Dude. Feet on the Fly this past Saturday was a touch brutal. Dave, Sara and myself all embarked on what was normally a challenging and beautiful journey throughout Buena Visa park. Um, yee-ouch. By the time we got to the top, Dave and I felt like we were going to hurl. Sara thought she was out of shape…and frankly so did Dave and I…until we started smelling campfire.

The air is major stank out there, people! It’s not healthy. Take it inside this week or until they get the fires under control. If you’re outside, I would suggest power walking or light jogging and nothing inverted (pushups, plank pose) - anything where your head is level to or below your heart. You could get light headed or even pass out.

Just pretend it’s indoor recess. And if you get bored, let me know and I can give you some indoor exercises to do - and I have two jump ropes if anyone wants to borrow them! Hah! I know those are your favorite…just watch out for the coffee table.

The best thing we can do is listen to our own bodies. So if it’s telling us to halt, we must listen.

From Friday’s SF Gate

I always see summer as the “social” season of the year. We all go to picnics in the park, bbq’s, vacations, beach time (ok not in sf) and take advantage of quality time with friends and family. So, this summer Feet on the Fly is offering the “Bring a Friend” promo. You bring a friend, they get a free class. If they purchase a punchcard, you get a free class.

Good people know more good people, so let’s keep the positivity flowing at FoF. A great workout and great fun is sure to be had by all, so come on out and bring your friend!

photo courtesy of George Szakall. www.flickr.com/balmes

Feet on the Fly Sunset Run
Thursday | June 19th | 7:30 pm-8:45
Meet at the cannon on Lyon and Lombard
we will end at the Final Final for…popcorn

I don’t know how much of a sunset we’re going to see due to it being “summer” in San Francisco. BUT! I do know that a run in the fog is great fun. It’s like nature is giving us a cooling summer facial - people pay good money for mist like that!

Join us for Feet on the Fly and afterwards we will mosey over to the Final Final for some adult beverages & popcorn.

Yeeehaawww! Hope to see my flyers there!

Using weights/resistance and doing the correct moves is only part of the game. Since mind and body are linked, you will find that when you are focused and mindful of the muscle groups you are working, the muscles respond much quicker.

Let’s keep our muscles strong, our bodies elongated and hug those muscles to the bones. Practice daily (I just straightened up in my chair at work). You can do it at work, in the car, watching tv, doing dishes, or in a nice mountain pose. Let’s be mindful of our bodies to keep them strong and working nicely for us.

And remember no matter what, roll your shoulders up, back and down. Always holding an open chest. Open heart = open mind.

Anyway, I was JONES’IN for some company and I realize that I need you guys as much as you need me. Even though the Saturday FoF’s are more difficult, they are also sooo much more fun than these poopy solo lunch runs. I could have used some energetic little beings for some laughter, silly antics, and encouragement to keep me going. I even tried my “o” breathing technique but I got into pouty mode and just slugged along.

I know you have all felt the same thing at some point. You come to class but don’t feel like being there, yet once you’ve finished you feel loads better. Some of that has to do with the people around you, some has to do with your pilot (me), some is endorphins, and some has to do with YOU showing up for yourself.

And when all THAT doesn’t work, you must reach for Madonna. Not the holy one, the one originally from Michigan.

I swear Madonna’s “Spotlight” came on (you can laugh at me, I’m not afraid) and I started to zoom. I listened to it twice…okay twice through and then 1/2 way again until I finished my run. It’s BY FAR my favoritest, secretest, guiltiest, pleasurest, workout song. It’s super uplifty. I recommend it for your workout playlist (ok, maybe just for the ladies). The version I have is off of Madonna’s “You Can Dance” album. It’s worth the 99 cents.

So when you’re thinkin “Holy Mother of God, get me through this workout…” *bing!* she just might come through!

I believe it is far more important to know our own bodies, nourish them, exercise them, and practice mindful eating. I don’t own a scale and haven’t since I left for college because I have always weighed more than people my height/size. So big deal. I was an athlete! I didn’t need numbers on a little dialey thing to freak me out and make it seem that I was unhealthy. Wrong-o.

And it’s not only women either. A male friend of mine came to me at one point when he thought he was too skinny. He was considering taking supplements and I talked him out of it - at least I hope I did! Thing is, let’s work with what we’re given and do the best we can for ourselves. Unless there is a serious medical issue, leave the bmi formula, charts and scales behind. Let’s go with what FEELS right in our own skin.

When you really ask yourself, you KNOW when you don’t feel right (whether too heavy or too light), so just listen to that inner voice and make the changes accordingly.

Below is what I wrote to my friend. If you have comments, I welcome them. This is an important topic and I have been asked MANY times about the ol’ scale, so please share your thoughts if you have them.

Ok honey, gym stuff. Women fluctuate about 5 lbs. per month. So, take that into consideration. Another thing is that if you are gaining muscle, we do that before we lose the fat…and muscle is heavier. Hence, weight gain.

When I did bootcamp, the ladies would train for 4 weeks and then got weighed in for evaluations afterwards. Many would weigh more – there were sometimes tears actually. But once they got their measurements and did the body fat stuff, they turned out to be smaller, just more dense. It usually took until the 2nd bootcamp that they saw weight loss.

PRESS on. Don’t quit. It will probably take 6-8 weeks of working out before you see movement on the scale because you are building muscle.

The other thing is, if you work out too hard, your body will be extra hungry. People who train for marathons and triathalons can actually gain weight because they eat so much to fuel their bodies. So, note that and make sure when you exercise, you are at a comfortable and happy level.

So, keep going!! There are many reasons why you gained weight - or maybe that sassy scale is off. Overall though, pay attention to how you FEEL, how your clothes fit, if you’re sleeping well, if you can concentrate better, if you are less stressed, etc., Exercise has many health benefits besides losing weight and sadly we tend to overlook that in this country.

To help relieve some of the stress on the upper back and to open the chest, you can simply remember: Up, Back and Down.

What it means:
1. Scrunch your shoulders up to your ears
2. Pull them back aiming for the wall behind you
3. And then drop your shoulders straight down so the rest below your ears

Feel that? Huge difference, right?

So now, you have opened your chest and engaged the muscles in your back so they continue to work to hold you up straight. In yoga, we always lead with our hearts and keep an open heart. Doing this simple posture correction several times a day will strengthen your core and back while keeping your chest and heart open - for all possibilites and for all new choices you can make today.

Another cool thing about Sports Basement is that they have a speaker series where you can go listen to people lecture on various topics dealing with athletic, outdoorsy and healthy schtuff - for free!

Aaaand, they have invited me to be a part of the series! So I (Monica) will be doing a lecture on Thursday June 12th 6:30 pm @ Sports Basement (Bryant St) on the topic of Ayurveda. I would love to see a packed house so that I can share this knowledge with a LOT of people. So please, bring all of your friends. Here is the blurb about my lecture:

Monica Bloom, owner of Feet on the Fly and an Ayurvedic student, will teach you the philosophies of Ayurveda and how to balance your mind, body, and soul for optimum health. Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old Indian holistic healing science meaning, “The Knowledge of Life.” It teaches us how to stay disease-free simply by knowing what energies (doshas) govern our unique bodies and how to remain in flux with nature. Through this self knowledge we are able to take responsibility for our own health, mental well being, and spiritual growth. Monica is excited to give you the gift of self knowledge so you can start applying this fascinating ancient science to your own life.

The party is on Thursday, May 22nd from 6-8 pm
FREE BEER, FREE FOOD and 15% off anything in the store
Sports Basement on 1590 Bryant Street (between 15th & 16th)
If you have not been to the store yet, Sports Basement is a close-out sporting goods store that offers gear and apparel for snowboarding, hiking, biking, swimming and running at 30%-60% below retail. Brands include The North Face, Burton, Salomon, Asics, Adidas, Hind and many more. www.sportsbasement.com

In addition, on Wednedsay May 14th, Jim (from “the SB”) will be coming out to do a gait analysis of the flyers come to the 6:15 pm class. This means that he will watch how you run and make sure that the shoes you are wearing are the right ones for your bod. And if they’re not, he will happily make recommendations based on his analysis of YOU. Yeah…we like that.

The Pilots and Flyers thank you Sports Basement!!!