The Fit Parade
50 ways to have fun and stay fit
By Roger Brooks, Courtney Nash, Jim Gullo, Meri-Jo Borzilleri, and Jessica VoelkerWith contribution from Jena Vuylsteke, Erin Pursell, Laura Peach, Lee Fehrenbacher, Stefan Durham, and Bill Thorness
31 | Race Around the Sound
Street Scramble
Gear required Comfortable shoes.
Vanity value Barhopping is a blast, but scrambles are a calorie-free way to learn Seattle nabes.
In Street Scrambles—outdoor urban orienteering events—teams race against the clock to find as many as 30 locations scattered on a map. Parents with kids can work on the easier targets, while adventurous families and athletes in training—runners, adventure racers—cover as much terrain as possible. There are 10 events staged across the Puget Sound region, and many orienteers use them to prepare for the ultimate Scramble event: the Night and Day Challenge, a 16-hour test of stamina and skill held every summer in Seattle and San Francisco.
Street Scrambles, streetscramble.com
“You don’t have to be the fittest person to do the scrambles. If you’re able to read a map and be strategic, you can be competitive.” —Ann Davis, Kent
32 | Run in a Pack
Runners’ Club
Gear required Good running shoes, moisture-wicking clothing, reflective vest or headlamp.
Vanity value Earn props from strolling sightseers as you blow by them on the trails.
Since 1980, Kirkland’s Eastside Runners have been working their legs and lungs into marathon shape on group runs that are as social as they are physical. The club offers a number of weekly jaunts including the popular Thursday-night run (starts at Bridle Trails New York Pizza at 6pm sharp). New runners are always escorted, so don’t worry about winding up in the middle of I-405 traffic (or at the wrong pizza place for postworkout beer and slices). Club vets encourage new runners to bring a change of clothes for the carbo load.
Eastside Runners, eastsiderunners.com
33 | Get Up, Get Down
Cycling Bainbridge Island
Gear required Road bike, helmet, breakdown kit, layered clothing, water, snacks.
Vanity value Bainbridge’s hills turn jelly legs to marble.
The 33-mile “Chilly Hilly” loop on Bainbridge will take you up and down the island’s 3,000-foot elevation along quiet, rural roads with little traffic accompanied by amazing views of Seattle’s skyline and the Olympics and Cascades. There’s a new cycling map at the ferry dock visitor kiosk, and weekend group rides start from the two nearby bike shops in downtown Winslow. About a dozen miles from town and across from the Kane Pioneer Cemetery, look for the nesting herons in their treetop rookery.
Bainbridge Island Cycle Shop, 162 Bejune Dr SE, Bainbridge Island, 206-842-6413; www.b-i-cycle.com.
Classic Cycle, 310 Winslow Way NE, Bainbridge Island, 206-842-9191; classiccycleus.com
Find maps of the island at ci.bainbridge-isl.wa.us
34 | Drop and Give Him 20
Boot-Camp-Style Training
Gear required Running shoes, comfortable workout clothing.
Vanity value Get the body of a soldier without the barracks and MREs.
Workout shirkers will shape up big-time when faced with Mike Lawson as drill sergeant. The former NATO commando runs a boot-camp-style fitness class through Sound Mind and Body Gym two to four times a week, depending on the season. Lawson barks orders while smiling out of the corners of his eyes, willing his squadron of students to endure his military-influenced exercise regimen. Your fellow sufferers are a friendly group—many compare sore muscles after class at local watering holes (just don’t tell Lawson about those beer- and French-fry sessions).
Sound Mind and Body Gym, 437 N 34th St, Fremont, 206-547-3470; smbgym.com
35 | Ring Your Bell
Kettlebell Lifting
Gear required Comfortable clothing.
Vanity value Training like Rocky (and not looking like him) is a good thing.
Ditch the dumbbells and pick up one of CrossFit Seattle’s 50 kettlebells. Patterned after old-school Russian workouts, the classes use the original cannonball-like weights to drastically increase muscle mass, stabilize the core, and properly align the spine. Experienced kettlebellers elegantly lift and swing the weights in a display that looks more like performance art than a workout. Before you can get there, though, take kettlebell-certified trainer Fran Mason’s beginner class. You’ll learn the basics, including avoiding bruises and how to design a workout that’s right for you.
CrossFit Seattle, 4350 Leary Way NW, Fremont, 206-992-7360; crossfitseattle.com
“There’s a lot you can do with that one kettlebell. It really forces you to stabilize your core.” —Jackson Wang, Magnolia
36 | Train Like a Millionaire
Functional Training
Gear required Cross-trainers, loose-fitting clothing.
Vanity value Compare your workouts to the likes of
Brett Favre.
Star athletes from Mia Hamm to Adrian Peterson, Brady Quinn to Curt Schilling rely on functional training as a key element of their workouts. Focusing on stability, mobility, and flexibility, functional training preaches a total-body approach to increase efficiency and eliminate wasted movements. Weekend warriors can now train like elite athletes at Redmond’s Pro Sports Club, where classes and cutting-edge fitness machines (including vibration platforms and resistance training equipment) combine with instruction from personal trainers. Unfortunately, they can’t teach you to throw a perfect spiral.
Pro Sports Club, 9911 Willows Rd, Bldg D, Redmond, 425-869-4760; proclub.com
37 | Walk on (Frozen) Water
Snowshoeing
Gear required Snowshoes, waterproof boots and shells, layered clothing, food, water, map, compass, and first-aid and emergency kits.
Vanity value Afraid of heights? Earn that brandy back at the lodge without having to set foot on the slopes.
Turn fair-weather hiking habits into a year-round calorie killer. Snowshoeing can burn at least 45 percent more calories than walking or running at the same speed, and the scenery trumps watching TV on a gym treadmill. Anyone who can walk a few miles can participate, and those seeking more of a challenge can amp up the pace or seek deeper snow. Get started at Stevens Pass, where guides provide the shoes and the know-how, not to mention intimate knowledge of the local terrain and winter wildlife.
Stevens Pass, 206-812-4510; stevenspass.com
38 | Join the Circus
Acrobatics and Gymnastics
Gear required Comfortable clothing.
Vanity value Offers a snappy comeback the next time you’re told you look like a
circus freak.
Finding time to exercise can be a delicate balancing act, but the infectious atmosphere at the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts is as irresistible as cotton candy under the big top. Try the teen and adult circus class for an introduction to acrobatics, tumbling, tightrope walking, juggling, and more—just watch out for cofounder Chuck Johnson’s notoriously bad jokes (every class needs a clown, this time it’s the instructor). As you balance on a wire or learn how to backflip, you can revel in the school’s community-focused nonprofit status too.
School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts, 674 S Orcas St, Georgetown, 206-652-4433; astort.com
39 | Visit Brazil on the Hill
Capoeira
Gear required Comfortable clothing.
Vanity value You’ll become a buff Brazilian-culture buff.
If you’re curious about self-defense, dance, drumming, and singing, capoeira delivers it all—not to mention gives a vigorous workout—in one vibrant, culture-saturated class. The Capitol Hill–based Grupo Axé practices a newer, more acrobatic style of the Brazilian martial art, but there’s no need to be intimidated by the headstands, cartwheels, and high kicks—the group will gladly slow things down for beginners. Make sure to stay for the roda, when trainees sing, clap, and practice their fighting moves to traditional Brazilian musical instruments. Kids are welcome on Saturdays, making for a playful family day.
Grupo Axé, 340 15th Ave E, Capitol Hill, axeseattle.com
“When people are doing capoeira, everyone is making it their own. you really see the personalities come out in the movements.”
—Neil Carter, Capitol Hill
40 | Harness the Wind
Kiteboarding
Gear required Kiteboard, kite, harness, wet suit.
Vanity value The beach bunnies at Golden Gardens will gawk at your airborne agility.
Off Golden Gardens on a windy day, the kiteboarders bob and weave in seemingly effortless acrobatic displays. But they don’t just hang in a harness all day, letting the wind do the work. Seattle Kiteboarding Center offers lessons to help you master the basics, and before long you can sail your kite, building upper-body, core, and hamstring strength. Progressing to aerial jumps and flips not only provides an adrenaline jolt, it gets your heart rate up.
Seattle Kiteboarding Center, 1016 14th St, Everett, 206-779-3272; gokiting.com
Published: March 2008
