North Face 2009 Endurance Challenge San Fransisco Dec. 5 Photos

North Face 2009 Endurance Challenge – San Fransisco Photos!

Please visit my photo album of our trip to San Fransisco to the 2009 North Face Endurance Challenge Dec. 5th.  The photos are wonderful and the event was surely just what Jim and I needed to be inspired into a new era of our lives together and individually. I will be tagging the photos on Face Book as I am presented with the many names of the wonderful people I met along the way!   Enjoy the album and videos below!!   In good health,  Candi and Jim Acuff

Photos of Race day of North Face 2009 Endurance Challenge San Fransisco by Candi Acuff – NaturalBody Personal Training – Charlotte, NC

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php#/album.php?aid=46514&id=1361559207&ref=mf

 

Videos of 2009 North Face Endurance Challenge by Candi Acuff – NaturalBody Personal Training – Charlotte, NC

Check out YouTube videos of race starts for 50 mile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFUynyQdHgk

50K

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LobN8K5mkc

1/2 Marathon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzlGvrnXotI

10K

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5JGAbbx3Bw

 

Poland, a reality of life, health and friendship!

Poland, a reality trip!

My husband Jim and I just returned from Lodz, Poland where we had the opportunity to learn so much about the people, the culture and the beauty of this war torn yet land of opportunity!  Not only did we eat fabulous foods and drink incredible beer and vodka, I was able to explore the city with Anita, one of Jim’s employees wives!  I was amazed to find the people very humble.  Realizing that this city and country have experienced a sad war torn history I came to the understanding that living as we do here in the States is truly a privilege and almost sad in it’s own way.  We are spoiled and it is truly sickening when I see how we as Americans do not appreciate the fact that we have so much, too much!

A Healthy Way Of Life

The people of Poland are not fat.  They walk or ride their bikes or take public transportation to work.  They also do not eat out much due to the lack of money and restaurants.  They prepare their foods at home.  Shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables is a common everyday occurrence!  My friend Anita grows everything in her back yard and what she does not grow she buys at the local market every week.  She makes her own cheese, wine, jams and even cooks for a business man, Bronek, who dines at her home with her mother every day at 4:30.  This photo is at Anita’s home with Bronek.  Anita knows how to work the city.  She drives her car, which is a luxuary, down terrible roads to find a simple place on the side walk to park to go and buy her cherries for her homemade wines. I traveled with her to buy her cows milk and goats milk which she does almost everyday to make her cheeses which she sells to her neighbors for their enjoyment.  She made Jim and I a wonderful garlic and herb cheese that we enjoyed so much.  She raised the herbs and garlic right in her backyard as you can see her garden.  The market amazed me.  The produce was like none that I had ever seen other than in the produce fields of California.  These people love their cabbage!  They should! They grow the size of 2 basketballs put together!  The peppers, cherries, currants and potatoes are amazing! This experience left me truly amazed at how fast food in our country has made us not only fat but actually left us as individuals lazy and becoming very stupid where health and reality of life is concerned.

A reality of life through a sad history

Making my way through the city with Anita and hearing the story of war from a young person who’s grown up there is very humbling.  This city suffered not only during  WWII but has been riddled with a government that never seems stable.  They call it the “bastard child city”.  Anita took me to “The Ghetto” area of Lodz.  This is where 200,000 Jews were forced to move to and be contained by the Nazi’s.  The area was enclosed with no food or supplies to enter nor could the Jew’s leave.  Thousands died there and those that did not were put on cattle cars and sent to Auschwitz where their death awaited through the gas chambers.  I have attached a good video link to explain more on this part of their history.  Click here to view.  I must say that this part of the trip was hard for me.  I became so much more aware of the “why’s” of why I do not like evil.   These people are good, humble and hard working people and truly deserve so much more due to their past hardships. 

As Jim and I came into the city of Lodz from Warsaw by taxi we notice such huge graveyards.  I then understood why there were so many when Anita took me to see a 40 acre graveyard in the city.  It was divided into sections of Russian, Polish Jews, and Catholic Poles.   You could see by the head stones who’s families came from money and who’s families no longer existed by the way the grave sites were kept.  It was truly amazing.  Out in front of the graveyard sit many fresh flower vendors  so that the locals can keep flowers and candles lit on the graves.  This is a way for a family to make a living by selling the flowers and candles.  People visit the grave sites often.  Unlike the States families have a special time on Oct. 31st each year to come and clean the grave site and pay respects.  Anita said the traffic jams are crazy during that time and it is very difficult to get to several sites if you have family buried in different graveyards around town.  I could not imagine! 

Health and Fitness on the rise!

When sharing dinner with Anita, Bronek and her mother Christine I was surely surprised to learn that most people do not work out.  They do not have many gyms or fitness centers there.  Bronek and Anita wanted to know more about what to do to work out.  I had a great time showing them how to do bicep curls and tricep extensions with bricks from her yard that they were building something with!  Bronek and Anita were wonderful students trying walking lunges and shoulder presses with the bricks!  It is amazing how creative one can be when you want something bad enough! They have since written me and told me that have gone to the sports store and bought some fitness equipment and are going to get started with the instruction that I left them!  How wonderful to be able to help those in another country.  We are so fortunate to have wonderful fitness centers here and many great trainers and instructors to help us so freely.  They crave for someone like me to be there to help them.  Here is a photo of a brand new gym I found to work out in while I was there.  Is was nice on the outside but lacked the wonderful equipment I am use to here in the States.    I am going to start a production of in home video workouts just for those who are less fortunate and cannot afford a fitness membership due to money or time.  I also want to help those in other countries who do not have the resources to have the luxury of a personal trainer like we do in the States!  Look for those to come on my web site soon! 

An opportunity for new friendship and a new life

With the revitalization of the city and the construction on Manufaktura, a beautiful new shopping area shown here with my husband Jim and another Hawkeye employee Mike from the Seattle office, opportunity awaits the youth of Poland.  With a Technical University there providing  good education people from the area like the 20+ bright young people in Jim’s office of Hawkeye Poland have a great opportunity to make a true difference in the state of the economy and the state of humanity there.  The city has a bright future and surely will be a place that Jim and I will return to to see what new we can bring to the area to provide success for these wonderful people!   My new work out friends are wonderful and the reality of what they are contributing to my life is a great privilege to be able to share with all of you and them as well!  Anita will be sharing some of her Polish recipes with us soon when she returns from Croatia from a wedding of a family member.  Bronek will keep us posted to their progress of weight training as he already laughs at the questioning of  “I hope we will have enough will, to continue the exercise!”  I see it does not matter what country you live in motivation is something everyone needs!  Let’s keep Bronek and Anita motivated and held accountable!  Success is theirs!   Well to each of my new Polish friends, thank you for all you did to make our trip a wonderful and rewarding experience!  We look forward to our return!  I miss the food,  beer and your friendship already!  Until we meet again!  życie jest piękne (life is beautiful)

Poland trip proves to be healthy and rewarding

Lodz, Poland is for the young seeking opportunity and good health!

Jim and I have had a wonderful trip to Lodz, Poland.  We arrived Monday in Warsaw and traveled by taxi 2 hours south to Lodz where we would not only find a gym to work out in…but many new friends, wonderful food, drink, history and youth looking for opportunity! Tune in over the next few days as I add photos and adventure!  I now have workout clients there and a new friend Anita, who will share her healthy Polish recipes with us!   We will leave Warsaw tomorrow to return back to the states!  See you then!

In good health through a NaturalBody,

Candi