Mission
possible
Looking
to burn some serious calories? Join the boot camp craze sweeping
Milwaukee. These military-inspired workouts pack a powerful punch —
and major fun.
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Next lap
Leave
it to Ashley Kumlein to think long range. Following her
six-month, 3,230-mile run across America last summer, Kumlein’s MS
Run, the US Foundation plans to organize a cross-country relay in
2012. "Years and years down the road, it could be one of those
million-dollar fundraisers," says Kumlein, 26, who lives in
Brookfield.
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Fighting
back
Like many women,
Jane Dawson thought wrestling around as a kid with her brothers had
toughened her up. She learned otherwise when she was assaulted several
years ago.
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Strike a
pose
Why
practice yoga? The better question is, "Why not?" "Yoga
is like taking daily vitamins. It’s not about fitness, it’s for
health," says Bron Gacki, owner of Bikram Yoga Milwaukee.
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Goal-driven
Marty
Auchter was your average overweight, under-exercised, cigarette
smoking, visit-the-bar-a-bit-too-often type of guy. The Cedarburg
resident had been too busy over the years — college, a law degree
from Marquette University, the tax dire
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Digging deep
The
yoga roots run deep in Meg Galarza’s life. It just took a little
time and digging to rediscover them.
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Mix it up
Trainers
often suggest that one of the best methods for sticking with a regular
workout is to keep things interesting. From trying a new class to
incorporating fresh approaches into a personal training regime, the
start of the new year is a great time to change things up. Here are a
few new activities to check out for 2010.
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Magic
numbers
To
Dr. Mark Blake, weight is just a number on a scale. "Weight is
not all-meaning," he says. Body fat percentage, cholesterol
levels and body mass index are much more important numbers, he says.
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Never say
quit
Cristin Van Driel was cycling in July
of 2000 when a 16-year-old driver hit her at 55 mph. When the teen
took her eyes off the road to change a CD, Van Driel was thrown 30 to
40 feet and landed on the car’s windshield. She suffered a broken
back, crushed ribs and a concussion, as well as other serious
injuries.
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The measure
of success
In
today’s hustle-bustle world it can seem impossible to squeeze in a
30-minute run, let alone earn a black belt in tae kwon do, compete in
an Ironman Triathlon or drop more than 50 pounds. Some regular
Milwaukeeans have done just that, proving it doesn’t take an Olympic
athlete to achieve fitness success.
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Fit for life
It’s
February. Do you know where your health and fitness goals are? You
made a plan over the holidays to start with a clean slate in 2009, and
integrate healthy eating, exercise and wellness into your daily life.
Did it happen? Are you still feeling inspired?
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The long run
When Jackie Kaminski was growing up in Nebraska, the second
youngest of eight children, she felt lost in the shuffle sometimes —
especially during her preteen years.
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Home 'Work'
It’s great to work out at the gym — if you can make the time
for it and access the equipment you want while you’re there. In
fact, time constraints and packed health clubs are both primary
reasons why more people are choosing to install a fitness room at
home. With a home gym, you can accomplish your workout with no driving
and no standing in line, whenever you want.
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Find your
passion
Becoming
that lean, mean fighting machine is all about dedication and hard
work. But there’s a lot of people out there who just want to live a
little healthier, lose a few pounds and tone up. Maybe entering the
fitness facility for you is on the same level as walking into the
dentist’s office to have a tooth extracted.
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Work it out
Every week, employees at M&I Bank’s
downtown office can take a yoga class or attend a Weight Watchers
meeting on-site.
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Hit it at
home: Quick 15-minute workouts
Some
days, getting to the gym seems like more effort than actually working
out itself. But most of us can find the time to fit a 15-minute
mini-workout into our days.
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Top of your
game
After 15 years as a professional soccer player, Marcelo Fontana has
figured out a lot more than just how to kick the ball into the net. "If you set a goal," says the Milwaukee Wave midfielder,
"you have to do everything you can to achieve it. If you don’t
reach it, at least you did all you could.
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Cool pool
workouts
Whether
you’re coming to exercise after an injury, starting your fitness
journey, or simply looking for something new to do, it might just be
time to slip on that swimming suit and try an aquatic option on for
size.
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Laughing
your way to good health
During the 1960s, Norman Cousins, the former editor of the Saturday
Review magazine, was diagnosed with a progressive degenerative
disease. In his book, "Anatomy of an Illness," he describes
how he helped to cure himself using massive doses of laughter.
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Momma
movement
Mothers-to-be are often inundated with
information on what’s right for baby before the bundle of joy
arrives. For the past two years, Stefanie Masters has been helping
expectant mothers do something a little unexpected that’s right for
both mom and baby: Pre-natal belly dancing.
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Need
for speed
Scott Synold is far from
ancient. Still, the 32-year-old can’t believe how little exercise
the average kid gets today compared to when he was growing up in
Wauwatosa. "Everything is right at your fingertips now," he
says.
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Get
the boot
Attending boot camp sounds hard. Really hard. Getting out of bed early on Saturday for the 45-minute extreme
workout makes it harder still. That people are willing to do both surprised even Erika Gudgeon,
owner of PUSH Functional Fitness on Milwaukee’s East Side.
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Project
fitness
The question is, with today’s lifestyles and stress and our own
penchant for quick fixes, how much — and for how long — are we
willing to do what it takes to attain it?
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