Romney visit clarification

You  might have been hearing in the news that Mitt Romney's scheduled fundraisers on March 1 are happening at the Bellevue Club. We would like to clarify: While the Romney campaign did express an interest in hosting fundraisers at the Bellevue Club, ultimately the events were deemed too large for our capacity. They have been rescheduled to the Meydenbauer Center.

New dishes in Splash!

We've made some delicious additions to our Splash menu. Drop by and try one (or all of them)!

Mediterranean Salsa & Pita Chips

Crudités

 

 

Harvest Chopped Salad

Pesto Pizza

Chicken Piccata

Orange Chicken

Meatloaf

Meatloaf Sandwich

Salmon Penne

Pesto and Cheese Sandwich

Basketball Fall League Championship

During the long awaited championship game of the Members-only Fall League, Team Arriaga was able to top Team Bacon by a final score of 84-59. Fitting, Jason Arriaga led the way for his team with a game high 30 points. 

Ryan Haggert also put in a strong outing for the champs with 26 points. 

In a valiant effort, Team Bacon was led by their captain Tony Bacon with 24 points.   

Congratulations to Jason Arriaga, Ryan Haggert, John Besteman, Nick Cary, Thomas Gibson, Vernon Lyter and Duncan McAllister on a winning season.

Never Too Late

     

By Allyson Marrs

     There are no “types of people” for the Wellness Department’s newest program, Your Body, Your Life. Because the program is designed specifically for the individual, fitness level, age and ability are never determining factors.

    Inspired by a book, “Younger Next Year,” 82-year-old Rand Galt decided he wasn’t going to act his age. “You have to do serious exercise each week,” he said. “Otherwise, you’re just going to deteriorate.”

    Rand chose YBYL to keep fit simply because there was nothing like it. And his curiosity about cardiovascular health can be met during the training sessions he’ll have with cardio coach Annelise Digiacomo.

    For Rand, it’s about staying healthy as long as he can. “As you age, you start seeing your friends with walkers and wheel chairs, and that tells you the story,” he said. “I’m not about to sit in an armchair and watch the sun go down.”

NEW! Kids’ GPX

The Club’s popular GPX program just got a little—younger. In an effort to get kids up and moving, grooving and lifting, we’ve added two new GPX classes just for them.

            Starting next week, your 7-11 year old can choose from two great classes, tailored perfectly to their age.

            Kids Cardio is all about movement. With fun music, kids will jump and dance their way into fitness.

            Mini Muscles will help them tone and strengthen. Certified instructors will teach the class about technique in a low-weight workout, geared to increase muscle endurance. Oh, and there will be plenty of fun too!

For more information about these great programs, call 425-688-3172 or email fitness@bellevueclub.com. 

*Starts Monday, Feb. 13 in the multipurpose room. 

Classes are part of GPX! 

Drop-in $3 per class.

Mondays 5:45-6:10 p.m. KIDS CARDIO

Mondays 6:15-6:45 p.m. MINI MUSCLES

Fridays 6-6:25 p.m. KIDS CARDIO

Fridays 6:30-7p.m. MINI MUSCLES

Saturdays 10:15-10:40 a.m. KIDS CARDIO

Saturdays 10:45-11:15 a.m. MINI MUSCLES

Nutrition News

By Cindy Farricker, MS, RD, CDE
Bellevue Club Wellness Dietitian

Dr Robert H. Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at University of California San Francisco, is troubled by the increasing rate of obesity and diabetes he sees in the children under his care. He and his colleagues at UCSF have written a commentary on this subject, which came out in yesterday's edition of the "Journal Nature."

Lustig believes a diet that includes too much fructose and not enough fiber causes obesity.  He argues that added fructose is a harmful substance that negatively affects metabolism.

He cites United Nations reports that non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer together are responsible for more than 35 million deaths each year.  Each of these are influenced by lifestyle choices people make about tobacco, alcohol and diet.

Of these three lifestyle choices, only tobacco and alcohol are currently subject to regulation. Lustig concedes that unlike tobacco and alcohol, food is necessary for survival; however, added sugar isn’t any more necessary than tobacco or alcohol.

For example, when it comes to alcohol, there are four criteria that justify government regulation, according to the 2003 book “Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity”:
* It’s unavoidable in society.
* It’s toxic.
* It can be abused.
* It’s bad for society.

“Sugar meets the same criteria,” Lustig and colleagues write, “and we believe that it similarly warrants some form of societal intervention.”

In an interview on ABC news, Lustig discussed how food processors have made our food more palatable by adding sugar. He believes that fructose is a poison.

He goes on to make the case that fructose is the cause of the current obesity epidemic and the current epidemic of metabolic syndrome.

According to Lustig, fructose naturally occurs in foods, but the amount presented to the body becomes a problem.  The fructose load is an issue for our metabolism.  To make his point he said, “it makes no difference if it is a juice box or a soda in terms of the fructose load. In fact, juice is 1.8 grams of fructose per ounce, and a soda is 1.7 grams of fructose per ounce. With juice, they threw away the fiber. The juice is the bad part of the fruit. The juice is nature’s way of getting you to eat your fiber.”

Lustig believes that fructose fools you into eating more. He explained that increasing doses of fructose overload the liver, which in turn confuses the brain about a chemical we all start producing when we eat, called leptin. Normally, rising leptin levels tell the brain we have had enough to eat. Since this signal is blocked with fructose your brain thinks you are still hungry.  Your brain can’t get the leptin signal.

Lestig believes soda should be a controlled substance like alcohol or tobacco. He described the following scenario: “a 15 year old walks into a store to buy a coke and the cashier says show me your ID.”



Click here to view Dr. Lustig’s 90-minute lecture on the subject on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
 

Coming to BAM: Mary Lee Hu

Choker #40

Renowned Seattle jeweler Mary Lee Hu's creations are showing at the Bellevue Arts Museum starting Feb. 7. This retrospective is titled "Knitted, Knotted, Twisted & Twined: The Jewelry of Mary Lee Hu."

Stop by and see more than 90 earrings, rings, brooches and neckpieces from the 1960s through today. Hu, who is based in Seattle, uses wire in many ways like textiles, creating her pieces with twining, twisting and knotting. Her work can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. This retrospective has been put together from both public and private collections.

Knitted, Knotted, Twisted & Twined runs Feb. 7-June 17. For more information, visit the Bellevue Arts Museum website.

What's the link? Overtime and depression

A new study in the online journal PLoS ONE finds that working long hours (specifically, more than 11-hour days) regularly more than doubles the chances of developing major depression.

When compared to public employees who spent less than eight hours at the office, British civil servants working 11 or more hour days had a more than twofold increase in the risk of depression.

Warning signs for depression include:
• trouble sleeping
• feeling stressed
• being irritable and dissatisfied
• lacking pleasure in things that usually make you happy
• making more mistakes on the job
• trouble getting organized or concentrating

Read the full article here.

Strides Toward Progress

The new Your Body, Your Life program has finished its first month with a slew of success stories from the first participants. In a matter of a couple weeks, the group lost more than 50 pounds, utilizing total-wellness techniques offered by the team who created the program.

In a circular pattern of success, more energy prompts more motivation, and the group has lost the weight and gained new tools on their way to a healthier lifestyle.

            Program creator and Wellness Coordinator, Jason Kennedy saw the importance in a program that would be about permanent results rather than a series of plateaus. “To achieve real and lasting success, it requires a team of people all working together to really help make the meaningful and lasting changes in a person’s life,” he said.

             “There are so many factors in play regarding becoming healthy that I realized that we needed a program here at the Club that could really make a significant difference in peoples everyday lives,” said Jason.

            Because every individual has a different body type and lifestyle, YBYL tailors its wellness plan to each participant. “Our program is successful because we adapt to the needs of our clients,” he said.

            But the battle of weight loss encompasses so much more than bodily changes. “I think what makes me the happiest is knowing that we are making significant changes in people’s lives and that they will be healthier, happier and have more energy for years to come as a result of our program.  We are improving the health of our members—one person at a time.”

Club Dietitian, Cindy Farricker’s Take  

When Jason told me about the concept of having a comprehensive weight-loss program at the Club, I was thrilled. Having nutritional counseling, stress-reducing massage and cardiovascular training rolled up together in a weight loss program is, in my opinion, the perfect approach.

Participants in the first group going through YBYL range from young professionals to seniors with a fairly even mix of men and women.  Everyone has been successful, and it is rewarding to see folks achieving diet and exercise goals that eluded them in the past. 

Having a wellness focus is key in YBYL. As a dietitian, I am able to help people make changes in their diet that improves their overall health and well being.  Comments many participants have made is how much better they feel. They have more energy on fewer calories and find that they are not as hungry. They’re feeling the benefits of good nutrition.

Since I provide new food ideas each week, many people have ventured outside their comfort zone only to happily find that they love the new choices. Families are eating the same food, which is a first for many who have tried various diet programs in the past. By helping people gradually adapt their typical foods into the overall meal plan, they see that this is something they can stick to for life.

Cardio Coach, Annelise Digiacomo’s Take

Working as a Cardio Coach has been very gratifying. Many going through the YBYL program have shared with me that this portion of the program is different from anything they have done before. Yes, they’ve done cardio training, but they haven’t really known if the work they are doing is providing the benefits they are seeking. A Cardio Coach provides guidance through the workouts, education on cardiovascular fitness and information about how the training zones work for them at different intensities. 

            It’s been exciting seeing the changes in thought perception about cardio just over a few weeks, teaching each participant how to utilize their time efficiently, working out in their individual training zones—set using results from their Active Metabolic Assessment. 

I have already seen many changes, with their starting heart rates lowering, which indicate a stronger and healthier heart. Recovery heart rates are dropping quicker, showing improved fitness levels as well as being able to increase the intensities at which each is working out. 

            The great thing about the YBYL program is that it is tailored to each person’s specific needs and goals—while some might be looking to lower their blood pressure, improve blood glucose and cholesterol or lose weight, others seek information on how to more effectively work out. 

We really are seeing a variety of members come through, and to 
know that you play just a small part in helping them make new lifestyle changes is very rewarding. 

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga

Sunday, Feb. 12

Law 4: Least Effort

Lin Lungata, an experienced meditator, educator and counselor, will be teaching The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga at the Bellevue Club. Each session will explore one spiritual law, meditation, readings, mantras and suggested practices to implement each law into daily life- a rich opportunity to go more deeply into self exploration and stillness.

All classes are 4-5:30 p.m.

$40 per workshop.

To register, email fitness@bellevueclub.com or call 425-688-3172.