Further outside the immediate San Diego County region there are other rewarding but difficult hikes. There’s the Cactus to Clouds Trail to climb San Jacinto Peak in Palm Springs, a 20.3-mile point-to-point hike (you can take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway back down) with a 10,000-foot elevation gain. 

Or the Rubicon Trail (10 miles) near Lake Tahoe, the Bridge to Nowhere hike (10 miles) in Azusa, and the Clouds Rest hike in Yosemite National Park (13 miles with 2,500 feet elevation gain). 

I could go on. For all of these fantastic but challenging hikes, they require some training and a solid fitness base. 

To help those looking to do some of these more challenging treks, we asked expert Gordon Janow, director of programs and founder of Alpine Ascents about the best workouts to get your body ready for these hikes.

“We guide technical peaks, mountaineering around the world, help people climb the highest mountain on each continent and run schools and summit climbs in the Cascades, Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan and Mount Rainier,” says Janow. “My background is as a Himalayan historian and logistics expert. I run the company and also work with people in terms of getting fit or training for mountaineering expeditions.”

None of the day trip 10-mile expeditions listed here compare to climbing Mount Rainier, but Janow says they do still take training. He laid out his best advice. Here are his fitness tips on the best workouts to help you get ready for hikes over 10 miles.

Mimic the Climb

The guiding principle to training for hikes is sports-specific training, or doing something that’s as close to the sport as you can to get ready for it as one of the elements, Janow says. He recommends three days in the gym of using a treadmill or step mill (like an escalator that helps you continuously climb stairs, not a stair climbing machine) and then a hike on the weekend to build up endurance.

Gym sessions should be around 45 minutes with an emphasis on increasing your speed. “One misconception people have is like, ‘Oh, I’m slow but I can go all day.’ But if you’re hiking for 11 hours, your body is still working for 11 hours. So you want to achieve a certain pace,” Janow says. 

You don’t want what would normally be a six-hour hike to take 12 hours, because that’s too much wear on your body, he says. So before you go out, you can work on boosting your speed with interval training on the treadmill. 

Interval Training on the Treadmill

The goal for hiking at a good pace is usually 1,000-vertical feet per hour, Janow says. His training plans ask you to vary your incline from 5 percent to 15 percent, and then he says you can do intervals to build your speed. This could mean walking two minutes at a slower pace, then one-minute at 3 mph, and repeat. That way, you can build your speed over time.

Train on a Step Mill

You can also use the same method to pick up your pace on a step mill, going faster for one minute and slower for two minutes until you build up speed.

“There’s benchmarks, like being able to ascend 1,000-vertical feet per hour with a certain pack weight,” Janow says. “Each trip has a different pack weight. So you would prepare differently depending on the trip that you’re going on.”

He also has training programs and more fitness tips on his website, like this one to prepare for specific hikes such as Mount Rainier. 

Train Based on Whether You Can Talk

Try to climb at your anaerobic threshold, Janow says. “An easy way to determine [this threshold] is that if you can be next to somebody and kind of yell out a few words, but you can’t hold a conversation,” he says, then you’ll know you’re in the right spot. “But you also shouldn’t be entirely out of breath.”

“What we’re trying to do is to increase this anaerobic threshold. It’s not about going as hard as you can for certain periods of time,” he says. “I want your anaerobic threshold to be something that’s pretty close to an all-day pace where you’re walking and I can talk to you.”

Strength Training

In addition to cardio, one fitness tip to remember is weight lifting to build up your strength, says Janow. That includes squats and lunges to strengthen your legs and glutes, but don’t forget about your back and shoulders so that you can carry supplies.

“You’re going to be like, ‘My God, the backpack on my shoulders is killing me.’ Or, ‘My hips really hurt.’ Or, ‘My calves, my thighs…’” he says. “If it’s your thighs that are hurting, let’s say, then you start working weights there doing squats or box steps or things like that.”

Weekend Hikes

There’s no substitution for actual time on the trails, so Janow says whenever possible, get out and do some shorter hikes to build up your mileage. Do shorter climbs with the pack you’d carry on the longer trek and get used to the weight and pace. 

Some hikes to try in the San Diego region are Cowles Mountain (three-miles roundtrip), either of the Fortunas in Mission Trails (five- or six-miles roundtrip), Pyles Peak (six-miles roundtrip) and Iron Mountain (5.5-miles roundtrip).

The post The 6 Best Fitness Tips For Hiking Trails Over 10 Miles appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

“We, as women, grow up being told we can’t do these things, that we’re small, that we’re gonna get hurt,” says one Wildfires player, who goes by the name Xicana Heat. She wrote her master’s thesis on roller derby as a form of social and political resistance. “But everyone [I talked to for my thesis] felt … very strong, very empowered. And you’re surrounded by people who do nothing but support you.”

While a few players graduated to the Wildfires from Ringer’s youth league, most found derby as adults. For some, familial expectations barred them from sports as kids, so developing the strength and balance needed to play what’s essentially high-speed Red Rover was a slow (but rewarding) road. The Wildfires have members as young as 18. Others are in their 50s.

In derby, groups of five face off during two-minute “jams,” with each team’s “jammer” aiming to barrel past four opposing blockers and earn points. Invented in the 1930s, the sport drew serious crowds for a few decades, then declined, but a grassroots, women-led revival is bringing it back. The players take on punny derby names—and, for many, those monikers are a way to unleash the truest versions of themselves.

Though the players sometimes don’t know one another’s “real” names, their bond is palpable. At the team’s recent derby-themed art show at Convoy’s Hopnonymous Brewing Company, one player helped another study for a college Spanish test while SoCal Derby board member Reckem Ralph clarified details for their upcoming bout.

Each Wildfire I spoke to cited those bonds—even more than the love of the game, which they have in spades—as the reason they stay, strapping on their skates each week. “If I had to choose between playing derby and keeping you people,” Reckem Ralph says, gazing at her team, “I’d keep you people.”

The post San Diego’s Toughest Athletes Aren’t On the Team You Think appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Encinitas Bikers.jpg

It all started in Berlin. Five hours into a trip with a guy who could have been my ticket to EU citizenship, I fell. Hard. But not for him. I landed on the extremely sturdy sidewalks I chose to careen down on my fahrrad, which is German for “mechanical harbinger of seven stitches.” Or, bicycle.

I’m not afraid of bikes because of the accident, but I’m not the carefree girl I used to be when it comes to riding (nor is my right knee). So, when I scored a deal on a Masi road bike, straight from the Haro Bikes headquarters in Vista, I had some apprehension about getting back in the saddle. That trepidation—and healing from my stitches—has lasted five years.

Now, I feel ready to reclaim the road. My journey back to the bike lane starts now, and I’m here to learn and ride alongside you as a beginner urban biker. Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way on how to approach your steel steed with confidence. Roll up that right pant leg and hop on…

Take Care of Your Bike

Bike maintenance is essential to enjoying life on two wheels—whether you purchased a $2,000 bike or copped a used one for $200 off Craigslist.

First thing’s first. You’ll want to take it to a local bike shop to get it tuned and cleaned. A visit to Stay True Cycle Works in City Heights is like taking your bike to a spa (seriously, it gets a gentle steel wool scrub and a plushy polishing massage). Owner and bike mechanic, John Cooper, will have your ride back in fighting shape within 20 minutes.

And if you’re pulling out their bike for the first time in a while, you can make sure it’s road-ready with Cooper’s “ABC Quick Check:”

• A – Air
  “If you can pinch your tire, pump it up, even if it does feel kind of firm,” says Cooper. When in doubt, pump.
• B – Brakes
  “Squeeze your brakes. I like to call it a ‘rule of thumb’. Put your thumb [in between the handle and the handbrake] and squeeze—not hard, but until it stops. Then, if [the handle] is touching your thumb, chances are you might need a brake adjustment. Something might be obstructing it,” he says. Alternatively, it may be time to “bleed your brakes,” a process that drains out air trapped in your brake system.
• C – Chain
  “Check your chain,” says Cooper. Not shifting smoothly? Then stop by a bike shop.
• Quick – Quick fastener
  “Check your quick releases to see if you can pull them off with your fingers,” Cooper shares. If that’s the case, you’re in need of a tightening.

Rules of the Road

San Diego is not quite a cyclist-friendly city (though plans are in the works to add more protected bike lanes), so it is imperative to adhere to safety protocols. A local cycling org, the San Diego Bicycle Coalition, offers some guidelines for riders:

• Use The Bicycle Lane
  On a roadway with a bike lane, bicyclists traveling slower than traffic must use the bike lane except when making a left turn, passing, avoiding hazardous conditions, or approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
• Ride With Traffic
  Bicyclists must travel on the right side of the roadway in the direction of traffic, except when passing, making a legal left turn, riding on a one-way street, riding on a road that is too narrow, or when the right side of the road is closed due to road construction.
• Be Seen Day & Night
  Being conspicuous is an essential part of traffic safety! At night cars and bicycles are required to have a working front and rear light. Bikes are required to have many other reflectors as well. Even during the daytime lights, reflectors and hi-visibility accessories can be a key part of safety and visibility.

Cooper adds, “Try to make eye contact with the drivers. Scan the road.” Keeping an eye out for cars—and making sure they’ve got eyes on you, too—goes a long way in preventing collisions.

You knew it was coming, but here’s the big one: wear a helmet. Don’t be afraid to feel dorky. That beautiful brain of yours is worth protecting. Though it’s not mandated by San Diego City or California law for adults to wear helmets, it is required for anyone under 18.

Cyclist.jpeg

Beginning Bike Rides

My vote? Start close to home. Depending on your neighborhood’s proximity to major thoroughfares, beginning with short jaunts down side streets is best. Once you’ve gained some confidence, try these starter routes.

Mission Bay Bike Path

This 12-mile loop offers great views, flat surfaces, and even picnic opportunities for a pit stop. The 8-mph speed limit ensures a safe and leisurely cruise for all.

Barrio Logan Art Path

San Diego Bike Coalition suggests a colorful ride through the streets of Barrio Logan. The route includes nine stops for urban art patronage, starting at Chicano Park.

Balboa Park

The 1,200-acre park provides ample promenades—pedal down a few, then head over the bridge and back for a simple, outdoor roll.

Your New Cycling Community

Already an excellent resource for safety and bike advocacy, the San Diego Bicycle Coalition is also a local beacon of the biking community. The organization offers classes—including collaborations on bike mechanics with Stay True Cycle Works, Family Bike Education onsite at schools, and virtual Smart Cycling courses—and a thorough schedule of riding activities for all skill levels. (The Community Bike Rides stand out as a family-friendly highlight.) May 1–31 marks Bike Month in San Diego, so you can look forward to several events honoring all things cycling.

Be sure to also check out local cycling groups which can be an easy way to make new friends with the same interests. Bikingis.fun is another great resource for cycling events. Don’t be dissuaded by its spartan Web 1.0 interface—this website launched earlier this year and maintains an up-to-date bulletin board of riding opps of all kinds, including Velodrome racing for the more seasoned rider or eager spectator (think NASCAR or Formula 1, but for bikes).

Happy riding!

The post Training Wheels: A Beginner’s Guide to Urban Biking appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

yoga at Rady

November 3

Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters’ Chef’s Table Event

One of La Jolla Shores’ best neighborhood restaurants Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters will be hosting their inaugural Chef’s Table event this Thursday, November 3 at 6 p.m. The event will be led by executive chef Marty Fay joined by SAMsARA Wine Company’s head winemaker Matt Brady presenting a six-course tasting menu with wines to pair. Tickets are $250 and can be found here. | 2259 Avenida De La Playa, La Jolla Shores 

23rd San Diego Asian Film Festival

From November 3 through November 12, the 23rd annual San Diego Asian Film Festival will be showcasing Asian-American and international cinema in movie theaters across San Diego County. The festival will hold 25 premieres and there will be several Q&As with filmmakers and chances to meet cast and crew. The lineup includes more than 130 films from more than 30 at 4 venues including the San Diego Natural History Museum and Ultrastar Mission Valley. Tickets can be purchased for individual screenings, a festival six-pack or you can go all in with the all-fest pass, which comes with front-of-line privileges at all regular film screenings, entry to all passholder receptions and much more. | citywide; primary venue — Ultrastar Mission Valley 7510 Hazard Center Dr #100

Yiddishland’s First Anniversary Celebration

La Jolla’s Yiddishland celebrates its first anniversary with a First Friday Artwalk where an abundance of artwork including Jewish ceremonial art will be available for purchase from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.. There will also be plenty of drinks, food and entertainment and there will be some select discounts on artwork in the Yiddishland gallery. Additionally, special gifts will be given to those in attendance who donate $180 by November 4. | 1128 Wall Street, La Jolla

November 4

Welcome Tu Las Californias

This weekend marks the debut of Welcome Tu Las Californias, a two-day music festival across the border in Baja California put on by international hip hop supergroup Tulengua and featuring musicians and DJs from Baja, San Diego and Los Angeles. Friday in Tijuana will include a local art and craft bazaar, a full bar & snacks, birria, baja funk fashion by Brujo Vintage and Gala Castañon and a live mural by El Señor Papel. Saturday will feature baja-med cuisine along with local wine & cocktails at a private dinner at Bloodlust in Valle De Guadalupe. Tickets for Friday are $11.22 and $25 for Saturday. | Various locations in Baja

November 5

SD Brewers Guild Fest

San Diego Beer Week brings together over 150 breweries in the county from November 4-13, kicking off with the San Diego Brewers Guild Fest. Hosted at The Surf Sports Park in Del Mar from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be food trucks, live music and of course plenty of delicious craft beer. General admission tickets are $55 and come with unlimited samples from more than 70 breweries while early admission tickets are $70 and allow an added hour of entry from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here. | 14989 Via De La Valle, Del Mar

Alicia Keys at Viejas Arena

As an artist well-known for romantic ballads, chart-topping hits and her classical piano playing, Alicia Keys has become one of the most popular R&B acts of all time. Her upcoming show at Viejas Arena celebrates the release of her two most recent studio albums Alicia, released in September 2020 and Keys, released in December 2021. This performance will also come a day after the release of Key’s first-ever Christmas album Santa Baby on November 4, featuring covers of Christmas classic and original holiday music. | 5500 Canyon Crest Drive, El Cajon

Queen Bees Market

18th Annual Carlsbad Music Festival

The 18th annual Carlsbad Music Festival will have an eclectic musical lineup including blues, New Orleans brass, afrobeat and salsa artists headlined by Monophonics. The festival will take place from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be a beer garden with sponsor Societe Brewing and local wine brands along with three food trucks onsite serving Americana, pacific rim fusion and tacos. General admission tickets are $35, VIP tickets are $125 and kids aged 12 and under are admitted free with a ticket. | 2775 Carlsbad Boulevard, Carlsbad

Bike the Coast

Bike along the water in Oceanside for the annual Bike the Coast where novice and advanced bikers alike can ride the most scenic routes in SoCal. There will be routes of 25, 50 and 100 miles for the pros and family rides on the San Luis River Trail of 7 and 15 miles. Registration opens at 5:30 a.m. at Betty’s Lot in Downtown Oceanside and following the races, a beer garden and the Taste the Coast Expo will open at 10 a.m. under the Oceanside Pier. | 301 North The Strand, Oceanside

Queen Bee Market

San Diego artisanal popup marketplace Queen Bee Market is back at a new venue, Cal State University San Marcos, this weekend November 5-6. Food vendors at the event will include Good Coffee Company, The Go Go Truck, and Hey sugar, hello cookie and there will be several vendors selling accessories, clothing furniture and home decor. Pay $5 to get in the door before sifting through specialty handmade items and enjoy food, drinks and desserts at this trendy, curated lifestyle market. | 333 South Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos

November 6

FitFest

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Sunday, the San Diego Symphony will be hosting a FitFest at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park in partnership with Fit Athletic Club. Instructors from Fit will be leading a variety of classes in yoga, bootcamp, HIIT and circuit training. There will also be other features like a free throw contest, a dance party, and a kid’s zone as well as food, beverage and wellness vendors in attendance. Register for this event here. | 222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero

The post 10 Things To Do This in San Diego Nov. 3-6 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Vizer cofounders

Courtesy of Vizer

Ten thousand steps. You’ve all heard about the magic number that can turn you into a model of pure health, right? It’s good for us, but what if that knowledge isn’t enough to incentivize you?

What if you had to reach that daily goal so you could donate a meal to feed those in need? When you exercised, one less person may not go hungry.

That’s the brilliant business model of Vizer, a social justice wellness app that started in San Diego. The name Vizer is a play off of “incentivize,” a phrase that co-founder Samantha Pantazopoulos came up with.

The health app works like this: You exercise any way you want—whether you walk 10,000 steps, check into a gym, or play pickleball in a rec league. For each day, you accomplish your goal, a meal is donated to feed the hungry. The premise is that altruistic humans could use an extra boost to stay healthy and do good. If you don’t exercise, someone may not get to eat. To date, Vizer has already donated 3.5 million meals through food banks across the country.

In honor of National Hunger Awareness Month last month, Vizer partnered with brands to bring attention to food insecurity that impacts people everywhere, including homeless people, families, veterans, seniors, and college students.

One of Vizer’s partners, Jiant, launched a limited-release kombucha flavor called Planet Pomegranate nationwide, donating profits to food banks. Other partners include Vita Coco, Dream Pops, and Hydrant. Vizer also lets people earn rewards like free juice shots or protein bars.

Pantazopoulos came up with the idea when she was part of a social entrepreneurship incubator program at Semester at Sea. The first time she witnessed how devastating food insecurity can be was at a port stop in Senegal. Hunger was an injustice that she was inspired to do something about.

vizer app

Courtesy of Vizer

“I think a big catalyst was understanding [that] if you didn’t have enough food to eat and you weren’t properly fueling your body, it was going to be impossible to develop other healthy habits,” explained Pantazopoulos, who lives and works out of her Crown Point condo. She wants to make sure everyone has a shot at having access to good nutrition and achieve their health goals.

When she got back to California, she persuaded her cousin Dylan Barbour to join her in starting the company. Eventually, he quit his stable job (with health benefits) at Morgan Stanley in San Francisco to put his energy into Vizer. And just in case you were paying attention, you may know that name from his time as a contestant on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, the latter of which introduced him to his now fiancée, Hannah Godwin.

These days, Vizer is growing and thriving in its mission. The company already has “tens of thousands of users,” said Pantazopoulos. They’ve also signed up companies, teams, and schools like the University of San Diego, her alma mater which has been instrumental in launching her entrepreneurial career.

Growing up, the cousins were at opposite ends of the exercise spectrum, but they both struggled with balancing physical activity with nutrition. While Barbour was a college athlete, Pantazopoulos had asthma and gave up her sports dreams after she played on her fifth grade basketball team.

Pantazopoulos’ philosophy for exercise nowadays, though, is “ask yourself what feels good on that day.” One of her favorite activities is a beach hike from Crystal Pier to South Mission Beach. Recently, she bought ballet shoes online so she can learn to dance with a Misty Copeland video. “You gotta spice up your exercise routine,” she says.

Thirty minutes of anything that raises your heart rate counts on the Vizer app. And for Pantazopoulos, she and Barbour designed the social justice wellness app to not only measure activity but to also measure how many meals you can donate to “raise attention to the fact that the problem of hunger is all around us,” she adds.

The post 10,000 Steps to Eliminate Hunger appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Movement, mantras and meditation at Cosmic Flow Kundalini Yoga in Point Loma

Leah Lipson

Yoga is a diverse world. Kundalini, also called “the yoga of awareness,” is designed to give you an experience of yourself. The practice includes combining a variety of breathing techniques with specific movements for results that are quick and powerful. Much of the practice is spent with eyes closed, encouraging participants to go within and forge a connection with the deepest parts of the subconscious.

“You can see results instantly after one class, even after one exercise,” says Gurumeher Khalsa, the studio head at Cosmic Flow Kundalini Yoga in Point Loma. “Even just taking a few long, deep breaths is calming and centering and relaxing. You can come into a class feeling stressed or overwhelmed and leave an hour later feeling much lighter, relieved and happy. I see it all the time.”

The practice is relevant and handy in these times, when it seems each new day brings a new reason for a panic attack. Khalsa says Kundalini Yoga can teach breathing techniques to cope with those situations. The techniques focus on releasing things such as anxiety, stress, fear and selfloathing. Meditations and mantras are used to open up even further and focus on self-healing and connecting with a higher consciousness.

“We do long, deep breathing, because it’s calming, centering, releasing stress and anxiety,” she says. “But it’s on a different level.”

The different level is using a variety of breathing techniques combined with other aspects of the classes, including the movement, mantras, and meditation. Khalsa says her 75- or 90-minute classes teach different types of breathing techniques, in-person or over Zoom.

Cosmic Mudra

Cosmic Flow Kundalini Yoga

“One breath that is unique to Kundalini is called Breath of Fire—a rapid inhale and exhale through the nose,” she says. “The best way to learn it is to stick your tongue out and put your hands on your navel and then pretend like you’re panting like a dog. And it’s basically that breath, except just close your mouth and switch it to the nose. And it’s really one long, continuous breath, and the purpose of it is opening up the lungs. It’s good for releasing toxins and purifying the blood.”

Khalsa says with practice, this breathing technique can offer an overall sense of calmness, and “the things that maybe used to bother you or trigger you just really don’t seem to bother you anymore.”

Another technique is called Sitali Pranayama, which involves rolling one’s tongue like a taco.

“And then inhale through that taco tongue and then exhale out the nose,” Khalsa says. “As the name implies, it is a cool down breath, both on a physical and mental level. It is good for releasing inner anger.”

Another is to alternate nostril breathing, meaning using one’s thumb or pinky to close off the right nostril, and then inhaling low and deep through the left nostril, exhaling out the left nostril and alternating.

But, Khalsa says, the classes are about more than just breathing.

“The typical class structure is tuning in with a mantra to connect with ourselves and also connect with the teachings,” she says. Next is breathing meditation, and then the yoga portion, which combines the breathwork with the movement, all prescribed by the Kundalini teachings. The classes wrap with meditation and relaxation, where participants lay out on the ground and take in all the work they’ve done.

“So, really just the overall sense of calmness and overall well being is what you’ll experience,” Khalsa says. “And that’s just all from putting in the work yourself.”

The post The Secret Power of Taco Tongue appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Deep End Fitness 2

Deep End Fitness

Depression can feel like being submerged under water. You just have to hold your breath as long as you can and hope you’ll get air soon. Only, when you’re dealing with a mental illness, reaching the surface can seem impossible

For many, the past few years of the pandemic have felt similar—a daily battle to keep our heads above the waterline as we wade through a new reality. Nationally, from August 2020 to February 2021, the percentage of adults with symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders increased, with 46.1% of Californians reporting symptoms in February of last year.

So, it’s not surprising that breathwork has been a constant discussion amongst just about everyone these days. When we need to coax our bodies back into a calm, less-worried state, breathing is the first tool we’re taught to use. “Just breathe.”

If you’re like me, though, inhaling and exhaling to combat anxiety can seem like a practice solely reserved for spiritual yogis and meditation gurus. The notion that you can huff and puff your way out of a depression seems like magical thinking.

But Deep End Fitness is the kind of wellness activity that anxious gym rats like me can get on board with. Created by former U.S. Marines and special-ops water survival specialists Don Tran and Prime Hall, the pool-based program is designed to help focus on functional fitness techniques while strengthening mental fortitude through the power of breathing. According to the National Institutes of Health, this mind-breath-body connection is a proven, effective way to relieve emotional distress without the use of drugs.

Deep End Fitness 1

Deep End Fitness

“That’s the whole idea behind Deep End Fitness,” says Ali Whiting, an instructor, surfer, and free diver. “The water neutralizes everything. As soon as you get in, it’s the fastest way to dive into your mind; the fastest way to see what’s going on internally.”

The breathing techniques are designed to help individuals work on critical thinking and problem-solving skills, develop stress mitigation methods, foster mental relaxation, and establish coping techniques for the mind. The program operates under the acronym F.R.E.E. (focus, relaxation, economy of motion, and efficient breathing), which is practiced during each two-hour workout. Athletes run through a range of training exercises before finishing up with a 15-minute HIIT workout, both in and out of the pool.

Sometimes, this looks like three rounds of 25-yard pool sprints followed by 20 air squats on land, a pause for intentional breathwork, a 25-yard underwater swim, and a final breath-intense workout. Are we breathing yet?

Deep End Fitness, coaching

“We place you in [uncomfortable positions] and then you’re forced to rely on ‘focusing’ on the task at hand— your relaxation,” says Alec Bakkeby, an instructor and San Diego native. “You have to be able to relax in that uncomfortable position, and you then have to have that economy of motion. You can’t just be flopping around, otherwise you’ll burn all your oxygen. You have to be as efficient as possible.”

The theory is this strategy allows you to learn a variety of methods to regulate or reset your nervous system, while at the same time working on your physical strength. One common technique is called parasympathetic breathing, or slowly inhaling and exhaling based on a specific timing ratio.

“Parasympathetic [breathing] is that ‘rest and digest’ [feeling],” says Whiting. “It brings more clarity to your mind and takes you out of that very intense focus, highcortisol, high-adrenaline [state].” These workouts and methods mimic different emotional states you may face daily, enabling you to react more effectively to stressful situations in life.

Thankfully, classes are set to your current fitness level, so even beginner or nervous swimmers can benefit from these techniques. So, breathe easy. You’ve got this.

The post From the Depths: Re-Learning How to Breathe appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Darkroom: A Dinner Series

Where: Uptown Tavern

When: May 9, and monthly

It’s lights out at this monthly, five-course tasting dinner where guests might be left in the dark by the surprise menu, but won’t be distracted from its flavors by any light whatsoever. Uptown Tavern’s executive chef Mark Molina designs the menu around in-season ingredients. Each month’s event—limited to no more than 20 guests and guaranteed to sell out quickly—features a new menu for $49.95 per person, including a welcome aperitif cocktail.

Sweat San Diego

Where: Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa

When: May 12, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Yes, the focus of San Diego Magazine‘s very own annual fitness event is to break a sweat while sampling workouts from a long list of the hottest studios like Orangetheory Fitness, Barre 59, Club Pilates, and Define U Fitness. But fitness is a lifestyle that should include delicious bites, drinks, and other ways of feeling good. Round out your day with healthy bites and beverages from names like Califia Farms, Bonafide Provisions, Fizzique, and Café Moto, plus live music, swag bags and mini-massages. Tickets ($46) include two 20-minute workout sessions.

Eat. Drink. Read. A Culinary Event for Literacy

Where: San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park

When: Thursday, May 17, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The “read” part of the San Diego Council on Literacy’s annual food event and fundraiser refers to the fact that proceeds go toward literacy programs and books for kids. Which means you can feel even better about the “eat” and “drink” parts: dishes and drinks inspired by local chefs’ favorite books or literary characters. Diners can sample creations from more than 20 chefs from notable restaurants like Civico 1845, Waypoint Public, Stone Brewing Co., Pacific Del Mar, and Galaxy Taco, and watch them go head-to-head for a number of awards granted by celebrity judges. Tickets are $75.

3 Unique San Diego Food Events Not to Miss in May

Chefs create dishes inspired by their favorite literary characters at Eat. Drink. Read. | Photo: Council on Literacy

The post 3 Unique San Diego Food Events Not to Miss in May appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Yoga and Beer / Green Flash Hoppy Yoga

People are religious about beer and people are religious about yoga. Why not pair them together? Every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to noon, before the Green Flash brewery opens, you can downward dog in the tasting room. For $15, you get one class and a free pint afterwards. Try the Citra Session IPA, out this month.
6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Mira Mesa

Still the Best

Best of San Diego: Health & Fitness

Green Flash Hoppy Yoga

The post Best of San Diego: Health & Fitness appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Yoga and Beer / Green Flash Hoppy Yoga

People are religious about beer and people are religious about yoga. Why not pair them together? Every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to noon, before the Green Flash brewery opens, you can downward dog in the tasting room. For $15, you get one class and a free pint afterwards. Try the Citra Session IPA, out this month.
6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Mira Mesa

Still the Best

Best of San Diego: Health & Fitness

Green Flash Hoppy Yoga

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