The chaotic juggling of all the events, activities, and commitments that comes in the fall with starting school has begun… except this time I have not one, but two jobs for a whopping 35 hours a week. My Sunflower Solar job is going great! I love it and I know I’m contributing to something bigger than just “the man” trying to make a buck. I also got a last minute offer to TA Circuits 2. I have never been a TA before and it’s been 5 years since I took Circuits 2, but I decided I was up for the challenge (and yes, it has definitely been that so far, but I’ll get there). I’m enjoying my classes. If wasn’t TAing circ. 2, I’d almost be free of the technical engineering stuff. My last graduate course is Leadership and Management which I am enjoying. I have decided (well, long ago) that engineering is really like pulling teeth, a painstaking process and I’m so excited to never have to deal with “school engineering” ever again. 15 weeks and counting!! Then I can just use it however I want (like management or designing solar systems…or not at all!)

I’ve been really frustrated with cycling lately. I came back from Hawaii and seemingly lost any ounce of fitness I had. I am able to go on long rides, but man, my legs are not feeling awesome. I know it’ll come back, but I feel for all you guys out there that struggle through every ride. Maybe it’s because I’m old now… My bday was Aug 22 and now I’m a ripe old cougar at 24. here are a few pics from going out that night.

Bri and I getting ready to go cause some trouble

I had to kiss this nasty buffalo on the wall to get a free drink. It was actually kinda gnarly

Me and Thurein, an engineer who doesn’t fit the stereotype…good job!

Me, Chris, and the Niki

Big pimpin the Brians.

As far as racing is concerned, I’ll be doing a handful of collegiate XCs to stay (err… get back) in shape. Looks like we have a good crew this year!

My car isn’t really working right now. Sunday was the last time I drove it. It turned off WHILE I was driving down Broadway. Fortunately it started again, but I am not in the mood for it to break down and leave me with a pain in my arse.

My parents are coming to visit tomorrow. yaaay!

Howdy!

I have started out very slowly and small just to see what the market for this type of thing is like. Tell all your friends, give them my website! I am going to get my own domain name for it eventually. invigorateyourself.blogspot.com

Basically it’s a company to help people get healthier and happier. I want to emphasize on cycling, but offer a lot of other programs. Link it up from your websites too! Thanks for your support!

Here is a little spiel about what I am all about. Have a look for yourself! I will work in mainly the Denver metro area. Right now I am trying to put an emphasis on cycling lessons.

Our goal: To help you achieve YOUR goals with fitness, nutrition, and sustainability. Improve your overall health!

Why get healthy? It will help you live longer, reduce your risk of heart disease (the number one killer of men and women in the US) and reduce risk of cancers. Plus, you will feel more energetic, sleep better, have more self-confidence, and look great!

How? There are lots of little things you can do to improve your health and energy levels. The hardest part is getting started. We’ll show you what to do, how to do it, and help you stay motivated. We offer individualized programs to help you be you! The level of commitment is up to you!

Programs offered:

Programs can easily be combined

General fitness program

Who is it for? People who are unfamiliar with exercise and want to start. We will assess what activity will best fit your personality and get you started. Whether you want to start hiking, cycling, weight lifting, or team sports, we will get you up and running!

Cycling Program

Starter Package: This package is for someone who is brand new to cycling and wants to get a bike. We will meet with you and determine what kind of riding you want to do. Then, we will go to the store or online and help you select a bike that will fit your needs, skill level, and goals. We will also help you select a helmet, discuss nutrition/sports drinks for riding, and where you should go ride. Included in this package is learning how to do general bike maintenance (oiling your chain, changing a flat tire) and a starter kit (includes a tube, pump, tire levers, chain lube, and multi-tool)

The Lesson Package:

Mountain biking: We will take you out riding on actual trails and show you the ropes of mountain biking, figure out your weaknesses, and suggest ways to improve.

Road biking: We will take you out on the road and show great places to go ride, rules of the road, and the basics of road riding.

The Coaching Package:

Now that you love riding your bike, you probably want to get faster. Maybe to show your friends how much faster you are than them, or maybe you want to try a race. We will design individualized training programs on a monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly basis. Prices vary depending on amount of contact and schedule frequency.

The Running Coach:

We will show you what to do to select the proper running equipment and design running programs based on your ability level and goals.

The Nutrition Program

Want to know how to eat healthier? We will do an analysis of your diet and go grocery shopping with you to help you make smart choices. We will also teach you what to look for on nutrition fact labels or ingredient lists, and discuss why some foods are better than others. We can also do a weekly nutrition analysis where you send us everything you eat and we can help you make better decisions about you fuel yourself with.

The GoGreen Program

Most of the time, the healthier you get, the healthier you want to be. Health is not only a fitness thing, but also living in a healthy environment. We will come to your house and help you do things to make your house more energy efficient, healthy, and do the work for you. Examples include changing all the light bulbs in your house to CFLS, adding air to your car tires to save on gas, discussing toxins in household and beauty products, and replacing them with more eco-friendly options.

*Fees can be a flat rate or hourly

Hi there! My name is Sonya Looney. I’m a professional mountain biker, soon to be certified personal trainer, and ex-marathon runner. My company I am starting here is to help YOU become happier. I love fitness and helping other people achieve their goals. I have been coaching/giving health advice/training my friends for several years and have decided to have a go at making a real live business out of it! More about me, I’m finishing my Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering this fall with a focus on biomedical engineering. I’m currently working as a solar designer for Sunflower Solar and teaching(TA-ing) Circuits 2 at the university. I’m going to go to PA school in a few years too. Send me a message, I’d love to hear from you!

This is me.

I will work in the Denver-metro area, but will also do coaching anywhere.

It would take way too long to try and write about my trip, so I figure pictures tell good stories.

The feet are coming out first. Crazy.

I am officially jet-lagged, tan, boozed-out, and back from Hawaii today. I’ll be posting pictures in the next couple of days, followed by more pics from the trip in a few weeks when I get everyone else’s photos. Aw, technology. I had a GREAT time and it’s also nice to be back in the Boulder bubble. Home sweet home. I’m looking forward to riding my bike tomorrow too. I’ll be hurting since I’m now acclimated to sea level. Blast!

Sorry for the lack of posts and stuff. I’m off to Hawaii tomorrow morning and will be back Aug 19. Check back around then for the next update complete with sweet photos. We are going on a Looney family cruise. (yyyyyeah!!!) It’s going to be great!!!!!

Quick recap of the last week. Boulder Short track finals, took 5th and 3rd overall. Some big girls showed up to put me out of my misery. I raced Winter Park on Saturday and some big girls showed up there too including world cup podium-er Georgia Gould and a frequent podium-er at the nationals, Heather Irmiger. They showed everyone how to really ride a bike. My race wasn’t so awesome. I was feeling tired (my own fault from drinking too much and playing guitar that week) followed by the attack of Bonkzilla. It was really really bad this time. Very cloudy/blurred vision, splitting headache, dead legs, shakiness, the works. I knew that if I got off my bike, I wouldn’t be able to get back on, so I rode like that for an hour till I crossed the line and Brian had to hold me up to get me to the medical tent where they knew nothing and could do nothing. After much watermelon, water, and freaked out-ness, I got better. I’m still feeling the effects of the bonk though. Argh. No racing till the next WP race Aug 24th and then Keystone…the collegiate mtb season starts. yeeeah. I’m looking forward to my break and I’m going to do a lot of running, surfing, getting drunk, and sitting in the sun and feeling the spray of the ocean on my face. Aloha!