Quilting
Knitting & Crocheting
Embroidery
Weaving & Garment Sewing

Whether you’re an artist, a crafter, or simply an appreciator of handmade beauty, this is the perfect opportunity to see the talent of our local creative community up close. Admission is free, and all are welcome!

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Join Bridgetown Music Therapy’s upcoming Live Music ZOOM Session, and enjoy an hour of lifelong learning, music, and fun!

Register TODAY: https://www.bridgetownmt.com/live-zoom-registration

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Join Bridgetown Music Therapy’s upcoming Live Music ZOOM Session, and enjoy an hour of lifelong learning, music, and fun!

Register TODAY: https://www.bridgetownmt.com/live-zoom-registration

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Join Bridgetown Music Therapy’s upcoming Live Music ZOOM Session, and enjoy an hour of lifelong learning, music, and fun!

Register TODAY: https://www.bridgetownmt.com/live-zoom-registration

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Learn how we are reimagining care, as a trusted guide in your community, putting patients and families at the center of all we do.

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Mary, who is 77, knew that strength training was important. It meant being able to spend more quality time with her two grandchildren. Also, maintaining her balance was becoming a concern.

Strength training seemed intimidating at first. “I felt old,” Mary says. “I didn’t know if I would be overwhelmed or unable to do the exercises.”

When Mary started strength training with me in my gym, we emphasized fundamental movements like pushing, pulling, squatting, and hinging at the hips. Performing exercises with proper form was the top priority.

“Progressive overload” is a principle of strength training. It means that when we train consistently and increase resistance incrementally over time, we get stronger. Mary put this principle into action. Six years later, she continues to enjoy the benefits.

“I’m feeling confident in my movements” she says. “My posture is straighter. I have more energy. My walks are longer and faster. Friends have commented on my increased energy.”

There’s more. “l have a prescription for an anxiety medicine that I take as needed,” Mary says. “I haven’t felt the need for a pill since I began training.”

Secrets of Giants

Alyssa Ages competes in Strongman athletics. She lifts and moves very heavy things—like kegs, boulders, and automobiles—for sport. She weighs about 120 pounds, but possesses the raw strength to pull a 50-ton truck.

She felt “invincible,” until the day her body “betrayed” her: She suffered a miscarriage.

The process of rebuilding her body inspired Ages to explore how the pursuit of strength can transform us. She shares her findings in her book, Secrets of Giants: A Journey to Uncover the True Meaning of Strength.

“Lifting weights didn’t erase the burden of my trauma, but it reminded me again that I could endure hard things,” she says.

Getting Started

I advise my clients to speak with a doctor prior to starting a strength-building program. Also, if someone has an injury or recurring pain, I recommend seeing a physical therapist (PT). A PT will provide rehabilitative exercises, which I then integrate into a client’s strength program.

As a personal trainer who’s certified in training older adults, I recommend making the investment in 1:1 training. The right coach will personalize a strength training regimen for you and will help you maintain proper exercise form.

Alternatively, or additionally, you can join a small-group class. Check out Enhance Fitness, a low-cost, evidence-based group exercise program that started in Washington state.

One of my favorite strength-building exercises is the Farmer’s Carry. Hold a weight in each hand at your sides and walk for a set distance or time. When performed correctly with the core engaged, shoulder blades down and back, and upright posture, this exercise strengthens shoulders, legs, core, forearms, and grip.

Whatever path to strength you choose, remember that progress takes time and consistency. Enjoy your journey to a stronger self!

Mike Harms is a personal trainer and gym owner in Edmonds, Wash. He is certified in personal training and group training for older adults.

More fitness stories by Mike Harms:

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A million reasons to pay it forward

I’m fortunate to have Mike Arnone, aka Big Mike, as a mentor. When I started my first gym in Seattle, Big Mike was already world-famous in the industry. “Big Mike’s Ultimate Beach Workout” in Santa Monica, Calif., was situated just steps from the Pacific Ocean. It was an unparalleled experience of natural beauty, fun music, and creative exercise circuits that Mike designed himself. Dolphin sightings were commonplace during workouts.

GQ and Details magazine wrote about Mike. His Yelp page had hundreds of five-star reviews. When I phoned Mike for advice, my Yelp page had zero reviews. Nonetheless, he talked with me for over an hour, sharing tips and offering encouragement. Over time, his guidance helped me build a thriving fitness business of my own.

Years later, I asked Mike why he was so helpful to me.

“There’s enough Aloha for everyone,” he said. “Paying things forward comes back to you in a million ways.”

I believe him. Not long ago, a young gym entrepreneur asked me for advice. I passed along some of Mike’s wisdom, which holds true today.

A new life in the desert

Mike’s life took another turn when he moved to Palm Springs with his partner, Dana. He left the ocean behind and found new inspiration—as an artist in the desert.

“The eccentric history, breathtaking architecture, and captivating natural beauty of the desert … became the backdrop for my abstract painting,” Mike writes. His art represents “a fusion of all my life experiences intertwined with the sublime modern style of my stunning desert home. Through a torrent of smudges, swirls, whips, and hatches, I reimagine the mid-century vibe, infusing it with sacred geometric worlds.”

With help from Dana, Mike started a small studio. As his reputation grew, his studio expanded. Mike has a vision that, not surprisingly, includes helping fellow artists.

“This building was pretty anonymous when I moved into it,” Mike said in an NBC interview. “I had a dream … it was about bringing more artists in and creating an arts district.”

That dream became reality when Mike started a monthly art walk. Five galleries are represented, with a sixth to come.

Another benefit of moving to Palm Springs was that Mike and Dana were able to provide Mike’s mom with her own home. Mike calls his mom “my best friend,” who taught him “never to give up on my dreams.”

Big Mike is living the values his mom instilled in him as he pays it forward to family, friends and the community.

To learn more about his work, visit http://www.BigMikeArt.com or follow @BigMikeArtPS on Instagram.

Mike Harms is enjoying his third act, designing and running his dream gym in Edmonds, Wash.

Read more from Mike Harms

Quest for Strength

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One of my favorite things about being a personal trainer is that I get to be part of my clients’ fitness journey. When someone achieves a life-changing fitness milestone, frequently they share some common traits.

They envision a meaningful goal. They train consistently. They reduce injury risk. Last, but not least, they celebrate the journey.

What calls you?

“It seemed so daunting at first. But then we trained for it.”

That’s how Janet summarizes The Murph Challenge, honoring Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, a U.S. Navy SEAL who received a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery.

“Take our time. This is why we’re here.”

That’s the daily mantra recited by European travel expert Rick Steves, while he trekked the Tour du Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland.

Janet is my client. Steves is my neighbor: We’ve never spoken, but we sometimes wave during walks through our lovely Edmonds hometown.

Janet chose “Murph” to commemorate her 67th birthday. Murph consists of:

• 1-Mile Run, followed by:
• 100 Pull-Ups
• 200 Push-Ups
• 300 Squats
• Finishing with another 1-Mile Run
• All while wearing a 20-lb vest

Janet faced an additional challenge: An arthritic shoulder would make 200 push-ups extra hard. She also considered herself a weak runner. Murph includes two, mile-long runs.

Steves was 66 last fall when he hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc, a multi-day trek that circles Western Europe’s largest mountain. As an added challenge, Steves blogged that he and his three companions were “total novices” at long-distance hiking.

Train consistently

Janet practiced her Murph exercises 2-3 times per week for six months. She turned running into a strength by gradually increasing her distance. She even entered her first 5K and won her age division!

Steves and his girlfriend, Shelley, eased into training with walks around Green Lake in Seattle. They progressed to more challenging routes like Mt. Si.

Minimize injury risk and maximum fun

Janet and I include balance training in her workouts. Steves cites daily stretching as one of his top trail tips.

Janet accommodated her arthritic shoulder by performing push-ups on a slight incline. We modified her pull-ups with an assistance band. She wore a weighted vested during specific training sessions, but not during her actual Murph.

Steves cheerfully blogged that his group “cheated a bit” on the 110-mile Tour du Mont Blanc, by hiking “the best 60 miles in six days,” then “catching local buses through the less exciting parts, and letting a ‘sherpa service’ shuttle our bags” to each day’s final destination.

Celebrate your journey and keep moving!

Steves calls the Tour du Mont Blanc “the best hike of my life.” He told Outside magazine that he’s got a “bucket list” of future treks, including the Dolomite trails in Italy.

Janet has a bucket list, too. She wants to hike every trail in the revered 100 Classic Hikes: Washington. So far, Janet has completed 70 hikes … and counting. She has three more planned this summer.

Mike Harms is an author, personal trainer, and owner of Muscle & Hustle gym in Seattle.

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