Santa Barbara Personal Training

Melanie Webb and Sol Fitness Adventures
Melanie Webb is a Santa Barbara California personal trainer who believes fitness is more than a gym work out; it’s a way of life. I invite Santa Barbara California personal training to experience my world - one of stimulating physical activity, enthusiastic support, and unparalleled professionalism. From studio weight rooms to sunny mountain hikes, my training sessions are expertly crafted for those in need of a challenge, cross training for a specific sport, or recovering from injury.

Melanie is a Montecito California personal trainer with an extensive background in restoring the body to activity after injury. If you have been injured, Melanie works in consultation with your physical therapist or physician to assure that your workouts are safe. You will receive the encouraging, positive support needed to overcome the mental and emotional hurdles that accompany physical pain and injury.

Melanie's Personal Training Philosophy
I am a master at coordinating your on-going fitness disciplines. Gym workouts focus on achieving postural alignment through the integration of strength training, yoga, and Pilates mat exercises. In addition to meeting the body’s need for cardiovascular challenge, my outdoor workouts along Santa Barbara’s beautiful hiking trails are designed to increase total body stamina as well as to tone the lower body.
My approach to training is one of partnership. I provide the encouragement, sound instruction, and professional management as your “partner” to explore and develop your individual fitness progression. You receive a challenging, fun, engaging workout session. “Together” we move towards meeting your fitness goal.

Melanie’s expertise has been featured on Good Morning America and Fox Local News in Washington, D.C. as well as in Cosmo Girl, Real Simple, Weight Watchers, and DC Style magazines.

Appointments
Montecito California Personal Training
In-Home or Private Studio Training exclusively at Physical Focus and Montecito Country Club
Call 805.722.4599 to schedule a complimentary consultation

Santa Barbara California Personal Training
In-Home or Private Studio Training exclusively at Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club and Fueled Sports Performance
Call 805.722.4599 to schedule a complimentary consultation

Surfer Girl I Am Not (YET)

I just moved to Santa Barbara. Time to switch gears from canyoneering to ocean sports, and that means surfing. I think it's one of the last board sports on my list: snowboarding, done; wakeboarding, done; skateboarding - junior high attempts were enough to convince me that I sucked; longboarding - college wipeouts and separated shoulders were enough to convince me that, once again, I sucked; paddleboarding, done - and ready for more with all the paddling spots here!; water boarding - wait, I'm not the CIA... I guess that's my list of board sports. Let me know if I missed one.

I met Rob Holcombe at A Frame in Carpinteria and signed up for my first surf lesson. News the night before told of the devastating earthquake that hit Samoa, resulting in a tsunami warning for the California Coast. That made for some sweet dreams! Luckily, conditions were good enough the next morning to go out and the marine layer - 'fog' for you non-locals - that had been lurking around lifted.

After a passionate, TMI verbal lesson on the beach I was ready to hit the water on the 12-foot longboard. With Rob's help I caught a few waves on the inside and mastered the stand without looking like a 'jack-in-the-box.' Then he turned me loose. I'm convinced that it was about this time that strong current and riptides rolled in. My next 20 attempts at catching a wave resulted in 0 waves caught, one nose-dive (pearling is not cute); five missed waves - thank goodness there were a few of those thrown in amongst the pummeling - and 14 opportunities to either get dumped or master 'turtling' - grabbing the rails of the board and deliberately rolling it over to shield me from the mis-timed waved crashing on top of me. Needless to say, I mastered that roll fairly quickly.

There is only so much pummeling this body - and ego - can take. I acquiesced to the ocean and sat down, exhausted. I woke up in the wee hours of this morning visualizing catching a wave. I was acutely aware that my aching body was bruised and sore in some very unexpected places. So I'll give it a rest for a few days. But surfing, I'm not done yet!

Fat Man's Misery

"Why do they call it Fat Man's?" you ask. This shot of Frank and Carolyn downclimbing their way through one of the many slots in Fat Man's repertoire should clue you in. Visitors to Zion National Park ready to get off the beaten path and explore the backcountry have world-class canyoneering options to choose from. The beauty of Fat Man's (or the misery, depending on your fitness level)is its hidden location - four miles behind Checkerboard Mesa and the strenuous six mile hike out of the canyon.

Our group of seven backpacked with wetsuits in tow, prepared for a swim in the cold, dark, murky water that pools up in the deep slot after canyon monsoons. Slots are formed by water, after all, and while our biggest concern was beating afternoon rainstorms and the deadly flashfloods that follow, shady canyons and freezing water temps can be a deadly combination. Luckily there were no swimming pools in the canyon and the wetsuits quickly turned into our own personal dry sauna in the desert heat. Being the lean desert explorers that we are (ha!), we stripped those clinging sweat suits off before what little insulating fat we had on our bodies could be melted away.

Aside from all the fun and challenging descents, my favorite part was the exit into beautiful Parunuweap Canyon. The Virgin River was flowing cool and refreshing with mint patches growing at the mouth of Fat Man's. Aaron, our herbalist guru, harvested some of the healing herb and brewed a delicious tea for dinner.

With four rappels and dozens of downclimbs, Fat Man's isn't for the meek. Get yourself a guide, an experienced friend, a guidebook and top map before you head out.

The National Parks: America's Best Idea

I hope all of you outdoor lovers have been watching The National Parks: America's Best Idea on PBS this week. I know, I know, it's the second week of Dancing with the Stars (I'm a closet fan), but come on now, where are your priorities?

Ken Burns has created a beautiful film documenting the development and progression of the National Parks in America. I knew that President Theodore Roosevelt was in office during the conception of the Parks and Monuments, and after learning of his enthusiasm and heartfelt connection to the great outdoors he has become my favorite. Can you imagine a president today directing his staff, special services, family, and even (gasp) the media to leave him alone and let him enjoy the wilderness in peace?

In its first two nights the film has paid tribute to one of the forefathers of American Wilderness, John Muir, whose writings influenced Americans from coast to coast at a time when the dominant thought process in regard to wilderness was to dominate and subdue. His passion for seeking spiritual connection to God through communion with nature is an inspiration to me. If only I had the creative talent to write as he did.

The remaining four parts will be shown this week on PBS. I'm anxiously awaiting the introduction of Zion National Park, the place on earth where, as one early Mormon settler remarked, "man can come closer to God among these canyon walls than in any man-made temple."

CLICK HERE to view a segment of the film.

A Month of Zion

Summer's over, and went out in such EPIC style that I can honestly say with the enthusiasm of a school girl "it was the best summer I ever had!" I spent my last month of summer canyoneering around Zion National Park, having so many adventures that I utterly refused to blog. Who wants to sit at the computer with so many world class slot canyons to explore?

Orderville, Pine Creek, Fat Man's Misery, The Narrows, Yankee Doodle, Water Canyon, Parunuweap. So many slot canyons, so little time! With the season drawing to a close - days get shorter, water temps in the dark canyons drop to hypothermic lows - it means time to move along and make plans for next year's visit.

And now that I'm in the mood to blog, exciting slot canyon stories are on their way!

Anatomy of a Healthy Meal

It was lunchtime and I was in the middle of a 4-hour road trip. I knew I could pull off of any major freeway exit and find the regular options: McDonald’s, Wendy’s, or a gas station Subway. I decided I was craving some local flavor, something homegrown and healthy. What I really wanted was a big juicy hamburger.

My search began a few miles off the main drag and caught a glimpse of a small town burger joint. I’d been hiking for 10 hours in a Zion National Park slot canyon the day before - and the 4 days before that too - so watching calories was the least of my concern. But I decided to order the chicken tenders instead. Chicken is always the healthier choice, after all, right?

I thought there was a mistake when my order was called. In the basket was a heaping pile of poop-brown matter. The chicken tenders were fried to a crisp and piled on top of orange-brown crusted waffle fries. Covering the pile of crunchy stuff was an enormous brown scone. It must have been 8 inches in diameter. In my cup was brown Dr. Pepper (gulp).

There was no question in my mind that the monochromatic color scheme on my plate did not equal a healthy meal, chicken or not. The thought occurred to me to ask for my money back, to leave this joint and run to the closest McDonald’s and order a Salad Shaker (do they still make those?). At least I would be assured of meeting at least one of the six dietary guidelines of the USDA’s My Pyramid: Variety.

“So this is how most American’s eat, huh?” I asked myself. I could put my food snobbery aside and take a few bites. I added some reds to my brown color palette. Those greasy chicken tenders, dowsed in BBQ sauce, were quite satiating. And the fries, covered in bright red ketchup, weren’t half bad. I couldn’t bring myself to taste the scone. No need to overdo it here.

A few bites were enough for me. Looking at the enormous heap of brown somehow stifled my appetite. I pushed the basket aside and walked dejectedly back to the car. I think I had a banana in there somewhere, and a jar of Nutella. I never said no brown was allowed, after all!
TECHNO CHICKEN Warning. Watch this and you might never eat chicken again!!

About that Bottled Water You're Drinking

Cheers to Zion National Park calling attention to the wasteful American habit of purchasing bottled water by the boatloads. The park has installed several bottle refilling stations, where park visitors can fill reusable bottles with fresh spring water.




Americans use about 50 billion plastic bottles of water yearly,
167 for each person.
About 38 billion end up in landfills.
End-to-end they would circle the equator 217 times.
Making them uses around 20 million barrels of oil and creates more than 2.5 tons of CO2.

You can refill an average, reusable bottle with tap water once a day for 10 years, 5 months, and 21 days before it would cost as much as one quart of bottled water.