Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
Clearly staying motivated has been on my mind quite a bit. I think it's because I'm proud of what I've accomplished and I don't want to lose it as should you for what you've achieved! A fun and unique way to do this would be doing a photo shoot! By getting pictures of yourself taken, you can celebrate your new body, confidence, etc. and capture it forever. I got mine done with Focal Impulse and had a blast. Seriously, it was so much fun and I would do it again in a heart beat.
If you don't have the funds or if you're self-conscious, you can still capture this awesome time of your life. Get together with some friends, get your make-up and hair done, and get shutter happy! Guys, you could also have fun with this too. I'm sure your girlfriend or friends that are girls would have a fun time.
No matter how old you are, you deserve to feel like a rock star, model, actor, triple threat sensation. Go have fun!!
In health,
Lauren
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
290/365 Agar-Agar, a Macrobiotic
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
The other weekend, I visited my dad's cousin Carm, husband Anthony, and their daughter in New York City. We had a grand time and tried a lot of really great food. One particularly cool restaurant was Souen. They serve natural, organic food and abide by the philosophy that foods should be unrefined, unprocessed, and local. Their food was also really, really tasty; always a plus.
So why the title? Two reasons: 1, In the back of their menu, they feature a glossary of the unique foods they serve. Agar-agar is listed as one of them. 2, My friend Sarah's mom asked me about agar-agar because she saw it on the label of her yogurt. I tried finding out more about it and was led to lots of scientific journals without much clarity on the subject. And now it all comes full circle. According to their glossary, "Agar Agar is a strong natural jelling agent made from red seaweed. It is Soothing to the digestive tract, aids regularity and also good for constipation." I imagine that it is featured in their menu because it's a Japanese restaurant and agar agar comes from seaweed. Fear not Sarah's mom! I think agar agar is safe!
In health,
Lauren
The other weekend, I visited my dad's cousin Carm, husband Anthony, and their daughter in New York City. We had a grand time and tried a lot of really great food. One particularly cool restaurant was Souen. They serve natural, organic food and abide by the philosophy that foods should be unrefined, unprocessed, and local. Their food was also really, really tasty; always a plus.
So why the title? Two reasons: 1, In the back of their menu, they feature a glossary of the unique foods they serve. Agar-agar is listed as one of them. 2, My friend Sarah's mom asked me about agar-agar because she saw it on the label of her yogurt. I tried finding out more about it and was led to lots of scientific journals without much clarity on the subject. And now it all comes full circle. According to their glossary, "Agar Agar is a strong natural jelling agent made from red seaweed. It is Soothing to the digestive tract, aids regularity and also good for constipation." I imagine that it is featured in their menu because it's a Japanese restaurant and agar agar comes from seaweed. Fear not Sarah's mom! I think agar agar is safe!
In health,
Lauren
Thursday, May 5, 2011
289/365 Push Up Variation using Elevation
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
Exercise is all about biomechanics. It's about understanding the force, resistance, and axis of the levers in your body and using them to your best mechanical advantage; this means making your exercises as efficient as possible. You can't just change where your elbow bends to make bicep curls easier. You can however change your environment.
Now, I'm not sure how you can modify a bicep curl other than changing the weight but, here are ways to modify push ups. Last August I wrote about Three Ways to Push Up, presenting two more...
The first I would call Intermediate-Advanced.
1. Find a bench. Plant your hands on the edge the bench, fingers pointing away from you.
2. Walk your feet out so that your body is flat like a plank.
3. Push up as you normally would.
Try the second one if you are comfortable with your standard push up.
1. Find a step or low bench. Plant your toes on the top of the bench.
2. Walk your hands out to where they normally are for a push up.
3. Push up as you normally would.
In health,
Lauren
Exercise is all about biomechanics. It's about understanding the force, resistance, and axis of the levers in your body and using them to your best mechanical advantage; this means making your exercises as efficient as possible. You can't just change where your elbow bends to make bicep curls easier. You can however change your environment.
Now, I'm not sure how you can modify a bicep curl other than changing the weight but, here are ways to modify push ups. Last August I wrote about Three Ways to Push Up, presenting two more...The first I would call Intermediate-Advanced.
1. Find a bench. Plant your hands on the edge the bench, fingers pointing away from you.
2. Walk your feet out so that your body is flat like a plank.
3. Push up as you normally would.
Try the second one if you are comfortable with your standard push up.
1. Find a step or low bench. Plant your toes on the top of the bench.
2. Walk your hands out to where they normally are for a push up.
3. Push up as you normally would.
In health,
Lauren
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
288/365 The Results are In...How did I do?
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
Here were my goals from before: lose 5% body fat, lose 6 inches overall, or drop 5 lbs. I said these numbers were low but in reality, they were a little high. Still, I came pretty close! I lost 6 inches all over. The most inches lost were in my shoulders, chest, and thigh. I went from 28.54% body fat to 24.53%; this measurement was done using skin calipers (I'm curious to see what a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis would say). I was just 1% shy of my goal but that's okay! I also lost 3.5lbs.
Overall, I am happy and proud of myself for achieving one of my goals. Mostly I am proud of how I look and feel and that I stuck to my plan. Like I said in the previous post, the goal is to maintain. I will still be counting calories to make sure of this but hey, at least I get to eat more while still feeling/looking good!
In health,
Lauren
Here were my goals from before: lose 5% body fat, lose 6 inches overall, or drop 5 lbs. I said these numbers were low but in reality, they were a little high. Still, I came pretty close! I lost 6 inches all over. The most inches lost were in my shoulders, chest, and thigh. I went from 28.54% body fat to 24.53%; this measurement was done using skin calipers (I'm curious to see what a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis would say). I was just 1% shy of my goal but that's okay! I also lost 3.5lbs.
Overall, I am happy and proud of myself for achieving one of my goals. Mostly I am proud of how I look and feel and that I stuck to my plan. Like I said in the previous post, the goal is to maintain. I will still be counting calories to make sure of this but hey, at least I get to eat more while still feeling/looking good!
In health,
Lauren
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
287/365 Training for a Race to Stay Motivated
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
As I mentioned in a previous post, registering for a race is a great example of setting goals for yourself. My measurement day is tomorrow which has already made me slack off this weekend. The end was near and I was hungry. I knew that I needed to ask myself, "Where do you go from here?" Do I try to maintain this by keeping up my exercise regiment? Do I maintain by going back to what I did before? How am I going to keep myself from gaining it all back? The answer for me was registering for a race.
A 10K is coming up on June 15 in my area. This will be the third 10K I've ever run and I'm super excited. My April training revealed that I am a better, faster runner than I thought. I think my knees are ready to train more so that I can beat my time from last year, 56:04. To get me going, I have started a 10K for Intermediate Runners routine by Hal Higdon. Am I really an Intermediate runner? Maybe...maybe not. All I know is that I am a better athlete than I was before and that I have the time and passion to train for this 10K. Let's do this! Who's in?
In health,
Lauren
As I mentioned in a previous post, registering for a race is a great example of setting goals for yourself. My measurement day is tomorrow which has already made me slack off this weekend. The end was near and I was hungry. I knew that I needed to ask myself, "Where do you go from here?" Do I try to maintain this by keeping up my exercise regiment? Do I maintain by going back to what I did before? How am I going to keep myself from gaining it all back? The answer for me was registering for a race.
A 10K is coming up on June 15 in my area. This will be the third 10K I've ever run and I'm super excited. My April training revealed that I am a better, faster runner than I thought. I think my knees are ready to train more so that I can beat my time from last year, 56:04. To get me going, I have started a 10K for Intermediate Runners routine by Hal Higdon. Am I really an Intermediate runner? Maybe...maybe not. All I know is that I am a better athlete than I was before and that I have the time and passion to train for this 10K. Let's do this! Who's in?
In health,
Lauren
Monday, May 2, 2011
286/365 Cheese Addicts Anonymous
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
Cheese Whiz. Cheez-its. Cheese Puffs. Cheetos. Extra cheese pizza. Why is it that we can't resist and crave cheese? According to an article written in 2004, cheese has casein, a protein that "convert to casomorphines, which are chemically similar to morphine, when they break down during digestion. It's these casomorphines that are addictive," says Lanou. "All mammalian mothers' milk contains casomorphines so that the young will return to the breast for milk." Since we are the only mammal that regularly drinks the milk of other animals, Lanou posits that it's this process that's behind humanity's affection for cheese. (Vartan)"
So this begs the question, is cheese addiction really so bad? Though cheese is a good source of calcium, it is also a good source of saturated fat (non-fat or low fat milk would also provide calcium without the fat). My beloved Sargento Colby Jack Reduced Fat cheese sticks have 60 calories, 4.5g fat, 2.5g of which are saturated.While this makes up for only 10% of my daily recommendation, it makes me cautious of the rest of my fat intake and any other cheesy cravings I have.
It's easy to sprinkle on extra Parmesan on your cheese pizza but be aware that a mere 2 tsp has 1.5g of fat; I could bet that we put more than that on our pastas, pizza, etc. I'm not saying you can't eat cheese, just be mindful!
In health,
Lauren
Vartan, S. (2004, March/April). Just like cheese?. The Environmental Magazine, 15(2),
Cheese Whiz. Cheez-its. Cheese Puffs. Cheetos. Extra cheese pizza. Why is it that we can't resist and crave cheese? According to an article written in 2004, cheese has casein, a protein that "convert to casomorphines, which are chemically similar to morphine, when they break down during digestion. It's these casomorphines that are addictive," says Lanou. "All mammalian mothers' milk contains casomorphines so that the young will return to the breast for milk." Since we are the only mammal that regularly drinks the milk of other animals, Lanou posits that it's this process that's behind humanity's affection for cheese. (Vartan)"
So this begs the question, is cheese addiction really so bad? Though cheese is a good source of calcium, it is also a good source of saturated fat (non-fat or low fat milk would also provide calcium without the fat). My beloved Sargento Colby Jack Reduced Fat cheese sticks have 60 calories, 4.5g fat, 2.5g of which are saturated.While this makes up for only 10% of my daily recommendation, it makes me cautious of the rest of my fat intake and any other cheesy cravings I have.
It's easy to sprinkle on extra Parmesan on your cheese pizza but be aware that a mere 2 tsp has 1.5g of fat; I could bet that we put more than that on our pastas, pizza, etc. I'm not saying you can't eat cheese, just be mindful!
In health,
Lauren
Vartan, S. (2004, March/April). Just like cheese?. The Environmental Magazine, 15(2),
Sunday, May 1, 2011
285/365 Shoulder Work: Y-Press-Down
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
Here is that move I mentioned last post: Y-Press-Down. This is just a combination of different shoulder exercises all rolled into one. You can work all three heads of your deltoid in one fell swoop!
1. Start with knees softly bent. Raise arms up in front of you into the shape of a Y.
2. Bend and lower elbows down to a 90 degree angle. Press the arms up straight overhead.
3. Making a semi-circle, slowly bring the arms down to your sides.
To switch it up, you can repeat the exercise in reverse. Bring your arms up in a semi-circle, bend the elbows down to 90 degrees, press up in the shape of a Y, lower down in front of you.
In health,
Lauren
Here is that move I mentioned last post: Y-Press-Down. This is just a combination of different shoulder exercises all rolled into one. You can work all three heads of your deltoid in one fell swoop!
1. Start with knees softly bent. Raise arms up in front of you into the shape of a Y.
2. Bend and lower elbows down to a 90 degree angle. Press the arms up straight overhead.
3. Making a semi-circle, slowly bring the arms down to your sides.
To switch it up, you can repeat the exercise in reverse. Bring your arms up in a semi-circle, bend the elbows down to 90 degrees, press up in the shape of a Y, lower down in front of you.
In health,
Lauren
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