Birthday – Take Two

Just when I thought my birthday was over, my husband surprised me with a present! He kept asking me what I wanted but I never gave him a definitive answer. When I arrived home from work today, there was a big gift bag waiting for me on the table with wrapped presents inside. So what did I get?

Present #1 – A Gaiam travel yoga mat! I’ve been wanting one of these so bad!! I’m really trying to get back into the practice of yoga. However, since I’ve been traveling so much for work, I’ve been really inconsistent. Solution – take yoga with me on the road! I’m definitely taking this to Austin next week – yeah! I’ve already downloaded a bunch of Yoga Today sequences from iTunes (free video podcasts), including sequences for travelers, morning/evening, and for runners. Can’t wait!

(Photo courtesy of Flickr)

And now onto present #2 – A Spa Day all to myself! This is a double delight – not only do I get the spa treatment for a few hours but I also get peace and quiet – and what mother doesn’t want that 🙂 I’m hoping I can find a day spa that does it all – facials, massage, nails, and yoga – wouldn’t that be fantastic!

Gotta run, I’m off to research day spas!

Business Travel Fitness

Often times, people use business travel as an excuse to avoid or postpone their workouts. They’re too busy, too tired, or too stressed to workout. Well, I’m just the opposite. I see business travel as a prime opportunity to enhance my workout – I get to run in a new city, with new sites, new routes, etc. No matter how tired or busy I am, I always find time for a run when I’m traveling for business.

Upward dog yoga pose

For instance, I just returned from Disney World where I was on 4-day business trip. Each day, the conference lasted from about 8 AM to 5:30 PM, followed by an evening reception or dinner with my team. This schedule included longer hours than I was used to in a normal workweek. Yet, 3 of the 4 days I managed to run. I would get up by 6 AM and be out the door by 6:15/6:30 AM. I would head out in the dark toward the Magic Kingdom, taking in all of the morning sounds – including early-rising families anxious to get to the park upon its opening, birds and other wildlife, workers spraying the sidewalks and vegetation, and, most importantly, the music and magic that illuminated from the Magic Kingdom itself. The path leading from the resort past the Magic Kingdom was about 1.75 miles round trip. This was not the best distance, but the path repetition was much better than vying for a treadmill in the resort. My runs would last anywhere from 30-45 minutes, which brought me back in time to meet my group at the 8 AM session. I loved knowing that I was finished with my workout even before most people were having breakfast.

I admit, getting just 6 hours of sleep 4 nights in a row, coupled with early morning runs really takes a toll on the body. But to me, it’s all worth it in the end. If you are like me and travel quite a bit for work or even for fun, remember that you don’t have to neglect your exercise routine while you’re away. Even if you can’t put in your full/regular workout, doing a partial workout can reenergize you and keep you from feeling guilty about all the food and martinis you may be consuming.

Just like jello, no matter where you are, there’s always room for a workout! Here are a few ideas on how to burn a few calories on your next trip:

  • Run or walk around the resort/hotel or city, provided you feel safe.
  • Utilize the hotel gym. If your hotel doesn’t have its own gym, ask if they partner with a local gym that hotel guests can use.
  • Do yoga or stretching in your room. Try yoga download for great yoga routines on the go.
  • Arrange to take a bike or hiking tour with a local company or borrow a bike and a map from the hotel.
  • Swim in the hotel pool.
  • Pack a jump rope and jump in your room (if on the ground floor) or outside in a garden area.

Here’s to more safe, healthy, and happy travels!

Easy Ways to Add Movement to Your Day

When it comes to exercise, I am first and foremost, a runner. I run for many reasons – for exercise, the freedom it gives me, etc, but I also love to run because it is a great calorie-burning sport. Running truly is one of the best ways to burn calories and lose weight, but it is definitely not the only way.

To burn calories and eventually lose weight, you can walk, bike, swim, or do anything that keeps you moving at a moderate to fast pace for at least 30 minutes a day. And the exercise doesn’t have to be a dedicated sport either. It can simply be adding in more moderate intensity movement throughout your day. For instance, even though I burn plenty of calories running, I still try to move as much as I can throughout the day to give my metabolism and my heart an extra boost. Here are some of my favorite ways to move and burn extra calories at work and at home…

At Work

  • A few times a week, I try to take a brisk walk at lunch, whether it’s at a nearby mall or around the neighborhoods near my office.
  • Instead of or in addition to instant messaging or sending an email, I try to take a quick walk to deliver a colleague’s message. In most cases, more face time with other co-workers, especially those at the senior level, is a good thing.
  • When coworkers suggest heading out for lunch, I try to find a place that’s close enough for all of us to walk.
  • If I’m feeling sluggish at work and don’t have time for a walk, I’ll do a few standing leg raises (lift your leg straight back while holding onto the back of a chair) or stretches in my office or in a closed conference room.
  • Any excuse I have to go out to my car, I take it. I park at the far end of the lot so it’s a fast 10 minutes roundtrip. It’s a great energy boost, while burning calories at the same time.

At Home

  • I have very thick wavy hair that takes forever to dry, even with a blow dryer. To add extra movement during these 15 minutes, I do lunges and squats while drying my hair. If you’re not used to these, take it easy because you WILL feel it the next day!
  • Whenever my husband and I go out to eat, we try to add in some type of activity before or after our meal, ie. walking around at the bookstore or the mall.
  • When eating at home, I like to take a walk with my husband and the kids before or after the meal. It’s a great way to relax and reconnect. If it’s bad weather, I crank up the music and dance around with the kids in the living room. They love it and I still get to burn extra calories.
  • When we look for weekend family activities, we try to incorporate movement in some way. This could be swimming at our YMCA, walking around at the city museum or zoo, going for a hike, or going to the play park.
  • I walk up and down my stairs an much as I can – with or without laundry or a child in tow.

How do you fit in extra movement throughout the day?

Practice Self-Indulgence with Self-Control

At 5′ 1”, I really have to watch what I eat. If I have a so called “bad week” of overeating or eating mostly foods that are high in fat and calories, then it really shows on the scale. But, this doesn’t mean that I do not indulge in the foods that I like. I eat plenty of things that are “not good for me” – ice cream, cupcakes, frozen drinks, french fries, etc. Of course I don’t eat like this every day, but when I do, I try to exercise what I call the self-indulgence-self-method.

Remember Spiderman? With great power comes great responsibility. Well, I believe that if you want to engage in great self-indulgence you must also exercise great self-control. Point blank – I plan ahead to eat self-indulgent foods and then I eat them in moderation. So the next time you’re wanting to indulge, consider the following principles of self-indulgence-self-control method…

4 Principles of the Self-Indulgence-Self-Control Method

Daily Compensation – If I know I’m going to overindulge at some point in the day or week, ie. drinks with friends or a dessert reception at work, then I compensate throughout the day and/or week by eating fewer calories and/or going for an extra run. Eating fewer calories or burning extra calories helps to compensate for those extra calories I’m taking in.

Rule of 1/3’s – When I do order something completely indulgence, like lemon cream cake or fried chicken, I try to eat 1/3-1/2 of what I really want to eat (the eyes are bigger than your stomach syndrome). If I’m at a restaurant, I will box up the rest and take it home. Or if I’m already at home, I’ll save the rest for my lunch or a treat the next day. This way, I can get a taste of the great food I want (self-indulgence) only I’m eating less of it (self-control) and fewer calories to boot.

Try a lighter option – Although I don’t do this often, I occasionally try to eat a lower calorie version of the food I really want, such as low-calorie ice cream, chips, or a muffin. However, a word of caution, many low-fat and low-calorie products are full of artificial ingredients. They also may not be as filling or tasty as the full-fat or full-calorie version, which could leave us hungry and unsatisfied. Also, because we are in the mindset that the food is low-fat or low-calorie, we may think we can eat more of the food, ie. a whole bag of low-fat chips. This mindset may actually cause us to consume more calories than what we would have eating with the normal version.

Challenge Yourself – When I think I want something indulgent, I try to challenge myself to:

  1. Wait 30 minutes before eating it – sometimes after I wait, I end up not eating it after all, which means I probably never wanted it in the first place.
  2. Drink 4 8oz glasses of water beforehand – because sometimes when we think we’re hungry, we’re really thirsty.
  3. Eat something healthy right before I eat my indulgence food. By eating a banana or a few almonds before eating my indulgence food, I’m less likely to overindulge.

So, these are the principles that I follow to eat what I want and still lose weight. What’s your go-to tip for eating your indulgent food but still staying on track with your weight loss/maintenance?

Why Is Breakfast So Important?

Most people have heard the saying, Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As a runner and personal trainer, I truly believe in this piece of wisdom and try to follow it as much as possible. Honestly, I can’t imagine running 4-6 miles in the AM and not eating breakfast before heading out to work. I think I’d pass out!

So, why is breakfast the most important meal of the day? Many of you who are reading this already eat breakfast daily, but probably out of habit more than anything. When you eat breakfast, you’re more likely to eat more vitamins and minerals, eat less fat and cholesterol, have better concentration and productivity in the morning, and control your weight. According to the Mayo Clinic Web site, breakfast helps us lose weight by doing the following three things:

Breakfast and Weight Loss

  1. Breakfast reduces hunger – Eating breakfast reduces hunger later in the day, making us less likely to overeat.
  2. Breakfast helps us make better choices – Eating breakfast gets us on the right track for making healthier choices the rest of the day. People who eat breakfast tend to eat healthier throughout the day. Breakfast skippers tend to also skip fruits and veggies the rest of the day.
  3. Breakfast gives us all-day energy – Eating gives us an energy boost all day long. When waking after 7-8 hours of sleep, our blood sugar levels are low. If we do not refuel and replenish our glycogen stores that supply blood sugar, we may feel sluggish all day and, consequently, decrease our physical activity.

Although I am not trying to lose weight, I still think breakfast is important. But I also believe that what you eat for breakfast is just as important as actually eating breakfast. Breakfasts come in all shapes and sizes. So it is unfair for me to recommend one specific breakfast over another. However, as runner, I tend to make sure my breakfast includes a combination of the following Fab Five Breakfast Ingredients:

RWC Fab Five Breakfast

  • Protein – This gives us energy in the morning and all day long. My protein usually comes in the form Greek yogurt, nuts, or peanut butter, but could also include lean ham, sausage, or bacon.
  • MUFA – Monounsaturated fats, or MUFA, are healthy fats found in nuts and oils, among other things. Research shows that eating MUFA at every meal can help us reduce fat storage in our stomachs.
  • Fruit or Veggie – With respect to my age, gender, and activity level, the Centers for Disease Control says I should be eating 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of veggies per day. I find that if I can sneak in a cup or two of fruit/veggies at breakfast, I’m more likely to do the same later in the day. To find out your recommended intake for fruits and veggies, check out Fruits and Veggies Matter.
  • Dairy – I love eating dairy in the morning and late at night. A small glass of milk (or milk in my cereal) leaves me feeling refreshed and takes the edge of my hunger.
  • Fiber – This is usually in the form of whole grains, like oatmeal, high-fiber cereal, granola, etc. Fiber keeps us feeling fuller longer and helps regulate the digestive system.

And there you have it. Breakfast – the most important meal of the day. It keeps us energized, productive, and at a healthy weight. So, if you’re not eating breakfast on a regular basis, as yourself, why?

And, what did RWC personal trainer eat for breakfast this week? Stay tuned to find out!

Got Stress? Eat This.

We all have our stressful times of the year. You may have stress associated with an annual project at work, final exams, planning a wedding, or the holiday season. While most of these stressors are short-lived, some people are prone to stress more consistently throughout the year.

I know that when I’m stressed I tend to do one of two things:

  1. Eat bad food
  2. Spend money

Both of these reactions to stress can leave me feeling even more stressed in the end – eating bad food makes us feel bad eventually and spending lots of money, although a temporary mood booster, may leave us with buyer’s remorse. If you’re like me and find yourself eating and shopping in times of stress, it may be time to take action.

Pencil erasing the word "stress"

I came across a recent article in Woman’s Day magazine about foods that help you fight stress. I don’t normally read Woman’s Day, online or in print, but the title intrigued me. What should I be eating to reduce stress? I wondered. Before I get to this, let’s look at the culprit itself – STRESS!

According to the Mayo Clinic Web site, stress is the  normal psychological and physical reaction to the demands of daily life. When we’re stressed, our bodies release two hormones:

  • Adrenaline – a hormone that increases our heart rate and blood pressure, and boosts our energy.
  • Cortisol – the primary stress hormone. It increases sugars in the blood stream, alters immune system responses, and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system, and growth processes. Research suggests that cortisol directly influences food consumption, stimulating a person to eat food that is high in fat and/or sugar.

So, if we are naturally conditioned to eat when we are stressed, why not eat something healthy? Makes sense, right?

Thank goodness Woman’s Day has identified 8 mood-boosting foods that are not only healthy but can help us lower our overall anxiety. Let’s take a look at the top stress-fighting foods:

8 Foods to Help Fight Stress

(adapted from Woman’s Day)

  1. Dark Chocolate – Dark chocolate is high in the flavonoids, which are known for their relaxing properties. And, the darker chocolate, the better – aim for 70% cacao or higher.
  2. Skim Milk – Studies have shown that women who drink four or more glass of milk a day are less likely to experience stress than those who don’t.
  3. Oatmeal – This should be an easy one for all you food bloggers out there! As mentioned above, when we’re stressed, we crave carbs. You can indulge these carb cravings with healthy carbs like oatmeal, which is high in fiber and keeps you feeling full longer.
  4. Salmon – Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, help reverse stress by boosting serotonin levels. An omega-3 rich diet may also help suppress cortisol and adrenaline production.
  5. Walnuts – As we all know, stress can have a significant impact on our blood pressure. Walnuts help keep our blood press in check.
  6. Sunflower Seeds – These folate-rich seeds help the body produce dopamine, a pleasure-inducing chemical in the brain.
  7. Spinach – This leafy green is high in magnesium which helps to improve the body’s response to stress.
  8. Blueberries – These little berries pack a huge punch with all of their antioxidants, which counteract the effects of stress hormones.

Although there’s no proof that combining all of these foods in one sitting will make you a stress-fighting superhero, combining these foods may make it a littler easier to get your stress-free food fix throughout the day. But, if you are really feeling stressed – you could always try this super-charged, stress-reducing breakfast:

Stress-Free Breakfast: Steel-cut oats made with skim milk, topped with blueberries, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and dark chocolate chips – oh yeah, and don’t forget the spinach wrapped salmon on the side!

Fitbloggin: Exploring Baltimore

Hey all! Yesterday in my Fitbloggin: Saturday in Review, I talked about all the great things from the conference as well as post-conference fun on Saturday night. Now, on to Sunday!!

Rude Wake-up Call at the Baltimore Marriott

Scott and I attempted to get up at 6:45 AM in order to get a head start on our last morning there. But, around 2:30 AM we were rudely awaken (is that proper grammar?) by a party of some sort on our floor which lasted for over an hour! We were so incredibly annoyed!!! So, when we woke up at 6:45, we hit snooze and woke up 45 minutes later!

Pre-Breakfast Run Around Baltimore Harbor

Before breakfast, Scott and I went for an awesome run around the harbor – we went for 40 minutes! Scott is not really a runner but is training for the Chicago triathlon in August. He’s doing such a great job with his training 🙂 On our way back into the hotel we ran into Bookieboo who said that she had the same “party” problem on her floor. She suggested we complain and that’s just what I did. We ended up getting 1/2 off our room from the previous night – awesome! Thanks for the tip Bookieboo! Once we were freshened up and packed, we headed down to walk to breakfast in Fells Point. Unfortunately, the Blue Moon Cafe was a 45 minute wait, so we came back to the Marriott and had an outstanding champagne brunch!

Fantastic Baltimore Marriott Brunch

Although expensive, the brunch included an unbelievable amount of food and all drinks! No kidding – at one point, we had 8 drinks on our table –

  • 2 glass of water
  • 2 glasses champagne
  • 2 glasses of orange juice
  • 1 cup of tea
  • 1 glass of iced tea

Crazy! The food was fantastic! I tried to stick with all healthy things like low-fat yogurt, granola, fruit, etc.

Hmm…not sure how that vanilla pound cake got on my plate 😉 I was pretty full after my first plate, but wanted to sample a few other things, including the oatmeal, breakfast potatoes, and banana bread pudding…

Oh my, that banana bread pudding was dangerous!! If I wasn’t so full, I probably would have eaten a whole bowl of it complete with the vanilla cream sauce – ha!

After breakfast, we had to rush to the airport to catch our 1 PM flight back to chilly Chicago. Back to reality!

Wow, what a fantastic, whirlwind weekend. Loved Fitbloggin and all of the attendees/speakers and loved Baltimore!

Now, I need to get some sleep 🙂

Have a great night!

Spring Tease

Not sure how it was by you today, but it reached 61 degrees in Chicago and was sunny for most of the afternoon! Too bad that I didn’t get to enjoy much of the weather since I was inside all day 🙁 But, just feeling the mild temp and seeing the snow melting gave me hope that Spring is just around the corner. Yay!

This morning was an “off” day for running. I was really contemplating a late-afternoon run but just couldn’t get home in time. Breakfast was a cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch with flax and about 1/4 cup blueberries…


I just love the way blueberries look in cereal – they add so much color, not to mention they have a ton of antioxidants which are great for your skin.

Work went by rather slow and when that happens, I tend to eat more – ugh! Lunch was leftover risotto and a small piece of chicken from the other night – nothing special, but satisfying. Then all hell broke loose as I proceeded to eat a clementine, pretzels, and a few pieces of chocolate!

Dinner was nearly ready when I arrived home – which, I have to admit, is sooo nice!

Scott grilled some Italian sausage which he paired with sauteed peppers and steamed carrots – oh, and low-fat Cape Cod chips too 🙂

Gotta go, time for the season finale of Psych!

Migraine

Hi all! We just returned from vacation late last night. So far today, I’ve unpacked, cleaned, and have been nursing a migraine for most of the day. Be back tomorrow with more details.

Take care.

Introducing the Newest Personal Trainer!

That’s right, ladies and gents, I passed the American College of Sports Medicine Personal Training Certification Exam! So, you are now looking at the newest member of the personal training community!

After taking an intense course and then studying for three months, I finally felt that I was ready to take the test. Whew – and what a test it was! It took me about 2 1/2 hours to complete, and that was after 15 minutes of instruction/preliminary questions. All those hours of studying after work and on the weekend paid off – thank goodness. Otherwise, I think I would have cried – for not passing the test and for having to retake it and spend more money.

The test itself was pretty challenging, although not outrageous, especially because I studied for it. And you definitely need to study for this test as well as understand the practical application of the principles. I just wish I knew what answers I got wrong so that I could review the right answer.

I am really looking forward to sharing the personal training health and fitness principles with all of you and showing you how I apply the principles to my own life. That’s it for now – I’m heading to bed. I forgot how tiring test-taking can be!