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• Enduring elk

• Service set today in Lodi for farmworker who died after working in the heat

• Lodi workers track trees, aiming to remove them before 'failures'

• San Joaquin County settles death suit for $500,000

• Lodian opened state's first Simplot 'soil builder' retail operation in 1964

• Regional Roundup

November 2nd, 2009

• Deputies name suspect in fatal Acampo shooting

November 7th, 2009

• Lodi High graduate was at Fort Hood

• Lining up for flu shots in Lodi

• Tour packs buses as birdwatchers admire Sandhill cranes

• City of Lodi staff looking into possibility of limiting number of taco trucks

• Daytime thieves targeting Lodi homes

• Lodi High School rally featured on 'Good Day Sacramento'

• Out of control

• Homicide suspect Anthony Hubbard arraigned

• Regional Roundup

• New Lodi Memorial rule to combat spread of H1N1: Visitors must be older than 16

November 6th, 2009

• Short sales make up nearly half of Lodi market

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi man accused of smuggling drugs, weapons for inmates at state prison

• 'I-5 Strangler' sentenced to 6 terms of life

• Jury convicts Acampo man of torture, assault of his girlfriend

• Young girl is 200,000th person to assemble AIDS, HIV care kit

• Woman in wheelchair struck by car

November 5th, 2009

• A lower Lodi Lake

• Streetside scarecrows

• San Joaquin County considers moratorium on new Williamson Act contracts

• Speakers address Lodi Unified School District budget shortfalls, plea to keep programs

• Armed robbers still targeting Lodi shops

• Regional Roundup

• California voters have final say over $11 billion water bond

• Weekend bus service to continue until Lodi City Council makes decision

• Paul Tebbel shines spotlight on sandhill cranes

• Your complete guide to Sandhill Crane Festival

• David Diskin is first to give an invocation under new city of Lodi policy

• Man wanted in Acampo homicide gives up to San Joaquin County Sheriff's detectives

November 4th, 2009

• Candle fire

• Rep. Jerry McNerney sets telephone town hall for Thursday

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi City Council weighs raising fares to restore some bus service

• Galt City Council argues over ordinance hiring residents

• San Joaquin County sues state over prison hospital planned for Stockton

• Big win for Allen Baroni in reclamation election

• California sends Democratic loyalist John Garamendi to Congress

• Bicycling father raising awareness of teen suicide

• Jason Behrmann is unanimously named Galt's city manager

November 3rd, 2009

• 500 attend service for Kyle Coumas

• Correction

• Galt considers ordinance that would require city contractors to hire locally

• Regional Roundup

• Have you seen a missing guide dog puppy in Lodi?

• Galt man dies after weekend Highway 12 crash

• Jason Behrmann is top candidate for Galt city manager

• Deputies name suspect in fatal Acampo shooting

• Clarification

November 2nd, 2009

• Downtown Lodi trick or treat

• Public Meetings

• Correction

• Kyle Coumas funeral today

• Regional Roundup

• Sandhill Cranes Festival comes to Lodi next weekend

• Lamborghini lovers gather for show, fine wine, luncheon in Woodbridge

• Lodi's 'Biggest Loser' Christy Richesin runs 5K Halloween race

• 27-year-old man shot to death Saturday night in front of Acampo home

• Group investigates reports of haunting

October 31st, 2009

• Area schools have no plans of closing due to H1N1 virus

• Tokay High evacuation

• Gated communities in Lodi

• Finishing touches on Hill House replica

• Regional Roundup

• In remembrance of Kyle Coumas

• Lodi-area Halloween events

• City of Lodi settles case of mistaken identity

• Lodi a reflection of Halloween's retail emergence

• Izzy Laviola and Seth Siddle-Mitchell crowned Tokay homecoming queen and king

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Bible is entwined with American civic life (135)
• I predict: A conservative tide will rise in 2010 (71)
• David Diskin is first to give an invocation under new city of Lodi policy (70)
• The Treaty of Tripoli hoax (58)
• Universal health care solves big problems (56)
• Here's what my father knew about the assassination of JFK (35)
• Words from our forefathers (27)
• Stuck in neutral? Hardly! (25)
• City of Lodi staff looking into possibility of limiting number of taco trucks (20)
• Majority cannot deprive the minority (20)

ADVERTISEMENT

Getting PUMPed

Lodi couple tackles sports injuries by preventing them

The idea seems simple enough: Prevent injuries before they happen. However, as Monty and Lauri Merrill have discovered over the years, that's not always as simple as it sounds.

That's why the Merrills have labored to open the PUMP Institute, a preventative sports education and fitness center. The business will open June 2 and will begin offering classes immediately.

PUMP stands for Pursue Ultimate Motor Performance, which is exactly what Monty and Lauri Merrill intend to do.

"We want people to be educated in their fitness," Monty Merrill said. "We also want to educate them in weight control."

The couple bought Lodi Physical Therapy from James Chard in 1992 (which Chard opened in 1963). Their goal was to help people through their sports injuries and get them back on track.

"A lot of physical therapists got interested in the field when they themselves got injuried ... that was the case for me," Lauri Merrill said.

The idea for the PUMP Institute began when the Merrills began core training with their children, who are all athletic, about five years ago. They would teach their daughter, who swims, and son, who runs, how to properly use their muscles for maximum performance and to minimize any chance at injury.

Though their children are grown and out of the house, they still start the day with mom, dad and core training when they come home for a visit. The Merrills have also seen an increase in adult runners who participate in the morning core training.

They started looking for a space to open the PUMP Institute about two months ago, because the space that occupies Lodi Physical Therapy was much too small for both businesses. That's when they found the space at 220 S. Church Street, behind DeVinci's restaurant.

Most of the PUMP Institute will be class-based, teaching clients how to use their muscles properly. They will also focus on weight loss, as many problems can begin with excess weight.

There will be many different stations within the space that clients will use in their full-body educations, from ball balancing to treadmills.

Although it's their goal to get complete sports teams in for customized training, the Merrills will help anyone in taking better care of their bodies. They believe everyone, no matter if they're a stay-at-home mom, a gardener or in any other profession, is an athlete, and proper body education helps to keep people fit. They'll be offering classes to both children and adults.

"We'll custom tailor a program for anyone. If you want something specific, just call and we'll add it," Monty Merrill said.

For more information on classes at the PUMP Institute, call 368-7433.

Contact Business Editor Marc Lutz at marcl@lodinews.com.