Ten years ago, Kaili McIntyre’s gluten-free baked goods seemed a bit suspicious to many Seattleites. After all, how could muffins, scones, cakes and breads possibly taste good without wheat flour? What a difference a decade makes. Today, McIntyre is far less likely to need to convince potential customers that gluten-free cooking doesn’t mean sacrificing taste. McIntyre’s shop and wholesale bakery, Wheatless in Seattle, is just one of numerous outlets selling gluten-free goods in the Puget Sound area. (Another Seattle-based gluten-free bakery, Flying Apron, opened a shop in Redmond earlier …

In our household, we go through a ton of energy bars, granola bars, and sugary energy gels and chews. We both run, row and spend much of life on the go. Often, we’re looking for something quick and effective to snack on during the minutes between the boathouse and the office, or while out on the trail. Unfortunately, the convenience of pre-packaged sports fuel comes with a price. Last weekend, I wanted to stock up on Zing bars, an all-natural, high-protein snack that’s become one of our current favorites. One local store told me that they’d give a discount for buying in bulk. Total cost for a…

Imagine competing in the open water swim section of an Ironman Triathlon. Cold, dark lake water. Thrashing limbs. Bodies charging forward in all directions. Kicking legs churning up water and spray. Sound tough? Now imagine doing it blind. That’s what Patricia Walsh tackles every time she sets foot at the start line of a triathlon. The 30-year-old Seattleite must swim without sight, relying on a guide tethered to her with a 3-foot rope. Since she and her guide can’t hear or talk to one another while in the water, Walsh sometimes swims right over her companion, catches her arm in the tether, …

As a regular bike commuter, it’s hard not to notice who I’m riding alongside. More often than not, it seems, they are men. I’ve observed male dominance in the Puget Sound area bike lanes since I started commuting on two wheels a decade ago, and it doesn’t seem to be all that different today. Though I and other women I know relish the time on our bikes, the barriers to entry seem daunting for many. When I asked a number of female friends why they don’t bike commute on a regular basis, the answers varied. They don’t like to get sweaty before work. They don’t have access to showers and changing …

If you consider yourself a Whole Foods or PCC regular, a little bit of a hippie, or a health-food geek, you’ve probably heard of a fermented tea called kombucha. Perhaps you’ve bought a bottle at the grocery store, or even whipped up a batch yourself. I’m not sure I fit into any of the above categories, but as an athlete and trail runner, I have plenty of friends who do. Through them, I’ve picked up tidbits here and there about kombucha love, and the supposed health benefits the beverage offers. I heard wails of protest when Whole Foods temporarily took kombucha off the shelves last year (due…

Envision ballet mixed with pilates mixed with yoga mixed with boot camp. Enlist a barre, mats, straps and small weights. Throw in a soundtrack, a bit of choreography, and you have Barre3. Prime for the exerciser with a short attention span, Barre3 gets people fit by mixing it up. The practice calls upon a number of disciplines and then builds strength by targeting muscles with short movements and long holds. Barre3 is part of a fast-growing trend. It’s hard to ignore ads and daily deals for various barre classes around the Puget Sound area. Nationwide franchises Barre3, The Bar Method, and …

If you decide to take a pair of Hokas running shoes for a jog, be prepared for some curious stares. After all, the Hokas are known among some runners as "the clown shoes" or "moon boots." And they do look a tad silly. While most standard running shoes have a sole about 24 millimeters (less than an inch) high in the heel and 12 millimeters in the toe, the Hoka puts a full 40 millimeters (more than 1.5 inches) of cushioning between your foot and the ground. Yet as funny as they look, Hokas are also developing a strong and ever-growing following. The French-designed shoes hit U.S. shelves just …

On Sunday morning, Melissa Maganas will walk five kilometers with a team she has dubbed “This One’s For Maggie.” Though Maganas has participated in the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure since 1994, this year’s event will be especially poignant. Maganas will be honoring her mother, Maggie, who died of cancer last summer. She’ll also be promoting Maggie Maganas’ cause. After being diagnosed with cancer, the elder Maganas began meeting with fellow Hispanic women to talk about cancer diagnosis and treatment. Melissa Maganas isn’t a fluent Spanish speaker like her mother, but she wants to do…

One day at the gym, an 85-year-old client approached fitness consultant and coach Tim Beauchamp. With tears in his eyes, the man told Beauchamp that when he woke up that morning, he pulled his pants on without having to sit down for the first time in years. And when he walked up and down the stairs on his houseboat, he didn’t need to hold onto the railing. That’s what physical training at the gym had done for him. "Having him tell me that was one of the best moments of my life," Beauchamp recalled. Beauchamp, who regularly trains seniors at Sound Mind and Body Gym in Seattle, relishes the …

Before a visit to Temple Hypnosis this week, my only prior experience with a hypnotist took place during my high school’s all-night senior party. The hired performer entertained us at 2 a.m. by selecting a handful of students to come on stage, talking them into a trance, and then telling them to do stupid or embarrassing tasks while the rest of us laughed at their misfortune. When I saw a note on Facebook about hypnotherapy, I figured the real deal might be a little different. A friend posted a deal with coupon site Buy With Me that offered two 90-minute sessions at Temple Hypnosis for a …

When Jess Mullen toes the start line at 10 a.m. on July 11, the temperature will already be well above 100 degrees. By midday, the thermometer could hit 130. Mullen will be wearing a long-sleeve white shirt and long white pants especially designed for desert heat. A hat will shield her face and neck from the relentless sun. A bandana, sewn into a triangle and stuffed with ice, will cover her neck and throat and help to cool her core. Over the next 30 to 40 hours, Mullen will run 135 miles on scorching black paved roads, following the painted white lines to avoid melting her rubber shoes. …

Most summer vacations involve trips to the beach or the amusement park. Perhaps a s’mores-filled camping trip or a tranquil island getaway. And then there’s the vacation that requires running 113 trail miles over six days in late August through Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. The Gore-Tex TransRockies Run, dubbed “summer camp for runners” by many previous participants, appeals to a whole different kind of vacationer. I know because I’ve been there. Last year, I signed on for the race with good friend and running buddy Caroline Ly. Unlike most running events, the six-day TransRockies Run requires …

For any individual, running 25 marathons in a year is quite a feat. But when the runner is 78 years old, it’s even more of an accomplishment. Mel Preedy has been tackling marathons with gusto since age 50, and 28 years later, he shows no signs of slowing down. He has racked up 402 marathon finishes so far, and aims to run a marathon at age 100. Of course, Preedy doesn’t take anything for granted. “A lot of people don’t make it to their goal, and I might not either,” he mused over a caramel macchiato at Starbucks on a recent afternoon. “But I’m sure going to try.” Preedy, a Ravensdale resident…

In the Harry Potter books, young wizards regularly compete in rousing games of Quidditch. They fly on broomsticks while trying to score goals and capture the Golden Snitch, a magical ball with wings. I read the first two books in the series and didn’t once think, “It would sure be fun to take up Quidditch.” After all, there are flying broomsticks and winged golden balls to consider. But a few creative college students had bigger imaginations than I. And that’s why you can now spot athletes around the country racing across playing fields … with broomsticks between their legs. Here in the Puget…

All around me, people can’t sleep. A good friend suffers from chronic insomnia, spending the wee hours of the night on Facebook and then battling exhaustion at work the next day. My 58-year-old mother wakes up at 3 a.m. She often can’t quiet the churning in her mind, and sometimes simply begins her day at the crack of dawn. My sister struggles with a newborn who cries to be fed every few hours. She’d nap during the day, if it weren’t for her 6-year-old, 4-year-old, and 1.5-year-old children. And myself? I sleep through the night, but I always struggle to get enough hours. I’m a competitive …

As a long-distance trail runner, I’ve always been curious about open water swimming. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems like the ultra-running of the swimming world. Rather than back and forth laps in a pool – an activity I’ve always found a bit tedious and dull – open-water swimmers head to the great wide open. They jump in a lake and swim as far as their hearts desire, unencumbered by lane markings, crowded pools or chlorine-saturated water. Just as I opt for a remote mountain trail over the monotony of a track or treadmill, open-water swimmers truly explore the outdoors. Why, then, …

Three years ago, when Andrew Buswell was 23, he decided to create an event that would combine two of his great loves: Running and beer. At that time, Buswell was living in Portland, and working for the independent running store Fit Right NW. What if, he thought, people could show up for a free monthly evening group run that sent them on a scavenger hunt all over the city? They could explore Portland, visit local businesses, and win prizes. After the run had ended, they could all drink beer together. What better way to make friends — and perhaps even love connections — than run and party? And …

Inside a massive warehouse just north of Interstate 90, a construction crew is hard at work. The workers are transforming the 20,000-square-foot former machinery storage site into Seattle’s newest and largest climbing gym. Seattle Bouldering Project, slated to open in late April, aims to draw climbers from the Eastside, South Seattle and around the city by virtue of its location, size and unique attributes. Unlike the existing climbing gyms around the city, Seattle Bouldering Project will focus entirely on bouldering. In bouldering, climbers are not roped to anything, and climb only to a …

A few weeks ago, while on vacation in Kauai, I tried stand-up paddle boarding for the first time. I loved it. Of course, my introduction to the sport known as SUP took place on Hanalei Bay on an 80-degree day under clear, sunny skies. I wore nothing but a swimsuit. When a couple of waves knocked me of the board, the warm ocean water felt invigorating. Coming home, I wondered: Could SUP be anywhere near as fun in the cool, damp, dark Pacific Northwest? I knew the sport had a following here. I’d watched a growing number of SUP boarders paddle along Lake Union, the Ship Canal and Puget Sound. …

Sukie Baxter discovered Rolfing Structural Integration because of a horse. Now, she has built an entire business around the therapy. While she occasionally works with horses, she’s more likely to be digging into tight, knotted connective tissue on the average human office worker. An alternative to massage therapy or acupuncture, Rolfing first hit it big in the 1970s. The practice has seen somewhat of a resurgence in the past decade, according to Baxter. She knows of at least 10 certified Rolfers in Seattle proper, with a number more in the greater Puget Sound area. Baxter’s business has been …