Fitness Instructors

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Michelle Hurni

Pilates, Spinning & Zumba instructor

Core Climbing is not just for climbers, but includes all the Pilates exercises we do in a Pilates Mat or Ball class at RMHC, with cool climbing photos included. Core Climbing is at press and will be available to purchase through www.michellehurni.com or www.sharpendbooks.com in early December.

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Walt Hester

Spinning instructor

Walt Hester riding the 2008 Courage Classic -Team RMHC

The Children's Hospital is one of the best hospitals for kids in the United States.

Kids and their families come from the Rocky Mountain region, and even from across the United States, seeking treatment for illnesses and injuries at Children's.

Also, Children's conducts more pediatric research than any other hospital in the Rocky Mountain region. This important research assists Children's in developing and refining life-saving treatments for kids.

Why I ride the Courage Classic

I ride for the physical challenge of pushing myself up three mountain passes and riding 157 miles over three consecutive days.

I ride because it feels great to see all the other riders out there, including some with disabilities, conquering the mountain, just like me.

I ride for the children of Camp Wapiyapi, cancer patients and survivors, who showed me how to be happy just to see the sunshine and mountains today.

And, I ride to support The Children's Hospital.

Why you should support me

The Children's Hospital is a not-for-profit organization and relies heavily on support from donors to make sure that it has all the resources it needs to provide world-class care.

Donations from Courage Classic supporters and sponsors help The Children's Hospital Sports Program, which helps kids with illnesses and injuries feel like kids by participating in activities like skiing, hiking and cycling. The rest of the funds go to Children's areas of greatest need.

Click the link above to make a donation. Thanks so much for your support.

Whether you donate $50 or $5,000, you are making a critical difference in the life of a child and their families.

www.couragetours.com/2008/walthester

www.walthester.com

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The Power of Pilates

By Michelle Hurni, Rocky Mountain Health Club Head Instructor www.michellehurni.com

Ever look in the mirror and wonder who that person is? All you see is shoulders hunched forward and tense, and a belly pooching out like you just ate an entire gallon of chocolate marshmallow ice cream in one sitting.

Pilates can transform that image by changing how you look and how you feel about yourself.

Pilates is a series of exercises that can be performed with just a mat. The movements focus on the "core" of the body, including the abs, back, hips and gluts. Strengthening the core can help prevent injuries and make tasks easier to perform. There are eight basic principles, but you can try these basic Pilates theories for starters.

Breathing. We all do it, 24/7, but a few changes can make a significant difference in your posture. Try inhaling through the nose, stretching tall through the spine as you expand your lungs. Exhale through the mouth, forcing the air out with the lower belly and relaxing the shoulder blades down your spine. Try this each time you’re driving your car and you stop at a light. Feel the tension flow from your body and the power in your core as you hold your spine straight and the lower abs in tight.

Control. Couldn’t we all use a little more control in our lives? At the very least, you can control your movements. In Pilates, each exercise is performed by controlling the core of the body. Exhale during exertion, holding the body stabile as you inhale and fill the muscles with oxygen, then exhale back to the starting position. Taking that theory into daily life, think about lifting a bag of groceries from the back seat of the car. Inhale and stretch the spine tall before bending over for that bag. Exhale, pulling the lower abs in tight as you curve your spine and reach for that bag. Inhale, expanding the ribcage, then exhale, pulling your belly button to your spine, as you straighten slowly back up, bag in hand.

A strong core can help the body become more stabile, which transfers over to better posture, and less likelihood of strains in the back, neck and shoulders while doing every day activities.

To get more out of these basic movements, try a Pilates mat or ball class, or a private session with a certified instructor. Rocky Mountain Health Club offers six Pilates classes a week: basic Core Strength, Pilates Mat and Pilates Ball. Classes fill up fast, so be sure to call ahead (577-1900) to reserve a space. RMHC classes are free to members, but we welcome guests for a small fee.

Now, take a big inhale, stretching tall, then exhale, pulling your navel to your spine and have a great day.

The Perfect Workout

By Michelle Hurni, Rocky Mountain Health Club Head Instructor

Every exercise guru in the world lays claim to the "perfect workout", but in truth, "perfect" varies based on each individual. Depending on the desired results, the workout will vary significantly. For the average person, it’s a combination of aerobic activity, muscle strengthening and a reasonable diet that will result in the best results.

The first consideration for anyone working out is the starting point. If you have been relatively sedentary, one of the most important things to do is start off slow. Remember, the heart is a muscle and you can’t expect to get off the couch and run 10K without building up some aerobic endurance. If you consider yourself fit in one particular area (such as running), you may not feel fit if you decide to start a new exercise routine (such as weight lifting or Spinning®). The body adapts to the activities you throw at it, and it takes time for it to adjust to new activities.

The best way to get started is to contact a personal trainer, or you can develop your own program based on what activities you enjoy.

Want to lose weight? Then you need to burn calories efficiently. Commercial aerobic machines (elliptical, bike, treadmill, etc) give a running readout of the calories burned during a workout. What those machines take into account, however, is exertion, which means the harder you work, the more calories you appear to burn. The problem with those numbers is the anaerobic effect of working harder than necessary. Working out to the point where you feel like you are going to drop, or you can’t carry on a conversation, is the point where your body stops working efficiently.

When you venture into the anaerobic zone (above 80-85% of your maximum heart rate), your body needs more time to recover between workouts. You feel tired after an anaerobic workout, instead of energized when you work efficiently in the 70-80% heart rate zone. A heart rate monitor is a great way to monitor your workout, but make sure you know your zones. The best way to determine your ideal "zone" is to do an anaerobic test (which is based on your resting heart rate), but you can also start with the basic age chart.

Don’t care about what the scale tells you, but want to look better? Then toning and muscle strengthening is the way to go. The more toned your muscles are, the better you look, regardless of what the scale says. Wouldn’t it be nice to sit on the couch and burn more calories? Well, you can, if you have more muscle mass on your body. Muscles burn more calories at rest than fat burns. A workout utilizing either free weights or machines in the gym will build muscle. Slowly build your strength by adding more weight when your workout starts to feel too easy, but be reasonable and don’t get injured by doing too much too soon.

Hate to workout alone? There are group exercise classes you can take so you don’t have to suffer alone. Rocky Mountain Health Club offers Step, Low Impact and Spinning® classes for an aerobic workout, and Yoga, Toning and Pilates for strength building and flexibility.

The most important thing to a perfect workout is getting into the habit of exercising. Start slowly and make it a part of your lifestyle. Three to four times a week is ideal, even if you just get out and walk.

Remember, anybody who wants to get fit can walk into a gym, have their own workout, and it can still be perfect.

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