Nikewomen NFR Blog

To Jump or Not to Jump?

LanaDonahue — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:34:17 GMT

I recently found myself in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

When I travel abroad, I always make an effort to completely submerse myself into the culture in all ways: food, etiquette, dress and of course, sport. I often find that the popular sport of the culture is an affect of the type of terrain that covers the majority of the land. For instance, Australians are known for excelling in surf and swimming—which is most likely because the majority of the Australian population lives on either the east or west coast, both of which are home to beautiful sand beaches, monstrous waves, and warm to sweltering weather for the majority of the year.

I found this hypothesis to ring true in my travels to Jamaica, as well. The locals who I spoke to explained that the primary sports were: Golf, Dominos (yes, Dominos are a sport), Cricket, Football (which is American soccer), Net Ball and Tennis. All of these sports are in line with the dry land and unpaved streets that comprises the majority of the tiny, flavorful island. However, there was one sport I took a particular liking to—Cliff Jumping—and I found it by surprise. Keeping in mind that Jamaica is an island, it is surrounded entirely by the crystal blue Caribbean Sea. This allows for water itself to also be an integral part of the sport Jamaicans choose to engage in. However, they have taken a different approach on things versus the surf hungry Australians. Specifically, Jamaicans love the sport of “cliff diving.” As a result of the sometimes wicked storms brought in by the sea, various cliffs have formed around the island over the years. The Jamaicans have used these cliffs to their advantage—treating them as diving boards to practice twists, turns and various other body contortions before plunging into the glass like seawater of the Caribbean.

While I don’t recommend jumping off just any cliff you come across, there are many safe and established cliffs that you can locate in tour books when you make your next trip to Montego. My latest mission: find some killer cliffs in the states...

-Lana Donahue

I bet you never heard of Spelunking!

LanaDonahue — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:25:57 GMT

Spelunking. No, this is not an action in a slapstick comedy. In fact, spelunking is an actual sport—better known as caving, or exploring caves. A recent trip to the north island of New Zealand tipped me off on this interesting, exhilarating sport.

In particular experience, I was accompanied by a cave tour guide who knew the tunnels and crevices of the cave like the back of his hand. However, even with an experienced guide the adrenaline rush of dip diving and climbing the dark, unknown territory is bound to leave you breathless.

The sport of spelunking involves some equipment: ropes (much like the pulley system found by abseiling) are utilized to negotiate steep dip in the cave, a helmet accompanied with a light is essential of the extreme darkness that are particular to caves, and a wet suit is a must—as often times there are unknown pools of water and waterfalls that found in the depths of the cave.

Aside from the physical exertion and the excitement of going forward without known exactly what was ahead, the coolest part of the experience was the discovery of glow worms. These worms are tiny insects that resemble worms and live in caves and literally glow through bioluminescence. Upon reaching a certain elevation level deep into the heart of the cave, we came across these tiny insects that provided us with enough light to enjoy a sip of water and a candy bar.

Spelunking is definitely something I recommend giving a try! I mean what other sport to you come across tiny, glowing creatures while accomplishing a killer workout!

-Lana Donahue

Flying Above Fear

AshleyJohncola — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:54:47 GMT

I did something this month that physically was neither a workout nor a classifiable athletic endeavor; however, for me, a mental challenge that I deem worth writing about: Parasailing.

So this is fairly embarrassing since I went up on the parasail with my 10-year-old sister; but it seems that over the years I have developed a fear of heights. However, when my family decided that everyone was going Parasailing on our tropical vacation, I felt that it was not worth letting my fear stand in the way of a potentially awesome memory. (Plus, I had at least the boat ride out to mentally prepare myself).

My aunt, who is normally afraid of everything, went up first...very high up. But nevertheless, she came down smiling and said it was not only relaxing, but also a breathtaking view that we HAD to experience. And we were next.

As a big sister, it is my duty to at least appear brave: so I did. After being secured, we started flying higher and higher until the boat with the rest of my family on it looked like a toy. My sister was loving it and when I finally started breathing again and took a second to take in everything around me, it was honestly one of the most picturesque views I have ever seen. I’m not going to lie, we hit a few wind pockets that jolted us around more than I would have liked, but it was truly an adventure that I am so happy I experienced.

To think that a fear of heights could have prevented me from something like this is ridiculous! And now there are so many things that I would consider trying that were out of the question before. Perhaps you’ll see a sky diving blog in the future...

-Ashley Johncola

Beach Runner

AshleyJohncola — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:49:39 GMT

I was recently in Aruba for a family vacation, and unfortunately, that meant succumbing to the temptation of eating delicious (yet unfortunately bad for you) foods that my little brother and sister and cousins surrounded me with for six days straight. But hey, sometimes we all need some greasy French fries and chicken fingers in our lives! However, in completely ignored my diet, I felt the need to keep up my workout routine. But when I realized the hotel I was staying at did not have a gym, I hit the beach!

Ok so now I totally have an excuse to go to the beach as much as possible this summer because running on the beach is my new favorite thing.

Like running outside as opposed to on a treadmill, I feel that a run goes faster when you have things to take in. And being on the beach, by the water makes running even more peaceful and enjoyable.

There is actually a good amount of debate over beach running. Some say that the soft surface of the sand is beneficial in terms of avoiding joint problems that you may develop if you aren’t careful when running on a treadmill or outside on a hard surface; however others say the uneven and sometimes unexpected change in surface that results on a beach could be dangerous and leave more room for injury. I'm going to have to agree with the pro-beach runners because I definitely observed less tightness when stretching after my runs; although if you are going to run on the beach, just be careful, watch where you are going, and be more aware of your surroundings (you don't want to run over a crab or slip on a jellyfish!). I know people that run without sneakers, and I've tried both running with and without them; however I feel that when I'm not wearing anything on my feet I'm too paranoid about stepping on a sharp shell...so I'd recommend keeping your shoes on.

And the best part about all of this is you are still getting sun, spending time on the beach, and if it gets too hot, the ocean is right there to cool you down!

-Ashley Johncola

Scuba...in a pool?

AshleyCeaser — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:15:25 GMT

I’ve always wanted to try scuba diving. Since childhood, the thought of being able to go deep and swim among fish has followed me even up until now. My itch to go finally got the best of me after watching the television series Blue Planet.

I researched some diving classes in my area and found an “Intro to Scuba” class at a local dive shop, Wallin’s Dive Center. But I never expected my first experience diving under water to be in a pool. At first, I was pretty skeptical. How could we learn how to scuba dive in a pool? However, I began to realize that it is the perfect option for beginners. Not only you did not have to worry about all the nerve-racking external factors that you would have to deal with in the ocean (like being out of your element), the only thing you had to bring was your swimsuit. Best of all, the class was free.

Our two-hour lesson was split into two parts: on land, learning the basics and in water, actually scuba diving. We were taught proper equipment maintenance, the physics of air and pressure (like how many atmospheres of pressure is appropriate, and how oxygen gets lowered through the tubes enough for us to be able to breath), how to attach the oxygen tank, and check the proper levels. I was a little nervous when we took our first breath underwater, but when those nerves wore off, it was so much fun. We practiced using our buoyancy compensators and even played with underwater rockets/missiles.

As our instructor, Russ, said, “You know why you should scuba? Because it can change your life. You can’t go up in space, but you can go underwater.” And while I don’t plan to take a ride in the space shuttle anytime soon, I know that I will definitely strap on a tank and take a dive in the ocean in the future!

If you live in the Bay Area and would like some more information, you can check out the Wallin’s website

-Ashley Ceaser

Destination: Training

LindseyDisher — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:17:41 GMT

Spring break 2009 is upon us, but jet setting to the coolest destination does not mean you have to leave your training routine behind. In fact, taking your favorite standard exercises to the beach can crank things up a notch and burn some serious calories while helping you produce substantial muscle.

Put on your swim suit, grab a towel, lace up your favorite pair of running shoes and bring your imagination all to the sand. Start with a simple run. I found the sinking of the sand makes me have to push myself harder. In a shorter amount of time my heart rate was up and I was feeling a pretty heavy burn in my quads and hamstrings. After winding down your run you can hop in the ocean for a little swim. The water will cool you down while the swim will work a wide range of muscles in your body. If you have the option of swimming in a safe zone at a beach, take advantage of the waves – they will challenge your body in a new way. Finally grab your towel and chill out on the sand with some light yoga. Breathe in the smell of the ocean and relax to the sound of the waves; a perfect way to finish out a traditional workout with a tough new twist.

So wherever you go this spring break, don’t let being in a new place keep you from training. Embrace your surroundings, get creative and most importantly...have fun!

-Lindsey Disher

Getting A Jump Start

MelissaParrelli — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:04:05 GMT

I travel A LOT, as many of my blogs will show. But when I go on vacation I not only like to relax, eat, and sight see…I always try and find little ways to constantly be active. When I went to Cabo San Lucas, it was meant to be 10 days full of gluttony- staying at a luxury resort, laying on the beach, and eating five-star, four-course meals. Well, I did manage to eat a bucket of shrimp while lounging under the umbrella poolside, but I walked to go get the food instead of having a waiter bring it to me...does that count? No, I don't think so.

By the third day, I was well rested from sleeping until 3PM and a little disappointed in myself for missing that highly anticipated hang-gliding session I had scheduled. So from that moment on I promised myself to do something with my sluggish body instead of just rolling over and hitting the room service button.

The next morning I woke up early aka at noon and did 50 laps in the beach front infinity pool, which gave the illusion I was swimming among the dolphins in the crystal clear waters where the Pacific and Sea of Cortez unite. Then that evening I went horseback riding, which was quite the experience. I've been riding many times prior, but this opportunity was breathtaking because of the location along the ocean. The horses also trotted instead of the usual leisurely stroll which made for a more heart-pumping occasion. You wouldn't think sitting on a horse would be exercise at all, but it is; I definitely got an arm workout from gripping/pulling the reigns, my abs were sore from keeping a straight posture with my torso, and I actually got some knee exercises in by doing slight leg extensions with the tension from the foot straps. The trail started inland and then we all galloped to the shore, going through three-foot deep ditches filled with water along the way. Since I had to concentrate more on my safety of remaining on the horse rather than absorb the surroundings, I decided to take a walk later on at sunset. I briskly hiked through the sand, as running was not an option because of my lovely knee. It was just enough exercise to end the day on a good note and leave me looking forward to that Swedish massage I had booked the next day.

Be Well.

-Melissa Parrelli