Tag Archives: health and fitness

Things I am Loving This Week

Posted in San Francisco, Things I Love by

 

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One thing I love about new neighborhoods is finding new restaurants. Barrel Head Brewhouse is a restaurant/brewery I have been wanting to check out for a little while now. Dustin and I decided to go there for a late lunch/early dinner one day last week. Overall the place is awesome. Very roomy, open, casual, but still is able to maintain a hip and young vibe.  Of course I had to try the cheese plate, which usually I try to reserve for sharing with someone else, but not this day. It was all me! However I am not going to lie, I only ended up eating about half of it. Dustin ordered the burger with an egg and said it was very tasty. The only complaint I had was the beer was just ok, however I only tried a couple. I have a feeling this might be a new usual spot.

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I love a Saturday morning run when you come across something unexpected. I am obsessed with cactus and succulents. They have become a new fixture in my home for decorating. I love them for not only their beauty, but ease of care. Now if only I could bring this patch inside I would have it made.

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This week as a special treat for my parents I surprised them by taking them to go see Motown the Musical. Growing up my parents were season ticket holders to musicals in Denver, Colorado. So anytime a big musical came to the city my parents would get my brother and I tickets. I remember the excitement of getting to get all dressed up, driving up to the big city, seeing the show, and then going out to eat for dinner. All of this made the whole experience special and magical. Now as an adult one of my favorite things is going to see a musical. As for Motown, it did not disappoint! Obviously the music was amazing, the performers were fantastic, and the energy was contagious. I recommend seeing it while it is here or if it makes it to your city!

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This week with all of my cheese and bread eating, I decided a nice salad was in order. This is the tuna nicoise I ordered out for lunch at a little restaurant by the theater. It was light, delicious, and filling. I ordered it without the dressing since it was dairy based and would have added a ton of calories .Instead I put some balsamic vinegar on top and it hit the spot!

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Last night Dustin surprised me with a new pair of new running shoes since mine had started their gradual decent. I love that I find this way more romantic then jewelry or a nice dinner out. Also it is amazing how frequently I go through those suckers!  Brooks or Saucony are typically my running shoes of choice, however this pair is Mizuno. I have to say they were pretty amazing after my first run this morning.

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/24/14

Posted in Books and Articles by

Is Breakfast Overrated?-To eat breakfast or not to, that is the question? It turns out according to research there is not a significant difference in terms of weight loss for those who skip the meal vs those that eat it. The biggest difference was those that eat breakfast tend to move more in the morning which leads to higher caloric expenditure, however this is also off set by the additional calories eaten. Moral of the story is eat breakfast if you like to, but not to worry if you dont.

Smart Fuel: Mushrooms– I for one hated mushrooms until about a few years ago. However once you learn to love them, they can be pretty amazing. This article does a great job of breaking out all of the different varieties out there. Also who knew they grow everywhere, including the dessert and Antarctica.

A Nice Tall Glass of Camel’s Milk-Another new interesting alternative to cow’s milk. “A syudy published in an alternative medicine journal that found that 25 autistic children who were given camel’s milk, as opposed to cow’s milk, had lower levels of oxidative stress and showed improvements in behavior.”

Fun with Food Trends-Food is trendy, it is true. I find it very fascinating. I mean who knew what Kale, farro, or being gluten free was just a decade ago. This article shows the spikes and trends of some popular foods over the last few decades.

Fixing Your Pushup with 2 Simple Corrections– This article is short and to the point. A basic push-up is a great workout for the upper body. Mastering it’s technique is the key to it’s success.

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Photo from Huff Post

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/17/14

Posted in Books and Articles by

The Restaurant Menu That Nudges People Toward Healthy Food– This is just a short article on how menu food placement affects the way we order and how it could potentially be changed to get people to eat the healthier options. “Americans get more than a third of their calories from food prepared outside the home, and these meals tend to be more caloric, by a lot. The popularity of restaurants has risen in tandem with the obesity epidemic.”

How Exercise Helps Us Tolerate Pain– “The longer we continue to work out, the new findings suggest, the greater our tolerance for discomfort can grow. The brain begins to accept that we are tougher than it had thought, and it allows us to continue longer although the pain itself has not lessened.”

The ‘fattest’ chain restaurant meals win a dubious honor– Although I am one who believes people should have the choice to eat how they please, I also do not agree with the insanely un-healthy foods restaurants make now days. The winner this year comes from Red Robin where the meal clocks in at 3,540 calories. This is almost two days worth of  food for me. I would be curious what your thoughts are on this subject?

Will Losing Weight Really Make You Happier– “Resisting the ever-present temptations of unhealthy food in modern society takes a mental toll, as it requires considerable willpower and may involve missing out on some enjoyable activities. Anyone who has ever been on a diet would understand how this could affect well-being. However, mood may improve once target weight is reached, and the focus is on weight maintenance. Our data only covered a 4-year period so it would be interesting to see how mood changes once people settle into their lower weight.”

The Art of Avoiding Injuries– This article is long, but I think it really does a great job of capturing how to best take care of your self when it comes to fitness. It starts by categorizing injuries into three main groups, overuse injuries, sudden acute injuries, and accidents. It then goes on to explain ways to help prevent them. “Be sensible when you train. Make sure you spend time stabilizing your joints and core, as well as strengthening your tendons. Those who constantly stay away from injuries tend to see slower strength gains at first, but they can stay in the iron game longer so it eventually pays off.”

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Photo from Huff Post

Curry Shrimp Recipe

Posted in Recipes by

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Let me say, I love curry! Indian and Thai food are always some of my favorite take out dishes on a cold winter night. Something about the warm dish mixed with full bodied spices creates a very comforting feeling. Now although I have to say I crave curry more in the winter, it can also be a great summer dinner as well.

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Yesterday my mom and I went to see The Hundred Foot Journey with Helen Mirren. What does this have to do with curry? Well the movie is all about food, with an emphasis on Indian cuisine. The food dishes were visually impact-full and stunning. It made you leave with your mouth watering and a strong desire for some good Indian Food.

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This lead me to want to make my easy curry shrimp recipe and share it with all of you. This dish is a lot lighter then most curry fare you find out, but hits the spot all the same. It is easy, filling, and delicious. You can add in other vegetables then what I have mentioned below, this just happened to be what I had on hand.  Hope you enjoy!

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Curry Shrimp Recipe

1 lbs of Green Beans Trimmed

1 pound cooked shrimp

1 Can Water Chestnut’s

1/2 Onion Chopped

1 cup light coconut milk from a can

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Curry Powder

1 Tablespoon Cumin

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the green beans and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool; transfer to a serving bowl.

2.  In a large skillet add olive oil and onion. Cook until slightly brown. Add in coconut milk and all of the spices. Next add the shrimp and green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat

3. Ready to serve! I added mine on top of brown rice

 

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/10/14

Posted in Books and Articles by

CrossFit Flirting: Talk Burpee to Me– I have shared articles in the past on cross fit and although I have not done it myself I admire the comradery that is built from those who do participate in it. I love the idea of everyone stretching the limits of their own body with the goal of just helping and supporting one another. This article is more of a nice read then it is informative.  “Perhaps more than disciples of any other type of exercise, people who participate in CrossFit can’t help being drawn to people who do the same. This is partly because the exercise regimen inspires near-religious devotion.”

Men Say ‘Uh’ and Women Say ‘Um’– Interesting the differences between men and women and how it also correlated to age. “Back in 2005, he found that usage of “uh” increases with age, but at every age, men say it more than women do. Meanwhile, usage of “um” decreases with age, but female speakers said it more than male ones at each stage in life.”

Women Pace Marathons Better Then Men Do– Maybe it is because I am a female runner, but I found this article fascinating. “As it turned out, men slowed significantly more than women racers did. In aggregate, men covered the second half of the marathon almost 16 percent slower than they ran the first half. Women as a group were about 12 percent slower in the second half.”

How To Reset Your Metabolism With Diet Breaks- I think this article highlights something really important, taking a break. I wish I had done this more when I was in dieting mode. I would be so strict with myself and never let myself indulge or take a break. This lead to binge eating when I would finally allow myself something I craved. Letting yourself have what you want occasionally will make a big difference to your body and your mental well being. I in fact still have to learn to take breaks from my hardcore eating ways otherwise I find I will still binge.

10 Things All Beginning Lifters Should Know– If any of you know my boyfriend you will hear him emphasize the importance of strength training. This article is great at answering some common myths and giving good information.  “At any rate, in a caloric surplus, strength training will cause the weight that you gain to consist of a higher proportion of muscle and a lower proportion of fat. At a caloric maintenance, strength training will cause your body to recompose so that you gain more muscle, lose fat, and improve your bodyfat percentage. At a caloric deficit, strength training will cause the weight that you lose to consist of a higher proportion of fat and a lower proportion of muscle.”

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Photo from Huff Post

A Week In Photos In New York City

Posted in Things I Love by

A couple of weeks ago I went out to the East Coast for my typical work trip to Providence, Rhode Island. I usually make this trip a couple of times a year, but often it is coupled with other work trips so I never get to take extra time and make my way to New York City. This time the trip happened to coincide with my birthday so I decided I needed to tack on a few days at the end to go see two of my best ladies and celebrate in style.

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Now how is one to get from Providence to New York City? The first option that came to mind for me was flying. However after seeing a one way plane ticket would be over $200 I had to quickly re-consider. After some research I found I could take a train ride to the Big Apple for only $80, I was sold. So after spending a Monday-Wednesday in Providence I embarked on my journey Thursday morning.

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I started my morning with a nice 7 mile run before getting ready and heading over to the train station. The train ride was 3 hours and I loved the whole experience. Looking out the windows upon every little East Coast sea town was quite delightful. I fantasized about wearing a striped dress, drinking champagne, and eating lobster at some quaint little bed and breakfast. I also used the time to just enjoy some magazines and get caught up on life. Once arriving at Grand Central station I made my way to my girlfriends office to unload my luggage before walking a mile to the Chelsea Market.

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I love the Chelsea Market. It reminds me a lot of the Ferry Building in San Francisco. The market is all about food, drinks, and people. There are also various shops for local artists, which I appreciate. I wondered from shop to shop just exploring everything the building had to offer. I decided this would be a perfect place to stop and have a late lunch. Of course I could not make up my mind on what to order so I got a soba noodle salad and a couscous salad. Both were delicious!

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The evening consisted of drinking wine back at my girlfriend Lauren’s beautiful apartment in Bed-Stuy where we caught up on life. We then walked to a small neighborhood Italian restaurant for dinner. I don’t let myself indulge in pasta very often, but every time I come to New York it is a must. Nothing beats their Italian Food. We have nothing in San Francisco that even compares in my opinion. I ordered an eggplant bolognese and ate every last bite! After a long day of walking and a run I felt I deserved all the wine and pasta my body wanted. Although I did skip on the bread and olive oil, some regulation still needed to happen.

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Day two started with a journey over to my favorite workout place in NYC, Flywheel. The 45 minute intense spinning class was just what I needed after a night of good food and drinks. After the class  I found my obsession Whole Foods and got some yogurt and fruit before finding a quaint little coffee shop to sit and read at while enjoying my morning treat. Next I spent the day roaming around the city popping into little shops that caught my eye and of course I had to venture over to Soho for some shopping.

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Later that evening I met up with my girlfriend Katie at her new apartment in the East Village where we packed a picnic of cheese, bread, fruit, and veggies for a night dinner on her roof. The warm weather was perfect and sitting overlooking the city lights glistening with champagne in hand made for a fantastic start to the night.  Next was a night cap at a neighboring bar which was soon followed by bed.

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Day Three started with a 5 mile run along the water. Nothing beats an early, warm east coast morning. After getting ready and grabbing some amazing coffee I met back up with my girlfriend Lauren again for a day at the spa.  I was able to find us an amazing deal that included a 2 1/2 hour manicure, massage, and facial all for $130. I checked in on Yelp and was able to get 30% off bringing my grand total to $90! Did I mention they gave us free champagne?

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Next on the agenda was an afternoon at a wine bar in the East Village where Lauren and I enjoyed some Vino, salad, and cheese. All of my favorite things! The portions were huge so Lauren and I no matter how hard we tried were not able to polish off the plate. After our late and leisurely lunch we made our way back to Brooklyn and relaxed before getting ready for dinner. For my last night  Lauren and I went out to eat at an amazing Venezuelan restaurant in Brooklyn.

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The next morning I went on a 5 mile run around Lauren’s neighborhood before heading to the airport. All in all it was a great few days and I can’t say how nice it was to spend time with my girlfriends! New York City is always such a special place for me, but I have to say I am always glad when I get back to the city by the bay!

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/03/14

Posted in Books and Articles by

The Link Between Birth Control Pills and Breast Cancer– “A new study out today suggests that having recently taken birth control pills increases breast cancer risk by about 50 percent. Women who were on a formulation of the pill with an especially elevated level of estrogen nearly tripled their risk of getting breast cancer, and a pill with even a moderate amount of the hormone increased the risk by about 60 percent.”

Why High-Impact Exercise Is Good for Your Bones– Being a runner myself and having had a back injury I completely understand the importance of making sure I am keeping my bones healthy. I have always wondered how high impact exercises affect my body, so this article is interesting to see that there are a lot of benefits from doing high impact exercises.

What Makes a Superfood?– Superfood is a new buzz word out there. Are there foods that can give us everything we need? This article is short and sweet but try’s to add a simple perspective to the topic. “And while marketers are at liberty to label anything a superfood, Dr. Hagen doesn’t believe any one food can be super.”

What to Look For in a Fitness App– Although this article does not give you any specific apps to download it does give some good rules of thumb to look at when downloading a Health and Fitness App. I can say I would not have been able to do my weight loss without My Fitness Pal. This has been by far the best App I have personally used for tracking food. In terms of fitness I really like Map My Run for running. It has various versions for biking, walking, etc. They are all the same so all you need is one and you get the same use from it.  However I would love to hear thoughts on what has worked for others.

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Photo from Huff Post

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 7/27/14

Posted in Books and Articles by

Finding Balance Between Your Life and Your Diet– This article is definitely an opinion piece, however I really like a lot of what he says. He has 3 basic ideas for living a balanced life where you are not tied to a diet. First is to try intermittent fasting, second is to make smart food choices, and lastly train and be very active. These are 3 things I personally practice.

What Happens to Your Brain When You Eat Junk Food (And Why We Crave It) – I for one have read a few books on this subject. It is interesting to know why our body craves certain foods and how companies work hard to make you want them.

How Our Arms Help Us Run– “The results showed, as the scientists had expected, that the volunteers used the least energy and were most efficient when they ran normally, their arms swinging at their sides. With each change in arm position, their efficiency dropped.”

Could a probiotic prevent obesity?– “Since it worked in mice eating a high-fat diet, it does suggest that it will be beneficial, even if people don’t change their diet to something including more vegetables and less junk food. But we expect that it would likely provide the most benefit to those who do change their diet and try to get sufficient exercise.There are lots of people who are doing their best to change their lifestyle and it still isn’t enough for them to get to and keep a healthy weight, we think this strategy will really help them.”

The HPV Vaccination Rate Is Still Too Low, CDC Says-“Though the CDC recommends the HPV vaccine for all 11-year-old and 12-year-old boys and girls, the 2013 study found that doctors had not recommended it to one third of girls and more than half of boys.”

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Photo from Huff Post

 

Burn Extra Calories During The Day, Here Are 10 Tips on How

Posted in Health, Working Out by

Let’s face it, we all just sit more now then we used to. We sit on our commute to and from work, we sit at the office all day, then we come home and sit in front of the TV. In an era where it so so easy to sit all day you have to work harder in order to move your body more. I have found some easy ways to move my body throughout the day which ultimately helps me to burn extra calories all day long. None of these tips seem like life changing events, but if you do them daily they will make a change to your body over an extended period of time. Of course nothing will replace exercise completely, but every change you make can make an impact to your overall health.

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10 Tips on How

1. Always take the stairs. No matter how tired you are or how much longer you think the stairs will take you, just walk up them.  I find at work when I take the stairs and someone else takes the elevator 9 times out of 10 the stairs end up always being faster.

2. Park  in the farthest parking spot you can find and walk. It might add a little extra time, but those extra steps every time you park far away can quickly add up. I also park at least one street over from my morning coffee spot in order to just get some extra steps in the morning before work.

3. Find opportunities for quick cardio bursts. I lift my legs and do high knees while brushing my teeth, I run in place while I blow dry my hair, and I hop around and dance while I vacuum, fold my laundry, or any other household chores.

4. Find time to cook more. Not only does cooking more help with eating better, but chopping, stirring, and mixing all help to burn extra calories. Plus you are also standing while you cook, which also helps burn additional calories.

5. Walk more. I have a problem with snacking when I get home from work so I try to use this time to take the dog on a longer walk. I also like to go on walks when I am talking on the phone. It is a good way to move your body while you do not even realize you are moving.  A walk to catch up with friends or co-workers is another great thing to incorporate in your day to day routine.

6. Stand up more. Stand while you are on the phone at work or at home. Stand at your dining table while you read through mail or browse online. Stand while waiting for an appointment, stand on the subway or bus, just anytime you have the ability to stand instead of sit do it.

7. Keep things farther away so you have to get up and in order to get them. For instance don’t use your remote control for the TV, make yourself get up and change the channel. When serving dinner leave everything in the kitchen. If you want more you will need to get back up and walk over in order to get more.

8. Fidget more. Tap your toes, dance around, pace back and forth. People who fidget a lot can burn up to an extra 300-350 calories a day just by doing small movements all day long.

9. Dance more. I for one love dancing as a way to get me out of a bad mood or as a way to relieve stress. 20 minutes of dancing can burn up to an extra 100 calories. The beauty of dancing is you can dance solo around your house or go out with girlfriends for a night on the town. This is a fun way to exercise.

10. Shop more. I like to grocery shop most nights as it helps me just walk more. I will walk the store a few times back and forth just to get extra steps in. Also this way I am hopefully not over buying groceries and instead I am just getting what I need for the night or next day.

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 7/20/14

Posted in Books and Articles by

Technology addiction- how should it be treated?– A topic that is near and dear to most of us. I for one have a hard time going extended periods of time without checking my phone. We have become so intertwined with technology in our day to day lives. “The symptoms and nature of this perceived addiction vary from case to case but hinge around a perceived excessive engagement with a user’s smartphone, the Internet or social networking sites that comes at the expense of their mental well-being. Persistent checking of instant messaging apps and frequent changing of status updates – as well as the notorious uploading of “selfies” – are linked in addiction cases to insomnia, depression and social withdrawal.”  

Break 3 Rules, Build More Muscle– This article has a lot of great content on how to build muscle and where to focus. It is a little long but the top three things are; “Partial or incomplete reps can be very effective,” “Learning to feel a muscle makes it easier to stimulate and grow,” and lastly “Use a large arsenal.”  

Let’s Cool it in the Bedroom– I for one sleep so much better in a cold room, but this is really interesting and another reason to keep it cool in the bedroom. “Cooler bedrooms could subtly transform a person’s stores of brown fat — what has lately come to be thought of as “good fat” — and consequently alter energy expenditure and metabolic health, even into daylight hours”

Xylitol 101- Everything You Need to Know– There was a time in my weight loss journey where I drank a ton of diet soda and used artificial sweeteners in order to save calories. Xylitol is a more natural added sugar with lower calories, but is it healthy for you? Here is a good article that breaks it down for you. “Bottom Line: Xylitol is a type of sweetener called a sugar alcohol and is found in some plants. It looks and tastes like sugar, but has 40% fewer calories.”

It’s Time to Finally Convince Your Clients That the Scale Doesn’t Matter– For me the number on the scale is always fluctuating, which can really make or break my day. I really let it affect my mood and because of that I thought it would be good to this share article on how our weight is really determined. Every time the scale is not where I want it to be I think through a lot of these points. This is one of the best articles I have seen on the subject, hope you enjoy! 

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Photo from Huff Post