Boot Camp Moms stay warm by constantly moving.

(I wrote the following story for The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer; it appeared in both papers on January 31, 2012. It appears here, with links.)

Used to be that neighborhood moms got together for lunch or a game of bridge. Today, they’re increasingly likely to gather for burpies, squats and to work up a good sweat.
The boot camp workout, born a decade ago and initially targeted to hard-core fitness buffs, is moving out of the gym and into local neighborhoods, where it’s finding a growing following among busy moms struggling to juggle work and family, let alone find time for a workout.
The workouts incorporate a variety of intense strength and aerobic exercises jammed into a half hour or hour. Boot camps continue to be one of the nation’s most popular group exercise programs, according to the non-profit American Council on Exercise, ranking with Zumba, TRX suspension training and interval training as 2012’s hottest options.
That boot camps are now coming to your neighbor can only enhance their attraction.
“One of the most commonly cited barriers to working out is that the gym is too far, it’s not convenient,” says Jessica Matthews, an exercise physiologist with ACE. “The workouts are fun, they’re convenient and they have the added social element of catching up with friends, of seeing your neighbors, of being part of something active.”
Fun?
Thirteen women from North Raleigh’s Harrington Grove neighborhood who gathered in 25 degree temperatures for their regular Saturday morning Boot Camp Moms workout a couple weeks back might take issue with that notion.
“My hipbone hurts!” complained one during a bout of figure-eight crunches.
“That’s because you have tiny butts,” shouted instructor Kyle Gill Furlow, attempting to spin the pain.
“Yeah, right.”
“We lie to them all the time,” joked fellow instructor Jennifer Pinder. “We find it motivates them.”
Friends Furlow and Pinder came up with the idea for Boot Camp Moms when both emerged from pregnancy five years ago, Furlow carrying an extra 45 pounds, Pender an excess 80.
“Kyle joined Jenny Craig and I joined Weight Watchers,” says Pinder, “but we knew we needed to exercise, too.”
They got in shape and in the process realized that other moms were in similar condition. Both got certified as group fitness instructors through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and hung out their shingle — via fliers placed around the neighborhood and word-of-mouth. The response surprised them.
“We had 22 women at our first session,” says Pinder.
The path for Missy Isom, founder and owner of Moms Evolution in Cornelius, was similar.
Prior to having her first child in 2008, she was a financial adviser by day, a body builder by night.
“But I always wanted to take my love of fitness and turn it into a job,” says Isom.
She, too, got certified through AFAA and initially struck out with Baby Boot Camp, a San Francisco-based franchise operation. But she found the focus was “less on the moms, more on the baby and the social aspect. My true passion,” she says, “was on taking these moms and helping them get fit.”
Which isn’t to say that baby doesn’t play a key role in her workouts. For some of her exercises the baby is integral to the exercise.
“We use the baby as weight,” says Isom. For curls, for overhead presses, for lunges ... .
Matthews, the ACE exercise physiologist, says that’s smart for two reasons.
“That movement, that up and down: out of the crib, into the car, how many times do you do that in everyday life?” she says. “Those are very functional movements.”
Further, she says, “In working with people who specialize in new moms, from a psychological standpoint that face-to-face eye contact is important for bonding.”
Isom’s group, which started in 2008 and averages 30 moms at any one time, uses space in a neighborhood fitness studio. Furlow and Pinder, who currently have 40 signed up in their year-and-a-half-old program, meet on the outdoor tennis court of the Harrington Grove neighborhood community club.
On that 25-degree morning, the 13 Boot Camp Moms who braved the cold for an hour-long workout that began and ended with aerobics (jumping-jack-infused sprints, running a circuit course) with strength training wedged in between. For strength training, the women rotated among eight stations, doing TRX, Bosu Ball pushups, snatches, equalizers, rowing, squats with a medicine ball, resistance bands, more squats.
“Your mind is going to give up before your body does,” yelled Furlow, the self-appointed drill sergeant of the duo (Pinder is the cheerleader). “Don’t let it.”
Melissa Diana didn’t let her mind give up, despite being “scared” at the group’s very first session.
“I tried everything,” she says of what Furlow and Pinder threw at her on day one. “I couldn’t do many reps.”
But Diana, who is 33, kept coming back. Within a year, she had lost 80 pounds. More importantly, she’s kept it off and she’s embraced an active lifestyle.
“I went from exercising zero days a week to exercising six days a week,” she says. “I like the group atmosphere. I like that we’re all in the trenches, doing it together.”
Julie Nelson, at 52 one of the group’s advanced moms, echoes the sentiments of several fellow boot campers. “I like that I have much more energy. I like the way I feel.”
That, says Furlow, is what ultimately counts: how you feel, rather than how many dress sizes you drop.
“Strong,” says Furlow, “is the new skinny.”

* * *

More info

• Boot Camp Moms meets Mondays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. at the Harrington Grove Clubhouse in North Raleigh. Cost is $8 per class, 10 classes for $50 through Feb. 1. More info at Bootcampmoms@gmail.com or here.
• Moms Evolution meets Mondays at 9:30 a.m. and Fridays at 10:30 a.m. at KadiFit in Cornelius. Cost is $8 per class, $50 a month, or $40 a month for a six-month commitment. More info at MomsEvolution.com.
• Another option for mom/baby workouts is Stroller Strides, a franchise that operates nationwide with several offerings throughout North Carolina. For more information go here.
• If you don’t live near one of the above options, the American Council on Exercise offers two free parent-oriented workouts you can do at home. Postural Workout for Parents “is designed to help people who have postural imbalances resulting from carrying unbalanced loads (e.g., children, a heavy shoulder or computer bag) for extended periods on a regular basis.” Total-body Conditioning Workout for Parents “is designed to improve muscular endurance and strength through exercises that focus on the correct execution of the five primary movement patterns (bend-and-lift, single-leg, pushing, pulling, and rotational movements) in all three planes of motion.”

The start of last year's RRRCPBMC.

A glorious experience in a Dismal place, riding with the polar bears, avoiding getting lost (but what to do if you do). Just another diverse weekend of outdoor adventure in North Carolina.

Coast

“Remember that resolution you made to get outside and exercise more this year?,” asks Dismal Swamp State Park. (Hey, if companies are people and are entitled to a voice, certainly a great natural area is as well.) “There's no time like the present to start!” And this chatty park would like you to start with its Resolution Hike this Saturday. Meet at the Visitor Center at 10 a.m., then explore what POTUS No. 1 and avid surveyor George Washington called “a glorious paradise.” The Great Dismal has a fascinating natural and human history (check out Bland Simpson’s highly entertaining “The Great Dismal: A Carolinian’s Swamp Memoir”) that can’t be captured in two miles, but it’s a start.

Dismal Swamp Canal.

Logistics: Again, meet at the Visitor Center at 10 a.m., it’s free and there’s no RSVP required. For more info, call the park at 252.771.6593 or visit its Web site (where you can also find driving directions).

Saturday forecast: Clear and cold with a daytime high of 43.

Piedmont

Cyclists looking to have a Big Year generally can’t wait to get that first metric century under their insulated kits. It seems like such a good idea when you sign up — then the temperature turns out to be in the 30s, it’s windy and it snows. That’s what happened at last year’s Polar Bear Metric Century sponsored by the Rock River Road Club in Davidson. Fortunately, this years RRRCPBMC promises to be warmer, dryer and less windy (see forecast below). The ride departs Davidson and takes country roads north and east. If you're content with just getting a half metric in, there’s a 50K version as well. The ride benefits the Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson.

Logistics: $25 race day to ride, race day registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Rest stops and SAG support. Learn more at the club’s Web site.

Saturday forecast: Sunny with highs in the mid-40s and winds 5-10 mph.

Mountains

I got woefully ... misplaced on this "trail" to London Bald a year ago.

Here’s a scary feeling (or so, ahem, I’ve been told): You’re hiking in the woods, you get sidetracked onto a faux trail and suddenly — you’re lost. What now? You’ll know if you attend this Sunday’s Wilderness Survival program at Lake James State Park near Nebo. “Park Ranger Clay Veasey ... will discuss survival kits, finding shelter, fire-building and much more,” says this also-talkative park.

Logistics: Meets from 10-11 a.m. Sunday at the park’s Catawba River Area Office. It’s free, no RSVP required. More info on the park and program by calling 828.584.7728 or visiting the park’s Web site.

Saturday forecast: True, the program is inside. But afterwards you’ll want to practice your newfound skills with a hike. Thus: A high of 45 is predicted under partly cloudy skies.

* * *

Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

* * *

 
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Today: Explore the winter woods

You may think there’s nothing to see in the forest come winter. In fact, there could be more. True, the leaves are gone, the wildflowers in retreat, and a good number of critters are chilling — literally. But what is out is exposed and so much easier to see in the barren woods. Train your eye to pick up on what nature doesn’t have to hide come winter at a ranger-led hike such as the one today at 2 p.m. at Fayetteville’s Lake Rim Park, 2214 Tar Kiln Drive. Advises the park: “Bring binoculars to view birds and learn about a variety of evergreen plants that bring color to the forest even in winter.” It’s free.

* * *

Previously in our Holiday Escapes series ...

Dec. 19: Go paddling
Dec. 20: Hit your neighborhood park
Dec. 21: Climbing the walls
Dec. 22: Take a guided hike
Dec. 23: An educated walk
Monday: Go play in a parking lot
Tuesday: I spy a bufflehead
Wednesday: Explore your neighborhood

Today: I spy a bufflehead

Great blue heron, spotted earlier this month at Jordan Lake.

Kids are easily distracted: Throwing a tantrum over a new toy not living up to expectations (specifically, expectations virtually assured by Saturday morning TV cartoon advertising)? Look! Shinny thing! Or, for our purposes today, Look! An American bald eagle, once on the verge of distinction now making a heroic comeback and, in 2007, removed from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants! Kids love discovering stuff, and this time of year there’s no better place to discover stuff with wings than at a local, sizable, lake. Today, for instance, at Jordan Lake on the southern fringes of the Triangle, join ranger Steve McMurray for an hour of waterfowl ID at Jordan Lake. Spotting scopes and expertise provided in this free program, which commences at 9 a.m. at the Ebenezer Church Recreation Area.

A fine activity, btw, with or without expert assistance. Pick up a guidebook at your local library, grab the binos, head to your local (sizable) lake and see what you can see.

* * *

Previously in our Holiday Escapes series ...

Dec. 19: Go paddling
Dec. 20: Hit your neighborhood park
Dec. 21: Climbing the walls
Dec. 22: Take a guided hike
Dec. 23: An educated walk
Monday: Go play in a parking lot

Today: An educational walk

What the heck is that? (Photo courtesy North Carolina Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs)

Did you know there are about 200 environmental centers throughout North Carolina, from the Agape Center for Environmental Education in Duncan to the YMCA Camp Hanes in King? And all of these centers, dedicated to enlightening us about the world around us, have public programs not just on weekends, but daily? Between now and the end of the year, there are 24 programs on the calendar, the majority aimed at kids.

Today, for instance, if you happened to be on the Outer Banks at 11 a.m. you could take a Maritime Forest Walk through the Currituck Banks National Estuarine Research Reserve, courtesy the Corolla-based Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education. Like many EEC programs, it’s free.

Find out what’s going on through year’s end at an environmental education center near you, by going here.

Starting Monday and running through the end of the year, we’ll help you fill in that blank. We’ve come up with 10 days worth of active options guaranteed to both bond the clan and tucker them out. Here’s a sneak preview of what’s coming next week:

Monday: Go paddling
Tuesday: Hit your neighborhood park
Wednesday: Climb the walls
Thursday: Take a (guided) hike
Friday: Go for an (educated) walk

Gone for the winter (good news for your hike around Lake Waccamaw).

This weekend, avoid alligators, avoid trails, but don't avoid the first big weekend of the Southeast ski season.

Coast

Remember the old Peter, Paul & Mary hit, “Where Have All the Reptiles Gone?” No, wait. That wasn’t PP&M in the 1960s. That’s Lake Waccamaw State Park this Sunday at 2 p.m., when a ranger explains why the park’s alligators are no longer on the prowl, why the turtles aren’t out catching some rays ... basically why the entire reptile population is laying low. A great opportunity to learn a little something, then take a long (Lakeshore Trail, 5 miles) or short (Sand Ridge Trail, 0.75 mile) hike to look for the reptiles that aren’t supposed to be there.

More about the park, including directions, here.

You won't need no stinkin' trails Saturday at Crowders Mountain.

Piedmont

Trails are good, but off trails are better. At least when you’re in the company of someone who doesn’t need a blaze and solid tread under foot to find his way. Saturday, tag along with a ranger to explore the lesser-known nooks of Crowders Mountain State Park. These rare excursions give you a chance to get to reknow a place you might have thought you knew, plus, especially in the case of popular Crowders Mountain, a chance to escape the trail-bound crowds.

Saturday’s off-trail hike starts at 3 p.m from the visitors center. Sturdy hiking boots and clothes you don’t mind getting ripped (briars) are recommended. Here for more information.

Mountains

Snow guns a blazin' at Appalachian (though the Boone ski area doesn't plan to open this weekend).

Not only has cold weather in the North Carolina high country gotten the ski areas’ snow guns going, but they’ve had the real thing as well — four inches total the past couple of days at Beech Mountain! Thus, you can add skiing/riding to your list of options this weekend. Beech, Sugar and Cataloochee all expect to be open this weekend, according to SkiSoutheast.com. How much of each mountain will open remains to be seen; we suggest checking SkiSoutheast.com Friday evening before making definitive plans.

* * *

Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

That concept became apparent to the seven of us in our recent Intro to Climbing class at Raleigh’s Triangle Rock Club. If we didn’t have an appreciation for not falling off the wall from 20 feet up at the start of class, we did after spending the first hour of our two-hour session going over our “protection” — the equipment that would spare us should we part ways with the wall. We started with learning how our climbing harness worked, progressed to putting it on, learned a simple (for some) figure-8 knot, and learned to work our ingeniously simple belay device. And while we had come to climb, no one complained about spending the first hour on the ground, likely because our balcony classroom overlooked all 9,000 square feet of the gym’s climbing wall — a wall where climbers were routinely dropping only to be caught by their climbing partners. Mike was in the midst of demonstrating the belay device when we heard a faller yell — “Uhhhhhh!” — causing us to turn on our heels and catch the victim dangling by his climbing rope.

Mike doesn’t mind the interruption. Each time we hear someone fall behind us, we pay that much more attention to him. Like when he looks at the buckle on his harness and says, “Now if you see the word ‘Danger’ here, that means you’re in danger.” We all check our belts for ominous wording as Mike explains that an exposed “Danger” means you haven’t doubled-backed the harness’s belt through your buckle. Thus, it’s easier for your belt to come undone, which could result in more severe consequences than just your pants falling to the floor. Mike has us practice buckling in once, twice —

“Uhhhhh!”

Most of us buckle in a third time, just to be safe.

Convinced that our harnesses are properly affixed, Mike moves on to communication. Here, he becomes part climbing instructor, part Dr. Phil. The relationship between climber and belayer better be one of the best relationships you’ve got, he lets us know. None of this, “Your-hair-looks-great-with-orange-streaks-really!” when what you really mean is “You-joining-the-circus?” If something’s amiss with your partner’s hair, be straight up about it. Likewise, if his figure-8 knot appears to be more of a figure 6, or if her belay rope is threaded upside down, speak up. Communication is the foundation of safe climbing.

Before lifting a foot off the ground, the belayer checks the climber’s equipment — the figure-8 knot, the harness for signs of “Danger” — to make sure everything is copacetic. The climber does likewise, checking to make sure the rope is properly threaded through the belay device, the carabiner locked down. After checking one another out, it’s time for clearance from the tower.

“On belay?” the climber asks the belayer to make sure the later is prepared.

“Belay on,” the belayer responds, signifying he’s ready.

“Climbing,” the climber says, seeking final clearance.

“Climb on,” the belayer responds, granting permission to ascend.

It’s time to climb.

To our novice eyes, the climbing walls appear to sport a random scattering of colorful molded polyurethane holds. Some of the holds are whimsical: from faces where the eye sockets and mouth serve as finger holds (or “pockets”), to everyday objects — telephones, lightbulbs — protruding from the hold. Most are simply angular or rounded blobs. Some, referred to as “jugs,” are sizable and easy to grasp. Some are the smallest of nubs that you can’t imagine serving any purpose. As we stare up the wall, though, we notice that nearly all of the holds — and there are perhaps 20 on any one route — have a strip of colored tape next to them. At the bottom, the tape is marked with a number — ranging from 5.5 to 5.13 — and a name, sometimes amusing (“Juggy Uppy”), sometimes ominous (“Evil Without”), sometimes head scratching (“Toilet Water”). Looking up the wall we notice strips of the same colored tape marking certain holds in a pattern, of sorts, up to the top. Some colors, usually those associated with the bigger, juggier holds, are close together. Others, those marking the smaller holds, seem far apart.

The dread figure-8 knot.

Those related colors, Mike tells us, make up routes. In accordance with the rock climbing world’s Yosemite decimal system, the smaller the number, the easier the route. Thus, our class will start on the 5.5s. Someday, if we work hard, have supernatural strength and emerge as the Lance Armstrong of the sport, we might be able to do a 5.13.

Fortunately, according to Scott Gilliam, TRC’s chief route setter, the 110 or so routes up at any one time are divvied up to reflect the climbing expertise of they gym’s membership. The Triangle Rock Club has its share of hard core climbers, but it also has a goodly number of folks not much more advanced than us. Thus, there are plenty of beginner-friendly routes in the 5.5, 5.6 and 5.7 range. “I try to peak around 5.9 and 5.10,” Scott tells us. “You won’t find many 5.13s.”

Today, we’ll concentrate on the 5.5s. To make our introduction even easier, in addition to the same color tape marking the 5.5 routes, the holds are the same color — yellow.

No one in my class of eight is out of shape. In fact, everyone is active in some other pursuit: running, cycling, triathlon. And while that’s no doubt an advantage, it also becomes clear on our first climb that you don’t have to be a wiry athlete to be a recreational climber.

“If you can climb a ladder, you can climb,” says TRC spokesman Joel Graybeal.

Our forays up two 5.5 routes are surprisingly easy, their ease ensured by following one key piece of advice: It’s not your arms that count, it’s your feet. Your initial inclination, especially as you get farther from the ground, is to cling to the wall. That, we quickly discover, quickly zaps your arm strength. Rather, put your weight directly over your feet, which requires that you ease your body back from the wall. Counterintuitive and a bit disconcerting at first, but natural once you get the hang of it.

So we scamper up the 25-foot wall, and while I’ll later learn that a great training exercise is to downclimb the route you went up, it’s time for another lesson from Dr. Phil, this one about communication and trust. Once at the top, it’s time to let our partner get some experience catching us and lowering us to the floor. That will require letting go of the wall. Again, from 25 feet up. But first, some more open communication.

“Take!” yells the climber, informing her belayer that she would like to be gently lowered to Earth.

“Gotcha!” yells back the belayer, which in climbing parlance means, “I’ve got you. Trust me.”

Much to your relief, they do.

* * *

Interested?

For information on ...

• The Triangle Rock Club, go here.
• Other climbing walls open to the public in North Carolina, go here.
• Climbing in North Carolina, visit the Carolina Climbing Coalition website here.
• And for a smorgasbord of videos on learning to climb, go here.

Photo of bear probably irritated by confusing road signs by Jackie Orsulak.

The weekend gets off to and early start (today) with the six-day Wings Over Water at the coast.

Coast

If you’ve ever thought about doing just about any kind of exploring at the coast — from birdwatching to paddling a swamp to howling with (or for) wolves, here’s your chance. The 15-year-old Wings Over Water, a six-day celebration of any thing and any place wild in eastern North Carolina, gets underway today. More than 85 programs explore the wildlife and natural history of the coast. Some by foot, some by boat, some with binos. Truly, just about any natural adventure you’d like to have.

See for yourself at the Wings Over Water website.

Piedmont

Those pickles were something to run from.

Funny, but I don’t recall Andy and Opie lacing up the Asics for a run around the hood. I reckon that was before the running boom hit Mayberry, or perhaps I just missed that episode. But there’s still time to catch — and register for — Saturday’s Mayberry 10K & Half Marathon in Mount Air— er, Mayberry. Some of both routes is on greenway, some passes through “Historic Downtown Mayberry” (which greatly resembles historic downtown Mount Airy). $30 for the 10K, $40 for the 13.1-miler. Races start at 8 a.m., registration at 6:30 a.m.

Here’s hoping they have Aunt Bee’s Nesslerode pie at the finish. Here’s also hoping they don’t have her kerosene cucumbers. More race info here.

On a clear day you can see a really long way on the Ivestor Gap Trail.

Mountains

I’m a sucker for certain hikes in North Carolina and the Ivestor Gap Trail into the Shining Rock Wilderness is one of them. Most of it is above treeline (a “treeline” created by a pair of devastating fires nearly a century ago), it’s above 5,000 feet (and flirts with 6,000 feet) and is scenic high country hiking at its best in North Carolina. That’s probably why the Sierra Club of Western North Carolina has selected it for its Saturday hike. The hike begins at the Black Balsam parking lot off the Blue Ridge Parkway and takes Ivestor Gap Trail to Shining Rock, where there’s good cavorting and scrambling to be done on the exposed white quartzite that gives the peak its name. Total hike distance is 8.6 miles.

The Sierra Club will meet in Asheville at 10 a.m. and carpool to the trailhead. For more information and to sign up (because it enters a Wilderness Area, group size is limited to 10 people), get in touch with hike leader Lisa at lisamcw2@gmail.com or 828.713.4994.

* * *

Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
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I wrote the following story for the Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer in Raleigh; it appeared in both newspapers on Sept. 20, 2011. It appears here in expanded form, with links. Check out yesterday’s post for a first-hand account of the CXWORX class

If you don’t like the lineup of group exercise classes at your health club, wait a month or two. Odds are you’ll see some new options.

The reason: group exercise classes are “experiencing phenomenal growth,” according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, and fitness clubs trying to weather a flabby economy are doing what they can to keep their sweaty members happy. In the case of the increasingly popular group exercise classes, that means mixing up the classes to keep members from growing bored. (For more on group exercise class trends and other industry trends for 2011 identified by the IHRSA, go here.)

“We gauge interest by tracking attendance,” says Andrea Greene, fitness director of the YWCA of Charlotte.  “If it looks like a class is not succeeding, we’ll modify it or drop it.”

Hence, come October the Charlotte YWCA will add 11 new classes to its group exercise lineup, including kickboxing, a body sculpting class and a triathlon instruction class.

"Being a small facility we have the ability to create new classes, to be flexible and change," Greene says of their significant lineup change.

According to the IHRSA, which represents more than 10,000 clubs worldwide, interest in cardio kickboxing classes alone spiked by more 20 percent from 2008-2009, high-impact aerobics classes grew by 8.1 percent and low-impact aerobics classes were up 6.3 percent.

“We’re always looking at new options,” says Liz Church, who manages the Lifestyle Family Fitness clubs in Apex and Cary.

This practice of swapping out classes follows emerging science that doing the same exercise over and over offers diminishing rewards — and can be harmful. “Mixing up your routine will avoid overworking one particular muscle group or joint,” according to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic, the American Council on Exercise, the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Sports Medicine, among others, tout the benefits of cross-training.

Sometimes, a new class may simply be new to a particular club. Cardio kickboxing, for example, has been around for more than a decade.

Sometimes, new classes are exercise mash-ups: different combinations of exercise staples. Bally Total Fitness with two Charlotte clubs, has introduced KWANDO, “an intense cardiovascular and strength conditioning class that incorporates movements derived from boxing, tae kwon do, and karate.” O2 Fitness in Raleigh has “Chisel,” which taps kickboxing and plyometric exercises, while new 20/20/20 classes employ three 20-minute segments of aerobic and strength training exercises that change from class to class.

Greene with the Charlotte YWCA says her clubs decides on new classes by monitoring trends in fitness magazines, keeping tabs on what the various instructor certification agencies are offering, listening to instructors and to members.

“If we hear about a great boot camp, we’ll try to bring it here,” says Greene. One new class that the Charlotte YWCA is investigating: Nia, which describes itself as “sensory-based movement” that appears to borrow from various dance forms and the martial arts.

Some new classes (Zumba) catch on and develop a cult-like following. Others (yoga with your dog) do not.

Sometimes, new classes appear to break new ground — or at least advance an emerging fitness concept.

In March, Les Mills International, which develops fitness programs and certifies instructors, unveiled CX30 (also marketed as CXWORX). The intense 30-minute class is based on research by Jinger Gottschall, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University (who is also a Les Mills-certified instructor). Gottschall put 10 men and 10 women through a series of exercises that worked their “sling” muscles, those muscles connecting the upper and lower body. Her objective: To see whether these extended exercises (the plank, for instance) were more effective than those that simply concentrated on the body’s core (crunches). In a paper presented in June to the American College of Sports Medicine, she concluded they were.

“We wanted to see if we could achieve activation across the core when we added the shoulders and hips into a movement ... ” Gottschall said in a statement through Les Mills. “In fact, the integrated activity was much higher than expected.”

Gold’s Gym and O2 Fitness quickly picked up the CX30 class, and earlier this month it was added to the Triangle Lifestyle Family Fitness group exercise lineup.

If suffering is any indication, the new class is a success.

In her second time teaching the class at the Cary Lifestyle Family Fitness, instructor Nancy Nickel looked out at the 15 women and two men trying to mimic her movements and said through her headset, “You did not like that one. I can see it on your faces. It’s pure hatred.”

Afterward, 40-year-old Heather Austin from Moncure, a veteran of group exercise classes, gave CXWORX a thumbs up — for its effectiveness and its brevity.

“I like that it’s quick,” said Austin. “I do 30 minutes of this, I do another 30 minutes of cardio and I’m done with it.”