Among the many yoga pieces at Gazelle Sports, my favorite is Lole. Two of the newest pieces instantly caught my eye… The Fly Top and Karma Capri allow for quick dry and wicking when you are sweating those challenging chaturangas!  Besides being super comfy, the Fly Top has a flattering scoop neckline, MP3 pocket, an integrated bra, and a killer twisted back. The Karma Capri sports a relaxed roll-down waistband, flat seams, and an antibacterial treatment that prevents odors. And to keep those pesky bangs out of you way, the reversible Thalia Headband matches perfectly with this outfit.

After getting my new Lole pieces, I was ready to jump into Warrior II pose and start sweating! Any other ladies out there love Lole and their amazing yoga line? Be sure to check out your local Gazelle Sports, for our new Spring 2012 lines coming in this week!

Gazelle Girl Kate

Christopher McDougall
Born to Run

  Attention, running naysayers! It seems our bodies evolved upright, with two legs for the purpose of survival… to hunt and forage for our food by walking and running. Aha! There IS a runner in each of us. Whether you believe it’s by God’s will or scientific fact – those limbs attached to your hips once served a function beyond merely getting to and from today’s sedentary activities. Running for the sake of survival has obviously evolved, but has NOT been lost; no longer must we hunt and kill our dinner, but now we run to stay healthy and to live longer.

For those of you who claim non-runner body type or inclination, I urge you to reconsider. The multitude of benefits of consistent aerobic exercise are positively too many to enumerate here. Besides, the medical community continues to attempt to communicate those messages. Instead, I invite you to join your ancestors past and the men and women of today to run… BECAUSE YOU CAN.

The Gazelle Sports 5k and 10k training programs are a wonderfully safe place to start. Safe, because you are immediately introduced and linked to like-minded newbies. Safe, because you are led by professionals through a progressive walk to run program that will transform your body and your future. The training groups are event specific. For example, current winter programs are preparing Irish Jig 5k runners. Fifth Third River Bank Run 5k and 10k programs kick off in February and Girls on the Run 5k focused programs start in March. Within a few weeks you will progress from the couch to a start line – and most importantly, a finish line. Having this organized running event as a goal is an excellent motivator and method for preparing your body to run the distance.

The coaches are passionate about running. They are the world’s best cheerleaders. They all started as non-runners themselves… and they understand the emotions behind the training experience. The coaches will teach stretching, strengthening, nutrition, proper clothing and shoes, injury prevention and running strategies. And with a good dose of patience, dedication and consistent participation on your part, the coaches will prepare you to cross that finish line.

I have seen all physical shapes and sizes, all ages (it is NEVER too late to start running), varying natural abilities and runners from all walks of life; they blend together in running training programs and achieve success. This training tribe may not be out hunting for dinner anymore, but they do have a common goal… to complete their first 5k or 10k en route to a more active lifestyle.

Fear not, reluctant runners! Join the tribe of runners and I promise you an intensely satisfying launch to a running lifestyle.

- Gazelle Girl Caroline

I can’t do it on my own.

It’s a pride thing, something a lot of runners deal with, but I finally came to the realization that what I am doing on my own is not helping my hip “issue.” I resisted for months, because I thought I knew too much to need a true professional’s opinion. It’s just one of the many ways that I act in a hypocritical manner. I tell people all the time to get things checked out when something doesn’t feel right, that it doesn’t hurt to get it looked at (not even in the wallet if they check out SIMIO PT in Holland – they offer a free 45-minute consultation to anyone in order to educate people in a no pressure environment). And yet, here I sat, watching my waist grow as I assumed that I just needed to take time off.

Well, Adam at SIMIO confirmed during my consultation that simply taking time away from running wasn’t going to solve my problems. What he explained (and what I’ve heard from him and Craig multiple times) was that the body works as a chain. When one thing isn’t working properly, the rest of the body adjusts to “pick up the slack.” Although this sounds great, when a problem goes undiagnosed for years (as in my case), your body can get pretty messed up – all along the chain. If you can find the source (as the guys at SIMIO do), you can re-train your body to work the way it should.

Now that I have the proper information, I’m going to try to be disciplined enough to work through it on my own (still pride). But if/when that fails, I’ll be sure to enlist Adam’s help once again.

I will admit right up front that I may not be half as crazy about your dog as my own. In fact, I never imagined being a dog owner. I am a neat freak – and dogs are so… messy. However, in an effort to “complete” our happy, growing family and answer the pleading from two insistent children (three, if you count my husband), I relented, and the rest is doggy history. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

The kids hand picked a fuzzy, buff-colored Cocker Spaniel from a sea of puppies at the breeder. We named her Shane (boy name, girl dog – whatever). And she stole our hearts. Thirteen years later, she still greets us at our bedside every morning as if she is thanking us for another day to share together.

Thirteen years is OLD in Cocker years… way past “senior” and “mature”… she’s into “borrowed time.” Shane is deaf, has limited vision, sports an army of warts beneath her curly coat, limps and is an impossible snorer. She is showing all the tell-tale signs of aging. But, this beautiful female canine can teach us all a thing or two about aging gracefully:

1. She never complains or broods. Whatever her ailment, she adjusts to the new circumstance and moves forward.
2. She has an incredible pain threshold. The ONLY time she demands attention for her pain is if it is a serious situation… she never cries wolf.
3. She has abundant enthusiasm. She will always say “yes” to whatever the family suggests.
4. She has NO guilt about napping when necessary.
5. Even with her arthritic legs and back, she gleefully takes her walks every day. She intuitively understands that no matter one’s age – daily exercise is important until the day you die.
6. She maintains a proper diet… dutifully eating the prescribed, appropriate meals.
7. She remains social and loyal to her friends and family.
8. She harbors no grudges. She displays unconditional love with every rush to the door to greet us – and with every wet, messy lick.

The kids are grown and gone now. That shift in family life seemed natural. But I can’t imagine life without Shane. Every day with her is a blessing. She has no idea what she means to her family. I am grateful for her unwavering loyalty and for the lessons she is teaching me daily.

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Some folks call it mindfulness. If only we all could pay attention to what’s really going on and being said… there would certainly be less frustration in the world and more appreciation. I believe that if we go about our day with a focus on minding what we do, we will find greater pleasure around every corner. For we know, both natural and man-made miracles and mysteries abound. We just have to be receptive to them.

Yoga helps tune your mindfulness radar. My instructor, Michelle, is incredible. She is teaching us at practice to regard each day as a gift. I imagine the day unwrapping itself and its many beautiful contents spilling out. Yoga is good for my tight muscles AND my mind through meditation and reflection.

Living in the moment and mindfulness requires acute senses. The ability to appreciate the scent of wet earth, the sight of geese in flying formation, the sound of crickets on a summer evening, the feel of freshly laundered bed linens, the taste of freshly squeezed orange juice… it takes practice.

1.  Sense it.
2.  Experience it fully.
3.  Account for its wonders…
4.  Consciously appreciate it.
5.  Repeat.

If I truly do follow through with my intentions, I wonder just how rich my days will feel and how much more satisfied, happy and relaxed I will be as I lay my head on my pillow at night.

I can see that same full moon now – only from a ninth floor perspective. Off the ground, I feel that much closer to the warm glow… perhaps I could lean out over my balcony and grab that moon. The moon will be my new symbol for viewing ordinary life in an extraordinary way.

My grandfather moved on from this life early Sunday morning.

As I lay in bed, beginning to process the news, I did what most people would do in this situation – I went to the memories. What I began to realize as I searched my memory is that he taught me much more than I ever realized or appreciated while he was alive.

Among the many accomplishments in his life, Kenneth Potter opened and ran a successful produce market in downtown Holland for nearly 30 years. That entrepreneurial spirit was enstilled in his children and grandchildren, many of whom have gone on to start their own businesses. That spirit is alive in me, though I haven’t found the best way to express it.

He and my grandmother had 5 children, 24 grandchildren, and 35 great-grandchildren with many more on the way. They have attended everything from piano recitals to choir concerts to band concerts, football games to soccer matches to track meets. Track and Cross Country are not the most glamorous sports, but they always made sure to make it to a couple meets per season. I didn’t realize it at the time, but between all the grandchildren (and we were a busy bunch) they must have spent every single night during the school year at some kind of event, and never begrudgingly. They loved to see their family be successful.

Beyond all that, the greatest gift he ever gave me was the one lesson I don’t think he meant to teach. Over the years I have seen my grandpa grow as a man. I always assumed that once you hit a certain age, you just stayed the same; and maybe some people do. But Grandpa Potter was open to continuous growth. As we grandchildren grew up in a new and very different era than he was familiar with, we often challenged his worldview and flew in the face of what he perceived to be the norm. By no means was he a perfect person; he was most certainly a product of the era during which he grew up. As an example, he was none too pleased one year at Christmas when I showed him a picture of my new girlfriend (now my wife). It was impossible for him to conceive of one of his grandchildren being with someone of a different race, and it elicited a (highly inappropriate) viceral response. It wasn’t his fault (at least not totally), it was something he’d never had to think about before. The great thing about my grandpa was that I could say right to his face that I did not appreciate his comments, and it never changed the way he felt about me. It took time, and the first time they met was very awkward, but by our wedding day he had accepted Mindy as a member of his family, and loved her as his own. I respect him so much for that. It would have been easy to hold a grudge and reluctantly accept what he could not change. But that is not the path he chose. He chose to examine himself (with Grandma’s help, I’m sure) and adapt to a new time in order to love better.

There are many more examples that I could go in to, but there is one in particular that strikes my passions. At what most would consider late in life to do so, Grandpa decided to quit smoking. Most New Year’s resolutions fail fairly quickly, but this one lasted nearly 30 years, never waivering. It’s never too late to change.

I think sometimes people take my lack of transparency as a lack of caring. I don’t post every thought and emotion on facebook or make grand entrances to family events – it’s not my style. It wasn’t Grandpa’s style, either. He didn’t want to burden anyone with his problems. If he was having a bad day, no one but Grandma knew about it. That’s what made it so hard to see him at the end. He didn’t want us to see him like that; he didn’t want us to hurt.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably related to me. I could not stop shaking while I typed this. I left and came back to the computer numerous times, just so I could try to compose myself. We all loved Grandpa, and he will be missed. I don’t want this to become a 1500 word essay, so I will end with this: let the lessons you’ve learned be his legacy. Thank you, Gramps, for everything.

Here are a few other great items to try out for your next resort…or even for this summer! From swimsuits to sunglasses, Gazelle Sports has every women’s beach necessities!

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]]> http://keepmoving.gazellesports.com/2012/01/11/resort-wear/feed/ 1 http://keepmoving.gazellesports.com/2012/01/05/frustration-its-a-frustrating-thing/ http://keepmoving.gazellesports.com/2012/01/05/frustration-its-a-frustrating-thing/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:04:23 +0000 josh vork http://keepmoving.gazellesports.com/?p=1902 Lately I’ve been frustrated. It doesn’t make me love my job or my family less, it’s simply a part of being human. The key, of course, is finding a healthy way to deal with frustration. Usually, I run. But what happens when running is one of the things that is frustrating?

I’ve been dealing with a nagging issue. I don’t want to call it an injury, because I’m not sure that’s what it is. Of course, I am not a doctor, nor a physical therapist, and I recognize that self-diagnosis has extended the frustration for me before, but I am stubborn and will not make the time to get things checked out. With that said, and with what I do know, it seems to be more of a muscular imbalance than a true injury. Sure, that might be the same to you, but for me, the label “injury” means something that I don’t want to deal with (mentally or physically).

When the thing that is your best medicine for frustration is a major source of frustration where do you turn? If I had a definitive answer, I would not still be frustrated. I have been working on balancing my perceived muscular imbalance, and that has helped. However the benefits are short-lived. Whereas a good run can keep me feeling good for a couple of days, the mental benefits of what I have been doing this week seem to wane in a couple of hours. Yes, it’s keeping me from boiling over, but it hasn’t been the cure. Life ebbs and flows like a babbling brook that rushes like a river, and maybe this is just a season in which the water level is high. Or maybe the key lies in the quote below:

“To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the obstacles.”    -T.F. Hodge

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I am a resolutions advocate. The exercise of “listing” my intentions provides a framework for my actions. Actually, as a runner that’s not surprising. We’re all a tad “goal oriented.” Increased mileage, more stretching, smarter training, additional cross-training, PR’s, consistent strengthening, better nutrition, attention to sleep and rest days, injury prevention… does this list look familiar? Well, this year, I am not making specific running goals – I have decided to declare my Gazellutions. Here goes:

1. I love my work as a Gazelle Sports sales associate. My promise is to demonstrate this enthusiasm every single shift.
2. A thorough understanding of the benefits and features of every product in our store is extremely important. I will read, ask questions, trial products and avail myself of training opportunities.
3. As a long-distance running coach, I vow to support our participants with expertise, effective training plans, and loads of optimism and smiles.
4. I will regard each interaction with a customer as a unique challenge to find a solution to the stated need – whether it be running shoes, thermal tights, comfortable yoga pants or a bikini for the spring break cruise. And if Gazelle Sports is not equipped to answer a specific need, I will make every effort to suggest an alternate source.
5. My fellow employees are valuable members of our “team.” I respect their experience and youthful energy. They amaze me. I will strive to prove my worth.
6. Practicing what I preach… I will be a role model for healthy, active living. Because my primary exercise is running – well, we’ve gone full circle because my action plan goes back to the goals listed in the introduction… more mileage, etc.

There it is – my 2012 soul revealed. I would love to hear what’s on your mind for the coming year! And best wishes to you and your family for a happy, healthy new year!

Sparkling Pomegranate Mocktail

YIELD: 6 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
1/4 cup grenadine
1 (750-milliliter) bottle non-alcoholic dry sparkling wine, chilled
6 lime slices (optional)
Pomegranate seeds (optional)

Preparation
1. Combine pomegranate juice and 1/4 cup grenadine in a 2-cup glass measure. Divide the juice mixture evenly among 6 Champagne flutes or wineglasses. Top each serving evenly with non-alcoholic wine, and garnish each serving with lime slices and seeds, if desired.

Raise your glasses to Healthy Holidays!

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 164
Fat: 0.0g
Saturated fat: 0.0g
Monounsaturated fat: 0.0g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.0g
Protein: 0.3g
Carbohydrate: 21g
Fiber: 0.3g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 0.1mg
Sodium: 11mg
Calcium: 11mg
For this recipe and many more healthy recipe ideas, log on to www.cookinglight.com.