Fitness and Friends

27 Apr

Judging from the weird entries and photos I post on this blog-

Cereal and cats-a winning blog combination

you might not believe that  I’m pretty shy and quiet in  real life. Well, until you get to know me, and then you just want me to behave in public and stop talking. I’ve always found it difficult to meet new people and try new things, because usually the first thought in my mind is “Oh they won’t like me” or “What if they think I’m weird/not cool” the list goes on and on.

Don’t believe me? Let’s flashback to my freshman year of college.

From the moment my mom and I arrived on campus for freshman orientation, I begged to go home. Stage one clinger, right here.

Probably in an attempt to stop my desperate pleading, she spotted a table for women’s crew and said “that looks fun, you should try that”, so I signed up for the team as a walk on.  Long story short, over the course of many painful erg sessions the next few months and years, girls who started off as strangers turned into teammates-

Best friends for life.

and ultimately became some of my best friends- friends that I will most likely have for the rest of my life.

I think we've bonded.

Okay, enough with the sappiness.

Regardless of your activity of choice, I think that sweating (not anxiety-ridden type) is one of the best ways to meet new people and make friends.  It’s a win-win situation. By  taking part in a group activity, you know you have at least one thing that you have in common. For instance, I was definitely nervous during my first blogger group run, but I knew that if worse came to worse, we could just discuss running… the entire time (luckily it ended much better).  More often than not, chatting about the activity at hand naturally shifts to conversations about daily happenings that are the stuff that friendships are made of.

Bloggers on the run

Another benefit of working out with new friends is that focusing on an activity diverts your thoughts away from being nervous (“Do I look weird?” “Did I really just say that?”) and towards said activity. There’s also incentive to show up and sweat because you don’t want to stand up your prospective new friends. Physical activity is also a stress reliever, so working out will automatically reduce any meet-up anxiety.

I hope you enjoyed that warm and fuzzy moment. I know I did.

Have you ever made friends through group workouts?

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Nutritious Nachos-Two Ways

25 Apr

Yep, you read that correctly-nutritious nachos courtesy of Fitness Magazine.

Every summer I look forward to getting the  Summer Slim-Down Plan, which includes a total body plan complete with challenging resistance and cardio workouts and recipes . I’ll get to the resistance circuits and the cardio workouts that I tried later on , but let’s be honest here, food always comes first in my book and when I find something I like I need to share it!

When my magazine arrived last week, I dove straight in and tried out a bunch of their new recipes and let’s just say they did not disappoint. My favorite so far? The nachos, natch.

I loved this  recipe so much that I made it again last night (and took a better photo), but switched out the regular potato for a sweet potato to provide a healthy punch of Vitamin A. I also topped it off with two crumbled  spinach garlic turkey meatballs for the  topping.  Nutrition and delicious? I’ll take it! My version of the nachos is below-be sure to check out the rest of the recipes the Fitness Magazine Summer Slimdown here.

Sweet Potato version

Potato Nachos

adapted from Fitness Magazine

Ingredients

1 medium potato

1/4 cup red onion

1 clove garlic

3 ounces 99% lean ground turkey

1/4 cup canned black beans

1/4 cup shredded almond cheese (or cheddar cheese for the non-lactose challenged)

cumin

cayenne

salt

pepper

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2) Cut 1 medium potato into 8 wedges, place on a baking sheet, mist with nonstick cooking spray and bake 30 minutes, flipping once.

3) In a medium skillet over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic over medium heat until soft.

4) Add in turkey and season to taste with cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne.

5)Remove potatoes from the oven and top with turkey mixture and cheese.

6)Place back in oven and allow cheese to melt (about 2 minutes)

7) Remove plate from oven and top with salsa-and Cholula ;)

This photo really doesn't do it justice!

Nope, Fitness Magazine didn’t bribe me or provide any compensation for reviewing this recipe- I just love them that much! Don’t worry I’ll still keep up my blog when they hire me ;)


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Morning Workouts: Tips and Tricks to Get Going

24 Apr

While exercising in the morning has plenty of beneficial effects, just getting out of bed for an early workout can feel like an exercise in itself.

At this point in time, you must be wondering "How many photos of her cat sleeping under the covers can she post?" The answer is a lot.

I’ve had my fair share of battles with the early morning workout, but with a full work schedule and other commitments, I’ve gradually gotten used to, and have even started liking, having a morning workout routine. My friend Alyx asked for tips on motivating for a morning workout , so here are a few useful tips that I use to get going in the morning.

Seeing the sunrise is one of the many benefits of a morning workout.

  1. Get ready the night before. It might seem simple, but setting out your workout clothes the night before means that there is one less thing standing between you and your workout when you’re stumbling around in the early morning hours.
  2. Have a plan. While you’re setting out your clothes the night before, take a minute to come up with a workout plan for the next morning. There’s nothing worse than getting out of bed and then getting to the gym, only to wander around aimlessly, wasting valuable time. Having a plan helps to direct your intentions and keep your focus.
  3. Enlist a friend. Whether your friend has four legs or two, committing to meeting someone for a morning workout keeps you accountable-after all no one likes to be stood up, and that includes Fido. Plus, fitting in a morning workout date means that you and your  friend  of choice will get in quality time before the hectic work day starts.
  4. Put the Alarm Out of Reach – Another simple tip that has made a real difference in the frequency of my morning workouts. When its six a.m. and your options are to either listen to the annoying beep of the alarm clock or get out of bed to turn it off (and put on your workout clothes!), the choice is pretty clear. As I said before, getting out of bed is half the battle, so once the alarm is off, you’re one step closer to early morning success.
  5. Remember the afterglow-Thinking about how warm and comfy you feel when the alarm goes off will not make getting out of bed to exercise. Instead, think about how energized you’ll feel once you get going. After all, exercise triggers the release of neurotransmitters that help to improve mood, focus and learning, so starting off the day with a little sweat helps set you up for a day full of success.

Do you workout in the morning? What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning to sweat?

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Weekend Recap

23 Apr

Since I was up way too late last night planning for a crazy day at work (let’s hear it for even launches!), I’m taking the  lazy blogger’s way out and recapping my weekend in pictures. Back to regular programming tomorrow :)

80 degree days..

Now this is what California is supposed to look like.

and warm nights..

The view from my street

First double digit training run in the books

First double digit run of training

And of course, workouts and lots of time with my new four legged friend..

Sammi wanted her own mat for a Fitness Magazine workout..I had to oblige.

It's clear who's the favorite-this is actually how we rode to the park.

Have a great Monday everyone!

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Marathon Planning Session

18 Apr

UPDATE-Why, hello there! I’m the featured interview on Healthy Page today! So, if you have a moment, stop by and check it out (I promise I’ll love you forever)

And now, back to regularly scheduled programming…

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After I came down from the high of registering for two marathons in less than two weeks-first was the California International Marathon and then the  San Francisco Marathon, I realized that I would need a plan of action to accomplish everything I wanted during my first 26.2 of the year-the San Francisco Marathon.

When I set out for my first marathon, I trained to break the four hour barrier using a beginner’s marathon training plan from the Runner’s World Marathon Challenge. Itaped the torn out page on my bedroom mirror and ticked off workouts as I completed them. Although I came up just 15 minutes short of my goal (thanks for the 80 plus degree weather mother nature!), I knew my plan had played a huge part in making my first marathon experience a relatively painless success.

This time around, I’m implementing a few new training tools to run my way to a sub four hour time.

First, I decided to try out the Hal Higdon Novice 2 program, which I had first heard about through fellow blogger Kristine. I picked this particular training program for a few reasons-

  • Hal (yes, we’re on a first name basis) has trained  thousands of marathon runners to success,  has published countless books on the 26.2, writes for Runner’s World and  is one of the founders of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). If you want to learn more about Hal, check out his official biography.
  • Probably more important than all of his professional accolades is the fact that Hal reminds me of your typical grandpa figure…so I’ll think of that for comfort while I’m slogging through those long Saturday runs.

Hal, grand poobah of marathon success (source)

Second, instead of scribbling my workouts on a sheet of paper like I did last time, I stepped into the 21st century to keep track of my plan progress.

Oh, hello Google Calendar

I entered the entire Novice 2 plan into Google Chrome and color coded my runs to track progress; as I complete runs, I change the entry to “green” and record my Garmin splits in the notes section. I’ve posted an interactive calendar here, so if you want to check my progress, offer tips or yell at me for skipping a run, please do!

I’ve also been using Garmin Connect to keep track of my runs-both calendars have been really great visual reminders of the progress I’m making toward my goal of a sub-four hour marathon.

Data, data, data.

Last but not least, I used the McMillan Running Calculator which is a SUPER cool site that helps you calculate all of your target goal times for workouts of various distances. This tool makes it easy to find out how fast I should be running for any type of training workout, from 800s to tempo middle distance runs-try it out, it’s fun!

So there you have it! If you’re training for a running event, I hope some of these ideas will help you cross the finish line with a smile on your face (and maybe even a PR).

Check out these articles for more tips on planning your way to marathon success-

Ask a Blogger: Hungry Hungry Hippie

17 Apr

It’s another edition of Ask a Blogger and this week Elise from Hungry Hungry Hippie is taking the spotlight. Elise is a self-professed  Whole Foods connoisseur, exercise lover, health enthusiast and IBS adversary. She originally hails from Northern California and did brief stints in New York and Philadelphia before returning to the West Coast, where she now lives in Los Angeles and works as a nurse.

This lady consistently amazes me because not only is she a full time nurse, but she also makes health a top priority and produces an entertaining and informative blog-it tires me out just thinking about her schedule. She created Hungry Hungry Hippie to share her daily thoughts on food, fitness and life and also to share her passion for being “nutritious and delicious, all the time”.  Oh yes, her recipe for quinoa is amazing-try not to love it!

Reading Elise’s answers was such a blast-she’s hilarious and she was awesome enough to answer every single one of my questions, so with that said, enough of my yapping-meet Elise!

What are your most and least favorite posts?

My favorite posts are the more personal ones. They are the easiest to write because they are honest and from the heart, but they are also the most nerve racking to share because once they are out in cyber-space there’s no turning back. The post I wrote about how unhappy I was in NYC reminded me of how amazing the blog world is because I got such supportive responses. The post I wrote about struggling with intuitive eating while writing a blog was another. I don’t really have any least favorite posts, but I definitely cringe at the photos from my earliest ones.

Why did you start blogging? 

I started Hungry Hungry Hippie as a simple food & fitness journal, but then it blossomed into an opportunity for me to help others who similarly struggle with IBS and food sensitivities. I want to show that it’s possible to balance work, exercise, and play even if your digestive system sucks. Since I started blogging (nearly 4 years ago!) I have such a huge network of like- minded people and that’s what keep me going.
How do you keep coming up with new content that will keep your readers interested? 

Coming up with new content isn’t hard because I write about my life and no day is ever the same. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly a wild child (my days of dancing on bar tops are hopefully over), but between funny nursing stories and yummy dinner ideas, I think I have something semi- interesting to share on a regular(ish) basis. Rather than bore people to death with the mundane details of my dull days, I just show pretty food photos. And likewise, if I’ve had the same quinoa and seitan dish for all 3 meals of the day, I’ll probably not post about it, and instead offer a random hospital anecdote.

What are the best and worst parts about being a blogger? The most surprising or unexpected part of being a blogger? 

The best part of blogging is “meeting” all the other people in the world who have similar goals and passions in terms of health. Sometimes I have so much in common with another person, I feel like we must have been twins separated at birth. The worst part of blogging is being judged by others who really don’t know you. As much as I share on HHH, it’s still not the same as knowing me in person. Sometimes I get hostile comments or rude emails that are meant to hurt me. I really don’t understand that. But in the end, the positives BY FAR outweigh the negatives. The most unexpected aspect of blogging is just how big of a part of my life it has become. Writing was just a hobby in the beginning that I didn’t even tell my family or friends about, and now it’s so much more than I ever imagined it would be.

Any advice to those who want to start their own blog? 

Don’t imitate, be true to yourself. Reading other blogger’s content, you can tell if a person is being authentic or not. It’s so fun and refreshing to get a sense of someone’s real personality in their writing, so do your thing and people will embrace it.

Aside from blogging and breaking a sweat, what do you like to do in your free time? 

Travel! I want to go everywhere. Otherwise, I’m a pretty simple girl. There’s no place I’m more content than in a coffee shop with a crossword.

Do you have a mantra?

Keep calm and carry on.

What’s one food that you couldn’t live without?

One food!?! That’s so cruel.

Hummus. No quinoa. No hummus. Yeah, hummus.

What’s your favorite way to break a sweat? Running. But cycling is definitely starting to edge itself in as a top activity.

Favorite song to work out to?

I go through phases where I listen to a song on repeat all day for a week straight and then I OD on it and never want to hear it again. I just did that with FUN’s “We Are Young.” I felt like I was jumping on clouds when I was running to it last month. Now I want to murder my iPod when it comes on.

Any weird pre-race superstitions?

Sushi the night before. And I always use the same “lucky” safety pins for my bibs.

What are some of your favorite blogs? 

Too many! Lately I’m really into recipe blogs because I’m getting more adventurous in baking. But I also love reading posts from fellow veg-fueled athletes.

Anything else we should know about you or your blog? 

Please come check it out. I promise I’m not a total weirdo.

A New Running Buddy

16 Apr

Meet Sammi!

Much to Fiona’s dismay, I become a canine foster mom from time to time, so  Sammi is staying at my house until she gets adopted. She’s about 10 months old and is a lab/sharpei mix-she definitely has the bubbly and friendly lab personality. She’s a complete goofball, wants nothing more than to be around her people and will always accept a belly rub-

 

So if you live in the Bay Area and are looking for a great running buddy who’s a complete sweetheart, Sammi might be perfect your perfect match. Check out her adoption page for more information (her name is Breeze on the site)!

Sweet Potato Protein Pancake

13 Apr

Say that three times fast.

I had a completely different post ready to go, but then I had some work to do got distracted by Real Housewives,  so that post will have to wait until next week!

Many of my favorite fitness bloggers and websites swear by the protein pancake. I first found out about this delicious variation on wheat based pancakes from Tone It Up, but there are a variety of different versions floating around on the web (see below!). Since I first discovered the recipe two years ago, it’s been a breakfast (and sometimes dinner) staple.

Last night, I found myself in need of a quick dinner and with an excess of of baked sweet potatoes, so I decided to put a spin on the protein pancake by substituting sweet potato for the recipe’s suggested banana.

The result?

Fluffy and delicious! I topped it off with maple peanut butter sauce. That recipe’s below too! I actually like these more than the original protein pancakes that use bananas.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Ingredients 

3 egg whites

1/2 cup baked sweet potato (I baked these beforehand on 350 for about 45 minutes-or until my man friend told me that I had forgotten to turn off the oven…again)

1 scoop whey protein powder

dash of allspice

dash of cinnamon

1. Whip egg whites and then whisked in baked sweet potato

2. Mix in protein powder.

3. Heat skillet to medium high heat and add mixture.

4. Add dash of cinnamon and allspice to pancake.

5. Pancake should cook exactly like a regular one-flip it over when small bubbles start to form on the side facing up.

Maple Peanut Butter Sauce

Ingredients

2 tbsp. natural peanut butter (I used crunch but smooth works too)

1 tbsp. almond milk

1/2 scoop whey protein powder

1 tbsp. 100% maple sugar

1. In a bowl combine peanut butter and almond milk and microwave for 30 seconds.

2. Stir together ingredients.

3. Add in protein powder and continue to stir until ingredients are completely combined.

4. Continue stirring and add in maple syrup.

If you want a pancake fix, here are a few recipes from around the web-

The Hunger Games

11 Apr

You thought this was going to be about Katniss didn’t you?

As good a reason to work out as any. (source)

Well, you’ve been tricked again!

But this post is about running.
On our run over the weekend, my friend Liz and I started to discuss how we were ALWAYS hungrier on days off than on days when we had worked out. In my mind, that seemed counterintuitive-on the days I burn more calories, I would expect to be hungrier and vice versa.

So many options! (Source)

Well, I did a little digging and found out that what’s happening to us isn’t abnormal- it’s actually normal.

According to a recent study from researchers at the University of Chile Clinical Hospital in Santiago found that exercise creates higher levels brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a blood protein that mainly serves  to promote the survival of nerve cells, but was also found to be linked to appetite suppression. Therefore, more exercise–>higher levels of BDNF–>appetite suppression.

Another study done by the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior examined the release of appetite suppressing gut hormones in exercise experienced rats and found that the animals who exercised more released more of the gut hormone that limits meal size and also helped the rats to lower their food intake.

And no worries if you’re hungry on those recovery days-here’s an entire page full of recipes and tips on recovery day snacking from Runner’s World.

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If It Ain’t Broke..

10 Apr

Don’t fix it.

Apparently this old adage rings true for running shoes.

I have been running in the same brand of running shoes since I first started running in 6th grade-

Back in 5th grade I was rocking the 'fro and the KSwisses, but in 6th grade I got everything under control and made the switch to Asics

After 14 years of running in the same 2100 series Asics, I got a little antsy and was looking for a change. I decided to branch out a teeny bit and tried the Asics Gel Cumulus – they made my knees hurt from over cushioning.

Then, I took a HUGE jump and decided to switch from my old standby brand Asics to Brooks-this is earth shattering for a staunch Asics fan.

In the middle-right where I should be.

They worked pretty well, but after a few months of running in them, I still felt like something was missing-I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

Fast forward to last Saturday. Ny friend Liz and I went for a run on to shake out her legs before her half marathon the next day and on the run she told me about how she had recently switched over to the Asics 2170s and how much she loved them.

I wish I had those shoes...and that kind of karate kick

I immediately felt a pang of guilt, jealousy and longing. There was a hole in my heart and I knew what I had to do to fix it-

Back in my babies.

I immediately went and purchased the 2170s (thanks for letting me be a twin Liz!) and took my beloveds for a run on Sunday and loved every second of it.  Now I know that I should have never strayed from my tried and true shoes and according to the pros, I made the right decision; according to Cool Running “When you find a model of running shoe that really seems to work for you, stick with it. There’s absolutely no reason to change brands.” And change I won’t-Asics you’re the one for me.

And let’s hope my tried and true distance can take me the extra mile…because I got a little crazy last night and registered for this…

 

See you at the starting line (in my Asics of course!)

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