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By SARAH HUBER for LOVELAND MAGAZINE
Shape up in 2019 with help from three Loveland businesses
Whether setting fresh goals as an experienced athlete or plunging into an exercise routine for the first time, three Loveland businesses offer the equipment, expertise and stellar suggestions locals need to get moving in 2019.
Wooden Mountain weaves mental riddles with physical challenges
Though any exercise that gets the heart pumping stimulates the brain, climbing challenges the mind while delivering a demanding physical workout. Evan Mann, one of the three owners of the new climbing gym Wooden Mountain in Loveland, said, “Bouldering routes are called 32 LOVELAND MAGAZINE
Year You
Bouldering at Wooden Mountain works the entire body without the feeling of a traditional workout. (Photo courtesy Wooden Mountain)
problems because they present a physical challenge that need a solution in order to be climbed. Think of a Rubik’s cube that requires your entire body to solve.” Since bouldering problems extend only 15 feet from the ground at Wooden Mountain and the floor is draped with a giant cushion to mitigate falls, climbers don’t need a rope harness. “Bouldering is the most accessible form of climbing. You don’t need to have any previous experience, but it does challenge the physique,” Mann said. “If you practice other sports, bouldering should be a friendly learning curve.” Adam Lum, another Wooden Mountain owner, said, “Climbing is the perfect activity. It’s more fun than it is hard, and you get a workout before you even realize it.” Lum compared ReporterHerald.com - LovelandMag.com
climbing to yoga, except the climber is moving toward a vertical goal. “Climbing is weight resistant, and after the first climb, you’ll be sore in areas you didn’t even know you had muscles,” he said. Bouldering improves strength, body awareness and proprioception, or knowing where one’s body is in space. “You can get in shape and tone all areas of the body,” Lum said. “Mostly, it’s fun and very intellectually stimulating.” Lum should know. After misbehaving out of boredom in school in seventh grade, a teacher sentenced him to a basic climbing class. “I discovered climbing not only as an activity I loved and found challenging, but I also found a community I could fit into. That community and the physical challenge really did change my life,” he said. December 2018/January 2019
