YMCA SF Embarcadero - Newsletters

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September Newsletter


CALENDAR Feb 6 - New Class: Yoga In-Depth 11am, Mondays with Athena. Feb 6 - New Kinesis Time: Mondays, 7-7:30am Feb 7 - New Classes: Yoga Flow 12pm, Tuesdays with Robin; Pilates Plus, 1pm, Tuesdays with Leslie M. Feb 8 - Intro to Studio Cycling 6:30-7:15pm in the Cycle Studio. Feb 9 - Adult Survivors of Child Abuse at 6pm in the boardroom. Feb 14 - Member Appreciation Day Free fruit and blood pressure screenings by reservation. Feb 17, 20 - One-Day Camp 7:30am-6pm Feb 20 - Presidents' Day Holiday Regular class schedule. Swim suits will be cut off racks in locker rooms. Feb 27 - New Studio Pilates Group Series $111 members, $132 program. DONOR CORNER For the last nine years, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has generously contributed to the Orrick Year-Round Enrichment Program at Bessie Carmichael Elementary School. Over a ten-year period, the firm has pledged to donate more than half a million dollars to the Embarcadero YMCA’s summer and after-school program at the only South-of-Market elementary school. Through a combination of volunteerism, financial contributions and pro bono legal services, the Orrick Community Responsibility Program ensures that the firm’s resources are strategically deployed to maximize their impact with volunteer opportunities for Orrick lawyers and staff. Following the Japanese tsunami, earthquake and resulting nuclear crisis in March 2011, the Orrick Foundation offered a $75,000 match to lawyers and staff to contribute generously to the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and pro bono client MercyCorps. Within a few short weeks, lawyers and staff matched the firm donations. Orrick, a global law firm with 22 offices around the world, supports programs that strengthen our communities. The children and staff at Bessie and the Y thank Orrick for its generosity. LIKE US? We like you, you like us, but have you "liked" us on Facebook? Head over to Facebook and like us for the latest special offers, holiday hours and new classes. STAFF OF THE MONTH SEAN NUNLEY-WILLIS Program leader at Canon Barcus Community House After School Sean joined the YMCA staff at Canon Barcus Community House at the end of the 2009/10 school year when two long-time activity leaders moved on to pursue higher education and career interests. We quickly discovered his enthusiasm and passion for youth are as big as his smile. He built relationships with the youth and their families immediately. He took the lead in summer program planning and has continued to create an atmosphere of learning and fun this school year. Thank you, Sean, for your hard work and dedication. VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH WALLY TETTANANTI Volunteer Yoga Instructor, Treasure Island YMCA Thanks to volunteer yoga instructor Wally Tettananti, the Treasure Island facility has expanded yoga offerings from one class to three over the last year. When Wally began volunteering she literally rolled up her sleeves to clean and make the room comfortable for participants. She marketed the program at community events, building relationships with members and finding subs when she went on vacation. We’re grateful for Wally’s take-charge attitude, welcoming spirit and genuine interest in people. Thank you, Wally, for all you do!
	RUNNING APPS GOING OFF THE HOOK Are you a runner? Are you aware of all the new apps for running? Nike’s Nike+, Runtastic, RunKeeper, MapMyRun are just a few. They track how long you run, your speed, pace and mileage over time, and patterns to when you run. You can also create your own goals to run x times or y miles or burn z calories in a certain time period. Emails and push reminders help you track your goals. If you allow them, the apps sync to social media like FaceBook or Twitter to post your latest stats. Jeff Anderson of IBM Corp. has used Nike+ for two years. Is it a motivator? Yes, I am running more as a result. I’m a Type A, competitive person and when I don’t get my runs in, my friends’ runs remind me because I see their data. They’ve already run 20 miles and I’ve only run five. I know I need to put those shoes on and get out there. It’s positive reinforcement for me. It doesn’t beat you up if you miss a run. It’s like FittLinx to me. I always want to be in my top 10 or top 20. Has it helped you find a new community of runners? I’m sharing runs with my personal community around the world. I have a buddy in San Jose who runs about the same pace but every once in a while he kicks it up a little and I get a message, “Hey your buddy ran a seven-minute mile this week or a sub-seven-minute mile.” That pushes me out the door. Shared on: Facebook – When I sync my iPod it automatically syncs and people comment on it all the time. Jane Packer of the Y has used Nike+ for the last two years. Motivator? Yes, I’m not a natural-born runner. I just started two years ago. Using the app not only helped me start running but inspired me to do better. At first, I was running about 4-6 miles a week and now I run more like 12-15 miles a week. I compete by signing up to run for sports teams on the app, like the Giants and the Raiders. At the end of the season the Pittsburgh Steelers ran more than the Raiders’ followers this year. New running community? I set up a challenge with my brother so all of a sudden, I have a running buddy but I don’t have to be with him. We have done 13 monthly challenges: Packer vs. Packer, Packer vs. Packer III, Packer v. Packer for Reals. Every time I finish a run, I check to see who’s ahead. Whoever runs the most in a given month wins $25. We’ve made our challenges public and five people joined our July “Happy Birthday America challenge” – all strangers. So suddenly we are running with people we don’t know and we’re a little mini-community, egging each other on. Shared on: Twitter Melissa Godes of Gap, Inc. has used MapMyRun since December. Motivator? What keeps you running is all the stats. It makes you want to run and improve your time. With MapMyRun, you can enter data for other things like nutrition, other workouts like weight training or, for me, Capoiera to track calories burned. It’s really fun to see your progress. One of the days, I looked at my run, took a little rest and did my workout again so it was really fun to see those stats. Another day, it helped me test my perceptions of my run with reality. Since it gives you splits, you can see how different parts of your run compare. When I run around Bernal Heights and think the last split was as fast or faster than the first, I can see if that’s true or not and sometimes I’m surprised. New running community? It makes me try different runs. Is this route the same distance, how fast can I do it? Yesterday I was running and I got lost and I could see with the GPS that I was running in circles.” Shared? Not yet, it’s more of a personal fun thing that I do to keep me running. A friend told me about it and I didn’t’ need to buy anything, so I just downloaded it and I was off. This is my first foray into using electronics with my workout but it’s been really easy. It’s fun because I can still listen to Pandora while running.
	VOLUNTEERS HELP TREASURE ISLAND YMCA By Megan Leonard, Community and Admin Coordinator, Treasure Island YMCA
	Last month, leadership consulting firm PDI Ninth House volunteered at the Treasure Island YMCA on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. They helped paint the yoga and weight room and did some much-needed deep cleaning. We now have 67 new windows, orders in for donated flooring in several rooms and fresh paint for a sparkling facility. PDI staff gave 110% that day and members are excited by the changes.
	HEART HEALTH 2012 By Gerard Navarro, Embarcadero YMCA Personal Trainer
	What is the most important muscle in the human body? Without a doubt, it is the heart muscle. The heart acts as the body’s engine, pumping life blood to our organs, muscles, bones and to the body’s data control chip at the head of it all, the human brain. Studies confirm the benefits of regular exercise and a balanced diet for strong vascular health for the entire body. Diet is equally if not more important to heart health than exercise. A whole-food diet—high in complex carbohydrates and lean protein and low in processed fats and sugars—will dramatically reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Check out this menu planner that will help you cut fats and carbohydrates and increase heart-healthy foods in your diet. http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/menuplanner/menu.cgi February is American Heart Health Month with lots of resources at the Y and online. On Feburary 14, we’ll offer free blood-pressure testing for members. Vist mylifecheck.heart.org to get your personal heart health score and a custom plan for your heart health. Whatever your goal—more cardio exercise, weight loss, muscle gain, sports coaching, injury prevention or rehab—the Y’s wellness staff is here for you.