Starting a new routine out on the right foot and a new favorite breakfast

Joining Equinox was an easy decision for me as it finally allowed me to enjoy one of the things i’d missed so much since moving to NYC- gym comraderie. When I lived in Philadelphia, I belonged to three different gyms during my three years there. I changed gyms each time I moved as most of my friendships revolved around long elliptical or treadmill conversations. I loved having a partner every morning to not only help hold me accountable but to also help out with workouts, serving as a spot, and motivation. When I moved to NYC, Bo and I were lucky enough to move into an apartment building with a very nice gym. However, the gym only offered one class a day which rarely fit my schedule and my two friends in the building (holler Melissa) worked out in the evening. Therefore, I wasn’t able to build a “gym friendship”. I found myself feeling lonely on the treadmill and therefore lacking the excitement and motivation to extend my gym session. There is nothing better than having a great friend to keep you on the treadmill 5 minutes longer, motivate you to run .5 mph faster, or do one more crunch!

Luckily, my best friend in NYC, Lauren was already a diehard Equinox fan. However, sometimes I believe that she goes there due to reputation and star factor instead of the workout. For example, she insists on frequenting the Meat Packing or Greenwich locations on the weekend since that is the place to be. 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, these are both amazing Equinox locations with more atmosphere and decor than I could have ever imagined! But, at the end of the day, it is the memories we create while trying inversions during a crazy Diana’s crazy L2/3 (Vinyasa Yoga which I highly recommend if you’re in NYC) Greenwich Sunday yoga class or gossiping on the elliptical that make the monthly membership worth every penny!

I knew that I wanted to take advantage of every perk Equinox offers it’s members. Therefore, I immediately signed up for my complimentary Equifit session. An Equifit session is a 45 minute session conducted by a personal trainer which helps setup realistic goals, aid in progress tracking, and assess your current fitness state. This is done through a number of tests and exercises that test strength, agility, balance, and cardio levels. Many of these tests were completely foreign to me such as the VO2 test and the core balance test which showed just how much weaker my left side is! In addition, Sarah, my personal trainer, conducted a lean muscle mass ratio test, blood pressure, and took my weight. The most exciting part of the whole session was that i’m actually a half inch taller than I ever believed! I’ll take 5’9.5 though it is still shorter than my favorite childhood athletic star, Gabrielle Reece!

After the Equifit session, each member receieves a complimentary training session. This evening Sarah put me through the rigors of a specially designed training session that targeted my focus areas: triceps, thighs, and core. Strengthening my thighs and core will aid in my running while toning my triceps will help me get ready for all the adorable summer pieces Bloomingdales is currently previewing! (I love these two for day and night  The hour session consisted of high kicks, pushups (3 sets of 10-male version), front and rear lunges (3 sets of 25), bicycle abs, ball plank, 100’s, close grip pull down, row, tricep pull down, overhead press, and stretching! It was definitely tough but I thoroughly enjoyed the workout. I also like that I can break it down into 3 15 minute sessions and tack them on to my morning workouts before my Monday and Tuesday spin class and Wednesday’s cardio kettlebell class.

Tomorrow morning will be my treadmill day as I strive to lower my 4 mile time! I am hoping to run in NYRR Gridiron Classic 4 miler on February 7th. This was the first of my 9 NYRR races in 2009 and one I thoroughly enjoyed! My time was 39:35 but my PR last year was 39:21 for a Central Park 4 mile race. My goal for this one is 39:00. I’m hoping my spin classes and training this month will help! 

I am sure some of you are wondering if i’m ever going to talk about food again! 🙂 Yes, I will! In fact, I am in love with my new breakfast routine. The 44th and Lexington Avenue Equinox features a City Chow cafe which has more healthy food options (on the go and sit down options) than I have ever seen! Their cases are filled with hard boiled eggs, a breakfast dump similar to Meghann’s (yogurt, apple, and granola), water, and more. But, the true hidden secret is their reasonably priced egg white omelet meals. I have enjoyed a 4 egg white omelet filled with spinach, tomato, onion, and mushrooms for $3.95! This has helped me start my day on a healthy, protein filled track. I find that if I eat enough protein after a workout, i’m less likely to over eat during the day.

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GUEST POST: Fresh Ideas for Spring Veggies from A-S

I am so excited to turn over this post to one of my favorite New York ladies, Aimee of Healthy Apple!

Good afternoon everyone, I’m Amie from The Healthy Apple blog, and I am delighted to be guest-posting today on Ashley’s blog. I am a Nutritionist who believes in the philosophy ‘Everything in Moderation’. I feel it is important for each of us to enjoy life as well as try new foods and experiences. We need to take time for ourselves and make sure we are providing our bodies with Primary Foods and Secondary Foods each and every day. Today I am going to be sharing with you some of my favorite springtime veggies as well as a tasty recipe.

Spring is one of my favorite seasons of the year, not only because it is the arrival of warmer weather and beautiful, blossoming flowers, but because I start looking forward to serving my favorite Spring veggies such as artichokes, sweet corn, fresh spinach, crisp green beans, Swiss chard, asparagus and broccoli. These spring veggies are delicious and each one packs a serious nutritious punch with each bite!

Asparagus: One cup of these hearty stalks packs in 3 grams of fiber and supplies us with a plethora of antioxidants such as beta carotene, vitamin C, folate and vitamin A.

Artichokes: One gorgeous artichoke has 10 grams of fiber along with scores of folate and vitamin C.

Broccoli: One cup of these little green trees provides us 2 grams of fiber alongside a nice dose of vitamin A, folate and vitamin C.

Green Beans: Each cup of crispy green beans fills us up with 4 grams of fiber, a nice dose of omega 3’s, vitamin A, folate and calcium.

Spinach: These dark leafy greens are my favorite; they are loaded with antioxidants such as folate, vitamin C, beta carotene, omega 3 fatty acids and a fabulous dose of calcium.

Sweet Corn: Corn on the cob is one of the most delicious ways to enjoy sweet corn; each ear awards us 2 grams of fiber, a load of antioxidant phytochemicals and folate.

Swiss Chard: This dark leafy green comes in two fabulous colors: deep green as well as vibrant red. My favorite choice, however, is the rainbow chard, which makes each dish look incredibly colorful! These tasty leaves pack in 4 grams of fiber, a load of vitamin A and beta carotene, as well as vitamin C, calcium and folate.

Here is a delicious spring veggie recipe that will satisfy your palate and get you ready for the warmer weather.

Sautéed Spring Veggies and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 Bunch Swiss Chard

• 1 Bunch Asparagus

• ¼ cup Dried Cherries

• 1 cup No-Salt added Vegetable broth

• 2 Tsp. Olive Oil

• ¼ cup Crumbled Goat Cheese

• ¼ cup Walnuts (Toast by lightly browning in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat, stir frequently)

• 1 Tsp. Minced Garlic

Directions

• Slice Swiss chard into thin strips. Cut ends off of both asparagus and Swiss chard. Rinse and drain well. Add to a skillet with 1 cup of vegetable broth. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain well.

• Add olive oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir. Add asparagus and Swiss chard; sauté for 3 minutes.

• Transfer asparagus and Swiss chard to a serving dish. Top with toasted walnuts, dried cherries and crumbled goat cheese.

• Enjoy!

So, as this beautiful spring weather starts to arrive, be sure to check out your local farmer’s market and pick up some of these luscious spring vegetables. I hope each of you enjoys my Sautéed Spring Vegetable and Goat Cheese recipe above. Send me a comment and let me know your thoughts! I would love to hear from you.

As I mentioned previously, I am a Nutritionist with a passion for cooking, baking and healthy living in the Big Apple of NYC. My Nutrition Counseling is a unique, exciting innovation in health and nutrition. While most dietitians dwell on calories, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, restrictions and lists of good and bad foods, I work with my clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and free of denial and discipline. No one diet works for everyone, therefore I will guide you to find the food and lifestyle choices that best support you. I will also help you make gradual, lifelong changes that enable you to reach your current and future health goals.

Contact me today at thehealthyapple@gmail.com for a free health consultation. We will discuss your unique situation in depth and determine how I can help you reach your personal goals. Aside from Nutrition Counseling, I also provide Menu Planning, Personal Shopping/Food Store Tours/ Cooking Parties and In-Home Demonstrations.

Thank you Ashley for asking me to guest post on your blog today. Have a wonderful day everyone- I hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

All the Best,

The Healthy Apple

http://thehealthyapple.wordpress.com/

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A shortened work week makes for an intense few days…

Greetings and salutations,

I apologize for my crazy posts the last day or so as my world is in chaos, overdrive mode for the next day. Due to the shortened work week I have a number of requests that must be completed by 5pm tomorrow. If you pair that with the fact that I have a huge marketing presentation at the customer (2.5 hours away) tomorrow that means that everything is due tonight- including my application! For those of you who asked, this job would be with the same amazing company I work for today but allow me to work from the Manhattan office versus commuting to Philadelphia once a week after I move to NYC full time Memorial Day weekend.

So this morning’s workout sort of happened. The fiance didn’t get home until 11 last night as he was home yesterday for his grandfather’s funeral and his flight was delayed. Unfortunatley, due to ticket prices I was not able to accompany him. However, this late arrival meant that we were up talking until around midnight. Therefore, at 5:15 there was NO way I was getting up because one of the things i’ve realized over the past few months is that my body really needs sleep. This month’s Oxygen issue reaffirms that even more! When I walked out of the apartment at 6:30 and felt the FRIGID temperatures I knew my outdoor run was doomed. Therefore, I hauled it over to NYSC, jumped on a treadmill and did 5.5 miles before my legs could do no more. It was a slow, tedious workout as well as I was averaging 5.8 on the treadmill. I don’t know where my speed went these last few months. I swear I used to be up around 6.3! After logging the miles I stretched for 10 minutes repeating many of Polly’s yoga for runners stretches including my new favorite, FROG. I lifted arms and did abs having full intentions of returning to the gym this evening to log my 2nd 5 miles. Runners World once had an article regarding this and said that while it isn’t ideal, you can split your long runs up during the day.

Well, my plan was foiled when Physique emailed me this morning letting me know I was off the wait list and added to the 6pm class. Let’s see, pound out 5 miles on the treadmill in the gloomy gym or enjoy 57 minutes of Physique bliss. Hmm, I wonder:)

Okay, today’s honeypot of knowledge (I know..bear reference..lame) is in regards to supplements. I mentioned in a post earlier this week that Oxygen recommended certain supplements during the weight loss/cleaner eating plan. Here is the more detailed information:

“Because a fat-loss program may not deliver the assorted micronutrients your body needs, you’ll need to supplement your eating. By boosting your daily intake of certain key micronutrients, your body will stay healthy.”

-DHA/EPA Fish Oil

Why: Elevates HDL levels while also helping to manage insulin sensitivities and sugar cravings while also improving cardiovascular capacity.

When: 1100 mg at breakfast and bedtime.

-Cal/Mag/Zinc Complex

Why: Bone density, helps keep muscles from cramping during and after workouts, also allows you to reach deeper REM sleep (yes please)

When: 1000 mg at bedtime

-Folic Acid

Why: hormonal and immune stystem support which is especially important for women on a fat-loss plan

When: 800 mg at breakfast

-Multivitamin

Why: Keeps your body in balance..and because your mom said so!

When: They say breakfast and lunch but I only take one at breakfast

-Amino Acid Complex

Why: Supports tissue repair and protein utilization

When: 2 capsules at breakfast, workout, and bedtime

As I wrote this I thought of the awesome and workout rockstare Caitlin. I should have ordered these supplements from her store instead of Drugstore.com. But, I will say Drugstore gave me free shipping and $10 off! Chaching! But, head over to http://www.theholisticdoctorsin.com/ to see what she and her hub offer through their side business!

I HAVE to get back to work but let your imagination run wild with today’s breakfast and lunch, or just reference yesterday’s post as it is the exact same. Go me- 2.5 days of stickign to the plan so far!!
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