Category Archives: Health

Exercising EVERY DAY for a year?!

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I’m so sorry that I’ve sucked with posts for the past week. Things have been CRAZY and I have some VERY EXCITING NEWS that I can’t WAIT to share with you all, but can’t share it just yet!! But it’s been keeping me busy.

Ironically, today’s post is about making time to stay fit (like I said, ironic, but keeping fit and blogging are totally different.. right?)

Last week, I realized I had 8 workouts in 4 days. Totally didn’t even realize it until Friday and I was dead and couldn’t figure out why. And then I went to Lululemon during lunch so I could take a spin class after work, making it 9 workouts in 5 days. Whoops. But here’s the thing- I honestly didn’t realize I was working out so much. I think of working out as fun, I don’t think of it as a chore. Even though it’s also my part time job, it’s also my new social scene. For real. I think it’s more fun to go and workout with friends and grab dinner after than just going out for drinks. Does that make me totally lame? Probably. Do I care? Nope!

I recently joined up with Tribesports. Have you guys heard of them? It’s based in England, but I think it’s gonna take off here in the States. It’s an online community that encourages you to do engage in physical activity and challenges. You can sign up for different challenges, post your progress, complete challenges, make friends, the whole 9 yards. And you get awesome emails with British quirkiness “Do take a look around and sign up for some challenges, quite nice, yes. Lets get a spot of tea and crumpets afterwards, yes” Okay, maybe I made up that part, but whatever. It’s a great idea and concept, and I think y’all should GET INVOLVED! And link up with me :)

 

One of the new challenges they’re doing is to do 30 minutes of physical activity every day for a year. Right off the bat, that might seem excessive. What about rest days? Are you really supposed to work out EVERY day for a year? But re-think exercise here for a second. Exercising doesn’t have to be a super intense, heavy sweat session every day. You can go for a walk, do some yoga, take the stairs instead of the elevator, carry the groceries home instead of hopping in the car. Just do something. I signed up to do the challenge and am so far sticking with it. Who’s with me? Do you think you could do 30 minutes of physical activity every day for a year? I might not hit the 30 minute mark every day, but I want to do SOMETHING every day. Get that body moving. It’s so important.

I promise.. more exciting news and JAMS and Hotties to come this week!! In the meantime.. who’s ready to work out for a year? :)

-Emily

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Being Healthy

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So, this weekend I went out to Montana for my grandmother’s funeral. Even though it was sad, it was somewhat of a relief to know that she is finally resting and at peace. And it was great to see my family that’s spread out all over the world.

And it’s kinda gorgeous out there this time of year…

I’m going to go on a bit of a ramble about health and nutrition, and just want to start off by saying that these are just my opinions, and I am NOT a registered dietician or a doctor or anything legit. Besides a fitness and food fanatic that is. Which makes me somewhat qualified to speak my mind. On my blog. So here we go.

For years, my grandparents have been in poor health. My grandfather has had multiple rounds of cancer, kidney issues, back pain, hip replacements, you name it, while my grandmother suffered from diabetes and towards the end of her life developed dementia. Much like Erica mentioned last week, I always assumed that these things ran in my family and I was more susceptible to diabetes and other health issues. But since I’ve become more educated about physical activity and nutrition, I’m sort of realizing that a lot of their health problems (and many of our nations’ health problems) could have been avoided just by exercising and eating well. I know that this isn’t rocket science, and I shouldn’t be credited for making such an earth shattering discovery (…you can credit me if you want), but it really opens up your eyes when it hits so close to home.

When my grandparents’ generation was growing up and raising kids in the 1950′s and 60′s, there wasn’t much research and education about nutrition and physical activity. As a result, much of that generation developed poor eating habits that stuck with them for life. And look at all of the health problems that most of our grandparents are faced with! Look in your grandparents’ (or parents’) kitchens, and count how many pill bottles are in there. For everything- blood pressure, heart rate, diabetes, arthritis, constipation (ew), you name it. I just can’t help but think that maybe if doctors prescribed eating well and going for a walk a few times a week, the number of pill bottles would go way down. I’ve been studying for my personal training test and there’s tons of evidence (by people way smarter than me) about the direct link between preventing chronic disease and nutrition. So WTF?? I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist but why isn’t this a bigger issue? Why isn’t everyone waking the f*ck up?!

Also- do you know that only 31% of adult Americans engage in physical activity 3x a week? THIRTY ONE PERCENT is SO pathetic! And that’s for only 20-30 minutes at a time. Is it really any wonder that we have the largest rate of obesity and the biggest slew of health problems in the world? I don’t think so.

When people ask me why I work out so much, or why I eat Paleo, I always have the same response: “it makes me feel good”. And it does. But another reason I’ve been thinking of is that “because I can”. Because I’m still young, and am naturally the fittest and strongest I’ll ever be. Because I want to invest in my future and my health. Because I don’t want to end up like my grandparents (as much as I love them, SO so so much). I want to live for a long time, and I want my kitchen to be full of delicious, amazing food- not pill bottles.

What do you guys think about this? Am I being a b*tch? I feel like I got a little harsh at the end for criticizing my grandparents’ lifestyle, but I’m just trying to be honest and keep it real. Much like J-Lo, I’m all about keepin’ it real.

I’ll stop talking now and leave you with some eye candy from Montana.

Anyone else want to move?

-Emily

 

Eating Your Feelings

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I’ve come to the realization that I’m a totally emotional eater. Some people starve themselves (not on purpose) when they’re stressed, upset, or anxious about something. Other people, like me, stuff their faces and try to eat their away their emotions. Let’s discuss.

Friday night, I went home to spend the night at my parents. I met them for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Chiara, and applauded myself for ordering fish and forgoing dessert despite my tequila cocktail induced buzz.

I was SO sore the next morning when I woke up. After my Core Fusion class last week, I taught Advanced spin, and then had a CrossFit WOD Friday morning that consisted of 100 squats, 100 pushups, 100 pull ups, and 100 sit ups. Um yeah. About that. First of all, I was so dead tired I didn’t move in my sleep. Woke up in the same exact position I fell asleep in. That NEVER happens. Probably because I was too sore to move. It was actually painful to lift myself out of bed, everything hurt. But on the bright side…

 

… my abs were all sorts of ripped up (for me at least). Why can’t abs look like that all the time? When you first wake up in the morning, that flat stomach feeling.  It’s the best. WTF abs. How sore they were.. was not the best. Erica and I were supposed to go to a WOD at her local CrossFit, but we were both so sore that we went for a nice long walk instead. It was much better because it was a beautiful day and gave us a chance to catch up.

I’m getting distracted- I’m here to talk about food. After our walk, I was eating a healthy breakfast at home when my dad came into the kitchen and told me my grandmother (his mom) had just passed away. She had been sick for awhile, and had recently taken a turn for the worst, so the news didn’t come as a total shock, but it was still upsetting to say the least. After running a few errands, we ordered sushi for lunch.

This is where that whole “emotional eating” thing takes a drastic turn…

Tuna, salmon and mango roll paired with a sweet potato tempura roll? Check. Next up was one of my mom’s famous cookies. Not Paleo, not gluten free, not dairy free. They’re made with Reese’s pieces, Reese’s, and chocolate chips. Sidenote- when I was at college, during my pre-Paleo days, my mom would send the cookies in the mail and they’d get all crumbly so I’d put the chunks in a bowl with milk and eat them as cereal. Fact.

When I got back to my apartment late afternoon, I realized I was going to be alone for a couple of hours. That’s another thing about me- if I’m upset, I want to be surrounded by people. I don’t like being alone and sitting around wallowing in my sad feelings. Because then I’ll sit on the couch for 2 hours, ignoring my piles of laundry, watching Keeping up with the Kardashians and eating animal crackers and dark chocolate ginger. That happened. I don’t want that to ever happen again.

Then my boyfriend got home- plus. He also brought home a large Italian sub- negative. Let’s back up a minute. I used to LOVE Italian subs. Like, you don’t understand. My go to sandwich anytime, anywhere. Every kind of cold cut possible, topped with Provolone cheese, toasted, with oil and some hots. Stop. I can’t keep thinking about it without drooling. Did I eat half of my boyfriend’s sub? Yes. Did he purposely get a large one because he knew I would eat half of it? Yes. Bastard.

The rest of the evening was spent curled up on the couch because I was in so much pain I couldn’t move. On top of being upset about my grandmother, I felt like shit because I ate shitty food, my stomach wanted to punch me in the face (my abs were DEFINITELY not photo-worthy then) and I was pissed at myself for having zero self control and eating my feelings. I got my act together on Sunday, and instead of wasting brain cells and going into a gluten induced coma, I went to a spin class. Talk about a total 180. Why do I feel the need to eat my emotions, when I could just go and sweat them out? I felt SO much better after class- energized, refreshed, uplifted. Pumping music, dark room, dripping in sweat, riding next to two of my best friends. Honestly, what the F was I thinking wasting so much of my time, brain cells, and hard work the day before??

As hard as it is to muster up the energy to get your butt off the couch when all you want to do is curl up in a ball and cry- do it. Next time you feel like eating your feelings and drowning your sorrows. Stop. Go sweat them out instead.

How do you guys deal with stress and emotions? Sweat, starve, or splurge? I’m vowing to change from a Splurg-er to a Sweat-er.

Well.. that just sounds awkward.

-Emily

Strong vs. Skinny

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So, Erica got all inspirational yesterday, and I’m about to get a little emotional/slight feminist (which is very unusual for me. Not the emotional part, but the feminist part. I’m sort of like a dude 24/7)

My whole life, I’ve been muscular. I came out of the womb with broad shoulders (my mom won’t let me forget that) and thunder thighs. I also apparently came out of the womb sucking my thumb, and immediately downed two bottles after being alive for about 3 minutes. So really, not much has changed. I’m still muscular, and I’m still hungry. All the time.

Homegirl, I can relate. via Nike

In high school, when I got really into working out, my goal was to always get “skinny”. I would purposely only use 5 lb weights so I wouldn’t bulk up, did at least an hour of cardio a day, cut calories, and kept a food diary. At my thinnest, I weighed 125 lbs, and was always so frustrated that I wasn’t losing any more weight (I’m 5’3, so 125 is still slightly above average than a “normal” weight for my height. I’ve definitely roid-raged out on doctors who have told me I should weigh less. Test my BMI, bitch, THEN tell me I need to lose weight). The point is- I would obsess over that number on the scale. I’d weigh myself every day and cut my food intake and up the cardio if I wasn’t satisfied.

 

It really wasn’t until the last year that I became comfortable with my body. I’m always going to be muscular, and I should embrace that. I’m always going to have to get my jeans altered so they fit my booty and my waist. I’m going to go Hulk status every now and then and rip my shirts with my huge stupid shoulders (this has happened more times than I’d like to admit. It usually ends in tears). When I’m on the spin bike, or at CrossFit, I feel so empowered (feminist alert!!) because I feel how strong I am and I see the things my body will do and I see others around me doing the same thing. It’s inspiring, motivating, and it’s expected.

via Body Confidential

But I can’t help but feel frustrated and let down sometimes. I hate myself for leaving the gym feeling all badass and sexy, and then I’ll pass a girl who’s 5’10 and weighs less than I do, and my self esteem drops. I notice how my thighs are rubbing together and how short and stumpy I feel. I immediately start comparing myself to her, and want her bod (not in that kinda way, but in the way that I’d like it if my thighs didn’t rub together and my shoulders were proportionate to my body and my ass didn’t require its own zip code). I know there must be tons of you out there who suffer the same thing- and it sucks. Lately, I’ve been catching myself do it, and have been able to snap myself out of it. In my world, I’ve noticed a HUGE shift towards “Strong is the new skinny” which I obviously love, but there’s still a huge part of society that pressures us into being rail thin (feminist alert part 2!!) and I think it will take awhile for all of us to collectively break that mold.

Can you spot the difference between these two pictures?
Hint: One is an Victoria’s Secret model. The other is not. I know,
it’s probably difficult to tell which one is which. 

But guess what? This whole situation is sort of a Catch 22. Through my Fitfluential family, countless blogs, and Instagram, I’ve come across dozens of girls who are actually trying to GAIN weight and bulk up because they’re too thin. And they are just as frustrated with not being able to gain weight as I get sometimes with not being able to lose it. So, embrace it ladies (feminist alert part 3, last one). Get off the scale. Stop counting calories. Stop comparing yourself to others (especially those in magazines- you wouldn’t BELIEVE the power of Photoshop). Be happy with your bod. Be confident. Be strong. The bottom line is to BE HEALTHY.

Was that too deep? Did I just become a feminist? Am I being crazy? Anyone else out there cope with body image issues here and there?

-Emily

Standard Monday Rant

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Is there any better way to start off the week then with a mid afternoon rant?  I didn’t think so.  Lets get to it.  Last Friday, I’m sitting in the conference room, minding my own business, eating lunch.  The secretary comes in and puts down her plate of bagel bites and can of Diet Coke while complaining that her triglycerides are in the 300’s and her doctor wants her to pay more attention to her health (Honey, here’s a tip, those bagel bites, probably aren’t helping).  I told her about how when I was growing up I had very high cholesterol (200+) for being so young.  I told her how I tried everything from whole grain to low fat and that nothing seemed to work.  My doctor told me that if things didn’t change, I would have to go on medication to help regulate it.  Although the medicine had some weird side effects, I was ready to give it a shot.   Thankfully, my doctor was pretty hesitant and said to wait a year.

Look! See they are good for you!  Whole Grain and Real Cheese!

It was around that time that I started CrossFitting and eventually heard about the Paleo diet.  Since my doctor had always told me that red meat and fat were the devil, I was very hesitant to give it a try (WHAT?! I have to give up oatmeal?! But..But..But its heart healthy!).   I did a little research, read the Paleo Solution and gave it a shot.  A couple months later, I had my blood checked to see what sort of affect it had on my levels. As it turns out, my cholesterol dropped from 216 to 177, my LDL (bad cholesterol) fell from 143 to 104 and my triglycerides stayed fairly constant at 89 to 97.  Suck that, low fat diet!

So, after I told my secretary the condensed version of that story, she was like, “well you’re young., when you are old like me, things are different…everyone in my family has high triglycerides”.  Yes, I am sure things are a little different when you are older, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.  As a grown woman, you should realize that Bagel Bites are not an acceptable meal. Don’t tell me you’re eating them because they’re convenient. Eating a banana is convenient. Let go of all those stupid excuses that prevent you from achieving your health.  Stop blaming everything on your “bad genes” or “slow metabolism”.  Don’t blame everything on “oh it runs in my family”. You can change the habit- you can change what runs in your family. HTFU PEOPLE!  Dallas and Melissa from the Whole 30 say it best; your genes are the bullets in the gun.  You personal choices are what pulls the trigger.  Lets start taking ownership for our actions and man the eff up!

Happy Monday
-Erica

 

Inspiration

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I just tweeted this, but am posting it here as well because this needs to be viewed by as many people as possible. Seriously, most inspiring story I’ve ever seen/heard. This kid is SO young. Can you imagine if we all had this attitude? This selflessness, and willing to devote so much time and effort to the well being of others? To people that you love? So incredible. Stop what you’re doing now and take 10 minutes to watch this.

-Emily

Playing Catch Up

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It’s Wednesday. Last time we posted was on Friday. NBD. No but seriously, it is a big deal.  WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS WEEK/THIS YEAR/THIS MONTH?! Let’s recap on the weekend, shall we?

Jams
I didnt post my playlists on Friday, mostly because I was too busy oogling our CrossFit Hottie of the Week, but also because I was so swamped that I didn’t have time for new music last week and re-used some playlists. I did make a sweet Maroon 5/Rihanna mashup playlist for my Thursday night Reboot Advanced class. Such a fun ride. I usually play longer songs, but having a bunch of quick ones made for a fast paced class and it flew by.

Food
Definitely splurged big time this weekend. It was my boyfriend’s birthday, and we did it up big! I surprised him with a dinner at Mooo… a steakhouse we’ve been dying to try (and how amazing is that name?) Totally splurged on sides (parmesan crusted onion rings? truffled french fries? yup), cocktails, wine, and a big ass filet.

I even put on a big girl outfit and heels! Things got CRAZY. And I hate to disappoint all my Paleo peeps, but the weekend of splurging didn’t stop on Friday. Sunday night, the actual night of his birthday, we had a mexican FEAST at his mother’s house. Enchiladas, cheese for days, and birthday cake.

Vanilla cake, chocolate icing, and Rolo’s and Heath bars stuffed in between. If this isn’t the definition of Paleo food, then I don’t know what is.

On a totally unrelated note (PSYCH) I got hit with a stomach bug on Monday afternoon and was out of commission until last night. Although there is a bug going around my office, I’m sure my weekend of stuffing my face didn’t help either. I literally was on my couch for all of Monday afternoon and most of the day Tuesday. It was great to get some rest and reset my system, but I ended up teaching last night and this morning. I needed to sweat it out, and I get SO antsy sitting around, and there are only so many episodes of “Teen Mom” a girl can watch (don’t tell me I should have been more productive with my time.. you know you do the same thing when you have a sick day…!) I’m back on track today with eating clean and am feeling almost 100%. And my birthday isn’t until December, so I have no reason to eat cake until then :)

I’m trying out a few new workouts this week that I’m very excited about. Will be sure to post some recaps and reviews. Also- I have a huge burn mark on my arm from doing faux muscle ups at CrossFit last week. The straps kept hitting my arm a certain angle every time I’d go up, and I didn’t realize it was just casually ripping away a layer of my skin. Everyone now thinks that it’s some sort of hair straightening accident or cooking accident, but I want to let everyone know that I’m way too badass to spend my time in the kitchen or making myself look pretty. This is a motherf*ckin’ battle wound, bitches! From doing muscle ups! (no one has to know they were the ones from the ground…. shhhh)

Happy Humpday!
-Emily

 

 

 

 

 

CrossFit Hottie of the Week

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It’s time to reveal our new weekly feature: CrossFit Hottie of the Week! Oh yes. You know you love drooling and oogling hot CrossFit bods all day long. (we know you do because it’s one of the top searches on our blog…) So, we’re bringing the goods. Every Friday we’ll feature a CrossFit Hottie- someone we know, or someone we admire. And yes, we’re referring them as Hotties for their physical looks, but also because they’re just awesome people and great athletes. We were debating calling it “CrossFit All-Stars” but I really prefer to act like I’m still in 7th grade and use the term “Hottie”.

Without further ado.. our first Hottie of the Week is Ashley from Reebok CrossFit One. I’ve had the pleasure of getting go to Ashley’s Monday morning classes, and she is awesome. Her bubbly personality and energy is contagious, and she’s always there to encourage you and keep pushing you. I mean, that should come naturally to her seeing as she’s a Celtics cheerleader… And don’t let her pint size fool you. This girl is a solid bundle of muscle and she will kick yo ass! Read on:

Name: Ashley Anastasi
Stats (height, weight, age): 4’11, 90lbs, 26 years old
Hometown: Easton, MA
Nickname: “itty bitty” or “peanut”
Heartbreaker Status (married, single, engaged): Boyfriend <3
Been CrossFitting since: March 2011
Favorite WOD: Any WOD with gymnastics
Favorite CrossFit Hottie: My one and only, Jim Gambee aka JG <3
I eat…Too much!!
I like…Strawberry non-fat greek yogurt with strawberries & grapes
I love…Coffee oreo ice ceam
My friends would describe me as…Kind, tiny & caring
My guilty pleasure is…A grass fed beef burger with sweet potato fries OR coffee :)
I CrossFit and coach because…I enjoy helping people get stronger, faster and healthier each and every day, their progress is my reward :)
Most embarrassing moment at the gym: Missing the small box below me coming down from pull ups (yes, I need a box to get out to the pull up bar – HA!) and scraping my shin really bad…5 stitches, but still finished! 
Biggest accomplishment at the gym: Muscle ups and handstand walks for distance
Personal style outside of spandex,sports bras and high socks: I’m either in gym clothes, work clothes or something very comfty :)
When I’m not at the gym, I’m….A wedding planner by day and a Celtics cheerleader by night
Something people would be surprised to know about you: My Fran time is 4:38RX (new PR!)

What do you think of the new feature?! Jams and Hotties on Fridays? Yes please. We’re going to be running this for awhile so let us know if you have someone you’d like to nominate and feature :)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

-Emily