Want a watch that trains with you?

This Thursday, the 20th Fleet Feet Sports will hold two clinics for our Garmin line of GPS watches. These clinics are designed to help those without Garmin products understand their significance in helping athletes train to those WITH Garmin products understand all the great features and use them to their fullest.Our first clinic from 7-8pm is the Garmin 310XT. The 310XT is the ONLY fully waterproof GPS unit offered by Garmin and is the triathlete’s dream.

The 310XT tracks bike and road miles and sends them wirelessly to your computer. Tracking distance, pace and optional heart rate , the 310XT goes effortlessly from bike to wrist for easy transitions. The 310XT has the longest battery life, 20 hours, and is waterproof up to 50 feet, so this watch not only looks good but stands up to the workouts for everything from a Sprint to Ironman. Take advantage of a $50 rebate on the 310XT now through 8/1/10!

From 8-9pm, we’ll showcase the Garmin 405 & 405CX Forerunner. Each run is unique, that’s why the Forerunner 405 can log those miles with you, recording date, time, distance, pace and optional heart rate. Data is send to your computer when in range and stored to help track your training progress. Don’t have a running partner? Use the Forerunner’s Virtual Partner with your stored data and race against yourself for improved performance and time! The 405CX offers calorie tracking and comes with a softband for those that prefer a snugger fit. The 405 and 405CX are sleek and comfortable with a bezel design making looking at and adding data easy. Take advantage of a $50 rebate on the 405 units, now through 5/31/10!

RSVP for either clinic at http://www.fleetfeetwinston-salem.com/ under the events section. If you own a Garmin unit, be sure to bring it with you!

Fitness Tip - Running A City

Want a better to way to explore a city on vacation? Run it! Running is the lightest sport in packing-shoes, shorts, T-shirt, gels, water-but the easiest way to REALLY see a city! This past week I spent 4 days at the beach and put over 20 miles on my feet, 5 walking and 3 barefoot! I love running in new cities because running is a way to see BEYOND the beaten path, beyond the tourist destination into the real places where people live and work.

How do you run a city? It’s easy as just getting a map – the local chamber of commerce always has free maps-and planning a route. At the beach I used the loop method making sure I didn’t get lost. I outlined a loop that took me over a bridge into the water way where I passed amazing houses, dark trees covered with Spanish moss, ran along the fence of what promised to be a beautiful garden! I listened to the familiar sounds of spring in the birds and frogs, but also include the sound of crashing waves and water as I finished this run barefoot on the beach for the last couple of miles.

In a city it’s easier to get lost, if you want to explore, find a walking tour map and use that as your guide, make note of the main road through the city and take streets off that main road, winding your way back and forth. In Wilmington, I went street by street enjoying big old houses, cobblestone streets, bricked sidewalks with fountains hidden in the corners, horse drawn carriages, the smells of coffee, food cooking and time!

If you can’t find a chamber of commerce or a map, go online and lookup a local race to the city, racing websites always have maps of the course for runners, study that map then plan your loop.
Get to know what’s outside the Main Street of USA, take your running shoes with you and you’ll be amazed at what you’ll find outside the tourist area, I’ve run through forests of cockatoos, down along the giant lilies of a pond in Tokyo, along a boardwalk at the break of dawn, spotted a bald eagle along a Pacific Coast River! Don’t forget your shoes when on vacation, what have you seen along the way?

Monday Morning Fitness Tip – 5 easy way to improve your health

1. Drink Water – take a sip of water and you’re on your way to a healthier lifestyle. Water helps to not only hydrate your system but the number one reason for a headache is dehydration.
2. Mindful Breathing – take a few deep breaths, become aware of the air moving into your lungs then moving out of your body. This will help clear any stress of the day and help you feel more revived.
3. Train for Strength – Building muscle not only increases strength but also boosts metabolism. Strength training also slows the aging process, add strength training to your routine 2-4 times a week.
4. Pack Snacks – by making and packing your own snacks, you know exactly what’s in there – not something from a vending machine. Packing snacks also allows you the choice of organic items.
5. Have Fun – exercise shouldn’t be a chore, it’s benefits are seen years down the road. Find something that works for you and schedule it in, make your workouts fun and you’ll find yourself looking forward to that time every day.
These quick and simple tips help improve your health and wellness. What little tips do you have?

Fitness Tip Of The Week

We’re so busy planning our routine of workouts-aerobic training, strength training, many overlook stretching routines for added flexibility! Some of the benefits of flexibility include:
· Greater freedom of movement
· Decreased tension
· Relaxation of the mind and body
· Reduced risk of injury

Here are tips when performing a static stretch:

Target one set of muscles at a time. Take a deep breath to clear toxins out of the body as you stretch the muscle.

Hold the stretch for up to 30 seconds, repeat a few times.
Make sure your muscles are properly warmed up before a stretch to prevent injury.
Don’t hold your breath while stretching, take deep even breaths
Don’t bounce a stretch, keep your body as still as possible.

Life is busy, I can’t add another workout! Stretch your muscles when standing in the hot shower, stretch your legs when standing and cooking dinner, take a few minutes when in front of the TV to stretch out your arms! Or sign up for that yoga or tai chi class and let them help you improve your flexibility!

Need some help? Come into the store for our StretchRite products-ProStretch for immediate heel pain relief and CoreStretch for the legs, shoulders and back. Or our FoamRoller for helping and preventing muscle knots. Just ask any sales person for assistance in finding what’s right for you!

A good flexibility routine can take 30 minutes of stretching, start by adding an extra 10 minute stretching routine to your weekly schedule. You’ll find the benefits you feel will make adding that 30 minute stretching routine a weekly must have!