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The Weekly Sweats – Sweats & Eats

Happy Wednesday gang!

Are you guys having a good week so far? This week the stress of the upcoming move has certainly built to the point that I am living and breathing by my to-do list. In less than ten days the keys to our flat will be turned over, the movers will be finished and I will bid farewell to Geneva. But, between now and then my time is being spent working through the list of things to do in hopes of ensuring that next week’s move goes as smooth as possible. I can’t believe two years ago today we signed the contract for our Geneva apartment!

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I’m so thankful that Bo will be in Geneva next Thursday and Friday to help with the move. Having someone to laugh and cry with when the moments get too stressful to handle will be a blessing. Or how about helping the movers decide what gets packed in which box and what is air shipped versus sea shipped.

I told my mom that I am so thankful this accountability challenge started when it did. Traveling and jet-lag can wreak havoc on healthy and wellness but this time, traveling was a no-brainer since I had a plan in place: eat healthy from the time I woke up until dinner and workout daily.

Due to my time in New York City, this week’s recap will look a bit more interesting than normal.

WHAT DID I ADD THIS WEEK?

As traveling tends to dehydrate me quite a bit, I started sipping a NUUN each day, beginning on Tuesday. I can’t get enough of the NUUN All Day grapefruit orange flavor!  Combining this with my daily supplements helped me stay energized and healthy while flying back and forth.

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SWEATS

  • Monday – I headed back to the park for a solo, relaxed 3 mile run before work. It was a refreshing way to clear my mind before the busy week. In keeping with the Monday night tradition, I enjoyed 60 minutes of gentle yoga with Kerrie and Mary. It’s crazy that next week will be my last time practicing at InnerCity Yoga!

  • Tuesday – During lunch I squeezed in a 45-minute Body Pump class that once again left my triceps and thighs quivering in pain. Last week I increased the weight for two of the tracks, and I was still feeling that decision 24 hours later!

  • Wednesday – Mary and I squeezed in an early morning 3 mile run before my flight. We ran at a conversational pace (9:46) which allowed us the perfect opportunity to catch up. We stopped briefly in the park for some strength moves including dips, push-ups, and planks!

  • Thursday – Thanks to jet-lag, waking up for a 4-mile pre-work run with Bo was a piece of cake. The heat and humidity helped ensure that I sweat everything out while we ran through Central Park. It was a gorgeous morning and perfect way to start the day with Bo after not seeing him for almost 12 days!

  • Friday –  Theodora and I sweat out all the week’s stress during a 60-minute hot yoga class at Y7 yoga. As you an tell from yesterday’s review, I’m in love with everything about this studio!

  • Saturday – I shed tears of joy while racing the Oakley Mini 10k in Central Park! The race, my strongest in months, has me tempted to sign up for ALL the races this Summer. Earlier today I signed up for the Bronx 10 miler and the NYRR R-U-N 5k! If you’re a New York local, you should join for the 5k as a few of us are planning a happy hour after the race!  

  • Sunday – After a leisurely morning together, Bo and I squeezed in one final workout together before my flight to Geneva. His favorite workout in NYC these days is FlyWheel so I happily joined him for Melissa Wolfe’s Fly 45 class.

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EATS

Breakfast: When I was in New York City I took advantage of the easy access to healthy smoothies, iced coffee, and green juice! Here’s a glance at my breakfasts throughout the week, including the days I was traveling.

  • Greek yogurt + 1/4 cup raw oats + cinnamon + chia seeds + 1/2 banana + 1/4 c blueberries

  • Greek yogurt + 1/4 cup KIND granola + 1/2 banana + 1/2 c raspberries and green juice + skim flat white coffee

  • Green smoothie including Almond Breeze, vegan protein powder, banana, almonds, kale, and cinnamon

  • Hard boiled egg + avocado toast + iced coffee from Le Pain Quotidien

  • Huevos Rancheros at Norma’s in the Parker Meridien post-race

  • Berry Powerful smoothie from Liquiteria + iced coffee

Lunch:  I didn’t have time to go to the farmer’s market this week, so my daily lunch was from the office salad bar. I made sure that I limited the amount of protein on my salad and tried to incorporate new vegetables and spices. I love adding a dash of curry powder, paprika and a few yellow raisins to the top of my salads. This flavor mix upgrades the salad from ho-hum boring to unique!

Snacks: I bought enough snacks at the grocery store on Saturday to use all week, including on my flight to New York. The apricots, nuts, apples, cherries and strawberries were easy to transport in Ziploc bags and Tupperware containers. I loved having the cherries mid-flight, paired with a few pieces of dark chocolate.

For those of you who joined the challenge how is it going?

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Y7 Yoga Studio

After a long flight I often try to book time at a local yoga studio to unwind the knots that 15 hours of traveling imposes on my neck and shoulders. While I have a few favorite New York City studios, I knew that this time I wanted to try Y7 Yoga.

Since their Flatiron location opened in April, I’ve read countless positive, rave reviews on the studio and it’s unique vibe. Friday morning Theodora and I flowed through the 60 minutes of poses, loosening the stress of our weeks.

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As I climbed the stairs of their Flatiron location, I knew I was in for a refreshing experiences.

Y7 Yoga Stairs

Their stairs greet each participant with inspirational Drake lyrics reminding them that they’ve made progress just by choosing to walk up the stairs towards an hour long yoga practice.    IMG_0815

Once inside I was greeted by a fresh, bright space including a check-in desk, storage cubicles, yoga mats, towels, a seating area as well as two bathrooms. The bathrooms feature an adorable “I woke up like this” area which allows yogis to go from sweaty to office-ready with dry shampoo, deodorant, blow dryers and large mirrors. While I always hope for a shower, this is a great backup option.

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There are four key things that separate Y7 from other yoga studios I’ve frequented in NYC – heat, light and music.

  • Heat– Each class is practiced in a studio which is warmed by infrared heat. Infrared heat is different from space heaters or radiators because it heats objects versus just heating the air. According to Y7 co-founder, the benefits include increased calorie burn, improved skin tone, lower cortisol levels and more. Now while there isn’t much to support these claims, I will say that the heat was warm and calming versus the stifling and stinky heat experienced in many hot yoga classes.  Evidently Y7 is also the first studio in New York to offer full-spectrum infrared heating. I recommend bringing an extra towel, or two, to make sure you don’t slip in your sweat. The studio also rents YogiToes towels for $2.
  • Light, or lack of light – Class is practiced in a dark studio, only lit with small candles. Initially I was worried that this would negatively affect my practice; now allowing me to watch the instructor. I quickly realized that this had the completely opposite affect. Instead of spending class being intimidated by other yogis or trying to push beyond my limits, I found myself focusing inward and calmed by the candle light. For this reason and do to the intensity of the class, I would not recommend it for beginners who may get lost with only verbal cues.
  • Music – This studio bucks the norm by blasting hip hop music throughout the class versus the traditional yoga chants. Who knew that one could get so relaxed while listening to JayZ, Sam Smith, Notorious B.I.G but our 60 minute flowed perfectly in time to the beat of each song.
  • Free Flow – After going through each flow sequence three to four times as a group, the instructor gave us a few minutes or one song of free flow. During two of the free flows I did the yoga sequence on my own, but the third one I took my warm muscles through inversion practice. I loved that the instructor was on hand to help anyone who was working on inversions, holding legs or spotting us into position.

Would I go again? Heck yes! In fact, I wish I could go to this week’s WeFlowHard Hip Hop Vinyasa – Nicki Minaj vs Lil Wayne!

Cost: You can book individual sessions at $22 per single class or buy a package which can reduce rates down to $16. You can also book a spot at any of their locations using ClassPass.

Address: I went to the Flatiron location, located at 25 West 23rd Street, 4th floor. However, there are 3 locations, Williamsburg, SoHo & Flatiron.

What to wear: Be prepared to sweat! Most people wore tank tops, sports bras and shorts or light crop pants.

Have you practiced yoga in the dark before?

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Oakley New York Mini 10k Race Recap

Yesterday I ran the Oakley New York Mini 10k for the fourth time (2013, 2012, 2011 recaps) in five years. I love this race female only race! In fact, second the New York City Marathon, it is my favorite NYRR race. While it is always a challenging race due to the hills, heat and humidity, it is such an inspiration to run alongside so many women.

This race now holds a special place in my heart as two years ago it was my farewell race in the city. Yesterday it served as a homecoming race as each mile brought back fond memories of running in Central Park and reminded me why I love the NYRR community. I had happy tears as I realized that I’ll be home, in two weeks, able to run through my favorite city in the world.

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Similar to years past, the corral area for the race was in Columbus Circle. Katie and I found a spot in the corrals around 7:45, fifteen minutes before the race start. We spent next few minutes time catching up, people watching and deciding on a race strategy.  Our plan was to run the race together, agreeing that our sole goal was to run strong and not stop running. The race seemed better organized than I remember with lots of volunteers helping people find the bag check, corrals, and bathrooms.

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We crossed the starting line at 8 am, surrounded by more than 7,500 other women. I love the race course as it starts outside of Central Park with a mile up Central Park West before heading into the park. The gradual incline gets the legs ready to tackle Harlem Hill. It seemed like there were more male supporters than ever before along the sidelines cheering for friends, girlfriends, teammates, moms, and wives.

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After the first quarter mile, Katie tried to convince me to run ahead. She said she wasn’t feeling great, and this wasn’t going to be her day. I told her just to listen to the music and push forward. I stayed just a step or two ahead of her, giving her the occasional friendly wave and thumbs up. My goal was to motivate her in hopes that she’d loosen up and find her mind and body in a better place. Our first mile was a 9:29 which felt very comfortable. By the time we passed the next mile marker Katie was lagging further and further behind. She kept telling me to go ahead. I continued to tell her that my primary goal of the race was to run with her. I didn’t care what the Garmin said (9:49) as we crossed the two-mile marker. Unfortunately, by the water station at mile 2.5 she insisted I run ahead. As I’ve been in her position, I know that sometimes running with someone who is having a strong day is even more discouraging.  As I waited for her past the water station, I realize that she had purposely lost me. I couldn’t see her anywhere.

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I decided to give the next four miles every ounce of energy I had. While I haven’t been sticking to a rigorous training plan over the past month, I have been running with faster friends and adding strength training to my schedule. This combination along with how fresh my legs felt gave me the motivation to run fast.

The next four miles flew by far faster than expect. The middle miles which include Harlem Hill felt far easier than expected, clocking an 8:34 and 8:40 pace through each of these miles. I started passing people as they slowed due to the heat, hills and humidity. I did my best to gain some extra speed going down Cat Hill as I knew mentally and physically the slight rolling hills of mile 5 would be harder for me than the other portions. I focused on hitting mile 5.5, where I knew Jess and The Girls on the Run crew were cheering.

It was awesome to fly by them feeling strong and happy. I was feeling the pain of the heat and the speed by told myself that I could do anything for one more song. This is proof of how far I’ve come over the past few years as a runner. The recaps of years past talk about going out too fast and bonking the final two miles. This year, I negative split the final miles and was running with a huge, goofy smile. 

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I crossed the finish line in 56:31, a new course PR! Luckily I was able to meet up with Katie a few minutes later as she crossed the finish. While it wasn’t her day, I know her running mojo will soon return!

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As a runner, there is no better feeling than finishing a race strong! It’s been a few months since I finished a race feeling like I succeeded. Yesterday, however, I had post-race happy endorphins ALL day!  Congratulations to everyone who ran this race and others this weekend!

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