Resolve to get in shape in 2009, and really do it!
The 2nd Annual 100 Days of Fitness Begins February 2nd

The goal of the 100 Days of Fitness program is to help people make fitness a part of their daily life. Join the 2nd annual 100 Days of Fitness program and get ready to open the doors to new exercises, current fitness tips, and proven tools of success that will help you achieve your health and fitness goals.

Participants receive:

Personal Fitness Assessments at the start and conclusion of the program
Weekly group check-in meetings
Exercise introductions to; yoga, pilates, squash, aquatics, travel workouts, and more
Weekly cardio program updates
ActivTrax account
Nutrition advice and supervised shopping trip

Participants will be introduced to yoga/tai chi, martial arts, aquatics, running, body weight workouts, pilates, squash, and many more athletic modalities. They will also receive current nutritional information along with a free gift card, courtesy of Eat Local; psychological advice on behavior change from a local professional; and many informative articles on health and fitness, written by the health and fitness experts at the Seattle Athletic Club.

Many of the club members who participated in 2008 learned something new, or found a new manner of exercising that they now love! Here are a couple comments from last years’ participants:

“The best benefit of the 100 Days of Fitness is the exposure to the broad range of programs the club offers.”

“Tonight was Teresa talking about racing – I really enjoyed it and once again the 100 Days of Fitness has motivated me to get out there and run – I’m very glad I signed up for 100 days.”

WHAT CAN YOU CHANGE IN 100 DAYS?
To sign up or for more information please call 206-443-1111.

Howe Cup, the annual women's five-person squash team tournament began in 1928 as an inter-city competition between New York, Philadelphia and Boston. Named in honor of Margaret Howe and her twin daughters Peggy and Betty, Howe cup has expanded to a 40 team tournament with teams from across the United States. This year the Seattle area sent a Women's B (Kathryn Grant, Susan Lehr, Lulu Chou, Brandi Conforth, and Dominique Posy) and a Women's C (Bettina Muench, Julie Santos, Julie Agel, Bernie McLaughlin, and Cindy Shurtleff). 9 of the players are Seattle Club Members with Bettina joining from the Pro-Club.

This year's tournament took place November 7-9, 2008 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania at the Fairmount Athletic Club, owned by Demer Holleran, US National Squash Champion 1989-2004.

The Seattle C team won their draw by defeating Philadelphia (3-2), Boston C2 (5-0), Baltimore C2 (4-1), and Washington DC (3-2). Bettina, Julie Santos, and Bernie were undefeated in their matches.

The Seattle B team
As a highlight of the ever popular Saturday evening social Lulu Chou won Feron Sportsmanship Trophy for her exemplary sportsmanship on and off the court throughout the season.

"The B team finished 6th of 13 teams this year defeating Boston B2 (4-1) and New York (4-1) and losing to New Jersey (2-3) in the first round and Boston B1 (2-3) in the consolation final."

Do you ever feel like your life is spent rushing from one thing to the next? Does stopping to take time for a healthy meal seem like an unrealistic option? As our lives become busier, time for a healthy lifestyle become a distant reality. If we take time to take care of our body, the benefits will be felt on a global scale. “Over 30 percent of Americans are clinically obese and 70 percent are either overweight or obese.” The numbers are staggering! We now work 30 percent more hours than we did in the 1960s. A busier life means fast meals that are high in fat and less time for activities. This combination has led our nation to be one of the fattest in the world. However, other nations are catching up. Obesity is now overtaking cigarette smoke as the leading cause of death in our country. Other diseases like diabetes are on the rise and affecting our children at alarming rates. Over consumption is a huge problem not only as a health risk, but our planet will feel the impact as well.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

It is our pleasure to introduce Alison Wilson as our new Wellness Director and Nutritionist at the Seattle Athletic Club - Downtown.

Growing up in the Seattle area, in an Armenian family, Alison has been engrained with a knowledge and passion for cultural understanding and healthy living. Traveling across the globe has broadened her view on how different cultures implement food and health into their daily wellness. She incorporates these values into her own philosophy of health and nutrition, and is excited to bring these ideas into her role as the Wellness Director.

In addition to her role as the Wellness Director, Alison will also be our in house Nutritionist. With a degree in Food and Nutrition from Seattle Pacific University, her emphasis is in general health and wellness, weight loss/maintenance, and nutritional counseling. We are very excited to have Alison's expertise as we can now offer targeted nutritional programming to assist our members with their healthy lifestyle goals. Initially she will be offering individualized 30 and 60 minute consultations, but look for more nutritional services in the very near future!

Please join us in congratulating Alison on her appointment, and welcoming her to our club.

For any questions or concerns regarding nutritional services at our club, please contact Alison Wilson.

Joseph Pilates formulated six original principles that enhance and improve the quality of not only your Pilates workout; but every workout.

SIX ORIGINAL PRINCIPLES OF PILATES

The last of the Stomach Series, this works the external obliques, waistline and powerhouse.

CLICK FOR THIS MONTH'S EXERCISE

Black-eyed peas contain significant amounts of protein, potassium, folacin, calcium, magnesium, selenium, and fiber. They are almost fat-free and, like all foods from plants, are completely free of cholesterol. In the south to this day black-eyed peas are prepared in many delicious ways. At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, many southern families toast each other with Champagne and a bowl of Hoppin' John.

HOPPIN' JOHN RECIPE

Lauren Adler joined SAC in 2004 after her boyfriend, Mark Kotzer (a member since 1996), offered her a free pass. He encouraged her to join, which she took as a good sign. They married one year later.

Over the past four years Lauren has been a regular participant in the swim conditioning class. She found that class and a training program with Jake valuable preparation for the 2007 Danskin Triathalon and the Park to Park swim across Lake Washington. Lauren adds variety and challenge to her gym visits by participating in a wide variety of classes and activities. Among her favorites have been yoga and Everett’s spin class.

Lauren’s workout routine, has recently been interrupted by the opening of her new chocolate store on Queen Anne Hill, Chocolopolis. She is working on getting back into shape by taking Judy’s Step and Strength class on Sundays, and by trying to get to swim conditioning class again. She finds her visits to SAC an outstanding way to relax and values it as a time when she and her husband can spend quality time together.

Chocolopolis reflects Lauren’s desire to educate customers and their palates about chocolate made from fine cacao. She began researching the history, agriculture, economics and geography of cacao and was hooked. The chocolate she gets to taste every day is the icing on the cake!

Chocolopolis offers over 200 bars of chocolate by small and medium artisan chocolate makers. Much like a wine store, the bars are arranged by the geographic origin of the cacao. The store also offers truffles, drinking chocolate made to order by the cup and lots of other chocolate goodies.

RECEIVE A CUP OF DRINKING CHOCOLATE

NORTHWEST HARVEST FOOD DRIVE

Thank you to all of our generous members who made our Northwest Harvest food drive a great success! Due to various turns in people's lives, there are many in the Northwest that require the assistance of others. Your contributions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you again,
The Seattle Athletic Club Staff

TEAM ULTIMATE JUMP-A-THON

Thank you to everyone who supported the American Heart Association "Team Ultimate" Jump-a-Thon.

Members: Bonnie, Candice, Michael, Frank, Mary, Alex, Kristen, LuLu, Ian, Jill, Jan, Chantelle, Mike

Staff: Anna, Jen, Jake, Gracie, Kathy, Kassie and Jody

If you are interested in learning more about Team Ultimate and the American Heart Association, please contact Jody Garcia for more information.