Dare to Be Fit for 2009

Dare to be Fit Annual Conference cancelled

The Dare to be Fit Conference has, unfortunately, been cancelled. Lifelong Fitness, like many non-profits, has been hit by the current economic situation and feel we cannot afford to hold our annual conference in 2009. However reserve Saturday, March 22nd for the 8K races and community walk which are still planned. But you don't have to wait to get involved. We encourage your participation in the planning of these events. Contact Patricia O'Brien at (650) 361-8282 or email at dare@lifelongfitnessalliance.org.

If you have not attended one our Annual Weekend Conference, you should read the following summary of this great event held earlier this year.

Lifelong Fitness Alliance held our Annual Fitness Weekend, Dare To Be Fit! and Have Fun Doing It on the Stanford University Campus on May 31-June 1, 2008. The conference, health fair and food tasting's was held on Saturday, May 31st at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center..

Race and Walk

We also held the 25th Annual, Silver Celebration, 8K Paul Spangler Run (for Runners Fifty and Over), the 8K All Ages Run, the 5K Community Walk led by Joanie Greggains. All events took place on Sunday, June 1st 2008., Please note these races are part of the Palo Alto Grand Prix Series!

Click here for race results

pre-weekend wine reception Kickoff

Pacific Athletic Club and Lifelong Fitness Alliance hosted a wince reception and evening with John Ratey, Harvard professor of psychiatry, as he discussed his new book, SPARK!...a groundbreaking exploration of the connection between exercise and the brain's performance. Ratey declared that exercise is the single most powerful tool we have to optimize brain function, at any age, especially aerobic exercise and he's done the research to back it up.

For a printable weekend schedule click here and for those who would like to check out the 8K course we have a route map. We hope you joined us in celebration of this wonderful event. And be sure and review and visit the many wonderful sponsors of the Weekend.

The speakers for the Conference were an exciting and diverse group of thinkers and authors on physical, emotional, and intellectual fitness. The attendees saw Dr. John Ratey, "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain", Fred Luskin PhD , "Forgive For Love", Sam Keen, author many times over and PBS co-producer of "Faces of the Enemy", Dr. Walter Bortz, author and expert on aging, and Jeffrey Zimman, CEO of Posit Science which focus on brain fitness.

Conference Highlights - Speakers

John Ratey

"Think of exercise as medication", says John Ratey, M.D., an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, author of the recently released book, Spark, which is igniting the country. Seven or eight years ago, studies offered mixed results on the question of whether exercise can boost brain function in children and adolescents. "There's sort of no question about it now", said Ratey. "The exercise itself doesn't make you smarter, but it puts the brain of the learners in the optimal position for them to learn". Ratey, who is also the author of, "A Users Guide to the Brain", which paves the way for understanding how the brain affects who we really are, now posits that exercise is a master key to brain functioning. His research shows how even moderate exercise will supercharge mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking, enhance memory, and much more. Ratey discussed this exciting and simple, yet powerful message. His presentation probably changed the way you think about your exercise routine or for that matter, simply the way you think.

Sam Keen

Sam Keen was, in his words, "overeducated at Harvard and Princeton" and was a professor of philosophy and religion at "various legitimate institutions" and a contributing editor of Psychology Today for 20 years before becoming a free-lance thinker, lecturer, seminar leader and consultant. He is the author of a baker's dozen books, and a co-producer of an award winning PBS documentary, Faces of the Enemy. His work was the subject of a 60 minute PBS Bill Moyers special--Your Mythic Journey with Sam Keen. When not writing or traveling around the world lecturing and doing seminars on a wide range of topics on which he claims he is "not necessarily an expert but a skilled explorer," he cuts wood, tends to his farm in the hills above Sonoma, takes long hikes and practices the flying trapeze, which he took up at age 60. For Keen, the practice of philosophy is a way of life that results from falling in love with questions---the great mythic questions that can never be given definitive answers. Keen’s discussion will focus on an exploration of questions, such as the following: How can I find a meaning, purpose, vocation in my life? What can I know? What ought I to do? For what may I hope? Is there life beyond death? Whom do I love? Who loves me? What curtails my freedom? How can we create a more just and peaceful world?

Frederic Luskin

Dr. Luskin who holds a Ph.D. in Counseling and Health Psychology from Stanford University spoke on a broader definition of what it is to be fit.. His presentation introduced an exploration of the HEAL process of forgiveness that, when learned, can lead to enhanced well-being through self-care. Some of his questions and thoughts were:
- What are we here for?
- We need to so something to make the planet better
- Can we make ourselves what the world needs and people want to be with?

Things to think about:
"Glamour" magizine is devoted to showing all the ways women are a failure.
You are not fit if you can't be in Whole Foods without being happy - just smile.
No matter how sick we get, there is always someone sicker; no matter how fit we are there is always, someone more fit.

How can we be kinder, more forgiving, more graceous, more grateful?

He recommends 1. find a purpose that is nourishing, 2. Pay attention to people around you and 3. Be happy with what you have.

Posit Science

Have you ever heard the adage "Use it, or Lose it" At Lifelong Fitness Alliance, we put forth that message often, as one of the many incentives to maintain a healthy body. Well, the same applies to your brain. Eric Mann, VP of Posit Science, discused some of the fundamental changes that occur over time in the adult brain. He present research on the changes in the processing speed and accuracy of information in our brains, as well as transitions in the release of neuromodulators, which help us to record information for future retrieval. He discussed on ways to improve cognitive function in adults, which engage the brain's neuroplasticity,-- its natural ability to change. He discuss Posit Science's Brain Fitness programs, which have been designed by a global team of leading brain scientists and specialists to speed up the brain function, improve accuracy and strengthen recording. Scientific studies have shown that the use of Posit Science programs improves memory by an average of 10 years.