Physical Funness for the Motion Starved

Fit more fun into your fitness while exploring the outdoors.

Category Archives: Events


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Happy Summer! Don’t forget to hydrate inside and out to stay strong and looking good!

Group Stair Climbing Workouts!

Saturday’s – 9 am sharp. We meet at a different staircase in San Francisco every other Saturday.

These workouts include core and stretching exercises as well as interval stair-climbing. Participants are encouraged to climb at their own pace but will be urged to push themselves. Walkers as well as runners are welcome. Contact Kelley@motionstarved.com for schedule and locations – classes are $25 per session.

** P.S. Ever wonder how or why Motion Starved exists? Here’s the story via Leanin.org!


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Team Motion Starved to scale the BofA!

By this time tomorrow Team Motion Starved will have climbed their way to the top of The Bank of America Building in San Francisco. We’ll be participating in The American Lung Associations, Fight for Air Climb. Sound tough? Not for us! We’ve trained hard and we’re ready to scale the tallest “climbable” building in our fair city.

At 52 flights, or 1,197 steps, this will be a piece of cake for our well-trained climbing machines.  Why are we doing this? Because we can!

Meet Team Motion Starved’s Stair Climbers…

Zumi-Kazumi

Zumi-Kazumi

Zumi-Kazumi: ZK is a self proclaimed Nut. When asked if she actually likes exercise ZK reported, “I hate exercising. I wish having cocktails had the same effect as exercising.” ZK’s favorite way to climb stairs is two at a time. If you do the math, she’ll only be climbing 598.5 steps tomorrow. See you at the top KZ!

Super-Susan

Super-Susan

Super-Susan: SS and her cute little bob haircut have attended just about every single Saturday Stair Climbing Workout I’ve conducted. Rain or shine, in sickness and in health, SS comes to class and proudly works at her own pace. She never complains and when I’m not looking she even pushes the pace a bit. It’s my guess that SS will surpass her own expectations at this event.

Climbing-Kooka: CK is a workout monster! Often doing two workouts a day she’s completely transformed her body and mind in a little under 2 years. When asked if she actually likes exercising, CK reported, “No, I actually don’t like exercising, I love it! Sweating makes me feel alive.” That’s a winning attitude if you ask me.

Climbing-Kooka

Climbing-Kooka

Kelley

Kelley

This is me, Kelley: CK gave me an alias but I’m too humble to use it. It made me seem tough and strong. I am pretty tough and strong but don’t tell anyone. I’m the leader of Team Motion Starved. I’m the one who yells at the team to run faster and watch their form while I myself trundle along behind.

And there you have it. Now you know who you’re dealing with as Team Motion Starved scales the BofA. Wish us well and stay tuned for our post-race report.

Namaste

p.s. For fun read my post-race report from two years ago. It’ll give you an idea of what we’re in for. “Do not  crawl on the stairs.”


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You’re invited!

Mt. Davidson, haunted forest

This is no ordinary 5k workout…

Did you know that Mount Davidson in San Francisco is haunted? Rumor has it a band of rabid raccoons once overtook and devoured an entire boot camp class as they jogged through the forest. “Some nights you can hear the sweaty classmates gasping for breath and screaming as the coons munch on their limbs. It’s an awful sound.”

In celebration of all things haunted, join us for a 5k run with a few challenges tossed in. We’ll be running through the eerie Mount Davidson forest by the light of the full moon and a few dozen glow sticks. Be prepared to jump over “stuff,” claw your way through what may seem like a pile of brains all while dodging the ghosts of exercisers from the past. Post work out we’ll celebrate at the top of the mountain and award prizes to the first Man and Woman to finish as well as the last to survive. All fitness levels are welcome and encouraged to attend, however you will be spooked and you will be challenged! This event is geared towards adults although strong juniors are welcome with parents in attendance.

Monday, October 29, 2012 – 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Meet in downtown West Portal at the West Portal Public Library the corner of
Ulloa Street & Lenox Way.

This event is FREE although a $5-$10 cash donation to cover expenses would be very much appreciated. Halloween costumes are not expected, but encouraged if you dare.

To register, please visit our Facebook “event” page

Generous prize donations provided by:
Bursa Mediterranean Cuisine – Goat Hill Pizza – Pops Sandwich Shop – Dr. Barbara Rinkoff, DC – Round Table Pizza – Spiazzo Ristorante – Sports Basement

P.s. If you hear a squeaking sound in the trees…RUN!

P.s.s. This is a collaboration between Motion Starved and The City is our Gym.


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Nice effort Mr. Bus… but we beat you… AGAIN!

Chilly on the starting line

6:00 pm July 11, 2012 – Myself and #1 assistant Kevin arrive at the intersection of Cervantes and Fillmore Street. Just minutes later a women in running gear walked up. I greeted her, ask if she was here to run with the bus and before she could say  “yes,” a spandex clad herd emerged. Within minutes there were 80 some people standing at the intersection. Holy cow!

As I attempted to meet and greet the racers, Kevin and Sally of Athleta managed the paperwork. Looking around I was stunned by the massive group, were they wondering  WTF was going on and when could they start running…?

Driver of our victim

6:20 I asked Jenn Pattee of Basic Training to wander across the street to where the busses deploy. Her mission, to find and make friends with our impending victim. It took a couple of trips but eventually Jenn managed to ascertain, befriend and photograph the man who would drive our target. A job well done.

6:28 pm, shockingly on time, the janky bus started sputtering toward the start. I went into hyper drive attempting to run through the rules of the race. Just as I spit out my last word the bus pulled up at the bus stop, aka: starting line.

My last words were…“When the light turns green GO!”

The second the light turned green 80 some pair of legs were off and running as the bus sputtered off down the road behind them. At the Chestnut Street bus stop, the bus was forced to stop and pick up passengers. This allowed the runners to break away, make their way across Lombard and eventually up the hill. At this point the bus had been dropped by the entire field or runners.

It wasn’t until the second block of 15% grade on Steiner Street that the bus managed to close the gap and catch the back of the field. By this time many of the racers were just blocks away from crossing the finishing line at Sacramento.  As the bus turned to make it’s way up the final climb on Broadway I did my best to block for the remaining field. My trusty SEVEN (bike) and I made every effort to detain the bus by slowly grinding up the climb in front of the coach. That’s when the bus softly tooted its horn, put the hammer down, attacked and sped past me on my left. As I crested the top of the climb and passed the bus at the stop on the corner, I head the driver yell out his window, “nice try!”

Making my way down Fillmore toward the finishing line I noticed shop owners and bystanders cheering the runners on. It was amazing to see the racers sprinting toward the finish line while dodging pedestrian traffic to the cheers of strangers on the busy shopping street.

By the time I reached the finish line most of the runners had come through and were enthusiastically cheering on their fellow racers. There were folks of all shapes and sizes, women, men, dogs, strollers, young and forever young.  Everyone had smiles on their faces. It was thrilling.

While not every person managed to beat the bus the majority of the field did. And frankly, it seemed to me as though the bus was moving a little faster than usual. Do you suppose the driver took our challenge to heart? Or maybe Muni learned of my advice to start working on it’s climbing. We’ll never really know…

Party time!

Post race, we were off to the Athleta store for snacks, congratulations and awards. A good time was had by all and the excitement was flabbergasting.

Special thanks to Athleta on Fillmore for their bountiful sponsorship, of prizes, snacks, cheerleaders, promotion and general excitement for the cause! Thanks to Hint water for keeping the racers hydrated, to Lisa and Sports Basement for their prize contributions. To Jenn Pattee and her Basic Training crew, thank you for helping to make this the best Run with the Bus ever! To Kevin and all my friends who came out to support.

Lastly… THANK YOU to everyone who showed up, raced and had a good time. That includes The Bus! This event would not have been possible without every last one of you! Stay tuned… this is just the beginning…


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We Ran for the Seals!

During my second workout with Paige I asked her to run down the beach about 200 yards, turn around and come back. Immediately she moaned but forced herself to trundle off behind her workout partner Cindy. When Page arrived back, I asked her if she was okay, she said, “ I just really hate running.”

A couple of weeks later I heard Paige say, “I think I might like to try a 5k some day” I don’t think she realized what she had said until she heard me say,  “Great! Lets find one and start training.”

To Paige’s great distress, I found a “fun run” for her, and I invited my other clients to join in. The event could not have been more perfect. It was a 4-mile relatively (although the organizer description said it was “hilly”) flat fundraiser for the Marine Mammal Center, in Sausalito CA.  It’s called Run for the Seals.

For about two months everyone trained, adding a little distance at a time, working on their form, rhythm, breathing and the general psychology of how to get through an endurance event.

Our Run for the Seals event was this past Saturday. I am very proud to announce that Paige, Mike, Lindsay, Bessie, Rich, Cindy, Diana and Kazumi all finished strong and had a great experience. Bessie and Lindsay were there to stretch their legs for longer events scheduled in the spring. For the rest of the crew, this was their first event and longest run ever. For Mike, the best part was realizing that his asthma doesn’t have to slow him down.

As for Paige, while ascending the final “climb” she looked up and saw the hill choking down on her, panicked, and said “can I walk, just for a second?” I asked, “why?” “Because we’re on a hill.” “No, not a good reason, look straight ahead and keep running.” With about 100 yards to go I asked Paige if she had anything left, could she sprint over the line? Her reply was simply, “yea.” And so, as we approached the line we gradually sped up putting the hammer down completely over the last few yards.  Paige sprinted over the finish line looking strong to the delight of her cheering family.

In the end, I could not be more proud of each and every one you who represented Motion Starved on this day. For some, this was just the beginning. For others it was practice for bigger events. For each of us it was a celebration of our personal strength, our fitness, our friendships and the wonderful place we live.

XOXO, Kelley


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What in tarnation is a Fitness Court?

Fitness Court in action!

Fitness Court in action!

Well, if you Google “fitness court” you’ll see that a fitness court is simply a place set aside specifically to work your body out. Could even be a basketball court by another name. In this case I’m referring to the Nation Fitness Campaigns’ Fitness Courts.

I bring this up because a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a nice fellow named Alex with the NFC (National Fitness Campaign). Alex emailed to let me know about the new Fitness Court his organization is putting in on the Marina Green and invited me to Treasure Island for a sneak peek.  A chance to have my way with the court before it launches. After reading about the NFC and seeing photos of the court I figured I’d be a fool not to check it out.

So, on Saturday right after our Stair Climbing Workout, I gassed up the car and headed for Treasure Island…

When I walked into the massive airplane hangar that temporarily houses the Fitness Court I had flash backs of walking into a school dance without a date.  Panic set in as I shyly strolled in and realized I didn’t know any of the 30 beautiful people rhythmically jumping, lunging and bounding around the court. There was a cameraman and orchestrated workout session with music going on. It looked to me like serious business and that everyone knew exactly what they were doing. As I stood on the sidelines in awe, a tall, fit Alex magically appeared and began to explain the court. As I stood there wondering if I had the nerve to jump up and have a pass around, another really nice, fit looking fellow asked me if I’d like to have a go. Again, I flashed back to school dances, it was kinda like being asked to dance by a stranger. Finally I managed to gather the words “yeeea, okay, thanks” and off I went for my romp around the Fitness Court with my partner giving me detailed FC 101.

Here’s what I learned; The Fitness Court is a free outdoor body weight training system designed with adults of all fitness levels in mind. The court features seven exercise stations: Core, squat, push, lunge, pull, agility and bend. These 7 stations are meant to build strength, balance and flexibility. The idea is that you go through the entire court a number of times, with one minute at each station recommended. After a full circuit, rest for 3 minutes and then around again and again if you like.

On this day I managed just 2 circuits but only because they were starting to do a serious photo shoot and I figured I’d stay out of that business.  I do wish I’d had longer to play around on my own. I was so busy trying to do the right thing at the right time, and follow the circuit that I didn’t have time to think about all the different exercises one can actually perform at each station.

So… with that, I highly recommend that each and every one of you make the effort to go check out the Fitness Court once it’s planted on The Marina Green. I’m not certain how long it will be there but I do know that this is a trial and if it’s a hit it may get to say and we may get to see more of them pop up in other parts of the city and the country for the matter.  If you are worried about knowing what to do once you get to the FC, don’t be. There are directions and there will be trainers there to help you during peak hours. Or, you can go with me. If you’re a current client, be sure we’ll be visiting the court as soon as it sprouts at the end of this month.

Lastly, I’d like to say THANK YOU to: Alex for finding me and inviting me to check out the FC! To my workout partner whose name has escaped me (I’m really sorry about that because you were very nice to take me around. I’m just super bad with names!) To Chelsea for chatting me up, and to the National Fitness Campaign for doing what they do and for bringing this super cool contraption to my hood. I hope to see you all again soon…

P.s. The National Fitness Campaign is an organization works to build fit communities by providing public outdoor fitness courts in schools and parks across the country.


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Do not look up!

Do not look up!

With our Run for the Seals 4 mile foot race just around the corner, my clients are starting to get a little worried about the “hills” along the course. See, the course description states that the route is “hilly in parts.” Those three small words have evoked large-scale panic in my brave, newbie runners.

Here’s what I have to say about the psychology of hills and words:

  • First – Remember that “hilly” to one person is rolling or flattish to another. Everything is relative. Don’t let someone else’s words get your feathers in a fluff. Remember my “Do not crawl on the stairs” melt down?
  • Second – When the elevation starts to go up, shut everything out of your head, listen to your calm slow breath like it’s music and “focus” on that. If you start gasping then slow the hell down and get your focus and breath back.
  • Third – Do not look up. Look straight ahead just up the road, but do not look up the hill! If you look up and see how far you have to go you’ll freak yourself out, panic and lose your focus. The climb is almost always easier than you think it will be.
  • Forth – Break the task down into small, easy to digest chunks. Think to yourself “let me just get to the first switch-back,” once there, get yourself to the big tree or some other small goal and keep it going, all the way to the top.
  • Lastly – Never anticipate the top. Trust that it’s there and keep going until you find it. Remember, once you’re over the top you get to go down!

And there you have it. Kelley’s hard earned words of climbing mind games and wisdom. Use it wisely…


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Be extra nice day

I love you!

Yippee! Tuesday is Valentine’s Day! Why am I so excited? Well… in my mind Valentine’s Day is an excuse to be nice to someone you like. You don’t have to profess your undying love; you can simply be nice and show some warm-hearted affection. It’s also an excuse to be kind to yourself.

Last year this time I wrote about Valentine’s Day expectations and who Saint Valentine actually was. What I learned was that Saint Valentine was a priest turned saint who did kind things for single soldiers, that is until he pissed off Emperor Claudius II. What happened next, you can read for yourself.

So… again this year, I remind you to use this day to be extra good to yourself and to those who capture your attention. I suggest, luring your sweetie to a heart healthy pillow fight and/or, a long walk up and over some hills to visit your favorite ice cream shop. No sweetheart? Don’t need one, take yourself or a pal. If chocolate’s more your style than how about chocolate dipped strawberries? They’re a tad better for you than a truffle or hunk of Sees. Just sayin’…

Now giddy up and go engineer yourself a hot and healthy Valentine’s Day!

Kisses…


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One step, event, mile or seal at a time!

Sula the seal

Some of us run ultra marathons, some of us ride our bikes for miles and miles, and some of us wonder what people who do those things are thinking. Those of us who push ourselves are not nuts, and we’re not “special,” we just don’t mind making the extra effort so we end up going big. The thing to remember is, we all started with one small step and took off from there.

The people I work with are usually just getting back into working out or have never really been all that into it. They tend to be in various stages of motion starvation, until I get my hands on them anyway. After about a month of working with me, like clock work, every single person has verbalized that they might like to attempt an endurance event. Usually seconds after they make such a statement I notice then cowering as I start listing off events and training ideas to get them started. I guess “training” sounds like a large, painful task at first. Fortunately we trainers and endurance veterans know victory is just within your reach and we salivate at the idea of helping you realize that.

On that note, I’ll say to you as I’ve said to all my clients. If you want to play around with endurance events, then let’s get started. Start small and go from there. Even if you’ve run dozens of marathons in the past but currently need a push to get rolling again, start with one small step. Begin with one small event or one small goal that will lead you to where you want to be.

Here’s what the Motion Starved crew is doing to get started: We’re Running for the Seals. Run for the Seals is a relatively easy 4-mile foot race on mostly paved road. This will be the very first event for 6 of the 10 of us attending. Two of my clients have run half marathons but are using this event to train and motivate to go bigger. The 6 who have never attempted an event before are currently sweating bullets, but in the end, this small step will have taken them miles toward a lifetime of fitness and self-confidence.  They’re starting small but the reward will be huge!

Join us! Run with the Seals is a great cause benefiting The Marine Mammal Center in the gorgeous The Marin Headlands. 100 percent of the money raised goes to the critters. How can you say no to that?


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Stupor Bowl Monday

Super Snackage

Did you watch the Super Bowl? I didn’t, I totally appreciate it but it’s just not my thing. I even got invited to a big party where they trucked in a special cast iron kettle the size of a washing machine to brew up a special Super Stew. Two weeks prior to the event the “chef” emailed a spreadsheet to his friends asking us to sign up for shifts to help chop veggies and stir the Super Stew. I couldn’t open the document but I think the concoction needed to be stirred constantly for something like 24 hours. It’s pretty nuts but after all, the Super Bowl requires super special snackage. Fortunately for me in this case, the kind hostess granted me a pardon recognizing I’d be happier using my time in a different fashion. Thanks Pen!

With the Super Bowl comes bowls of grub. The latest treat is something called Tater-Tot Nachos. Kinda sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen. Or, at the very least, an impending need to dig out the “fat jeans” and spend more time than usual on the potty… As much as I like the occasional greasy treat, more than a couple of Tater-Tot sponges would be a bad idea. But seriously, who’s thinking straight in the throes of the “big game” surrounded by hordes of friends, 7 Layer Dip, Buffalo Wings, beer, little hot dogs wrapped in pastry, beer, spinach dip, beer, pizza, and more beer. Even the toughest among us can only keep our hands in our pockets for so long. Eventually we all give in. It’s human nature (for most of us).

Oh well, now what? Rather than giving into Super  Stupor Monday, get right back on the wagon!

Kelley’s Super Stupor Recovery Recipe:

  • #1 Water yourself up like a Pony Express steed. Drink as much as you can manage the second you retain your senses. (Sure you can drink too much water but that’s not likely to happen).
  • #2 First thing in the AM, heave your carcass out of bed and go for a walk, run, ride, anything you can manage for AT LEAST 20 minutes. If you didn’t get out first thing in the morning, then get to it right after work.
  • #3 Eat as clean as you can. If you can manage it, eat nothing that has a label on it. At the very least try for 85% of your foods being whole (nothing processed or labeled). Got it?
  • #4 Wake up and do it again tomorrow. It just gets easier and you feel better and better from here… I swear!

P.s. If you liked this post you should read, “It’s a Gut Bomb!” I wrote it this time last year. Kinda amusing and helpful if you ate stuff that might cause you to “explode.”

P.s.s. When I was researching Tater-Tots I learned that there’s a guy in St. Paul that’s starting a food truck business that serves only Tater-tot stuff. He’s got things like, Nachos and Bacon rapped tots. Yikes! Good thing I don’t live in St. Paul cuz I might have to try the bacon rapped ones. Just once!