We all have people in our lives that are unique and special. Barbara Murphy was certainly a very dear friend of mine, and several other BAC employees and members. Barb was at the club every day (no excuses) to take Group Exercise classes. She loved her workouts and was an avid runner, participating in several marathons; her favorite one being the Boston Marathon.
In 2007 Barb was diagnosed with non-smokers lung cancer, completely out of the blue. She battled and fought valiantly before passing away in December 2013. She continued to stay strong and fit with daily workouts while she endured the rigors of treatments, chemotherapy, and surgeries. She never lost hope, and continued to inspire and brighten the lives of everyone around her. She focused on doing what she could to create awareness for this disease, which afflicts a quarter million Americans a year – including 3000 people, mostly women – who like Barb, have never smoked.
Barabara passed away 5 years ago. But her husband, Tom Murphy, has continued to keep her memory alive since then by working with a local brewery to create a beer in her memory. “Barb’s Beer” was inspired by the many Friday nights that she would join her family and friends for pizza and a tasty brew. She loved the conversations that took place around a table of loved ones – sharing stories, laughter, good food, and of course, a cold pint.
Tom started the “Barb’s Beer Foundation” to raise awareness of this disease and to help Barb’s oncologist, Dr. West, and his foundation to find a cure. Since its inception, Barb’s Beer (which is brewed locally at North Sound Brewing) has been picked up by numerous restaurants and businesses across the country from Bellingham to New York, with all proceeds dedicated to finding a cure.
Please join Barb’s Beer Foundation for the 4th Anniversary of Barb’s Beer hosted by Boundary Bay on July 19th from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. LaFiamma will provide pizza, Northsound will provide Barb’s Beer. Barb’s husband, Tom, will sign copies of “Runner in Red”, his new Boston Marathon novel, with proceeds going to support our Barb’s Beer cure lung cancer campaign. $15 donation at the door gets your pizza and Barb’s Beer. See barbsbeer.org for more details on the campaign’s progress.
I would love to see as many BAC members there as possible. Whether you knew Barb or now, the reason we gather together to raise money and awareness is so important. Please join us and bring your friends along to celebrate memories, achievements, and friendship!
Jeri Winterburn
Group Exercise Director
Junior Racquetball Camp will take place July 23-26. The camp is taught by Professional Instructor, Wanda Collins. This year we’ll have special guests: BAC Junior Players who have represented the State at Junior Nationals. The Camp consists of Racquetball basics including strokes, servers, off the back wall shots, game strategy, foot drills, speed and agility exercises, camp shirts, and a mini-tournament on Thursday.
The “Stork” is a static hip exercise for strengthening and activating the lateral Gluteals, Gluteus Medius, Gluteuas Minimus, and the Piriformis muscles. This set of external hip rotators are responsible for abducting the leg out away from the body, rotating your leg outward, and stabilizing your femur at the hip. Non-activity and injury can cause this group to become weak which can affect the overall performance of your hip complex, affecting your gait and in some cases cause knee, hip, and lower back pain.
The Static Hip Series is called the “Donkey Kick”. The “Donkey Kick” is a static hip exercise for strengthening and activating the Gluteus Maximus and the Hamstrings. The Gluteus Maximus and the Hamstring muscles work in concert with each other to extend your hip. Extremely important muscles for gait in walking and in running. Injury and inactivity can dramatically affect the performance of these two groups which in some cases may cause modifications to gait and running mechanics, increasing the chances of injury and or pain.
Jeri Winterburn has been teaching fitness classes for over 35 years. She is also a syndicated fitness columnist and wrote weekly columns for the Bellingham Herald for several years. Jeri has been featured in a R.I.P.P.E.D video available online.
The 4-Letter Word! I know, it’s not really 4 letters nor is it a real word. But when you’re doing it, there are plenty of 4 letter words that are used, at least by me. Rehab means I’m injured and not doing what I want to be doing. Rehab also means pushing muscles, finding new muscles and is generally boring and monotonous. I know what I’m talking about because I’ve done a lot of it.