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SPORTS & 

FITNESS 

& LIVING

Mountain View News Saturday, April 5, 2025

UNLOCK YOUR LIFE

CITY OF ARCADIA YOUTH TRACK MEETS

Arcadia, CA – The Arcadia City Youth Track Meets took place on March 12 for 
elementary school students and on March 26 for middle school students. Over 450 
participants competed in both running and field events. There are 95 participants 
who have advancement opportunity and can attend the Southern California Municipal 
Athletic Federation Track Meet on Saturday, May 3 at San Dimas High School. 
Participants from 21 schools will be representing Arcadia at this San Gabriel Valley 
track meet.


STEALING HOME, WHAT WE CAN 
LEARN FROM OUR HOMETOWN HERO

 Hey, hey, hey! It's baseball season, yay! What can we learn from 
base-stealing wonder Jackie Robinson? He's more than a baseball player 
- he was a revolutionary who showed us all how to live with courage, 
determination, and flair.

 Our neighborhood kid not only went to John Muir High School, 
right around the corner, he made magic at Pasadena Junior College.

Make Being Brave and Being Great a Habit

 His baserunning was spectacular before he broke the color line and joined the pros. Local 
sportswriter Rube Samuelsen noted that "in almost every game" Jackie had stolen second, third, 
and home at least once, adding, "It's practically a habit."

Sometimes, temptation has us pull back and play it safe when we achieve a dream. That's just our 
brains trying to keep us safe, but not Jackie.

 He kept his aggressive baserunning style even in the major leagues, stealing home 19 times 
in regular season play and, most memorably, executing that breathtaking steal of home in the 1955 
World Series.

What made Jackie great wasn't just raw talent but his willingness to take calculated risks, be unpredictable, 
and play with intelligence and audacity. His "disruptive baserunning" wasn't just about 
stealing bases but keeping opponents off-balance and creating opportunities where none seemed 
to exist.

Three Ways to Live Like Jackie Ran the Bases

1. Make Disruption Your Advantage Jackie didn't just run fast—he ran smart. His "disruptive 
baserunning" kept pitchers distracted and defenses guessing. Sometimes, we have to shake things 
up rather than follow the expected path. That promotion at work? Find your signature style. That 
creative project? An unconventional approach will help you stand out. Like Jackie, dance off third 
base, keep folks guessing, and make your own opportunities.

2. Know When to Take A Risk When Jackie stole home in the World Series, he wasn't being reckless 
- he was seizing a critical moment. He visualized success. He studied pitchers' movements and 
waited for precisely the right opportunity. In our lives, the biggest rewards often come from taking 
risks. Sometimes, you've got to "steal home" - whether starting that business, having that difficult 
conversation, or making that life change you've been contemplating.

Like Jackie, success comes from being willing to take risks and expecting to be successful.

3. Play with Joy and Stop Phoning It In

Why do we still study Jackie? He combined playfulness and fun with strategy. Once, he intentionally 
let himself get hit by a batted ball to prevent a double play! Life, like baseball, rewards those 
who bring joy and smarts to their daily challenges. Stay curious enough to learn the "rules" deeply, 
then playful enough to know how to bend them to your advantage.

Too often, we settle into routines once we've achieved some success. Jackie Robinson shows us 
that life's greatest moments come when we remain alert to possibilities others miss. The Mountain 
Views News claims Jackie. He's ours—not just because he was an incredible athlete but because he 
shows us how to live with courage, creativity, and daring.

What base are you going to steal today?

Lori A. Harris is an award-winning transformational coach. You can learn more about her at loriaharris.
com and The Unlock Your Life Podcast with Lori Harris on all platforms.


Michele Silence, M.A. is a 37-year certified fitness 

professional who offers semi-private/virtual fitness 
classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit.
com. Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness 
Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness.

WORTHLESS WORKOUTS

Plenty of people put in time at the gym or home 
workouts and see little to no results. It’s not for 
lack of effort, but because they’re stuck in fitness 
habits that just don’t work. If you’re putting in 
the sweat but not seeing progress, you might be 
taking part in of one of these counterproductive 
exercise routines.

1. Cutting Corners With Half Reps

Why It’s Useless: Doing half-reps—like shallow 
squats, half-hearted push-ups, or mini bicep 
curls—doesn’t fully engage your muscles, 
meaning you’re barely challenging your body.

What Works: If you’re going to squat, go low. 
If you’re doing a push-up, get your chest to the 
floor. Biceps and all muscles need a full range of 
motion to get stronger.

2. Cardio Without Purpose

Why It’s Useless: If you’re spending 45 minutes on the elliptical at the same slow pace, 
barely breaking a sweat, you might as well be walking to the fridge. Your body adapts 
to easy cardio quickly, leading to a plateau.

What Works: Try interval training. Sprint for 30 seconds, recover for a minute, repeat. 
It burns more calories and improves endurance faster than steady-state very low intensity 
cardio.

3. Endless Crunches for a Flat Stomach

Why It’s Useless: Thousands of sit-ups will never show off your abs if there’s a layer of 
fat covering them. Spot reduction is a myth.

What Works: Focus on total-body strength training and nutrition. Abs are built in the 
gym but revealed by what you choose to eat.

4. Light Weights, Zero Challenge

Why It’s Useless: If you’re curling 5-pound dumbbells for months and not feeling challenged, 
your muscles aren’t being stimulated to grow. Muscles only grow when they 
are overloaded, that is they are working slightly beyond what is comfortable.

What Works: If an exercise feels easy, increase the weight. Your muscles need progressive 
overload to improve.

5. The “All Show, No Go” Workout

Why It’s Useless: Social media-inspired workouts that look cool but do nothing for 
strength or fitness. Swinging around a kettlebell with no control or doing push-ups 
on medicine balls might look impressive, but if it’s not improving strength or stability, 
it’s just a fancy waste of time. Not to mention it could be potentially dangerous.

What Works: Stick to proven exercises such as squats, deadlifts, push-ups, and rows. 
Simple but effective.

6. Gym Time Without a Plan

Why It’s Useless: Wandering around, randomly picking exercises, and calling it a 
workout is like driving without a destination.

What Works: Have a structured program. Know what you’re training and why. If you 
don’t know, ask for help from a certified professional. Follow a plan, track progress, 
and make adjustments as needed.

7. Stretching the Wrong Way (or Not at All)

Why It’s Useless: Static stretching before exercise can actually decrease strength and 
power. Worse, skipping stretching entirely leads to stiffness and poor mobility.

What Works: Warm up with dynamic movements that gently move all the joints 
and body parts before exercise and save static stretches for after your workout to aid 
recovery.

8. Over-Reliance on Machines

Why It’s Useless: Machines control your range of motion, limiting natural movement 
and stabilizer muscle engagement. Over time, this can create muscular imbalances.

What Works: Free weights and bodyweight exercises engage more muscles, improve 
coordination, and lead to better functional strength.

9. Ignoring Recovery

Why It’s Useless: Working out every day without proper rest can lead to overtraining, 
fatigue, and even muscle loss. Your muscles grow when you rest, not when you 
exercise.

What Works: Prioritize recovery with rest days, adequate sleep, hydration, and proper 
nutrition to maximize performance and muscle growth.

10. Doing the Same Routine Forever

Why It’s Useless: Your body adapts to workouts over time, making them less effective. 
If you’ve been doing the same exercises at the same intensity for months, you’re 
maintaining, not improving.

What Works: Mix it up. Change exercises, add weight, increase reps, or modify intensity 
every 4-6 weeks to keep challenging your body.

11. The “More Is Better” Mentality

Why It’s Useless: Doing marathon workouts that last hours isn’t necessarily better. 
Longer sessions often lead to diminishing returns, burnout, or sloppy form due to 
fatigue.

What Works: Quality over quantity. A focused 45-minute workout with intensity and 
proper technique is far more effective than a two-hour unfocused session.

Just because you're sweating doesn't mean you're making progress. If you’re putting in 
the effort, make sure it actually counts. Time is valuable—train smart, not just hard. 
A well-structured workout with proper form, intensity, and recovery will always beat 
just going through the motions.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email:editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com