Competitor TX features Kathy Redden and her client Ryan Battle

This month, Competitor Texas magazine featured Kathy Redden and her client, Ryan Battle. The two won the Muddy Buddy co-ed Division last May - and even more importantly, Ryan won the "battle of the bulge". Article excerpts below. An inspiring story.

"The moment of truth arrived on a Saturday night. Getting dressed to take his wife out for a date, Ryan Battle bent over to tie his shoes. All that excess around his waist compressed against his chest, and as he recalls, "I found myself having difficulty breathing." His wife, Kim, had been gently nagging him to beat the Battle of the Bulge, even tugging at his sensitivities as a husband and father of two daughters. "If you're not caring for yourself, do you care about us?" she asked.....

For Battle, a 41-year old software engineer who lives in Austin - a guy who played college soccer at 165 lbs, but had since ballooned to 240 - that epiphany arrived when he mentally slapped himself in the face after tying his shoes. "Internally," says Battle, who is six feet tall, "I said enough's enough" The shoe moment arrived in August 2006. Six months later Battle was down to 190 lbs, where his weight has settled; though in the heat of the baking Texas summer he dropped to as low as 186. "

The article details his lifestyle changes, workouts, and how meeting Kathy Redden, Fitness Specialist as Pure Austin, helped him turn his health around. In his own words, "I just need someone to kick my ass", and Kathy did just that. Battle says, "She's the person most responsible for my weight loss." Kathy and Ryan meet three times a week, with weight resistance and core exercises. She also changes his routine almost daily.

More about Kathy and Ryan (and their Muddy Buddy victory) in this month's Competitor Texas, available for free throughout town and also at Pure Austin.

Small businesses explore the (cost) benefits of Fitness

From the New York Times, a group of small business owners in an economically-depressed area of Michigan are finding that it pays to invest in their the employee's health via fitness and wellness programs and benefits. Interesting, because this informal consortium of small business owners find it worth their time to get together personally and brainstorm ways to help their employees.

Interesting also - the article notes that several states (Maryland, New Hampshire, Rhode Island) have recently required health insurance companies to offer wellness benefits to small business employees.

In a competitive job climate, with nimble small and medium-sized businesses looking to keep their employees healthy, committed, and happy, providing health and wellness benefits on top of "insurance" is the way to go. Personally, I make sure I schedule myself so that I get a good workout in - I am so much more productive and happier that way.

Jack LaLanne says...

What does Jack LaLanne know about fitness? At 94, he has accumulated quite a bit of knowledge that he can back up. He looks great, and also is still "with it". In some snippets from his interviews in Outside Magazine and on Shareguide, he gives some of his philosophy for a long, healthy happy life. Among his suggestions --uh, exercise! Every day! Read more of Jack LaLanne interview here.

What is it about those headstands that is sooo good for you?

In the 70's my dad had this "inversion board". It kind of freaked me out, but my not-especially-new-agey father seemed to think it was worth a upside-down hang every couple of days. Apparently he was onto something, despite himself.

I find headstands really "change my perspective". Haha, get it? But they do. If I am in a solid funk that is caused by some repetitive thought that is not serving me any good, and I just can't seem to shake it, a few minutes on my head can really loosen some neurons (in a good way).

Do you know how many benefits headstands have?? A LOT! Natural News gave a laundry list of them. Among them, these five:

1) Natural 'face-lift'! Reverses gravity, brings fresh oxygen to the face, fresh blood helps eliminate toxins.
2) Thicker hair, fewer greys due to increase in blood supply to follicles and scalp. Nutrients to the noggin!
3) Hormone (and hence mood) regulation via blood flow to the hypothalamus and the pituitary glands. These master glands help regulate many of the other "glands" in the body. Happy glands = happier mood, better sex, healthier outlook.
4) Lymphatic circulation and drainage. Get that stuff moving, cleansed, circulating on out!
5) Let that blood that has been pooling in your feet and legs all day turn around and go back through your heart and get some fresh oxygen to it. Personally, I think this helps combat varicose veins as well!

There are a bunch of other benefits listed with our friends at Natural News.

Gotta go, time to stand on my head!

Try Virtual Biking with the Expresso Bike

The Expresso Bikes are located in the "main" cardio area at Town Lake. These new bikes are pretty darn cool. You can pick a "course" and enjoy the visual "virtual" biking video while you sweat. You interact with the riders on the screen, you can set a pace rider, select music tracks, and ride with or compete against other riders on a network. The handlebars even move!? Check out this review and video. Or just come in and check them out. We would love your feedback. Email infoTL@pureaustin.com and let us know what you think!

Support Mountain Biking Singletrack at Big Bend!

Did you know that 95% of land in Texas privately held? This makes us the state with the lowest percentage of public lands in the US. But we do have some beautiful public land, like the treasure of Big Bend National Park. What an amazing place to visit! Right now, there is open public comment about the creation of a mixed-use singletrack trail for mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians in Big Bend. Are you interested in commenting? The International Mountain Bike Association supports the creation of this trail, which is proposed to be constructed using best-practices techniques, in conjunction with National Park Service and with what seems to be great cognizance of environmental impacts. Read for yourself, and if you are interested, please comment. The addition of well-designed, minimal impact singletrack to Big Bend sounds like one more great place to enjoy the fall in Texas.

Salut! to the Pure Athlete

This weekend was quite the weekend for events in Austin; most noteworthy were the Nike+Human 10k run and the Austin Triathlon. Congratulations to all those who took part in these significant events! You rock! Salut!

Myself, I did not get a chance to participate in these events. Having just had a baby, time seems short, and circumstances did not coordinate just right to get me there, let alone train. I got the local race reports second-hand, not necessarily the easiest to swallow for an often competitive person missing the game. While driving to my favorite run spot Sunday morning, I had to make great effort to not swipe the car next to me while I rubber-necked by the race course, then had 5 hot miles to reflect on the nature of the athletic beast.

So, I want to also offer a "yah!" to every other athlete out there with me this morning. "What's up!" to all the other moms, dads, grandmoms and dads, singles, doubles, and every others (plus dogs) who I saw out running, walking, strolling, skipping or jumping out there in the heat, just because. It might not have been sexy or our PR but we were out there, and that is a billion times better than not being out there, every time.

"All right!!!" to the person driving the car pulling out of the blind corner that took the time to look both ways, then back again one more time, and thus paused when a cyclist came screaming down the road. I could only imagine that you too have been on a bike in that situation, and so you knew to look that extra time. Phew. Thank you.

"Rockin!" to the man I saw circling for a parking spot at Whole Foods and then found one farthest away from the store, but emerged from your car unflustered and fine, knowing that the extra 100 feet wasn't only going to not kill you, it might actually be better that way.

"Right on, man" to the guy who I passed running up a hill, who nodded and smiled, rather than speeding up and looking annoyed. We both know it was probably your long run, in a series of long runs, and I was just banging out 5 miles at a faster pace. We were both doing great, we were both out there. We rock!

"Wow, I had no idea" to every parent, person who works long tough hours, or anyone else with numerous obligations who still makes it out to do something for your physical health every day. Small steps over time create big results. Every time makes a difference, even if it's a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood after work, or taking the stroller for a second or third loop that day (even if it's the same, becoming mind-numbing, loop). You can always download some interesting podcasts and learn something new.

"Hey, Austin, right on!" The Free Day of Yoga in Austin on Labor Day is such a great Austin-phenomena. I went to a class that had 52 people in it! I love the Austin yoga culture. Namaste, brothers and sisters!

"Thanks, dude" to every boss (like my own) who understands when you are going to be late because the baby was upset or that you need to take some extra time at lunch so you can go for a run. Thanks because I can pass that vibe on, I get to tell my husband it's not a big deal when he wants to add an hour on to his ride, or I can make sure my nanny gets out in time to make yoga class. It's really cool to be able to pass it on.

Hey, so, salut to all the athletes out there. Everybody who made the time to honor their body and health and life, and everyone else who honors that commitment by supporting it. That's the backbone of what I consider a Pure Athlete.