Who in the View
by Efren Martinez
Just recently I had the opportunity to meet one of the most popular Whos from Whoville. I ran into him at the MJC track while doing some speed work. Interesting enough, he is the same Who that tries to steal Christmas every December from the children at The Spirit of Giving Charity Run. Yes Modesto View readers, I’m talking about The Grinch! It seems he narrowly escaped by the seat of his pants last year from the children during The Spirit of Giving Fun Run. Apparently, he was at the MJC track working on his speed only because he wasn’t going to take any chances this year with his plot to steal Christmas. He may be Green as well as have a heart 2 sizes to small, but he’s defiantly right on target when it comes training for speed. According to Lewis Ace and Nile Sousa who are the head coaches for The ShadowChase Running Club Speed Workouts, Speed Training helps improve your speed, endurance and develops those fast twitch fiber muscles. It also helps you with your leg turnover and proper form. In fact, my sprints where quickly critiqued by one of the coaches and I welcomed his advice. The Shadow Chase Running Club meets every Tuesday at 5:30PM at The MJC Track. Anyone can join the training secession it’s free. But if you come regularly you should become a member of this extraordinary running club to the get full advantages of the club’s activities, informative running tips and my personal favorite, the friendships and camaraderie we share that helps us with improving our speed to reach our own personal achievements.
Many people don’t realize that during The Holidays; the average American will gain 6lbs from October 31st to January 1st. Modesto View Readers, if you are one of those people who have decided to relax on your fitness for the winter, I ask you to reconsider your thoughts on this. You’ve worked too hard all summer long to give it all away for the comfort of the warmth in staying home because it’s to cold outside for fitness. Seriously, those baggie warm clothes may cover us during the winter but it won’t be cold forever and when summer hits, you’ll look and feel better. You stuck with your fitness all winter long and won’t hesitate to whip off your shirt and or strap on that bikini. This December many fitness clubs are offering deep discounts for you to join and if you mention my name as well as this Modesto View Fitness piece when you join, chances are it won’t save you a lick of money. But, it should guarantee you an extra smile when you inquire about signing up or continuing your gym membership. All kidding aside friends, to be as healthy as you can be you must live a healthy lifestyle 365 days a year through nutrition, fitness and whatever else nurtures your body and soul through your own personal faith. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas everyone!
December Fitness Event The Spirit of Giving 5K Run/Walk happens on December 8th in Modesto. There will be loads of raffle prizes, a photo opportunity with Santa and a free kids fun run. “Chase The Grinch Out Of Town.” Canned food donations will be collected in exchange for raffle tickets. Food collected during the event will be donated to The Modesto Gospel Mission. Proceeds to benefit children from low-income families entries into recreational programs provided by The City of Modesto Parks and Recreation scholarship programs and The Howard Training Center- Meals on Wheels. For more information log onto www.shadowchase.org<http://www.shadowchase.org>
Fitness Tips 1. To build up your endurance without running and in the comfort of your own home, try performing 10 seconds of explosive pushups with 45 seconds of rest in between. Do this three to five times, rest five minutes, then repeat. When you perform multiple sets, you’ll develop your fast-twitch fibers’ and aerobic capabilities. This allows you to work at a higher intensity for a longer period of time before you reach the point of fatigue. 2. Keeping your head, feet and hands warm prior to an outside run, swim or ride, will keep you from experiencing the chills at the start of your outdoor workout. Nutrition When a salad isn’t appealing for dinner on a cold winter night, try steaming your vegetables as well as having a vegetable loaded soup regularly for your dinner. Drinking refrigerated water prior to a winter workout may have serious effects in regards to keeping your core warm thus effecting your workout session. Keep your core warm!
