Tag Archives: health

Cyber Monday Giveaway!!

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Cyber Monday doesn’t really have anything to do with this post, but it is Cyber Monday, and I’m doing a Giveaway, so there you go. First Giveaway EVER! Hey yoo!

One of the best things about my new job is that I get to wear workout clothes all day, every day (even though I basically did that when I worked at Arnold.. whoops). It’s also been cold as balls in Boston lately, so I have to layer up. One of my favorite things right now is my Reebok Play Dry zip up. I seriously have been wearing it every day to work. It’s really light weight, but warm, so it’s great for layering or just wearing on its own.

Please excuse my face.. It was very early…

The awesome people at Reebok sent me an extra one to give to one KICK ASS reader out there! It’s the same exact one as mine, so we can be cyber twinsies. That sounds really creepy. But moving on. It’s a size small in heather grey, and it runs true to size. SO here are the rules… One of the things I’ve been most inspired by at my new job is how many women are coming in there and starting over and really taking getting into shape seriously. It’s not easy, and a lot of them have been through many hurdles to get to this point. It’s really inspiring and motivating.

So, if you want this goodie, leave a comment in the comments section telling us how you’ve overcome obstacles to get back on track with your fitness. Tell us how you’re getting out there, getting after it. It doesn’t have to be long. It can be something as simple as “I’ve been really bad with eating treats lately and I’m starting a 21 Day Sugar Detox and am fully committing to it and will probably be miserable and cry all the time” (that’s mine, you can’t use it). But let us know why YOU are deserving of this kick ass zip up. Oh, and then you have to tweet a picture to us using the hashtags #getafterit #reebok #sleepeatgymrepeat.

Cool?! We will choose the winners by Friday and email you if you won!!

Happy Monday, and Godspeed.

-Emily

* I received this gear at no cost from Reebok as part of a campaign with FitFluential LLC. I am not getting paid or reimbursed to give positive feedback, all opinions are my own. 

 
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Thankful/Food Rant

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I had this whole post planned on how I was going to be sappy and talk about everything that I’m thankful for, but then I decided to go on a food rant instead. I’ll get to the sappy stuff later!

I read this post, “Nutrition is Science” this morning from my good friend Rachele over at Strong Process. It’s worth reading the whole thing because she is a genius, but the last section stuck with me the most:

“If you’re confused about what to eat, it’s not because science is confused. It’s because the people interpreting and blaring the messages are confused. It’s because the food industry wants you to be confused so they can continue to sell you crap-in-a-box. It’s because celebrities and their know-nothing trainers are trying to get you to pay attention to them. It’s because fill-in-the-blank “expert” wants to make a million dollars on a book touting an amazing new diet where you eat only snozzberries juiced carefully into mystical water from a secret spring in Asia (I made that up, it doesn’t really exist…yet).  

Don’t be confused. Nutrition IS science, but it really isn’t that complicated when it comes to what you put in your mouth. Put REAL food on your Thanksgiving table and be grateful for how biologically equipped your body is to make use of it. Then, based on the laws of physics, you probably can’t actually burn all the calories you will consume (~4500kcal), so you should probably plan to go for a run…“

So, this Thanksgiving, do yourself a favor. Don’t buy into the whole gluttony thing. I’m not saying don’t splurge and have some mashed potatoes and stuffing and pumpkin pie, I’m talking portion control. There is NO need to load your plate up so much that you can’t see the actual plate, or go back for seconds (unless it’s dessert.. kidding! Or am I…?) Take small, itty bitty portions of everything. This way, you can sample everything without feeling deprived, and I imagine that your plate will fill up pretty quick.

Don’t use the holidays as an excuse to hop off the bandwagon. We have more than a month to go until Christmas. Are you really going to constantly be saying “oh well it’s the holidays” so you can eat like crap? Do you really bust your ass ALL year long just to let it go to waste and then make another New Year’s Resolution to lose weight or get healthy? Come on, people. Remember, EVERYTHING is a choice. No one is forcing you to go to holiday parties and stuff your face with cookies and eggnog. No one is forcing you to eat 4500 calories on Thanksgiving. Like Rachele said, the messaging is telling you to do that. The messaging of the media and the tradition of the holidays. I say, start a new tradition. So many of you are already on a path to better health and happiness. Your lifestyle has changed. So break the mold. Go for a run or go teach a spin class this morning (check). Grab your family and go for a walk after dinner (double check).

Ready for the sappy part? It’s not really even a sappy part, since I’m clearly not in a sappy mood, but I want you (and me) to remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving today. It’s not about stuffing our faces, or stressing about the holidays and materialism and fitting into our pants the next day. It’s about surrounding yourself with people you love and care about, and letting them know how thankful you are for having them in your life. No matter what if you’re vegan, Paleo, vegetarian, raw-dieter, food always has a way of bringing people together, so embrace spending time with your loved ones today. And embrace and be thankful for YOU. We often take it for granted how lucky we are. That we’re some of the few that are dedicating ourselves to live a long, healthy live. That we appreciate and cherish our bodies and our minds. That we even have food on our tables to be sharing with our families and friends. Seriously. This sounds so corny, but it’s true. Sometimes it hits me really hard how lucky I am- not just with my health, but with my family, my friends, my boyfriend, my new career… We get so caught up in our own little bubbles that we forget to see the big picture sometimes, and forget how fortunate we really are.

I just realized that I didn’t have a picture in this post, so here’s one of the people in my life I’m most thankful for.

What are YOU thankful for today?

-Emily

Crossfit: The “Fad” Sport

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Yesterday at work I was talking to the client about how I wanted to go running in Central Park.  He started talking about all the cool routes and asked me if I was a runner.  I responded with something along the lines of how I use to run in college, but haven’t run much since starting CrossFit.  He then looked at me and said “Oh yeah, that fad workout that everybodys doing?”.  Are you shitting me?

I’m sorry, I didn’t know a “fad” workout could get you in the best shape of your entire life.  Please, tell me more about your exercise philosophy…

Although it may come as a surprise to a lot of you, I do not get mad easily.  I’m usually pretty good about letting things slide and giving people the benefit of the doubt.  However, if someone talks smack about something I love, you better believe my inner bitch will come out.  However, since he is a superior (in work, not in life), I couldn’t speak my mind and defend my one true love that is CrossFit.   Instead, I explained to him in a fairly calm and professional voice that, although he might not be aware, CrossFit has actually been around for awhile and, in my opinion, is here to stay.  I started telling him how it is not just an “exercise routine” (his words, not mine), but rather an amazing community of people who rally around and support each other.   However, since he was fairly out of shape, what I really wanted to do was challenge him to a push up contest so I could whoop his ass.  Wait, that’s not lady like?  Whatever.

Oh, and if you were wondering, my “run” around Central Park ended up being a brisk walk.  It was far too hot and humid for that shizz.  But, regardless, the park is amazing.  I wanted to go to the zoo, but it was unfortunately close.  Next time, Central Park, next time.  Here are a couple of pictures!

Guess who finally got Instagram?!  This girl!

Phew, now I feel better!  Please tell me you guys have had similar experiences.  And now that that’s off my chest, I leave you guys with a little food for thought (pun intended)…

Complements of http://drkehres.com

Are you awkwardly passionate/protective of your workouts like I am?  What do you do? Please tell me I am the only crazy person here..

-Erica

Rants and Raves

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How bout a little Humpday rant?? I know, I promised that I would post this yesterday, but it didn’t happen. Clearly. I’m going to vent.

Things that bother me.

Slow walkers/cell phone talkers/hallway hoggers: OH. MY. GOD. You should see me when I get stuck behind someone walking slow. I literally get anxiety and start planning my path of escape around them. I have to walk through a crowded mall to get to my office building, so this happens almost every day. I just don’t understand why people walk so GD slow. Do you not have anywhere you need to be? If I am going somewhere, I am getting from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible, and if I’m just out for a walk for fun, you better believe I am hauling ass to get my burn on. I wish I had mega charged leaf blower I could swoosh people away with. Also grouped into this realm are people who walk around crowded public places with their noses buried into their phones. I just want to body slam into them and say “OH I’M SORRY, I WASN’T PAYING ATTENTION EITHER”. Same with people who just STOP in the middle of a hallway or public space. “Oh, what a convenient place to stop! How about right here, in the middle of all these people? That sounds great!!”

Smoke breaks: Why are non-smokers not allowed to take a 15 minute break every hour for fresh hair? Do I need to develop a life threatening habit to make it acceptable for me to leave my desk? “Ohh my gahd. I needa get sahm maah butts!!”

Selfies: I strongly dislike selfie pictures. Not necessarily other people taking them, but me taking them. I feel like a MySpace pedophile snapping some in the mirror shots. That being said, I’m trying to get more snaps of me working out, and sometimes the only way to do it is the good old selfie. Our Queen FitFluential bee, Kelly Olexa, is always taking them and always looks fabulous, so this is a #PROOF shot for her (although my facial expression still shows my true feelings..)

Derrrr. Right after doing abs this morning.. gettin’ there.. which brings me to my next hate…

ABS: Abs are my LEAST favorite thing to do. I just can’t get excited about doing them. I DO get really excited thinking about having a toned tummy, so if someone could transport one of those over that would be great. I think my biggest issue with abs is that so many exercises involve laying down, and when I lay down, I get sleepy and daydream about being on my couch or in my bed. And then I realize I’m on a sweaty gym floor and “Call me Maybe” is blasting in my ears for the 10th time in a row and I’ve only done one crunch. Fail.

Counting Calories: I get really bothered by the whole “counting calories” trend that is still happening. I understand portion control and cutting back on your food intake, but when people think they can eat 100 calorie packs of sugar free, reduced fat Cheezits and think that’s helping them out, I want to shake them and tell them to wake the F up. Also, if someone counted how many calories I consumed a day it would be semi embarrassing/epic.

This Stupid Sickness: I went to the doctor’s on Friday and my doctor thinks it’s acid reflux and gave me some Prilosec to take every morning for two weeks. But then I got sick the next night. Same exact symptoms. I’ve been being really conscious about not eating a ton and particularly not eating before bed, and Saturday night was no different. I finished dinner around 8, and the intense chest cramping and heartburn/shakes/chills/puking didn’t happen until 12:30-2:30. I also got blood work done so am hoping to get some more closure as to what the hell is going on.

Phew, okay, rant over. I’ll finish on a more positive note with some things I’m loving lately (I won’t be as descriptive because let’s face it, it’s more fun to rant than be mushy gushy)

What I’m loving….

  • Being in Boston. 
  • This summer. 
  • The inspiring people in my life. 
  • Spinning. 
  • Going Scotland and Iceland with my main man in less than 2 weeks!
  • Cooking. 
  • Paleo treats. 
  • Game of Thrones. 
  • Getting stronger. 
  • Sleeping like a rock (minus when I get my disease). 
  • My family. 
  • Sunshine. 
  • All things coconut. 
  • My AMAZEBALLS coat from AllSaints I got for half off! Wooot woot

 Gorgeous sunset on the Cape

A most delicious, all natural treat!

Jenna and Megan, two of my super inspiring, kick ass spin sisters

What are you guys loving or hating lately?? Wednesday is the day to let it all out!

Despite my rants, I’m a very happy, lucky girl.

Just don’t start walking slowly in front of me :)

-Emily

The Importance of Cross Training

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I’m pretty sure I have a food baby living in my belly. I went a little crazy with eating this weekend. I feel like I eat so clean leading up to getting in a bathing suit, but once I’m in my bikini on the beach, I let it all loose. It’s like, I’m already half naked, can’t change the way I look in 5 minutes, so I might as well indulge. And I can usually find a few people on the beach who look worse than I do to boost my self esteem. I’m a horrible person. Downfalls of this weekend included clam chowder, ice cream, and cookies. I had to do it for the sake of America.

In the midst of my food comas and face stuffing, I did make it to the gym on the Cape, and it reminded me how important it is to cross train. I definitely have been a spinning fiend the past few months because it’s the most convenient workout for me to do. But I really need to discipline myself and get to the gym at least twice a week to mix it up. I did 20 minutes on the ArcTrainer (my old favorite form of cardio) followed by a circuit on the Bosu ball (shoulders, biceps, and chest) followed by an abs and obliques circuit and HOLY CRAP I was SO sore the next day. Nothing I did was crazy challenging, but it was just the fact that I hadn’t done anything else besides spin in awhile. If you need a little incentive to get back on the cross-training wagon, here are some benefits:

  • Reduced risk of injury. By spreading the cumulative level of orthopedic stress over additional muscles and joints, individuals are able to exercise more frequently and for longer durations without excessively overloading particularly vulnerable areas of the body (e.g., knees, hips, back, shoulders, elbows and feet). People who are particularly prone to lower-leg problems from running long distances should consider incorporating low-impact activities such as elliptical training, cycling and swimming into their regimens. It should be noted, however, that competitive cross-trainers can experience certain overuse injuries due to inadequate muscle rest, an unbalanced workout schedule, or both.
  • Enhanced weight loss. Individuals who want to lose weight and body fat should engage in an exercise program that enables them to safely burn a significant number of calories. Research has shown that such a goal, in most instances, is best accomplished when individuals exercise for relatively long durations (i.e., more than 30 minutes) at a moderate level of intensity (i.e., 60 percent to 85 percent of maximal heart rate). Overweight individuals can effectively achieve a reduction in body weight and fat stores by combining two or more physical activities in a cross-training regimen. They can, for example, exercise on an elliptical trainer for 20 to 30 minutes and then cycle for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Improved total fitness. Cross training can include activities that develop muscular fitness, as well as aerobic conditioning. While an individual’s muscular fitness gains will typically be less than if he or she participated only in strength training, the added benefits of improving muscular strength and endurance can pay substantial dividends. For example, research has shown that resistance training can help individuals prevent injury, control body weight and improve functional capacity.
  • Enhanced exercise adherence. Research on exercise adherence indicates that many individuals drop out of exercise programs because they become bored or injured. Cross training is a safe and relatively easy way to add variety to an exercise program. In the process, it can play a positive role in promoting long-term exercise adherence by reducing the incidence of injury and eliminating or diminishing the potential for boredom. via Ace Fitness

So, here it is, I’m holding myself accountable by telling you guys I’m going to do cross training twice a week. The last thing I want to do is hit a plateau and not continue to get stronger and faster. I’ll be sure to take better notes of my workouts and share them here. Hold me to it!!

This is my theme for the month.

Anyone have some killer circuits to share? How do you guys motivate yourself to cross train and mix it up?

-Emily

Humpday Inspiration: Part II

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A little inspiration to get you through the rest of the week. Oh, and listen to this while you get inspired. As my teacher this morning put it this morning, “Sledgehammers are hard, tough, and strong” So go on and be a…… SLEDGEHAMMER. Why don’t you call my name? Singing at your desk is encouraged.

-Emily

all images via Pinterest

Paleo Diet for Athletes

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Hi! How was everyone’s weekend? Yes, I know it’s Tuesday, but Monday was such a blur, I’m counting today as the beginning of the week. 4 day week! Woo! (Not really).

We finally had some gorgeous weather here in Boston. I spent most of my day on Saturday rotating between laying out on my deck and the beach. It was the perfect opportunity to finally dive into The Paleo Diet for Athletes, which has been sitting on my nightstand for the past 4 months. Life has been so busy lately! I hate when I don’t have time to read. I try to read at night before going to bed, but the combination of Kava tea and physical exhaustion make keeping my eyes open a struggle.

So far, I’m pretty fascinated by everything I’m reading. I feel like I’ve been semi-slacking on eating clean lately, and reading stuff like this is always a good motivation to get back on track. What I like most about this book is that it is specifically geared towards athletes, and explains exactly why your body performs at its peak when eating a primal diet.

I won’t get into the super science-y stuff here (mostly because I have to read it over and over again before I actually understand it) but wanted to share the most interesting points I’ve come across so far. Dr. Cordain has a great breakdown of what you should eat before, during, and after your workouts to achieve prime performance. Thought this would be good incentive for everyone heading into the week! I’m going to go ahead and copy and paste directly from a more knowledgeable source, because if I tried to paraphrase, it would end up in doodles.

Stage I: Eating Before Exercise

In brief, we recommend that athletes eat low to moderate glycemic index carbohydrates at least two hours prior to a hard or long workout or race. There may also be some fat and protein in this meal. All foods should be low in fiber. Take in 200 to 300 calories for every hour remaining until exercise begins. If eating two hours prior is not possible, then take in 200 or so calories 10 minutes before the workout or race begins.

Stage II: Eating During Exercise

During long or hard workouts and races you will need to take in high glycemic index carbohydrates mostly in the form of fluids. Sports drinks are fine for this. Find one that you like the taste of and will drink willingly. Realize that events lasting less than about an hour (including warmup) don’t require any carbohydrate. Water will suffice for these. A starting point for deciding how much to take in is 200 to 400 calories per hour modified according to body size, experience and the nature of the exercise (longer events require more calories than short).

Stage III: Eating Immediately After

In the first 30 minutes postworkout (but only after long and/or highly intense exercise) and postrace use a recovery drink that contains both carbohydrate and protein in a 4-5:1 ratio. You can buy a commercial product such as Ultrafit Recovery™ (www.ultrafit.com) for this. Or you can make your own by blending 16 ounces of fruit juice with a banana, 3 to 5 tablespoons of glucose (such as CarboPro) depending on body size, about 3 tablespoons of protein powder, especially from egg or whey sources and two pinches of salt. This 30minute window is critical for recovery. It should be your highest priority after a hard workout or race.

Stage IV: Eating for Extended Recovery

For the next few hours (as long as the preceding challenging exercise lasted) continue to focus your diet on carbohydrates, especially moderate to high glycemic load carbohydrates along with protein at a 4-5:1 carbprotein ratio. Now is the time to eat nonoptimal foods such as pasta, bread, bagels, rice, corn and other foods rich in glucose as they contribute to the necessary carbohydrate recovery process. Perhaps the perfect Stage IV foods are raisins, potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.

Stage V: Eating for LongTerm

Recovery For the remainder of your day, or until your next Stage I, return to eating a Paleo Diet by focusing on optimal foods. For more information on the Paleo Diet go to www.thepaleodiet.com or read The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D.

via Training Peaks

What I found most interesting is that he recommends eating non-Paleo foods such as pasta, bread, or bagels immediately after working out. But only during that specific time period. Say whaaat?!

I’m going to continue to avoid doing that just because of my gluten sensitivity, but found it interesting nonetheless. Also- he recommends having sports drinks during extra long workouts. I also disagree with that, just because I find drinks like Gatorade and Powerade make my stomach cramp up, and I prefer sticking to just H2O when exercising.

How do you guys feel about that? Does anyone else stick to a primal diet but carb load after an intense workout? Any Gatorade fiends? Is this information as shocking to you as it is to me?! Spill the beans!

-Emily

Getting Back on Track

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So, I have a confession to make. I was bad this weekend. Bad as in I ate shitty food and drank too much. Womp womp. Let’s recap, shall we?

It started out fine on Friday night. Boyfran’ and I went to one of my favorite Mexican places in Boston, Papagayo. The food here is amazing- really fresh, light and authentic. However, they have a coconut milk margarita which is SO good. And coconut milk+tequila=Paleo.. right? Paleo-ish? But it knocked me on my ass. I’m a light weight to begin with, but I can usually last at least 2 drinks. Not this time. I was hammered. When I get hammered, you might as well just start injecting sugar and carbs into my system, because that’s all I want. In my intoxicated state, I ordered Boston cream churros (yes, you read that right), inhaled them, then went home and face planted into my bed. Oh, this all happened before 9:30PM. I am such a fun date.

Saturday I woke up with a resolve to get back on track. We were heading down to NYC, and I was signed up for a class at Flywheel, where I knew I would be able to un-do my damage from the night before. Mission accomplished. The class was killer (will be posting a review this week!). A few hours later I was starving, met some friends out at a bar, and ordered a rack of ribs, veggies, and sweet potatoes. And then tequila shots magically appeared in front of my face. 2 of them. Then they magically disappeared. Into my belly.

An hour later, and I was surprisingly feeling okay, but it was time for another feeding. This time it was sushi. I had a salad and split 2 rolls (not terrible, should have asked for them without rice but again.. drinking=not making rational decisions). We then meandered onto another bar to meet up with another friend (this is the problem with going back to NYC.. every time you meet up with an old buddy, it turns into “grabbing a drink”) where we were just going to have “one drink” which turned into 3. Again, more tequila into my belly. At this point, I was in the bag. On our way to the next bar (around 11pm at this point.. the “night” started around 5) I pass a bakery that is closing up so NATURALLY I need to run in and steal a cupcake during this narrow window of opportunity. The baker ended up giving it to me for free (probably because he thought I was a psycho and really desperate). We bonded for a few minutes over the stupidities of counting calories, and I went on my merry way. And by my “merry way”, I mean I popped a squat on the fire hydrant outside the bakery and ate my cupcake right there. My boyfriend was having a field day with this. He took a video of it too, which I’ll spare myself by not posting, but here’s some photo evidence:

A red velvet cupcake is Paleo.. right…? FAIL.

I did make the conscious decision to stop drinking after this point and ordered water at the next bar. Actually pretty sure I also ordered Patron on the rocks, but ditched it as soon as I smelt it. I won’t bore you with further details of what I ate on Sunday, but let’s just say that when you’re hungover, you don’t make wiser decisions than when you’re drunk. Sunday night was miserable- I had a HORRIBLE stomachache, and woke up all throughout the night with intense heartburn and muscle cramping.

The point of this long winded, rambling, TMI post is that sometimes, you get off track. You slip up on your diet, make dumb decisions, and feel like crap. But, you can always bounce back. Instead of going into a downward spiral for the rest of the week, this little slip has given me motivation to get back to eating super clean. For the next 2 weeks, I’m not going to drink or indulge in Paleo treats. Time to reset. And it’s not because I feel terribly guilty about what happened last weekend. It’s because it literally made me feel like shit, and I don’t want to do that to my body. Sure, I had fun, but it’s days like that that remind me why I went Paleo in the first place and why I want my body to operate at its fullest potential. Even after just one day of going back to eating clean, I felt so much better. I slept like a rock last night, had no stomach issues or heartburns, and had an awesome workout this morning.

Moral of the story: If you get off track and cheat a bit, don’t let it discourage you. We’re all human. Things are bound to happen. But use that energy and resentment to get back on track 110%. And if you need some incentive to do a little 14 day get clean challenge, join me!

What do you guys do when you get off track? Wallow in a vat of cookie dough (I was tempted) or do you get right back at it?

-ES