Leave No Trace, Earth Day & Standing Abdominal Training

Run Local Wednesday 2021 Week #16

It’s Earth Week and we chatted with Leave No Trace’s (LNT) Director of Education & Research Ben Lawhon on IGTV to talk Wildfire Prevention and drops tons of great info on how to camp as well as road trip safely this summer. PUT OUT YOUR FIRES or don’t start one at all. Plus we reveal the super fresh California Challenge swag hitting mailboxes soon

🚮 The California Challenge‘s official charity partner, LNT, is encouraging you and your community to get outside, pick up some trash and share efforts to social media with #LEAVENOTRASH. You can also learn more about LNT’s ‘Seven Principles’ at RunCaliforniaChallenge.com.

🌎 Also, on this Run Local Wednesday, we highlight a bit of Earth Day history from Run Local’s newest event, the Santa Barbara Half Marathon. Set in a world-renowned location known for its laid-back California coastal vibe and designation as America’s Riviera, less known is the pivotal role it played in the environmental movement, especially the founding of Earth Day in 1970. Thanks to the Community Environmental Council (CEC) for reprinting permission.

👉 You can take part in the CEC’s virtual Earth Day celebration from April 22–24 with discussions from youth, business and community climate leaders as well as musical performances by Kenny Loggins,  Zach Gill and more.

💪 California Elite Fitness gets your upper and lower body communicating with each other with standing abdominal training. And it may just help you get that six-pack.

📣 Share with us your #RunLocalWednesday running route, post-run coffee shop, restaurant, or other local favorites on social for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter and win Run Local gear.

Now Registering

Silicon Valley Half & 5K

April 23 – May 2
Half Marathon & 5K
Benefiting Silicon Valley Education Foundation

California Coast 500

May 31 – September 6
Summer Mileage Challenge
Benefiting Eat. Learn. Play.

California Challenge

All Year
12 Challenges – Half Mile to Half Marathon
Benefiting Leave No Trace

Standing Abdominal Training

A strong core is essential to performing everyday activities, such as simply sitting or tying your shoes, to your performance as an athlete. 

People often train the core on the ground, working the abdominals, obliques, and various muscles on the posterior side of the body. One thing that is lacking with ground-based core work, is the load-bearing integration with muscles of the upper and lower body and extremities. Adding dynamic, standing, and load-based variations of the exercise increase core and abdominal strength. It also increases communication between muscles of the upper and lower body, improving coordination, balance, and overall fluid body motion.

Varying your core and abdominal routines consistently throughout your ongoing training program will help both athletic performance as well as everyday tasks and movements. And, if it helps create that “six-pack” we all desire, even better.  

Below is a video of a standing abdominal exercise routine that you can add to your routine.