Summer Fun

School is out and the challenge of finding summer activities for the family is here.  My daughter just earned her ‘yellow belt’ in karate, and after several weeks of driving to the gym, I’m ready to be outside.  It’s a good thing that Omaha has 9,560 acres of parks, playgrounds and pools available to us.  Omaha also offers many low-cost recreation options for family entertainment. Most of us are familiar with the Henry Doorly Zoo and CoCo Key Water Resort, but my quest is to expose free family fun available during the summer months.

Parents are the best role models for their children when it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle. By leading an active life, parents inspire children to do the same. So, I went on a quest to find some fun, and free, things for my family to do this summer.  There are a lot of great web sites that provide ideas for active family fun.  omaha.com and livewellnebraska.com offer great ideas such as turning chores into fitness challenges, volunteering to walk dogs at the local animal shelter, and assigning a family member to be an activity director just to name a few.

Be sure to check out the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau for more great ideas. The downtown Omaha Visitors Center, located near the Old Market, provides bicycle rentals for adults and children.  Beginning May 29^th, “Yoga Rocks the Park” will take place at Midtown Crossing’s Turner Park on Sundays at 4p.m. The event will include live music and top notch yoga instruction from local and nationally-recognized teachers.  Camp Yoga Rocks, held only feet away, is for the little ones; and the best part…it’s all FREE!  But this is only one of the many options we have to keep our families active for the summer.

Whatever you choose make sure it is fun, interesting, active, and free! Enjoy this great city we live in and have a great summer!

Johnel Reber, NSCA-CPT

Fitness Specialist/Personal Trainer

Alegent Health Lakeside Wellness Center

High Trestle Trail

While I was traveling through Iowa a few weeks ago I listened to a news story on the radio about a new bike trail that was going to be opening up north of Des Moines. It has been under construction for the past eight years at a cost of over 14 million dollars. The highlight of the 25 mile trail was a ½ mile long bike bridge that crossed the Des Moines River.

As luck would have it, the following week I had a meeting in Boone Iowa, just a short distance away from the trailhead of the High Trestle Trail. The 150 mile drive from Omaha to the trailhead in Woodward only took 2 ½ hours. The trail from Woodward to Ankeny is completely paved and relatively flat. The trail replaced an old Union Pacific rail line.

The bridge is only a few miles from the Woodward trailhead and stands 13 stories above the river (See photo below).

The bike bridge is decorated with metal arches that give a bike rider a sense that they are traveling through a coal mining shaft. (See video below. CAUTION: This video may not be suitable for those with motion sensitivity).  

A strong rider can complete the 50 miles in less than 3 hours. The other communities along the way are Madrid, Slater, and Sheldahl. You certainly do not have to ride the complete trail, the great thing about an out and back route is that you can set your own distance.

I plan on returning soon, maybe during a full moon, I hear the bridge is lit up at night with blue LED

lights!

Enjoy the ride,

Mick McGuire

Alegent Health Lakeside Wellness Center

Body Training Systems Certified Group Ride Instructor

Check out the website @:

http://www.inhf.org/trails/high_trestle_trail/hightrestletrail.htm

Difficult, Difficult

In life, much like in exercise, we must challenge ourselves in order to grow.  Continuing to do reps with one pound dumbbells for years on end will never allow your biceps to grow.  Doing what comes easy is a sure-fire way to ensure mediocrity in every aspect of life.   In a recent article written by Geoff Thompson, the concept of “difficult, difficult” is addressed. 

Thompson writes, “Difficult easy is when you are on familiar terrain, no matter how hard the going.”  Further, Thompson explains “Difficult difficult doesn’t need to employ pretence because it is drowning and swimming for its life.”  Take a moment and apply these ideas to your last workout.  Think about the weight you used to perform your exercises, think about the selection and order of your exercise bout. 

After thinking about these things, how would you classify your workout?  Was it “difficult, difficult”?  Or did you stick to a familiar regimen and fall into the trap of “difficult, easy”?  I personally challenge you to find your “difficult, difficult” the next time you visit the wellness center.  For some this may be as simple as grabbing the next largest set of dumbbells off the rack and for others this may mean trying a new group exercise class.  Whatever “difficult, difficult” you face, find it, embrace it and conquer it!

Pushing you to achieve more,

Andrea Warren, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, ACSM-CET

Fitness Manager

Alegent Health Lakeside Wellness Center

The entire article written by Geoff Thompson can be found on Alywn Cosgrove’s blog at http://alwyncosgrove.com/2010/10/difficult-difficult-difficult-easy/