In Defense of Food

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan is an excellent book laying out in a very orderly fashion the politics and greed that dictate the quality and price of our food supply.

Just learning why the government makes nutrition recommendations instead of food recommendations is worth purchasing the book. Add to that how and why the food pyramid exists in a form that is proven to cause obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome and you will never look at corporate food supply the same again.

You may however, learn to shop, and eat differently. You may become much more critical of who you trust for nutrition advice, and you may become much healthier because of it.

Taiso Fitness and Nutrition

If you are looking for a unique gym experience try Taiso Fitness and Nutrition. We are Tacoma’s fitness and nutrition gym for people who want to get out of pain or improve performance, who need immediate, measurable results, and want to make educated decisions to take control of their health.

Ready to get out of pain or improve performance? Looking for a gym, personal trainer, or unique boot camp experience? Set up a complimentary consultation, or start a 21 Day Risk Free Trial. Stay up to date on the latest information through our website at www.taisofitness.com

By |2017-09-06T15:56:50-07:00September 21st, 2010|Review, Uncategorized|Comments Off on In Defense of Food

Warrior Dash Northwest

This past weekend we ran the Warrior Dash down in North Plains, Oregon just west of Portland. It was a great time all around with lots of costumes, beer, turkey legs, music,…oh, and a race. The race was a 5K with various obstacles such floating/rolling logs in a pond, various climbing structures, hay bails, crushed cars, cargo net vertical climb, cargo net horizontal climb, fire pits to jump, and tunnels and mud pits to crawl.

A great day, with great weather. Ran the event in vibrams which we loved and gave us awesome gripping on the net climbs. Looking forward to doing it again next year.

Taiso Fitness and Nutrition

If you are looking for a unique gym experience try Taiso Fitness and Nutrition. We are Tacoma’s fitness and nutrition gym for people who want to get out of pain or improve performance, who need immediate, measurable results, and want to make educated decisions to take control of their health.

Ready to get out of pain or improve performance? Looking for a gym, personal trainer, or unique boot camp experience? Set up a complimentary consultation, or start a 21 Day Risk Free Trial. Stay up to date on the latest information through our website at www.taisofitness.com

By |2017-09-06T15:56:51-07:00September 13th, 2010|News, Review|Comments Off on Warrior Dash Northwest

Vibram Fivefinger Bikilas

This is my second pair of Vibrams. My first pair are the classics, which I am primarily using for jujutsu, yoga, and general exercise, although I have worn them for running, hiking, the ropes course, the Warrior Dash, and just about everything else. The classics have held up great and recommend them highly.

The reason I bought the bikilas is for better traction on slippery surfaces. The bright orange and pink get a lot of attention and Vibram should be giving me commission for at least a hundred commercials. So far the increased traction makes them better suited to running on slicker surfaces. They are also warmer then the classics so I am looking forward to wearing them more this winter as it gets cooler and wetter.

Butch wears Vibram Sprints, and has put them through the same variety of activities as my classics. Overall durability on all three is great. Tactical sensitivity is a little reduced in the Bikilas, but still better then regular running shoes. The sensitivity is still good enough to allow you to feel the surfaces and react to missteps without injury, while allowing the toes to grip and help develop good natural arch support. On that note, if you are always wearing stiff shoes that artificially support your arch you will want to ease into barefoot and minimalist shoe activities since the muscles in your feet have likely atrophied considerably.

Overall, a great series of footwear and looking forward to trying them out on a variety of new activities.

Taiso Fitness and Nutrition

If you are looking for a unique gym experience try Taiso Fitness and Nutrition. We are Tacoma’s fitness and nutrition gym for people who want to get out of pain or […]

By |2017-09-06T15:56:51-07:00September 13th, 2010|News, Review|Comments Off on Vibram Fivefinger Bikilas

Ropes Course with Adventura

A few weeks ago we had an opportunity to climb Adventura’s ropes course in Woodinville. It was a lot of fun. The way the safety harness is rigged you can make each part of the 15 station course as stable or unstable as you want. A cargo net climb gets you to the top where you are free to roam the 15 stations and use the zipline to descend. Per the norm, it was another activity we did in Vibram Fivefingers, and they held up great giving us a better feel for the the balance points on the stations.

Taiso Fitness and Nutrition

If you are looking for a unique gym experience try Taiso Fitness and Nutrition. We are Tacoma’s fitness and nutrition gym for people who want to get out of pain or improve performance, who need immediate, measurable results, and want to make educated decisions to take control of their health.

Ready to get out of pain or improve performance? Looking for a gym, personal trainer, or unique boot camp experience? Set up a complimentary consultation, or start a 21 Day Risk Free Trial. Stay up to date on the latest information through our website at www.taisofitness.com

By |2017-09-06T15:56:52-07:00September 13th, 2010|Review|Comments Off on Ropes Course with Adventura

Training with Barefoot Ted

In Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run, there is a character named Barefoot Ted who ran an endurance race wearing Vibram Five-Fingers (in case you are unaware, they are a minimalist shoe with no cushioning).  With such a colorful name we had to look him up on the internet and discovered he is right in our own backyard.

Last year at the Natural Trainer certification course with Jon Hinds we trained entirely barefoot and were introduced to a series of running progressions that originate with yoga postures, and progress through a variety of body weight, resistance, and running drills.

Aside from that experience we normally train barefoot in the studio since most of our activities there originate with some form of yoga or jujutsu.  So the opportunity to train with Barefoot Ted seemed a natural choice.

Ted began with recounting his experience and training philosophy which had many similar points to our perspective of natural movement.  We could have used much the same language to describe Taoism, jujutsu, or yoga.  Our first run was on concrete which was a great way to begin as it made us very aware of the internal thumping sound of a heel strike resonating through our bodies, and the absence of vibration became very noticeable when we allowed our ankles to properly absorb the impact.

Training progressed over various surfaces, with an emphasis for using stairs as a way to isolate proper landing from other factors such as cadence, stride, speed, etc… As a final exercise we ran on grass.

It was a great way to spend a chilly Sunday morning in Seattle at Volunteer Park overlooking the city.

Taiso Fitness and Nutrition

If you are looking for a unique gym experience try Taiso Fitness and […]

By |2017-09-06T15:56:53-07:00September 13th, 2010|News, Review|Comments Off on Training with Barefoot Ted

Fresh Screening UW|Tacoma

On May 22 2010 we hosted a screening of the movie Fresh. It gives a quick snapshot of the current state of mass production farming in the United States, but then goes on to show several ways people are making a difference. It is a very inspiring film and we felt it was a call to action.

So we secured the screening rights and worked with the Center for Leadership and Social Responsibility to get use of the Carwein Auditorium for the event.

We held a panel discussion following the event with members of local organic farms and the Tacoma Food Co-op.

The panelist were able to offer practical advice on getting started with local organic produce, how to take the next steps, some of the local challenges, and some of the local victories. Despite poor weather there were over forty people in attendance.

Panelist included representatives from:

Terry’s Berries – a certified organic community supported agriculture (CSA) farm.
Cheryl the Pig Lady – a certified organic CSA farm.
Zestful Gardens – a certified organic CSA farm.
The Meat Shop of Tacoma – a certified organic cattle ranch.
Tacoma Food Cooperative

Taiso Fitness and Nutrition

If you are looking for a unique gym experience try Taiso Fitness and Nutrition. We are Tacoma’s fitness and nutrition gym for people who want to get out of pain or improve performance, who need immediate, measurable results, and want to make educated decisions to take control of their health.

Ready to get out of pain or improve performance? Looking for a gym, personal trainer, or unique boot camp experience? Set up a complimentary consultation, or start a 21 Day Risk Free Trial. Stay up to date on the latest information through our website at www.taisofitness.com

By |2017-09-06T15:56:54-07:00September 13th, 2010|Review|Comments Off on Fresh Screening UW|Tacoma

Primal Blueprint

If you were to read only one health or fitness book in your lifetime, this should be the one. The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson is a concise well thought out presentation of several health factors presented in an engaging and informative format.

It is more then diet and exercise, it is a total lifestyle approach. For those of you who train with Jennifer and I, you know we believe this approach is the only one that works. It does not matter how many hours a week you put it at the gym if the rest of your time is counter-productive.

The ten Primal Blueprint Laws are well suited to the realities of our busy lives. They not only provide the blueprint to achieving health and fitness, they answer the question “why” in a very concise and logical way. This is not a short-term drop ten pounds plan, it is a way of thinking that can serve you for a lifetime.

My own fitness efforts were already in line with several of the Primal Blueprint Laws. But in the last few weeks I have made it a point to adhere to the laws as described and have made several noticeable improvements, most significantly a more even energy level throughout the day, and for me that alone is worth the price of the book.

Mark also has a loyal following on his website marksdailyapple.com and rightly deserved. The information there is timely and relevant and I recommend checking it out as well.

Taiso Fitness and Nutrition

If you are looking for a unique gym experience try Taiso Fitness and Nutrition. We are Tacoma’s fitness and nutrition gym for people who want to get out of pain or improve performance, who need immediate, […]

By |2017-09-06T15:56:55-07:00September 13th, 2010|Review|Comments Off on Primal Blueprint
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