tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21356312833813110362024-03-19T00:02:27.467-04:00Healthy Fitness EdgeGaining the edge on living healthy and fit!HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-14315956476071106322014-03-01T23:24:00.000-05:002014-03-01T23:27:45.256-05:00Time to get ready for spring...Spring Bootie Buster Challenge<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRQC2oVA688/UwvHMPqdlzI/AAAAAAAAcOQ/gghou3ZX-3c/s1600/SBBC2014Logo%25255B2%25255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRQC2oVA688/UwvHMPqdlzI/AAAAAAAAcOQ/gghou3ZX-3c/s1600/SBBC2014Logo%25255B2%25255D.jpg" /></a>It's sign up time for the Spring Bootie Buster Challenge (SBBC). Amanda @ <a href="http://www.runtothefinish.com/" target="_blank">RunToTheFinish</a> is hosting the second Spring Bootie Buster Challenge. This is my, I think, 5th Bootie Buster Challenge. I love them and I think you should give it a try.<br />
<br />
<b><i>So, what is it? </i></b>It's a 7 week "Challenge" of motivation, workout ideas, clean eating recommendations and motivational support of a great group of like-minded ladies! (although, Matt did participate the first year and he always asks if any other guys are participating. ;) )<br />
<br />
<b><i>When does it all go down?</i></b> <a href="http://www.runtothefinish.com/2014/02/spring-bootie-buster-challenge-new.html" target="_blank">Sign up</a> is now, but the challenge runs from 17 Mar to 4 May. Currently, registration is only $12.50, but will shortly go up to $17, and then to $25 on the 17th.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Who is it? </i></b>Amanda @ RunToTheFinish is a great friend who I met several years ago while running in the Nike Run Club on South Beach! She is awesome and pulls together a great event with AMAZING PRIZES! oh, had I not mentioned the prizes yet? They are always SUPER SWEET! One year I won Oakley and McDavid compression tights, and another year a sweet skin care kit. And every year, I <u>have FUN and see RESULTS</u>.<br />
<br />
<b><i>What results, you might ask? </i></b>Well, whatever you're looking for and are ready to dedicate to reaching! During 2012's H(oliday)BBC, my goal was to just stay active and eat my freggies to maintain my healthy pregnancy! In last year's SBBC, which either started a few weeks before my beautiful CAT was born, my goal was just to eat healthy and walk enough to help spur on labor so I could have the water birth that I'd planned! I met my goals during both of those challenges!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8h1zjSo7p69DVI9vLWQBDjCYGhuGaC9n_5ZZoC-sK9SorNsd9GhOJSPqBZQumMhiUC88H13LVTKx2x1o3Ig1YgY9qMCcwm01Hi85i7EkqCvJdhZHCeTLi_RQTd4cWsH2tGJRW-02LWznz/s1600/samarachallenge9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8h1zjSo7p69DVI9vLWQBDjCYGhuGaC9n_5ZZoC-sK9SorNsd9GhOJSPqBZQumMhiUC88H13LVTKx2x1o3Ig1YgY9qMCcwm01Hi85i7EkqCvJdhZHCeTLi_RQTd4cWsH2tGJRW-02LWznz/s1600/samarachallenge9.jpg" height="320" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Family Countdown Challenge <br />
Workout during HBBC '13</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
During this year's HBBC 2013, my goal was to help me eat my freggies and enjoy exercising so I could shed off the last few pounds I was holding onto! Success! Just after the HBBC, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight! And I'm feeling pretty good!<br />
<br />
Are you ready to join us and get some motivation to get ready for spring and summer? If so, find more information <a href="http://www.runtothefinish.com/2014/02/spring-bootie-buster-challenge-new.html" target="_blank">here and register</a>. Please add either my name (Samara Elledge) or my blog name as the referral when you do sign up!<br />
<br />
And, I'll see you on the SBBC Facebook page for motivation!HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-9447105966506616162014-02-24T14:33:00.003-05:002014-02-24T14:33:41.765-05:00Fitness Workouts while Pregnant: Second TrimesterI am about to wrap up my second trimester of my first (so-far-successful) pregnancy. Staying physically active during pregnancy is so important for many reasons, including these:<br />
<ul>
<li>Maintaining your strength and flexibility, which will help throughout the pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and post-partum</li>
<li>Helping you to gain weight at a steady rate to remain healthy and prevent complications such as gestational diabetes</li>
<li>Promoting healthy sleep patterns which again helps baby grow!</li>
<li>Helps to keep you regular! yeah, I mean that way (see my post on <a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2012/12/dont-leave-home-without-em-dried-plums.html" target="_blank">prunes</a> for another way)</li>
</ul>
<div>
Check out <a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2013/01/fitness-workouts-while-pregnant-who.html" target="_blank">yesterday's post </a>on ideas for your first trimester. Today, I will discuss what I've done during my second trimester. You might hear that the second trimester is the best and so far I can confirm (mind you, I've never experienced a third...yet!) Great things happen in your second: your energy increases, hopefully your morning sickness subsides, and you get to see your baby in the ultrasound! This is the trimester to get things done and, as I've found, to increase my fitness regimen a little in preparation for the third trimester and birth!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Second Trimester - Here is what I've done during my second trimester:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Strength Training 2-4 times per week. I have been able to increase my weights a slight amount from what I lifted during the first trimester, but I am still keeping them lower than what I lifted pre-pregnancy.</li>
<li>Running 2-4 times and walking 2-4 times per week. I took a little break after my race in October, but when the <a href="http://www.runtothefinish.com/2012/11/hbbc-2012.html" target="_blank">Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge </a>came around, I finally used it as a kick in the Bootie to get back out running. I definitely felt much better during this trimester, but that bladder still seems so small when you start to jog! haha!</li>
<li>Yoga 1-7 times per week. During the challenge, I started incorporating 20 minutes of yoga practice at home to work on my flexibility and to help release some back pain that I'd created. </li>
<li>Group Fitness/Cardio and Core classes 2-4 times per week. With the return of my energy, and the kick in the Bootie of the HBBC, I was encouraged to get to the gym for several group classes, to include BodyCombat, CXWORX (core), cycling, and dancing (Sh'Bam and Zumba)</li>
</ul>
<div>
Now, you may add all of these up and say, "Sam, there is no way you were doing 20+ classes/workouts a week." You would be right, my activity flowed from week to week, but I have managed to be pretty <b>consistent in just staying active</b> and I think that is key!</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Considerations:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I've had to make some modifications to my strength training (BodyPump and CXWORX):</li>
<ul>
<li>I have widened my squats to account for my change in balance and I also need to modify my range of motion on squats on certain days. </li>
<li>I do most of my plank work on my knees now because I started noticing more pulls in my belly and so, while trying to maintain core strength, I don't want to injure my belly either.</li>
<li>Prone lying poses are out right now. When we do leg raises or belly poses, I modify to something on my knees. For leg raises, or supermans, I kneel on all fours and do leg lifts and/or arm raises to try and mimic what the actual move is and still reach similar muscles.</li>
</ul>
<li>Yoga - the second trimester is where you really need to start modifying yoga to fit your pregnancy. I will post next week on body changes and modifications.</li>
<li>BodyCombat/Kickboxing - I can still do the majority of BodyCombat, but I pull back on the intensity as needed. I do not do most of the plyometric moves and just choose the lower options offered of either marching in place, lightly jogging in place, or just staying on the ground when the high jumps are involved. I also do lower kicks of all varieties so as not to overstretch my hamstrings. But I can definitely still get a good sweat and strength workout in even with these modifications.</li>
<li>Cycling - Last night during cycling is the first time that I felt it really affect my belly, but that is because mine is just starting through it's biggest growth spurt. During some challenging portions of the ride, I felt some pulling in my belly that was a new sensation, not like I've felt while running. Regardless, when I felt this, I just dialed back the intensity until the feeling subsided and then i jumped back into my groove.</li>
<li>Utilize your resources- If you do take group fitness classes, head to class a little early and talk with your instructor about modifications that you can make throughout the class. Your instructor will work with you to make sure you are getting a good workout, but in a safe way for both you and your little one.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Always remember to consult your physician prior to engaging in a new exercise regimen while pregnant. But remember that it is your body and you know when something doesn't feel right! Moderation and balance in fitness and rest during your second trimester will reap great benefits for both you and your growing baby!<br />
<br />
P.S. I wrote this while actually in my second trimester....and my little CAT is now 10 months old. I forgot to actually post this! Oops! Please forgive me! :)</div>
</div>
HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-74942221942417093782014-02-24T14:32:00.000-05:002014-02-24T15:15:43.846-05:00Lavender...so much more than sachets!Since I've become a mother, I've been using essential oils for all sorts of things. I started during my pregnancy, as I was preparing for childbirth. I was planning a natural childbirth and so began researching which essential oils could help me achieve my goals. I had several by my side during labor and deliver, to include Clary Sage, Jasmine and Lavender. Once our baby girl came along, I've been using Tea Tree Oil in our homemade bum wipes; and when she had chest congestion this winter, I used a balm of Eucalpytus, Lavender, and Chamomile on her chest to help her breathe and sleep better.<br />
<br />
Maybe I'll talk about the rest in future posts, but today, I want to talk about Lavender. We use it all of the time...or if you're like me, you used it before you even thought about essential oils. It came in sachets for my unmentionables (ha). I sprayed in onto my pillow in a pillow spray before bedtime! And I had it in all sorts of bath time goodness: bath bombs, bath oils, soaps and hair products! Now that I've entered the essential oils world (and, full disclosure, I've become an <a href="https://www.youngliving.org/srelledge" target="_blank">Independent Young Living Distributor</a>)...I've learned so many of the benefits of this amazing essential oil...beyond just the relaxing scent!<br />
<br />
Here are just a few of the great uses for lavender:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzWGslA1bnbz1hWy0JGXT-lxSjwdEjybQO9dQviPBpoy0Z6CS5bFSeYlyDv6fep9eDfTNO5ASM45BbB-kLfKtNBe4A8e4waH9TgesfLz393rhl49otXmU6mrQ3-HdGe1eOUfaPKvzzVq_/s1600/Screenshot+2014-02-24+12.55.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzWGslA1bnbz1hWy0JGXT-lxSjwdEjybQO9dQviPBpoy0Z6CS5bFSeYlyDv6fep9eDfTNO5ASM45BbB-kLfKtNBe4A8e4waH9TgesfLz393rhl49otXmU6mrQ3-HdGe1eOUfaPKvzzVq_/s1600/Screenshot+2014-02-24+12.55.04.png" height="305" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been eyeing a pin on Pinterest about lavender lemonade. It looks so good....it's purple! But, I am the worst at growing plants! I have tried to grow lavender several times, to no avail. I am chalking it up to living in hot climates...I've tried in both Texas and Miami. (It's surely not that I have no green thumb!) </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, now that I have therapeutic grade lavender in Young Living's Essential Oils (and someone else is successfully doing the growing for me), I figured I have a chance to try it out. So, I looked at the pin and she uses sugar, fresh lavender and fresh lemons (and, GASP, food coloring for the purple color! I've been set up!!). Here is the recipe I used as a guide <a href="http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/06/lavender-lemonade/" target="_blank">Centsational Girl's Lavender Lemonade.</a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I used Young Living Lavender Essential Oil, YL Lemon Essential Oil, and stevia extract. The first cup I made, I left out the stevia. It was fine until I reached the bottom of the glass...then it tasted a bit like soap. So, I added a few drops of stevia in the next glass, and I am in heaven. Not only does it taste amazing, but I also feel like I'm sitting on a hilltop overlooking fields of lavender in France. ;) And who would want to pass up these additional benefits:</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Lavender Essential Oils:</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWSFx5nU3IQ843o8l_DF7rgFU3GB6sNI9JkgkqhUiyYavyAKsesYkZ5eTEsB9MNHIzl6YhUn7-QsZpDBXhjDZN0GGX1AGLdMzPFsiRH6DuDkstGQiynOAWF7Vi5-BprH1gP8E_Ly3saZB/s1600/3639208656_f5a3aaec59_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWSFx5nU3IQ843o8l_DF7rgFU3GB6sNI9JkgkqhUiyYavyAKsesYkZ5eTEsB9MNHIzl6YhUn7-QsZpDBXhjDZN0GGX1AGLdMzPFsiRH6DuDkstGQiynOAWF7Vi5-BprH1gP8E_Ly3saZB/s1600/3639208656_f5a3aaec59_o.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>
<li>Balance normal body functions</li>
<li>Soothes and relaxes the mind and body</li>
<li>Eases bodily tension and stress</li>
</ul>
<div>
Lemon Essential Oils:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Boosts natural defenses</li>
<li>Promotes energy and mental clarity</li>
<li>Refreshing</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Please be advised that I only recommend this with therapeutic grade Young Living Essential Oils. Not all EOs are created equally. <u>You can check the packaging and see that many EOs are not meant to be ingested.</u> <b>But, most Young Living Oils can be ingested either neat (without diluting in oil or another carrier) or diluted.</b> Check out my <a href="https://www.youngliving.org/srelledge" target="_blank">website</a> on more information on <a href="https://www.youngliving.org/srelledge" target="_blank">Young Living products</a> and feel free to contact me for any more information!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now for the details:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><b>Young Living Lavender Lemonade</b></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
2-3 Drops YL Lemon EO</div>
<div>
2-3 Drops YL Lavender EO</div>
<div>
2 or more drops (to taste) liquid stevia or powdered stevia to taste</div>
<div>
24 oz. filtered water</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Stir gently and pour over water for a refreshing drink! (And please accept my apologies for it not being purple.) </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Note: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. And this information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.</div>
HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-89452599538140263312013-01-10T17:12:00.002-05:002013-01-10T17:12:30.069-05:00HBBC Roll-Up Weeks 5-7<br />
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">HBBC wrapped up this past weekend! While I haven't posted on my progress in a few weeks, that doesn't mean that I didn't continue working towards my goals (and meeting <i>some</i> - hehe). While my average weekly points went down quite a bit in weeks 5-7, I met my number one goal of eating my full servings of fruits and veggies every day during the challenge! So I score that as a </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>SUCCESSFUL CHALLENGE</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">!</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ImFGJURbB3LMMA8xSJUq5icUFrLc_LkDkBktOsf1BINfdgQ-39w1Y17GjIXqI6Fv44SW7yRYgeNaxfDQLDvMK1r18c9ltlGYG1bCx5JeU8lxNWBct4BXpB2v9IRAMtUEgZ0NTWZYwyc3/s1600/photo-15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ImFGJURbB3LMMA8xSJUq5icUFrLc_LkDkBktOsf1BINfdgQ-39w1Y17GjIXqI6Fv44SW7yRYgeNaxfDQLDvMK1r18c9ltlGYG1bCx5JeU8lxNWBct4BXpB2v9IRAMtUEgZ0NTWZYwyc3/s200/photo-15.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first real Pregnancy Pic:<br />27 Weeks, Post Challenge!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><i>HBBC Week #5 Roll-Up:</i></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Miles Run/Walk: </b>7<b>Strength/Core Workouts: </b>4<b>Yoga Practice/Stretching: </b>2<b>Group Cardio Workouts: </b>1</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Total Weekly HBBC Points:</b> 31.5</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Swims: 0</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Days w/ Complete Freggies Intake: </b>7</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Bonus Points</b>: 8</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Week 5 Goal: </b>Pick back up on the overall exercise level. (Since I hadn't met this goal </span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This week started off strong, Matt and I got to the gym Monday night after work and knocked out some cardio. But then it went downhill, Well, as we started getting sick and we had a little crud going on throughout weeks 5 and 6. Also, Matt did not get home from work as early as I'd expected for the rest of the week. So, most of my exercise was teaching my classes, walking the dog, and stretching! But still, better than nothing!</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px; text-align: right;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Surprise of the week: </b>Basically, the cold surprised me and kept me on the couch for a lot of the week. :(</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><i>HBBC Week #6 Roll-Up:</i></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Miles Run/Walk: </b>4</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Strength/Core Workouts: </b>2</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Yoga Practice/Stretching: </b>5</span></div>
<div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px; text-align: right;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Group Cardio Workouts: </b>1</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Swims: 0</b></span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Days w/ Complete Freggies Intake: </b>7</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 15.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Total Weekly HBBC Points:</b> 25</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<b>Bonus Points</b>: 8</div>
<div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px; text-align: right;">
<br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Week 6 Goal: </b>Pick back up on the overall exercise level. (Week 5's goal carried over, since I didn't reach it)</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px; text-align: right;">
<br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEbXvHKyXdUCORsISV7WrvW-rze8xt_RPiwQEFB8cBzmUlnE9KXOWl-M1QMyjuN4UwtuYCrkUs2vzyrAGhOmY5ptHt-WXWdFupH4CKOgp8QqvTugM4gw0K6YU_HNVCnmpKsUNfDUbsEab/s1600/photo-16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEbXvHKyXdUCORsISV7WrvW-rze8xt_RPiwQEFB8cBzmUlnE9KXOWl-M1QMyjuN4UwtuYCrkUs2vzyrAGhOmY5ptHt-WXWdFupH4CKOgp8QqvTugM4gw0K6YU_HNVCnmpKsUNfDUbsEab/s200/photo-16.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lots of couch time w/ Knight! ;P</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Still sick and Matt was even more so. Again, workouts involved the Pump classes that I teach and then I stretched or did some yoga poses while watching tv to just get something in!</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Surprise of the week: </b>I was surprised how the pregnancy is affecting my muscles and ligaments, in that I still just feel a little too stretched from the hip opener focused yoga that I'd done a few weeks ago!</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><i>HBBC Week #7 Roll-Up:</i></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i> </i><b><i>FINAL WEEK!!!</i></b></span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Miles Run/Walk: </b>5.57</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Strength/Core Workouts: </b>3</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Yoga Practice/Stretching: </b>4</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px; text-align: right;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Group Cardio Workouts: </b>1</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Swims: 0</b></span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Days w/ Complete Freggies Intake: </b>7</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 15.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Total Weekly HBBC Points:</b> 25.57</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px; text-align: right;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Bonus Points</b>: 6</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Week 7 Goal: </b>Pick back up on the overall exercise level. (Again Weeks 5 and 6 goal carried over, since I didn't reach it...again ;P)</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We finally started feeling well again this week (although I had a sleep hangover on New Year's Day from staying up too late and that has thrown my whole sleep schedule off). I was able to get back to the gym for BodyCombat and CXWORX and led a yoga class on Saturday that was packed and the energy was awesome!</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Surprise of the week: </b>I was still surprised at how the HBBC and group motivation was encouraging me to get out there even when I didn't want to! Whether it was the lure of points or feeling guilty when I saw all the other participants' activity, the HBBC helped to get me off the couch and out moving!</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWQVDllBJZvtYLGpld9wbwC_n-P9SdkrY4Fn1pEPg4weQDakLkpAna6vl2kIP1FieTYU7gfjWb2cmfvD2hYYse0ZbECCkuSCvRTQFaO7x2EOHTYN2zWSVG9KQ4hhcDH5_8vkF293XBWWW/s1600/photo-17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWQVDllBJZvtYLGpld9wbwC_n-P9SdkrY4Fn1pEPg4weQDakLkpAna6vl2kIP1FieTYU7gfjWb2cmfvD2hYYse0ZbECCkuSCvRTQFaO7x2EOHTYN2zWSVG9KQ4hhcDH5_8vkF293XBWWW/s320/photo-17.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Veggies on my pizza!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>Final wrap up:</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Huge Thank You you to Amanda @ <a href="http://www.runtothefinish.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #1800af; text-decoration: underline;">RunToTheFinish</span></a> for hosting such an amazing challenge! <b><i>My overall goal going in was to use the motivation to force me to eat more whole fruits and veggies </i></b>so that I can give all the needed nutrients to my Little Tuna growing in my belly! This challenge was definitely just what I needed. Whereas I entered my second trimester still not craving fruits and veggies, I am now going into my third craving them again! I can't eat enough berries, apples, and bananas. Even salads, broccoli, and green beans sound pretty tasty these days! I will be participating in the HBBC next year - and will consider the potential Spring challenge (only because it falls around my due date, but that really doesn't matter - still need to be somewhat active, right?)</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Did you participate in the HBBC? </b>What was the greatest benefit you gained from participating?</span></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 16.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Are you wondering what the HBBC was? </b>Well, <a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2012/11/holiday-bootie-buster-challenge-2012.html"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #1800af; text-decoration: underline;">check out this page</span></a> and then plan on joining in on the fun, hopefully in the spring!!!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-63845512923371180332013-01-10T16:24:00.001-05:002013-01-10T16:24:44.640-05:00Fitness Workouts while Pregnant: Who knows your body better than you?Today, at the gym, I talked to a girl about working out while pregnant. She said that when she was pregnant, she became borderline diabetic and her doctor had recommended that she stopped working out after the first trimester. She followed his advice and went through her pregnancy gaining excess weight and having difficulty during her delivery because she had lost her endurance and strength since cutting back on exercise. She said that she was generally fit pre-pregnancy and really wanted to continue her workouts at the gym throughout, but followed her doctor's recommendation and merely walked for exercise throughout pregnancy. She is thinking about having another child and she would like to approach fitness and pregnancy differently this time around!<br />
<br />
Wow! Ok, I am not a doctor, but I was saddened to hear that she'd received this recommendation from hers! Doctors are great (my dad is one), but sometimes I think we need to listen respectfully to what they offer in certain situations and then listen to your body, do your own research and then make a decision on what is right for you. Everything that I have read about exercising while pregnant does start with consulting your doctor, which is important, especially if you had health issues prior to becoming pregnant. But my motto in life is balance and moderation. If you can find a good balance between maintaining a good fitness level through pregnancy while also monitoring your body to ensure you are doing all that you can to protect and grow the little one inside you, then why not?<br />
<br />
Here are a few ways that I modify my fitness workouts while I am pregnant to ensure that I am still remaining active and maintaining my strength and cardiovascular capacity, so that 1. I can keep growing a strong and healthy Little Tuna, but also 2. so that I can be strong throughout my labor and delivery!!<br />
<br />
First Trimester - The first trimester is when I did cut back on my exercise level and frequency, however <b>I did not stop!</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Strength training 2-3 times per week - I am a fitness instructor so this was actually less than I had been, but even if you're not an instructor, 2-3 weeks is great and you can modify your intensity as needed; I already decreased the weight amount I lifted in this trimester</li>
<li>Running 2-3 times a week - I had just started training for the Army Ten Miler when I learned I was pregnant and had not been running consistently in over a year, so I only ran very easily during the first two months and walked whenever I felt winded or pulling in my belly - read more on that <a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2012/12/running-while-pregnant-early-on-affects.html" target="_blank">here</a></li>
<li>Yoga a few times a month (I could have increased this, but I was really tired, so sleep was more important to me)</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0f6Qxj73-pttqGZbG3NJDRvGcKHri_Ns9HPs28l_XiVmjXCRiffwI7n8kZVa7fvgdqPUFI60DffKk87xW_EFuOq7uu4GXBEl6xi6Au7myf75s00CdxRKQdPdIimTHPcbo-QBvj0ZKPHJ/s1600/photo-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0f6Qxj73-pttqGZbG3NJDRvGcKHri_Ns9HPs28l_XiVmjXCRiffwI7n8kZVa7fvgdqPUFI60DffKk87xW_EFuOq7uu4GXBEl6xi6Au7myf75s00CdxRKQdPdIimTHPcbo-QBvj0ZKPHJ/s320/photo-14.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only race I'd done in the year prior to pregnancy,<br />while I was recovering from plantar fasciitis.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Considerations:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>In the first trimester, you're dealing with increased fatigue and probably some form of morning sickness. I was just nauseous all day and really the only times I felt well were while working out or the 30-45 minutes after I had eaten (So I ate small snacks very frequently). But definitely work with your fatigue and don't overexert yourself any time during your pregnancy.</li>
<li>Your body is already making tremendous changes during this trimester, so always listen to <b>your body!</b> For example, my chest was growing <i>fast</i> and hurt, so running did not always feel awesome, hence the slow pace and walking.</li>
<li>As for yoga, this is the one trimester when you can still do most of the poses, so, if you are new to yoga and want to incorporate it into your prenatal program, this is when to start it up, learn the poses and then you can build strength, flexibility, and consistency. In the following trimesters, you can then edit poses as needed.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LoZf4Jt538Puy1euPlwUHV2hplnPll8ysdTgTWVMGYIsXK87mSHjyG7Zccb7e_Bly4irrz7vyB7hjRjyB9HSEviVdI017w02KHlWWrXyiGtzAqCc4CanNNm3b3O4LMO1cweIELQDWfJL/s1600/photo-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LoZf4Jt538Puy1euPlwUHV2hplnPll8ysdTgTWVMGYIsXK87mSHjyG7Zccb7e_Bly4irrz7vyB7hjRjyB9HSEviVdI017w02KHlWWrXyiGtzAqCc4CanNNm3b3O4LMO1cweIELQDWfJL/s320/photo-13.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoga with my two faves, during the first trimester!<br />Knight really has Side-Lying Savasana down.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These are a few ideas on how to continue on (or even begin) your fitness journey during pregnancy. Tomorrow, I'll cover the second trimester (which I'm currently enjoying!). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Just remember, <b>YOU KNOW YOUR BODY BEST!</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How have you modified your fitness workouts during a pregnancy? Are you newly pregnant and looking for ideas on where to start? If so, let me know!</div>
HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-74113372605457603322013-01-07T19:27:00.000-05:002013-01-07T19:27:35.987-05:00Running while Pregnant: 5 by the 5th Virtual SeriesI've had a struggle with loving to run for, well, for my whole life. ha! But I do enjoy races and I love the calories that it burns when I do run, so I power through it. After the Army Ten Miler in October, I took at least a month off from running and only jumped back in to earn points for the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge starting in November (yes, I can be bribed to exercise when needed). When I got sick over Christmas, I cut down on the running, but had previously signed up for this great virtual race series, http://www.mommyrunfast.com/5-by-5th-virtual-run-series/, hosted by Laura @ <a href="http://www.mommyrunfast.com/" target="_blank">Mommy Run Fast</a>. The challenge is to commit to running either 5K or 5 Miles by the 5th of each month, from January to June.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQ8ASwBVU4Nhc9rDnG0Bn9DIOIOOt6yYTlCiHVH7p9PzdOnJ74sCns58vvOdf8fQX7MqQOQd2DOVE10I-fiBQSeJJ7sSrlo4HjGz6vVZGuzDzzjIQ-vSO4B4Etqli8-KhydVpe5XYKG0V/s1600/5bythe5th-Race-Bib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQ8ASwBVU4Nhc9rDnG0Bn9DIOIOOt6yYTlCiHVH7p9PzdOnJ74sCns58vvOdf8fQX7MqQOQd2DOVE10I-fiBQSeJJ7sSrlo4HjGz6vVZGuzDzzjIQ-vSO4B4Etqli8-KhydVpe5XYKG0V/s320/5bythe5th-Race-Bib.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So, now that I'm feeling better...and January has arrived, I had to get in my run! I ended up doing my Resolution Run for Amanda @ RunToTheFinish and my 5K all in one on 2 Jan (yes, better late than never), but I had a killer hangover from staying up so late on New Year's Eve! (apparently baby likes consistent bedtimes). Knight and I ventured out in my bright new Christmas running shoes, Saucony Progrid Mirage 2.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifH1QKDtApo11V4X4TsyB7HmqT_oWj0L7rdfWCEfEtlSzS685Tm0bHBEYjl0mqWm1I0k7uaWdsswbtpI23hzTJ2WP0Xd6Oth8YdILxnMU9vEI-v2psk6_aPPMQATUBCoOiRUqsdK2YSNIS/s1600/photo-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifH1QKDtApo11V4X4TsyB7HmqT_oWj0L7rdfWCEfEtlSzS685Tm0bHBEYjl0mqWm1I0k7uaWdsswbtpI23hzTJ2WP0Xd6Oth8YdILxnMU9vEI-v2psk6_aPPMQATUBCoOiRUqsdK2YSNIS/s200/photo-10.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
We ran 3.12 miles, just over 5K, in 37:16. Nice and slow, but I did push it on the last mile, which is something that I haven't been able to do in awhile, so that was good. It required a nice long cool down walk afterwards.<br />
<br />
The shoes feel really good and provide more support than my Saucony Kinvara's that I can't really run in anymore as they aggravate my plantar fasciitis. What I can't blame on the shoes is something I've felt over the last month since I picked running back up; it's what I call ice skating feet. It's the sore pain I've felt in the sides of my feet whenever I ice skate, since I was a little kid. I don't know if anyone else feels this pain, but since I do enjoy skating, I always powered through it and took breaks as needed. It might have something to do with my wide feet, but I say the new shoes aren't the cause, because I've even felt it while wearing my trusty New Balance 763's, the model in which I've been running for at least 10 years as my 'safe' shoe. I do think this new sore feet feeling is somehow related to pregnancy. Maybe my feet are swelling or maybe it's something else. Not sure.<br />
<br />
But, I got my mileage in and hopefully will get some more in before February arrives. ;)HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-88828507234508128452012-12-19T14:43:00.001-05:002012-12-19T14:43:39.577-05:00Fitness Workouts while Pregnant: Weights, belly and absToday I am entering week 24 of my pregnancy! And I've just starting feeling comfortable sharing with you on the affects pregnancy has been having on my body and my workouts. Last week, I shared how my <a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2012/12/running-while-pregnant-early-on-affects.html" target="_blank">running has been affected during the first trimester</a>. Today, I wanted to share on how I've had to edit my lifting and group cardio workouts to fit my newly changing body.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZ5tiYEkAQkyWZsGotbY5Cqy7ImZqZ2C7usyYeV0rajTvlfM8yVihdN_IP1HtgCr-Uh9L78pAYOijNQ8XMmDoAfV18urBC_-9YvS-PkLOi4WFooKcwSpwFzEciVBq7N9y47GzHkf1K-yc/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZ5tiYEkAQkyWZsGotbY5Cqy7ImZqZ2C7usyYeV0rajTvlfM8yVihdN_IP1HtgCr-Uh9L78pAYOijNQ8XMmDoAfV18urBC_-9YvS-PkLOi4WFooKcwSpwFzEciVBq7N9y47GzHkf1K-yc/s320/DSC_0028.JPG" width="269" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm lifting half this weight now, and teaching<br />much less frequently.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The most impact the pregnancy has had on my lifting workouts so far is weight selection. In wanting to take it somewhat easy, while still staying active, during the first trimester, my first decision was to decrease the weights that I lift. Most of my lifting takes place while I'm teaching BodyPump these days, as I just want to let my body recover fully between workouts and so I have enough energy to teach my next class! :) The biggest shift that I have seen is in my squat and lunge weights; I have basically cut those in half and am not even attempting to increase while I'm pregnant - I'd rather just maintain the strength that I have. Everything else has just gone down slightly.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I usually recommend to my students that they focus on two or three body parts during a particular class and try and increase their weights on those and see how they feel.</i> I'm following my own philosophy, however, I also recommend they create a new baseline weight selection for themselves, and I have mostly been only increasing weight for one class and then going back to my previous weight. For example, this past Monday I increased my biceps weight. Usually, I would recommend that my students then stay with that weight in the future while also increasing another weight, let's say squats, at the next class. This way, they will gradually increase their overall strength over time. Since I have a different focus now, to maintain strength, instead, on Friday, I will take my biceps weight back down to my "pregnancy baseline" and maybe increase my chest weight. This way I am still challenging myself, while also not over-exhausting myself and the baby.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6vyN3nisJHH0r-PVTCohPL-KxFdOt4Jg6UUGBeh-0rsnYB3o2OW5AJ1wWPF0t6JwZWljUpUUX2cZGqEUJ9czuseI8sc7emI08Wy-oZRxUhtOmrPeEwOSY4yY0LPlUTqw5xZI3fCBt4Lt/s1600/DSC_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6vyN3nisJHH0r-PVTCohPL-KxFdOt4Jg6UUGBeh-0rsnYB3o2OW5AJ1wWPF0t6JwZWljUpUUX2cZGqEUJ9czuseI8sc7emI08Wy-oZRxUhtOmrPeEwOSY4yY0LPlUTqw5xZI3fCBt4Lt/s320/DSC_0037.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-pregnancy, when I could still do this on my toes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As far as my belly and core, this is where I have also seen a difference. During the middle of the first trimester, I modified my core workouts by doing most of my planks on my knees rather than on my toes. I was surprised at how early on (as early as 10 weeks), I felt that I had less control of my abs than I am used too. So, any ab work that I did in the prone position, I modified early on. I am still able to do crunches and leg extensions as well as other moves while on my back, however, I just take more frequent breaks. Just last week, while finishing up BodyPump, we were doing planks with hand pointers. I was feeling good, so I started on my toes, but after about two hand pointers, felt a pull/strain in my belly and basically lost strength control of my abs, so I finished on my knees. I am assuming that at some point in the next few months, prone work won't be possible for me and I'll figure out some alternatives when I get there. ;)<br />
<br />
What is most important for all of us, even if you aren't pregnant, is to listen to your body. I was pretty fit going in to pregnancy, so I've been able to keep up a pretty good workout routine thus far. If you are just starting with your fitness BECAUSE of the baby growing inside you, remember that it's okay to start slow and to take it easy! <i>Slow and steady wins the race.</i> Walking, alone, can help keep your heart nice and strong and your blood flowing for both you and your baby. And always remember to talk with your physician before starting any exercise regimen...it's even more important when you're pregnant.<br />
<br />
<b>How have you modified your exercise program during pregnancy? What has surprised you on your fitness journey through pregnancy?</b>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-90749006220555820572012-12-18T15:01:00.001-05:002012-12-18T15:14:26.448-05:00HBBC Week #4 Recap<br />
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6582885909822171310" itemprop="description articleBody" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">We've finished week four of the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge and, while I stepped back a bit on my level of exercise, I'm perfectly okay with that. This is the lowest points week that I've had yet in the challenge, but I was traveling and we just had a busy week in general, so I did what I could and I still feel good. I have kept on track with the fruits and veggies and that is helping me to feel great. There was a day and a half of traveling/conference/dinners that I had no control over what I ate, but I still managed to stay on with my freggies. </span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6582885909822171310" itemprop="description articleBody" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; position: relative; width: 490px;">
<br />
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i><u>HBBC Week #4 Roll-Up:</u> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Miles Run/Walk: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">12.04</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Strength/Core Workouts: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Yoga Practice: </b>1</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Group Cardio Workouts: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1</span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Swims: 0</b></span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>D</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>ays w/ Complete Freggies Intake: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">7</span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Total Weekly HBBC Points:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> 28.04</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Bonus Points</b>: 8</span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXr8mzNI6-15TWGUgkfSdPIUN7cnFQgh4WrvHQwlFnRZ2XQoE_6uDBFt-CpmHNPVxcyrMpSb5Dz_qTrndq5fyXHJsBY7v2UEd8vaX-9WEdEGLV6KfEXPWPS2STlht3eMeax6Z3LPKRKwCo/s1600/photo-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXr8mzNI6-15TWGUgkfSdPIUN7cnFQgh4WrvHQwlFnRZ2XQoE_6uDBFt-CpmHNPVxcyrMpSb5Dz_qTrndq5fyXHJsBY7v2UEd8vaX-9WEdEGLV6KfEXPWPS2STlht3eMeax6Z3LPKRKwCo/s320/photo-9.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was in the 30s and I was running:<br />
This is actually a big victory!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Week 3 Goal: </b>K</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">eep up my run/walk mileage. My goal will be to get in between 10-15 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">miles between runs and walks.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Even though I was traveling mid-week and was too lazy to pack workout gear ;), Matt's early morning-week encouraged me to get out there and jog with the dog on days where I would have otherwise stayed in bed! And when Sunday morning rolled around and I was short of meeting my 10 mile minimum goal, Matt asked me one more time if I wanted to join he and the puppy on their run. Even though it was super short (because I just wasn't feeling it), it was enough to get me over 10 miles for the week! <b><i>Small victories, right? </i></b></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; text-align: right;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Surprise of the week: </b>Well, my surprise this week was how pregnancy has already affected my yoga practice. Last week, I had practiced yoga each day in order to help relieve the stress in my back, which I am sure is a side effect of the baby. However, during the yoga class last Saturday, I realized about half-way through that I needed to take it a little easier, so I did. But I am still feeling like I've overstretched (another side effect of being pregnant) my hip flexors and groin and so I've been taking it easy on the stretching front.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnAJWdNjNiBbFigcOY4F12jev3iiXOHL_dFEhnbXW7Ac4gVrzowQvtRuHA0ZcLgC1_IDtzTnMfZ8pR63O0zcBVZKfiDoWYnAkz5bx1A8X1kqANitgqHNttR8Ko4a4EzLRMUhs0b1FtfyW/s1600/photo+1-6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnAJWdNjNiBbFigcOY4F12jev3iiXOHL_dFEhnbXW7Ac4gVrzowQvtRuHA0ZcLgC1_IDtzTnMfZ8pR63O0zcBVZKfiDoWYnAkz5bx1A8X1kqANitgqHNttR8Ko4a4EzLRMUhs0b1FtfyW/s200/photo+1-6.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My running buddy, asking<br />
me why I'm so slow!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; text-align: right;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Week 4 Goal:</b> Pick back up on the overall exercise level. Matt is supposed to be getting home early from work this week, so our plan is to get to the gym together after that!</span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Are you letting holidays affect your workout routine? Are you letting that get you down, or accepting it and then setting your #bestfoot forward again?</b></span></div>
</div>
HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-10737581807996522582012-12-15T11:45:00.000-05:002012-12-15T11:46:33.925-05:00Running While Pregnant: Early on affects of pregnancyI'm not an awesome runner, but I can usually trudge along for a fair distance and have been blessed enough to be able to do that with very little training. I think a lot of that is a benefit of growing up as a swimmer and the strong lung capacity that gave me. But there are two things that really shocked me early on in my pregnancy: 1. how greatly my lung capacity and endurance was affected and 2. how early on in my pregnancy my bladder was affected!<br />
<br />
In May, Matt and I signed up for the Army Ten Miler, which takes place annually in the fall in Washington D.C. I had taken over a year off from training for anything after I caused plantar fasciitis training for the Miami ING Marathon. So, this was going to be my encouragement to start training/racing again. We started training in July and then at the beginning of August, I realized I was pregnant. Having gone through a miscarriage exactly 10 years before, while training for my very first Army Ten Miler, I was a bit apprehensive about continuing to train, since I was basically starting over running from scratch. I know that the doctors recommend that if you're fit and used to working out, you can usually continue to maintain your exercise regimen as long as you are mindful of your body, but I was still scared to somehow do anything to jeopardize my newly growing baby. With that in mind, I shared with my running partner, who was training for the ATM as well, that I wanted to take it easy with running for a bit and she fully supported that. While I didn't stop running altogether, I did run much less frequency than our training program called for.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNPZTWvl3AF0p0DBjUerGC8MXZA9ki4GMqO1JcfMKwHWG2oebeMDbjgHANAnGYfW2blaxHbQinbAPMC9Vkl7Vvk0q5mSyQ1Lxgmt1zeVdkd0QFfOGtSlZnUVXdjfzK_JenxAgJo7_jKkH/s1600/photo-8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNPZTWvl3AF0p0DBjUerGC8MXZA9ki4GMqO1JcfMKwHWG2oebeMDbjgHANAnGYfW2blaxHbQinbAPMC9Vkl7Vvk0q5mSyQ1Lxgmt1zeVdkd0QFfOGtSlZnUVXdjfzK_JenxAgJo7_jKkH/s320/photo-8.JPG" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby at week 10 with a strong heartbeat<br />
makes for a happy mom!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But on those few runs is where I noticed these dramatic bodily changes that just blew me away. As early as week 6, I already felt pressure on my bladder as soon as I started running. Crazy! How can such a tiny little growing baby affect me so early? Additionally, I became winded so early in my runs. From about week 6 to week 10, I did not run more than 3.5 miles at one time. Because I was not running long distance, I attempted a few times to add in some interval training work, but noticed how much more difficult that was than I was used to. I am still amazed each day to learn new ways that this little baby affects my body, but it's all for a good cause. :)<br />
<br />
I definitely listened to my body and walked when I felt too winded to run (as well as when my quickly growing chest asked me to!). While I doubt that my running had anything to do with my miscarriage years ago, it was hard to get that possibility out of my mind. But, this time around, I managed to run 2-3 times a week for that 5 week stretch and then picked up my mileage a bit to help prepare me for 'race' day in another month. And here we are at week 23, with more to come in this continuing series on running while pregnant!<br />
<br />
<b>Were you shocked by the affects of being pregnant to your exercise/training regimen? How did you alter your routine when you learned you were pregnant?</b><br />
<br />HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-65828859098221713102012-12-09T21:26:00.004-05:002012-12-18T15:14:45.031-05:00HBBC Week #3 Recap<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGVbf5HqnSjm3aKshSsY0g4bFVpL9dPtv8n8ND4EExdIQBNXDb4swsQ3hVfNfm6qWUHyUxqsAtq-tC-EtmrMwMxjjvL-KuNIYw8G22t29c79Yp8VjTkHYU8D1ANW6z0rjT9FhqbtSP_l8/s1600/photo+1-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGVbf5HqnSjm3aKshSsY0g4bFVpL9dPtv8n8ND4EExdIQBNXDb4swsQ3hVfNfm6qWUHyUxqsAtq-tC-EtmrMwMxjjvL-KuNIYw8G22t29c79Yp8VjTkHYU8D1ANW6z0rjT9FhqbtSP_l8/s200/photo+1-5.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Started the week with broccolini<br />
in my ham and eggs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Another successful HBBC week! I am really happy </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">with how the group and the challenge is motivating me to get out there (mostly out of bed in the morning) when I'd rather stay tucked in! I blew both my run/walk mileage and my points totals out of the water</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. Part of that was due to Matt being away on business and so I was encouraged by a wet nose to get out and run and walk more than normal. But, hey whatever it takes, right? <i>Can I keep up the mileage? That's my plan! </i>As far as freggies, I'm doing very well and am so happy about that. I'm still craving fresh fruits, but I also picked up a bag of dried mangos and cherries for when I'm on the go (and maybe to go in my belly in lieu of gummi bears!) Additionally, I've started keeping a bag of spinach in the fridge for my morning eggs. That's just too easy to do, but for the longest time, I just didn't feel like it!</span></span><br />
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i><u>HBBC Week #3 Roll-Up:</u> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Miles Run/Walk: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">13.69</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Strength/Core Workouts: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">3</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Yoga Practice: </b>7</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Group Cardio Workouts: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1</span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Swims: </b>1</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Days w/ Complete Freggies Intake: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">7</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Total Weekly HBBC Points:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> 48.79</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18px;"><b>Bonus Points</b>: 8</span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Week 3 Goal: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Swim!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I got my swim in. I had to overcome a <a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2012/12/jumping-back-into-pool.html" target="_blank">few obstacles</a>...old equipment and then being out of swimming shape. But once I got through that, I got in a 30 minute swim on Friday and am so happy that I did. My back felt great while swimming, but the second I stepped out of the water, gravity kicked in again. (can we live in the water) I intend to continue to get at least one swim in a week, maybe even more! </span><br />
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; text-align: right;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Surprise of the week: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Yoga practice on Saturday was great in that it was like it was planned for me. Our instructor lead a whole practice on hip openers! Awesome, that's just what I've been working on to help loosen up my back. My buddy and I left feeling awesome; she felt so great that she came over in the evening and took the puppy out for a 4 mile run!</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Week 4 Goal:</b> Keep up my run/walk mileage. My goal will be to get in between 10-15 </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-right: 1em; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUi48UjXCqGZZE5sOlBRcdahB-GV2oKpec6TIiOOjBQ2vlyy3SXT9SU81P04pZTIfpOMPS5nZFmMEpyqqLeIcNYvw7Wxmjm_vhstESyH8vOPev88m-eTQonWXLc0BmRCr88UKcVqttnN-/s1600/photo+2-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUi48UjXCqGZZE5sOlBRcdahB-GV2oKpec6TIiOOjBQ2vlyy3SXT9SU81P04pZTIfpOMPS5nZFmMEpyqqLeIcNYvw7Wxmjm_vhstESyH8vOPev88m-eTQonWXLc0BmRCr88UKcVqttnN-/s200/photo+2-5.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Tired puppy post run.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="position: relative; width: 490px;">
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">miles between runs and walks. </span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3452906507478588437" itemprop="description articleBody" style="position: relative; width: 490px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Have you had to overcome some obstacles to meet your weekly goals? Have you ever felt like a group workout was created with just you in mind?</b></span></div>
HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-2300587139489429372012-12-08T00:09:00.000-05:002012-12-08T00:09:04.874-05:00Jumping back into the pool<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnaPQWRTdl3V-WMS1ziJdx4eC72HEBLeIq4IE1XMRwfmuh9794GcpLl7JHETa4D69UR7fiyeVEfB6clzrlDZMVCA_16eS7iM-sjvp0fh3kjJB19zeUr7V6bqxB8dLqyatzkiBAtigS_aCD/s1600/photo-7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnaPQWRTdl3V-WMS1ziJdx4eC72HEBLeIq4IE1XMRwfmuh9794GcpLl7JHETa4D69UR7fiyeVEfB6clzrlDZMVCA_16eS7iM-sjvp0fh3kjJB19zeUr7V6bqxB8dLqyatzkiBAtigS_aCD/s320/photo-7.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Noni, sometime in the 80s.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My goal for the HBBC this week was to get into the water at least once. It's Friday and I met my goal! Whew! It was close! I planned on starting the week off right and swimming on Monday, however, upon pulling out my swimming gear, realized 1. that my goggle straps were dry-rotted and 2. I might not even have a swimsuit that fits! Yikes! Being a swimmer, I should know better, right? I guess, if I really am still a swimmer, I wouldn't have gone a year without swimming and I wouldn't be in this predicament! But, such is life, so I'm not going to beat myself up about it. :) Monday afternoon, I ordered some new goggles, as well as a new swimsuit, and they should be in tomorrow. But, I won't have time to swim tomorrow and I just know me and won't do it on Sunday, so I had to fit it in while I was at the gym today.<br />
<br />
I remembered that I had another pair of goggles in my boat bag; they are sunglass goggles, but they'll work. And I figured I could just wear my training two piece that I normally reserve for summer outdoor laps. So, I packed up my stuff before BodyPump class and told my girlfriend that I was going to swim after class so I couldn't back out!<br />
<br />
After BodyPump, I headed to the pool. (Thankfully, the top of my swimsuit can still hold me in, even though my chest has grown 4 sizes in the last 5 months!) Once at the pool, a pro-aqua jogger made sure that I knew I had to shower beforehand; <i>she must've read swimmer all over me...'cause, um, we don't shower...that's what the pool is for!</i> But, I didn't want to get kicked out, since I work there, so I showered and then hopped in.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjuQbU9geT1sgy6EXNzfccfdRv4ut0tWG4rhc6JqjrzjibPcZ5zr3IDAyaNRnDyptUakFfZTPoV6RDxGTtrGzjHU_xEacJEBIjhMC6p5d1l4I-RaEiGp91ZqTdl-JXCCeEKhAiH5oM1PnE/s1600/photo-6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjuQbU9geT1sgy6EXNzfccfdRv4ut0tWG4rhc6JqjrzjibPcZ5zr3IDAyaNRnDyptUakFfZTPoV6RDxGTtrGzjHU_xEacJEBIjhMC6p5d1l4I-RaEiGp91ZqTdl-JXCCeEKhAiH5oM1PnE/s200/photo-6.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2009 Alumni Meet;<br />goggles pre-dry rot!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And holy cow, the first 400 yds almost kicked my butt! Long gone are the days of 6,000m workouts. I went in with a goal of 30 minutes and realized early, that wouldn't get me far, but that it would be enough! The next two 400s were much better, once I found my stroke again. I also needed to tweak my flip turn. Apparently I arch my back too much when pushing off the wall and it pulled on my lower abs, which are really tender and stretchy now! So, once I started bracing my core, things felt much better. I finished off with 4x25yd sprints and 100yd cooldown. 1400 yds, but, wow, I was pooped and starving!<br />
<br />
Good news, I was happy to be back in the water. During the HBBC, I plan on setting a new goal each week, and adding that to my new baseline. So, the baseline is set, at least one swim per week. I know swimming will come in extremely handy over the next few months, so I'm glad I had the HBBC to push me back into the pool.<br />
<br />
<b>What goals is the HBBC helping you to reach? Do you have any goals for the next 4 weeks?</b>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-13662763974499616982012-12-06T14:37:00.000-05:002012-12-06T14:37:47.568-05:00Don't Leave Home Without 'em: Dried Plums......aka <i><b>prunes</b></i>! Whatever could be the topic for today? If you know me, like Jamie Lee Curtis, I'm not shy about talking about regularity. ;) I wrote a bit on how and why I incorporate probiotics into my diet awhile ago. Check it out <a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-do-you-have-for-dessert.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Growing up, I was always regular, but a few years ago, when I did my first serious juice cleanse to start the new year, I learned first hand what it's like to not be, and I was not a fan. That is when I really understood the importance of probiotics as well as an added benefit of healthy fats: <i>to keep it all flowing smoothly!</i><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RNeYckqpo6omzgHBW5a94pD2ny2eoypSbL-XKDUTXAnmfKdBFRzwfbvrnlpuTE4wI8OMjsmT6j_5utYseyGe1qn13aBSlWEZjFwDBntrUQY5b2QQ3hnCinrHuMb5E0RTJ_cJsth5wfwb/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RNeYckqpo6omzgHBW5a94pD2ny2eoypSbL-XKDUTXAnmfKdBFRzwfbvrnlpuTE4wI8OMjsmT6j_5utYseyGe1qn13aBSlWEZjFwDBntrUQY5b2QQ3hnCinrHuMb5E0RTJ_cJsth5wfwb/s320/photo-5.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my prebiotic, probiotic, enzyme powder.<br />See "Note"!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><br /></i>
When I became pregnant, I began to read pregnancy books and websites and read that a possible side affect of pregnancy is hemorrhoids. Thankfully I've never had them, but I really don't want to find out what they feel like either. And a means to prevent them is to stay <i>regular!</i> So, I wanted to take probiotics as they are my go-to in this department, however everything says to 'consult your physician' before taking while pregnant, right? Even the back of my probiotics bottle and packets say that. So, at my first appointment, I ask my doctor if it's alright if I take probiotics. He looks at me funny and says, "why do you want to take probiotics?" Now, I know <a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-do-you-have-for-dessert.html" target="_blank">why</a>...because it helps to keep my stomach and intestines healthy. But in that moment, queried by a Professional, of course I froze up and imagined him envisioning me with Jamie eating yogurt! So, like a dork I just said, "uh, because I eat a lot of vegetables and like to stay regular." And then he didn't say anything. So, I still don't know if it's ok or not! What did I do at this point? Turned to a <b><u>food</u></b> that I know helps with this matter as well;<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>And here's how we have come to <i style="font-weight: bold;">prunes!</i></u> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJuXcWK6SrKdM11nqp82ebiup8-Kcht93L0JqDZgJSn5MmrE0XQK4bGTYoy3W85J5L6vykIxfb3_RZHM0yUd3HqEyY4HXAPUybbQ-2cbtu2-ZQWLJtj0xqKeD8D1lRNGxIZEIWSABsCGF/s1600/photo+2-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJuXcWK6SrKdM11nqp82ebiup8-Kcht93L0JqDZgJSn5MmrE0XQK4bGTYoy3W85J5L6vykIxfb3_RZHM0yUd3HqEyY4HXAPUybbQ-2cbtu2-ZQWLJtj0xqKeD8D1lRNGxIZEIWSABsCGF/s200/photo+2-4.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look: Fiber and Antioxidants!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had one questionable day in the regularity department about a week after the aforementioned appointment. And somehow prunes popped into my head, so I ran to the store and grabbed a package. Guess what, I ate just one that night and before the night was done, I was good to go. <u><b>I was also sold.</b></u> Since that day, I have eaten the package stated serving size of 5 a day and all has been running smoothly! I have converted Matt as well and we are so serious that, when we traveled to DC for the Army Ten Miler in October, our first stop was the store where we picked up prunes, Naked Juice, and bagels. :)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoLsQ25JhInISf6uRKg7hQz8DegskrPIf6J8iwCdvnY3zDROmGvrggDEEI-Q9uAGnNk0wR6yJ4V10FOSeto1tgd1vhQhbtimXWIzA9AaeTxqf9UYwepdmvRnnQctgn1mtdX4YcQy7m5Kc/s1600/photo+1-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoLsQ25JhInISf6uRKg7hQz8DegskrPIf6J8iwCdvnY3zDROmGvrggDEEI-Q9uAGnNk0wR6yJ4V10FOSeto1tgd1vhQhbtimXWIzA9AaeTxqf9UYwepdmvRnnQctgn1mtdX4YcQy7m5Kc/s200/photo+1-4.JPG" width="149" /></a>If you haven't tried prunes yet, and you've been searching for something to keep things moving, by all means, please join us on the prune train! You'll never go back! <b>As an added benefit, I get two fruit servings per day, plus FIBER! </b>(If you're on the <a href="http://www.holidaybootiebusterchallenge.com/" target="_blank">HBBC</a>, you know how big that is this month!)<br />
<br />
<b>Do you have any secrets to keeping yourself running smoothly? ;) Please share!</b><br />
<br />
Note: Head to head comparison by Matt and I between Sunsweet and Del Monte and we overwhelmingly preferred Sunsweet, so I was stoked to find this huge bag at Costco this week. Sunsweet's were more plump and juicy!HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-34529065074785884372012-12-03T21:49:00.001-05:002012-12-18T15:15:03.700-05:00HBBC Week #2 Recap<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Week #2 of HBBC is in the books. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I did well this week; although not as many workouts and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i>points</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> as last week. I did manage to increase my whole Freggies intake as opposed to just from whole fruit and veggie juice.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> And I did meet my goal. I want to build on this base and continue to meet my goals in the rest of the HBBC.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i><u>HBBC Week #2 Roll-Up:</u> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Miles Run/Walk: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">4.07</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Strength/Core Workouts: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">3</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Yoga Practice: </b>7</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Group Cardio Workouts: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Days w/ Complete Freggies Intake: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">7</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Total Weekly HBBC Points:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> 36.57</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></b>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjYv1CemKs7sz7QJAo1sAOq0MXVZRiQOjLBstR1rYx13WfYo3xP6cSghWS4DEbHlXtJwkW7nDeynVee42lEfhhw9Rbe3-EiKWNnriYW9TSaDWvQaIpgt_TLiAdL5GuYczpLgX_klhrgnt/s1600/photo+2-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjYv1CemKs7sz7QJAo1sAOq0MXVZRiQOjLBstR1rYx13WfYo3xP6cSghWS4DEbHlXtJwkW7nDeynVee42lEfhhw9Rbe3-EiKWNnriYW9TSaDWvQaIpgt_TLiAdL5GuYczpLgX_klhrgnt/s320/photo+2-1.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing up yoga, followed by foam rolling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Week 2 Goal: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Practice at least 20 minutes of yoga daily</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I managed to practice at least 20 minutes of yoga each day and I really do feel like it's slowly making a difference with the pinch in my back. I am focusing on opening up the hips and hamstrings and I think that is making the difference. I just have to keep it up this week. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Surprise of the week: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I started craving whole fruit again...as opposed to the gummi bears and sour patch kids that I've been craving. (not to say I haven't stopped craving those). We went to a party on Saturday and they had a huge fruit tray - I ate half of it and took the other half home (ok, that's a little dramatic). But it tasted SOOO good. So, I picked up some fresh berries at the store today and already ate a whole box of blackberries today. (I guess the baby likes fruit - good news)</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUSBnLgqpCH-YQC-uAqWd_SRX959_IQrBTOIvIg14O3LjWCmNswR0X8ZGFEzh8hyLtlHsquNnFOm5T677IVhBJytJtbOfVWinexPiA2itUjc7Bdb2TC7sTMwS9plY_a7OahVfyVfqp4TD/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUSBnLgqpCH-YQC-uAqWd_SRX959_IQrBTOIvIg14O3LjWCmNswR0X8ZGFEzh8hyLtlHsquNnFOm5T677IVhBJytJtbOfVWinexPiA2itUjc7Bdb2TC7sTMwS9plY_a7OahVfyVfqp4TD/s200/photo-4.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extremely dry-rotted straps=<br />
no swimming today</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Week 3 Goal:</b> Swim! I decided a few days ago this would be my goal. I planned to start the week off right and swim after BodyPump this morning, but while putting my things together, realized my goggle straps had dry rotted! Yup, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't swum in over a year! So, I quickly ordered Matt and I some goggles tonight and we'll be back in the pool soon...hopefully I will be later this week so I can meet my goal! (I know I'll be relying on swimming in the next 4 months to help relieve some back pain and get some low-impact awesome cardio in).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Did you set and stick to any new goals this week? Have you found yourself actually craving your Freggies and not just eating them for points? :)</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-30947752652384850932012-11-30T15:48:00.000-05:002012-11-30T15:48:43.925-05:00Need more water!?Have you been trying to add more water intake to your daily routine? Have you been trying to cut out or limit some other kind of liquid??? Maybe soda or coffee? And we all know how important water is to our body as we are made up of about 60-70% of water. The recommended daily intake of water is about 8 cups or 64 oz. When we sweat more, we probably need to replenish the body with more as well. A great rule of thumb is to drink when you're thirsty...however, some of us (trust me, I'm included) grab for the Diet Coke when we're thirsty instead of water. Add that caffeine (which acts as a diuretic, not allowing your body to absorb the water) and then you're sending your hydration level in the opposite direction. (UGH!!)<br />
<br />
So, here are some ways that I have used to:<br />
<i>1. cut down on soda and 2. increase my water intake:</i><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xPBACgtR2MWWR4g2Dlt-uNm7P0rNl2Ms_To3ZRsWALZAOqTRi4JRIaPOmOTTWm3D-lciURDchG0p4ioVUHdT_1D2XHrpWvbV5SjwFQ9dtM6jlRWxZFwNRjWMchzgDWhFWLgyO6iO818L/s1600/DSC_0298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xPBACgtR2MWWR4g2Dlt-uNm7P0rNl2Ms_To3ZRsWALZAOqTRi4JRIaPOmOTTWm3D-lciURDchG0p4ioVUHdT_1D2XHrpWvbV5SjwFQ9dtM6jlRWxZFwNRjWMchzgDWhFWLgyO6iO818L/s320/DSC_0298.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>1. Flavored water. </b>The most frequent reason I hear that we don't drink enough water is that the taste (or lack of) is boring or unappealing. There are lots of ways to flavor your water, such as no-sugar drink mixes like Crystal Light or Nuun no calorie electrolyte drink tabs. Crystal Light is easy and everywhere, but just remember that it's usually sweetened with Aspartame, so if you don't like that, then nix it. However, I discovered Nuun when prepping for my first Ironman in 2009 and I have been a loyal fan ever since. They come in all sorts of flavors and not only provide taste, but also add electrolytes, so they are especially awesome when you're in the midst of a heavy sweat session like BodyCombat or Spinning! Nuun is readily available these days. I've seen it in Sports Authority and even some grocery stores! Awesome.<br />
<br />
<b>1a. Homemade Flavored Water. </b>This was a staple in my fridge this summer and my husband was always begging for it. Cucumber, mint and lemon water. It's so easy and it adds great flavor, plus the added benefits of cucumber (more water plus Vit B), Mint (facilitates digestion), Lemon (antibacterial and immune boosting). I also slowly let some of the cuke slices fall into my glass and I eat them up to get the added fiber benefit. :) Recipe at the end of post.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Green Tea /Low cal energy mix. </b>I also will make green tea in a large pitcher and add lemon as well (and possibly a little stevia if I expect Matt to drink some as well). The benefits of green tea are tremendous (fighting cancer and heart disease, weight loss, etc.). An alternative to this is a great energy drink called FRS. This provides antioxidants (just like green tea does) and also claims to "promote thermogenesis to increase metabolic rate and help the body burn excess carb[s] and fat"* Before I was pregnant, I used to trade this out for my coffee before my early morning gym class. MiOEnergy is another one that I've tried a few times to add no-cal flavor and energy to my water. It was good, but again something I've just stopped taking since becoming pregnant.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Whole fruit juices. </b>There are a plethora of whole fruit juices on the market these days for those of us too lazy to juice at home (even though we have an awesome LaLanne Juicer...yes, I'm talking to myself!). My current favorites are Naked Juice (more on that in another post) and V8 V-Fusion. Both of which also help you get some of your freggie nutrient intake in as well! Score! V8 V-Fusion is a mix of sparkling water and fruit juices. This is what I grab when I feel like I want a soda and it does the trick. I also make my own version using the amazing Sodastream. I whip up a bottle of carbonated water in the Sodastream and leave it unflavored. I keep that in the fridge and when ready, I pour half a LARGE glass of POM juice over ice and fill it to the top with the carbonated water. Love it! Again, makes me think I'm getting a soda, while bumping up my water AND freggies intake! Yay!<br />
<br />
<b>4. FREGGIES! </b>What? Yes, whole fruits and vegetables. A lot of fruits and veggies are packed with water. By eating them daily, again you're upping both your hydration level AND your freggies intake, but this time, by also getting the added benefit of the FIBER and NUTRIENTS. Yippee! Here are just some of the great freggies that can work in this category:<br />
- Cucumbers<br />
- Watermelon<br />
- Lettuce<br />
- Blueberries and Raspberries<br />
- Oranges and Pineapple<br />
- Peaches and Plums<br />
- Celery<br />
- Tomato<br />
- Zucchini<br />
<br />
So, there are a lot of ways to stay properly hydrated every day! <b style="font-style: italic;">I love BALANCE, so a happy mix of water, flavored water, juices, and freggies would be a great way to keep your body properly hydrated and to keep that heart pumping nicely! </b>(and in the essence of balance, then your occassional Diet Coke wouldn't have such a negative impact!)<br />
<br />
<b>What means do you use to increase or track your water intake? Have you cut out soda from your diet? If so, how have you been successful?</b><br />
<br />
*Description from the FRS Package<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b><u>Cucumber Mint Lemon Water Recipe</u></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Cucumber Slices</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Lemon Slices</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Fresh Mint Sprigs</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Fresh Lemon Juice (I sometimes use the large bottle I get at Costco) (optional)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Liquid Stevia or sweetener of choice (optional)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Fill a large pitcher with tap or filtered water. Add cucumber, lemon, and mint to a pitcher and set in the fridge to steep. If you need a little sweetness, you can add a few drops of stevia in as well, but I usually only do this if I'm also adding the lemon juice to make something closer to lemonade. Either way, you'll love the freshness of this water! Keep it in the fridge and pour it over ice!</div>
HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-60156839162734914592012-11-26T18:44:00.003-05:002012-11-26T18:44:35.195-05:00HBBC Week #1 RecapSo, Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge Week #1 is in the books. Bottom line: <i><b>it was awesome</b></i>. I was so inspired by everyone's daily workouts that I surely ran and worked out more than I would have had I been left to my own devices! I hope that I can continue to use the amazing motivation and carry this on through the remaining 6 weeks.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.holidaybootiebusterchallenge.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmwuAM8MZrnijW_h8EY1fb-Hg26eHW24JCNH0piqKjjYF50vtZr6sbV4kR5xFf_uQOf7qlM0H-oxvvirxvoZGcEFG7SKiVeZLxX6vSJxoRF-gxnQJAd074oIeZxB_sNmeuMRBOztmsmvn/s200/HBBC2012-Option2%5B4%5D.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.holidaybootiebusterchallenge.com/" target="_blank">There is still time to join. Click Here!</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><u>HBBC Week #1 Roll-Up:</u> </i>(I'm going to borrow <a href="http://jillconyers.com/2012/11/holiday-bootie-buster-challenge-week-1-recap/" target="_blank">Jill Conyers</a> method of wrap-up)<br />
<b>Miles Run/Walk: </b>9.17<br />
<b>Strength/Core Workouts: </b>6<br />
<b>Yoga Practice: </b>0<br />
<b>Group Cardio Workouts: </b>4<br />
<b>Days w/ Complete Freggies Intake: </b>7<br />
<br />
<b>Total Weekly HBBC Points:</b> 41.1<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Week 1 Goal: </b>Eat my fruits and veggies<br />
<br />
I did very well. I realized that I was actually doing better than I thought I'd been before the challenge, however a lot of that was coming from juice and I'd like more of it to come from <i>whole fruits & veggies. </i>During week #1, I did increase my whole Freggies intake, so that's good. I just want to keep it up.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1Mq7Hyq3Dxky16ZPV-YzKZx94KkdrwcugTGKZo_jF85O-3taUg9U_qiffOgFoNJ_tmZfzqI2_CYjVEXze24Xmx-SwJfu0CeUV1ce9KuF9hye1agScdMLHqaTRlEUYO0JvBn_zru0oeZK/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1Mq7Hyq3Dxky16ZPV-YzKZx94KkdrwcugTGKZo_jF85O-3taUg9U_qiffOgFoNJ_tmZfzqI2_CYjVEXze24Xmx-SwJfu0CeUV1ce9KuF9hye1agScdMLHqaTRlEUYO0JvBn_zru0oeZK/s200/photo.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, this isn't my workout buddy,<br />but it's the only pic I took this week! ha!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Surprise of the week: </b>Matt had more free time than we'd expected, so we got in a lot of buddy workouts, which is always awesome. We did BodyCombat together on Wed, BodyCombat and CXWORX on Thanksgiving, and he was able to come to both of my BodyPump classes on Friday and Sat, after which we sweat on the elliptical together and then joined our friend Katrin for more CXWORX. It makes the workouts so much better when my buddy is there. ;) And with his busy schedule, I know he loved having the time to get some quality workouts in as well!<br />
<br />
<b>Were you able to stay on track with your goals through the crazy holiday week? Do you have your own method of accountability to keep your workouts and nutrients on track?</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-62717845787374633392012-11-19T11:02:00.001-05:002012-11-19T14:35:30.822-05:00Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge 2012 Kick-Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2y81fD7sDQ00u6iKYOSiotEmz2jLNJLlJLF920rjeHetY4H3UI7JgQlk-trHV1up9eDKZDSfJXoeKaqNayq46vCJvnQuJXVAU8FACYSfP4Ek-PxdR9g-8_kIaRrOrSZeqlAR0d9lukcQ/s1600/HBBC2012-Option2%5B4%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2y81fD7sDQ00u6iKYOSiotEmz2jLNJLlJLF920rjeHetY4H3UI7JgQlk-trHV1up9eDKZDSfJXoeKaqNayq46vCJvnQuJXVAU8FACYSfP4Ek-PxdR9g-8_kIaRrOrSZeqlAR0d9lukcQ/s1600/HBBC2012-Option2%5B4%5D.jpg" /></a></div>
It's that time of year again! Time to gear up for the holiday season! And in order to do that, I am participating in Amanda's (<a href="http://www.runtothefinish.com/" target="_blank">RunToTheFinish</a>) Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge (HBBC). This year is going to be better than ever. Amanda has rallied a ton of sponsors and will be giving away some awesome gear throughout the next 7 weeks!<br />
<br />
New to the HBBC? You can check out the details <a href="http://www.holidaybootiebusterchallenge.com/2012/10/registration-open.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but in short it's a way to motivate participants to focus not only on Family and Fun during the holidays, but to also maintain a Healthy (maybe even HEALTHIER) version of who we are/want to be.<br />
<br />
<b><i>There is still time to join in on the fun and prizes by clicking <a href="http://www.holidaybootiebusterchallenge.com/2012/10/registration-open.html" target="_blank">here</a></i></b>; if you do, please add me as your referral!<br />
<br />
<i>My goals during this year's HBBC are to focus on eating my fruits and veggies daily and to maintain my steady workout regimen.</i> By setting these goals, as well as having the carrot of the awesome <a href="http://www.holidaybootiebusterchallenge.com/2012/10/prize-list-preview.html" target="_blank">HBBC prizes</a> (which are amazing, by the way), I know I will have a HEALTHIER and HAPPIER holiday season.<br />
<br />
What will your goals be?<br />
<br />
Speaking of goals, I've got to get to the gym!!!HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-1442457761078062202012-02-03T16:44:00.000-05:002012-02-03T16:53:36.658-05:005 Baby Steps Towards a Strong Core<br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">If you haven’t heard it already, there are many benefits of having or developing a strong core. For example, daily activities become a little easier; getting out of bed, playing with your kiddos, and maybe playing golf, if you’re lucky enough to have the free time. Oh, and you look awesome at the beach.</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Another very handy side benefit of building your core strength is that it will help prevent back injuries from occurring during exercise. Increased core strength will also spill over into increased overall body strength, as it will allow you to use more weight in your resistance training!</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Now that we know all the benefits (hello BEACH), here are a few baby steps to help start your way to creating (and maintaining) that summer bod!</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37ylQfTS1c8BTpe9Z4y4TiJ8IQIqzhaKPa4AoMJyA1G_Yl8tJ3ulH7oBL-1gpqt6_SE5rG4g1XAVUXtpDfKkHst-Cw7EsgWjlbnTr0RCN4834kqUl28ymtVjDSpc0F0IjPq2mVWW78sO3/s1600/DSC_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37ylQfTS1c8BTpe9Z4y4TiJ8IQIqzhaKPa4AoMJyA1G_Yl8tJ3ulH7oBL-1gpqt6_SE5rG4g1XAVUXtpDfKkHst-Cw7EsgWjlbnTr0RCN4834kqUl28ymtVjDSpc0F0IjPq2mVWW78sO3/s320/DSC_0037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">1. Planking - okay, maybe you don’t need to take pictures, but work Planks (prone and side) into your workout routine. Hold each position for 20-30 seconds to begin and then work your way up to 1-2 minutes.</span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">2. We all think that core is just another word for abs, however our true CORE encompasses, all the abs (upper, lower, transverse) AND hips, lower back, and pelvis. So exercises like Prone Swimmer and Side Leg Raises are great.</span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8sw7i4KCT-V4ytSEdzZJh3nSZghGWbCxloEh8ERvQ49zNFbMd8Ll0Xop6upy4-dLC5uyKhFJdZSQcqf533XvkZICMqYE3pqR4KwOr7UyEVZiYZi1VSPvL-id_WRchRwdFS41I2QFnl1DM/s1600/405315_3082929349249_1144293858_4875318_2062478221_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8sw7i4KCT-V4ytSEdzZJh3nSZghGWbCxloEh8ERvQ49zNFbMd8Ll0Xop6upy4-dLC5uyKhFJdZSQcqf533XvkZICMqYE3pqR4KwOr7UyEVZiYZi1VSPvL-id_WRchRwdFS41I2QFnl1DM/s200/405315_3082929349249_1144293858_4875318_2062478221_n.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">3. Add two sessions of cardiovascular training to your weekly routine. Try to get at least an hour of cardio in per week; you can break that down into as little as 20 minute segments.</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">4. You utilize your core for most exercises, even when you may not realize it. The next time you are doing squats or biceps curls, take a second to check that you are engaging your core. This bracing of your midsection will not only help prevent injury, but also increase your core strength.</span><br />
<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;">
</ol>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">5. Check your diet. Yep, you knew that was coming, didn’t you? If you’re not eating healthy the majority of the time, the majority of the time you spend on fitness will be a waste! It’s your choice. Come back and see us for some great healthy recipes!</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Have a great weekend and I'll See you on the beach!</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">~ Samara</span></div>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-14220527275133872452011-10-12T22:31:00.001-04:002011-10-12T22:31:17.983-04:00Practice what you (I mean, I) preach...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Do you remember our short series on vitamins? It wasn't that long ago...maybe a month. Well, this last week, I've noticed that in all of my classes, I am getting exhausted earlier than usual...and I am feeling like I can't lift my usual weight. Now, part of that could be that I've increased my number of classes each week....or, I could be ignoring my own advice. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBUV20gL8MdObNSPzAOCsQoE3YwkOhiHvuBdgQeggf1HJYnkeWsGPDM9mOVKpph8zU5xBSV_Fq2EfD0xTONJ5ET9oRc4sGBmoi9z46DPspCGcVM1O4giULlAhraZSWfe-WNnU_HMtJv2e/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBUV20gL8MdObNSPzAOCsQoE3YwkOhiHvuBdgQeggf1HJYnkeWsGPDM9mOVKpph8zU5xBSV_Fq2EfD0xTONJ5ET9oRc4sGBmoi9z46DPspCGcVM1O4giULlAhraZSWfe-WNnU_HMtJv2e/s200/photo-1.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Does this look familiar?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">When is the last time that I've consistently taken my vitamins, you ask? Yeah, about two months ago? What? What's wrong with me? It's either laziness or self-sabotage. I'm not even training for anything, but the least I could do for my body is the minimum that I know it requires to function optimally...i.e. eat my protein and veggies...and take those darn vitamins. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Yes, it took Dr. Oz to yet again remind me why iron (and you can fill in the blank with your requirements) is so important to keeping me energized. A little calcium and magnesium would hurt those hard-worked muscles either, now that I'm thinking about it. Speaking of which, it's about bed time and I'm heading to the kitchen now to whip up some of our famous (well, within this house at least) cal-max detox tea. :) Why don't you join me?...It's too late to take iron tonight anyways.....dinner settled over an hour ago. :)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">~ Samara</span>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-18116997604568688612011-09-21T07:30:00.000-04:002011-09-28T10:17:22.368-04:00Are you cheating yourself?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">As a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, I often use this line as motivation: “You’re only cheating yourself.” I usually then tell the short story about the personal background for this line: today, I’ll tell the story in more than just two sentences: </span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I began swimming competitively at age 5 when I begged my mom to let me join my 3 sisters in the pool. Seventeen years later, I was finishing up my career as the team captain of the Army Swim Team. Throughout those 17 years, I had lots of different coaches (Army Brat), but I can pretty much guarantee they all used that line at least once: “You’re only cheating yourself”. Swim coaches, just like coaches of many other sports, give you a set and trust you to finish it completely while they are working with other teammates. Before we set off on a dreaded set of 100x50s (ok, that’s a rare training camp set, but it happens), coach would look us in the eyes and say, “Keep count, remember, you’re only cheating yourselves if you cut corners.” Well, to be honest, that never really meant anything to me at the time. I loved swimming and I loved competing, but I don’t like pain, so there was always a pain threshold that I just wouldn’t cross: if it started to get painful, I would slow down or maybe (don’t tell) not finish the last two 50s, I’m just saying.</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It wasn’t until several years later, when I finally got mentally ready to lose weight and get fit, that I realized what the quote means. Now that I was no longer required to be at swim practice for 2 hours or conducting PT (physical training) for an hour each day, it was up to me to ensure that the time I put into working out is effective and efficient. Maybe this also has something to do with how time becomes more precious as we get older. Regardless, now that I’m actually doing squats and lunges so that I can have nice legs and butt, I really don’t want to cheat anymore. I have a goal and I’m going to put in the effort to reach that goal. </span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So, I often tell my clients: “You came here, make it count” and of course, “Don’t cheat on this lunge, it’s your time, you’re only cheating yourself!” </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikVBPQLovGmqBofbwRXkdRldvXHUsqYRDO4BgNM8A73w7RrURq6QMfQx22D3afnt6TocQQJJMP1If2WY7ibOFo0dacMCy-p7k067u3XOLW8op68bYZAGToTJ3k9Gum-AmSveAlTCf2czB/s1600/DSC_0034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikVBPQLovGmqBofbwRXkdRldvXHUsqYRDO4BgNM8A73w7RrURq6QMfQx22D3afnt6TocQQJJMP1If2WY7ibOFo0dacMCy-p7k067u3XOLW8op68bYZAGToTJ3k9Gum-AmSveAlTCf2czB/s320/DSC_0034.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GI Joe giving it his all in the <br />
Miami ING Marathon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I only wish I’d realized this during my swimming years...I often think I just might have been a better competitor! :)</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When you head to the gym today, remind yourself that it’s your time, don’t waste it and </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>don’t cheat yourself! </b>Have a Fit day!</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">~ Samara</span></div>
HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-71508839217775132792011-09-20T10:48:00.000-04:002011-09-20T10:48:31.477-04:00Three White Stripes?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">This is a funny (and all too reoccurring) story, tell me if you've heard it (or even better, lived it): You workout and shower before work. You're rushing around the bathroom to get ready so you can fly out the door. You have flashbacks of three white stripes of deodorant on your nice blouse from pulling it over your head. You look at your deodorant and say, "you can't outsmart me, I'll put you on AFTER I put my shirt on!" You put your shirt on and reach for your deodorant when you see your toothbrush. "Man, are my teeth fuzzy!" Grab it and brush away. Next is the the makeup and , if you're lucky, your hair (yes, you know I'm talking to). Then, you grab your protein bar and run out the door. So, you know where this is going; but, if you're me, it's usually not until about noon that I realize I've forgotten it at all! GI JOE loves this (ok, he really doesn't, he just shakes his head in disappointment - because I really think he secretly LOVES those three white stripes! haha). Have any of you found yourselves in this situation? Well, unfortunately, other than stashing a spare deodorant with you at work, I still haven't solved how to remember to put it on....however...I did want to talk about antiperspirant today! :) So, here we are...</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6P2MIWsVTtyLsRmPOWYn6vx_P98DrUmNYI8yYr979aSp8gkdLjkbUCfU0V2_i-dppgwVgQ8Zm4DVylbMC5xho4RgWs8GBkJuP4xCfVE70bZrBErHFZkai6GoPvi_AXac0vAYpUW2DovzZ/s1600/DSC_0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6P2MIWsVTtyLsRmPOWYn6vx_P98DrUmNYI8yYr979aSp8gkdLjkbUCfU0V2_i-dppgwVgQ8Zm4DVylbMC5xho4RgWs8GBkJuP4xCfVE70bZrBErHFZkai6GoPvi_AXac0vAYpUW2DovzZ/s320/DSC_0014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I'm a couponer...<br />no brand loyalties, but lots in stock!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Some of you have been with us the past week as we discuss fighting the growth of cancer cells in our bodies on a daily basis; if you just joined us today...click <a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2011/09/too-much-of-good-thing.html">here</a> and <a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2011/09/two-ways-to-put-up-fight-against-cancer.html">here</a> to catch up. You've probably heard before that aluminum in our antiperspirants is not exactly awesome for our bodies. I'm going to quote from Dr. Servan-Schreiber here on his hypothesis on this: "what most women do is they shave their armpits under the shower then they dry off, and when they're dry, they apply the antiperspirant. Now when they shave, they created little leaks in their skin which allows the aluminum to be picked up [by] the lymphatic system and brought to the breast gland where it might produce inflammation and perhaps contributes to the growth of an existing cancer. We don't think it can cause cancer, but it might contribute to the growth of an existing cancer. Now this is still a hypothesis and it is not proven." Well, even if it's not proven, it makes enough sense to at least give it a thought.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Well, if you're like me, you've tried to make the switch to regular ol' deodorant. But when you exercise a lot (read: SWEAT) like us, you just NEED antiperspirant to not become European (no offense meant, I just grew up in Germany, so am familiar with this particular scent ;). - Return from flashback. - Until they come up with an antiperspirant that does not require aluminum...we're kind of stuck. So, what precaution can we take? Our skin is porous by nature, so whatever we put onto it is going to seep through (have you thought of that regarding all of your skin care products? but that's a topic for another day). But, remember the BALANCE we talked about last week. Making a small change to offset, or cut back on, the impact, can make a difference. So, next time you shave your armpits, maybe think about waiting a few hours to put on the antiperspirant. Hey, at least now you'll (read</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b>I will</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">) have an EXCUSE why you didn't put it on until noon. ;)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Note: a link between aluminum in antiperspirant and increased breast cancer has NOT been proven. There are some good research studies showing the other side of the argument on the <a href="http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/AP-Deo">National Cancer Institute site</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">. However, believe what you will and remember, find BALANCE in everything you do in find your Healthy Edge on life!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">~ Samara</span>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-32341059264123957152011-09-08T13:28:00.004-04:002011-09-08T13:29:00.808-04:00Two ways to put up the fight against cancer in your body this week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">If you joined us yesterday, you know we're talking about ways to put up a good fight against cancer. Now, that might not be on the forefront of your mind, especially if there hasn't been a history of cancer in your family - And That's Great! But we can all take these small steps to living a more healthy lifestyle and, hey, if we fend off cancer in the meantime, then why the heck are we not doing them???!</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Note: I'm not going to get all sciency on you, so if you want the research and background <a href="http://www.mdanderson.org/transcripts/current-topics-on-oncology/2009/anticancer-transcript.html">click here</a>.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">We talk a lot about <i>BALANCE</i> here (and even when we're not on here - we try to live and, yes talk about, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i>BALANCE</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">). In everything we do, we try to find a good </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i>BALANCE</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> between what is <i>good for us</i> and what we can <i>maintain</i> in our lifestyle. So, here are two things that you should be able to incorporate in your (busy?) life to promote both a healthy and cancer-free lifestyle:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUSoM83alAmUI_EjgVmUv70kET61a2OhKo2tk7xeZigFia3GzKbybznF2HFZqBi8_PTprAl0njq7Sp6IF1FTMC1ePuQrnco-WWaFXX8o9-122sLcTt_5jR7Qce7iIC0hEs5CwdVmKZCjp/s1600/DSC_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUSoM83alAmUI_EjgVmUv70kET61a2OhKo2tk7xeZigFia3GzKbybznF2HFZqBi8_PTprAl0njq7Sp6IF1FTMC1ePuQrnco-WWaFXX8o9-122sLcTt_5jR7Qce7iIC0hEs5CwdVmKZCjp/s320/DSC_0005.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat your Veggies and Herbs!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">1. Eat more veggies! Yep! You knew that was coming right? Haha! There's no mystery here; veggies can stimulate the immune system and rid our bodies of carcinogens. What are some effective anticancer veggies? Cauliflower, broccoli,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="SpellE">brussels</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">sprouts, GARLIC (yes, GI JOE**, you read that right!), onions, and leeks! And if you pair these veggies with delicious herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano, mint, or basil, you simply compound the goodness!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">2. Here comes another shocker: EXERCISE! (did you see that one coming too?) Regular exercise helps to eliminate carcinogens from our bodies and strengthens our immune system at the same time! Does anyone NOT want those two side effects?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BLJjjCUuzJFYjsMGcVzrmkypf9LGpROzuJkEEEN4YYWZ7wBpGPW-BM2G3toZcN34SSACv-9rbGyMdS_r3WCaOfDx3MLUlc-v9iTF3rj0MstdGPKFUAwGcaDrVX5XxJ6ccIZatMQT3Pn5/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BLJjjCUuzJFYjsMGcVzrmkypf9LGpROzuJkEEEN4YYWZ7wBpGPW-BM2G3toZcN34SSACv-9rbGyMdS_r3WCaOfDx3MLUlc-v9iTF3rj0MstdGPKFUAwGcaDrVX5XxJ6ccIZatMQT3Pn5/s320/DSC_0026.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exercise Regularly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Okay, so we're probably not telling you anything you didn't already know. But it's good to be reminded why we do the things we do (ie. get up at 5am to run 3 miles before work and take the time to steam up a nice pot of broccoli to go with our...hamburger...I mean salmon! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">But that brings me back to my point on BALANCE! I would never tell you to cut that greasy hamburger completely out of your life (well, because I will honestly never cut it out of mine). But, I would recommend that you think about how often you have that hamburger and fries (oh, did I not mention the fries before?) and offset it with some veggies to fight off the ill-effects that burger and fries caused (Take a gander at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://healthyfitnessedge.blogspot.com/2011/09/too-much-of-good-thing.html">Too Much of a good thing</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> for notes on why you want to offset that burger and fries).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Today, try to think about balance in everything that you do and see if it changes your perspective. Let us know!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">~ Samara</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">**Note 2: I've decided to refer to ME (my better half) as GI JOE from now on. He likes that name for Words with Friends (and it gets him a LOT of lady opponents) and I figured it's all in all a better nickname. :)</span>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-60602348032942105012011-09-07T13:13:00.002-04:002011-09-07T13:18:08.325-04:00Too much of a good thing?<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My new boss suggested a great read this week. It's a transcript of David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, giving a lecture here in Houston at MD Anderson, a medical center with the mission to "eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation, and the world." His lecture included interesting results in anti-cancer research and I'm going to share a few with you over the next few days. If you are interested, you can <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">read the transcript</a> for yourself for all the details and research footnotes. He has also written a book on this, Anti Cancer: A new way of life, that is now on my reading list. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The basis of his lecture is that there is research that proves that not only do genetics factor into the risk of cancer, but increasingly so does our diet and lifestyle! Go figure! </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4Ve8X2FnYqqxDAy0lcSXkAgZnNwJ8YuBWRZHa4e7v9Y-Taw9B3uDU2FSNZRF9k6m8NwAKQoZdySGxDFU7RFt-1AEbwrkN-GPDnbXNuHBb5aycPZtHi1E8fberRQ5hJ36BeTZfhHR3GcQ/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4Ve8X2FnYqqxDAy0lcSXkAgZnNwJ8YuBWRZHa4e7v9Y-Taw9B3uDU2FSNZRF9k6m8NwAKQoZdySGxDFU7RFt-1AEbwrkN-GPDnbXNuHBb5aycPZtHi1E8fberRQ5hJ36BeTZfhHR3GcQ/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omega Essential Fatty Acids are, well, essential to our bodies!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The most interesting fact that I took from his lecture is the imbalance we have in our diet of Omega-6 and Omega-3s. We hear these thrown around all the time: "Make sure you get your Omegas!" Ok, great, but why? Well, these are essential fatty acids that our body needs, but cannot manufacture on it's own, so we have to get them from food. These days, so many of us do; we eat salmon and eggs, we take fish oil, we may even add flax seed to our yogurt or smoothies. But, what we need to also be aware of is the imbalance of Omega-6s over Omega-3s? What? Too much Omega-6 could be harmful to us? Well, research shows that when the ratio is out of whack (i.e. too much 6), the risk of cancer increases!</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdX-xiTxJMP6q5Srnil8i1sKFXMjFgp4h8cJ1wjuJ_avXg-UyHEYJ2iywVXxrqMojZcjnoFYlI4LEJXLHvSExYTN2ngNHH7uRZ9dY6Y5YxoVHD4ha2XPtWfGi7oTEwwilemCHQJywbR_Zs/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdX-xiTxJMP6q5Srnil8i1sKFXMjFgp4h8cJ1wjuJ_avXg-UyHEYJ2iywVXxrqMojZcjnoFYlI4LEJXLHvSExYTN2ngNHH7uRZ9dY6Y5YxoVHD4ha2XPtWfGi7oTEwwilemCHQJywbR_Zs/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look for eggs and dairy high in Omega-3</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, guess where the ratio is out of whack? In meats and dairy from grain fed animals, in eggs from grain fed chickens, vegetable oils (such as corn and sunflower) and the ever-dreaded trans fats. So, if you still were looking for a reason to switch to grass-fed beef and Omega-3 eggs/milk, here you are...it could decrease your risk of cancer. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another great thing I took from his article is that he realizes that we’re humans and we have to find what works for us. We’re not perfect and we are probably not going to be able to eat eggs high in Omega-3’s every chance we get or make sure our salad dressing from the restaurant is made from Extra Virgin Olive Oil. However, we can do our best to choose the best possible whole foods as often as we can to make a difference.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course, there are many more things we can do. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Think of it as a balance. Just like offsetting your carbon footprint, make it your goal to offset or bring balance to your diet when you can. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Come back tomorrow to see how we can find balance!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">~Samara</span><br />
<br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" />HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-65250716754165127582011-08-31T10:48:00.000-04:002011-08-31T10:48:07.684-04:00Les Mills Lonestar Event<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnEd6XY_LYA2zZzaaMwPYLF1vhthMHmRP7zH29SitFNLGBwdy8ITUZQZUlIxAgYo-JPF57hfz5clPu_TfHdYOVDMrgZ1i2Aj9sr4QAd7PGLJ236KSGL2VlMltL0bhaLk472mPCRLqzabm/s1600/Squats.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnEd6XY_LYA2zZzaaMwPYLF1vhthMHmRP7zH29SitFNLGBwdy8ITUZQZUlIxAgYo-JPF57hfz5clPu_TfHdYOVDMrgZ1i2Aj9sr4QAd7PGLJ236KSGL2VlMltL0bhaLk472mPCRLqzabm/s200/Squats.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is BodyPump!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This weekend, Kel and I attended the Les Mills Lonestar Quarterly in Arlington, TX. It happens a few times a year in different parts of the country, but I have a feeling everything is BIGGER in Texas! The event was a great opportunity for Les Mills instructors, such as Kel and myself, to experience Master Classes in all of the Les Mills formats. If you are unfamiliar with Les Mills, they are the parent company for various amazing group fitness classes, such as BodyAttack and BodyPump, that Kel and I teach. Four times a year they provide us with incredible new choreography and music for our classes! This conference offered us a chance to experience the new choreography live and in the midst of hundreds of others of instructors; it was incredible!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Can you imagine yourself in a room with a few hundred people doing squats at the same time, all to the same beat? It was intense and so very motivating. Almost motivating enough to make me forget how sore my muscles are and that my skin is slightly sore to the touch after two straight days of exercise! haha!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9UpUB-NZ42usadRjhzFvY7diiv0GplediPjx75MKmaKGwwGGyRam0pTiAr9BEVIg-7zVuTHJ0m-93c8luV8DLw8WfR5GA11pjFCqIHniML5zdEf8FI4F4YVT9WpRVL7_uD4yOBFlS_Em/s1600/KS+Pump.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9UpUB-NZ42usadRjhzFvY7diiv0GplediPjx75MKmaKGwwGGyRam0pTiAr9BEVIg-7zVuTHJ0m-93c8luV8DLw8WfR5GA11pjFCqIHniML5zdEf8FI4F4YVT9WpRVL7_uD4yOBFlS_Em/s200/KS+Pump.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for Pump</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Not only am I excited to get started in learning the new BodyPump choreography, but I cannot stop talking about one of the newest Les Mills formats: Sh’Bam! It is a cardio dance class for EVERYONE! Trust me. If I can do it...so can you! Sh’Bam is 45 minutes of a wide mix of dance to both current and old school music favorites. I wish I had video of my leaps because I’m still dreaming about how ‘freeing’ they were. It’s hard to explain, but I walked away from that full of happiness AND knowing that I burned a ton of calories!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">After our great intro the Sh’Bam, Kel and I are hoping to learn a lot more about it in the near future! We’ll keep you posted.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Have you been re-energized by something new at the gym? Or anywhere else for that matter? </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">~ Samara</span></div>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-76280754220720626582011-08-25T10:21:00.003-04:002011-08-25T10:50:07.413-04:00Always Be Prepared<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“BE PREPARED!” Is that the motto of the Boy Scouts or Swiss Army Knife? Either way, it’s a good motto. It worked out well for me last night as I was in the right place at the right time... and just so happened that I was prepared.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPC6wMWzUBXWqvfPzJJDoHdgVzXkZd0wndEkzIV-VdRf0euzdYr3AGrEoIN1aVnis9x2ZhqgKXQ63tkRDTOa2FqJLEFOVSwVDVEEmmBiKzLJzzsul8D8DuYElgNnfu2DKoP1I_FdY3GSk/s1600/manifesto_en.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPC6wMWzUBXWqvfPzJJDoHdgVzXkZd0wndEkzIV-VdRf0euzdYr3AGrEoIN1aVnis9x2ZhqgKXQ63tkRDTOa2FqJLEFOVSwVDVEEmmBiKzLJzzsul8D8DuYElgNnfu2DKoP1I_FdY3GSk/s320/manifesto_en.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">If any of you are near a local <a href="http://www.lululemon.com/">lululemon athletica store</a>, you may know that they are extremely involved in the community. They have a philosophy to share their passion for fitness with the local community through providing free events on a regular basis. My local store has been providing great yoga and boot camp sessions through the month of August. This past Sunday, I enjoyed sweating through the great yoga class provided by D.E.F.I.N.E. body & mind. It was a wonderful mix of movement in yoga to tone your body! Painful, but awesome! :)</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So, last night, I planned to enjoy sweating (as I drooled over the apparel) through the boot camp they offered in-store. I arrived at 6 to see the group circled up and I was welcomed with a smile by Nick, lululemon Highland Village’s community outreach chief. He looked at me and said, “well, our bootcamp instructors are no shows.” Nick knows that I teach at the gym across the street, so I offered to put an impromptu class together for the 20+ guests who’d come for the sweat session! <b><u>Thankfully, </u></b><u><b>I was prepared</b></u>! I had a boot camp class saved on my iPhone and so asked Nick to take the group on a warm up run, while I modified the class list to work without any equipment! When the group came back ~ nice and sweaty from the short run in the Texas heat ~ we got straight to work and kept the sweat on for 45 minutes!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It felt awesome to be at the right place at the right time, with the right tools! The best part was all of the thank you’s from the grateful guests once we finished the workout! It’s such a great feeling to help energize others to get their sweat on!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So, while I went for one thing, I ended up having the great opportunity to share my passion with others! What a blessing! Have you ever happened to be at the right place at the right time....with the right tools? It’s a great feeling! </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">As per lululemon’s motto, <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">go out and do one thing today that scares you!</span></i></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">~ Samara</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><u>Things I'm Thankful for Today:</u></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">~ Encouragement to step outside my comfort zone</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">~ Making new friends</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">~ Rain</span><br />
~ Karma (good, that is...haha)<br />
<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=healthfitnessedge&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0031XYLWG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135631283381311036.post-55257893222061085142011-08-24T16:34:00.001-04:002011-08-24T16:35:47.362-04:00Odwalla Bars to fuel your workout?<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“This scrumptious food bar contains Odwalla’s mission of tempting your taste buds and nourishing your body.” That's what the package says...so I wanted to test out how it can nourish my body...</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYbtx-HkCQoNyj0X0AIulhzDLzcpxdpnpuYCetQ6zvmIEn5mt_eTTWphiwikBPS1xHWHAfCSIJDkc9JwqH253Mft_fgVHI-IFazY8VeS25qkxANPW5g1pYAn8YZ4L2b4xRHUHFf8BtHS4/s1600/DSC_0028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYbtx-HkCQoNyj0X0AIulhzDLzcpxdpnpuYCetQ6zvmIEn5mt_eTTWphiwikBPS1xHWHAfCSIJDkc9JwqH253Mft_fgVHI-IFazY8VeS25qkxANPW5g1pYAn8YZ4L2b4xRHUHFf8BtHS4/s200/DSC_0028.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You do NOT want to bonk<br />
45 minutes into teaching BodyPump!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Before we left Miami, we had the privilege of being stocked up on Odwalla bars by Amanda from <a href="http://www.runtothefinish.com/">RunToTheFinish</a>! I have found them to be a great way to fuel me before I teach my BodyPump and Spinning classes. If you begin your day with a tough and sweaty workout then you know how important it is to eat something beforehand. If you are like me, you wake up quickly and rush out the door to your class and don’t actually have time to feel hungry yet before class starts. But I’ve learned the hard way that if I don’t eat before class, about mid-way through, I’m starving at best, and even worse, and more likely, light-headed and drained of energy! None of these are good when you’re the one leading the class! :( </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFQal_K5wZHNtDRDGBoOKEJZoejiz_f_p_rz5jSx8R00wea1G3gPGmgGU9QbAGrPpjYELqrmw6vwS7Asng4JuiZZTOS8uNY3Qn2xLob9opAKUh2z5-ORtANVDdJTxwlhvcW_-cwKBKZzu/s1600/DSC_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFQal_K5wZHNtDRDGBoOKEJZoejiz_f_p_rz5jSx8R00wea1G3gPGmgGU9QbAGrPpjYELqrmw6vwS7Asng4JuiZZTOS8uNY3Qn2xLob9opAKUh2z5-ORtANVDdJTxwlhvcW_-cwKBKZzu/s200/DSC_0008.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grabbing Odwalla before class</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">But now I use these Odwalla bars to give me just the right amount of energy to lead me through a full class and the ride home! They have many different flavors and each provides it’s own specific benefits. My current favorites are Choco-walla and Chocolate Peanut Butter. The Choco-walla provides me with Vitamins A, C & E, as well as almonds (full of healthy Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids) and the Chocolate Peanut Butter is packed with 12g of protein (yes please, for keeping muscles strong)! At about 200 calories each, they will provide just enough energy to fuel you through your endeavor. If the protein ratio is important to you, stick with the Protein bars as the others range between just 2g and 5g, but otherwise, test a few out and see how they can fuel your body too!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMtJjL2_bH5drUmZch7lpBGvUkZBHjWP8-yvE52K_2MjU-4ZOiQfyEXk6ETKuzsYww1dgchqMCoW1BdiCOGAChYNvRwMLrQaluXwaj10XwlsYLODUKvlvljNCLW3bjBXT8sUVhRCeSDlF/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMtJjL2_bH5drUmZch7lpBGvUkZBHjWP8-yvE52K_2MjU-4ZOiQfyEXk6ETKuzsYww1dgchqMCoW1BdiCOGAChYNvRwMLrQaluXwaj10XwlsYLODUKvlvljNCLW3bjBXT8sUVhRCeSDlF/s200/DSC_0010.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">You’ve probably seen the Odwalla fruit juice bottles in the fridge at your local grocer. But head to the energy bar aisle and pick yourself up a bar to see how these can energize you too! You can also check them out on their website to learn more about how they make their products and what they offer: <a href="http://www.Odwalla.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">www.Odwalla.com</span></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">~ Samara</div>HealthyFitnessEdgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09190547250690327479noreply@blogger.com0