Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Perseverance Trail Run Only 2 Months Away!



2012 Images courtesy of JoAnne McElroy

Grab your calendar and save the date- this years Perseverance Trail Run is coming in just 2 months on October 27th 2013! 

the goal of this years Perseverance Trail Run is once again to raise funds for the Cumberland Community Forest Society to help them purchase and protect forest lands in the Cumberland area for all to enjoy now and in the future.  Racers can look forward to two awesome courses that will take them through the CCFS lands in historic Cumberland, including a fun 3k cross country romp and an epic 10k mountain run.  Last year, with the generous support of the community, the race raised $4000 for the CCFS to help them protect the Cumberland forest!

Racers can go to the Perseverance Trail Run website for free online training plans, maps of the course and to check out the list of community sponsors, photos and results from previous years. Be sure to sign up online for the Perseverance e-newsletter and 'like' Perseverance Trail Run on Facebook for all of the most up to date information.

Want to learn the course inside and out?  Need to bump up your Perseverance trail running fitness before race day?  Looking for trail racing and hill climbing/descending tips?  Then join the 2013 ELM Perseverance Adventure Running Clinic and get all of this and more. This 8 week program, coached by Sarah Seads and her team of ELM 'Fearless Leaders' kicks off on Thursday, September 5th. Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity to get in shape and prepare for this years Perseverance Trail Race.  Go to www.elmhealth.com to register for this training clinic before Sep 3rd to reserve your spot.


This race has sold out two years in a row so be sure to register early to avoid disappointment. There is no race day registration and when all 350 spots are gone...they are gone! Signup for the Perseverance Trail Run online or head down to Extreme Runners, 436 5th st and get your form in before September 27th to get the deal on Early Bird Race fees and order your special technical race tee's.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Final ELM Custom Gear Order for 2013!



Time to do some shopping!   ELM is placing our final Custom Gear order of the year on August 30th so be sure to check out the line up and get your order in before the deadline!  Orders can be placed directly through the ELM online store using a credit card or via email/cheque.  Contact info@elmhealth.com if you have any questions!

Sizing information is just a click away in the ELM online store...


ELM 2013 Fall Custom Gear

Please indicate your size and gender at the 'check out' when placing your clothing orders.  Fall orders must be received by August 30th!




ELM Short Sleeve Race Jersey OR NEW Tank Option
(left above)This custom race jersey from Atac is built to last.  The custom process creates fabric just for our jerseys that is bright, durable and, well, fast!  Wear your Team ELM colours at your next event and stand out in the crowd! 
Short Sleeve $45
NEW! Tank $40
Buy Now! 
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ELM Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey
(centre above) Now ELM bikers can sport their club colours with this custom designed 3/4 zip jersey from Atac.  3 pockets in the back, elastic waist and a zip that opens to your waist make this the perfect jersey for playing or racing in!
NEW! These are available in 'PRO-fit' OR RELAXED fit
$65 Buy Now 
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ELM Long Sleeve Custom Jacket
(right above) Warm up, run, ride and race in this versatile jacket from Atac sportswear.  Featuring the bold new design in blue and white so you can show off your ELM colours!
$115 Buy Now! 
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ELM Custom Buff!
NEW! You asked and we answered!  New for 2013 you can now order your very own ELM custom buff!
$35 Buy Now!




Taxes and shipping will be added at the time of check out.










Featured Article by Esther Kane: Eating Disorders in Midlife

Today, I am featuring an article written by Comox Valley Clinical Counselor Esther Kane.  Thanks Esther!


==============================================
Featured Article: Eating Disorders in Midlife
Esther Kane
MSW, RSW, Registered Clinical Counselor
==============================================
I am seeing more and more women ages 30+ in my practice who are struggling with disordered eating. Many people think that eating disorders are only for teens and women in their twenties, but research shows this is absolutely false. In fact, the following statistics will most likely shock you.

I was lucky enough to attend a fabulous presentation recently called “The Weight-Bearing Years: Eating Disorders and Body Image Despair
In Adult Women” given by Margo Maine, PhD, & Ann Kearney-Cook, PhD. Here are some very sobering statistics these two experts give on midlife women and eating disorders:

In 2003, 1/3 of inpatient admissions to a specialized treatment center for eating disorders were over 30 years old.
43 million adult women in the United States are dieting to lose weight at any given time; another 26 million are dieting to maintain their weight.
Body image dissatisfaction in midlife has increased dramatically, more than doubling from 25% in 1972 to 56% in 1997.
A major research project found that more than 20% of the women aged 70 and older were dieting, even though higher weight poses a very low risk for death at that age, and weight loss may actually be harmful.
When asked what bothered them most about their bodies, a group of
women aged 61 to 92 identified weight as their greatest concern.
A survey of Swiss women found: 70% of women aged 30-74 were dissatisfied with their weight despite being at a normal weight; 62% of women over the age of 65 wanted to lose weight; 31% of them had dieted recently although most (62%) were normal in weight.
60% of adult women have engaged in pathogenic weight control; 40% are
restrained eaters; 40% are over eaters; only 20% are instinctive eaters; 50% say their eating is devoid of pleasure and causes them to feel guilty;90% worry about their weight.

Why are women in midlife so prone to disordered eating? Maine and Kearny-Cook describe these women as “strangers in a strange land”; that today’s women are emotional and cultural “immigrants”. They explain that with unprecedented opportunities, comes unprecedented stress and that many of these women find comfort in the rituals of disordered eating, rigid dieting, exercise and other body rituals.

This makes total sense to me. For so many mid-life women, the times certainly are a changin’… and that can be very scary. As a midlife woman myself, I sometimes shrivel at the thought of all of the choices I have before me- so many more than were available to my mother when she was my age and even more than were available to my grandmother ahead of her. I often feel the pressure to be “superwoman”- to be, do, and have it all. While it’s great that I have the choice to do all of this, it also induces a lot of stress and pressure onto one person.

Questions many women I know ask themselves around this age include:

  • Should I have children?
  • If I have children, am I a good-enough mother?
  • Should I be married?
  • If I am married, am I with the right person?
  • Do I want a career? If so, what would give me meaning and a means of supporting myself (and others)?
  • If I have a career- do I like it? What else could I be doing? How do I move up the ladder?
  • How do I manage a stressful career with raising a family?
  • How can I move up in my career and also raise a family? Is that possible? Is that what I even want?
  • Should I buy a house? Or if I own a house, can I pay the mortgage? Should I move? Am I (we) really happy here?
  • How can I fit “me” time into my insanely busy schedule?

And the list goes on…

With all of these options comes a lot of worry and stress. I find that many women in midlife never feel satisfied or feel like they’re doing enough. I don’t hear many stories of satisfaction and being okay with whatever it is they do manage to cram into their hectic lives on a daily basis. It’s as if the world before us is open-ended with different possibilities at every turn. We often lack routine and structure, or if we have it because we have children and jobs, we crave freedom and different expansive possibilities.

No wonder so many of us find comfort in controlling one of the things we feel we have some control over- food and our weight. At least that’s how we often think of it initially until it becomes out-of-control and we end up with a serious eating disorder.

If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating subject, I recommend you get a copy of Margo Maine’s book called, “The Body Myth: Adult Women and the Pressure to be Perfect”. You can find it at:
http://www.mwsg.org/book_body_myth.htm

To end, I’ll leave you with a few tips I give clients of mine who find themselves in this situation:
  • Remember, you are only one person and you don’t have to be superwoman. Let go of trying to be “perfect” and instead, opt for being “good enough”.
  • Tell yourself that when you feel ‘out of control’ it is most helpful to let go of gripping on too tightly and instead, practise ‘letting go’ and handing things over to the Universe.
  • Lastly, remind yourself that when you start obsessing over food and your body’s shape and size; it’s always about something else bubbling beneath the surface. When this happens, ask yourself, “What just happened that is leaving me feeling so out of control? What am I feeling? I’m going to let myself just feel it and then see what happens...

Esther Kane, MSW, RSW, Registered Clinical Counsellor, is in full-time private practice as a psychotherapist in Courtenay, B.C. Esther has over fifteen years of experience counselling women and their loved ones with a multitude of presenting problems. Her main focus is helping women to become free of barriers which keep them stuck so that they can become all that they dream of being.
To book a session or to set up a free 15-minute phone consultation call Esther at (250) 338-1800.
To learn more about Esther’s services, please visit her website: http://www.estherkane.com

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

You know you're a runner when...


This past Sunday some of our ELM Members completed the River Run Half Marathon Challenge- our annual Members only 1/2 marathon event that follows the beautiful Puntledge River for, well, 21.1kms.  They did absolutely awesome!  Along the way we played a little game to pass a few of the early miles...if you are a runner you know what I mean about playing games to pass miles...and you  may have even played this one...

You know you're a runner when... (fill in the blank)...

Here are a few of my faves that our River Runners came up with on Sunday:).  Can you relate?  Are YOU a runner?

...you know what a fartlek is.

...you know that body glide isn't from the naughty shop.

...you can farmer blow on the move.

...you know how to spell plantar fasciitis.

...you have more runners than dress shoes.

...you know the exact distance from your house well, pretty much anywhere up to 10k away...

...you prefer to pee in the woods.

...you carry baby wipes in your car.

...you arrange your weekend plans around your Sunday runs.

...you are already planning your next race before you have exited the finish chute of your current one.

...you have lost a toenail.

Add to the list!  How do YOU know you're a runner??


Happy Trails!
SS

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

NIOF: I've never been lost...

I've never been lost but I was once turned around for several weeks . - Daniel Boone



I am super duper excited about this coming weekend...the North Island Orienteering Festival is only a few days away!  Along with a few other passionate orienteering volunteers, I am helping to put on a special weekend of orienteering events in the Comox Valley on August 10/11th.  Check out the details below and come on out and play for one or all three of this weekends events!  Orienteering is great for the whole family and open to all levels of fitness from strollers to racers and everyone in between.  Come on out this weekend to see what this fun sport is all about!  FYI: I will be organizing the Saturday afternoon event at Nymph Falls Park and would love a few more volunteers to help out so give me a shout if you have some time to spare :info@elmhealth.com .


 'Cunning running'. A school room favourite, touching on geography, physical fitness, math and consequential decision making. One of the current off-beat adventure sports. An easy way to demystify compass use and map reading. Gain confidence of being alone in the woods. A scavenger hunt in the great outdoors. A life-time sport for all ages: 6 to 90. This and more is ORIENTEERING.

Comox Valley will have a unique chance to celebrate all things orienteering the weekend of August 10-11 at the first annual North Island Orienteering Festival. Saturday, August 10th, there will be two opportunities to tackle the trails with a morning course at the Cumberland Lake Campground (mass start 9:00am) and an afternoon course at Nymph Falls Park with starts between 1pm and 3pm.

On Sunday, the 11th, the action moves to Comox with a noon start course at North East Woods and the Highland Trails. The meet will begin and end at the very accessible parking lot near Guthrie and Torrence Roads, east of the Highland School playing fields.

 
 For all 3 courses, instructors will be on hand to help out and explain the basics of the sport of orienteering. Participants may register for one of 3 courses at each meet location: Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. The Advanced courses are designed for an experienced orienteer to complete in about an hour; and for others about two hours time.

A Saturday evening social is planned and all participants are invited to join their new Orienteering friends for a potluck and course awards.

For further information call Comox 250-890-0983, Victoria 250-592-4944 or visit http://vico.whyjustrun.ca/ to download the brochure with all of the NIO Festival details.