Mom’s Homemade Carrot Cookie Recipe

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Growing up I can always remember my mom’s carrot cookies. I can’t specifically remember any occasion that would call for them, but when she surprised my brother and I with a batch it always brought a feeling of joy, comfort, and warmth to me. However no matter how great this surprise was nothing beat actually being able to make the cookies with my mom in the kitchen, for those are probably some of my most cherished childhood memories involving food.

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 The first thing we would do is grab the vintage Pyrex mixing bowls out of the cabinet, a gift mom and dad received the year they were married back in 1970. To this day vintage Pyrex are the only bowls I can use to mix in, otherwise cooking just does not feel the same to me. My set is from the flea market and every time I grab them it reminds me of my moms.

After setting out our tools we would precisely measure and pour all of the ingredients carefully into the bowl and I would use a giant wood spoon to gradually turn the batter over and over again until it was blended just right. Of course my favorite part of this whole experience was just after everything had been mixed taking the spoon and licking the batter completely off of it. I would then use my finger and wipe my way around the bowl’s rim to make sure and get every last drop I could.

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 Next my mom and I would carefully place small dollops of the batter onto the greased cookie sheet making sure each cookie was just the right size before placing it into the warm oven.  I remember just waiting in anticipation for the timer to go off. Staring at it as if it would make the time go faster. Once the buzzer would sound my mom would pull the cookies out and take her spatula and place each one out onto the newspaper we had laid out in order for them to cool off.  On a cold Colorado winter day nothing beats warm cookies coming straight from the oven. I hated the 10 minutes I would have to wait till they were cool enough to eat.   However after all of the waiting it was always worth it. The moment the warm cookie touched my lips I could taste the sweetness from the coconut, the hint of vanilla which gave it just a little something extra, the richness from the butter, and just the overall chewy deliciousness that were them.

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These cookies are not the healthiest per say, however life has to be about these small doses of enjoyment. These are the memories that stick with us as adults and become our comfort on a cold day. Just one taste as an adult brings you right back to the place you enjoyed them as a child. The tricky part is learning how to appreciate them in moderation, something I personally have struggled my whole life with. Last night after a hard day and needing to decide what to make for a for bake sale fundraiser at work I finally landed on the idea that I needed a little comfort in my night and so I decided the carrot cookies were in order. Below is my mom’s original recipe, I hope you all enjoy them as much as I have over the years!

Carrot Cookie Recipe

1 cup. flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp soda
1/2 cup. white sugar
1/2 cup. brown sugar (use less of both sugars if desired)
1/2 tsp vanilla (I used lemon as I was out of vanilla and it tasted amazing)
1 egg
1/2 cup. grated carrots (I used the pre-grated ones from Trader Joes. Quick and Easy)
3/4 cup. rolled oats
1/4 cup. wheat germ
1/2 cup. coconut
1/2 cup. butter or margarine (I used 1/4 cup of butter and 1/4 cup un-sweetened applesauce to cut calories)

Combine dry ingredients.Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla.
Stir in rest of ingredients

Bake 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes 4 dozen

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 5/11/14

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Happy Sunday everyone! Below is this weeks article roundup, enjoy!

‘Fed Up’ Asks, Are All Calories Equal? – This article touches on the popular subject right now of childhood obesity. I for one am very passionate about this subject and definitely want to see the documentary. You can tell from the movie trailer though that this documentary has a very strong point of view. Some of the scary facts I took away were in two decades 95% of the American population will be either overweight or obese and by 2050 one third of the population will have diabetes.  Something to think about…..

Could a Few Beers a Week Cut a Woman’s RA Risk– If only alcohol was the cure for everything! However like anything else that seems to good to be true, the article states this is merely a correlation with alcohol consumption and arthritis reduction, but can not be relied on for cause and effect.  “Long-term moderate alcohol drinking appeared to reduce the risk of getting rheumatoid arthritis, Lu said. But drinking a few beers per week seemed to have the best effect, providing a 31 percent reduction in risk.”

Life With a Dog: You Meet People– For all of us who are pet owners it is nice to read the various benefits of being a dog owner. This article is more or less a feel good piece with some health and medical finding’s added in. “Studies of the health ramifications have strongly suggested that pets, particularly dogs, can foster cardiovascular health, resistance to stress, social connectivity and enhanced longevity.”

Too much protein in middle age ‘as bad as smoking’– If you are anything like me then you grew up being told to make sure and eat enough protein. I for one have never been a huge meat eater, so I have to work to balance my protein intake through other foods like beans, lentils, greek yogurt, eggs, and tofu.  This article challenges the idea of how much protein we really need to consume in our diet and shows research on how eating it in excess can actually be bad for you.

Why Does Your Willpower Wane? And 7 Tips to Pump Up Your Willpower Muscle– Willpower is an interesting concept and the study has some great findings. Regardless on the verdict I think the 7 tips are really worthwhile to look at. “Does willpower get used up if you push it too much, or is it all in your mind? According to the American Psychological Association, there is a robust body of evidence to support that willpower may in fact be a limited resource.”

 

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Photo from Huffpost

 

Saturday Morning Farmers Market- When Pictures Are Better Than Words

Posted in San Francisco, Things I Love by

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Happy Saturday everyone! After having two back to back weeks of work travel and then a week with commitments almost everyday after work I decided I  needed a “me” morning to myself.  Now if you have never done a “me” morning before let me just say first you need to. “Me” mornings are those mornings where everything is focused on what you want to do. No obligations, no watch, nothing has to get done, just time to enjoy the simple things in life that make you happy. These mornings can be the most therapeutic for me personally and are a great way to re-charge your life battery.

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For me that meant starting my day by sleeping in with no alarm clock. I woke up to the sun creeping in through the curtains, feeling the slight coolness from the slow morning breeze, all while being tucked under the warmth of my comforter.  Leisurely I got up and slowly started my day. Once I made it from my sleeping cocoon I took the dog for a walk and then proceeded to go on a run. My initial thought was to just do 5 miles, but today I had the running gods with me and it just felt easy. With no commitments or obligations I decided to just keep going until my body decided it was done. That ended up being a little over an hour (66 minutes to be exact) and 10.10 miles.

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After my run a shower and getting ready was in order. After an intense exercise nothing is as calming and rejuvenating as a long hot shower. There is also something so nice to not have to worry about being ready by a certain time and just being able to enjoy the moment. Part of my “me” day also consisted of wearing my weekend clothes. You know that ratty old t-shirt and torn up comfy jeans that are perhaps not work appropriate, but for a Saturday morning they are just what you want to wear and make you feel good the moment you slip both on. I hope everyone has a weekend outfit that gives them the same satisfaction!

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Next I decided to grab a cup of coffee at my local joint and make my way to the neighborhood farmers market. Let me just say I love going to the farmers market. Strolling through the crowd, seeing what people are excited about, tasting everything I possibly can, the vibrant colors, the sweet smells from the fruit, and just getting inspired by wholesome food. Cherries and Strawberries are in season right now and the market was full of them! The strawberries below were some of the sweetest and most delicious ones I have tasted in a long time. I left the market with 2 very full bags of fresh produce.

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The morning ended with me heading back  home and making a delicious breakfast to enjoy while reading some news articles, which you will all see tomorrow! I sat at my dinner table over looking the window and enjoyed another cup of coffee, some overnight oats (a mixture of yogurt and oats), fresh cherries and strawberries from the market, and a piece of whole wheat toast with my friend Jaclyn’s homemade jam on top. My mission was accomplished, my “me” morning put me into a relaxed place and was a great way to end my week.

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May Book Review- Lean In Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

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It  was about 8 months ago I started to hear the buzz around my office on a new book poised for women and challenging the idea of equality in the workplace.  I for one have never stopped to think about myself specifically as being a woman in corporate america and what that actually means.  I have been blessed to work in an environment where I have had many inspiring women leading and paving the way ahead of me. Along those lines I have also been fortunate enough to have been recognized and rewarded for my hard work with 4 promotions in less than 7 years. However I am still a woman in business and I have strong goals and aspirations, so I decided it might not be a bad idea to read the book with all of the word of mouth by current COO of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg.

If you look up reviews on “Lean In” you are most likely going to find a mixed bag of thoughts and feelings. Some have found Sheryl’s point of view on how women need to challenge themselves and to step more into leadership roles within the workforce as coming from a place of privilege. That she is out of touch with the common woman and mother.  Her critics pose the question of if it was not for her affluent upbringing and being able to afford to go to Harvard would she be where she is today? The challenges continue into her current position of prosperity and  without her current wealth would not be feasible to balance work and family the way she does?  Although I respect the opinions above they are not what I took out of the book. I landed on the side with most of the other reviewer’s which is women must take control of their own career and feel just as empowered as men or anyone else for what they deserve.

For those of you who have not heard of the book the premise as stated by the publisher is  this “Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions in government and industry. This means that women’s voices are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives. In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers compelling, commonsense solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential.”

Reading through there where some thoughts Sheryl touched on that really resonated with me.  The first being how as a women we tend to question ourselves more and because of this make our voices less heard and therefore speak up less often. We tend to question our ability to be able to do something, we need proof we will succeed before we start instead of just jumping in head first and knowing we will. For myself  this really ringed true. I have never been one to speak loudly. In school I would not be the one raising my hand to answer a question. When getting into the working world I have always been the beilever if you work hard people will notice and you will get compensated. With every career advancement I have started to do the job prior to going into it. This always has made me feel more comfortable, confident, and frankly deserving of the promotion. While reading Sheryl’s book it does make you step back and think is this how a man would approach the same situation?

Sheryl also talks about how it is not solely up to women to lean in more at work, but in order to be successful you need a partner at home who is willing to help equally as well. Sheryl states “The single most important career decision that a woman makes is whether she will have a life partner and who that partner is.” The idea behind this is if you don’t have someone at home willing to play an equal role and support your ambition it will make balancing your work and personal goals more difficult. Personally growing up and watching my parents who have always been equals when it came to work and the home, I have to say this is one point I do agree with. I think in order for anyone to succeed regardless of sex they need a great support system. Sheryl really challenges women to try roles outside or their comfort zone, in order to succeed woman must allow themselves to fail, and a women should not question whether she can have it all, but know she can.

Overall I would recommend this read. I feel the book brought up a lot of thought provoking questions and made me step outside of my normal line of thinking and look at being a woman in business from a more macro perspective. I think this book is great for any woman who values career, but also wants to balance it with her personal life. I feel this book is also a great read for men. Not only does Sheryl just offer good career advice, but she also poses the question of what can men do to help make sure woman are getting equal opportunities,how can they do their part to support an equal work environment? The biggest takeaway for me as a newer leader of a larger team at work is “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”

Los Angeles Studio Run Down

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Kinetic Cycling

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One of my go to group fitness classes, especially when traveling, is spinning. Not only is it the best way to get a major cardio session in, but I have found it is one type of class that is very different depending on what studio you are at. Soul Cycle, Flywheel, 24-hour fitness, Worlds Gym, they all have a completely different format and approach to spinning. Of course the more boutique spinning classes are edgier and unique, which is why I wanted to give a new studio a try when I went to visit.  Kinetic Cycling ended up being my studio of choice. It is located in the charming area of Brentwood which was about 15 minutes away from my where I was staying at my girlfriends place in Culver City.  Walking up to the studio it is located in a typical LA shopping center and at first impression one would think there is nothing special about this typical suburbia mall.

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Walking in I was first greeted by the instructor who had to be one of the happiest people I have ever met! Upon learning it was my first time at the studio he proceeded to advise me that before  we could do anything I needed to introduce myself first. After introductions he gave me a huge hug and smile. This of course put me right at ease and I was ready to get my spin on. Now what makes Kinetic Cycling stand out from other spinning studios out there is not the ambiance of the place, as walking in the ambiance is pretty bare bones and basic. Rather it is the premise of the class, spinning while the music video’s of the songs playing are streaming in front of you.

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Once on my bike and the time hit 9:30 the  music came on and Usher was all of a sudden singing and dancing in front of me. The  lights started to  flash from hot pink, to blue, to green, to purple and continued in this fashion all throughout the 45 minute ride. In front of us our fearless leader started the charge and we were all immersed in the television screen behind him. Talk about a great way to zone out when you are starting those hills! After about 10 minutes into the ride and  just when I thought our instructor could not get any more enthusiastic he all of a sudden jumped off his bike, grabbed a microphone, and preceded to walk around the room cheering us on and giving is high fives, talk about a great tactic to keep you motivated and engaged.

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Towards the end of class when my legs were burning and I was cursing the fact that I made myself get up early for this, it was as if the instructor knew we needed something a little more. It was here we were told that we were no longer racing for ourselves, but we were doing it for one another. We had to decide then and there to continue on and push through to help our fellow neighbor.  If that does not make you want to push yourself harder, I don’t know what will!

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All in all this class was not only a great workout, but the sense of team work and motivation was off the charts. I would highly recommend this place for anyone starting an adventure in spinning. There was every age, sex, and type of person in my class which also helped in the feeling of this is a people’s spin class with an edge.  They currently have a groupon deal out to try 5 classes for $45, which is pretty cheap!

The Main Barre

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Surprise, surprise I had to of course try an LA Barre class while I was visiting. For this one I enlisted my best friend Melissa. The class was bright and early Saturday morning and located in LA’s emerging downtown area. This area is very similar to San Francisco’s Financial District. It is very busy during the work week, but desolate come the weekend. Our class was bright and early at 9:30 am, which would normally not be a problem for me at all. However the only obstacle we had not factored in with this early morning start time was the bottle of wine we each consumed the night before. However we still managed to make it on time and get our Barre on!

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The studio was located in an old, vintage  building with early 1920’s elevators and a grande marble spiral staircase. We made our way up to the top floor and walked into a quaint and quintessential  barre studio.  Hard wood floors stretched out in front of us with  large bay windows overlooking the downtown financial buildings. Looking outside one could see the streets lined with pops of Palm Trees guiding the roads, making it feel very LA From the minute I walked in I felt at home and at ease. For those of you from San Francisco it had a very similar feel and vibe to Yoga for the People in the Mission District.

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Our instructor was tall, blonde, friendly, and natural, which all fitted with her big grin and effortlessness in teaching. She had a demeanor which made you feel like you had been friends for years.  The class was a great workout. It was similar to many of the Barre classes I have taken before where you start with warm up, move onto hand weights, followed by a set focused on glutes and thighs, and then rounding it out with abs. The workout was challenging, but easy to follow.

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Overall what I loved about this place is it very Los Angeles. It is not a chain studio and that independent feeling is shown through the entire experience. In terms of pricing they have a deal for your first time trying the class where you can buy one class and get one free for $20, which if you take barre consistently know that $10 a class is really not a bad deal. If I lived in LA this might be my studio of choice. However I think I will have to try a few more various studios out before I fully commit to that statement. Either way I am hoping I can make it back prior to my second class expiring. If not Melissa is a lucky lady with a bonus class to try!

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 5/4/14

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Dustin has done a fantastic job of curating articles weekly and I  have been so grateful for his help with my blog.  However it is time for Dustin to focus his Sunday’s on enjoying his one day off of the week and therefore I will be stepping up and trying to fill some pretty big shoes. It might take me a little bit to find my footing, but I hope I can bring some interesting news to all of you weekly as well, Enjoy!

Study: Eat 7 servings of fruit, veggies daily– Just in case we needed more proof that a diet full of fruit and veggies is beneficial to our health. This article is short and sweet, but sells you on the added benefits of eating at least 7 servings a day of the good green stuff

Coffee Tied to Lower Diabetes Risk– For those of us who are coffee drinkers it is interesting to read a study on how coffee consumption can not only lower your risk of diabetes, but can in fact decrease it even more with higher consumption.

Kick start your physical activity this spring with the “Good Enough” workout! – This article focuses on how sometimes after a long period of not being active all you need to do is just get up and go. It emphasizes doing something physical is better then not doing anything and how this little step can help get you back into a routine.

Does food taste better the more expensive it is? “We were fascinated to find that pricing has little impact on how much one eats, but a huge impact on how you interpret the experience. Simply cutting the price of food at a restaurant dramatically affects how customers evaluate and appreciate the food.”

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Photo from Huffpost

 

Los Angeles vs New York City, A Gym Story

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Every time I visit New York City I make it a point to try a new workout class or studio since New York is known for having so many unique and diverse ways to exercise. I now always look forward to these adventures in health and fitness and it has become a staple in my bi-yearly trip to the Big Apple.  This would leave one to think that since I visit Los Angeles at least 4 or more times a year for work as well that I would partake in this same kind of love.  Surprisingly though, the only times I have ventured outside of my hotel gym is for a run outside or to the neighborhood 24 hour fitness.

Now I was sitting and thinking to myself why this might be. Los Angeles is just as adventurous in terms of workouts as New York, one might even say more so. You have all of the scantily clad women with their tan and toned bodies, so they have to be going somewhere. Not to mention the many celebrities who call LA home.  In my guilty pleasure US Weekly magazine I will see photos of celebrities meandering around the city in yoga pants, cupping a juice smoothie, with that glistening just worked out glow, so they have to be going somewhere?  After some contemplation I decided it came down to convenience.

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 In New York I know I can get to anywhere without a car. I can pretty much walk to some studio from wherever I am staying, although yes sometimes the walk is so long it is getting a workout in before my actual workout. I also know if it came down to it I could get on a bus, train, or taxi cab for relatively cheap if needed. LA is a completely different game. Without a car you are virtually locked in your immediate surroundings.  This last week I was in LA for work and stayed on a couple of days to celebrate my best friend turning 30. I decided for this trip I was going to indulge and face my fear of finding my way around the city of Angels.

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Now obviously I do not have the time, money, or resources to try a new class or studio every day. I wish I could! So there was some hotel gym runs in the mix. Below is my LA workout’s for the week. My trip began on Monday and went through Saturday morning. One thing I like about going on trips is switching up my routine. It helps in keeping me feeling refreshed and not stale, especially when it comes to workouts.

Monday: 45 minutes of my own personal made up spinning class at my local gym

Tuesday: 6-Mile Treadmill Run

Wednesday: 6-Mile Treadmill Run

Thursday: 6-Mile Treadmill Run

Friday: 45 Minute Spinning Class at Kinetic Spinning Studio

Saturday: 3-Mile Run Outside and 60 Minute Barre Class at The Main Barre Studio

Although I will say my week of running at the Marriott hotel gym was at least nice since the treadmills were new and the facility was not crowded, two big thumbs up for me when it comes to travel. The fun for me or also known as slight torture depending on the day started on Friday and Saturday morning with my two classes. Stay tuned for my next post where I go into details on the two studios I tried!

Quick and Easy Pizza Recipe, Yes Please!

Posted in Food and Drinks, Recipes by

The last thing anyone wants to do after a long day of working is to run to the grocery store, pick up ingredients, and come home to make dinner. This is where I have become the Queen of making something out of what you have already at home. One of my go to easy meals is homemade pizza. I would love to say I am ambitious enough after work to make my own pizza crust, but let’s be real. I use the pre-made crusts you can find at pretty much any grocery store. My favorite kind is from Whole Foods in their 365 Everyday Value Brand. It is easy to keep the crust in the freezer and just grab out one morning when you know you are going to want to have a quick and easy dinner.

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Now what goes on the pizza is where my creativity gets to come out. Instead of buying specific pizza toppings I like to use what I can find around the house. I have tried almost every type of vegetable, meat, and even various fruits, potatoes, and eggs. I have to say I have made some delicious concoctions. This last week I made two pizza’s, one savory and one sweet.

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For the savory pizza I used marina sauce, 1 red bell pepper, mushrooms, and beyond meatless chicken which is just a soy protein meat alternative. In order to make this pizza pop I added some garlic salt, a little cumin, a pinch of sea salt, and basil. Now you might notice there is one key ingredient missing from my pizza that most people find is a pretty integral part, cheese. I typically tend to pass on adding cheese to homemade pizza. Although I love cheese and I eat it quite often, I find pizza tastes just as good without it and saves a ton of calories. In order to save time I buy a lot of my vegetables pre-cut from trader joes, this makes throwing something together even faster and easier.

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For the sweet pizza I skipped the sauce and sprayed the pizza with some olive oil to start. Next I sliced up a red pear, added sliced mushrooms, beyond meatless chicken, and arugula. I drizzled some balsalmic vinegar over the top, added a splash of salt, and some rosemary.  For both Pizza’s I put in the oven for about 10 minutes and everything was cooked perfectly. If you are cooking thicker vegetables like squash, cauliflower, or broccoli I recommend cooking them a little first before adding them on the pizza. I will roast those types of veggies for about 10 minutes before putting onto the pizza and then cooking for an additional 10 minutes. Of the two pizza’s this sweeter one ended up being my favorite!

The Whole Foods pizza crust clocks in at 160 calories a serving with 8 servings in a total pizza. I typically will cut my slices into smaller slices so it feels like I am eating more. I find I am typically satisfied with about 3 small slices (about 2 actual servings according to the food label) as long as I am eating it with a giant salad. Partnering pizza with a bunch of veggies is a great way to balance the indulgence with something nutritious.  Also by getting full on greens first you end up eating less pizza, but you still feel like you have not had to deprive yourself. If you mainly use vegetables and fruit for your pizza and avoid cheese you are looking at around 200 calories a slice, not too shabby!

 

Dustin’s Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 4/27/14

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New F.D.A. Nutrition Labels Would Make ‘Serving Sizes’ Reflect Actual Servings – This is one of the better articles I’ve come across that explains the FDA proposed changes to nutrition labels.

Two-thirds of fish to come from fish farms by 2030: FAO – “Chinese consumption of fish is expected to reach 38% of the global total by 2030, and China has been increasing its production of farmed fish accordingly. Asian consumption as a whole, including that in South Asia, Southeast Asia, China and Japan, is predicted to account for 70% of all global fish consumption by 2030.”

3D model of child’s heart helps surgeons save life – Experts created a 3-D model of a child’s heart using images from a CT scan. The model helped doctors figure out the best approach to fix the child’s multiple heart defects. The result of the Rapid Prototyping Center’s work was a model heart 1.5 times the size of the child’s. It was built in three pieces using a flexible filament and required about 20 machine hours (and only about $600) to make, and was a “game changer” for the planning of a complex surgery, the surgeon involved said.

Vast Study Casts Doubts on Value of Mammograms – “A large, 25-year study of Canadian women aged 40 to 59 found no benefit for women who were randomly assigned to have mammograms. The death rate from breast cancer was the same in both groups, but 1 in 424 women who had mammograms received unnecessary cancer treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.”

The secret of my most successful clients – A food journal/calorie counting app that I highly recommended is MyFitnessPal. For those of you who are already using it you can probably attest to the awareness it provides with its comprehensive food database that also includes a barcode scanning feature. Whether you’re trying to lose, maintain, or gain weight give food journaling/calorie counting a try for a couple weeks. You might be surprised on what your daily/weekly nutrition totals are. Particularly for those who are scratching their heads on why they are not losing, gaining, or maintaining weight.

 

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Dustin
Certified Personal Trainer
NASM-CPT, EMT-B

Indoor Rowing and Channeling House of Cards

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Perhaps it is just everyone around me, but House of Cards is all any of us can talk about. If you have not tuned into this show yet, it is a must! It is a Netflix original series with two seasons under its belt. Netflix brilliantly releases all episodes of a season at once, which makes binge watching the show pretty much inevitable.  Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright not only play ruthless and complex characters flawlessly, but the show portrays how relentless people will be for power and prestige. While being all engulfed in the show I noticed how exercise is a big part of both characters lives and one of their go to workouts outside of running is rowing.

Now rowing machines are common at most gyms, however they typically are stored somewhere in the corner almost out of sight for most people. In my many times at the gym I rarely see people frequent the indoor rower. I myself have utilized the machine a hand full of times before, but  it has been for a quick 10 minute cardio set prior to a strength training class. Also to be honest the only reason I gave it a shot in the first place was because my legs were in desperate need of a break and the thought of running made me cringe. After watching House of Cards it made me re-think about my past rowing quickies and made me wonder if this exercise machine could be more?

In true San Francisco fashion I went straight to my site for all information, Yelp.  I started a search for rowing and happened to stumble upon a gym called APEXWellness Center that offers various fitness classes and an indoor rowing class was just one of them. For your first time at Apex you are able to try a class for free, so I thought why not and signed myself and Dustin up for last Saturday. 

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The class was located in Apex’s Lite Gym down a little alley in the Financial District. Walking down the paved road I almost missed the small studio and felt like I had stumbled into a European street opposed to a place where I was about to get my sweat on.  We walked into the gym and met Leo our instructor for the day. Leo is from South America and although his English was still a work in progress he was able to guide us through the class perfectly.  Now I have to say I was a little skeptical, how was I going to be able to row for a whole hour and either not bored out of my mind or in so much pain that I was going to want to pass out by the end of it.

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Leo started the class off by working with us individually on our form. Once we started to prefect that he would give us goals to hit in terms of pace and strokes per minute. We would then perform one minute on of rowing followed by a one minute break. After the first 20 minutes we started to incorporate 15 second sprints towards the end of our sets and would row as hard and as quick as we possibly could. It is amazing how rowing utilizes your entire body  from your shoulders down to your calves. Your heart rate goes up quickly and the motion of pulling with all of your strength is exhilarating. After 45 minutes of the interval training on the machine Leo had us we finish the workout with 10 minutes of stretching to cool down.

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 I had no idea until this class just how much form is required to perform rowing properly. Once you start to research rowing you find out it is an excellent exercise for improving cardio-vascular abilities, weight loss, cross training, and just general fitness. It is also great at blasting calories with a 130 lbs woman burning about 280 calories in 30 minutes. So next time you see the rowing machine standing all alone in the corner at the gym try testing it out. I highly recommend the high intensity intervals. It keeps it fun and interesting, while also giving you a great cardio workout. Here is a great 20-Minute Total Body Rowing Workout from Shape Magazine to get you going. Enjoy!