In the loopy world of blogs, this is the first post you'll see. For us, it's the last.

From the time this blog launched with several contributors, it has always been in a bit of a gerrymandered space between the sports and health worlds, with some transportation and food thrown in.

We've lost some voices in the year since then, so it's with some relief that those of us still active move to Picture of Health this month. We hope you'll come with us so we won't have to miss you.

It's been fun. Thanks for all the comments!

Photo credit: Getty Images

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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At the Columbia Swim Center pool in Wilde Lake, members of People Acting Together in Howard, from left: Amy Lamke; her daughter Katlin Lamke; Anne Gould of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia; Safiyah Blake of the Dar Al Taqwa mosque' Cynthia Marshall, lead organizer; Shehlla Khan and her daughter, Zaineb Khan, 3, of the Dar Al Taqwa mosque. They advocated for the Columbia Association to offer private swim times for women twice a week. Women's swim time will be offered during a trial period at this pool through the first week of January.

Continue reading "Columbia Association to hold woman-only swim times" >>

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Swimming
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From the AP: NEW YORK — Michael Phelps says he has started training earlier than at any time since 2007, before his record-setting Beijing Olympics. The 16-time medalist says "there's a lot more drive inside of me" after the motivation hasn't always been there the last three years. Phelps says he has been back in the pool for six weeks. He says he's confident he can get into peak shape to achieve his goals at his last Olympics in London next year. Phelps (above) was in Manhattan on Tuesday to run and swim with eight-time Winter Games medalist Apolo Anton Ohno, who's training for the New York City Marathon for shared sponsor Subway. Reuters photo

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Running, Swimming
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Labor day weekend has passed, but our cool day beach activities contest continues.

Submit your suggestion -- something to do at the beach when it's too cold to swim. Any submissions get you a randomized chance to win a Speedminton set.

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Swimming
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Here are five beach ideas for cool, post-Labor-Day weather. Add yours for a chance to win a specially modified badminton set.

>>> Go fly a kite. The Maryland International Kite Expo is in the spring, but kites are functional in any season. The adventurous can try variations, such as kitecarting. Either way, flying a large kite can be excellent full-body exercise.

>>> Go be a kite. I learned about skatesailing from my dad. This one is winter-specific, since it requires a solidly frozen surface. Don't be dumb -- the usual rules for skating apply. Come to think of it, it's probably safer in general just to ice skate. That will still give you a good workout.

Continue reading "Labor Day contest: What do you do on a cold day at the beach?" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: General Fitness, Outdoors, Swimming, Weekend
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I'm now swimming regularly for the first time in years, and that has lead to some awkward re-acclamation.

For example, I yesterday had my first attempt at shared-lane lap swims, and I'm afraid I failed a pretty basic test.

Continue reading "Pool gaffes" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Swimming
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A new triathlon is in the offing for May 14 in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. It’s the inaugural TriRock Annapolis Sprint Triathlon.

The event will start with a swim in the Annapolis Harbor, followed by a 12.4-mile bike ride that will end at the foot of City Dock.

A 5K run, the last leg, will loop through city streets. Organizers expect the event to attract about 1,500 to 1,800 participants and as many as 2,000 spectators. Start time is expected to be at 7 a.m. and city officials say the breakdown of portable facilities should be done by around 5 p.m.

For event information and more, click here.

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Just as another cold and icy day this week left me with no inspiration to head for the gym, inspiration arrived. The AARP magazine -- yes, the one from the organization for people age 50 and up -- has a piece about the benefits of exercising as we age.

The article includes a fair share of aging medalists who train and still compete. But beyond that, it points to studies of adults who exercise -- and that can be running, playing tennis, swimming, anything that's physical activity. Those show that some of what we've come to think of as inevitable debilitating effects of aging aren't all wrapped up in growing older.

Studies that compared sedentary adults to those who exercised showed that being a couch potato apparently is a huge risk factor for declines in strength, endurance, aerobic capacity and muscle mass in people approaching middle age and beyond.
The people who were fit -- not surprisingly, their aerobic capacity had declined by half as much as in the sedentary middle agers.

For me, that's inspiration to watch tv while I'm on the elliptical instead of on the couch.

To read the article, click here

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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This is me walking from car to gym: I dig into a jacket pocket and pull out my earbuds, and if I'm lucky, only a grocery receipt, pen and parking pass tangled in the wires fall out in the parking lot.

Walking the dog, I have so much stuff in my pockets and hands that I wish fanny packs would make a comeback.

So when the Go Caddy arrived in Exercists-land, I took this thin little lightweight tote with pockets and water bottle holder for a test run.

It's the creation of a Florida woman who found regular gym bags too big, but without one, she got her exercise bending down in her Y's parking lot to retrieve everything she dropped.

My take: It's roomy enough for my gym needs. With keys, tissues and cell phone inside, the rubber-backed microfiber squashes small enough to fit in the junk bin of the treadmill -- or, with water bottle, stand in it. A small towel will fit inside.

It's also good for a walking the dog. Multiple compartments let me organize plastic bags, letters, cell, etc. and sling it over my shoulder. That would probably translate to short easy hikes. I like the security of a Velcro-close pocket, though I could go for a zipper on the pouch. I don't need the key clip.

A nod to the water bottle sleeve -- removable so the inside of the bag doesn't stay damp and gross. It's about $20 at the Go Caddy site and other retailers including Amazon.com

We've all found special fitness and sports accessories that we've come to rely on. Tell us about yours and we'll toss your name in the Go Caddy for a chance to win it.

Continue reading "Product Review: Win a small tote for gym, sports" »

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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Back when I first started swim lessons, I worried that I wouldn't be able to find a swim cap that could contain my hair. Turns out that my worries were well-founded.

On the days I do wear a swim cap, I spend so much time tugging it to keep it in place and not have it snap off my head that it's a big-time distraction. When I don't wear one, my hair starts to feel like hay, even after using the shampoo and conditioner made for swimmers.

Does anyone have any ideas, or swim cap suggestions? I'm starting to think I may just have to get a major hair cut. 

I also ADORE this Speedo swim cap pictured on the left (from Speedo.com) but somehow, I don't think it would work for me.

Posted by Anica Butler at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
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For the third year in a row, Fort Meade is rolling out Dump Your Plump after the holidays. A free exercise program of about eight weeks, it's got mandatory weigh-ins, is modeled on TV's "Biggest Loser" show, and has a fitness and wellness focus.

It's open to variety of people with a Ft. Meade connection, including contractors. While individuals can sign up, the focus is on the team approach. Nobody wants to be person dragging down the team down.

"You don't need so much internal motivation. You've got external motivation," Scott Myers, chief of community recreation, told me.

In its first year, the program had 112 participants. Last year, it had 260. And Myers said many more are expected to sign on for the January 2011 program.

Last year, the top four-person team, Fat Fire 4, dumped 123 lbs.

Myers said anyone trying to start a fitness program after the holiday binge or just starting up shouldn't jump-start it with weights that are too heavy and with tiring runs.

His tips:

1. Walk. Set a comfortable pace. Outdoors is nice, but don't use winter weather as an excuse to plop down on the couch. Indoors is fine -- gym, mall, wherever you're comfortable. 45 minutes a few times a week is an excellent start.

2. If you go to a gym, try recumbent bikes and cross-trainers. Swim. Low-impact exercises are good.

3. Don't feel pressured because the guy on the next treadmill runs at 6 mph. Go at your own pace.

4. Have a team, or group that you exercise with. It's more fun. And nobody wants to disappoint the team.

Information on Dump Your Plump: ftmeademwr.com

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Where's your go-to place for a long run? What's the area's best-equipped gym, most accessible swimming facility, hottest new exercise class?

We're hoping that over the next 10 weeks, you can help us figure out the answers to those questions and more. 

Next week, we'll launch 10 weeks of fitness Top 10s. We'll list a topic, take your suggestions, add some ideas of our own, and compile them into lists. 

We're tentatively thinking of listing places for running, biking swimming and doing yoga. But we're also considering top recreation sports (and leagues), places to hike, best non-traditional fitness, best classes.

If you're got some ideas for a top 10, or if there's anything you'd like to see, let us know! 

Posted by Anica Butler at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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I can't remember exactly how it came up, but some time ago, Jerry, our resident cyclist, Leeann, my swimming mentor, and I started talking about doing a triathlon. Wouldn't it be fun to stretch ourselves and try to get better in sports that we don't think of as our "main" sport? 

Well, the day of reckoning is upon us. Today, Jerry, Leeann, Patrick and I are planning to sign up for Columbia's Celebration sprint triathlon. 

I can't speak for the whole crew, but for me, this will be my first triathlon, and I realize I may be in over my head. (I just started taking swim lessons two weeks ago!) But it's fun to have a goal to work toward.

Often, during the winter, I feel myself losing much of the fitness gains I've made during the summer and fall. It's easy to hibernate, eat too much, and cut back on working out. Even though the triathlon isn't until June 2011, I'm hoping that just knowing I have such a daunting event coming up will keep me motivated during the colder months. It'll keep me in the pool, that's for sure!

So, at some point early next spring, expect us to blog about our training, and of course, about the event itself. We're kicking around some ideas to include readers in our training. If you have any ideas let us know!

Posted by Anica Butler at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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A study published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that my penchant for exercise may have a lot to do with me making it to work on a daily basis.

Dr. David Nieman, a professor in the College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University, says, "Exercise is probably the most powerful thing you can do to reduce your sick days this winter.”

According to a news release from ASU, Nieman and his colleagues have spent more than 20 years studying the effects of exercise, diet, weight, gender and education levels on one's health. Regular exercise was shown to have the greatest influence.

Posted by Jerry Jackson at 7:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Bicycling, Media, Running, Swimming, Walking
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Now that I have accomplished my summer/fall goal of running the Baltimore half marathon, I figure it's the right time to tackle another longtime ambition -- learning to swim.

I know that there are other grown-ups who can't swim, but it's a been a point of embarrassment for me in recent years. And lacking the ability to propel myself in the water, or even stay afloat, has kept me from pursuing some other activities that I've long been interested in. Like venturing into water deeper than my knees when I go to the beach. Rowing and kayaking. And perhaps, maybe even training for a triathlon!

My lessons start Saturday, and I'm both nervous and excited.

What if I drown? What if I can't master rotary breathing? What if I find out I'm just too terrified of the water?

But more practically, what if I can't find a swim cap that can hold all my hair?

Posted by Anica Butler at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Swimming
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