Stonewear Designs's Blog

Sexy in Six Boot Camp Challenge Completed…But Is It Really Over?

Stonewear Designs — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:14:21 +0000

Here at Stonewear Designs, the ladies have finally finished our boot camp challenge, Sexy in Six Weeks led by Sabrina Domenosky. Six weeks of daily work outs, no sugar, no starches and mostly no carbohydrates… but we all feel great! The first few weeks were such a challenge, a deprivation of our comfort food really. After that, we started getting used to our new routines and it was no longer a struggle to get through the day. Now after six weeks, we no longer are forced to complete a boot camp challenge but have found a new way of living our lives. We have become more fit with a consistent daily workout routine and we now know what foods to eat and what foods to avoid. Plus we’ve put the Stonewear Designs clothes to good use and discovered new product ideas. We also have decided not to stop until we have reached our goals. The challenge hasn’t been just about the weight loss but a new healthy way to live. Even though the six weeks are over we have a new way of living a healthy lifestyle that will always stick with us.

During the last weeks of our challenge Sabrina came to our office to give us a personal workout. Brad Clement of Spindrift Films and coincidentally the husband of our personal Drill Sergeant Tonya filmed it. Above is the video and you can see us put our Stonewear Designs to good use while we get our butt’s kicked by Sabrina!

If you’re interested in taking on the challenge and experiencing a change in your lifestyle, please visit www.sexyinsixweeks.com and enter the code stonewear50 to receive 50% off!

Here are a few of our favorite quotes from the workout with Sabrina:

1. “Thank god we found those rice cakes.”
- Linda

2. “The best part of the program is the cheat meal.”
- Tonya

3. “I’m not eating the blue corn chips with my hummus…I’ve converted to peppers.”
- Tonya

4. “I think she’s lost more than 8 pounds since she started.”
- Tonya talking about Linda

5. “You’re only filming the first 5 minutes right?
- Linda
“Nope I’m filming the whole thing.”
- Brad Clement

6. “I can tell you’ve all lost weight…. all of your faces look slimmer.”
- Brad Clement who sees the Stonewear women on a regular basis

SEXY IN SIX

Stonewear Designs — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:26:27 +0000

It’s now the third week of our “Sexy in Six” challenge led by Sabrina Domenosky. The Stonewear gals have decided to kick off the season by taking on the six-week boot camp challenge. Let us tell you… it sure has been a kick in the behind to say the least. The main regimen begins with resistance training led by Sabrina on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. After watching Sabrina’s video that shows us our workout we are to carry out the training not by time but by form, even though Sabrina claims it doesn’t take longer than 35 minutes. We are lucky enough to have “Stonewear Land” in the office which is the perfect room for our weight training. Of course, the door is shut to keep the boys and the dogs out. Oh and we can’t forget how lucky we are to have Mrs. Drill Sergeant Tonya Clement (Director of Sales for Stonewear Designs) leading our work outs. “Put your butt down,” “More weights,” “No slacking, get farther to the ground”…. These are some of her favorite phrases during the work out.

I believe we would all agree the workout isn’t even the hardest part… it’s the diet restrictions that get us. No sugar, no dairy, nothing processed, limited carbs, and only 2 alcoholic drinks a week! Sabrina says, “If it doesn’t come out of the ground, the sea, or an animal YOU DON’T EAT IT.”

The rest of the week Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are cardio days. These we do on our own time but don’t worry Mrs. Drill Sergeant Clement checks in with us to make sure we’re not cheating with our cardio and especially our diet.

Our favorite part of “Sexy in Six” is Slacker Sunday. Workout is optional and we get one cheat meal, reminder ONE cheat meal a week not one day of cheat meals.

The good news is…. The third week isn’t even over yet and we all have more energy, our pants are fitting again and we’re having a blast with the program. Thank you Sabrina for kicking our butt and getting us back in our skinny jeans!

You can check out Sabrina’s “Sexy in Six” program at www.sexyinsixweeks.com. Notice her beautiful Stonewear Designs clothing, perfect for the training!

Stay tuned for more “Sexy in Six” with the Stonewear Gals. In two weeks Sabrina comes to “StonewearLand” to give us her personal boot camp training and Drill Sergeant Clement’s hubby will film us for a promotional video! Oh boy!

Yoga in the Park!

Stonewear Designs — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:18:48 +0000

Wow…where has this summer gone? About this time of year – every year – I find myself asking that same question. This summer in particular has seemed very busy and quick. Luckily, the ladies of Stonewear Designs have been able to enjoy some amazing – AND FREE - “Yoga in the Park” classes offered here in Denver by Nancy Levenson and Namaste Works Yoga. We attended the first class in June and have been returning every so often throughout the summer to enjoy the class and find escape from our busy summer schedules. How many times do you get to “open your heart” to the actual sun and sky? Our time at Yoga in the Park has been wonderful. We started checking around and found that many cities offer similar yoga events. If in the Denver area, we hope you can swing by one of Nancy’s Yoga in the Park classes…and hope everyone, no matter where you reside, can take advantage of similar happenings. Novice, advanced…doesn’t matter…what a great way to relax and recharge. A huge thanks for all that help put on these events. Below are some links to various Yoga in the Park classes around the country. I’m sure we are missing many, many other classes that are available…we just did a quick internet search. If you are aware of any classes that you want people to know about, please post on our Facebook page.
Enjoy the remainder of the summer and hope you are excited for the autumn season that is fast approaching!!!

YOGA IN THE PARK:
Denver
Miami
Austin
Des Moines
Chicago
Boston
- Claudine Campbell, Stonewear Designs

Bloom into Spring

Stonewear Designs — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:50:37 +0000

Spring’s awakening offers us an abundant source of vitality. The day’s ease and natural lightness pervades our general esprit des corps with greater ‘high test’ fuel for daily living. The exercise we chose for this month’s Mindful Movement video exemplifies the basic elements of nature’s seasonal shifts and harmonious changes both metaphorically and physically. Practicing this exercise once a day inherently provides us fortitude and quiet self-assurance for mindful thoughts, words, actions and movements. Our interconnection with nature and our own grounding through this exercise innately increases our body and mind’s balance, power, endurance, strength, centeredness, poise, exploration, progress, and growth.

Let Spring’s vitality ground you for forward momentum. Enjoy! – Onnie (And the entire Stonewear Designs Team!)

vi·tal·i·ty
1. exuberant physical strength or mental vigor
2. capacity for survival or for the continuation of a meaningful or purposeful existence
3. power to live or grow
4. vital force or principle.

Stonewear Designs — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:33:06 +0000

A short, fun film featuring three awesome women that are near and dear to Stonewear Designs….Tonya Clement, our Director of Sales; Thea Young; great friend and Stonewear Buyer for Footsloggers in Boone, NC; and Amy Hahn, our first ever Sales Rep!

Fall Photo Shoot

Stonewear Designs — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:41:04 +0000

Behind the scenes photos of our recent fashion shoot. Already shooting our Fall 2011 catalog! A huge thanks to everyone who participated and helped make this a wonderful event!

NOTHING SAYS SUMMER LIKE FISH AND SALSA

Stonewear Designs — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:52:04 +0000

I recently visited my family in Cape Cod, MA where my first priority was to eat as much seafood as I possibly could. I had things like grilled swordfish, fried haddock, grilled cod, and of course lobster! But my favorite dish was one that I had prepared for my family, Grilled Salmon with Fresh Blueberry Corn Salsa. It was refreshing and delicious! And of course it integrated well into my all seafood diet. The recipe is rather simple but extremely elegant and colorful with the combination of sweet and savory flavors and soft and crunchy textures. Plus it’s healthy! I tried this recipe with grilled Cod and grilled Haddock as well. I believe that it goes well with any fish.

My mother found this recipe in a book by Linda Greenlaw and Martha Greenlaw called Recipes from a Very Small Island. The book contains recipes that a mother and daughter created in their hometown, Maine. Linda Greenlaw is America’s only female sword fishing captain. She is the author of three New York Times bestselling books about life as a commercial fisherman: THE HUNGRY OCEAN (1999), THE LOBSTER CHRONICLES (2002) and ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS (2004). She is the winner of the U.S. Maritime Literature Award in 2003, and the New England Book Award for nonfiction in 2004. She is most famous from her survival of the Perfect Storm as a swordfish captain.

NOTHING SAYS SUMMER LIKE FISH AND SALSA

Serves 6

Ingredients:

One 3-pound fresh salmon fillet
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ears sweet corn
4 medium tomatoes, diced
2 small ripe avocados, peeled and diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small orange bell pepper, diced
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cups blueberries

Sprinkle salmon with cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Cook corn in boiling water for 5 minutes, cool, and then cut the kernels off the cob. Combine in a bowl with the tomatoes, avocados, bell peppers, cilantro, lime juice, oil, and vinegar. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Light grill. Cook salmon, turning once, until it is charred-almost blackened-on the outside and has reached the desired degree of doneness. I like it firm but juice (medium).
Add blueberries to the salsa, stir gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste if desired. Serve salmon with salsa spooned over or on the side.

Note: you can use 1 cup of thawed frozen corn kernels instead of fresh corn.

ENJOY!

-Dara Wong

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Stonewear Designs — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:16:11 +0000

Click to view slideshow. If you have been following my triathlon experience you will be pleased to know that I survived the SheRox triathlon in Aurora, Colorado (½ mile swim, 10 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run) this past weekend. Not only did I finish my first triathlon, but also I did better than I ever thought I would. My training regiment and positive mentality the past two months have definitely paid off! After waking up at 5:00 AM, hopping in the shower, and force feeding myself a breakfast sandwich; my sister, my roommate and her boyfriend all loaded ourselves into the car and made our way to the race course. The greatest piece of advice I can give anyone who cannot wake up in the morning is to get in the shower. It will wake every sense in your body up and get you feeling fresh for the day. Once we arrived at the racecourse, I had about an hour before the start time to set up my bike and everything I needed for the race in the transition area. It was the perfect amount of time to get physically and mentally ready. I knew the swimming portion would be my greatest advantage; nonetheless I started to get concerned when I saw everyone around me get into their wetsuits – which I did not have. The water was about 67 degrees, and the decision to have a wet suit or not could go either way at this temperature. All the athletes got ready and headed down to the water, the announcer counted down until the first wave took off. That wave was the elite wave; the following three waves were divided up based on age. Each wave left 5 minutes apart from each other. When it was time for the second wave, I got in the cold water and started bouncing up and down until it was time to begin. I always jumped up and down before my college swim races to get pumped up. I caught myself naturally doing the same thing here. Once I pushed off I automatically had an adrenaline rush from the chilly water and from my surroundings. After about three minutes of swimming, I realized I was not near anybody! My first thought was that I was heading to the wrong buoy. So I pulled my head up and took my goggles off only to see that the buoy I was heading to was correct and my wave of red caps were behind me. I gained confidence and headed for the following three buoys. At the end of the swim I knew I was in the front of the pack, not only did I catch up to the first wave but I was in the front of them all. My college swim coach told me that swimmers naturally make great triathletes because for us it is the easiest leg. Most people are exhausted by the time the get out of the water. I didn’t realize I had that much of an advantage until I actually experienced it here. I knew from here that I set myself up in a great place. Transition 1 was approaching, I ran to my bike, put my helmet, sunglasses, and sneakers on. The first leg went well and I still had a lot of energy left so I kept my pace and stayed around 95% effort level. The most difficult thing I faced while biking were the hills. Not only that but I have flat pedals so I had to push down which was not very efficient. Making a mental note in my head that clips will make a huge difference on my next triathlon, I kept going. At the end of the bike portion I was out of breath. A few people had passed me but I knew I was still top 30 overall. I got off my bike and advanced to transition 2 into the run. My legs felt like Jell-O and I was huffing and puffing in order to catch my breath. Leaving the transition area was a ramp followed by a sharp right turn into the running course. Going down the ramp I had no control over my speed or legs and leaned right through the turn hoping that my body would follow. After regaining composure with a straightaway, I had to focus on my breath and get air to my lungs- for me; this was the hardest part of the whole event. However, I did not once think that I could not complete the race. I passed a 1-mile marker, which frustrated me since it felt like I had been running forever. Finally I made it to the half way mark and told myself to keep running no matter what. It felt as if people where passing me like crazy. I thought at that point that I was still top half overall but there was no way I was any higher than 40^th place. With the end in sight, I saw “team Wong” at the end screaming at me to run faster. I gave it whatever I had left. WOW!!!!! Pain, relief, and happiness overcame my body. The clock read 1:27:17 but I had forgotten that I left 5 minutes after the first wave. When I checked out the results. I was shocked to find out that I had gotten first in my age group, 20^th overall, and ended with a time of 1:22:17. I couldn’t believe it. Here I was just trying to complete one and instead I came out with a win. Yea me! With the high of it all, I know exactly what I can improve on for my next one and I have more confidence that I can go faster. Stay tuned for my next challenge on August 1^stwith the Tri for the Cure Triathlon.

-Dara Wong

40 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT STONEWEAR

Stonewear Designs — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:19:08 +0000

The whole Stonewear team consists of women, even the designers and pattern makers
We are part of a larger organization, Great Trango Holdings Inc, which also owns Trango, e-Grips, Fast Rope Descenders
The first season contained 13 styles
There are 6 direct employees on the Stonewear team
Sari Nichols founded Stonewear Designs in 1996
The Stonewear Pant is our longest running style and was designed by Sari in 1999
The majority of employees live in Boulder, CO
Stonewear Designs was first inspired by women in the climbing industry
We support the HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation
Our fabrics are mostly recycled or organic cotton
There are 3 main dogs that come to work everyday: Sting, Grace, and Kaia. Dogs Zacho, Lincoln, Zoe, and Ziggy make guest appearances.
There are no stray cats around the office
Nichols invented the first ever spaghetti strap top with an internal wrap-around bra in 1996
Our youngest employee is 22
The most popular sport among our employees is hiking
Our Stonewear pants and Rockin pants come in 18 different fits
Football is the most popular sport to watch by employees
Stonewear Designs manufacturers its products in LA
Some of our polyesters are made from recycled pop bottles
The first pant produced was the Lagotto
There are 38 styles in the current season
80% of employees in the office sit on fitness balls
The longest working Stonewear employee has worked here 7 years
Mexican Food is the favorite of Stonewear employees
The Solace Top and the T-Back Top enjoyed the longest run before they were retired
In order to become more eco-friendly, organic cotton fabrics were introduced in Spring 2009
Stonewear employees have come from all over the USA (ie: California, New York, and Oklahoma)
There are 650 different options of clothing in the current season
The process for a season begins 18 months to 2 years ahead of its launch date
Dog training is the brand director’s passion outside of work; however her first name is Kitty
Nichols was a curvy, voluptuous woman and a hard core rock climber
Spring 1998 was the first season for Stonewear Designs
The logo of the curvy woman with an S shaped arm has stayed the same since it was first established
Stonewear does not have a storefront
Employees get to wear Stonewear to work
We are a privately owned company
Some pieces are named after employees or family members
One of our employees has stood on top of Mt. Everest, Kilimanjaro, Ama Dablam, and Green Mountain
In the upcoming Spring 2011 catalog, one of the models is one of our own Stonewear employees
3 of our employees previously worked together in the book industry

- Dara Wong

My Nemesis

Stonewear Designs — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:19:24 +0000

Dara Wong

On my normal 5.37-mile run last Thursday, Tonya and I had to run at high noon in 87-degree weather. Some of you may be reading this and thinking that’s nothing and others may feel for me. Keep in mind that I am from Colorado and am not exposed to brutal temperatures on a regular basis, I have thick dark brown hair, and I am a swimmer so I am used to being in cool water. You could say I am prone to over heating. Tonya claims that she finally found my nemesis, HEAT! While on the run I started getting super hot, the sun was fierce and I had not eaten or had much water that morning. With about two miles left to go and a steep hill, I knew I was at my breaking point. I figured I had to get back to the office some how and I would rather do it in a timely manner, so I kept running. About a mile left to go and all I wanted to do was collapse and lay in the shady grassy patches to my left. Tonya was long gone by now. Two ladies that walked by me told me that Tonya said to hurry up. I knew I had nothing left but I finally made it. Sweating profusely and still breathing heavily after hanging around in the office for 10 minutes made me realize I probably had some kind of heat exhaustion. I jumped in the shower and after a while I began to cool down. I knew at that point that I would never run under those circumstances again! I know I cannot control the weather but I can make some improvements in order to prepare for it. Wearing a hat and carrying a small water bottle are a few things I can do. With Tonya out of town for the next week, I dreaded the next days run that I had to do by myself. However, it pushed me even more to get up in the morning and run. I was determined to finish my workweek off with a good run. Success!

Let hard workouts fuel you for the next training session!

27 days left till the SheRox Triathlon

-Dara Wong