The Exercise Space

What is Functional Fitness?

Dawn — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:09:17 +0000

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 (more…)

Try These Four Things…

Dawn — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:56:28 +0000

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: (more…)

Potatoes Are Good For You!

Dawn — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:18:20 +0000

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. (more…)

Bob Wraith - Living Fit at 75 yrs old!

Dawn — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:59:36 +0000

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. (more…)

Exercise Outside! BodyWalk starts Sunday, October 5th at 10am

Dawn — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:55:52 +0000

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

Join now

Tom Sandel

Dawn — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:11:25 +0000

My name is Tom Sandel and I have been diagnosed with Esophageal
Cancer. I have been undergoing Chemo-therapy as well as Radiation
treatments at the University of Washington as well as at the Seattle
Cancer Care Alliance.
Over the last several months I have had the opportunity to work with
Dawn Brent as my personal trainer. Her trainer methods and nutritional
advice have gone a long way to help me keep a positive attitude as to
my condition and help immensely in alleviating the pain I feel in my
body. I was supposed to gradually feel fatigue as my radiation therapy
has progressed but with workouts twice a week that has yet to be a
problem after 20 treatments.
I highly recommend Dawn to anyone here who is going through Cancer
treatment. She is incredibly positive and can tailor make a fitness
program to your special needs.
Sincerely,
Tom Sandel

Shannon Van Oppen, Olympic Distance Triathlete

Dawn — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:16:19 +0000

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!

Mix it up, Try Something New!…Ever Thought of Joining the Circus?

Dawn — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:59:04 +0000

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

Where do I start?

Dawn — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:22:36 +0000

You’ve heard it a million times before…what we feed our body reflects in how our body behaves. If we eat fast food and drink soda all day, chances are we will feel a little sluggish. If we eat fresh fruits and veggies and lean organic meats, we will most likely have more energy. Often one might think they eat ‘good’, but when really forced to look at each meal and dissect it, there are many ways it could get better. (more…)

David Sprinkle

Dawn — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:22:27 +0000

“I have been working with Dawn for a little over a year. I am more fit and healthy than I have been since high school. She does more than just train me; she has caused me to change my lifestyle to a much more healthy one. She has even taught me to hula hoop! I would recommend Dawn highly.

A Useful Tool

Dawn — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:23:11 +0000

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!

Stephanie Rush, 1st Time Triathlete

Dawn — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:46:23 +0000

Stephanie Rush just accomplished the most physically challenging thing of her life - an Olympic distance triathlon. That is a 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike ride, then a 6 mile run! This is huge for a self professed non-athlete. Having trained Stephanie over the past year, I am so proud of her - she finished in 5:08.

In addition to her weekly strength workouts at The Exercise Space, Stephanie joined Team in Training to help raise raise funds for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma research and patient services… and to keep her motivated to do her Saturday 7am swims!

Congrats Steph!!!

Why Should I Buy Organic Produce?

Dawn — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:44:16 +0000

Not only will you put far less pesticides into your body, but organic food tastes better!

I know prices of everything are going up and up everyday, even food. As an organic junkie myself, I did some research for us and came up with some good information on which items are most important to spend a little extra on and buy organic.
Conventional, or “non-organic” farmers, spray all kinds of toxic poisons onto the food we put into your bodies. When we work so hard at exercising, getting enough sleep, hydration, and eating our 8-10 servings of produce a day (yes I said 8-10 a day!) shouldn’t our fuel be good for us, not hurting us? Conventional farmers utilize human sludge as fertilizer, irradiate their crops, and plant genetically-modified seeds that the human body has never encountered.

Organic farmers rely on natural pest control, nurtured and maintained rich soils, complimentary plant groupings, lunar cycles, etc. They do not use toxic pesticides and do not use seedlings or seeds that have been DNA-altered. Organic farmers use the riches that Nature gives us. It is good for the crops, for the water we drink and the water stills in the ground, for the ocean, for the rain, and for the air we breathe.

Here I comprised a list of the produce that we should consume organic: (more…)

What kind of cheese is the healthiest?

Dawn — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:32:38 +0000

I love cheese, you love cheese, we all love cheese. So which ones fit best into our healthy choices??

There are hundreds of types of cheese, but the 3 most common types are:

Soft cheese - ex. Mozzarella

Semi soft cheese - ex. Blue cheese

Hard cheese - ex. Cheddar and Swiss cheese

Cheese is a great replacement for meat, and if you want a light snack at any time, a 1 oz wedge of cheese supplies you the same amount of nutrients as a 12 oz glass of milk. The casein of cheese contains all the essential amino acids, and cheese contains a high amount of vitamin A and D, as well as calcium.

The downside of cheese is… (more…)

Restaurant Menu Promises - They Lie about Calories and Fat

Dawn — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:21:24 +0000

Deep down you thought the ‘healthy choice’ tasted too good to be so low in fat and calories according to the menu promise…turns out you were probably right. Check out this article in the Seattle P. I. about the investigation into some popular chains. Restaurant Menu Promises

Restaurant menu promises buried in calories, fat