News:
May 15, 2013
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New Clinics Announced!
New clinics have been announced to celebrate Ballard Health Club’s 15th Anniversary! No sign up is required, so feel free to show up to any of the clinics!
Ballard Health Club Clinics
Healthy Eating Basics
Having trouble with your diet or feel like you’re in a rut? Not sure what to eat, when to eat, or how much you should be eating? Learn the essentials to get your diet on track, and maintain it, as well as how to boost your metabolism and eat to support an active lifestyle.
Sunday, May 19th at 7:00pm with Genevieve
Tuesday, May 21st at 3:00pm with Courtney
Training to Support Outdoor Activities
Make your workout specific and get in shape for all the fun in the sun you’ll be having come summer! Learn all about cross training and why it’s important.
Monday, May 20th at 2:45pm with Aeron
Wednesday, May 22nd at 3:00pm with Aeron
Importance of Periodization
Periodization is the process of structuring training into phases. There are six basic training phases that may be utilized during a yearly training cycle. Learn more about periodization and why it is an important part of your workout routine in this workshop.
Sunday, May 26th at 11:30am with Jade
Kettlebells
Kettlebells are cast-iron weights resembling a cannonball with a handle, used to perform basic ballistic exercises that combine cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training. Learn the basics, benefits and proper technique in this workshop!
Sunday, May 26th at 6:45pm with Genevieve
Tuesday, May 28th at 10:30am with Allison
Intro to High Intensity Interval Training
High Intensity Interval Training is an exercise strategy which alternated periods of short, intense anaerobic exercise with less-intense recovery periods. Also known as HIIT, it is a form of cardiovascular exercise and a great aid in weight loss. We promise it is not as intimidating as it may sound! Check out this workshop to learn more.
Tuesday, June 4th at 10:30am with Allison
Plyometrics
Plyometrics training is explosive, high-intensity exercise which increases strength and power. Learn the fundamentals of this excellent method for increasing athletic performance.
Monday, June 3rd at 6:00am with Matt
Stretching
Flexibility and mobility are key to maintaining and improving upon an active lifestyle. Learn stretching techniques to aid in your long-term wellness and fitness success.
Tuesday, June 4th at 3:00pm with Stuart
Sunday, June 2nd at 6:45pm with Courtney
May 4, 2013
New Trainer!
Help us welcome Stuart Hamilton as a new trainer on board at the Ballard Health Club!
Stuart Hamilton
Stuart has been passionate about exercising ever since his uncle introduced him to the fun of fitness at the young age of 4. His goal is to share his passion and knowledge of exercise and fitness with others. As a fitness trainer, his mission is to help people not only improve their health, but to have fun while doing it.
Stuart played sports as a child and teenager, and has practiced and taught martial arts for over 35 years. He began practicing yoga over 25 years ago and has been an avid weight lifter most of his life. He is a former high school physical education teacher and is currently an adjunct faculty member in the physical education department at Seattle Pacific University. Stuart’s experience with painful arthritis motivated him to become a trainer so that he could help others find ways to be active even in spite of physical limitations.
Stuart holds an M.S. in Physical Education and is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). He also has a Corrective Exercise Strategy certification (NASM). When he isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his family, and herding sheep with his Border Collie.
May 1, 2013
Justin’s Anniversary Letter to Members
Dear BHC Members,
As I was finishing up my Personal Trainer certification back in 2000, I had a sudden uncomfortable realization: I realized that I didn’t want to become a personal trainer. Don’t get me wrong, I had put a lot of work into completing this certification because I genuinely wanted to help people achieve their health and fitness goals, but it was starting to sink in that the reality of being a personal trainer was that I’d be spending most of my time having to up-sell training packages and figuring out how to get clients to be completely dependent on me, so they’d be stuck buying package after package. And that just wasn’t me. I wished that there was a place where I could just help people, to give them what they wanted and needed – to empower them, instead of always having to sell them something.
And right as I was wrestling with this, my wife came across an ad for this little gym in Ballard that was hiring. And amidst my trepidation I thought “well at least they seem like a little family business – I should just stop by and talk to them, see what they’re about”.
And I am so glad I did. At BHC I discovered a wonderful group of people committed to bringing real value to their community. They had created the very place I had imagined – a place focused on helping people – a place where once you become a member that’s it – you’re never hassled to buy more stuff – from the moment you join, it just feels like you’re part of the family. And my job as a trainer in this amazing place was just to help people – never to push packages or supplements – just to use my knowledge to help each and every person as much as I could.
I felt like I was home.
And as much as my life has changed over the years, BHC has continued to feel like home. And now that I’m the General Manager, I have a great opportunity to continue building the legacy I fell in love with all those years ago. Since I began running the club, we’ve made a lot of changes. We’ve worked very hard to continue to make this place as vibrant and relevant as it can be, and to serve our members as well as we possibly can.
But one thing we didn’t change – wouldn’t change – won’t ever change, is the core of who we are.
This May we celebrate 15 years of serving our members. From the very beginning we made the conscious decision not to follow the standard gym model of using gimmicks and deals and over-the-top advertising to get customers, but instead to live and die by word of mouth – to deliver real value, and to trust that if we do right by our members, they will naturally tell their friends and families about us. That was a risky direction to try, but it worked. And it continues to work, because we continue to stay focused on one thing: doing our utmost to support each other as we move toward ever-increasing health and fitness.
So please join me in celebrating the community and this amazing place we all create! Take a class, jump into The Challenge, say hello, write an online review.
Thank you. And here’s to 15 more years together!
New Clinics Coming to BHC in May
In honor of Ballard Health Club’s 15th Anniversary this May, we will be holding a number of clinics on the following topics. Keep an eye out for the schedule to announced soon!
- Warming up / Cooling Down
- Foam Rolling / Trigger Point
- Healthy Eating Basics
- Training to Support Outdoor Activities
- Importance of Periodization
- Kettlebells
- Intro to High Intensity Interval Training
- Plyometrics
- Methods of Stretching
Ballard Parade – Volunteers Needed!
Ballard Health Club is participating in this year’s Ballard Parade celebration!
We welcome you to join in all the fun with us. It’s a family event that drew a crowd of 20,000 last year. Please help make this a memorable event for everyone.
Volunteer Opportunities:
- Yogis– to walk with us and do simple poses when the parade pauses.
- Boot campers– to walk with us and do simple boot camp exercises.
- Banner holders– to walk up front and hold our banner.
- Candy throwers– to hand out sweet treats.
- A Muscle man/woman– to wear a muscle suit, walk along and wave!
- Sound system person- to pull sound system along in a red wagon.
- Photographer- we want to get some good photos, especially at the end of parade.
The parade starts at 6pm and volunteers are needed at least an hour beforehand. Children are welcome to walk along with us. All participants will have to sign waivers by the parade organization.
Please join us, this is going to be FUN!!!! Ask for more information or sign up at the front desk!
April 2, 2013
Restorative Yoga with Live Music and Kirtan
Restorative Yoga with Live Music and Kirtan
Saturday, April 27th 1-3pm
Come join the Lundsgaards at Ballard Health Club for a 2 hour Restorative Yoga practice with live music and kirtan. Restorative yoga is a practice in which the poses are completely supported by props, thus releasing the body to rest in them for longer periods to receive deeper benefits derived from the poses, and encouraging the body’s innate healing. Restorative poses can be powerfully beneficial to bring about awareness of muscular and respiratory holding patterns.
Kirtan works with sound vibration. Sound has an amazing healing affect on the nervous system, mind and heart. All types of energy and sound have one common factor: vibration. Science confirms that all matter vibrates. The definition of music is sound vibration in rhythm and time. When we chant, we raise and align our own energy vibration to the vibration of the chant.
The combination of these two practices will leave you feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and renewed.
-Free to members.-
$10.00 drop in fee applies to non-members.
Please arrive 15 mins. early.
The gym has a good supply of props, but if you have your own you would like to use, please bring them along!
April 1, 2013
Clinics for Spring Fitness Challenge Announced!
Based on member input, the Ballard Health Club staff has come up with several weeks of specific clinics that are geared towards you reaching your goals for the Spring into Fitness Challenge!
Below are the clinics the staff will be holding. Be sure to drop in and sign up before the clinics begin April 7th!
Goal Setting
This clinic will offer assistance and guidance in managing and obtaining goals. We will talk about the process of goal setting, with tips and ideas for smaller tasks that may help you be more successful in reaching your ultimate goal.
This clinic may be helpful if you:
-Don’t have a goal.
-Have several goals and want help prioritizing or nailing one down.
-Are curious and/or want to know more about goal setting.
Date & Time:
Sunday April 7th: 12:30 p.m. with Jade & 4:00 p.m. with Genevieve
Monday April 8th: 6:15 a.m. with Allison
Tuesday April 9th: 3:00 p.m. with Justin
Weight Loss
In this clinic, we’ll delve into the principles of sustainable fat loss, how to make sure your diet and exercise not only support your current fat loss efforts, but also make it more likely that you’ll keep the weight off once you reach your goals.
Date & Time:
Monday April 8th: 3:00 p.m. with Justin
Tuesday April 9th: 7:45 a.m. with Allison
Friday April 12th: 4:00 p.m. with Genevieve
Saturday April 13th: 1:00 p.m. with Justin
Sunday April 14th: 12:00 p.m. with Justin
Tuesday April 16th: 10:30 a.m. with Matt
Wednesday April 17th: 4:00 p.m. with Genevieve
Thursday April 18th: 3:00 p.m. with Genevieve
Friday April 19th: 7:00 a.m. with Matt
Saturday April 20th: 5:45 p.m. with Genevieve
Sunday April 21st: 2:00 p.m. with Courtney
Strength Training
We will provide a base in strength training, touching on repetitions, rest time, and basic nutrition to sustain lean muscle. There are various special focuses in this category so keep your eye out for which ones we will be teaching on! Special focuses include core strength, functional movement, kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells, weighted machines and Olympic lifting.
Date & Time:
Wednesday April 10th: 3:00 p.m. Functional Movement w. Free weights with Jade
Wednesday April 11th: 8:30 p.m. Core with Genevieve
Thursday April 11th: 4:00 p.m. Functional Movement w. Kettlebells with Genevieve
Friday April 12th: 7:00 a.m. Barbells & Olympic Lifts with Matt
Saturday April 13th: 3:00 p.m. Core with Aeron
Sunday April 14th: 3:00 p.m. Core with Aeron
Monday April 15th: 12:30 p.m. Barbells, Dumbbells, & Weighted Machines with Matt
Monday April 15th: 3:00 p.m. Core with Genevieve
Tuesday April 16th: 7:45 a.m. Core with Matt
Tuesday April 16th: 3:00 p.m. Upper Body with Courtney
Tuesday April 16th: 8:30 p.m. Functional Movement w. Free Weights with Courtney
Wednesday April 17th: 12:30 p.m. Lower Body with Matt
Thursday April 18th: 8:30 p.m. Functional Movement w. Kettlebells with Genevieve
Friday April 19th: 4:30 p.m. Functional Movement w. Free Weights with Courtney
Saturday April 20th: 2:00 p.m. Core with Courtney
Sunday April 21st: 6:45 p.m. Basics with Genevieve
Running/Walking
Whether you want to get outdoors more in general or have a race planned, these clinics will talk about the basics of running and walking, including injury prevention, gear, shoes and uphill/downhill technique. Special focuses in this category include running form, speed, and the barefoot movement.
Date & Time:
Saturday April 13th: 2:00 p.m. with Allison
Sunday April 14th: 2:00 p.m. with Allison
Tuesday April 16th: 8:30 a.m. with Allison
Saturday April 20th: 4:30 p.m. with Courtney
Hiking/Trail Running
Getting in shape for summer! Learn the basics in building your body a good base for being on the trails. Some things you can expect to learn about include safety, gear/shoes, hydration, fueling, injury prevention and terrain techniques.
Date & Time:
Monday April 15th: 6:30 a.m. Basics with Allison
Saturday April 20th: 1:30 p.m. Speed with Allison
Sunday April 21st: 11:30 a.m. Hiking with Jade
March 19, 2013
Aeron’s New-ish Class!
New-ish Class!
***We’ve changed back to the one hour format***
Functional Strength Training (FST) with Aeron Tuesday mornings 6:30-7:30 am.
Improve your core strength, daily functional movements and athletic performance by engaging in body-weight exercises, athletic drills and weighted exercises using dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells and medicine balls.
Think about all we do with our bodies and that’s what we do in class – running, sprinting, jumping, twisting, pulling, pushing, lifting, carrying, squatting, lunging, leaping and balancing using a variety of methods to manipulate intensity – AMRAP, Tabata, HIIT, Tri-sets, Supersets, Pyramids, Circuits and more!
March 18, 2013
Spring Into Fitness Challenge
Please join us for our 2013
Spring Into Fitness Challenge!
What is it?
This is an opportunity for you to decide what your most important fitness goals are, and then to focus in on them for 8 weeks, while being supported by the Ballard Health Club community.
How does it work?
Simple! We’ll help you define your ultimate goal(s), then set up weekly tasks that will help you meet those goals. For every week that you complete your tasks, you’ll receive a Gold Star to put up on our Challenge Progress Board. You can put your name on the board, or you can be anonymous—use a nickname or something that you’ll recognize—whatever you like. Fun prizes will be awarded at the end of the challenge!
How will I be supported?
- The BHC Community— each person will be working on their own individualized goals, but your fellow health club members will be facing many of the same challenges you are, so getting to see everyone’s progress—that we’re all in this together—will boost motivation and help us all to stay on track to reach our health and fitness goals!
- Various Clinics—based on your input, our training staff will host clinics to help you define goals and put them into action!
- Training Appointments—schedule an appointment with a trainer! This can be an hour of undivided attention working towards your goals or discussing an action plan.
- Our Certified Fitness Staff—not only will our staff be completing the challenge right alongside you, but the BHC staff is more than happy to answer any questions as well as help you come up with ideas!
When does it begin?
The challenge will officially begin Monday, April 8th, but leading up to the launch you’ll start to see info about how to get rolling–so keep an eye out!
What do I do to get started?
To help us decide which clinics to hold, we have a small form for you to fill out at the club. Next time you’re in, please fill it out and drop it in the box provided. Feel free to speak with the staff about your ideas and goals and stay tuned for what is next to come!
*What do YOU want to accomplish?*