DECEMBER 2015 | FREE | VOL 1 NO 3 | INDIEFITMAGAZINE.COM
™
THE VOICE OF THE NEW KANSAS CITY
SANDRA HILLEN’S
BILATERAL APPROACH TO THE
WINTER
OLYMPICS FEATURE
BIKE FITTING WINTER RUNNING IN KC INDIEFIT GIFT GUIDE INDIE EATS
KANBUCHA CALENDAR
HOLIDAY RUNS WEEKLY RIDES HOLIDAY MARKETS •1
INDIEFIT | DECEMBER 2015 | VOL. 1 NO. 3 Publisher
Christina Frazier
Managing Editor
DR G
Copy Editor
Ted Dace
Contributing Writers
Christina Frazier, Japhi Westerfield, DR G, Megan Helm, Liz Weslander, Kristen Weigand, Pete Townley Contributing Photographers
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SCOBY DO’S & DON’TS (WHO PUT THE KAN IN KANBUCHA)
Brandon Huttenlocher, Logan Guerry Art and Production Design
Ashley Lane, Christina Frazier, Jon Brett Advertising
Christina Frazier, Holly Grassy Circulation Director
DR G
The Voice of the new Kansas City
Contribute!
ARE YOU A KC FITNESS SUPERCITIZEN OR A BONAFIDE LOCALVORE?
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THEN WRITE FOR US. Email georgef@indiefitmagazine.com with a brief email introduction and samples of your work. 2•
Hip, healthy, happy, fit: IndieFit Magazine is the Kansas City/Lawrence area’s first alt monthly dedicated to the health and fitness lifestyle, with an indie twist. Through engaging narratives that uncover the story behind the story, IndieFit takes a fun, personal, and sometimes edgy look at local health and fitness. We tell the stories of people who are interested in maximizing their health and performance through local, independent resources. We focus on lifestyle, food, motion, community, calendar. IndieFit is the only locally owned alt press publication in the Kansas City area. Distribution
IndieFit reaches over 47,000 readers each month and is available free throughout the greater Kansas City and Lawrence areas. Readers are limited to one free copy, additional copies may be purchased for $5.00 each plus postage. IndieFit may only be distributed by IndieFit’s authorized distributors. No person,
ON THE COVER
DECEMBER 2015 | FREE | VOL 1 NO 3 | INDIEFITMAGAZINE.COM
™
THE VOICE OF THE NEW KANSAS CITY
SANDRA HILLEN’S
BILATERAL
APPROACH TO THE
WINTER OLYMPICS FEATURE
BIKE FITTING WINTER RUNNING IN KC INDIEFIT GIFT GUIDE INDIE EATS
KANBUCHA CALENDAR
HOLIDAY RUNS WEEKLY RIDES HOLIDAY MARKETS •1
BRANDON HUTTENLOCHER
BIKE FITTING FOR MER E MORTALS
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CONTENTS 3 Sandra Hillen’s Slope-Style Odyssey 7 IndieFit Confidential 8 IndieFit Gift Guide 11 Indie Eats - KanBucha 13 Bike Fitting 16 Indiefit Academy 18 Winter Running in KC 19 IndieFit Calendar
without permission in writing from IndieFit, may take more than one copy. Mail subscriptions: $20.00 per year. Make check payable to Tallgrass Labs, LLC. Email feedback@indiefitmagazine.com for mailing instructions. If you want IndieFit in your store, email feedback@indiefitmagazine.com.
Copyright
The contents of IndieFit Magazine are Copyright 2015 by Tallgrass Labs, LLC. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without the express written permission of the publisher of IndieFit. Disclaimer
The opinions expressed are those of the authors. The articles and content of IndieFit are not meant to represent any form of medical care.
Contact Christina Frazier, christinaf@ indiefitmagazine.com, 913.908.0542 Letters to the Editor
Email feedback@indiefitmagazine.com
SANDRA HILLEN’S WILD RIDE TO THE 2018
WINTER OLYMPICS JAPHI WESTERFIELD
BRANDON HUTTENLOCHER, LOGAN GUERRY
Overland Park Snowboarder Fosters Olympic Dreams on Both Sides of the Border
AT THE TOP OF STONEHAM MOUNTAIN OUTSIDE OF QUEBEC CITY, CANADA, OVERLAND PARK NATIVE
Sandra Hillen crouched down low and tried to get a better read on a crazy shape-shifting wind that couldn’t decide whether to become a full-force gale or remain a measly upslope annoyance. She jumped around to keep warm, to keep loose, to do something with the energy she’d carefully bottled up for this day. But mostly she just waited, and if you’re an elite athlete used to flying down mountains faster than some people drive, waiting can be dangerous. She’d made it here – to the pinnacle of slope-style snowboarding – because of a gift, an affinity for rocketing down heart-pounding mountain runs interrupted by steep jumps, jibs, bumps, and rails. For years she’d organized her life around time on the mountain. But she was also here because, as child growing up in Kansas, she quickly outgrew the puny sled hills near the Oak Park Mall, watched the Winter X-Games so many times her family hid the remote, and nearly wore out her Playstation playing Cool Boarders 2. When she got her first taste of mountain adrenaline on a prairie ski run north of Kansas City, her fate was sealed. So she stood on that mountain – on the brink of qualifying for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia – because the unusual path that had taken her from Overland Park to Boulder, Breckenridge, and the Cascade mountains also took a very unexpected detour through a country indelibly written into the DNA of her family, though not into the mainstream of elite winter sports. Sandra Hillen’s mother, Gloria Hillen, was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. Along with her uncle and sister Clara Reyes (founder of Kansas City’s Dos Mundos Hispanic newspaper), Gloria moved to Kansas City as a young woman. Sandra grew up in Overland Park and attended Holy Spirit Elementary and St. Thomas Aquinas High School. She was an exceptionally active kid, driven •3
“IT’S PRETTY TOUGH TO STAND AT THE TOP OF A FROZEN MOUNTAIN AND WAIT.” —SANDRA HILLEN
to sports. She tried basketball and soccer. She was a decent cross country runner. She liked sledding, but like the other kids in her neighborhood, was nothing more than a serious hobbyist. For some reason she had a fascination with mountains and thought she might like alpine sports. But she didn’t set foot above 8000 feet until she turned 15. Kansas City in the 1990’s was not a nurturing place for budding alpinists. Those years included some of the warmest winters on record, including the winter of 1999-2000, which had an average high of 48 degrees between October and April and virtually no snowfall. But Winter sports were making their way into the mindsets of Americans whether or not they
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lived in the Snowbelt. The Winter X games -- a melding of MTV and ESPN that showcased a punkinspired array of adrenalinefueled events -- came along and helped launch snowboarding into the mainstream. Watching the X Games, Hillen first saw the half pipe, an event with more kinship to skateboarding than traditional alpine events. She also saw slope-style, which combines the acrobatics of half pipe with the downhill velocity of skiing. Hillen fueled her growing attraction to the idea of mountain sports with a healthy dose of Cool Boarders 2, an early Playstation game developed in Japan. She begged her parents to try snowboarding, for real this time, but her parents weren’t the problem. “We didn’t have much snowboarding in
Kansas City,” she said. “None really.” Kansas City didn’t have any snowboarding culture, but it did have Snow Creek, a small clutch of lifts and trails carved into loess hills along the Missouri River outside of Weston, Missouri, a tiny hamlet better known for tobacco farming, O’Malley’s subterranean Irish pub, and an annual Apple Festival than the culture of extreme sports or Winter X games. Parents take note: feed your children’s dreams. When Hillen told her parents she wanted to snowboard, they started taking her to Snow Creek. There she got a taste of what the riding life could be. It was like sledding, but now she had control. Snow Creek was great but had its limits, so the next winter her family organized their winter vacation around Sandra’s new passion and made a ski trip to Colorado. It was Hillen’s first actual trip to the mountains, and they exceeded her expectations. She was smitten with the dry brittle air, the dramatic clouds that swirl up like fog and then dump furies of snow, the porcupines that hang out at the tops of beetle-killed white pine. After a few runs on traditional skies, Hillen jumped on a snowboard for the first time. Soon she was riding every winter. After high school, she moved 500 miles west to Boulder to study film production at the
University of Colorado. At the time, Boulder was the center of a running scene started by resident Olympic Marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter which was quietly developing into a trail running mecca that would go viral in the mid-2000s with the release of Christopher McDougall’s classic book Born to Run. But it was also a descent snowboarding town. At CU, Hillen joined the school’s snowboarding team. Though technically not a collegiate sport, the team allowed athletes to learn the sport and train with coaches. Soon Hillen said snowboarding was “consuming my life.” She adjusted her class schedule to get as many days on the mountain as possible. She read zines, hung out with other riders, watched YouTube videos, hit dry land practice hard before the snow fell, and jumped for hours on trampolines. Every day she made sure to do something to improve her riding. The hard work paid off. She entered her first USASA (United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association) regional contest in Colorado. At the time, USASA was the only real governing body putting on regional contests in the Rockies. The Winter X Games have made snowboarding popular as an exciting new extreme sport for adrenaline junkies, but regional competitions put on by groups
like the USASA helped solidify it as a respected sport. Hillen quickly made an impact on the scene and towards the end of her college years became a regular on podiums in the slope-style event. By the time she was 23, Hillen had stepped up her game and won a series of USASA events. She created a video resume, landed her first sponsor, and decided after college to spend winters in Breckenridge, a town known for altitude-tipsy tourists, an iconic brewery, two of the best alt format radio stations in America, and a culture of elite competitive riding. She found summer work at High Cascade Snowboard Camp in Oregon. By splitting her time between Breck, Kansas City, and Oregon, she was able to ride and train year-round. High Cascade Snowboard Camp has a week-long school for adult riders, and one night Hillen found herself talking to a camper named Francis Dirren. He knew of Hillen’s reputation as an up-andcoming rider. After a few beers he asked her if she planned to make a run at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Hillen knew those Olympics would debut her event, slope-style, but she’d never seriously considered it. Though she was improving, USASA events were a level below World Cup, which Hillen hadn’t yet broken into. At least a half dozen girls had more experience and success
than Hillen in Colorado. That’s when Hillen’s unexpected detour came, and instead of slowing her down, it put her on the fast track to a shot at the Olympics. Dirren wanted to know if she was gunning for the Olympic team but not the US Olympic team. His friend Alberto DelaRoca was assembling a Mexican National team in Colorado. Winter athletes from all over the world train in the Rockies, and Mexico currently had no woman slated for slopestyle. Hillen considered it for a moment, then had another beer. The idea might have legs, she thought. If everything fell into place quickly, she wouldn’t have
to wait six or ten more years to get enough experience for a real shot at the team. She could be there in time for Sochi. Hillen’s mother was born in Mexico, and Hillen herself had spent several summers there as a child. Since she qualified for dual citizenship, she could represent her ancestral Mexico in the Olympics. If she could qualify. After a round of tryouts back in Colorado, DelaRoca made Hillen’s case to the Mexican Olympic Committee. They decided to back her. Joining the Mexican national team was a paradigm shift, like a band moving from Stage 5 at Winfield to Saturday night at Coachella.
Companies like Zeal Optics, GNU snowboards, Vans boots, Airblaster, Celtek, and Wend Waxworks sponsored her. Hillen doubled down on her training, got a new coach and a shot at her first World Cup competition, which coincidentally was held in Colorado. People came from all over the world to compete in the weeklong event at Copper Mountain. Eighty women alone entered in slopestyle. In that first competition, Hillen finished 40th. Not dead last or the bottom third but 40th out of 80. In the middle. She was up there. She’d come a long way since her intermural days at CU, but even though she was Mexico’s
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sole competitor, she needed a top thirty World Cup ranking to qualify for an Olympic berth. So she kept working. She hung out with fellow Olympic hopefuls from Australia, Chile, and Brazil. Even though snowboarding is a solo sport, athletes know the difficulty and danger behind it. Along with the hours spent in the sheer awe-inspiring majesty of the mountains, this creates a strong camaraderie. The group became Hillen’s support system in her quest to make the Olympics. Nine months before Sochi, Sandra made a whirlwind tour of World Cup competitions in New Zealand, Europe and Canada that would establish her final ranking and eligibility to compete in the Olympics. Each contest lasts a week, split between practice runs, two days set aside for bad weather, and the actual competition. Hillen explained that the weather day is critical. “If the wind is too intense, you can’t get the speed to hit the jump. When you’re hitting 70 foot jumps you need to make sure your speed is dialed in. If you come up short, you’ll get hurt. If you go too big, you’ll get hurt. It’s both an art and a science. You need a couple of days to scout, to navigate in your mind what speed you’ll need, to get the lay of the jump, to talk things over with your coach. After a couple of days you can start to try the runs, and only after that can you gauge what you’ll need to stick it on the day of the competition. It helps you mentally as much as anything. It’s a head game to be up there. You know you can do it, but there’s a lot of pressure. There’s a lot of elements that depend on the weather and what order you get and how long it takes for the girls before you to finish.” The final competition was held in Canada, on Stoneham Mountain. Hillen was doing well but not well enough yet to make the Olympic cutoff, and the last stop was critical in her quest to make the team. That’s how she found herself stuck on the mountain, waiting for a line of
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eighty women to make their runs. “It’s pretty tough to stand at the top of a frozen mountain and wait,” she said. “Training days for snowboarders consist of a lot of action, going up and down the mountain, running the hills, doing tricks, warming up and cooling down. Waiting is not part of our normal routine.” Hillen did well on her runs but in the end finished 45th in the World Cup standings. She was the top snowboarder in Mexico, but narrowly missed the top thirty required for eligibility, so she didn’t make the Sochi Olympics (normal winter events take the top fifty, but since this was the first Olympics for slope-style, only thirty were allowed to compete). It was a disappointment, but she took solace knowing that her friends were on the global stage, and now the whole world knew how great they were. Back home in Kansas City, her family was excited about her accomplishments and proud that she represented Mexico. Hillen said, “At first they didn’t understand the potential I had, but once they saw what I was doing, they said, ‘Holy cow, you’re really good.’” A film crew from Mexico City came out to shoot a promo for Sochi about Mexico and Latin American countries. The video ran as pre-roll for movies all across Mexico, and her family back in Guadalajara got to see her on the big screen. Since her run at the Olympics two years ago, she still competes for the Mexican national team and, at age 31, is gearing up for another shot when the Winter Games return in PyeongChang, South Korea, in 2018. Hillen made it back for a playoff game in October in the run up to the Royals 2015 World Series championship. If everything lines up, Sandra Hillen might join some of the Royals as another KC-area athlete competing on the world stage.
Take US Home
ANDREA BALLHAGEN
$3 FOR A 30 MINUTE RIDE
NICKNAME
ANDI
Born and Bred
Macksville. Before that, Larned, Kansas Current Digs
Topeka (which means “great place to dig potatoes” in Osage/Kansa) Alma Maters
Fort Hays State University Day Job
Administrator for the Kansas Department of Corrections Side Project
Independent consultant for Arbonne International, the beauty product company that asks you to go veggie, baby. Arbonne’s beauty, health, and wellness products are botanical – i.e. 100% vegan. Have Trails, Will Travel
Ballhagen averages 20 miles of running per week, mostly on trails, and not just in tater-town. She regularly travels around northeast Kansas and to the KC metro to run choice single track. When Life Hands You Lemons
Ballhagen was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus in 2004. SLE is a chronic, shape-shifting autoimmune syndrome that most commonly strikes women in their twenties. Early symptoms include muscle and joint pain and stiffness and skin rashes after sun exposure. The most profound symptom is crushing fatigue that doesn’t go away with rest. Getting properly diagnosed can be an extreme challenge. Ballhagen’s lupus was virulent. At first she thought she had a really bad cold, but it didn’t get better. She wound up in the hospital with multi-system organ involvement. “After a year or so of increasingly bad health, I got incredibly ill.” She struggled to find a PG-rated description for what happened next. “Before I knew it, I felt like a science experiment with all the medications the doctors put me on.” She emphasized that her plight was like that of so many other people who have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. “My lupus was severe, but my story’s common. I would go off and on medications. I didn’t know how to manage the side effects. I was off and on steroids. It changed me physically. It changed my personality, the way I looked, the way I felt, the way I related to the world. It’s a terrible disease.” Make Limoncello
Autoimmune diseases wax and wane. Ballhagen experienced a kaleidoscope of symptoms and tried dozens of medications. It was hard to get her bearings. Then in 2009 she got
Local runner helps keep lupus symptoms in check with diet and hardcore trail running
divorced. “Like anyone who goes through a life-changing event, you have a few options. You can bounce around at the bottom, in emotional pain, in physical pain. Or you can make some decisions. I decided it was time to arm myself with the ammunition I would need to really get healthy. So I did. The next few years I dedicated to learning everything I could about my body so that I could live in wellness instead of in illness.”
Ride to and from to stations at Jazz District l Plaza l Brookside l Waldo l Union Hill l Crown Center l Union Station l Westport l Downtown WWW.
.COM
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE ONLINE
Listen to Your Body
It’s been an evolution, but Ballhagen said the core principle is to listen to your body. “I was a sugar fiend. I began to realize that if you gorge on sugar and feel like crap afterwards, if I listen to my body, I will understand that those two things are connected, and I can make decisions.” Dietary
After learning to listen to her body, she settled on a mostly gluten-free “autoimmune paleo” diet to manage her illness. Inflammatory processes abound in autoimmune disease, so the diet encourages followers to avoid foods that cause irritation. For Ballhagen the biggest culprit was eggs. “Eggs and beef are two of my very favorite things, but I have an autoimmune disorder, so I need to pay attention if I’m eating them. The key thing for me is to recognize that food is potentially an inflammatory agent in my body.” Process of Elimination
Every third month Ballhagen does a twenty-one day elimination diet. “You take out alcohol, caffeine, gluten, refined sugar. Basically you eliminate foods that you know make your system inflamed. I always start with an Arbonne detox. A key is to drink a ton of water and keep your calories up. I fully believe that for people with autoimmune disease, periods of elimination, in conjunction with fueling our bodies with quality nutrients, can make an incredible difference.” Hot Hot Heat
With all these modifications, Ballhagen is able to maintain her running, sometimes even during lupus flares. Running twenty miles each week is no small feat if you have a disease that causes crushing fatigue. She swears by lava yoga for cross training. “Hot yoga for me was life changing. I remember distinctly the first time I tried it, waking up the next morning with no lupus pain. I literally wept that morning. I couldn’t believe it.” Current Project
Right now Ballhagen is training for a half marathon in February . Hey, Kansas City
“One of the things that has changed markedly about Kansas City, even in the last eighteen months,” Ballhagen says, “is the number of online resources we have to find great trails to run on. It’s incredibly helpful if you want to keep your routine fresh with new routes.” KNOW SOMEBODY WHO’S PERFECT FOR INDIEFIT CONFIDENTIAL? EMAIL FEEDBACK@ INDIEFITMAGAZINE.COM
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IndieFit
GIFT GUIDE COMPANY: THE IMPERIAL DRIFTER PRODUCT: CONIFER BEARD OIL BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW. IMPERIALDRIFTER.COM Reading their mission statement, “Groom Regularly, Wander Naturally, and Empower Women” had me all in a lather thinking what a great gift shaving soap would make for my husband. Or maybe it was the earthy tailings of their product line, the masculine hair pomades made from raw beeswax, the beard oils in scents like trailhead and hemlock spruce, the mustache wax and shaving products that could make any guy feel like he’s the most desirable man in the room. Imperial Drifter donates a dollar from each sale to an organization that creates entrepreneurial opportunities for women in the third world. Put their Conifer Beard Oil under the fir tree this holiday and keep an eye on the mistletoe.
COMPANY: WILD WASH SOAP PRODUCT: ROSEMARY AND PEPPERMINT 8•
SHAMPOO BAR BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW. WILDWASHSOAP.COM
Laura Wittmer and Mike Prentice started Wild Wash Soap company in 2014 because the ingredients in most commercially available soaps weren’t what they wanted on their skin. Their products contain absolutely no bad stuff: no synthetic chemicals, artificial scents or palm oil. Their rosemary and peppermint shampoo bar creates a rich, exhilarating lather that everyone can enjoy.
COMPANY: FOR STRANGE WOMEN PERFUME STORE LOCATION:
115 WEST 18TH STREET, SUITE 102, KANSAS CITY, MO 64108 PRODUCT: THE EMERALD POTION AMULET IN WINTER KITTY BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW. FORSTRANGEWOMEN. COM Scent alchemist and founder, Jill McKeever, is fascinated with the ability of scent to transport you emotionally to a different time and place. Her
Gift Ideas Compil ed from Submis sions by IndieF it Staff. INDIEFIT BELIEVES THAT SHOPPING FOR FRIENDS, THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE, OR THE GUY AT WORK WHOSE NAME YOU PULLED OUT OF A HAT SHOULD BE FUN. Here’s a list of gift
ideas -- local products, stores, and services -- that our shopping buffs at IndieFit central put together. Whether you’re a bargain shopper, a researcher, an impulse buyer, a negotiator, a loyalist, a woman with a wish list or a man on a mission, we hope this guide will get your creative juices flowing. It seems like everywhere you look you see the term line of perfumes and botanical essences (Decadence and Debauchery, Rosehip Elixir, Southern Moongarden, London Fog Amulet, Tuberose, and many others) might take you – or the person you are buying a gift for -- to a landscape somewhere deep in your subconscious. Or at least to a place in the present where you can’t ever remember smelling so fantastic. Strange Women perfumes are all created and produced in the KC Crossroads District and have been featured in Oprah Magazine, NYLON, and BUST Magazine, to name a few. They also carry a line of perfumed pendants and amulets.
COMPANY: WAXMAN CANDLES STORE LOCATION: 609 MASSACHUSETTS STREET, LAWRENCE, KS, 66044 PRODUCT: VOTIVE CANDLES BORN IN: LAWRENCE, KS WEBSITE: WWW. WAXMANCANDLES.COM
KU students have been flocking to Waxman candles to buy cannabis room defoggers for decades. Nothing purifies the air better than a tall patchouli column candle. But the best thing about Waxman is their affordable variety of moodmelding votives that can be purchased in bulk. Stocking
“buy local” these days. Because IndieFit Magazine is 100% locally owned, it’s more than just a catch phrase to us. Shopping at local, independently owned businesses helps the whole community, whether you buy online from these local sites or at stores across the metro that carry independent local products. Whether you pick something from our staff ’s eclectic list or stay up late at night with your elves in the attic fashioning your own crafts by hand, everybody at IndieFit Central wishes you a warm and happy Holiday Season!
stuffers and secret Santa’s take note.
COMPANY: BIRDIES PANTIES – INTIMATE APPAREL APOTHECARY STORE LOCATION: 116 WEST 18TH STREET, KANSAS CITY, MO, 64108 PRODUCT: PANTY OF THE MONTH CLUB BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW. BIRDIESPANTIES.COM You work out hard to hone your hiney. Show it off in a pair of fancy panties from Birdie’s in the Crossroads District. The panty of the month club offers 12 different panties wrapped with a special note. If you’re buying for your honey, just make sure you get the right size! Feeling less than intimate? They also have a sock of the month club.
COMPANY: AGAINST THE GRAIN PRODUCT: THE KC PLAZA BOWTIE BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: HTTP:// STORE.AGAINSTTHEGRAINBOWTIES. COM
Once upon a time, a high school student at Shawnee Mission East made a wooden bowtie
and started wearing it to school dances. Now he has an online company with an awesome motto: “Lumber never looked so good.” Against the Grain bowties come in a variety of hard and soft woods and sport locally-inspired designs such as the Plaza skyline and a line of hipster cuts like the Meadowlark, Jungle Fire, Royal Wood Crown, Blossom, and Padauk. Why would you want a wooden bowtie? They don’t wrinkle and never need to be dry-cleaned.
COMPANY: LOYALTY KC PRODUCT: KANSAS CITY T-SHIRTS BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW.LOYALTYKC.COM
Loyalty KC believes that Kansas City area is a land of flat prairie vistas, tumbling tumbleweeds, and a constant IV-drip of BBQ-sauce jabbed straight into pickline of the Metro. Need proof ? Check out their sports-inspired line of KC Loyalty Tees such as the “Wizard of Hoz”, “No. 5. Pinetar”, and line of Loyalty KC, Mizzouri, and Kansas City Champions to name a few. We can never have too many spirit T’s in a town with so many champions!
COMPANY: DONNA’S DRESS SHOP
PRODUCT: COACHING AND TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR RUNNERS BORN IN: SHAWNEE, KS WEBSITE: WWW.RUNNERSEDGEKC.COM
STORE LOCATION: 1410 W. 39TH STREET, KANSAS CITY, MO PRODUCT: DRESSES FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW.DONNASDRESSSHOP.COM Donna’s Dress Shop on 39th Street in KCMO features both vintage and new designers inspired by retro fashions. An eclectic selection of seasonal clothes and accessories, shoes and hats, scarves, glasses, jewelry, girdles. Donna’s got you covered. Buy a dress from Donna for NYE and you won’t run into anyone else with the same outfit! We guarantee it.
COMPANY: SLIK HOUND PRODUCT: STAR WARS DOG COLLAR BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW.SLIKHOUND.COM Put your dog on the cutting edge of popular culture. Slik Hound sells dogs collars with themes that would double as great lunch boxes. Wonder woman, Batgirl, Superwoman, Camo, London Plaid, American Byways, Aaarrrgghh Pirates. My grand dog, Maverick, will be getting this for Festivus.
COMPANY: THE RUNNER’S EDGE
Local running guru Eladio Valdez has helped thousands of local runners go faster, farther, and most importantly, run more injury free for over 18 years now. Valdez offers the perfect gift for the runner in your life, whether they are just getting back into running, trying to take their game to the next level, or gunning for a new milestone like a marathon or an ultra. Classes take place in a group setting. You’ll work on form and learn how to correct common biomechanical mistakes. Each week participants meet up to run iconic courses throughout the metro. No detail is left to chance: at each session the Runner’s Edge provides everything you need to run including drinks, mid-run fueling, and all the motivation you’ll need to succeed. Pick your goal: a race, a training distance, a pace, and Valdez will chart your course to success. In addition participants get a 20% discount at Gary Gribble Running.
COMPANY: PIONEERS PRESS PRODUCT: PIONEERS PRESS GIFT CARD, TO BENEFIT THE HARD FIFTY FARM RESCUE ANIMALS BORN IN: LANSING, KS WEBSITE: WWW.PIONEERSPRESS.COM
Lansing’s Pioneers Press is Kansas City’s one-of-a-kind Indie press that started when former Microcosm Publishing founder Jessie Duke went “back to the land” and moved her underground press operations -- and a half dozen goats -- from the West Coast to Lansing, Kansas. Part homesteader and “punk farm” and part Zine publishing empire, Pioneers Press titles and authors are featured regularly in publications like Fast Company, Utne Reader, Maximum Rocknroll, and Bitch Magazine. Check out titles like “Spell Skulls and Their Uses,” “Sacred and Mysterious: Herbal Wisdom and Healing Lore for Those Who Menstruate,” and
“Read Once & Destroy.”
COMPANY: ORIGINAL JUAN STORE LOCATION: 111 SOUTHWEST BLVD, KANSAS CITY, KS PRODUCT: FIESTA VERY BERRY CHIPOTLE MARINADE AND DIPPING SAUCE BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, KS
WEBSITE: WWW.ORIGINALJUAN.COM With product lines like Da’Bomb, Pain is Good and G.Love’s Special Hot Sauce, Original Juan has plenty of testosterone-inflaming goodness to choose from. Fiesta Very Berry Chipotle Marinade and Dipping Sauce is a good choice for anyone at your holiday party. The sauces are available throughout the metro, and they have a specialty shop where you can buy direct on Southwest Blvd.
COMPANY: KC CANNING COMPANY PRODUCT: LEMON LAVENDER SHRUB BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW.KANSASCITYCANNINGCO.COM •9
OK. What’s a “shrub”? Let me enlighten you. A shrub from the KC Canning Company is a hand-crafted, scientifically and artfully blended mixer for the mixologist (or lush) on your list. The Meyer Lemon Lavender Shrub is a great complement to gin and vodka for the holiday season. The Watermelon Habanero Shrub will transform Tom Collins into Tomas Collinsica! Find other delicious (and niftily packaged) jams, jellies, and pickles at retailers such as the Sundry, Westside Storey, Nature’s Own Health Food Market, and other locations across the metro.
COMPANY: COMMUNIVERSITY PRODUCT: COMMUNIVERSITY GIFT CERTIFICATE BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: HTTP:// INFO.UMKC.EDU/GETINVOLVED/COMMU/REQUEST-CATALOG The Kansas City Communiversity is a UMKCsponsored collection of informal classes on everything from how to buy a house to West Coast Swing dancing to personal accounting to letting horses help you through life transitions. There’s soap making, bread baking, bike fixing and elixir mixing. Learn a new language, quit smoking or get your aura read. Communiversity has classes for singles, parents, teens, kids and older folks at shops, studios, museums and community centers and schools all across the metro. New classes start in January.
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including the KCFC Dining Card (card holders get a 10 percent discount at restaurants in the circle). Member restaurants serve sustainably sourced, often local products.
COMPANY: TEA MARKET STORE LOCATION: 329 E 55TH STREET, KANSAS CITY, MO PRODUCT:WELLNESS SAMPLER BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW.TEAMARKETONLINE.COM The Tea Market is a great local online resource for an enticing line of loose-leaf and sachet teas you won’t find at the grocery store. The sampler includes organically grown Energizing, Sweet Dreams, Tummy Tamer, Flu Fighter, Detox and Totali-tea. Founder Staci Robinson is a holistic health coach and has researched and focus-tested her blends for the last ten years.
COMPANY: KC FOOD CIRCLE PRODUCT: “EATER MEMBERSHIP” BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW.KCFOODCIRCLE.COM The Kansas City Food Circle connects local farmers with local eaters. An “Eater Membership” isn’t a CSA membership; its farmto-stomach VIP card entitles you to a host of healthy benefits
COMPANY: SIMPLE SCIENCE JUICES STORE LOCATION: 8126 FLOYD ST, OVERLAND PARK, KS PRODUCT: CARBON JUICE BORN IN: OVERLAND PARK, KS WEBSITE: WWW.SIMPLESCIENCEJUICES.COM Simple Science Juices, located in the former Villa Capri restaurant space near downtown Overland Park, features hydraulic coldpressed juices with a minimum of mixing, which results in a more stable product with a slow oxidation rate. Sound like Breaking Bad? You betcha. The juice at Simple Science is better than Walter and Jesse’s blue, and the fact that they don’t treat their juices in any way guarantees the freshest raw experience in the KC metro. Kick off your Christmas morning with a Simple Science Juice in everyone’s stocking.
COMPANY: YOU ONLY BETTER STORE LOCATION: 600 W. 103RD ST. SUITE 104, KANSAS CITY, MO
PRODUCT: TOTAL BODY PACKAGE BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW. YOUONLYBETTERKC. COM
The name says it all. You Only Better provides effective, natural weight loss and wellness services like endermologie lipo massage, colonic hydrotherapy, non-injectable HCG, Sudatonic infrared body wraps and other services under supervision of Laurie Black, who has over 23 years experience in the business. These treatments really work!
COMPANY: HOBBS STORE LOCATION: 700 MASSACHUSETTS STREET, LAWRENCE, KS PRODUCT: STOCKING STUFFERS BORN IN: LAWRENCE, KS WEBSITE: WWW.HOSTOFCOOL.COM Hobbs is hipster central for gag gifts, super cool clothing, skinny jeans, and unusual finds tailormade to impress anyone in your life who is too school for cool. Soaps, watches, barware, inflatable things, T-shirts with deep vees, Elvis Presley ties, Beatles T towels. Across the street from the Eldridge Hotel in downtown Lawrence.
COMPANY: GREEN BEE KC PRODUCT: BUCK ANTLER SACK FLOUR TOWEL BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW.ETSY. COM/SHOP/GREENBEEKC
Custom-made print towels by Green Bee KC are cute and cool at the same time. The buck antler handmade sack flour towel sports the majestic head of a deer in black and white print and works in both masculine and feminine kitchens whether it’s deer season or not. Buck antler’s not your thing? Try a chicken towel, a seahorse towel, or a butcher cow towel.
COMPANY: BIKE WALK KC PRODUCT: MEMBERSHIP BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW.BIKEWALKKC.ORGHTTP:// WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/ GREENBEEKC BikeWalkKC’s mission is to provide a unified voice for active living and to promote a healthy, safe, and accessible outdoor experience for all in a vibrant, engaged community. With student, individual, household, supporter, and elite memberships available, this gift pays dividends not only to the lucky recipient but to everyone Bike Walk KC helps in their outreach mission across the metro, especially the students in their BLAST bike safety program, their Safe Routes to School program and all the changes in how we bike and walk throughout the KC region.
COMPANY: KANSAS CITY B-CYCLE PRODUCT: MEMBERSHIP BORN IN: KANSAS CITY, MO WEBSITE: WWW. KC.BCYCLE.COMHTTP:// WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/ GREENBEEKC
What’s not to like about those Kansas City B-cycle bikes? With stations located all across the city core, you can hop on a B-cycle and ride to a host of convenient destinations. It’s a great way to see the city from the vantage point of a bike – without owning (or hauling) your own wheels. Plus, with expansion plans to more places in the metro in the next two years, supporting them will make it easier for you to cross state lines on your own two wheels.
WHEN IT COMES TO KOMBUCHA, IT SEEMS THAT PEOPLE EITHER LOVE IT, HATE IT, OR DON’T UNDERSTAND IT.
SCOBY DO'S
& DON'TS Who put the KAN in KANbucha? LIZ WESLANDER
COURTESY OF
However, if you’ve purchased a beverage from a cooler at a grocery or convenience store lately, it’s clear that the kombucha lovers are winning out over the skeptics. Elliot Pees, founder of the Kansas City area kombucha company, KANbucha, was an early adopter of the kombucha movement in the Midwest and has found his vocation in creating and selling this old-world craft beverage with benefits. Kombucha is a fermented, probiotic-rich tea drink that originated hundreds of years ago in China, but it has only been sold commercially in the U.S. for about a decade and has only really caught on in the past few years. According to market research firm SPINS, kombucha sales saw 29 percent combined growth across all channels from February 2013 to February 2014. For this period, total scanned sales were $122.7 million. A 16-ounce bottle typically costs between $3 and $4. Pees got into the kombucha game ahead of the curve. After trying a bottle of the sour beverage that his sister brought him from Austin, Texas in 2009, Elliot decided to try brewing his own kombucha. In 2010, he started selling his kombucha on-tap from a kegerator at the Lawrence Farmers Market. From there, Elliot started selling bottled KANbucha at health food stores, coffee shops and gyms around Kansas City and in Lawrence, where he’s based. Business has gone so well for Elliot that he recently partnered with Ben Farmer, owner of Lawrence’s Alchemy Coffee & Bake House, to lease a 25,000 square foot production space. D e s p i t e kombucha’s popularity, plenty of folks out there are still mystified by the fermented concoction. Perhaps part of kombucha’s mystique is that the key ingredient is a suspiciouss o u n d i n g substance called SCOBY, or “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.” A SCOBY, which looks like a disc of mucus, is sometimes called a “mother,” because it reproduces an additional SCOBY layer with each new batch of kombucha. In other words, it takes a SCOBY to make a SCOBY. Kombucha is its own selfperpetuating process. “The SCOBY isn’t the foreground mascot for most kombucha companies because it isn’t appetizing in appearance,” said Elliot. “In fact, some literature jokes that you should let your friends drink your kombucha, but don’t let them see it while its brewing right away.” Once one has acquired a SCOBY, brewing kombucha is a simple process whereby a SCOBY culture is added to a batch of sweetened tea. The SCOBY eats the sugar and ferments the tea. The result is a sour, slightly fizzy beverage. As you can imagine, producing large amounts of
IT WOULD NOT BE INACCURATE TO CALL ELLIOT A SCOBY FARMER
• 11
kombucha requires a large amount of SCOBYs, and it would not be inaccurate to call Elliot a SCOBY farmer. Elliot said that while some kombucha companies add a “food energy” element to their SCOBY care by doing things like meditating and playing musical instruments while in the presence of the cultures, he keeps the care of his SCOBYs pretty straightforward. “They really don’t need much tending if the brewing is regular and the environment is appropriate,” said Elliot. “This means they are getting nutrients from the tea and sugar, the temperature is between 70-80 degrees, and the surrounding air is free of contaminates. They like to be left to do their thing.” KANbucha’s new production facility has streamlined their brewing process and enabled the company to increase production to 80 gallon batches per week. KANbucha brews in smaller glass vessels, each with its own SCOBY. While this is the most volume Elliot has produced to date, he said it’s not even a quarter of what he intends to be produced in the future. While the improvements in volume and efficiency are great, Elliot said the coolest part of the new production facility is the “work-play” atmosphere, which he believes has a direct effect on the quality of the product. “Our hand-built surrounding is established to inspire us to get things done with enjoyment,” said Elliot. “We like our space and what we get to create for others on a daily basis. This ultimately means a better quality product for everyone.” Because kombucha can be an acquired taste for people whose palates are not accustomed to tangy or sour foods, the ongoing challenge and art form for kombucha brewers is creating flavors that are not only palatable but that people will actually seek out. “I see a lot of reactions to kombucha,” said based in Kansas City. Elliot. “Some people taste it and love it right off the bat. I It might seem counterintuitive that an unfamiliar tell people that if you try it and don’t like it one day, come beverage with a difficult taste profile would be in such high another day and try it again. It may be that you just haven’t demand, but Elliot said there are a number of reasons people found the right flavor.” are embracing kombucha. One is that kombucha is what the KANbucha comes in seven flavors, the most popular being Ginger Rose – a combination of kombucha, ginger food industry calls a “functional beverage” – meaning that rosewater and some grape juice for color and sweetness. it is a drink that may also have significant health benefits. There is research showing that the consumption of Jasmine Aid – which is made by adding jasmine tea and fermented foods, including kombucha, introduces beneficial lemonade to the kombucha – is another popular flavor, said Elliot. KANbucha’s newest flavor, Roonilla, is reminiscent of bacteria – often referred to as probiotics -- into the digestive system. With the proper balance of gut bacteria, the digestive cream soda. “The name comes from the ingredients of Rooibos tea system can absorb nutrients more easily. Probiotics have and vanilla, and the flavor’s profile is similar to some traditional sodas in that it’s creamy, woody, herbal and KANSAS CITY: Nature’s Own, The Filling Station (all locations), Door to Door malty,” said Elliot. Organics, Green Acres Market, The Sundry, One More Cup, Bulk It KANbucha’s dry tea LAWRENCE: Merc Co-op, Alchemy Coffee, Iwig Dairy, Cottin’s Hardware, Om Tree ingredients come from Yoga Studio, La Prima Tazza, Liberty Hall, Hank Charcuterie, The Burger Stand, The Hugo Tea Company, a Waffle Iron, The Bourgeois Pig and Hy-Vee on 6th premium tea purveyor 12 •
KOMBUCHA IS AN EXAMPLE OF ‘ FOOD AS MEDICINE, ’ – ELLIOT PEES
Where to find KANbucha:
also been shown to help slow or reverse some diseases, improve bowel health, aid digestion, and improve immunity. “Kombucha is an example of ‘food as medicine,’” said Elliot. “While I typically refrain from talking too much about health claims due to liability reasons, if you do your research, you’ll find that fermented foods have the potential to treat a number of chronic problems. Customers of mine describe lots of different benefits they receive from drinking kombucha.” Aside from the health benefits, Elliot said the kombucha craze is part of a larger renewed interest in old-world foods that foster a sense of community and tradition. “Like many foods that have a long history, the production of kombucha has a passing-down element, meaning you cannot make it without sourcing a pre-existing culture from someone who has nurtured it, historically a family member or neighbor,” said Elliot. “This is important because it directly reminds us that food was communal because culture and living was more communal.” Elliot said that yogurt cultures, sourdough cultures, miso cultures, and vinegar cultures are other examples of old world foods for which families had, or may now have, ongoing cultures their ancestors kept alive and passed down. The old world niche is also part of the even larger “craft” food and beverage trend, which emphasizes variety, uniqueness and quality, all things KANbucha strives for. “Craft foods are often locally made using ideas both of old world genres and new synthesized inventions,” said Elliot “This is what people are enjoying right now in coffee, bakery goods, beer, wine and also kombucha. In light of this, KANbucha represents kombucha in the regional craft beverage world.”
SIZE MATTERS W H E N CH OOS I N G A MOUNTAIN BIKE MEGAN HELM | ILLUSTRATIONS BY JON BRETT
REMEMBER THAT HOLIDAY MORNING WHEN A LARGE, ODDLY SHAPED, POORLY WRAPPED PACKAGE WITH A KICKSTAND WAS BALANCED NEXT TO THE ALUMINUM TREE? The sparkly
people. Sunflower offers two types of fitting services. A “sizing” is a general interview, trying out a few different vinyl banana seat and chopper style handlebars screamed “Spring!” It was easy back frame sizes and making general The then when bikes were one-size-fits-all. Today, as a grown up rider ready to hit the adjustments like seat height. more comprehensive “fitting” includes trail, size matters more than ever. Mountain biking can be rough business. The body bumps and bounces over physical assessment which looks at tough terrain. Over the course of years and hundreds of trail miles, a poor fit can skeletal and muscular traits, range of cause chronic knee, shoulder and back injuries that over time could require physical motion, previous injuries, foot arch therapy or even surgery to correct. It’s worth it to spend a little time learning about levels and angularity and flexibility. A fitting will generally take two to two and bike fitting before you hit the bike shop. As a petite person, I struggle to find the perfect fit. I called on my high school a half hours and cost around $200.00. “A friend and Mizzou alum, Karin Gembus, co-owner of Gravity Assisted Mountain fitting is best for people who spend a lot Biking (GravityBolivia.com). Her company takes fearless riders down “The World’s of time on their bikes or are investing Most Dangerous Road” and has been featured on Lonely Planet . I contacted Karin in a good first bike for recreation or at her villa in La Paz, Bolivia. “Bike fit is super important to me,” she said. “If I’m commuting. “ Frames come in a variety of sizes from “t-shirt” sizing in XS,S,M,L,XL,XXL to riding a gnarly downhill course, I always opt for a 15” frame, even though I’m 170 inches for American bikes and mountain bikes and centimeters for cm tall. If I’m riding something more cross road bikes. Someone 5’ to 5’5” in height might like an XS or 13” frame, country, with some good climbs, I use a light while a professional basketball player would go with an XXL or a 23” 18” frame. The great thing about cycling frame. “We recommend the really big men to get bigger tires.” Bikes these days is how wonderfully specific you are sized proportionally, so an extra large bike will have extra large can achieve your build.” everything. Seat height is one of the more important With so many component parts, models, considerations when sizing a bike. The height of the seat stem, which and sizes, finding the perfect bike for your is easily adjusted with a quick release lever, determines how much height, strength and ride frequency can force the leg will use to push the pedals. A seat set too low won’t be tricky. Each bike shop is going to carry allow the leg to extend and can create knee and hip problems down their own preferred brands, similar to the road. The goal is to use the leg muscles as efficiently as possible. an auto dealer. Sunflower Outdoor and Seat discomfort is the number one reason people often give up the Bike Shop in Lawrence carries Specialized sport, which is sad because seats are easy to switch out and there are and Trek products. The River Market many shapes and padding options available. Fitting a seat will involve Cyclery (rivermarketcyclery.com) carries making sure a customer’s “sit bones” are square on the seat and well Cannondale, Giant, GT and Schwinn. Volker protected. And don’t overlook the necessity of a good pair of bike Bikes (volkerbicycles.com) offers customers shorts or pants. Ashton concurs. “You get what you pay for and make the Santa Cruz, Scott, Pinarello, Jamis, Soma sure you don’t wear anything underneath them.” A pair in the right and Surly lines. With dozens of locally owned size with a high quality shammy will wick away sweat and provide shops in the metro, research is necessary. that blessed cushioning everywhere it is needed. (Secret confession: Most lines have frames designed specifically If I could wear my bike shorts everyday under my clothes I would be for women, although some women prefer the happiest woman alive!) Get them! male models. (Badum ching!) Even though seats are tilt-able, Ashton recommends a level position. Ashton Lambie at Sunflower Outdoor and CO-OWNER OF GRAVITY “When a customer starts to play with seat tilt, it can interfere with all Bike Shop in Lawrence KS knows exactly how to help large and small size-challenged ASSISTED MOUNTAIN BIKING of the other size considerations and create different problems.”
THE GREAT THING ABOUT CYCLING THESE DAYS IS HOW WONDERFULLY SPECIFIC YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOUR BUILD.” - KARIN GEMBUS,
• 13
SIMPLE SCIENCE JUICES SPECIAL
MENTION
INDIEFIT AT OUR OVERLAND PARK
STORE TO GET
15% OFF YOUR FIRSTFOOD ORDER! Through December 2015. 14 •
WHEN A CUSTOMER STARTS TO PLAY WITH SEAT TILT, IT CAN INTERFERE WITH ALL OF THE OTHER SIZE CONSIDERATIONS AND CREATE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS.”
- ASHTON LAMBIE
OF SUNFLOWER OUTDOOR & BIKE SHOP
The rail position determines how far forward or back the seat is in relation to the handlebars. Different size rails can be purchased to accommodate the larger or smaller among us but changing out a rail is rare. Handlebars are another important component for comfort. How wide a person’s shoulders are, or how large their chest is, can impact how far apart the hands rest on the bar or the length of the bar entirely. Brakes and gear shifters can be slid closer to the hands for better control, and grips can be larger or smaller depending on hand size. Small adjustments like these can make a world of difference for an avid rider. Pedals come in three varieties: flat, with cages, or for use with shoes designed to clip onto the pedal. The clipless cleats, as they are known, offer the firmest connection to the pedal and can reduce shock when hitting a tree root on a trail. Keeping your foot in place is a good way to increase control. Suspension forks are a mountain bike add-on that can improve a ride if you ride a lot. They aren’t cheap and they can add extra weight to an already fairly heavy frame. According to bikeradar.com, “light, tight forks will suit climbers and other crosscountry riders, while super-plush traction Hoovers are worth the extra weight for progressive envelope pushers.” Forks are complicated bits of machinery so a trip to the bike mechanic is highly recommended. When 5’0” Keely Waller -- CEO at KG Consulting and a fitness enthusiast -- bought her first bike, she wasn’t sure what to expect. “I went to Capp’s Bike Shop in Topeka. They had a stationary bike there that they have you get on so they can see what size bike/handle bars/pedals you need. While at the store, I went and rode around the parking lot to feel it out. They also helped me adjust the seat, handlebars and clips, pedals to
make sure it was perfect for me.” Keely chose a Giant hybrid. “So I could switch out my tires to mountain tires and use it more as a mountain bike if I wanted. It’s a little heavier than some road bikes but that’s okay for me. It’s comfortable and reliable and I love doing fun rides and races with my friends! My next purchase may be a higher end mountain bike.” Whether you are looking to commute, race or just hit the trails, finding the best fit is a personal journey worth taking. So be a kid again and get back on that bike!
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• 15
FIT academy
MOVES FOR THE
MOUNTAIN
WOBBLE BOARD
The wobble board approximates the side-to-side motion of skiing and snowboarding.
1
If you’re not used to an entire day on the mountain, cardio might be the first place to start. If you work out at a gym, add the following moves to get ready for the slopes. As always, go easy at first, use light weights, and, if in doubt, consult a personal trainer.
2
3 X 30 SECONDS
PETE TOWNLEY IS A PERSONAL TRAINER AND STRENGTH COACH AT SUMMIT/NEXT LEVEL GYM. INDIEFIT STAFF
FRONT RACK BARBELL SPLIT
Once you can do weighted lunges, you can add weight with this movement (note this isn’t for beginners). Works your upper legs and the muscles around your buttocks.
1
1. Position one foot on the board while lining the opposite foot up on the other side of the board (use a wall to balance while mounting the board if needed). 2. Squeeze glutes and abdominals while standing on the board to hold the body steady. Keep chest up, eyes focused straight ahead. 3. As balance is challenged, counter any movement with small tilts of the hips forward, backward, or side to side as opposed to shifting arms or torso.
16 •
PLANNING A SKI TRIP THIS WINTER?
2
1. Un-rack the bar, resting the bar across the upper chest and anterior deltoids. Support bar with arms in either a rack position or with the arms crossed over each other. 2. Start by stepping one leg back as if doing a reverse lunge (be sure not to line feet up directly behind each other). Squeeze glutes and tuck the hips slightly forward to ensure a neutral spine position. 3. Keeping the torso vertical, initiate the movement downward by taking the back knee towards the ground (without touching) while keeping the front shin as vertical as possible. 4. Push through the front heel, keeping glutes tight to return to the starting position. Keep the same leg forward and perform all reps before switching to the other leg.
FIT academy FARMER CARRY GOOD MORNINGS Even flatland farmers deserve a trip to the mountains sometimes. This is one of our favorite “boot camp” moves. You’ll need a trap bar and a place to walk
1
1
2
2
.1. Pick up farmer carry handles, dumbbells, or a trap bar as if doing a deadlift, keeping abdominals tight, back straight, and extending the hips and knees at the same time. 2. Keep the shoulders back and down (protracted and depressed) and abdominals tight while walking the weight the prescribed distance. Avoid leaning forward, running the weight, or letting the shoulders fold forward. 3. Make wide turns to avoid creating momentum while turning. Set the weight down under control. The grip will fail before the body, so use caution.
3 X 100 FEET
Good mornings work almost every muscle group in your body. Adhere rigorously to form on this one and practice with a broom or an empty bar. You can add weight later if you need to. 1. Un-rack the bar in a low bar squat position (bar across the spine of scapulae). Knees can be slightly bent, however they should not bend during the lift. If not using a bar, place hands behind the head, squeezing the shoulder blades together. 2. Pushing the hips back and maintaining a neutral spine, bend at the hips and lower body as far as possible while maintaining a straight back. 3. Actively flex the glutes, pulling your torso back to a standing position. Keep abdominals tight for the entire movement.
3 SETS OF 12 EACH
Is your gym IndieFit? Send your workout to feedback@indiefitmagazine.com and we’ll consider it for an upcoming IndieFit Academy. • 17
MEDITATIONS ON
DECEMBER RUNNING IN KC KRISTEN WEIGAND
IT’S DECEMBER. IF YOU’RE A RUNNER, THIS MEANS MAKING PEACE WITH THE DARKNESS.
You could always go inside and hit the treadmill. Resist the urge. There will be plenty of time for treadmill running next month when the farm country winter really digs its teeth in. December temperatures in Kansas City usually top out around 45. That’s still running shorts weather! Add a stocking cap and gloves, and the cool, crisp winter air will leave you refreshed and ready to hit it hard a half mile into your run once you’re warm and toasty. But what about the darkness? With fewer daylight hours, you might need to mix up your warm season routine. If running alone in the dark feels feel eerie, you can always buddy up or join a group run. Check the IndieFit Daily Fix section to find local runs that span the dark months. But the holiday season offers opportunities that aren’t usually mentioned in running magazines. For example, Christmas lights courses. Find a neighborhood that goes all out with the Christmas lights and design a course. You’ll be feeling sorry for the people packed in their cars who don’t get to soak up all the Christmas cheer that is better felt on foot. I like to run my Christmas
18 •
lights course with my family. My daughter is much more into short sprints than continuous running, so sprinting from lit up house to lit up house makes for a fun game. Short walking rests allow her (and me) to rest and get a better look at the lights. Just make sure you are lit up as well (and I’m not necessarily talking egg nog!). Reflective clothing and a light will keep you safer on the streets. If trail running is your thing, a good headlamp will help you see the trail in the dark. I’m still in search of the perfect headlamp. I’ve tried several of the less expensive $15 -20 lights, which work fine for me (although I’m prone to lumens-envy – everybody’s light seems a little bit brighter than mine, but I think it has more to do with forgetting to regularly replace the batteries). Kansas City has some fantastic trails and there are weekly group runs at several of them. Running down a wooded trail in the frosty winter air on a clear night with only light from your headlamp and the stars is great, and hitting the trails right after the first snowfall of the season -- or during the snow itself -- is one of those favorite winter experiences you can’t get on a treadmill. Last year I went for a group run on the trails at Wyandotte County Park. I like to run with the men, so that night I was booking along through the woods on a leaf and snow covered trail faster than I’m normally comfortable with. About halfway into the run, I heard
some of the guys ahead of us start cussing as they disappeared down a steep hill. Once I made it to the top of the rise and started down the other side, I found out what all the commotion was about. I fell on my butt and slid down the snow-covered hill determined not to get left in the lurch! At the bottom I got back on my feet and started back in. Sometimes you just have to go for it. Running fast and free at night with a group that’s faster than you can take you out of the day-to-day, and the added mindfulness necessary to prevent falling on your face can help you feel more connected with nature. Plus, you can feel good that you’re a badass who runs through the dark woods as temperatures dive below freezing. December also has two really cool races at Wyandotte County Park, one on the roads, one on the trails. The Mid America Running Association puts on the Chili run on December 12th, 6.5 miles on a paved road that winds through the park. The Trail Nerds host the Alternate Chili Trail Run on December 5th, a 10 mile course on the park’s trail system. Both involve eating a warm bowl of chili afterwards. The shorter December days make it even more important to get outside and soak up the fresh air of winter. It saps the cold and gloom of the season, and your hot shower and dry clothes will feel all that much cozier for the effort.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 4 FOOD.EVENTS Badseed Winter Market
1909 McGree St. Kansas City, Missouri 4 pm – 8 pm (9 pm on First Fridays) SATURDAY DECEMBER 5 COMMUNITY. EVENTS Breakfast with Santa to benefit Kansas City Community Gardens Aixois Bistro Crestwood
Kansas City, Mo 8:30 am kccg.org/events/ holidays-increstwood Make Your Own Holiday Bread The Merc Co-Op Registration Required
Missouri 10:00 am www.santadashrun.com
ALTERNATE CHILI TRAIL RUN – 10 MILES
Holiday Santa Dash 2 Mile Run and Walk
Wyandotte County Park Shelter #2 Kansas City, Kansas 9 am www.psychowyco.com/ id44.html
NCK Tech Campus 3033 US Hwy 24 Beloit, Kansas 8:30 am sites.google.com/ site/ncktechbpasantadash Alternate Chili Trail Run – 10 Miles
SUNDAY DECEMBER 6
SATURDAY DECEMBER 12
1909 McGree St. Kansas City,
– 6.5 MILE LOOP
Wyandotte County Lake Kansas City, Kansas 10 am www.mararunning.org
2 OF THEM ACTUALLY. Kansas City, MO 9 am kcparks.org/event/ kris-kringle-5krun-2
MARA Chili Run – RUNNING.EVENTS RUNNING.EVENTS 6.5 Mile Loop Great Santa Run 5K Candy Cane Course Wyandotte County and Kids Run 5k & 10k Run Lake
RUNNING.EVENTS FOOD.EVENTS Badseed Winter Westport Santa Dash 5K Market
MARA CHILI RUN
WE’VE GOT THE CHILI RUNS – Missouri 4 pm – 8 pm (9 pm on First Fridays)
Johnson County Community College 12345 College Blvd. Overland Park, KS 9:00 am www.kcsantarun. com
SATURDAY DECEMBER 12
We’re not exactly sure why there is an “alternate” chili run or why it comes first; we’re just glad there’s two of them. The trails at Wyandotte County park are at their best in winter when all those pesky timber rattlers and oak mites are snug in their subterranean lairs. The alternate is a trail run and the MARA is a road run. Everyone is welcome.
Wyandotte County Park Shelter #2 Kansas City, Kansas 9 am www.psychowyco. com/id44.html
9th & Iowa Lawrence, Kansas 2 pm http://www.themerc. FRIDAY coop/classes_pro/ DECEMBER 11 calendar/2015/12
Westport Kansas City,
SATURDAY DECEMBER 5
Kansas City, MO 9:00 am – 2 pm SUNDAY DECEMBER 13 RUNNING.EVENTS Jingle Bell Run 5K Run/Walk
Kansas City, Missouri 4 pm – 8 pm SNOW.EVENTS Moonlight Ski
Snow Creek Weston, Missouri Weather Permitting 9 pm www.skisnowcreek. com
Meritex 19100 E Valley View Kansas City, Kansas UNDERGROUND Executive Pkwy 10 am Independence, MO www.mararunning. Park, 17501 W. 98th Street, 64055 org/ SATURDAY 9:00 am 8:00 am DECEMBER 19 Wichita Great Santa www. Christmas Light Run Run 5k JingleBellRunKC.org FOOD.EVENTS Waterwalk Place 2010 Howell Street Lee’s Summit 515 S. Main St. North Kansas City, Holiday Market Wichita, Kansas MO FRIDAY Corner of 2nd and 9 am 5:30 pm DECEMBER 18 Douglas Street www. COMMUNITY. Lee’s Summit, FOOD.EVENTS christmaslightrun.com EVENTS Missouri KC Organics Badseed Holiday 9 am – 2 pm Kris Kringle 5K Run 2015 Holiday Market Market Swope Park 1909 McGree St. 106th & Wornall
• 19
RUNNING.EVENTS Run for the Ranch Marathon, Half Marathon, 6-Hour
Parking Lot #22 Kings & Grand MSU Campus Springfield, MO 7:00 am www.run4theranch. com
ALL LIT UP AND
NO PLACE TO GO?
IndieFit Guide to Free Holiday Light Displays.
PLAZA LIGHTS Country Club Plaza
The Country Club Plaza was the world’s first shopping center designed for automobiles, and J.C. Nichols’ vision for the surrounding upscale suburbs was an inspiration for the design of Beverly Hills, California. The Plaza lights started with a single strand of 16 bulbs in 1926. They stay on through mid-January.
CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK Longview Lake Park
Three hundred thousand lights and 175 animated figures and splashes of Christmas color transform Longview Lake Park into an enchanting winter wonderland.
PAULIE’S PENGUIN PLAYGROUND 16617 Indian Creek Parkway Olathe, Kansas
This private display created by the Craig family debuted in 2004 and has grown into such an event that it takes a crew several days to set up the illuminated penguins and other figurines featured in the Craig’s yard. They’ve raised over $25,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through their efforts.
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FARMSTEAD LANE
Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead 13800 Switzer Overland Park, Kansas The parking lot at Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead is the destination for this display, replete with lights choreographed to holiday music you can tune in on 98.5 FM.
AURORA BOREALIS
Northern Lights NOAA Aurora Forecast Website www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast The original holiday light display has guided Santa’s reindeer since the days when mankind wore elk-skin crocs and hunted curve-tusked mammoths and woolly rhinos on the post-glacial taiga. One or two nights each winter the lights put on a display powerful enough to be viewed in the Kansas City area. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hosts an Aurora forecast that will help in your search for this stunning phenomenon.
THURSDAY DECEMBER 31 RUNNING.EVENTS Resolution Run 5k
El Dorado 4H
El Dorado, Kansas 5:00 pm
FRIDAY JANUARY 1
Run in the New Year 5k
RUNNING.EVENTS Commitment Day Fun Run
Wichita Boathouse 515 S. Main St. Wichita, Kansas 11:45 pm SNOW.EVENTS New Year’s Eve Ski Snow Creek
Weston, Missouri Weather Permitting www.skisnowcreek.com
KC ORGANICS HOLIDAY MARKET SATURDAY DECEMBER 13
9 AM – 2 PM NOTRE DAME DE SION HIGH SCHOOL 10631 WORNALL ROAD KANSAS CITY, MO Baked goods, seasonal produce, canned items, meats, body care products, honey, gift baskets, wreaths, handmade eco-cards, fair-trade coffee and more. This is KC Organics “Best of the Market” event and a cool way to find local, sustainable gifts for the holidays.
Life Time Fitness 16851 West 90th Street Lenexa, KS 10:00 am www. commitmentday. com/kansas/lenexa Hangover Half Marathon & 5K
Waterwalk Place 515 S. Main St. Wichita, Kansas 9 am BIKING.EVENTS Lawrence Mountain Bike Club New Year’s Ride
Lawrence River Trails Lawrence, Kansas Noon www.lawrencemountainbikeclub.org/ new-years-day-ride/ Tailwind Cyclists New Year’s Ride
Pittsburg, Kansas http://www. tailwindcyclists.com/ events.html
SUNDAY JANUARY 3 SNOW.EVENTS John L. Cassidy Winter Games Clinic
Snow Creek Weston, Missouri www.skisnowcreek. com THURSDAY JANUARY 7 TRIATHALON. EVENTS TriKC Big Spin Sessions
JCC Fitness and Sports Center Overland Park, KS www.trikc.org/ events 7 pm
BADSEED HOLIDAY MARKET
DECEMBER 18
1909 MCGREE ST. KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 4 PM – 8 PM The BADSEED Market is dedicated to providing the “conscious consumer” with nutritious and delicious foods grown sustainably (and with LOVE) in the immediate community. The annual Holiday Market is their biggest event of the year. Greet your local farmers, share in the mirth of the season, and buy some goat cheese and funny looking eggs.
FRIDAY JANUARY 8
SATURDAY JANUARY 16
SNOW.EVENTS World’s Largest Ski Lesson
RUNNING.EVENTS Topeka to Auburn Half Marathon
#LargestSkiLesson Snow Creek Weston, Missouri www.skisnowcreek. com
Indian Hills Elementary School 7445 SW 29th Street Topeka, KS 10:00 am
www. sunflowerstriders. org SUNDAY JANUARY 17 SNOW.EVENTS John L. Cassidy Winter Games Clinic
Snow Creek Weston, Missouri www.skisnowcreek. com Moonlight Ski Snow Creek
Weston, Missouri Weather Permitting 9 pm
www.skisnowcreek. com SATURDAY JANUARY 23 COMMUNITY. EVENTS Cultivate KC Annual Farmers & Friends Meeting
KC BIKE BAZAAR If your holiday gift list includes a bike, check out these local sources
BISCARI BROTHERS BICYCLES 139 E. Lexington St Independence, MO
LEAWOOD BICYCLES 12311 State Line Rd Kansas City, MO
884 S. 291 Hwy Liberty, MO
RIVER MARKET CYCLERY 315 E 3rd St Kansas City, MO
5116 Independence Ave Kansas City, MO CYCLE CITY 6328 N. Lewis St, Suite 200 Parkville, MO 9765 N. Cedar Kansas City, MO
MIDWEST CYCLERY 3957 Broadway St Kansas City, MO
TREK BICYCLE STORE 10412 Shawnee Mission Pkwy Shawnee, KS
VELO+ 13440 Santa Fe Trail Drive Lenexa, KS VOLKER BIKES 1717 W. 39th St Kansas City, MO
TURNER’S CYCLING AND FITNESS 8909 Santa Fe Drive Overland Park, KS
SUNFLOWER OUTDOOR & BIKE SHOP 804 Massachusetts Street Lawrence, KS CYCLE WORKS 2121 Kasold Drive Lawrence, KS
FAMILY BICYCLES 7337 Broadway Kansas City, MO
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DAILY FIX
MONDAY
KCTC Cass County Intervals
Hills and Intervals Harrisonville, MO 5:30 pm https://www.facebook.com/ groups/kctcharrisonvillerunning KCTC Brookside Run Trolley Track Run All Paces Brookside Bar and Grill Kansas City, MO 6 pm
5:30 pm http://kctrack.org/northlandrunners
5:30 pm http://kctrack.org/northlandrunners
75th Street Brewery 75th & Wornall Kansas City, MO 6:30 pm
Meet at Gary Gribbles Ward Parkway Center 8600 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO 6 pm
KCMBC Brewery Bike Ride
KCMBC Hen House Ride
KCTC Ward Parkway Run
69th & Mission Road Prairie Village Shopping Center Prairie Village, KS 8:00 am
Mud Babe Mondays Run
Buffalo Wild Wings Independence 1-70 & Little Blue Parkway Independence, MO 6 pm
Meet at Gary Gribbles Ward Parkway Center 8600 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO 5:45 pm Shawnee Mission Park Marina Parking Lot 7900 Renner Road Shawnee, KS 6 pm
KCMBC Heritage Park Bike Ride Heritage Park 16050 Pflumm Road Olathe, KS Parking lot N side of lake 6:30 pm
TUESDAY
Red Dog Days Community Workout South Park Lawrence, KS 6 am and 6 pm
KCTC Northland Runners Macken Park, west side Kansas City, MO 22 •
KCMBC Blazing Saddles Ride
WEDNESDAY Liberty Run Rock and Run 110 Kansas St. Liberty, MO 6 pm
KCMBC Coach’s Bike Ride 135th & Antioch Overland Park, KS 6:30 pm
THURSDAY Red Dog Days Community Workout South Park Lawrence, KS 6 am and 6 pm
KCTC Northland Runners Macken Park, west side Kansas City, MO
KCTC Ward Parkway Run
KCMBC Brookside Weekly Bike Ride The Roasterie Parking Lot North of 63rd Kansas City, MO 6:30 pm
KCMBC Blazing Saddles Ride
Buffalo Wild Wings Independence 1-70 & Little Blue Parkway Independence, MO 6 pm
KCMBC Blue Moose Bike Ride Blue Moose Ride 4160 W 71st St Prairie Village, KS 6:30 pm
FRIDAY Red Dog Days Community Workout Lawrence High School Track Lawrence, KS 6 am and 6 pm
KCMBC Hen House Bike Ride 69th & Mission 8 am
SATURDAY
Red Dog Day’s Fun Run Downtown Parking Lot behind Kizer-Cummings NE Corner of 9th & Vermont Lawrence, KS 7:30 am
Kansas City, MO 8 am http://www. cultivatekc.org/events/ annualmeeting SUNDAY JANUARY 24 RUNNING.EVENTS Psychodelic 5K Trail Run
KCTC Saturday Morning Run at the Plaza
Ice Edition Wyandotte County Lake Kansas City, KS 9 am
KCTC Harrisonville Run
Groundhog Run 5k & 10k
Open to all runners, also beginner’s class Aixois 55th St. and Brookside Blvd Kansas City, MO 7 am Harrisonville City Park Harrisonville, MO 6 am
KCTC Saturday Morning Run Lee’s Summit 3390 SW Fascination Dr. Lee’s Summit, MO 7 am
KCTC Saturday Morning Liberty Run Liberty Golds 8620 North Ditzler Avenue Liberty, MO 8 am
KCMBC Bikesource Group Bike Ride
100% Underground! Hunt Midwest Subtropolis Kansas City, MO 8 am WEDNESDAY JANUARY 27 SNOW.EVENTS John L. Cassidy Winter Games
95th & Mission Leawood, KS 8:30 am
Snow Creek Weston, Missouri www.skisnowcreek. com
KCTC Northland Runners
THURSDAY JANUARY 28
SUNDAY Macken Park, west side Kansas City, MOholiday 8 am
Is your event IndieFit? Tell us about it: feedback@ indiefitmagazine.com
SNOW.EVENTS John L. Cassidy Winter Games
Snow Creek Weston, Missouri
www.skisnowcreek.com FRIDAY JANUARY 29 SNOW.EVENTS John L. Cassidy Winter Games
COMMITMENT DAY
FUN RUN
Snow Creek Weston, Missouri www.skisnowcreek.com SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20 RUNNING.EVENTS Psycho Wyco Run Toto Run
50k, 20-Mile, 10-Mile Wyandotte County Lake Kansas City, KS 8 am
JANUARY 1
LIFE TIME FITNESS 16851 WEST 90TH STREET LENEXA, KS 10:00 AM
WWW. COMMITMENTDAY.COM/ KANSAS/LENEXA
“Commitment Day” is a nationwide festival and fun run that takes place in cities across America on January 1. Nothing like a healthy dose of commitment – and a 5k run -- to help you forget what happened the night before. If you remember in the first place.
SKI MISSOURI –
ON NEW YEAR’S EVE! The good folks at Snow Creek will have the snow machines humming and ready for this New Year’s Eve festivities. Help celebrate their 30th anniversary on the slopes (of good Missouri earth) with this family-friendly event. 9 am – 1 am.
SNOW CREEK IS LOCATED WEST OF WESTON, MISSOURI WWW.SKISNOWCREEK.COM
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• 23 The BADSEED
Merry Microbiome Kansas City!
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