San Joaquin - Index

San Joaquin - may08 - Index

get fit outside
Get outside
and Get Fit
San Joaquin’s exercise groups
are you ready to spring into your outdoor fitness
routine? With warmer temperatures and
blue skies calling, resisting the urge to get outside
and soak up the sun is near
impossible. exercising solo,
however, can be a bore, so
make the most of the temperate weather,
and join one of the outdoor, fitnessoriented
groups that are
available to us here in
San Joaquin County. These
groups will get you in shape without
breaking the bank. From running and
rowing to fitness boot camps, there’s
something for anyone looking
to get outside,
meet some
new people, and
get fit for summer.
The stockton rowing Club is a local
non-profit business in Stockton that offers training
year-round. Rowing is a great total body
workout, and is designed for all ages. The Stockton
Rowing Club Boat House is where most
beginners will start to learn—on land—the techniques
of rowing, using what is called an ergo
meter, or rowing machine, before they head out
to the water. “Learning to erg” is a month-long
class that takes place Wednesdays, for $25. The
club’s “introduction to Rowing” seminar includes
the Learn to erg class, and involves about twenty
hours of on and off the water training for $200.
another great deal worth marking on your calendar
is the club’s national Learn to Row Day on
June 7, where you can check it out for yourself.
www.stocktonrowing.org
Fleet Feet in Stockton is the ideal place for
anyone looking to learn how to run. The Fleet
Feet runners and walkers group, named the
Fun run, meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings,
costs nothing to join, and covers a three-
to five-mile loop in our area. The perk is that
Fleet Feet will keep track of the miles you run,
and for every seventy-five miles logged, you’ll
get rewarded with some free stuff from sport
sponsors like Brooks and new Balance. The
group meets at the Stockton store at 5:30 p.m.
www.fleetfeetstockton.com
The stockton Bicycle Club is an opportunity
to see some of San Joaquin’s beautiful scenery
while getting a great workout. This club has
different rides year-round, and the only requirement
is that you have is your own wheels. Based
on the mileage of the rides on their schedule, we
wouldn’t say this is a beginners club, but if you
already have some experience riding and want
to try your hand at a twenty-five mile ride, go
for it. This club has many local rides from Stockton,
ione (near Jackson), Wallace (near Lake
Camanche), and Lodi. The cost to join is $15,
and the club donates most of their proceeds to
local programs like the Lodi Sprocket Rockets,
a junior cycling program, and national charities
like St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. The club also
hosts an annual bike ride, held at King’s mums
nursery in Clements, for a beautiful ride around
Lake Camanche followed by a picnic lunch at the
nursery. www.sbclub.org
Beach Body Boot Camp is where it’s at
for those looking to step up their workout routine
to go into summer looking and feeling good.
One of my favorite things as a personal trainer
is to take workouts outside to change up the
exercise routine. By using everyday surroundings
for a challenging workout instead of the
weight room, you are forced to get creative.
Taking a different approach to your normal routine
is sometimes all you need to get re-motivated.
Held at the Tokay High School track in
Lodi, boot camp training uses your own weight
and body resistance to whip you into shape.
Target areas include speed, agility, and cardio
with an obstacle course; upper and lower body
strength with push-ups, squats, and lunges; and
total core strength with abdominal training. The
kicker? most people who complete the boot
camp walk away with a new sense of achievement
and self esteem; they learn to do things
they never thought possible. The cost is $150
for four Saturdays, and each camp is about
two hours long, with twenty people at a time.
www.cosmopinkstyle.com –Melissa Brown
60 san joaquin magazine maY 15 - JULY 1 2008