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A Workout Mash Up

Thank you guys for all your warm comments after last night’s post. It was definitely a stream of consciousness post and I have no idea what inspired me. I’ll definitely address some of your questions in upcoming posts. As always, leave any other questions in comments or feel free to email me!

This morning didn’t start very well. I’ve been popping Vitamin C like it’s my job. Three quarters of my team at work are sick and I woke up feeling stiff and could barely swallow. An extra hour of sleep, warm water salt gargle, sunshine, fun shoes, and green juice left me feeling much better.

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Look at that sunshine!!

I wasn’t craving my normal breakfast though. I treated myself to a delicious egg white omelet from Toasties.

IMG_0677 This delicious omelet included lots of veggies and was topped with fresh salsa! I enjoyed it with a side of grapefruit for an extra kick of Vitamin C!

IMG_0678My afternoon was a bit more stressful than I’d like but as always, Sara and Theodora were there for me! What would I do without awesome girl friends? I can’t really share details at this point but hopefully I’ll have some good news to share with you all soon!

I took out some of my stress during an evening gym session. I had a meeting with the Equinox special events manager before my workout and spent a few minutes brainstorming blog events!

Unfortunately, my workout didn’t go quite as well. I stepped on the treadmill, focused on doing four miles at a harder than normal pace. One mile into my workout I was bored, in a funk, and ready to leave. I knew some sweat would make me feel better so I decided to make today’s workout a mash up of workouts.

  • 2 miles at 6.3 pace on the treadmill
  • 20 minutes of weights focusing on arms, abs, and shoulders
  • 10 minutes on the stair climber
  • 5 minutes abs and planks
  • 1 miles at 6.7 pace

It wasn’t the four miles I’d intended to complete but at least it was a sweat fest that left me feeling a bit better.  I enjoyed what’s quickly becoming my favorite late night dinner: cereal!

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  • skim milk
  • banana
  • Fiber One
  • Kashi Puffs

The rest of my evening was spent trying to master the art of self tanning. Luckily, my friend Grace dedicated an entire blog post to this endeavor today.  IMG_0687IMG_0688 Hopefully I’ll look tanner tomorrow and won’t regret this decision. My products of choice were the ones Grace recommended:

Today’s health and fitness tip of the day has to do with vitamins! The key components you must look for in a daily vitamin are the vitamins B6, B12, D, E and folic acid. Check yours today!

Question: Do you self tan?

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ashleyd /

Manic Mondays Don’t Have Anything on Me!

Happy Monday! Did you have a case of the Monday’s today?

My day started later than expected as I slept through my morning workout. I felt badly bailing on Sara, my awesome workout buddy, but my hamstrings were still sore and I overdid my yoga yesterday which left my shoulders and abs tired as well. It’s amazing how chaturanga and bow pose work my arms.

Chaturanga

At the office, my day was a manic Monday but I didn’t let this get in the way of my healthy habits. 

I enjoyed this delicious green juice throughout the day, finishing half of it by the end of the day. I’ve emailed a dietician friend, in hopes of understanding whether this bottled juice has the same benefits as fresh juice. I don’t have access to a juicer at work and fresh juices are so expensive at local juice stands. Any tips or thoughts?

IMG_0659 I upped the greens during my lunch as well, trading up my normal small salad for the large size at Pax. But, in order to keep calories in check, I filled it with all veggies and no added goodies like cheese or proteins. Instead, I saved money and brought my leftover grouper. It was delicious and very filling. This salad kept me full all day long!

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When I left the office, at 7:19 it was already dark and cold outside. I was exhausted but knew that if I did some speed training on the treadmill tonight I could be in and out of Equinox in time for The Bachelor!

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Mission accomplished! I completed 3 miles of speed intervals in 27:09! I was entertained by the post game report from the Academy Awards. These were a few of my favorites:

women 2011 Academy Awards Oscars red carpet dress

I didn’t love Scarlett’s hair but I loved her dress and makeup. That color, dahlia, is amazing!

I love dresses that combine sexy with conservative. This plunging neckline and cinched waist are the perfect contrast to the full, puffy skirt.

Speaking of Academy Awards, I have chosen a winner for the Academy Award sized giveaway. Congratulations #57 Annemarie, you are the winner of an amazing prize package!  Please email me your mailing address so I can send it your way!

In other news, today’s health and fitness tip is something we all could use:

Today’s Health & Fitness tip is to take 5 min breaks every hour by looking off into the distance. Your eyes will thank you!

  • Keep the distance of the monitor from your eyes between 16 to 30 inches. Most people find a distance of 20 to 26 inches comfortable.
  • Purchase an anti-glare screen for your work and home computer
  • Increase font size on your computer for easier viewing
  • Just close your eyes for a few minutes when your work requires prolonged data input into the computer.

Question: What is your single favorite yoga move?

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Are You Pouring on the Pounds?

Happy Thursday! Since it’s Thursday, regular readers know that I met my gym buddy, Sara, for an awesome spin class this morning.

equinspinShaina’s spin class is an hour long on Thursdays which means it pushes us extra hard and allows us to enjoy a few extra minutes of Shaina’s music. Meghann joined us for the class two weeks ago and loved it too! Do you prefer hour or 45 minute classes? I like hour classes as I feel like I get a more complete workout.

My favorite song’s this morning was Lady Gaga’s Born This Way. I know everyone has different feelings about this song and how much it echo’s old Madonna but I love it and it has quickly earned a spot on my running playlist.

Leaving the gym this morning, I noticed that the new Spring fashions have taken over the windows in SoHo! Hopefully they are right and we’ll be able to wear these light, frilly fashions sooner versus later. For now, I’m still rotating my winter wardrobe which is far darker than my bright Spring clothes.

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On the way to work, I had the luck of snagging an empty 6 train. Many days the 6 train is so packed you can barely move but today I was able to sit down and read during my 12 minute subway ride! In fact, the extra room allowed me to notice the new ad campaign, Are you Pouring on the Pounds?  IMG_0566 IMG_0565 IMG_0564While the images of fat pouring out of the fruit punch and energy drink are a bit disgusting, I think this is an effective and strong campaign! Unfortunately, there are still a number of people who don’t realize how unhealthy soda, punch, and energy drinks are if consumed on a regular basis. One of my friends from home recently decided that he wanted to lose a few pounds and the first suggestion I made was that he give up sweet tea. Many restaurants put an unbelievable amount of sugar in their tea! for example, McDonald’s now famous sweet tea has more than 28 grams of sugar in the 32oz size!!

I’ll step off my soap box now to share this mornings breakfast with you. :)  Due to this morning’s intense workout, I brought some fruit to work for a morning snack as I don’t know if my oats and banana will hold me over as well as normal.

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Question: How do you feel about ad campaigns like the one featured above? love hem or hate them? Are they too graphic?

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