Fitness for the Working Girl and Boy:)

Don't you love it when you try telling your trainer you are in back to back meetings and have work dinners to attend and there response is "well if you want it bad enough you will eat 6 times a day, you will carry around bagged food all the time and you will do cardio in the morning and weights at night?" Are you serious? What a joke right! Well here is a way to maintain great health and a physique while making those meetings, dinner, and work hours.

Morning Cardio and/or Weights Tips:
-Try to set your alarm 60 minutes earlier than usual
-Go for a jog
-Jump rope
-Do a plyo workout at home: burpees, push-ups, dips off your chair, jumping jacks, squats, crunches, leg lifts are few good ones
-Do a full body workout using a few dbs, your body weight, and maybe think about adding a pull-up bar to your room/apt./or house
-Try to become involved with an early morning running group, spin class or get involved with a sports team of working professionals that meets before office hours

Fitness Networking:
Yes thats right network while you are working out! Sign-up for a running group, volleyball class, surf class, basketball team, softball team, dance class, you name it just do it! Great way to get in shape and expand your network.

What to eat?
Let's face it between dinners, left-overs from the event, caterer visits to your office nutrition can be a big stumbling block! But here is how to prevent failure:

Always eat breakfast! It is critical and will ward off binging later!

Breakfast options:

-Make a protein pancake with a lo-carb pancake mix, no-sugar vanilla almond milk, and egg whites, with berries and use agave for your syrup!

-Zap some oatmeal and throw in some fruit and almonds

-Mix a protein shake with some berries, flaxseed and coconut oil and drink it on the go

-If in a rush grab the Starbucks spinach wrap its less than 300 calories and good source of protein!

Lunch:

Do try to brown bag it when you can. Here are some simple options:

-Lo-carb wrap with a few slices of turkey or roasted chicken with some veggies and hummus and a side of Greek Yogurt

-Chicken sandwich on wheat with lettuce, mustard, and tomatoes with an apple

-Chicken salad with gluten-free crackers (my fav) and a side salad
Healthy Chicken Salad recipe
Chicken, lo-fat canola mayonaise, chopped celery and onion, cracked pepper all mixed together

Snacks at the Desk:
Popchips
Think Thin Bars
Lar Bars
Apples
Dried lo-glycemic fruit
Unsalted almonds
lo-cal protein mixes
Chopped bell peppers

A Word on Hydration:

STAY HYDRATED-it will keep your appetite at bay, most people confuse dehydration for hunger! Be sure to drink water through out the day!

Dinner: Always try to keep it protein and veggies based!

Long day? Exhausted? Simple meals:

Greek Salad: Greens, fat-free feta, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lo-cal Greek Salad dressing. Add some grilled chicken for protien.

Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps: Cook ground turkey in a pan, add some onion and sea salt seasoning wrap in lettuce and dip in some shitake dressing

Classic Chicken Stir-Fry: Stir fry chicken, chopped veggies, and seasoning

Dinner on the run or with clients?

-Always eat half what is on your plate!

-If you having to grab drinks make it one glass of red wine or a vodka soda

-Avoid bread baskets

-Have an apple or small snack before dinner so you don't go crazy when ordering

-Order all meat grilled

-Ask for dressing on the side

-Avoid meals in cream and butter bases

-Drink lots of water

-Avoid desert, opt for an unsweetened coffee beverage

Additional Tips:

-Always take the stairs at work

-Go for a walk on your lunch break

-Go for a walk post-dinner

-If possible sit on a stability ball while working instead of a conventional chair

-Suggest a "Biggest Looser" or "Fitness Challenge" fore the office

Hope this helps:)

XO

Beach Babes Drink Responsibly:) So Let's Drink!

Memorial is here and so summer begins! Who doesn't enjoy the occasional adult beverage or two from time to time! Here are some healthier options when choosing your drink of choice!

Vodka with a Tropical Twist:
O.N.E Coconut Water (choose a flavor-mango, passion fruit, guava) and Vodka mixed over ice makes fora delicious adult drink with nutrients and added electrolytes

The Greyhound:
Trader Joe's No Sugar added lo-cal Grapefruit mixed with your vodka of choice is oh so good!

Margarita:
Baja Bob's lo-cal, no sugar added Margarita mix mixed with your choice of Tequila on the rocks, well rocks!

Lo-Cal, Lo-Sugar Mojitos:
1 oz. (2 tablespoons) lime juice or lime wedges from about a third of a lime
8 mint leaves
1 heaping tablespoon of stevia
1 jigger (1½ oz.) white rum
Club soda

Now the beauty of living in a beach community is everybody knows everybody-so there is no reason to drink and drive!!! Crash at a friends, walk, or cab! Drinking and Driving do NOT MIX!!!!

Everyone enjoy Memorial Weekend!

XO,

Gina

Why Running a Marathon Will Change Your Life

Lessons learned along the trails, paths, and marathon courses:

Strength and Selflessness:
One of the lady's who I ran with little daughter had cancer. She was a cop and always seemed positive. One day while we were running she told me what her days were like when her little daughter was going through chemo-she admitted when no one was around she would just cry and cry. She would go away to a place and just be by herself because she didn't want anyone to see her down. I thought a mother, a full time worker whose occupation was stressful, and going through a parent's worst nightmare would remove herself from her loved ones because she didn't want people to feel bad for her, she didn't want the pity, but above all she didn't want her own daughter to see her cry...

I really thought that is the true selflessness of a woman and a mother but above all a female's greatest strength.

Gratitude:
Every Tuesday was 5:45 am track practice. One of the ladies was complaining about having to get up at 5 am and thats when our coach came down her and said:

"What do you mean you "hate" getting up early. Do you know that right now someone is fighting for their life, do you know that there is someone is a wheelchair that if you told him or her they were going to be able to run @ 6 am how they would just jump out of bed-so every morning you wake up, I don't care how early it is you just better be thankful you got a body that moves and air in your lungs"

The Power of Love:
One of the ladies who was diagnosed with terminal cancer came to track practice to give Team and Training a check for cancer. She came against doctor's orders. She had no hair, she had tubes coming out of her and her little son had to help her walk over. Even in the face of piling high medical bills she came to deliver us a check for our fundraising. 2 weeks later she passed away but let me tell you her legacy & spirit lives on.

The Beauty of Life:
I have ran 4 marathons now. And along the courses what you will see will touch you in away you never could imagine. You see people in race wheel chairs, people running for loved ones with a photo of them on their back, families that have signed up to run into together, little kids cheering for their parents and oh the signs they make are so cute, and the list could go on and on. And when you cross that finish line there is just something about accomplishing a feat that involved a lot of time, sacrifice, and even pain(everyone hurts the last 6 miles of the marathon). The marathon is just a reminder that all good things in life take a lot of work and may even bring on a little pain but man it always ends up to be all worth it in the end and you always walk away a little stronger.

I don't run for time. I don't run for the Boston Marathon. I run to see humanity at its best.

Beach Volleyball Sports Training Done Anywhere:)

When you think volleyball you think two things beach and beach bodies!!!! After doing a little digging and researching of the sport I found some plyo & core workouts that just about anyone can incorporate into their workout and can be done anywhere-your own backyard, neighborhood park, own room (might be a little challenging), and/or the best place the beach:)

All you need in a medicine ball which you can get for like 10 bucks and they are such a good thing to have!!! If you do not have a medicine ball just go through the motions like you do.

Here are two different volleyball inspired workouts for your weekly routines: (I did sample 1 today and plan on doing sample 2 on Thursday)

Sample 1:

Ran 4 miles then performed the following:

Depth jumps: Stand on a box, step off the immediately jump straight up in the hair. Return to standing on the box.

Squat Throws From Chest: Hold medicine ball at chest level squat down then jump at, while jumping up throw the medicine ball as hard as possible

Lateral Hops

Over The Back Toss: In a semi-squat position push up straight and throw medicine ball over your heard

Forward Frog Jumps: Hop horizontally over blocks or imagine you are hoping over a block (try to get some vertical)

I did 20 reps of each moving with no rest between exercises & repeated the circuit 3X

Core:

Plank

Side Bridges

V-ups

Russian Twists

2 Sets of 20 reps for ea. core exercise

Sample 2:

3-4 mile run in the sand

Single Arm Throws: Cup the medicine ball with one hand and squat down, while coming up from your squat throw the medicine ball up

Forward Frog Jumps: Hop horizontally over blocks or imagine you are hoping over a block (try to get some vertical)

Wall Throws: Stand a good 3-4 feet away from wall and throw ball as hard as possible at it

Lateral Jumps

Core:

Weighted Crunch

Leg Lift

Russian Twists

Superman

Plan on doing 20 reps of each 3X.

Hope everyone has a great happy and healthy week:)

Gettn' My Navy Seal Fitness On and Buildn' Endurance That Won't Quit:)

This month I am really trying to challenge myself, taking my fitness to the next level so what group better than the Navy Seals to turn to?! After reviewing and researching their workouts not only was I super excited to start adding some new moves to my regime but more than happy to learn that next to NO EQUIPMENT was required!!!!!

So here is this week’s training program! All my training has been done outside or in my bedroom with some light dumbbells and a pull-up bar!

Monday:
35 minute Run
6 rounds all till failure (oh and how each set gets tougher and tougher!!!!)
Basic Push-Up
Sit-Ups
Assisted Pull-Ups (I put a chair under me and use one leg to push-off for assistance)

Tuesday:
5 mile Run
Spider Push-Ups
Renegade Rows
Diagonal lunges w/bicep curls

Core:
Weighted Sit-Up
V-Ups
Super mans
Mountain Climbers

Wednesday:
15 min light Jog
15 sets of extremely steep steps
At the top of each stair sprint I would drop down and do sit-ups, then V-ups, and then performed reverse pull-ups with the stair railing at the top

Then Performed the following circuit 3X:
Triceps Dip (off bench next to stair case)
15 burpees
15 Speed Skater Jumps

This short workout sure kicked my booty!
Set for the Rest of this Week:

Thursday
8 mile Run
10 sets
Push-ups
(Assisted) Pull-Ups
Sit-Ups
*All exercises will be performed to failure

Friday:
Spin Class & Yoga

Saturday:
Long Run and Core!

Sunday: My Athlete’s Yoga DVD

Beach Booty Moves 4 Bikini Season:)

My booty used to have about as much curvture as a wall and after being called out for it my freshmen year in college for its flatness I knew I had to do something about it! So through the years I have researched and executed almost any exercise that lent itself to a promise of a rotund bun. So here are some moves that will help firm and bump up those sweet cheeks of yours:

Walking Lunges
Prisoner Squats
Weighted Kickbacks
Sprints Up Hill
Walking on an Incline
Deadlifts (for an extra challenge do one-legged dead lifts and perform off bench)
Plie Squats
Hamstrings curls with a medicine ball
Diagonal Walking lunges
Jump Squats (pushing off with the back of your heels)
Good Mornings
Step Ups (pushing off with your heel)
Split Jumps
Plyometrics
Stair Work
Back Peddling
Spinning

Hope this helps get your rear and gear, it did mine:)

XO,
Gina

Rubber Chicken, Fake Sugar, & No Flavor Food, Why It Doesn't Work

Common Tips found in mainstream media and gyms across the nation:

-Cook your meat all at once and eat it throughout the week

-Avoid Sugar and Sodium at all cost, go with unsalted almonds or have sugar-free syrups added to your drink (which I am guilty of)

-Eat for survival not taste

The Reality of the Matter:

-Chicken that you cook on Sunday tastes like rubber by Wednesday

-Sugar-Free is not usually made of stevia or natural sweeteners but rather made-up of a bunch of fake chemicals

-"Eat for survival" is like saying "Only have sex for child bearing not pleasure"...doesn't work that way....

-I have found that eating so strictly, so tastelessly, and so boringly only works when you are so focused on achieving an athletic goal or are out of your mind its highly unlikely you will keep such a regimen up.

What usually ends up happening to people who try to restrict themselves so severely is that either up binging or yo-yo dieting. Both are terrible!

Some ways to keep your diet yummy yet still super healthy and tummy toned:

-Substitute sugar with Stevia, it’s a totally natural sweetener

-Use Sea Salt instead of regular season salt

-Cook extra meat and veggies at dinner for next day left-overs

-Purchase deli meat or all natural pre-made chicken ready to throw in a salad for lunch

-Get creative with how you cook fish

-Go Spice Crazy

-Use part-skim mozzarella cheese to put on your veggies or egg white omelet

-Freeze your berries or grapes for a sweet treat

-Eat Pop Chips, they are the natural potato chip and oh so tasty

-Make your pancakes with a whole wheat mix and use egg whites over eggs

-Try giving almond milk a go over milk

-Use natural hot coco for a sweet treat

-Use lo-sodium marinara and lo-sodium soy for cooking