bio.

Syndee’s Soup:

In a deep, large pot, sauté:

1 medium cleaned and shredded burdock root in 1 tbs. olive oil and 2 tbls water, for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Add 1 cup onions, 3 cloves garlic, and some chopped fresh ginger.  Sauté until translucent and aromatic.

Add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.

For added immune building properties, use 4-6 detox tea bags (or loose detox tea mix).  Strain the loose tea before adding anything else.

Add some kombu sea vegetables and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Strain the sea vegetables so that you have a clear broth.

Then add the following chopped vegetables:

Fiber rich yams to balance your blood sugar, and carrots, both full of beta carotene and sweet and yummy.

Cabbage from the cruciferous family to help lower your risk of cancer.

The juice of 1 lemon, and cayenne pepper to cleanse the blood and warm the soul.

Shitake mushrooms because they contain vitamin D and all 8 essential amino acids to soothe and strengthen the nervous system and improve mood and mental clarity.

Sliced lotus, and 1 medium astragalus root for their immune enhancement properties.

After a good 2 hours of simmering (don’t worry, the nutrients have been cooked into the broth), add some chopped kale and mustard greens for their rich minerals and vitamins, and corn too because it tastes good.

Then turn off the burner and add a good quality miso paste like Miso Master.

Miso should never be boiled, to protect it’s live enzymes which help add friendly bacteria to the digestive system and stave off free radical damage. 

You can use just a few or all of the above ingredients.

If you want to take advantage of the detoxing benefits of this soup (or maybe you have a compromised digestive system), you can strain the vegetables and drink only the broth which is full of nutrients. 

To make the broth extra rich and tasty, you can add nutritional yeast.  It contains chromium to balance your blood sugar and B vitamins to calm the nerves and increase energy.

For more protein (but a less cleansing effect), you can add your favorite legumes, tempeh, tofu, edamame, textured vegetable protein, seitan, mock or organic free-range chicken or turkey.

I hope you enjoy making and eating this healthful soup.

May it feed your soul, soothe your nerves, warm you up and put a smile on your face.

Have a happy, healthy Winter.

Syndee

Avid Ultimate Fitness spinner and long time Mill Valley local Skip Sandberg, just published a photo book of the town’s hidden steps, lanes, and paths. We’ve all heard of the Dipsea steps but did you know that Mill Valley has many other hidden shortcuts?  To learn about these unique pathways, visit Skip Sandberg’s website robertsandbergphoto.com, the book is called  ”Steps, Lanes and Paths of Mill Valley” .  You can also read the recent IJ article here: marinij.com.

When Skip is not exploring local sites and taking amazing photographs, he can be found at Ultimate Fitness, taking Sara’s Thursday night 6:00 pm spin class.  Congratulations on your book Skip, and see you on Thursday!

Sara Ellis also teaches spin on Tuesdays at 9:00 am and Saturdays at 9:30 am.  More about the classes here:  spinning.

Steps, Lanes and Paths of Mill Valley

Photographer and Ultimate Fitness client Skip Sandberg

And here we have Anna and her two boys Johnny and Stu, looking very happy after Sara’s spin class. The boys are keeping fit for football and Anna is training for the upcoming bike racing season.

Spinning is a great way to burn fat and  improve your overall health and fitness!  You can find more info about our spin classes here:  Ultimate Fitness spin program.

Anna and her boys Johnny and Stu.

Sara Ellis and Ultimate Fitness clients Jackie Leao and Anna Davenport were happy to help out with Park School‘s Sunday fundraising ride.  Jackie and Anna (who teaches kindergarden at the school) are avid cyclists and have been spining at Ultimate Fitness for years.  They’re part of the very fun Thursday night spin crowd!  Come join them, Thursdays from 6 to 7 pm.  Sara also teaches a class on Tuesdays from 9 to 10 am and Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:30 am.

Sara, Anna, and friends riding for Park School

Come join us on December 10th!

We’re having a holiday party in appreciation of our wonderful Ultimate Fitness clients!  We wouldn’t be here without you.  Please join us on December 10th for some holiday cheer.  We’ll be serving wine and hors d’oeuvres from 4 to 7 pm.

We would appreciate an RSVP so please let us know if you can make it.  You can call us at 415.380.8033 or let us know when you come in for your next training session.  Of course, significant others are welcome!

This is also a good time to bring canned and dry goods for our Marin Food Bank drive.  We’ll have a collection barrel in front of our door from December 1st to the 22nd.  Click here for a list of most needed items.

We look forward to seeing you.  Elena, Syndee, Jude, Peter, Zinaida, Julie, and Sara.

PS:  Zinaida will also be selling her line of women’s shirts.  They make great gifts so come prepared to do a little holiday shopping!  The price range is $20-50.00.  Cash only, sorry no credit cards.

Recent research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, suggests that people who spend a lot of time sitting (causing prolonged lack of whole body muscle movement) are more likely to be overweight, have heart attacks, possibly certain types of cancer, and even die sooner than those who do less sitting.  And that is regardless of whether or not someone exercises.

Figures from a U.S. survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from working at their desks, sitting in cars, and watching television.

After four hours of sitting (resulting in complete muscle inactivity), the body starts sending signals to shut down glucose and fat regulating genes.  According to one study, a woman’s risk of metabolic syndrome, a precursor to diabetes and heart disease, jumps 26% for every extra hour she sits in front of the TV.  Another study shows that sitting 6 or more hours a day makes someone up to 40% likelier to die within 15 years than someone who sits less than 3 hours a day.  Shocking isn’t it?

There are guidelines suggesting we exercise at least 30 minutes a day but what about guidelines limiting the amount of consecutive sitting we do?  Until there is such advice, the more you can get up and take breaks from sitting during your work, the better.  You can also climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator, walk to the store rather than drive, or take a walk around your neighborhood after dinner.  Last but not least, exercise more vigorously at least 3 times a week to counter some of the negative effects incurred by those hours or inactivity.

So how long do you spend sitting each day?

Aerobic exercise AND strength training are essential to staying strong and vital as we encounter life’s daily stresses (which now apparently includes all that sitting).  Come try a Spin Class with Sara or sign up for an “orientation” session to experience the Slow-Motion StrengthTraining method.  The Ultimate Fitness team is here to keep you fit and healthy!

How sitting wrecks your body

Selma joined Ultimate Fitness about 6 months ago. Very quickly, she started seeing and feeling the benefits:  walking taller, feeling stronger, and of course, clothing fitting better…  Friends and colleagues started noticing as well, but the best compliment came when she was sitting at the doctor’s office recently, getting a flu shot. The nurse was prepping her arm and kept asking her to relax her arm. “My arm is relaxed”, Selma answered. The nurse didn’t believe her at first, and Selma explained she had been working out with weights twice a week. “Wow” the nurse said!

Consistency over time does pay off!  Nice Job Selma!  You’re fun to work with and we look forward to seeing you next week.

What about you?  How has your body changed since you started the Slow-Motion strength training program at Ultimate Fitness?

Selma gets buff at Ultimate Fitness