Category Archives: Health & Fitness

The Slim Life [Review]

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Remember when I used to link to Bess’s blog all the time?

No…like, all the time? [like here, here and here]

Well life, pesky devil that it is, has gotten in the way for a while —  schedules aren’t meshing, jobs are crazy and she’s been wrapped up plotting and planning something pretty special the past few months. Enter: The Slim Life, A Nutrition, Workout & Lifestyle Guide.

photo-42Her own custom plan, designed for me and you!

Of course, I was intrigued. I’m sort of a nut when it comes to health and fitness topics — as is Bess. During our years as co-Wake Forest Demon Deacons, workouts, fueling, training and all the other necessary bits that come along with getting the most out of your body made up a hefty dose of our conversations.

Since then, Bess has become an ACSM-certified Personal Trainer an a NASM [national academy of sports medicine] Fitness Nutrition Specialist. It’s only natural that she would create this. She gets it. She lives it. It’s as much her as anything could be.

When she asked me to review her plan, I was flattered. When she asked me to be a tough critic and really tell her what I thought and not hold anything back, I was like, duh.

So I took to the plan and in 115 pages I found an endless array of drool-worthy recipes [SO many smoothies, and y'all know how I feel about smoothies], tons of workouts that have been shoved in my gym bag, a perfect amount of motivation/encouragement and ONE [only one!] instance in which a comma should have been a semi-colon.

In sum, this thing is on-point.

There are pages of detox drinks. Pages on supplements [and the tales of our trials and errors with them]. And pages of Bess — these are things she does, day in and day out. Y’all see it on her blog, of course, but I’ve seen it firsthand for years. And I don’t know if you’ve looked lately…but her body is.not.messing.around.

I would highly recommend this program — I’ll be popping in with updates as I try the 6-day fat loss and 3-day shape-up programs, various recipes [hello peanut butter chocolate chip protein bars!] and workouts so that we can really explore all 115 pages without me droning on here!

Feel free to contact me or Bess for more information/any questions you have!

Yoga

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My first yoga class was 4 years ago, in Boston. I hemmed, hawed and drug my feet there — to  Back Bay Studio – with my sister.

Beginner’s Vinyasa was the most painful experience…um…ever. My toes were miles from my hands. My shoulders popped every chance they got. And my hips…oh god, how did you get so uneven? Is that even normal?

Breathe, my teacher said.

Breathe.

In. Out. And then in and out, again.

photo-161I wasn’t hooked, but I showed up routinely for the rest of the summer. You see, I knew it was good for me, and at the time I was more than willing to force myself through anything “good for me” [which is, ironically, not good for you at all].

For the next three years at Wake Forest, I tried out each of Winston-Salem’s studios, fighting with my body and my mat and my mind — thinking I was improving just because I could jam myself further into each pose.

Then I found Bonnie and Elliot at Village Yoga.

iphone photos 012And they taught me to be kind and gentle with my body. They taught me to be patient. To release my shoulders, slide them down my back and stop furrowing my brow. To quit competing with the mats next to me.

And finally, what it meant to breathe.

Inhale. Exhale. In. Out. And then in and out again — with my joints and my mind and every fiber and tether of my being.

It’s been a constantly humbling journey. Today, I did nothing right in class. Nothing. I didn’t balance, I didn’t hold. I broke and found myself in child’s pose a lot…just, you know, breathing [and muttering unrepeatable curse words].

And I thought about all the things yoga has taught me…

1. Flexibility – it’s much more mental than physical.

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they could never [omg NEVERRRRRR!] do yoga because they’re horribly un-flexible, I would probably have like, I don’t know, 314 dollars by now. But, as you practice, you realize it’s the mind that starts the fear cycle — it tenses you up, it freaks out about falling on your face, it thinks something valuable will snap if you go further. Calming the mind, with that ever-elusive breath, solves a myriad of problems [in class and otherwise].

2. Your lungs are your most sacred organ [organs? how does that work?]

You thought I’d say heart, didn’t you?

But consider the evidence: a.) if breathing is the most important skill for your practice, this makes sense, b.) you’d die without your lungs or your heart…so, why not choose lungs? and c.) the workings of the heart are totally outside our control [both its physical and emotional elements] but the workings of the lungs are totally within that control. In. Out. Expand. Contract. We do that. We’re in charge.

3. Kindness.

If there is one thing serious yogis share in common, it’s kindness. Most specifically, in regards to their own selves. They’re unlikely to make you, or themselves, feel inferior, small, or inconsequential. They won’t be mean to you — not to your face, not behind your back and definitely not on the internet or social media. They will take a deep breath [maybe a few more, if you're exceptionally agitating] and accept you. It feels nice.

4. Your body hates you. Really.

I know I just spent a lot of time telling you to love your body…but this is not a mutual thing. This is some serious unrequited love. You don’t realize it until you really start practicing…but, eventually, it dawns on you that your body is disgusted with you — with the junk you eat and the amount you drink and the very little that you sleep. So, to try to get on its good side, you start reversing such behavior. And you realize how supple and light and airy you’re feeling. And how much crap — emotional, habitual, and otherwise — you have. You unload. The bad stuff in your body. The bad stuff in your mind. The bad stuff in your heart. Gone.

5. Dust into Gold, kids.

You clever little minx, you noticed, didn’t you? That each of the aforementioned points shared a common thread — the miracle [WHOA a miracle!] of changing our bodies and selves in a positive way. That’s what’s happening in sorcery, when the shaman or wizard or whatever that dude in all the movies is that turns dust into gold does. The physical changes take a little longer to appear, but the mental changes arrive almost immediately. Your emotions, your presence, your dingy, tired soul — they all lighten. Loosen. Breathe.

And everyone notices.

And suddenly you find yourself crawling to your mat every chance you get.

Physique 57

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You’ve heard about it, I know.

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We’ve all heard about it — it’s trendier than all five of these foods, at least one of the Kardashians [though I'll never reveal which one], and certainly more than me and….just kidding I would never lump you into this category.

Kelly Ripa swears by it [her biceps second her opinion]. It’s literally the only exercise Chrissy Teigen does. Denise Richards and Emmy Rossum are always gushing about it as well. Plus, you can barely escape a Target without having one of the DVDs or exercise balls hurled at your face and ricochet into your shopping cart. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the bloggers, they eat this ish for breakfast.

So, like any logical 23-year-old, I’ve feigned indifference, perhaps even arbitrary disgust, for the past few years — “I can neverrrrrrr do DVDs at home…Do you even sweat during those classes? [sweat being the obvious indicator of a good workout]…Why would you ever pay that much for a 1 hour class?!” [$36/class is not messing around].

collage57But then they contacted me last week to see if I wanted to try out a couple of classes, write a review, take some pictures, and some-such — and maybe [maybe] I jumped up and down, clapped my hands, and fist-pumped. Maybe a tear even sprang to my eye, but it was totally windy out so all bets are off.

Either way, I quickly said yes and booked a beginner class for last night – after my Chaise 23 experience, where I cursed every stair and the lift of either arm for days, I knew to start small.

I was right.

I can’t say everything hurts, because 1.) that’s not very creative, but also 2.) it’s not very true. Not everything is sore. But what I’ve discovered trying out these two studios is that every muscle group I so love to ignore — my thutt [it's a real thing], my upper body in general, but my triceps and that odd region between my shoulder blades more specifically — these studios love.

For example:

Swivel ChairThis really burns after a few minutes.

You know else? It also burns later that evening.

And the next day.

I want to stay positive, but I’m not sure it will feel better tomorrow.

And then there’s this:

PretzelThat doesn’t look hard. But if you were to ask my love handles what they had to say, they would politely disagree.

And then, I mean…:

Thigh DancingWhat does this even work?

I don’t remember, probably because I was face-down on the carpet in a pile of defeat at the time, but I’m sure it was effective.

Which is probably the best way to describe the whole hour: effective.

Sure, the teachers are amazing, and they certainly make it as fun as possible, but at its core it’s really just a meticulously planned, well-thought out, 60 minutes of exercise. I didn’t really sweat. My heart wasn’t jumping out of my chest. But it really prioritized muscle groups that too often fall by the wayside during my general workouts.

I shy away from workout DVDs so I can’t comment on their product — because I’ve refrained from trying it, not because I haven’t heard great things — but if you can afford the price tag and are near a studio, I think it’s a great thing to sneak in your routine once or twice a week!

I’ve already booked my second class…so that probably tells you more than the previous 500 words in this post, right?

Chaise23, Flatiron, NYC

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I’m weirdly sore today. Like…straightening my arms…is a problem. And that weird, unfortunate area where your bum meets your thigh (a “thutt,” if you will)? Well, it hurts. And don’t, please don’t, get me started on my obliques. It’s embarrassing.

Why? You ask (so nice of you to care!!). Well, because some of the models we work with (Anne V & Julie Henderson) put me in touch with their fitness guru and her studio, Rachel at Chaise23, and basically told me, in no uncertain terms, that I had to try it out.

rachel lunge

Rachel is the co-founder (along with her mother, Lauren Piskin) of Chaise23 in New York City’s Flatiron District and she kindly invited me to her studio to interview her and try out The Reinvention Method.

Things you should know about Rachel aside from the fact that she’s adorable: She fell in love with fitness young, while attending the School of American Ballet. Pilates was her workout of choice and remained so through her tenure with New York City Ballet. And during her career, she was named to Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2009, and appeared in  numerous television programs, films, and books.

When she stopped dancing, she began looking for a new passion: ‘I quickly realized that I needed to move. I needed to be creative and fuel that creativity in a movement-based environment. In Chaise23, which my mother founded, I found that perfect balance of business, creativity, and movement.’ 

rachel leg lift

Rachel credits The Reinvention Method for keeping her in peak shape (I mean…whoa, look at those photos!) since ending her ballet career and is thrilled (seriously, she is) to be teaching the method to models, athletes, and all her Chaise devotees. She has been featured on camera for Shape Magazine, Fox News, and Oxygen demonstrating The Reinvention Method.

And so, armed with questions, a notepad, a camera, and my best efforts, I went. It was amazing in a gloriously, exhausting, kind of painful way.

Let’s talk about it.

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The classes are small, so everyone gets a fair amount of personal attention — plus, Rachel introduced herself to everyone individually beforehand and remembered their names during class. I can barely remember the name of my immediate neighbors, who I see everyday, and was therefore duly impressed.

Everyone also gets their own little stool/chair/thing and their own two bungee cords hanging from the ceiling.

photo-23

There’s multiple sorts of classes offered at the studio — Reinvention Chair (which I took), Cardio Chair (which looks hard as h-e-double-hockey-sticks), Chair Challenge (for those looking for a…challenge?), Long & Lean (which explains why Anne and Julie are both long & lean), and Ballet Bungee (which plays into Rachel’s lifelong training).

leg lifts back

Reinvention chair was an awesome workout. It follows a very decided, methodically laid out progression. It starts with big muscle groups (i.e. legs), warms up the area, and then fires into all the smaller groups (i.e. every, minute angle of your hamstring) and you feel a burn. A holy, holy burn.

I asked Rachel a few questions about the method, and how she focuses her training for our girls before their big shoots.

Here are her answers:

What is your favorite exercise move? Pikes! Pikes are very unique to our method and are an incredible full body exercise that targets all the trouble areas. The beauty of pikes is that there are many variations that can be done and the pedal resistance can be changed so your body is constantly challenged.  (if I had to describe a pike and had to cite it as something other than a soul-crushing-abdominal-death…I would say you place your feet on the pedal of the chair, hands on the far corners of the bench, and then your lift your hips straight up into the air with every, shaking ounce of power your abs hopefully have, and then lower slowly back down to the ground…it hurts.)

What is your least favorite move?  I have a love hate relationship with the Side Leg Series. It is the miracle waist cincher, but is very challenging for me. Balancing on the chair while laying on your side challenges your core in a whole new way, the addition of the bungees really requires your entire body to be present and connected. (what? you want another description? alright well, lay on the side of your hip, on the bench, grasp for dear life onto your bungee cord hanging from the ceiling and try to make Rachel proud as she cheers you on to lift your leg, pulse your arm, and cinch that waist! It’s amazing.)

As I was working/struggling/sweating through both series, as well as all the others…I kept picturing Anne & Julie.

anne v julie“They do this”…”I’m doing this”…”They look great”…”I’m totally going to look great”…”Right?”…(cue more dripping sweat, huffing, puffing, a few choice curse words, etc)…”Right?! God I better be right!”…

So, just to double check…I asked Rachel about what she does specifically for Anne and Julie, to get them (me?) bikini ready…

When I work with Anne V and Julie Henderson I combine the chair and Ballet Bungee exercises to create a program that focuses on creating long, sculpted muscles. Working one-on-one enables me to really tailor each workout to their body and specific needs, and I constantly challenge their already strong physiques by pushing them to plié lower, and pike higher. They are often traveling, so I have created a specialized theraband workout, that takes all the exercises that are usually performed in the studio with the overhead bungees and the fitness chair, and allows them to fit in a great workout anywhere, anytime! 

Rachel would love to do something similar for you! So take a class, go say hello, whatever!

Follow Rachel and Chaise23 here:

Twitter: @Chaise23

Twitter for Rachel: @rachiepiskin

Instagram: chaise23flatiron

Email: flatiron@chaise23.com

Conquering the Gym

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Gym relationships are tricky little devils. You’re in it. You’re going every day. You look great. Whoa, is that a vein I see popping on your bicep?

But then one week you go three times instead of five. And three inevitably becomes one, which quickly becomes none, which then works itself into a new pant size.

Commitment wanes, work gets the best of you, maybe you’ve got a filthy affair with Ben&Jerry raging — whatever the case may be, you should go back to the gym [I mean...you look beautiful...it's just...exercise is good for you, y'know].

So here’s a list of largely uneducated, but only moderately unsupported, rules to keep you on track:

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1. Avoid gyms near Cinnabons, pizza joints, and liquor stores [the logic here should be obvious...].

2. If you’re even slightly confused as to whether or not your shirt smells…it smells. Do something about that.

3. Everyone, at some time or another, has accidentally thrown their sweat towel in the trash bin instead of the towel bin. No need to keep casting furtive, guilty glances over your shoulders.

4a. Squat. Pull. Lift. Push. Do something besides cardio. Everyone knows if you’re not lifting, in some form or fashion, you might as well take however much you spend on membership, light it on fire and throw it in a trash barrel once a month.

4b. Everyone looks good doing curls in a mirror. That’s why they do curls in the mirror. Variety is still key, Narcissus.

IMG_9961

5. Nutrition is half the battle [see #1]. Do not conquer the gym only to conquer Bravo Pizza an hour later.

6. Every yoga class has a few know-it-alls that take every opportunity to jump into handstand or contort into a human pretzel. It’s okay. You should get over it, go to class and let them jump into handstand and contort into human pretzels.

7. Can someone please start a gym called Bench Press and Stare at the Wall so that everyone who just bench presses and stares at the wall can get the hell out of my way?

8. The classic Clint Eastwood move, at any gym, is to walk over to the cardio area, change all the TVs to the history channel, and light a cigar. Consider incorporating it if you’re bored on your active rest day.

9. It’s normal to have gym friends — people who know you only in the context of your exercise habits. You may have won the Nobel Prize for Literature last year, but at the gym, all you’re known for is wiping out during your box jumps last week. It’s okay, this is humbling and important.

10. Gyms have two types of members: those that wipe down their machines and stations after using them and the worst people in the universe.

11. A gym is not meant to make you feel better about yourself instantly. If a gym wanted to make you feel better about yourself instantly, it would be a bar. Keep at it.

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12. A class or a workout should be hard. You should be uncomfortable. If you’re not uncomfortable, but rather relaxed and enjoying yourself…well, then you’re at brunch and should have put on nicer clothes.

13. Fact: mulling over going to the gym, debating going to the gym, thinking about going to the gym, and talking about going to the gym all burn between 0 and 0 calories. Get a move on, kid.

14. Did you just answer your phone in yoga? Awesome. Unbelievable.

photo-161

15. Pinterest keeps telling me ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’, which is, in no way, shape, or form true. Chips and a frozen margarita make for an excellent end to your day. Just go to the gym again tomorrow, okay?

Good luck all!

Pretentiously Pretentious Pretentiousness

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Do you ever listen to yourself…like, actually listen…and realize just how much shit you’re spewing? [really looking for a "yes me too!! all the time!! omgstrings we're the same!!" here...]

It’s happened twice in the past few days to me. Luckily, I was in a safe space [my living room] with people willing to look past my ridiculous fodder [my roommates].

Exhibit A: Taylor: “[*quite casually] I still can’t believe Life of Pi won for Best Director.”

Me: “[*over-the-top sounds of exasperation coupled with profound eyebrow-raising] Ummm I can! The Academy loves Ang Lee”

Roommates: [*slack jaws, huffing, puffing...general disbelief]

The Academy? The ACADEMY?! Really Madison?

Exhibit B: Amy: “I need to get some kale, I really want to make kale chips.”

Me: “But do you dehydrate them or bake them? I’ve found dehydrating them to be life-changing [*zero sarcasm, every word was fully meant].”

And it got me thinking…What other faux-pretensions do I have? And, perhaps more importantly, how often do they emerge?

Answer: Health Foods. Oh, and each and every time you visit a grocery store.

The following list of superfoods have to be The 5 Most Pretentious ‘Must-Eat’ Foods. They may not mean you summer in Martha’s Vineyard or routinely share pear tarts with the Barefoot Contessa [...a girl can dream], but I’ll say this much, having them on your grocery list and stocking your cupboards sure makes you feel like you’re a whole lot closer to doing so.

1. Quinoa

I may have pronounced it wrong for a year (“kwin-oh-uh” is, as it turns out, quite wrong), but I adopted this whole grain enthusiastically, nonetheless. It hails from South American farms and was cultivated 3-4,000 years ago — but you don’t need to know that to know this stuff is no joke. Chock-full of fiber, protein, and iron you can never (NEVER) go wrong with this WASPy side dish.

Used, easily, in a sentence: “Do you think I should make some black bean and quinoa lettuce wraps for after our sailing trip?”

2. Almond Butter

Forget peanut butter.

No seriously, forget it. It is now the unloved, under-appreciated and long-forgotten middle child [mom, dad do you hear me?! DO YOU?!]. Almond butter, you see, with its lower saturated fat content and supplemental protein and fiber, well it might as well be the second-coming in spreadable form.

Used in a sentence: “My rent might be super late but if I get evicted at least I’ll have these 400-odd, industrial-sized jars of almond butter to cart around with me and display my societal worth.”

3. Kale

Can we talk about kale? It’s tough. It’s bitter. It comes in irrationally large bunches in the Whole Foods produce section…but when you consider its nutrient-density (holy fiber, anti-cancer properties and vitamins!), you totally get why every housewife is peeing their pants in excitement and shoving it in every smoothie, tossing it in every salad, and, of course, baking the holy grail of kale dishes — kale chips, routinely.

Because I mean, it’s a chip.

But it’s kale.

Used in a sentence: “Should I blanch this kale before freezing it? I bought 5 pounds today at the market so that we can make fresh kale and ginger juices every morning for the rest of our lives!”

4. Greek Yogurt

Unless you live in a cave, under a rock, or somewhere completely and utterly out of touch with society, you already know greek yogurt is the most sacred and treasured of all yogurt. I’m even starting to hear rumors that capital punishment will now be doled out for anyone who dares purchase that Dannon Fruit-on-the-Bottom garbage.

Just kidding, that’s for anyone with the audacity to wield a go-gurt in public.

Used in a sentence: “But, honey, why don’t we just buy our own organic goat farm upstate so that we can have an unlimited store of fresh greek yogurt on hand?”

5. Blueberries

This shouldn’t need an explanation, yet I feel an overwhelming urge to clarify that these antioxidant superheroes are not meant to be stuck in some obscene cobbler, pie, or muffin. No, no. Instead, put them in your greek yogurt and check out your well-rounded breakfast or enjoy a handful for a morning snack!

Keep in mind, these will in no way, shape, or form keep you full…but fake it ’til you make it, kids! Claim, wholeheartedly, that you are stuffed from this pseudo-snack and you will not disappoint. In fact, play your cards right and you’ll see, people will want to be you.

Used in a sentence: “I wish I hadn’t eaten all three of those bleubs, I hate going to Soul Cycle on a full stomach!”

Happy smart and healthy eating fellow snobby, slightly-pretentious, but secretly poor foodies! It’s only 11 a.m. and I’ve consumed 3 out of these 5 things, so hop to!

Banana-Orange-Flaxseed Bread

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photo-92How do you decide how many of the ingredients a recipe includes get to be in the title of the actual baked good?

Is this Whole Wheat-Banana-Orange-Flaxseed Bread? Or Whole Wheat-Protein-Banana-Orange-Flaxseed Bread?

Do you focus on the ingredient you left out and call it Sugarless-Orange-Banana-Flaxseed Bread?

Or what about going all ‘modern minimalist’ and calling it A Unique Variation of Banana Bread?

The decisions I have to make y’all…they’re not easy (Hey Tyler: They’re not not hard? Not not easy?)

photo-89Anyway, let’s start where starting makes sense: a blurry photo of the ingredients.

You know how ['they' say] a photo is worth a thousand words? Well one of the words in this photo is a lie. And that word…that word is powder…as in, baking powder — none was used. Baking soda, however, was. It was otherwise occupied in the ‘fridge at the time of the photo and couldn’t be bothered to make an appearance, but if you use the stunt-double featured here…things will quickly go awry.

You’ll need:

- 1 cup whole wheat flour

- 1/2 cup vanilla (unflavored would also work) protein powder

- 1 tsp baking SODA

- 1 tbsp whole flaxseeds, plus more for sprinkling over the top

- 1/2 tsp sea salt

- 1/2 tsp ginger

- 3 ripe bananas

- 2 eggs

- 1/3 cup orange juice

- 1 (generous) tsp vanilla extract

- 1 orange, of which you’ll ask only for its zest

That’s right…no sugar…no butter…no problem. Bananas are sweet. So are oranges (like…sort of). Flaxseeds are interesting, far more interesting than any plain white sugar I know. You’ll be fine! You don’t even have to tell anyone — it can be a safe little secret between you and your (hopefully) now-shrinking muffin top.

Mix the dry ingredients together. Mash the bananas until they are LIQUID in a separate bowl — add the rest of the wet ingredients. Then, in a moment of sheer brilliance, mix the wet into the dry and add the zest of 1 orange.

Pour into a loaf pan, sprinkle some flaxseeds on top and pop into your 350-degree, preheated oven.

Bake for 35ish minutes — a similar recipe called for 50-55 so either my oven is hot or they prefer their bread a bit dry…either way keep an eye on it!

photo-90Wait for it to cool (an exhausting test of willpower). Slice and then load on your favorite toppings. Peanut butter on the left, butter on the right.

That’s right…butter smeared all over a butter-less recipe; I do love a bit or irony in my baked goods.

@Vemma Review!

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Have you been following my instagram and twitter this week?

1. If not…wtf?

2. If so…then, remember these photos?

Kindly, kindly a Vemma rep sent me a big box of goodies last week for sampling [it's not like I ever mention being busy or tired].

But considering it took me months to find a protein powder with a trustworthy ingredient list…I’ll admit I was suspicious.

I buy no energy drinks.

I take no supplements.

I’m one of those annoying people who believe everything my body might ever need can be gleaned from our big green earth [because...duh].

But I think Vemma knew that [sneaky little devils]…because everything in their products is natural and based on whole food nutrition…it just provides a concentration of vitamins/minerals/antioxidants/etc we can’t achieve, no matter the copious amounts of fruits and vegetables we might shove down our throats.

Consider this product: The Vemma Formula, 2 oz.

That’s a lot of produce…and if you know me…you know I eat nauseating amounts of the stuff. 3 pounds of grapes? Give me an hour. Bags of apples? No big deal. Butter lettuce? I eat it plain.

But that list? Astounding. Even better? It’s desire to “fill holes in my diet” rather than replace meals or claim that I no longer have to eat my fruits and veggies.

It’s all based on the nutritional components of the mangosteen. Assuming you live in the Western Hemisphere [though my reader chart assures me this isn't true for all of you!], you’re perhaps a bit unfamiliar with the fruit.

I was too. Then I packed up, shipped out, moved to Vietnam, and ate them everyday. When I saw that Vemma had “mangosteen” slapped across the front of it…I was apprehensive.

Please don’t ruin my memory of the soft and sweet treats I ate on the banks of the MeKong River.

Don’t take away my favorite afternoon snack with the students.

It didn’t. The flavor is good, and I find myself actually looking forward to my little mangosteen shot.

I also find myself looking forward to the Verve Shot for a little kick in the behind these days.

I don’t know why I was nervous to take this [I also don't know why calling restaurants for reservations makes me sweat or why I have to put my left shoe on before my right every morning so...] but I almost plugged my nose before the first one.

Silly girl, it’s yummy.

Oh also, it works.

I took it yesterday when I felt my eyelids drooping and head getting heavy and truly, it helped. My other one was taken Sunday morning before yoga and I think I might make a habit of it.

I don’t like to eat before yoga if class is first thing in the morning, I swear it helps me with the binding poses. So being able to avoid coffee [there's a phrase I thought I'd never say] but not stumble onto my mat bleary-eyed and half-asleep was wonderful reprieve.

From the site:

I agree with all the above. No caffeine gives me jitters anymore, so I supposed I can’t speak to that…but I do crash from my dependency [addiction?] and I noticed last night I didn’t.

The last product I got to try was the Verve Energy Drink.

It comes in Diet [has sucralose, fyi] and regular [70 calories].

I gave up artificial sweeteners long ago and didn’t feel the need to delve back in for the sake of a trial…so I only tasted Verve Zero….and it tasted good in the way that a Skinny Latte tastes good if you haven’t had any real sugar recently [really freaking good]. But for me, it tasted a bit chemically. I assure you neither of my sisters would say the same…so choose as you will.

Lucky for me, there was still Verve Energy for me to love on.

I liked this for before morning cardio sessions. Hot coffee before sweating leaves me really hot and rather dehydrated [attractive, I know]. This solves that problem without robbing me of that precious extra pep in my step [remember when we discussed my tripping on the stairs...?].

All in all, I think it’s a great company. I hope you all take to heart that I very rarely do product reviews and I almost never toot the horn of any supplement company. I encourage [beg...plead...] you to click on the links for all the products and maybe even try one out!

Need more encouragement? Check out Bess’s blog for a secondary opinion!

For ordering… 

twood09@me.com is the rep [Tyler] I worked with –> all you have to do is email him what product you want and he will do the nitty-gritty ordering for you [god knows I love when people do things for me].

You can also order straight from the product websites. If you do so, when it asks you how you heard about this you answer “Vemma Brand Partner” and enter the code 274924006 [don't worry...it's Tyler, not me].

If anyone has any questions, ask! Tyler and I are happy to help!

Checking In

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Did you know that I exercise? Probably not if you’re new to this little corner of the web. A workout hasn’t made an appearance since…well, let’s just leave it at “…”.

And yet, I do workout.

Like 5 times a week.

And I read a million few other fitness blogs where I ever-so-stealthily [like...by hitting "print"] swipe routines.

And my shoulders are feeling the shocking number of chaturangas this morning’s yoga provided.

And I was sore in my hamstrings [oh god, my hamstrings] yesterday.

And…I tell you about none of it.

How rude.

Can we still be friends?

Awesome, glad to hear it.

Really, it’s because when my alarm rudely interrupts my dreams [it's always been jealous of my cozy relationship with my bed] at 6:?? a.m. each morning, remembering to grab my purse and my coffee is all I can ask of myself. Taking the time to scribble out a formal workout…simply not going to happen.

So let’s talk about what does work [for me] and the resources I find myself crawling back to day in and day out.

1. The far, dark, and unattended corners of my gym bag.

It’s where little gems like these reside [easier to read format here]. I’ve upped the speed so that I stay above 6.0 mph a bit longer, but the format is the same and does all the thinking for me [plus, running at a 15% incline never gets easier], leaving me to focus on things like not falling off my treadmill or tripping on the stairs [happened on Monday, honest].

Other printables: here, here, and here!

2. Morning Yoga

I’ve this funny little habit, you see. I like to ignore my upper body for nearly the entire duration of my workouts.

Yoga has an equally funny little habit where it reminds me of each and every one of those muscles whenever I enter a class.

We’ve become an excellent tag-team in that way.

3. I found a workout buddy. Never thought I needed one, until I had got one, and it’s made a world of difference.

4. These blogs…

Peanut Butter Runner [crossfit, yoga]

The Fitnessista [videos, circuits]

Bess Be Fit [running, circuits, at-home workouts, cardio] –> bonus: she’s funny, she g-chats with me all day, and shares my Starbucks/FroYo/Oatmeal/Chocolate addiction affinity.

Do I feel like I am at my fittest?

Nope, sure don’t.

But I feel like I’ve done a good job of re-committing myself to getting there, despite the hassle my schedule currently provides.

How’s everyone else doing on this front? You know I’m always scrounging around for tips and workouts :-)

Sunrise

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Nothing catches my breath quite like sunrise.

It’s quiet. 4 miles punctuated only by the echo of my own breath mingled with the clop of one foot after another, basking in the glow of the sun kissing the earth…it’s a glorious way to wake up.

Just me, the East River, and the few others drawn out from under their warm covers to the road.

I doubt I’ll see sunrise the rest of the weekend, but I sure do look forward to seeing her again next week.