You’ve probably heard the the words functional fitness before, but what does that mean? When your body is functionally fit, you are able to perform every day movements in everyday situations without the pain associated with, say a bad back. For example you may be able to lift your weight in a bench press, but are you able to lift your toddler or a bag of groceries into your car without any problems? When you workout at a gym on the machines you are training your muscles to work in 1 plane with 1 stable and controlled motion. When you train for functional fitness you work multiple muscles at one time to work together in an unstable, yet controlled environment. For example, you may stand on 1 leg while holding a dumbell and Read More »

It’s here…that time of year with the yummy food and treats that are so hard to resist! Thanksgiving is right around the corner so lets start planning a healthy holiday now. We don’t have to join the all the other American’s who typically gain 5lbs from now through New Years…and you know - make it your New Years resolution once again to lose weight!

So let’s try these 4 things: Read More »

I recently had a conversation with a client about how she always thought white potatoes were “bad’ just as white bread was ‘bad’. Not the case. Where as sweet potatoes have more fiber in them, the good old white potato shouldn’t be shunned…unless their in the form of french fries! Within its red, yellow, white or brown protective exterior, a potato can provide much of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of a number of vitamins and minerals. For example, potatoes have about 620 mg of potassium-that’s more than a banana. Potassium is essential to the body because of its role in attaining optimal muscle performance and improving the nerves’ response to stimulation. Iron, essential in helping the body convert food to energy as well as resist infection, is also present. Read More »

Living with cancer for the past 10 years might put a damper on some people’s lives. But not Bob Wraith’s. Bob has more energy and positive attitude then I’ve ever seen in any 75 year old man - ever! In the 7 months that Bob has been working out at The Exercise Space he has put on 4lbs of muscle and lost 7 lbs of fat - congrats Bob! Not only that, his blood sugar has dropped significantly, and his balance and stability make it look like he stands on a Bosu all day long.

I began working with Robert Wraith on February 27th, 2008. At 5′-7.5″ and 153.6 pounds and a body fat of 29.7%, Bob and I first began working on his stability and balance along with muscular endurance and strength. After just a couple weeks of working with him he began his month of cancer treatment. I did not see Bob for the month of March due to his lack of energy and contraction of bronchitis during his treatment. Read More »

After a brief break during the summer, BodyWalk is back! Come join this 12 week session of exercising outside at Discovery Park on Sunday mornings from 10am-11am. The only pre-requisite is that you can walk 2-3 miles. This class includes an ever changing mix of cardio and strength work…it will never be the same workout twice! Forget the gym, we use rocks, sticks, logs, benches, stairs, and our own body weight to tone and sculpt our bodies…not to mention you’ll get your quota of vitamin D and fresh air. Mixing up your workouts is the key to keeping your body challenged and avoiding plateaus. If you feel you’ve hit a plateau, let BodyWalk spring you out of it!

Class will be held rain or shine - bring an umbrella if you wish, but always bring gloves (our hands will be on the ground at times) and a towel (for core work).

“BodyWalk is the perfect way to start your Sunday morning in Magnolia. I look forward to BodyWalk every Sunday because it gets me outside getting fresh air and a workout in Discovery Park (the best part is it doesn’t even feel like exercise because you can enjoy the beautiful scenery). I’m done by 11:00 am and can enjoy the rest of my Sunday without feeling guilty because I’ve already worked out. Dawn is a fantastic personal trainer, so spending an hour with her is well worth it. Lastly, this is a challenging class for all levels of fitness and Dawn does an excellent job making sure everyone can do the exercises at their own pace and level.”

-Tiffany W, longtime BodyWalker

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On Saturday August 9th in Couer de’ Laine , Idaho, Shannon Van Oppen completed her first triathlon, Olympic distance, in 4hours and 1minute! Shannon has been training at The Exercise Space for just over a year now and has made amazing gains in transforming herself back into the athlete she once knew herself to be. Wanting to keep Shannon company through this journey I joined her in the triathlon. We rose at 4:30am Saturday morning to make sure we had enough time to pour ourselves into our so small wet suits…double checked our transition area, and headed to the water’s edge for our 7am start time. Just before entering the clouds let loose and the biggest rain drops I have ever seen bounced off of us. Then in we went - what a surreal experience with the rain splattering the water’s surface and swimming with 1400 other bathing cap clad people. A kick in the face, or a head in the side is very common when sharing water space… all heading to the same buoy. No worries, the swim was over before we knew it, in 33 minutes! We dizzily trekked back to transition to peel off our wet suits, grab our sneakers, and onto our bikes we were for the very hilly 25 mile bike ride. Luckily we were often distracted from the hills by the generous views of the lake along the way. Shannon made it up every hill, and did not stop or walk once. 2 hours later we were back in transition ditching our bikes and heading out for the 6.2 mile run. Although Shannon’s knee was not cooperating she still managed to finish the run and complete her first triathlon ever! An amazing experience for me to watch her accomplish this goal, as words cannot describe how proud of her I am. Shannon, you rock!

Are you getting bored with your routine, feeling yourself losing motivation for your workouts? Then sign up for a unique class that is both interesting and physically challenging. I recently joined two of my clients for a Trapeze aerial dance class through the South Seattle Community College. See for yourself from the photos, they had a lot of fun and it was quite the shoulder and core workout! Seriously. A trapeze workout will build you up physically and mentally as well as develop your balance and timing…not to mention lots of laughs and letting lose to the music! So, go ahead and try something new - like belly dancing, martial arts, kickball, dodge ball, BodyWalk, or trapeze!

For more info on taking this class go to : trapeze class info

Recently I was hiking with a friend, we were chatting and taking in the beauty of the woods. All of a sudden I stopped dead in my tracks. I turned back to look at my friend…she heard it too. We kept quite for a moment to see if what we heard would happen again. A couple seconds later, it happened again. It was a whistle, loud and clear. We froze and listened keenly. Again. It was definitely a whistle we concluded, couldn’t be a bird. I got my whistle out and kept it handy. Then we heard another tone of whistle. Maybe two separate parties were lost and trying to find each other we thought. We kept climbing hoping we were not being warned away from danger and actually walking into it. We wanted to help if someone was in need. As we climbed and climbed we ket hearing these whistles back and forth. As time went on I realized the whistles kept moving, and seemed almost too regulated to be someone in distress. My friend and I both know a whistle is a call of danger or need. Finally as we acended the mountain and no sign of anyone in need, we decided it must have been birds. How silly we felt. However that incident is what promted me to write this for all of you. A whistle is a very useful tool to ward off danger in our everyday lives even in the city - it alerts others to possible danger. And in the wilderness it has saved many lives. You don’t need a fancy whistle any old one will do. Be safe!