Sandy & My Spiritual Fitness
It’s hard to believe today marks a week since Sandy’s devastating arrival in New York. What’s even harder to believe is how so many people are a long way from restoring any semblance of normalcy in their lives. That being said, it’s hard for me to focus on writing about my favorite core exercises or the benefits of cardio when there seems to be more important information people need in my hometown and many towns in the Northeast right now. So, I will keep this off-topic post brief and simply tell you how Sandy inspired me to do something over the weekend that I haven’t done in a long time: she sent me back to Church.
Faith is probably one of the most personal topics out there. In my life, I’m surrounded by people who practice many different religions and I also know some who follow none. During my personal ups and downs during the past year, I started having my own “issues” with God. Unless I was home visiting family, I went to Church less and less. This morning, however, I felt compelled to get up and get there. I wasn’t looking for answers on why a higher power would let this kind of disaster take place. I was just looking for a quiet place to really focus my energy on asking that those who need help find comfort any way they can. I didn’t leave Church feeling like a new person, but for me, it was a good start.
The latest figures show approximately 700,000 homes and businesses in New York City, the northern suburbs and Long Island remain without power. My parents are among them. Hundreds of thousands of of people New Jersey and Connecticut remain in the dark, as well. Meanwhile, the temperatures continue to drop and a new rain-driven storm could be hitting our area on Wednesday. These below freezing temperatures take things from inconvenient to downright dangerous. Of course, power-issues aside, there are also countless horror stories. While I’m fortunate to say I didn’t lose a loved one in the storm, I have friends of friends who did. I also know people whose homes remain flooded and possibly damaged beyond repair. Others stress over when they’ll get back home and back to a normal routine. Meanwhile, I sit in my warm apartment with my iTunes playing and blog site up and running. It’s hard not to feel guilty.
So, in the week ahead, I will workout in an attempt to keep my own worries about my parents in check. At least I know the time I spend in the gym is a healthy distraction from letting the mind wander to places it does no good to go. I’ll also continue to pray. As a thank you to all of you who continue to send your good vibes and positive messages, I wish you a week filled with countless opportunities to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Friday’s Final Thoughts
To say it’s been a hell of a week would be an understatement.
As I write this post, I realize how lucky I am to be able to sit in my non-damaged apartment with the lights on and all lines of communication working normally. I’m beyond thankful that my parents, though among the nearly 800,000 people without power on Long Island, are safe despite the half-dozen trees that came down around their house. I’m lucky my other family and friends are all accounted for. On this post-Sandy Friday, I realize just how important it is to take stock of all my blessings when so many others lost so much to this historic storm.
In the height of all her fury, Sandy wreaked havoc in 17 states. The last numbers I saw before publishing this post showed the storm claimed 87 lives, knocked out power and communications for millions and brought Manhattan – the city that never sleeps – to a virtual standstill. She flooded tunnels in the massive transit system; destroyed beach boardwalks; tossed roller coasters into the ocean and yachts onto front lawns; sparked uncontrollable fires and explosions and changed landscapes and lives forever.
It has been good to see the city coming back to life, but there is still such an eerie feeling in the air. The subways, trains and buses are coming back even more quickly than first predicted. My office re-opened with a skeleton staff on Thursday. On Wednesday, I was fortunate to be able to leave my apartment and walk a few blocks to my gym and see the neighborhood businesses up and running again. However, the images and stories of this storm’s aftermath continue to play out in the news. Those images will haunt us for quite some time as those who lost so much face a long and uncertain road toward recovery.
To those of you who sent emails, texts, or tweets of Facebook messages to check on me and my parents, I send my sincerest thanks and appreciation. At times like this, you realize just how lucky you are to have a support network of people who care and want to help you through whatever life throws at you. I wish everyone a wonderful weekend filled with more steps toward recovery along with a unified spirit and conviction to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Workout Wednesday: Sandy Edition
You Don’t Need a Lot of Space to Break a Sweat!
Well, this Halloween is one filled with more tricks than we’d like here in the Northeast. Let me start by saying thank you to all of you who sent emails, Facebook messages or tweets checking up on me here in New York following the storm that made history.
I’m happy to report I’m safe and sound in Manhattan. My parents who live on Long Island also made it through okay, although they’re facing an uncertain timetable for when they may get their power and phone lines restored. They lost several trees on their property, however, none damaged the house. My heart and prayers go out to those people who did lose loved ones or all of their possessions to this epic storm. We face a difficult period of rebuilding ahead, but I know as other Americans have done following other episodes of Mother Nature’s wrath, we will band together and get through this.
Things are slowly getting back to normal in my neighborhood. While my office remains closed in Midtown, stores and shops in the Upper West Side are opening for business again. Today will probably mark the first time I can hit the gym since the weekend. It will be nice to get back on the elliptical and rowing machines, but again, considering there are so many people who lost more than a few days at the gym, I will be counting my blessings twice today.
One thing I realized while I was cooped up in my cozy apartment watching the latest weather updates and live reports from the area, you truly don’t need a lot of space to burn some calories and break a sweat. Thanks to a yoga mat, two 15-pound free dumbbells, one resistance band and one foam roller, I was able to burn off some of my nervous energy along with a few of the calories I consumed from the red wine, mini dark chocolate – peanut butter cups and other storm essentials I stocked up on before Sandy arrived. Tabata Derbys became my workout of choice, usually while the TV was on tuned into the latest Sandy coverage.
Reminder on the Tabata formula: eight continuous intervals of 20 seconds of maximum intensity followed by 10 seconds of rest. You create a “Tabata Derby” by adding consecutive four-minute intervals and work your way up to a 20-minute total Tabata workout. Two important notes if you move ahead with building a derby:
- If you do more than one Tabata – you must rest for 60 seconds before moving on to the next exercise.
- While the idea is to push out as many reps as possible in the 20-second work period, you shouldn’t sacrifice good form. Better to do “perfect” push-ups on your knees with your stomach drawn-in and glutes squeezed nice and tight than risk injuring your lower back with sloppy reps.
My Tabata Derby broke down like this:
- Squats
- Push-ups
- Resistance band bicep curls
- Side planks
On Monday, I followed the 20-minute derby with a 45-minute Zumba workout following the program from my Zumba Fitness Exhilerate DVD collection.
Now that the storm has passed and we work on rebuilding our neighborhoods and lives, I end with a word of encouragement for those who will be dealing with the aftermath for many days ahead. Know that you are not alone in your struggle and know that you WILL get back to your plans to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Smart Prep for Halloween
It’s that time of year again. Time to burn a few extra calories in preparation for the sweetest day of the year – Halloween!
This is a tough holiday for me, because along with my red wine, I really do love chocolate. Luckily, there are some treats that aren’t quite as spooky as others when it comes to the calorie content.
Here are a few ideas that can help you feel a little less guilty if your hand finds its way into that plastic pumpkin basket to grab a treat of your own:
Going to extremes: Buy candy you DON’T like. Since I’m a chocolate fiend, buying fruity candies like Skittles or Starbursts is an easy way for me to avoid finding too many wrappers in my trash on November 1st. You can also hand out sugar-free gum. At about five calories per stick, if you chew on a few of those during the holiday, it’s obviously not going to blow your healthy eating habits to smithereens.
Middle-of-the-road options:Here are some candy options that will help keep the calorie overload to a reasonable level:
- York Peppermint Patties: who says you can’t enjoy a full-size candy bar without a side order of guilt? This cool treat drenched in dark chocolate is 140 calories with 2.5 grams of fat. (Compare that to a full-size Snickers bar that has 280 calories and 14 grams of fat, and you’ve got a good reason to be satisfied by all that minty goodness!)
- Mini Three Musketeer Bars: You can enjoy three minis for 24 calories and less than one gram of fat.
- Hershey Kisses: Three chocolate smooches come in at 67 calories and 4 grams of fat.
- Tootsie Roll: One piece has 26 calories and five grams of fat.
- Candy Corn: You can have a whole handful of 10 pieces for only 64 calories and 0 grams of fat.
- 100 Calorie Packs: A good alternative to candy bars, these individual packs can satisfy your sweet tooth and take the guess-work out of portion control.
Foodie Friday:Portion Control
We made it to Friday!
I thought I’d wrap up the work week tackling a food-related topic I get lots of questions about: portion control.
For better or worse, anyone who lives in the USA knows all too well that we live in a super-sized society. When an extra quarter gets you an extra-large side of fries or a cookie, it can be tough to make smart decisions. So learning how to keep track of portions at home can help when you’re not protected by the safety of your own kitchen.
As I remind everyone before I launch into my diet-related tips, I’m not a registered dietitian or nutritionist. Therefore, these tips are simply examples of the options that work for me and my lifestyle.
- Scale down, divide and conquer: Use a smaller plate (like a salad dish) for your meal. Make sure that meal includes raw or steamed veggies or salad and fill half your plate with that. Use the remaining space for your lean protein and starch – preferably some sort of whole grain. If you can’t stomach the idea of using a smaller plate, stick with the half-plate veggie and remaining quarters for protein and starch.
- Prep once or twice, eat all week! I am not a cook, let alone a chef. But for anyone who knows his or her way around the kitchen, go ahead and prepare things in bulk, then freeze portion sizes in reusable containers for lunches and dinners that last all week. Click here for a reminder on how non-cooks like me prep other items for a week’s worth of healthy snacks.
- Sizing Things Up: This is often the trickiest part of portion control. When you’re home, until you can eyeball what’s a portion size, I strongly encourage using measuring cups and even a food scale for accurate serving sizes. When you’re not home, here are some of the tricks I learned through Weight Watchers. (I have been a lifetime member since November 2010). All you need is your hand!
- Fist = 1 cup
- Thumb (tip to base) = 1 oz meat or cheese
- Palm (without your fingers) = 3 oz lean protein
- Fingertip = 1 tsp
- Thumb tip = 1 tbsp
- Cupped hand = 1 to 2 oz of crunchy snacks e.g. almonds / pretzels
I leave you with two final tips that have more to do with common sense than accurate measurements.
- Know when to stop eating! I’m lucky to have grown up in a household where I was encouraged to stop eating when I felt full. The trick is to put down that fork before you’re so uncomfortable you’re looking for your first opportunity to get into those sweats.
- Have that cupcake! No, that wasn’t a typo. Whatever your favorite treat is, I guarantee denying yourself the pleasure of indulging in a serving now and then will only make you crave it even more. Trying to satisfy the craving with a substitutes can be another recipe for disaster. Why? Think about it. Instead of having one slice of cookies-and-cream cheesecake, you opt for the low-fat cookies, end up eating the whole bag…and you STILL want the cheesecake! Treating yourself once in a while can help prevent a serious caloric meltdown later. Want a great way to indulge without all the guilt? Split dessert with a friend!
With a little know-how and patience, developing healthy eating habits to compliment your exercise routine is the best way to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Workout Wednesday: Back to the Basics
I said it on Monday, and I’ll say it again: what a difference a week makes!
I’m excited to tackle this Workout Wednesday with new energy. For me, getting back into my fitness routine has meant focusing on one of my lifelong addictions: cardio.
While I haven’t completely decided how today’s workout will break down, I do know there will be a combo of elliptical, recumbent bike and rowing machine training when I hit the gym after work. After my five-day hiatus, I started with a moderate 30 minutes and should have no problem hitting a full 60 minutes today. Adding a plank and push-up Tabata along with some SMR and stretching and no doubt I’ll sweat any work-related stress right out of my system. All of this will no doubt help me get back up to speed and ready to tackle another crazy Central Park workout.
So, today’s post is a reminder about the importance of cardiovascular exercise. In the simplest of terms, it’s crucial when it comes to reaching your goals of losing weight, reducing body fat or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The benefits of cardio activity include its ability to decrease:
- Daily fatigue
- Anxiety and stress
- Coronary artery disease
- Hypertension
- Non-insulin dependent diabetes and
- Obesity
At the same time, cardio helps boost your:
- Sense of well-being
- Immune system
- Blood lipid profile and
- Overall physical performance at work and at play
While there are several levels to cardio training, for the purpose of this post, I’m going to focus on some guidelines for beginners and anyone who may be getting back into a fitness routine after a hiatus. (As usual, I base these guidelines using the what I studied through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.) Your cardio activity should focus on maintaining a zone one heart rate which is approximately 65% to 75% of your maximum heart rate. Here’s what that means for you:
- To calculate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from the number 220.
- Multiply your max heart rate by .65.
- Multiply your max heart rate by .75.
To use myself as an example:
- 220-37 = 183
- 183 X 0.65 = 119
- 183 X 0.75 = 137
- Laura’s Zone One Heart Rate = 119 – 137
If you’re working within the parameters of zone one for cardio, it’s likely you are also in stage one of your overall exercise program. (NASM refers to this as the stabilization level.) If you’ve never worked out before, you may want to try to reach your zone one heart rate for a maximum five to ten minutes and then spend another 20 minutes simply walking at a good pace, climbing the stairs in your home or getting really dirty in the yard by cleaning up the garden. Your goal should be to eventually maintain your zone one heart rate for at least 30 minutes. This can take some time. A “newbie” may need two months or longer to meet this demand, but remember: there’s no finish line here. You’ve made a commitment to exercise and start taking better care of yourself, so while you don’t want to just dial it in, make the journey work for you.
I hope this brief session of cardio 101 will help get your heart pumping safely and effectively so you can have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Time to Kick Some…
Back in Fighting Form
Photo by Leslie Hassler
What a difference a week makes!
At this time last Monday, my body was making an unsuccessful last stand to fight off one of the worst colds I’ve had in recent memory. Today, I’m back in fighting form and feel ready to take on whatever the week throws at me. Why the drastic turnaround? I’m convinced it’s mainly because I listened to my body and took a break. I have no doubt I’ll face the rest of the season in better health than had I fought through the virus by continuing to push myself at the gym.
In all seriousness, for any bona fide fitness lover like me, it’s beyond difficult to force yourself to take a more than one or two days off from the gym. The cold I came down with last week kept me out of action for five whole days. However, on this beautiful sunny Sunday, despite some lingering congestion, I knew my body was ready to break a sweat again. I kept my workout on the moderate end: 30 minutes on the elliptical; 10 minutes on the recumbent bike; a plank Tabata and some SMR and static stretching to round things out. At the end of the hour, I felt great. I was totally refreshed and ready to come home, fire up the computer and write for a while. I was also revved up to take on the work week ahead.
So on this Motivation Monday, I offer another reminder about how important it is to listen to your body. If it is telling you it needs a break, take one. The down time CAN do your body good. While I may not be ready to tackle one of my typical Central Park workouts for several more days, I know I’ll get there. So if you’re getting back in the game after an unexpected break, don’t sweat it. Take it one day at a time and remember, you can always regroup, rebuild and regain your strength and endurance. Sometimes being out of the game can re-ignite the fire and the focus to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Fightin’ Friday!
Well, this week couldn’t end fast enough. I’m looking forward to leaving the sore throat and sniffles along with the work and baseball postseason stress behind me and kicking off a restful weekend.
On that note, I thought it only appropriate to round off the week with some of the tunes that help me “fight back” when I need some extra motivation to conquer whatever is ailing me – physically or emotionally. Remember, you have the strength to overcome whatever challenges lie ahead of you.
Here’s my current top 10 list of songs that help me get through it all. (They are part of my iTunes “Angry Mix” playlist):
- “My Time,” Fabolous & Jeremih
- “Stronger,” Kayne West
- “Fighter,” Christina Aguilera
- “Sin,” Nine Inch Nails
- “Die Another Day,” Madonna
- “The Fire,” The Roots & John Legend
- “No More Drama,” Mary J. Blige
- “It’s Not My Time,” 3 Doors Down
- “How You Like Me Now?” The Heavy
- “I Miss the Misery,” Halestorm
So, what’s your favorite work-out-the-anger song?
Maybe there was something in the stars, because I know a lot of people who had a particularly rough week. Whether you’ve been fighting a cold or struggling with a challenging time at work or on the home front, remember: each of us has the strength to tackle our issues head-on. If you’re up to it, get in a good workout or two over the weekend. Break a good sweat, shake it off and remember the weekend’s the perfect time to look for new chances to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
A Not-So-Typical Workout Wednesday
In honor of this week’s Workout Wednesday, I’ll be….resting.
Why? Because despite all my efforts to take extra care of myself these past couple of weeks filled with travel, extra long hours at the office and virtually zero days off, my body had enough and I came down with a cold. Now that I think about it, all the Yankees late-night playoff games probably served as the final straw in breaking down my immune system.
While my symptoms are mainly above the neck and I did get some cardio in after work on Monday, I could feel my body struggling even on the lower settings on the elliptical. When I finally got home, I was more tired than ever. So, it’s time for me to take a bit of my own advice and take it easy for a day or two. I’d rather be out of the game for a couple of days than risk running myself down even more and ending up with some sort of upper respiratory infection and then being sidelined for even longer.
Whether or not you’re feeling under the weather, rest is a crucial component to anyone’s health and fitness routine. If you don’t allow your body to rest and recover, you’re simply putting yourself at risk for overtraining. The following is a list of some of the symptoms of overtraining:
- Fatigue
- Anemia
- Amenorrhea (when a woman stops getting her monthly period)
- Overuse or stress-related injuries (e.g. stress fractures, tennis elbow and runner’s knee)
- Increased resting heart rate
- Slower recovery of heart rate
- Decrease in strength performance
- Constant muscle pain or soreness when moving, bordering on pain
Avoiding these symptoms doesn’t have to be difficult. Just give yourself a break now and then! A rest day allows for muscular repair and recovery of the central nervous system. For those who can’t imagine even one day without activity, you can still take a leisurely walk or bike ride, or maybe you can substitute that strength or cardio class with an extra-long stretch session.
On the other hand, if you want to enjoy a rest day curled up on the couch in your kick-around clothes reading a good book or catching up with your DVR, go for it! Remember, taking a rest day doesn’t mean you’re being lazy. It only means you’re giving your body the strength to get back in the game so you can have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Even the Mighty Fall
The Game Must Go On!
Anyone who’s known me for a long time will tell you along with health and fitness, one of my biggest passions is following the New York Yankees. My dad’s been taking me to games since I was six-years-old, and I’m very lucky to have witnessed some of baseball’s most memorable moments while cheering from my seat at Yankee Stadium. When the Yankees make it to the postseason, it makes October that much more fun. That includes the nail-biting moments and sleep-deprived nights.
Game one of the American League Championship Series was one of the toughest postseason nights I can remember. During the four hours and 54 minutes of play, I watched my beloved Bronx Bombers come back from a 4-0 deficit by tying it up in the 9th inning, only to fall apart and lose 6-4 in the 12th. However, the biggest loss wasn’t the one reflected on the score board. It happened when Yankees shortstop and captain Derek Jeter went down lunging for an infield hit – and stayed down. The collective gasp of the crowd sent shivers down my spine.
Jeter always gets up. I remember the game at the old Yankee Stadium when he dove into the seats to catch a foul ball and returned to the field with a bloodied face. He’s also known for pushing through the pain and playing with injuries ranging from bone bruises to tweaked muscles. Yet, here he was down in the 12th, and he couldn’t stand up. When I saw he couldn’t even put weight on his left leg as manager Joe Girardi and athletic trainer Steve Donohue helped him hop off the field, I knew it was bad. Sure enough, the grim news soon broke that Jeter had fractured his ankle. He’s done for the postseason and will spend at least the next three months healing.
Call me crazy, but while Yankees fans continue to digest the bad news, there’s also something I know for certain: Jeter will be back. This wasn’t a career-ending moment. It was a setback, but being the amazing athlete and gifted baseball player that he is, I have no doubt he’ll come back swinging, literally. Okay, I realize making millions of dollars is a pretty big incentive to get back in the game, but Jeter also possesses a determination and drive that has gotten him where he is, and it’s what will get him back in the game.
We may not be big-time sports stars, but each of us possesses the same power within. We just need to remember to harness it when the unexpected happens. Whether it’s an injury that sidelines your fitness goals or a painful moment in your personal life that throws your best-laid plans out the window, it’s important to accept the event has happened; work through the emotions that follow; allow yourself to heal and never lose sight of the fact that there will be better days ahead. In other words, the game must go on.
I’ll be cheering on my Yankees for the remainder of the postseason and following updates on Jeter’s recovery when it’s over. During that time, I have no doubt there will be unexpected challenges that pop up in my own life. The good news is I also know I have the power to rely on my inner strength to push toward the happier days filled with new opportunities to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
lauralovesfitness 