When I read the news that student-worker Declan Sullivan died while filming a Notre Dame football practice, I started to tear up because it was such an avoidable accident. I wasn’t on site and I don’t know all the facts of the situation. However, it is clear to me that no one should have been 30 feet high on a video lift with 50 miles per hour winds.

For comparison sake, hurricane wind speeds are defined as those sustained at 75 miles per hour. Sadly, the student worker was aware of his perilous situation, tweeting before his death, “Gust of wind up to 60mph well today will be fun at work… I guess I’ve lived long enough :-/ [worried emoticon].” Less than an hour before the tragic fall he tweeted again, “Holy fuck holy fuck this is terrifying.”

Clearly this incident and his tragic death were completely avoidable and preventable. As a student-worker, Sullivan could not be to blame since he was simply doing his job. A young man in his position did not have the power to fight the stupidity of the decision to continue the filming of practice in such harsh conditions. Although some blame can be placed on the institution, administrators, and trainers charged with protecting the safety of those involved with the college’s sports, much of the blame has to be placed with the person leading the unsafe practice, head coach Brian Kelly.

Only a few people at Notre Dame know how the day unfolded, and many of them will remain tight-lipped. My opinion is that Brian Kelly decided his team needed to practice outside. Since the outside practices are always filmed on the video lift, Brian Kelly expected this practice to be filmed too. Despite the bad weather, Brian Kelly expected this practice to be filmed too. No one else, except Brian Kelly had the power to relieve the student worker of his job that day. As a former NCAA assistant coach, I can tell you with surety that the head coach becomes irate at any disagreement, even if rational and possibly life-saving advice.

I’ve despised Brian Kelly ever since his departure from the University of Cincinnati. On December 14, 2009 Kelly started his first day at Notre Dame, walking out on his old team only weeks before their bid for an undefeated season and outside chance at finishing the year with a number one ranking in the polls. It was clear that this move was completely selfish and that Brian Kelly did not care at all about the student-athletes he coached.

The move was audacious and showed that Kelly was a jerk (to put it mildly). Ben Guidugli, one of his former players at Cincinnati summed it up best, “It’s like somebody turned their back on us. We brought this whole thing this far. We’ve come this far. To have someone walk out now is disappointing.” It was evident that Brian Kelly was not setting a good example for the student-athletes he was put in charge of teaching. Although winning is important, an NCAA head coach is tasked with a more important duty: to help develop young people into adults with character. Brian Kelly failed his athletes by lacking character with his untimely departure.

I followed Brian Kelly closely when he coached his first few games at Notre Dame, mostly looking at his interaction with the student-athletes, as he already exhibited that the student-athletes and their development meant so little to him. Every week on the sidelines, television cameras caught him in verbal tirades. Screaming might be allowed in professional sports and the corporate world, but it has absolutely no place in college athletics.

His lips visibly pursed together curse word after curse word when his student-athletes made their way to the sideline after a mistake. Such behavior is completely unacceptable and inappropriate in the treatment of young men during their undergraduate education. While watching these outbursts, I called for his suspension. His actions on the sidelines again showed that he didn’t care at all how he treated his student-athletes; he only cared about his own success.

On October 27, 2010 it’s my opinion that Brian Kelly’s selfish desire to have practice and have it filmed in unsafe weather led to the tragic death of Declan Sullivan. I have seen too many NCAA coaches bully others. Watching Brian Kelly on the sidelines, he does not look approachable and from his other actions he only seems to care about himself. I ask for Notre Dame to investigate this incident and ask that they dismiss Brian Kelly if it is found that he contributed in any way to Sullivan’s death.

Brett Favre said years ago after his father’s death, “When you lose a family member or something tragic happens, that stays with you forever. You never get over it. Knowing that you have to deal with that for the rest of your life… Football is important, but not as important as you once thought it was.”

My thoughts and prayers are with Declan Sullivan’s friends and families. I’ll repeat… this was avoidable. Perhaps this is a chance to reevaluate NCAA procedures and the power wielded by these head coaches that don’t care about the safety and well-being of their student-athletes and employees. I am angered and saddened by this tragic accident. So it goes.

* this blog reflects an opinion of Kevin Semanick

Originally appeared on 10/27/2010

Usually when I go to Piedmont Park, I’m running there moving briskly from place to place and never get a chance to fully enjoy the quiet details. Perhaps, you lead your life in a similar fashion. After working all day and fighting traffic, you rush around doing errands, day after day, and never get to enjoy everything life has to offer.

Yesterday, sandwiched between workouts, I decided to take an afternoon stroll through the park with a copy of Bicycle Diaries. As construction workers hustled to set up for weekend festivities, the park was alive with energy. Bicycles rode the asphalt, while the runners scurried everywhere. Squirrels scurried and scratched up trees. The local high school cross country team jogged lightly in a giant pack. On the lawn, people rested on blankets. Several guys played soccer. And next to them, slightly visible in this picture below, a man enjoyed the most carefree activity of flying a kite.

That kite embodied the perfection of the day that we often miss when we hide in our cars, behind our cubicles, and in front of the television. Basically, I’m suggesting to get outside more. You can appreciate so much more when you immerse yourself into your environment. Ever run a street you always drive? You will notice things you’ve overlooked a hundred times: architecture in the housing, colors in the trees, and animals you hear but rarely see.

Technology overwhelms us. I love television and music and my computer. Like you I’m guilty of checking my email, facebook, and blogs like this too often. We still want you to keep checking out the blow, but encourage setting aside an hour a day for exercise. That hour can be spent on a run on trails, with our personal trainers in the park, or maybe a hike in the woods.

The exercise will help you stay fit, allowing the body to move through full ranges of motion. The changing environment will be good too for your senses, giving them a rest from electronics. It will also help you to truly appreciate how great the day can be, when you see a butterfly, fly by.

Originally appeared on 10/7/2010

Your mom always reminded you that, “just because your friends might want to jump off a bridge, doesn’t mean that you should.” Some people often forget this adage when creating their training plans.

Those without personal trainers struggle on their own. They tend to take a few exercises they heard from a friend, a couple workouts they saw in a video and mash them together, not really understanding why. Unfortunately this will prevent you from successfully achieving your goals. At Sunlight Fitness, we personalize and individualize all the little minutiae so that whether you’re hoping to lose weight or improve your athleticism and agility, you’ll get great results.

Taking workout advice from your friends isn’t the best idea. Similarly you should not be copying any workouts from elite athletes either. Sure, on the surface it makes sense to mimic a bodybuilder to gain muscle or a marathoner to lose weight. But people don’t understand is that an elite athletes body will respond differently to workouts than a person not at the pinnacle of their sport.

We see this problem often in weightlifting. Bodybuilders will focus hours a day working just one small muscle group doing volumes of repetitions and a multitude of different exercises. You’ll also hear the phrases “legs day” or “upper body workout.” For most of us, we don’t need that type of focus. Most of us don’t have the time for that. More importantly, it’s important to work various muscle groups in a session to prevent overworking any one muscle group.

Distance running is another common area that people try to mimic the elites, which can lead to problems. Running marathons has become a recent fad. The 26.2 mile races were intended as a challenge for the best in the world to maintain race pace for an extended period of time. But now people that don’t even run 30 miles a week are tackling the marathon. Unfortunately this leads to injuries and complications. There should be a certain progression for these goals such as a 5k race, 10k race, and half marathon, before signing up for a marathon.

When designing workouts, Sunlight Fitness always thinks about what each individual needs to get the most out of it. We won’t expect you to be able to bench your body weight 20 times because Chipper Jones can do that. We also realize that you might not be able to run 6 days a week just because our last client did that.

Pick a workout that fits you best and you’ll get results that work best for your goals!

Originally appeared on 9/20/2010

Something remarkable will happen this weekend between two bitter enemies. It has nothing to do with the Quran or any SEC football teams. However sports and politics will merge on the tennis courts of New York City at the US Open.

Usually the crowning moments of any Grand Slam are the Singles’ titles. However all eyes will be on center court Friday afternoon for the men’s double match. On one side of the court will be the American twins: Bob and Mike Bryan. There couldn’t be more similarities among the chest bumping twins.

Facing them across the net is a slightly different story as Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi of Pakistan team up. The men come from these two countries that have little history of friendship and certainly an unexpected tennis partnership.

Ever since Pakistan claimed their independence in 1947, relations between the two countries have been tense. Most recently, problems have escalated with threats of nuclear attacks. It’s a region of the world, America tends to ignore.

In the last month things have gotten worse for Pakistan as 14 million people have been affected by terrible monsoon flooding. 1,600 people have been killed, but the devastation has been reported to be worse than that of the tsunamis and hurricanes of the past decade.

When Bopanna and Qureshi takes the court, they will also be raising awareness for their respective countries. Pakistan won’t receive much aid because there won’t be the telethons like those for Haiti and Katrina. Maybe Qureshi can make people care.

More importantly the two tennis players are showing people that Pakistan and India can coexist. Sports can transcend politics. Both countries ambassadors were in attendance the other day, both cheering for the same cause and same team. Such a feat would be improbable under any other circumstances.

It’s cliché: Bopanna and Qureshi are already winners. Through sports, they were able to do something no other diplomat could do by uniting their two warring countries. Perhaps Qureshi will also be capable of bringing attention to the disaster in Pakistan and raising some much needed money. Thanks to the media’s relative silence on the flooding, it took tennis for me to become aware of the problems.

Originally appeared on 9/10/2010

So the kids are back to school. Your schedule is still busy, but now you have that small window of free time. And even if your hectic life makes it difficult, you need to create some time for yourself.

What’s next, after the kids are out the door and you’ve thrown a load of laundry in the washer machine? It’s time for a good breakfast. Here’s what we recommend: whole-grain low-fiber cereal with low-fat milk, two scrambled egg-whites, and a piece of fresh fruit. While enjoying this nutritious meal, settle down with the newspaper and note the peace and quiet.

After getting some much needed energy from a healthy first meal, it is time to attack the morning hours with vigor. The best tasks to cross off the list at this hour are those requiring travel. Traffic on the road will be lightest at these hours, and business will be easier to conduct without the crowds. If you run a small business, this is also the best time to knock out those business-to-business meetings, as your other clients will be slow at this time as well.

Early afternoon is also associated with lunchtime, but I recommend something a little different. With your big breakfast fully digested, it’s the perfect time for some exercise. During the fall, temperatures are delightful at this time. And after a stressful morning, a good workout is the perfect solution.

A couple days a week, you can simply go for a run around the neighborhood. For the remaining weekday sessions, we recommend getting out of the house and going to a local park. When you’re final destination isn’t the playground, the park can be a great place to enjoy nature and your surroundings. At least twice a week, you should focus on strength training.

At Sunlight Fitness, our regiment provides a great mix of upper and lower body strengthening, core exercises, and some low-level plyometrics that encourages faster reactions and an overall healthier body. This workout can and should be done while maintaining a strong cardiovascular component. And since this is your hour to enjoy time with yourself, we believe the workout should mix in fun nuisances and fully capture the happy feeling released by endorphins.

It’s even better if you can find a friend or training partner for these workouts, providing you with socialization and motivation. Since it’s our business, we also think it helps to have a personal trainer providing direction, instruction, and motivation. Choosing Sunlight Fitness will certainly make for a fulfilling experience.

After your workout, it’s time for a small lunch, before the kids come home from school. A sandwich and another piece of fruit should suffice. We also recommend pouring a glass of chocolate milk for yourself as well as your kids, because chocolate milk is the perfect recovery drink (and your kids will love it too!) Research indicates that chocolate milk has the perfect ratio of protein to carbohydrates.

Now that the kids are home, you have to split your time and attention several different ways. Although it is a challenge, most of our parents have adapted to this chaos. It’s time to finish up the household chores, finish up your business tasks on the computer, and reply to all those emails that have built up throughout the day. Developing this routine should be productive and feel good. If you’d like any help with your workouts or need a personal trainer, contact us at getfit@sunlightfitness.com.

Originally appeared on 9/3/2010

Location: Lithia Springs, GA
Ranking: ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Route: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=390977



(This is the first in a series of providing local running routes and reviewing in them)

The best part about running is the fact that there is so much explore. You can reach places by foot than you can’t get to any other way. And by running, you can cover those places faster and find more places. This past weekend, I drove to Sweetwater Creek State Park. It’s only thirty minutes from downtown Atlanta and worth the adventure.

To save some money, I parked my car at the local high school and ran the mile on Cedar Trace Road to the park entrance. I love running around water and immediately decided to run around the reservoir. Surprisingly there wasn’t a path around it. There’s wasn’t even level ground for running. Disappointed, I decided to head back to the road and head to the trails.

After another mile of running, I got to the parking lot at the beginning of the trails. Upon seeing a runner changing out of his sneakers, I asked him for advice on where to run. He simply suggested to run one trail south and take another trail back north. His words seemed promising.

Unfortunately, Sweetwater Creek State Park was not made for running. Although the trails were made for hiking, they were just big enough and firm enough to complete my run. There were four trails with most of them intertwined.

Red Trail: Moves along the creek and past the mill ruins. The paths were big enough to allow passing the many hikers. The creek was close and offered some nice views. I had bigger expectations for the sight of the mill ruins, but I barely felt the need to pause as I passed them.

Blue Trail: I accidentally turned off the red trail and onto the blue trail too soon. The trail was a little smaller and forced me to stop a few times to pass. There was a slight upward elevation change that turned out to be a big positive. From the top of the trail, there were absolutely amazing views of the creek rapids. I might return to this park just for that view and I might even bring my camera.

White Trail: After going as far south as possible on the trails, I returned back to the parking lot on the white trail. With only slight views of the lessening creek, there wasn’t much to see. However, there were fewer hikers and it was a nice trail to just enjoy the rest of my run. There was a section of the trail that went straight upward and continued straight upward. It might have been annoying on a hike, but was even worse for a sprinter on a long run.

Yellow Trail: Via a bridge, it crosses to the other side of the creek. I didn’t get to see any of the yellow trail and will definitely do the loop if I ever go back.

Although I haven’t been running much the last few months, my entire run lasted about an hour. It was great to take advantage of a beautiful day, work on my tan, and explore a great state park in my own backyard. It’s not the right place for a weekly run, but certainly satisfactory for a daytrip.

Originally appeared on 8/27/2010

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin have concluded that there is logic to the lines Rihanna belts out in her latest hit, “But that’s alright because I like the way it hurts.” It’s counterintuitive, but most who exercise understand the principle.

For years we have known that as we exercise, endorphins are released throughout our brain.  These neurotransmitters give us that rush and feeling of exhilaration.  In reality these endorphins are preventing nerve cells from releasing more pain signals. Basically, we build up enough pain to release endorphins to block that pain.

According to a recent study with Gulf War veterans, similar principles are at work with muscular pain. Although initial bouts of intense exercise will increase muscular pain, the long term benefits of exercise will actually decrease the pain.

Thus as many fitness experts proclaim, exercise is always an important component of a healthy lifestyle for all types of individuals.  For those with disabilities or already suffering from muscular pain, exercise might be one of the best ways to recuperate.  And if you’ve never exercised or it’s been a few months since your last workout, your first training session might hurt a little, but in the end you’ll like the way it hurts.

Originally posted on 8/23/2010

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It’s routine. And because it’s routine we sometimes miss out on the beauty and wonder of it all. Most of us are guilty of falling into this routine. Sunset after sunset slips by us, as the calendar pages disappear, and we find ourselves older, stuck in the same place.

I love a fit, active lifestyle because it allows us to engage in a world outside of the ordinary. It is our fit, lively bodies that allow us to see parts of the world undiscovered by others. And it is a healthy lifestyle that will help us to lead longer lives with fewer limitations.

Bored by the ordinary, I try to make everyday an adventure. Here’s my bucket list:

1. Go Zorb riding in New Zealand – Zorbs are those balls they stuff humans in, and then they roll down massive hills. It sounds like fun and would allow me to see New Zealand and Australia.

2. Live in all 50 states – I’ve already knocked off 4 states (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Georgia). And I never thought I would end up in some of those places. But I’ve learned so many things by living in different regions of the country, and I still have so much to learn. Maybe living in all 50 states is unreasonable, so visiting all 50 is my secondary goal. I’ve already crossed 29 states off my list.

3. Run with the Bulls – I love the idea of it. Think of the rush and the thrill. Think of getting gored. Yikes. I’m going to put this one off until I’m a little older.

4. Surf in Costa Rica – I’ve started learning to surf, but have trouble catching a wave and getting up on the board. My goal is that I get better at surfing before I visit one of the best surf spots in the world.

5. Break a World Record – I’ve had to concede a long time ago, I’ll never compete in the Olympics. Along with that I’d never break a world record. However, it is still possible for me to break a masters’ world record. In the 400 hurdles that would mean breaking 52.76 @ 40, 55.18@ 45, 56.56 @ 50, or 58.92 @ 55.

6. Hike the Appalachian Trail – I’d like to do this all in one shot, but it’s a long journey. So maybe I can cross this one off the list, simply by doing it a little at a time.

7. Publish a novel – I’ve already written it, just have to find a publisher.

8. Skydiving – an easy one

9. Start my own business – I’d like to already cross this off my list, but to do so I’ll need to generate over $50,000 in revenue before I consider this one completed.

10. Whitewater rafting in Colorado – It’d be a great way to see all that nature has to offer, plus sounds like a lot of fun

What’s on your bucket list?

* this originally appeared on 8/16/2010