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Guest Post: What To Eat To Benefit Your Workout

Posted in Guest Posts, tagged , on June 23, 2012 | 1 Comment »

When embarking on any kind of exercise regime, it’s important to think about your diet. Nutrition plays a key part in the functioning of our bodies so eating the right type of foods at the right times is vital for the success of your workout. Making the right decisions can seem daunting, but it really needn’t be! Caitlin who blogs over at poleista.co.uk shares some ideas and guidance to ensure that you’re fuelling your exercise correctly.

Drink plenty of water

It’s difficult to stress just how important water is! Dehydration can really hinder your performance during a workout, and in extreme cases, can even be dangerous to your health. You may not necessarily feel thirsty straight away if you are suffering from dehydration, but it’s easy to detect by checking the colour of your urine. The darker it is, the more dehydrated you are. Obviously, people differ in body size and the type and intensity of the exercise they do. This makes it difficult to offer advice on exactly how much water you should drink, but it’s safe to say that you need to consider your water consumption before, during and after your workout. Finding out exactly how much works for you will ensure that you’re getting the most from your sessions. If you find it difficult to keep track of your water intake, why not keep a drinking diary? A written record can help you assess what you need.

Before your workout

While it’s not wise to exercise on a full stomach, remember that you do need some sort of fuel for your workout. By eating a meal 2-4 hours before taking part in your chosen activity, you’ll be sure to have plenty of energy to be able to put your all into it! Do choose foods which you enjoy, as exercise and nutrition don’t have to be about depriving yourself. Meals which offer a slow release of energy are great choices. You could have a jacket potato with baked beans or cottage cheese, rice with vegetables and lean meat or pasta with sauce.

After your workout

You may feel cautious about eating after your workout as you won’t want to undo all of your hard work, but replenishing your body is very important. Making the right choices will help to ensure that any damaged tissue is repaired and will sustain you for the rest of the day. The ideal choice here would include some carbohydrates and protein. Try not to fall into the trap of believing that you need to eat everything in sight because you’ve earned it. Listen to your body. It will let you know how much you really need.

Make snacking a part of your routine

You should aim to have a small snack around one hour before you workout. A piece of fruit, a yoghurt or a cereal bar would be ideal. This can give you that much needed boost and is especially important for high intensity workout sessions.

Once you establish a routine that works for you, you’ll find that paying careful attention to what you eat can really have a positive impact on your workout.

 

Caitlin is a fitness nut who loves a varied work out. She blogs over at poleista.co.uk and you can also find her at facebook.com/poleista

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Guest Post: Morning Exercise

Posted in Guest Posts, tagged , , on May 24, 2012 | 5 Comments »

Hi guys! I’m Lora and I blog over at Crazy Running Girl where I talk about running, healthy eating and adventuring in New York City (you can also follow me on Twitter!).

 

 

I am so excited to be a guest poster! Thank you to Michelle for this awesome opportunity!

 

Anyways, I don’t know about you, but I am not a morning person. At all. One morning when I was in college, my roommate left to go eat breakfast in the cafeteria and as she was leaving, my alarm went off… she came back 30 minutes later and the alarm, which you could hear down the hallway, was still going off and I was sleeping with my head about a foot away from it. Needless to say, she finally had to wake me up so I would turn it off.

 

So, when we moved to New York City a little less than two years ago and I realized that I would have to start doing my runs in the morning instead of after work, I was slightly upset. Let’s just say that I tried running after work one day and since our work hours are much longer here, it was a disaster. But I had a million questions: How in the world was I going to manage to get up at 6 a.m. every day to exercise when I could barely get up at 7 to get to work? What was I going to do on those days when I turned off my alarm in my sleep? How was I going to have the energy to even exercise at that time?

 

It was rough at first. There were times when I slept through my alarm… or I woke up and reset my alarm to skip my run… or just did not have the energy to get going. But, with time, I’ve actually started to enjoy working out in the morning and I couldn’t imagine going back to evening runs. Here are some tips that helped me along the way:

 

-          Make a gradual change. I tried to completely change my schedule and start waking up way earlier every single day. My body rebelled. It was not pretty. I started building in rest days on Tuesdays and Fridays (which I evolved to just Fridays now) and spent more time working out on the weekend.

-          Give yourself a few minutes to recharge. Unlike my fiancé, I can’t hear the alarm clock and jump out of bed in the morning (seriously, don’t you just want to punch morning people sometimes?!). I used to be a habitual snooze artist and still need a few minutes to wake myself up. Even though it’s probably a terrible habit, I spend a few minutes looking at my email on my phone before actually getting out of bed. It helps me get that extra boost I need to actually get up.

-          Prepare ahead. If you know that you are going to be out late a few nights of the week or if you are extremely tired one night, don’t punish yourself by getting up super early to work out because it will be painful. Look at your schedule and build in rest days when they make sense.

-          Don’t beat yourself up. It takes time. It’s not an easy process. Go into the time switch knowing this and knowing that there will be days when you struggle waking up. It will get better.

 

It is a process that will take time. I’ve been working out in the morning for almost two years now, and still have some days where it’s a struggle to get up. But once I get out there and start working out, I feel a million times better and I can’t even imagine going back to my old routine. There is no better way to start the day than breaking a sweat.

 

Have you become an early morning exerciser? What are some tips you have for people who want to start working out in the morning? 

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Guest Post: Healthy Eating Tips!

Posted in Guest Posts, tagged , , on May 18, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Greeting from Just a Mom Giving It a “Tri” I am honored to be writing this post on some Healthy Eating Tips!  As a teenager I chose golf in high school as a sport rather than track, golfing meant enjoying a bag of chips and can a pop while on the course.  Running was something I dreaded in school, I used to plan how I could get out of the mile run for weeks when I knew it was almost fitness test time.  Now as a 31 year old stay at home mom I am running 10K’s and have a goal of completing 4 sprint triathlons in 2012 as well as a half marathon and many other 5 and 10K’s. In the last year I have worked to lose 43lbs. and keep it off along the way I have learned some fun little tricks that I would like to share with you.

*Always keep a snack with in your car or purse:  It never fails that when you are starving after work or when you are on the run that it is easy to cruise through a drive through or got to a convenience store for something quick.  In my previous life, I was a convenience store junkie!  I would pull in to get gas and grab a slice of pizza or a bag of chips and a pop.  Sometimes all three treats would jump in my car.  Now I try to plan ahead and have almonds, a snack bar, or a piece of fruit with me to avoid eating the junk.

*Keep your water bottle filled: There is no doubt that when you are dehydrated it is easy to snack.  Your body may just be craving water, but instead you grab a piece of chocolate.  Stay hydrated by keeping water or your drink of choice with you at all times.

*Food is fuel: I actually have this written on a sticky note on my refrigerator.  It makes me think about my food choices each time I go to open the refrigerator. Since my weight loss and triathlon training I think about food completely differently.  I want to eat foods that are going to fuel my body to perform better.  Previously, I was consuming lots of “empty calories” they had no nutritional value whatsoever, but were loaded with calories. I encourage you to think about food as fuel, rather than only as fun.

*Aim for your fruits and vegetables first: This kind of goes along with what was said above, but is worth repeating.  You should be fueling your body with good whole foods first!  I aim to get 5-8 servings of fruits and vegetables in my daily meals before I have a “treat” which may be a piece of chocolate, ice cream, or cupcake.  Now-I don’t have a treat every day and most of the time they aren’t this lavish, but if I aim to get the fruits and veggies in first I find that usually I am not craving sugar, because I have gotten it from the fruits.  I also find that I don’t want to “ruin” the good day of eating that I have had by consuming something junky.

*Get moving:  The last tip that I can give is get moving!  In 1 year I have gone from struggling to walk for 30 minutes to running for over 1 hour!  I never, ever thought I would be a “runner”, but am so proud to say those words today. If running isn’t your think just start moving slowly!  Walk around your block a few times and then the next times try to go further. I live on a country gravel road, so when I was trying to jog a little further I would set a goal to run to the next sign or bridge, little things like that can help to motivate you to keep moving.

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Guest Post: Greek Dinner, California Style

Posted in Guest Posts, tagged , , on May 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Jenny is the author of Chicks Like Sports Too, a blog focused on sports and fitness.  Jenny loves her rigorous fitness routine and active lifestyle because it allows her a little indulgence here and there with her diet.  She currently lives in Berkeley, CA with her four year old Chow-Shepherd mutt, Henry.

You can find her blog at: www.chickslikesportstoo.tumblr.com.

This is a great spring-time dinner.  To keep it extra lean, go light on the feta, olive oil, seasoning and dressing.  Note: keep the fat on the lamb to keep in moist.  Pair the dish with some still cucumber-mint water.  If you’re in the mood to indulge, this dish would go well with a slightly chilled Tempranillo Rose when eaten outside on a warm night with friends.

Lamb

*Lamb (any cut)

*1/4 cup minced shallot

*2 cloves of garlic

*extra virgin olive oil

*salt and pepper

 

Prepare the lamb by patting it dry and rubbing a very light coating of salt and pepper.  Then lightly sauté the shallots and garlic in a pan with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil before placing the lamb in the pan, searing it until it is medium rare.

 

Sauce

*1 avocado (optional)

*1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt

*2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

*4 tbsp lemon juice

*zest of one lemon

*1/2 cucumber

*2 cloves garlic

*2 tbsp feta cheese (optional)

*fresh mint to taste

*fresh parsley to taste

*sea salt to taste

 

Prepare the sauce by coarse chopping the avocado and cucumber and mincing the garlic, mint and parsley.  Place the ingredients in a food processor and mix to a “salsa” consistency.  Add yogurt, lemon juice and olive oil (and feta if desired).  Mix to a “guacamole” consistency and add lemon zest and sea salt.  Chill until ready to serve.  When serving, use sparingly.

 

Salad (serves 4)

* 4 cups baby arugula and romaine mix

* 2 plum tomatoes, chopped

* ½ cucumber, chopped

*1 avocado sliced

*fresh mint

*sprinkle of feta cheese (optional)

 

Dressing (whisk ingredients to taste)

Extra virgin live oil

Red wine vinegar

Lemon juice

Salt and pepper for taste

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A May of Guest Posts!

Posted in Blog, Guest Posts, tagged , , on May 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

I’ve posted this before, but I am going to say it again! May is an extremely busy month for me. While I am busy with work, traveling and other fun, I don’t want my blog to be forgotten about —I’m serious…my blog is beginning to really pick up pace and I don’t want a good thing to come to an end. Yes, who would have thought that people would actually read what I have to say!

Ultimately, I have decided to finish out May with a plethora of guest posts while  I am exploring the Windy City, visiting the Nation’s Capitol and a whole bunch of other fun stuff!

I have enlisted the help of some of my favorite bloggers as well as a number of my Sweat Pink ladies (these girls are amazing. It only took a few minutes for so many girls to respond happy and eager to guest blog!) to provide you with fun and informative reads. From fitness to nutrition, I promise you there is something for everyone!

Look for fresh posts for the remainder of the month and be prepared to be introduced to some seriously awesome bloggers (provided you aren’t already familiar with these lovely ladies!).

Be nice to my guests and I’ll be back with regular posting before you know it! Although, I will have some previously scheduled posts in between just so you do not forget about yours truly. :)

Enjoy!

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Chicago-Bound (Hopefully)

Posted in Blog, Fitness Tips, tagged , , , on March 28, 2012 | 7 Comments »

Last night a small group of my friends made a spur-of-the-moment decision to fly to Chicago for a weekend in May to do some shopping and have a little fun (this would not be the first time we’ve done this)!! We’d only be staying the night and have nearly two full days in the city. We found a great price on airfare, but need to work out the rest of the details!

Since I know some of you are Chicago-natives or travelers, I am turning to you all (yinz as we would say in Pittsburgh) for help! Especially since the last time I was in Chicago I was underage (20, I’ll be 27 eek! this time)!

  • Any hotel recommendations?
  • Shopping recommendations?
  • Restaurant recommendations?
  • Bar recommendations?

I’m all-ears and looking to make the most of a weekend trip!

Calling All Runners:

Since you all have been so helpful in the past, I’m in need of your help again! As part of a freelance assignment, I am looking for bloggers, who also happen to be runners to host a guest post. If you interested leave a comment below! Topics range from running tips for females to avoiding stress fractures to choosing the right running shoes.

Workout:

leg workout

Of Possible Interest:

From yours truly, How to Begin a Running Program

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Four Course Feast

Posted in Blog, Sports, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 15, 2012 | 3 Comments »

I successfully managed to sleep the entire afternoon away (yesterday)…well from 11am til 2pm, which made today seem like an entirely wasted day. I normally can’t sleep past eight no matter how late I go to bed, which can get pretty awful if you go to bed really late.

The day, however, got much better with a trip to Red Lobster for a four course feast. And apparently the rest of the world had the same idea. A 40minute wait for a table for two seems a little steep! That meant a little time at the bar. Mudslides are incredible.

Then it was on to a four course meal, which lead to a bag full of leftovers!

  • potatoe bacon soup
  • a garden salad
  • cajun chicken alfredo
  • brownie!

Plus, you cannot forget about the free cheddar bay biscuits. I could seriously eat a whole basket of them by myself! Red Lobster should sell them in stores; I’d be a frequent buyer.

As requested by some of the lovely ladies who read my blog, here are some links to articles from my sports blogging gig. I want to thank all of the wonderful bloggers who gave me the opportunity to guest post. If you are interested in hosting a guest post related to your team, contact me!

Now its time to hit the grocery store and try out a new dinner recipe. Yum…hopefully!

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