Peru Fest a Huge Success!

Thank you Thank you Thank you! Yet again, I am so amazed at the generosity of this community in supporting local fundraising events.

Peru Fest was a success! 80 people joined us for Peru Fest last night in Cumberland at the Riding Fool Hostel! With the help of a big team of amazing volunteers (Janet, Lorna, Nancy, Al, Sally, Sherry, Jane, Nicole, Kathy...and everyone I missed!) we put on a great party to celebrate all things Peruvian while raising funds for the children in 2 remote villages in Peru.

After all was said and done and expenses were paid the donations from last nights fundraiser came to $1200!! That $ will go a long way to provide much needed school supplies and materials for maintaining the schools in Peru.

The $ could not have been raised if it weren't for the support of our local business sponsors - who donated some absolutely amazing gifts for the silent auction! Big thanks to:

•Oh Spa - Hydrotherapy
•Valhalla Outdoors Gift Pack
•McKinnon Photography- Portrait sitting
•Extreme Runners & ELM - Runners gift pack
•Island Pilates - Fitness gifts
•Lotuswear- Fitness gear
•Salsa Beat - Dance Lessons for 2
•Paradise Boutique - Swimwear
•Arbonne - Health & Beauty gift pack
Barbara Foreman- Energy Healing Session



Andy ponders his bidding options...

Anxiously awaiting the slideshow while sipping drinks and munching on appies:)

Post slideshow Q&A with the Peru Trekkers!

Muchas Gracias for helping me put on such a fun night! It was a great party filled with good people, good stories, good food and drink! I will post a short video from the slideshow soon...

Cheers,

Sarah.

Canfit Pro Vancouver

BIG CITY BIG CITY!

Good times in the big city at this weekends annual Canfit Pro Fitness Conference downtown Vancouver. This year ELM instructors Rae & Cathy, myself and Leanne from Island Pilates & Fitness made the trek over to the mainland to play at the conference.

We had a blast of course and picked up some new ideas, new moves and new inspiration for our programs and classes. Always fun to get together and brainstorm while moving our bodies! Those workshops can be intense...imagine 300 fitness professionals in one building, working out and trying new exercises & equipment...your worst nightmare perhaps! But loads of fun for us.

Here are some shots from our trip to the Big City...can't wait until next year girls!

Cheers!

SS

ELM PERU FEST : NOV 26

ELM PERU FEST! MARK THE DATE: November 26th 7-9pm and plan to join me for a fun night celebrating all things Peru!!

Sarah Seads, owner of Equilibrium Lifestyle Management (ELM) recently coached 12 local women on an amazing trekking journey in the Andes mountains of Peru. After months of training and preparation, the women successfully completed 7 days of trekking the Salkantay and Inca Trails before arriving at the ancient city of Machu Picchu on foot.

On November 26th, from 7-9pm, Sarah Seads will be presenting a slide show chronicling this journey through the mountains of Peru at 'ELM Peru Fest', a fundraiser for the people of Peru.

The group was amazed not only by the beauty of the country but also by that of the local villagers they encountered, living in remote highlands and against extreme conditions. Sarah Seads and her trekking crew have donated clothing, equipment and school supplies to these villagers but they would like to do more to help these remote people in need.

ELM Peru Fest will be an evening of Peruvian culture, stories, food, drink and music. The goal of the evening is to raise awareness and funds for the school children and porters the trekkers met on their journey in the mountains of Peru. All proceeds will be used to purchase additional school supplies and warm clothing for these remote villagers.

Tickets cost $10 and include the slide show presentation, door prizes, Peruvian appetizers, music and a unique Peruvian fundraising auction. Auction items include beautiful photography and desirable gift baskets filled with Peruvian goodies. Tickets are limited and can be purchased online at www.elmhealth.com . Visit the ELM website for more information.

RSVP on the ELM FB page today!
Hasta Luego,
Sarah

30 Minute Workout

Short on time but longing for a good hard workout?

Try a 30 minute XT circuit similar to the one we did this morning at Sunrise Bootcamp and you will find what you are looking for. Mix and match the exercises but be sure to include upper, lower, core and cardio sets in the mix.

XT Circuit
Warm up for a minimum of 10 minutes first and finish with a cooldown stretch at the end...
Perform as many rounds of the following within 30 minutes:

• 20 Jack Squats- jump into a wide deep squat, then jump back to the middle for a narrow squat (that counts as one). *Easier, step rather than jump.
• 20 Push Ups
• 20 Split Squat Jumps- Start in a deep lunge position then jump and switch legs to lunge on the other side (20 on each leg). *Easier, step rather than jump.
• 20 Bench Dips
• 20 Scissor Kicks on back- switch legs quickly like a flutter kick while maintaining neutral spine. *Easier, larger kick or bent knees.
• 20 Pull Ups, Assisted Pull Ups or Tubing Pull Downs
• 200 Jump Ropes
• Repeat!

There are a million varieties to this style of workout. Mix it up, have fun, work hard but never compromise form!!! Perfect posture first...

Have fun!

S

Perseverance Pics Online Now!

I laughed out loud (and nearly peed my pants) looking at the pics from this years Perseverance Trail Run check them out online!

Big thanks to Aimee Asselin for capturing the moment at this years race!

Happy Trails!

Perseverance Post Race Report!

Fastest women of the day on the 10k course, 1stp place female Kathy Rung (right) and 2nd place Mary Bridges.

Fastest 2 people on the 10k course! Miguel Laroche-first place (left) and James Rolfe in second.

Ready...Set...Persevere!

Mother Nature was kind to the 214 trail racers who tackled the Perseverance Trail Run this past Sunday, October 31st. The sun was shining in a blue sky and the trails held freshly filled puddles from recent rains making the perfect conditions for a fall trail race! The race was a huge success with all proceeds going directly to the Cumberland Community Forest Society to assist them in working towards their goal of purchasing and protecting additional forest lands in the Cumberland area.

The competition on the 10k course was fierce with 154 racers and many competitive runners toeing the start line. Racers came from all over Vancouver Island for this years event and there were some great battles on the challenging 10.7k mountain run.

Top overall results in the 10k mountain run:
Males
50:44 Miguel Laroche
54:34 James Rolfe
54:42 James Powsey

Females
1:03:36 Kathy Rung
1:04:11 Mary Bridges
1:07:05 Genevieve Burdett

60 racers, young and old, tackled the 3k cross-country run through the Cumberland Community Forest. This years race included more hill climbing than previous years but that didn't slow down the racers!

Top overall results for the 3k cross-country run were as follows:
Males
14:05 Berend Henckel
14:30 Austin Long
15:40 Tim McGrady

Females
15:07 Emily Keyes
16:52Seqoia Bridges
17:00 Patricia Johnson

Extreme Runners and Equilibrium Lifestyle Management (ELM) co-organized the fundraising event but it could not have happened without the fantastic support from Comox Valley volunteers and sponsors. A huge thank you goes out to over 50 wonderful and enthusiastic volunteers who donated their time and energy before and during this years race. Special thanks to Terry Lewis and John Wall for setting up and managing the race courses, to Arran Kerrigan for co-ordinating race registration for all 215 racers and to David Kassekoff for travelling up island to take care of timing and results. A huge thank you also goes to the Comox Valley Search and Rescue and St. John Ambulance teams who spent the day watching over each and every racer on the course.

This years race, held on Halloween, brought out great costumes from a herd of cows to batman and a 'running tree'. Dozens of fantastic draw prizes were awarded including fresh baked apple pies for the best costumes. With close to 40 draw prizes from local business' and hundreds of free give-a-ways from Brooks, many racers left with big smiles. A very big thank you to this years prize sponsors: Valhalla Pure, Riding Fool Hostel, Darkside Chocolates, Seeds Grocery, Zen Zero, Island Pilates, Lotuswear, Comox Valley Acupuncture, Ascent Physiotherapy, Active Comox Valley, HiTech, Norwex, Jim Smiley of Remax, Extreme Runners and ELM.

The following community sponsors generously supported the race and helped to make this years event a great success: Thrifty Foods, Tim Hortons, Mudsharks Coffee, FiestaQuest, ABC Printing, Hi Tech, nrichmedia, Odlum Brown, Robhannah and the Comox Valley Record. Landowners including the Village of Cumberland & Recreation, CCFS, Timberwest and Hancock.

A few Perseverance Race T-Shirts are still available at a discounted rate of $10 for the next 10 days with all proceeds going to the CCFS. Be sure to head down to Extreme Runners on 5th st to pick one up before they are gone!

A complete list of results as well as race day photos are posted at www.perseverancetrailrun.com . Overall the race was a huge success so mark your calendars for next year October 30th 2011!

Perseverance Pics!

WOOHOO! It was an amazing day for a fall trail run and 215 racers came out to Persevere at the 2010 race in Cumberland BC!

Full race report, photos and results to come on the website...soon! Here are some great pics to tide you over...

Mooooooooooover people! These cows were udderly ridiculous and actually quite fast on the 10k course! These heffers took the prize in the costume contest - a fresh baked apple pie...cowpie!

215 racers, fans and volunteers head down to the race start from No. 6 Mine Park...sunshine!

10k racers getting ready to rock the 10.7k mountain run...

Runnaway bride Lisa, looks beautiful on her wedding day...lol...hardly a drop of mud on her dress after the race!

Lo Lanning, sweeper and equipment volunteer superstar, actually ran the entire course dressed up like a tree. She made quite a statement (and probably got chaffed in the process)...