ashleyd /

Summersaults, Yoga Goals, and Gnu Bars

I’m exhausted! The work week, two a day workouts, and decreased sleep has definitely caught up with me! I’m absolutely beat right now and am so glad to be curled up in our living room sporting my pjs, eating a yummy, quick turkey burger dinner, and waiting for the newest episode of Grey’s! Bo and I watch very few shows on a weekly basis but we have enjoyed Grey’s since it’s first season. Almost every other show we watch is via iTunes or Netflix live streaming. Lately we’ve been hooked on Gossip Girl. It’s such a guilty pleasure but quite fun, especially enjoying the New York scenery. It’s amazing how quickly trends come and go; not only with clothes but also with food and places in the city. Some of the places they frequent during Season 1 are no longer the NYC hot spots and have instead been replaced and long forgotten.

Having a blog is a funny thing sometime as I often forget that A) twitter updates my facebook page and B) quite a few of my friends read the blog previously and therefore were automatically alerted when I returned. Today at work, my dear Lauren, called to my attention the fact that I left out a few key points when discussing her gym habits. I must say that she is quite right and therefore deserves some explanation. She frequents the Meat Packing and Greenwich location because she is lucky enough to live less than a block from the Greenwich location. The fact that this happens to be the Equinox hot spot is only a reflection of her apartment’s great location and she and Casey’s taste in neighborhoods! In regards to exercise, Lauren is the type gal I only dream of being. She had her Equifit assesment a few months ago and found that she had the lowest body fat percentage for someone with her cardio ability! 🙂 *oh sigh* While she may not be a cardio expert, she is my yoga inspiration! When she lived in Minneapolis she practiced at a local studio regularly and therefore is far beyond my level. She has helped challenge me and push me to the next level. Even today in class, when my headstand attempt turned into a full summersault she never even laughed! Instead, she reminded me that when she wad a young girl she always used the tripod before going into headstand. I think, like her, I will use this method until my core becomes stronger.

This brings me to my yoga goals. Tonight, during Tracy Matthew’s Power Vinyasa class at Equinox,  she pointed out how important breathing is to each of our individual yoga practices. Therefore, over the next few weeks I am going to focus solely on my breathing versus speed during class. I think this will help me gain more from the class while also furthering my practice. In addition, Lauren and I have decided that we’d each like to go to at least two yoga classes a week in addition to our cardio. It looks like I’ll be frequenting the Thursday night Power Vinyasa and Saturday morning class at 44th and Lex. If you’re a local NYC reader, let me know if there is another class you’d suggest. I’m hoping to join Lauren at the Sunday night Greenwich class next weekend. She and Sara have both raved about it! What do you all wear during yoga? Do you have a favorite brand? I absolutely love the fit and feel of my Lululemon Groove pants but I wish they were lighter weight or breathed more. Half way through class today I was drenched! In addition, do Yogitoe mats make a big difference? It seems like spin shoes and yogi toes are two things I need to invest in if I keep up with these habits!

Last night while I was picking up my favorite calcium chews at GNC, I rediscovered Gnu Bars. I’ve had these a few times right when they entered the market but I didn’t realize how many flavors they have! They were on sale at GNC so I decided to grab one to sample. At work, I enjoy breakfast after my workout around 8:15am, a mid morning snack, lunch, and then a midafternoon snack. I try to ensure that one of my snacks is fruit or vegetable while the other is often a carb. I found that I tended to load up on empty carbs during my midafternoon snack when I was especially hungry or thirsty. I thought that pairing a Gnu bar with a large bottle of water would be perfect. Today I enjoyed the Peanut Butter. The flavor was not as strong as I was hoping but overall the taste was better than many other high fiber bars. These bars pack more than your average bar. One bar delivers HALF your daily fiber needs! The nutritional information is also pretty good considering the fiber and all the ingredients are easily pronounced and part of a list that is less than 18 items long which is much better than Fiber One bars! Each bar is 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 12 g fiber, 4 g protein, and 15% of iron needs. I wish there were a few more grams of protein or nutrients packed in the bar but that would probably come through artificial means.  The craziest fact is that ONE BAR equals FOUR GLASSES OF METAMUCIL! WOW! I hope to stop by GNC tomorrow morning to grab a few more bars in different flavors. Depending on my taste test results, I may opt into their Joy of Fiber program! $45.89 is the cost for 30 bars when you order them via the website! I will have to shop around to see whether this is a good deal. I may also check out Amazon.com
Share Button
Follow:
Share:
Comments Off on Summersaults, Yoga Goals, and Gnu Bars
ashleyd /

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.

Share Button
Follow:
Share:
Comments Off on Starting a new routine out on the right foot and a new favorite breakfast
ashleyd /

It’s not fitness, it’s life and other changes

Where do I even begin? It has been six months since my last post and quite a bit has changed! The biggest of which is that I enjoyed the most wonderful day of my life on November 21, 2009! Bo and I were finally married after six years of dating! The wedding was gorgeous, our friends and family flew in from all over the country to celebrate, and the honeymoon was a week of warm and sunny bliss. We chose Cap Juluca, on Anguilla, as our honeymoon destination after months of research and contemplation. We knew we wanted a destination which would allow for water sports, excursions, luxurious treatment and service, while also answering the needs of two foodies! The restaurants on Anguilla took us completely by surprise. Each one, filled with it’s own unique atmosphere, was very different but also allowed us to taste some of the freshest red snapper, goat stew, and plenty of caribbean influenced dishes. I will definitely dedicate a post in the near future to our honeymoon food.
Since returning, we have been going non-stop with work, holiday parties, traveling back to our home in Georgia for Christmas, hosting Bo’s best friend for New Years, and now this weekend we have two friends coming into the city for their first taste of New York! Living in a “destination” city is definitely one of my favorite parts about New York City! 
One of our big decisions upon returning was whether or not we’d finally join a “real gym.” My friend Lauren had been pestering me for the past three months to join Equinox. She insisted we’d be able to work out together, motivate each other to leave our desks at a reasonable time, and get to spend quality time at the gym. The price tag was definitely hard to swallow, but in the end, Bo and I chose to join on December 31st! We were able to take advantage of their awesome New Year’s program which meant no initiation fees! Bo even received one free month since he “referred” me. 
The gym has been incredible thus far. It has allowed Bo and I to finally enjoy classes together that challenge our bodies while also keeping our workout fresh. Last week, our first week as members, we enjoyed three spinning classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Each instructor has a very different motto for their class. For example, Dave M makes you happy you woke up and braved the cold for a 6:45 Monday morning workout. His motto is, “You have 23 other hours to recover so make this one your hardest.” His class pushes you with hill workouts, “dumbell sets”, and great music. Danielle, tomorrow’s instructor, has a more moderate paced class, but it serves as a wonderful recovery. In addition, she teaches a treadmill running class from 7:15-7:45 which i’m dying to try tomorrow. It combines speed and hills with the added benefit of having someone their to coach and inspire you. Last week I was amazed that over half our class joined her afterwards. I wonder if I can at least give it a try tomorrow? In addition to spinning, i’ve resolved to enjoy at least two yoga classes each week. Lauren and I were blessed with last Thursday’s Power Vinyasa class at 54th street. The teacher’s voice was young and calming but she also walked around during class ensuring that everyone was in the right posture. I yearn for teacher’s correction during class as that is the primary difference from using a DVD. On Saturday, I took a risk and enjoyed a yoga class on my own after my Equifit evaluation. I was intimidated when I saw people practicing headstands before class. While I enjoy yoga and hope to improve my practice this year, this bear is no Jenna from Eat Live Run. But, I put my worries aside and left my thoughts on the door’s threshold. An hour later I had attempted crow, one leg at a time, been assisted into an inversion, and released the week’s tension with four bridge poses! 
While I haven’t truly figured out what the role of this blog will be in my life, I have realized that I miss the community and the experience to capture my adventures. It will always include food adventures because as Julia Child’s character in Julia and Julia said, “oh I eat so well!”  In addition, I hope to capture some of the fitness experiences that a membership to both Equinox and New York Road Runners will allow this year.
So, that being said, i’m exhausted and have to be ready for another great spin class tomorrow morning. But, until then, if you have any thoughts or suggestions on returning to a blog please provide. As well, remember that i’ve been out of the blog world for 6 months and haven’t been reading during that time either. So if you’ve discovered a great new blog please send the site my way!
 
 
Share Button
Follow: