2010 Fit Holiday Gift Guide
WORK IT’S 2010 FIT GIFT GUIDE
1. Lululemon’s Metal Vent Tech Long Sleeve Shirt
Lululemon is considred by many to be the best workout and yoga clothing company. Their Metal Vent technology is unique in that the metal threads weaved into the material makes it anti-stink, anti-static and moisture wicking while also being very light. It’s a great gift for those who like to sweat!
Get it at Lululemon Austin (1016 West Sixth Street) or at www.lululemon.com
Price: $72.00
2. Withings WiFi Scale
Keep track of your weigh loss in a high-tech way. This bathroom scale uses a WiFi connection to automatically save your weight, body fat, and BMI online or send it to your iPhone. The program will chart your progress on a timeline for you to view.
Get it at www.amazon.com
Price: $159.00
3. Snap Kitchen Healthy Meals To Go
Snap Kitchen offers fresh, healthy, premade meals that are ready to eat (just need to be warmed up). They have meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks between meals. All menu items are portion controlled and have detailed nutrition information. Gift certificates to Snap Kitchen are perfect for anyone who is too busy to cook and still wants to eat sensibly.
There are two Snap Kitch Austin locations: 6th and Lamar and inside The Triangle
Price: Gift Certificates Vary, www.snapkitchen.com
4. Vibram FiveFinger Shoes
You have probably heard about the benefits of barefoot running by now. These shoes will strengthen your feet, increase ankle stability, and mostly, they just feel great to wear. Sizing is tricky so you probably want to get them locally, or at least go and try them on.
Get them locally at REI, Whole Earth Provisions or Rogue Running
Price: $75-125, www.vibramfivefingers.com
5. Stand Up Paddle Board Lessons
Wonder what it would feel like to walk on water? This is as close as it gets. Stand up paddle boarding is much easier than it looks. It can be a great workout or very relaxing, depending on how fast you paddle. You can purchase lessons or just try to figure it out on your own.
Visit local paddle boarding companies to get gift certificates: www.austinpaddlesports.com
Price: Lessons Average $75/hour and rentals alone average $15/hour
6. Kinect with Dance Central for XBOX 360
Kinect is new technology from XBOX which detects your body movement, allowing you to play games without any controller. From what we found there are at least 17 different games, mostly fitness, sports, and dancing which are purchased separately. Note: you will need to purchase the Kinect Sensor and must already have an XBOX 360.
Purchase at Target, Best Buy, Game Stop or at www.amazon.com
Price: Kinect Device is $199 and Games Average $50
7. HyrdaCoach Water Bottle
We know that drinking water is important, but most people don’t get enough. This water bottle calculates your personal hydration needs, instantly tracks fluid consumption, and reminds you to drink throughout the day.
Purchase at www.amazon.com
Price: $24
8. Training with Work It!
Work It Personal Training has a fitness plan for the person who is hard to shop for. Purchase gift certificates for one-on-one training, Warrior boot camps or The Course. Call or email us to find out more information and give the gift of a body by Work It.
To purchase call 512.426.2336 or Email Us
Price: Varies
Exercise May Help Ward Off A Cold
Yes, yet another reason why exercise is good for you. According to a study recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, regular, moderate exercise could help you fight off cold and flu bugs. Why? People who exercise regularly tend to have higher white blood cell counts (WBCs) than those who do not exercise regularly. WBCs are the body’s defense against infection. People who exercise regularly also report that when they are sick their symptoms are milder than those who do not exercise.
The key is to be regular, consistent and moderate with your exercise routine; for example, exercising for an hour with medium intensity on a daily basis. However, don’t become an exercise fanatic to try to compensate for years of inactivity. Over exercising (i.e. running a marathon a week) or a sudden and dramatic increase in your activity could actually result in bodily injury that could have an opposite effect. So, get up and Work It this winter season!
Review: Vibram FiveFinger 6 Month Update
By Shane Whitehead, Work It Trainer
It has been almost 6 months since my initial purchase of the Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) and I have been very pleased with them. I wasn’t sure how they would hold up since I wear them everyday but they really have surprised me. The soles are very thin and I thought they would wear through quickly, but actually the wear on the soles has been minimal. The only problem I have is with the stitching. The stitching was coming open around the big toes; however, this was the result of playing football in them (fast decelerating) and also resisting opposite force during exercises like tug-of-war. Both instances cause my feet to slide forward into the toe pockets and stress the seams, so unless you frequently perform these activities you shouldn’t have any problems. I just used my sewing skills to stitch them back together.
As far as how my feet have adapted, I have noticed a few things. First, my feet definitely feel stronger and seem to be slightly bigger (not longer) than before. I believe this may be a result of the stress on the muscles, tendons and ligaments which caused them to strengthen and increase slightly in size, as skeletal muscles will, in order to handle the new stimulus. In addition, my ankles feel more stable when running and changing directions. I believe since typical shoes are generally flat and slightly wider than your foot they help to keep your foot from rolling when planted firmly on the ground. If you remove the typical shoe from your foot and walk barefoot or with a shoe like the VFF the ankle must stabilize more to keep your foot from rolling.
If you have been thinking about giving them a try, go for it. As long as you ease into them and don’t try to do too much too fast you will be fine. If you have any questions feel free to email me or post here on the blog.
Networking Boot Camp
Work It is exploring the idea of coordinating and hosting a new approach to business networking and fitness. Many of us are in career positions that require us to network with others to get business, clients or share ideas. Most of the existing opportunities are centered around lunch or happy hours where you are most likely consuming many empty calories and then not being able to get to your fitness activity for the day.
Why not network WHILE getting fit and find time to meet one-on-one later over a healthy lunch, dinner or drink?
If you are interested please take the survey below and let us know your thoughts on the topic. Thank you!
IBM 10k Uptown Classic (Sun, Oct. 17)
Would you like to join Work It at the IBM 10K Uptown Classic this year? Let us know if so! Online registration is $20 CLICK HERE. There isn’t an official team entry for the race so please let us know if you’d like to run with Work It.
We are looking forward to a great turnout!
Good luck to Team Work It at the Silicon Labs Austin Marathon Relay
Sunday, Sept 26, 2010 will be the Silicon Labs Austin Marathon Relay in downtown Austin. We want to wish good luck to Team Work It (Kyle, Shane, Troy, Enrique, and Paul)!! If you happen to be at the Marathon Relay on Sunday be sure to look for Team Work It.
Also, if you are interested in running with Team Work It let us know. The next race that Team Work It will be running in is the IBM Uptown Classic (10K and 5K) on Oct 17, 2010. There is still plenty of time to get ready.
Renaming High Fructose Corn Syrup
If you have kept up with nutrition news at all you have heard the negative reports nutritionists give high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) . Well, it appears as though this has started to effect the bottom line of HFCS manufacturers. The demand for and the sale of items made with HFCS are at an all time low. As a result, the Corn Refiners Association is asking the FDA to allow HFCS to be renamed simply “corn sugar.” Their hope is that this name change will go unnoticed in the general public and it would take a while for nutrition experts to alert people that it is the same product with a different name. This is actually more common than one would think. Renaming a product often increases the sale of the exact same, unaltered product (for example the sale of prunes increased dramatically when they started to be marketed as dried plums).
So, if you start to see “corn sugar” or simply “corn syrup” in the list of ingredients, don’t be fooled into thinking it is a better or different product. Be a smart consumer!
Please let us know your thoughts…
Obese Teens and Stomach Surgery
Gastric banding surgery for obese teens? One study says that this procedure has seen a fivefold increase over the past 2 years. Let’s work on preventing (through healthy eating habits and exercise) this horrible condition that leads to so many health problems in the future!
Read the story on the ABC News website CLICK HERE
Group activity this Saturday
Join Work It Training at Lululemon for morning yoga this Saturday (09/11/2010). This is a free yoga class. Please arrive before 8:45am to get a spot as the class fills up fast. Bring a yoga mat, a towel, water and please wear your Work It tee (if you have one).
Lululemon is located at Sixth Street and Lamar (north west corner) behind Waterloo Records and next to Snap Kitchen.
Please let me know if you can attend and if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!
Downtown Warriors at Pease Park
Title: Downtown Warriors at Pease Park
Location: Pease Park (1100 Kinsgbury)
Link out: Click here
Description: Downtown Warriors at Pease Park (1100 Kinsgbury)
Starts September 7, 2010
Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 5:30 – 6:30 PM led by Shane Whitehead.
(Downtown Warriors meet by the Pease Park jungle gym near Kingsbury and Parkway.)
Find on Gowalla: http://gowal.la/s/6NDr
