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It has been a wonderful summer and we are looking forward to a spectacular fall! With the kids back in school, shorter days and cooler temperatures, many of you will head back inside. As always, we are here to assist you with your fitness needs.
We are pleased to let you know that the indoor lap pool renovations are coming along smoothly. We greatly appreciate your continued patience during this process and excitement for the upgrades. Our plan is to reopen the indoor lap pool by September 22nd.
To accommodate lap swimming and hot tub use, the outdoor lap pool, hot tub, and restrooms will remain open during specified lifeguarded hours. The schedule is available on
Liberty’s website
.
Consistent with our annual schedule, the other outdoor complex facilities are now closed
(excluding the outdoor tennis courts)
.
We greatly appreciate your understanding and patience throughout this project.
In good health,
Liberty Athletic Club
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Check out the awesome photos from the 2017 Dog Days of Summer event. Many thanks to all of you who attended!
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Spotlight: A Michigan Icon
by Kim Stetson
And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln
Liberty member Karen McKeachie was struck and killed by a vehicle while riding her bike on August 29, 2016. Just 63-years young, Karen lived more ‘life in her years’ than most could wish or imagine.
A woman of many interests and talents, Karen was a successful professional, an elite athlete, a trailblazer, a talented musician, and an avid community volunteer. While a list of her accomplishments would be long and diverse, it is the indelible mark she left in athletics for which she may be most remembered.
A competitive runner, since the age of 15, Karen lettered in volleyball and basketball at the University of Michigan in 1973-1974, and lettered in track and cross-country at Michigan State University in 1975-1976. She continued as a nationally recognized runner until she experienced her first triathlon in Traverse City, in 1982. At this event she took the place of her husband, Lew Kidder, who had no interest in swimming in a cold lake!
Karen finished third among the women and never looked back. She went on to win 15 national triathlon championships, seven world championships, and competed in numerous Iron Man competitions.
Following Karen’s tragic accident, Lew shared with the Detroit Free Press, “She wasn’t the most fluid athlete, but she had an amazing engine and a lot of willpower. She worked so hard at it that she became very, very good.”
In addition to being an elite athlete and role model, Karen was a coach, mentor, friend, and supporter to hundreds of female athletes. “Within Michigan’s triathlon community,” Daniel Bethencourt of the Detroit Free Press wrote, “Karen McKeachie was an icon.”
Immediately following her death, Karen’s family chose to honor her legacy through a $1,100,000 gift to the Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative (HWPI), a local nonprofit group committed to developing a Border-to-Border Regional Trail System (B2B) of safe and aesthetic recreational pathways, throughout Washtenaw County.
In May, Karen’s family and HWPI announced the Karen’s Trail campaign, a public effort to raise a minimum of $1,000,000 for trail construction, through the public support of “a series of community events and fundraising efforts.”
A section of the Border-to-Border Trail will include nine bridges across the Huron River, stretching from the Dexter-Huron Metropark to Zeeb Road. “Each bridge,” Lew explained, “will honor something of national significance that happened locally.”
One bridge will honor Title IX, an educational amendment for which Karen played an enormous role. In high school, her school had no women on its track team. The coach of the team told her she could join if all of the male athletes on the team agreed. In a practice race Karen beat all but two of its members. The men she defeated voted against her joining the team.
While competing at the University of Michigan, Karen experienced another obstacle. The athletic director told her she couldn’t represent the university in a cross-country national event. Not to be deterred, Karen found a maize jersey and had her mother sew a blue block “M” on it. She finished ninth in the event, and today her jersey proudly hangs in the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in Lansing.
A second bridge is planned to honor the early years of NASA’s program. Many of its early missions included astronauts who attended the University of Michigan. David Scott, Alfred Worden, and James Irwin, the astronauts of Apollo 15, all attended U of M.
To date, Karen’s Trail has received contributions from over 1,400 people. Her family is enthusiastic and optimistic that their fundraising goal will be met, but Lew emphasized, “It’s going to take a village to build this trail.”
To honor the amazing life of Karen McKeachie, Liberty Athletic Club plans to be a part of this “village.” On September 29 and 30, Liberty members are invited to participate in a number of special events in support of the Karen’s Trail campaign.
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Karen’s Trail Charity Weekend
sponsored by Liberty Athletic Club
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Pathway to Gratitude
Adults Only
Friday, September 29
6:00pm-8:00pm | $20/per person
Through live music, this Hatha yoga class is designed to stretch, relax, inspire, and rejuvenate the mind, body, and spirit. This class will feature demonstrations of various levels, making all movements appropriate for beginners and seasoned veterans alike. This “adult only” event will be instructed by the yoga staff at Liberty and will conclude with complimentary wine, cheese and fruit.
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Rhythm Ride
Ages 15-up
Saturday, September 30
8:30am-9:20am | $20/person
This event will be a free form style of class, where the rhythm of the music will drive the ride. The speed and tempo of the music will take you on a journey through hills and flats and allow your body to move naturally with the music. This ride will be led by Liberty instructors Kathy Ernsburger and Andrea Kahn, and will conclude with light refreshments.
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Interval Ride
Ages 15-up
Saturday, September 30
9:30am-10:20am | $20/person
This fifty-minute ride will consist of climbs and sprints, peaks and valleys, and tabata style challenges to appeal to all fitness levels. This class will be led by Liberty instructors Shelley Bruder and Nancy Drenning, and will conclude with light refreshments.
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Karen’s Ride
Ages 15-up
Saturday, September 30
10:30am-11:30am | $20/person
In Karen’s honor, this ride will resemble her style of training: a longer warm-up, power based hills, flat road sprints, rolling hills, and a five-minute cool down. Karen’s friend, training partner, and fellow triathlete, Barb Figurski, will teach this class. It will conclude with light refreshments.
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High School Athletes & Nutrition
From the desk of Susan Cutshaw, M.S. Nutritionist
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High school sports teams often fail to understand the important relationship between nutrition and athletic performance. Adolescent girls and boys may differ also when it comes to their unique nutritional needs. Either way, focusing on food quality is just as important as food quantity.
To encourage growth and performance, the young, growing athlete needs adequate amounts of nutrient dense foods plus ensuring that adequate calories are being met especially during high training and performance times. Low energy intakes may cause muscle loss, menstrual disruption, decreased bone loss, and increased risk of injury and fatigue. Others factors such as environment, gender, time of year, and the specific sport also need to be considered when determining overall nutritional needs.
Applying this information in a practical fashion can be a challenge. What should the high school athlete be eating? To ensure optimal overall health and sports performance the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Dietetic Association, and Dietitians of Canada have made the following recommendations. These are general guidelines only and specific individual needs should be prescribed by a qualified sports nutritionist.
CARBOHYDRATES
are the primary energy source during times of intense physical activity. Recommendations for the student athlete vary from 6 - 10 grams/ kilogram of body weight (or 2.7 - 4.5 grams/pound) per day.
Example - a 130 pound female athlete would need between 351 and 590 grams or 1404 - 2360 calories of carbs per day.
PROTEINS
primary function is muscle growth and repair. Recommendations depend on endurance or strength trained competitors and vary from 1.2 - 1.7 grams/kilogram of body weight (or 0.5 - 0.8 gram/pound) per day.
Example - the 130 pound female athlete would need between 65 and 104 grams or 260 - 416 calories of protein per day.
FAT
is a source of energy and necessary in order to absorb the fat soluble vitamins, A,D,E,K. Recommendations vary from
20% to 35% of total caloric intake per day
. Consuming less than 20% has been shown to be detrimental to health and performance.
Example
-
our 130 pound female athlete's fat intake would vary between 37 and 108 grams or 333 - 972 calories.
*Estimated caloric intake between 2000 - 3748 calories per day
HYDRATION
is vitally important for optimal health and performance. The athlete should strive for maintaining hydration since dehydration (loss > 2% body weight) increases the risk for life threatening injuries like heat stroke and may impair mental and cognitive functioning as well. Water plus electrolytes are important during and after exercise and should match the athletes sweat rates.
The general rule for fluid intake is 16 - 24 ounces for every pound of body weight lost during exercise.
References
Rodreguez NR, DiMarco NM, Langley S. Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance.
J Am Diet Assoc.
2009 Mar;108(3):509-527.
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Free Youth Program Reservations
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The free youth program reservation policies have changed. Enrollment may be received in person, via phone, online and through the Liberty mobile app.
Free youth programs include:
Shake-Rattle-Roll
Kid Fit
Tween Fit
Reservations may be made up to
six days in advance for any particular free youth program. ONLINE reservations and cancellations will cease one hour prior to class, at which time the roster will be managed by the front desk. We will no longer be able to provide a waitlist but should the class be full, we will accept stand-by reservations via phone or in person one hour prior to class. Should space be available at time of class, members on the stand-by list will have priority.
As a courtesy to all of our valued members, we ask that you continue to cancel your reservations so that other members may participate in these free youth programs.
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September Spa Special
15% off Nail Services in September!
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The Spa at Liberty is happy to welcome a new nail technician to our team! Nancy has over five years’ experience in the industry, is passionate about her work and offers some really fun nail art!
This means we now offer appointments every day of the week!
Visit us in September and receive 15% off all nail services.
Hours of availability:
Mondays 9:45am – 7:00pm
Tuesdays 10:00am – 8:00pm
Wednesdays 10:00am – 8:00pm
Thursdays 9:45am – 7:00pm
Fridays 9:45am – 7:00pm
Saturdays 10:00am – 6:00pm
Sundays 9:30am – 2:30pm
Click on the link to our
Spa menu
of services – our pricing is competitive, the Spa is peaceful and private, and you can be assured of a safe, sanitary and serene service!
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Kid's Backpack Collection
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We would like to say a HUGE thank you to all members who donated backpacks and school supplies to SafeHouse. SafeHouse Center provides support for those impacted by domestic violence or sexual assault in Washtenaw County. Due to the incredible generosity of our members, Liberty was able to provide a many children with new backpacks and supplies to start the school year.
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Our annual Freaky Fun Family Fitness Day will take place on Sunday, October 22nd from 2:30-5:00pm.
More details to follow.
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September is National Yoga Month
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1. Stress Relief
Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body. By encouraging relaxation, yoga helps to lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Related benefits include lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune system as well as easing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, asthma and insomnia.
2. Pain Relief
Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that practicing yoga asanas (postures), meditation or a combination of the two, reduced pain for people with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases and hypertension as well as arthritis, back and neck pain, and other chronic conditions. Some practitioners report that even emotional pain can be eased through the practice of yoga.
3. Better Breathing
Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths. This helps to improve lung function, trigger the body's relaxation response and increase the amount of oxygen available to the body.
4. Flexibility
Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement and reducing aches and pains. Many people can't touch their toes during their first yoga class. Gradually they begin to use the correct muscles. Over time, the ligaments, tendons and muscles lengthen, increasing elasticity, making more poses possible. Yoga also helps to improve body alignment resulting in better posture and helping to relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems.
5. Increased Strength
Yoga asanas (postures) use every muscle in the body, helping to increase strength literally from head to toe. And, while these postures strengthen the body, they also provide an additional benefit of helping to relieve muscular tension.
6. Weight Management
Yoga (even less vigorous styles) can aid weight control efforts by reducing the cortisol levels as well as by burning excess calories and reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy eating habits and provides a heightened sense of well-being and self-esteem.
7. Improved Circulation
Yoga helps to improve circulation and, as a result of various poses, more efficiently moves oxygenated blood to the body's cells.
8. Cardiovascular Conditioning
Even gentle yoga practice can provide cardiovascular benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.
9. Focus on the Present
Yoga helps us to focus on the present, to become more aware and to help create mind body health. It opens the way to improved concentration, coordination, reaction time and memory.
10. Inner Peace
The meditative aspects of yoga help many to reach a deeper, more spiritual and more satisfying place in their lives. Many who begin to practice for other reasons have reported this to be a key reason that yoga has become an essential part of their daily lives.
Text courtesy of Yoga Alliance.
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Outdoor Tennis Court Reservation
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Outdoor tennis court reservations are required. This policy will remain in effect until the nets are taken down for the winter. Courts may be reserved 24 hours in advance at the front desk.
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Ballet Chelsea
4th Annual Tutu Run
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Sunday, October 1st
Hudson Mills Metro Park
Dexter, MI
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