Boston Marathon

Hello healthy people,

 

It is a sad day to be writing to you about the bombings in Boston just yesterday.  Nuts to know how much these runners prepared, how excited their friends and family were to spectate–all to end in pandemonium. Nothing shines brighter than the volunteers and serviceman who risked their lives to help the people affected.

My thoughts are with those who were lost yesterday and anyone affected by these events.

Nothing is more powerful than the slogan growing popular “the good outnumber you.”

 

Check out this Today News article for more information: http://www.today.com/news/good-outnumber-you-messages-hope-boston-go-viral-1C9364932

 

 

Don’t let fear consume your adventures in health and fitness. Run…be free and happy. We live in a great nation–and the good definitely outnumber the bad.

 

Happy eating and exercising,

xoxo

Jess

 

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I. Am. BACHHH.

Hello Healthy People!!!

No not Bach the composer, I just wanted you to hear my voice/emotion. Seriously though I am finally back to the blogging world.

I have to say thank you to Lightpaw for emailing me some reassuring words, I haven’t been that into blogging since post college life, but am ready to begin again…

I now am officially moved in to Florida…and working three jobs!!!! I guess I tend to be a go getter after all.

My main job is prettttty freaking awesome. I teach yoga to the public and to elite amateur and professional athletes.  We also used weighted yoga balls between 4 and 5 pounds to increase the intensity to our practice.  Nothing makes me more proud of yoga when a football player who can squat in the 500’s and bench a small elephant comes up the yoga studio and recognizes how difficult and challenging yoga really is.

Sometimes they even look like this:

But in all honestly the coolest thing about it all is seeing the improvements in participants abilities. The East County Observer, a publication in the area, came to interview me about our program…if you would like to check that out click here. It’s great to see the athletes response to their bodies after a class. They are improving each session and it is truly a game of mind over matter.

 

I also teach group fitness classes at two different gyms, one is associated with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, which I have found is just a wonderful place to be a part of.  After a spin class one day a woman came up to me and said I should consider selling shirts that say “I survived Jess’s SPIN”

…made my day.

 

 

So I want to catch you all up on my fitness oriented new world post grad, I also had a few ideas for posts a while back I will write about too.  Videos are soon to come especially because I got a puppy 🙂 Say hello to Mr. Finley Jack

 

 

But now I must leave to teach power yoga! Woo, namaste my friends.

Happy eating and exercising!!!

xoxo

Jess

 

 

Chewing is overrated?

On the run? Too busy to pack a meal or cook? Hungry? Too often people allow for excuses to blur the lines between what is healthy and what is not. The reality is: if it comes from a place where you can get a toy with your meal or if it comes out of a vending machine…it’s probably NOT good to eat! But then you might ask…what if I am hungry? Well I give you my favorite place for a snack or light meal…. SMOOTHIE KING. Seriously this place is quick and if you flirt with the guys you can invent your own smoothies and maybe even get them for free!! #winning

But be aware a lot of the smoothies have added sugars so just say make it skinny so they don’t add any more. Fruit already has plenty of natural sugars especially bananas and mangos!

There are children’s smoothies too so it’s great for the whole family 🙂

So whenever you are hungry on the run google where the closest smoothie place is whether it’s jamba juice, smoothie king or even an organic place such as while foods! It’s a great way to keep that balanced diet.

Participants are the beeezkneeez

Seriously. As a fitness instructor there is probably no better feeling than when participants come up to you to tell you they loved your class, ask when you’re teaching…etc etc etc.

It’s probably why we love our jobs so much. Well that and the endorphins aren’t so bad either!

–Also, if you are a participant never hesitate to approach your instructor and give helpful feedback. It can always help the instructors grow and I encourage it at the end of every class. So let them know if they rocked it or some areas you were confused about or didn’t enjoy!–

After this morning’s 11am Yogafit class I had a lot of participants come up to me after to thank me or ask when I’m teaching next and it was a great start of the day. One really sweet girl in particular wanted me to send her the playlist but I decided to post it on here anyways…so if you’re reading this…hope you like it! and thanks for coming to the class 🙂

It’s just a little different than the playlist I posted previously but here it is! Hope you like it.

Just a reminder–when creating your playlist (if you are the instructor) always be mindful of the population you are teaching to! This was something that was actually discussed at a presentation at the fitness conference led by JMU’s graduate assistant Brittany Guerin. Music is a great tool in your classes. Just make educated and logical decisions when utilizing it in creative ways.

Playlist Yogafit February 29th 2012

Question by The Old 97’s

On My Mind by Donavon Frakenreiter

Are You Lonesome Tonight by Elvis Presley

The Fear You Won’t Fall by Joshua Radin

I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz

Moonlight Sonata by Mozart

Stay With You by John Legend

Can’t Help Falling In Love by Ingrid Michaelson

In These Arms by The Swell Season

Skinny Love by Birdy

Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson

When You’re Smiling by Lous Armstrong

To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra

You’ll Be In My Heart by Glenn Close and Phil Collins

Have a Little Faith in Me by John Hiatt

Tears and Rain by James Blunt

Beautiful Day by U2

Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye (this is one of my favorite songs right now)

I’ll Be Seeing You by Billie Holiday

I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab For Cutie

xoxo,

J

BIRTHDAY WISH!

Alohaa online world.

Today I am officially twenty-two years old!

Woo!

Since I was little I have always believed in the power of birthday wishes. I’m going to disregard the “don’t share it because it won’t come true” philosophy I had in my youth…because my wish concerns all of you!

So on this day my only wish is that you start to motivate others to live a healthy balanced life.

It isn’t too much to ask?

Just try to start cooking dates, recipe chains, inspire your children to choose fruit over candy and to be active! Anything little that will be preventative towards future diseases and increase our lifespan. Change starts with you…as Gandhi most famously said, “be the change you wish to see in the world.” And that my friends, is one of the most motivating lines I’ve ever heard.

Namaste and cheers to a long, healthy and happy life!

Cheeers! Happy anniversary of my 21st Birthday…

Tomorrow is my 22nd birthday aka the anniversary of the birthday that seemed to matter so much in my teenage years…

Whatever you do…don’t consume the “fishbowl margarita” that my ENTIRE birthday table had to help me with on my 21st birthday last year…

Holy Margarita!

This year a few of my best friends are celebrating with me in Atlantic City! Coincidentally they all happen to be healthy group fitness instructors with the same mentality as myself. We are aware of what we consume and although we want to have fun at the night clubs we also don’t want to be doubling our calorie consumption for the day. Ergo, I found this article at WEBMD (one of my favorite websites, I recommend subscribing to their emails!) about low calorie cocktails. I think the key is to keep them simple and I always recommend saying a “splash” of some juice or mixer to avoid the unnecessary calories. Remember most importantly to alternate between water and alcohol because alcohol dehydrates the body…water will prevent a hangover too! That way you don’t skip your workout the next day….

Enjoy the article!

Happpy birthday to me! Hope everyone has a great weekend 🙂

February 12, 2012

Low-Calorie Cocktails

5 ways to keep from overloading on calories when you have an alcoholic drink.

 (continued)

5 Tips to Curb Alcohol Calories continued…

Mix cocktails with water, club soda, low calorie juices, artificial sweeteners or sugar-free syrups for easy calorie savings. Fruit and vegetable juices can be good choices because they are lower in calories than some other mixers and also contain disease-preventing antioxidants. Still, “be careful of fruit juices because even though they are more nutritious, the calories can add up quickly,” says Blatner-Jackson.

Some mixers that won’t pack on the pounds include:

• Diet soda or diet tonic: 0 calories
• Orange juice (6 oz): 84 calories
• Cranberry juice cocktail (8 oz): 136 calories
• Light orange juice (8 oz): 50 calories
• Light cranberry juice (8 oz): 40 calories
• Light lemonade (8 oz): 5 calories
• Coffee, tea: 0 calories
• Baja Bob’s sugar-free margarita or sweet ‘n’ sour mix: 0 calories
• Lemon or lime juice (1/2 oz): 10 calories
• DaVinci or Torani’s sugar-free syrups: 0

3. Skip the mixer altogether. Try ordering your favorite spirit or one of the new flavored liquors on the rocks. “Infused vodkas are very popular because they are not sweetened but infused with flavors, from jalapeno to peach, without adding any extra calories,” says O’Neil.

4. Dilute your drink. Another option is diluting your drink with club soda or sparkling water. Wine spritzers are a low-calorie standby. And if you usually drink vodka and cranberry, for example, try it with club soda, just a splash of cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime. Garnish with a wedge of citrus or pineapple to add flavor and few calories.

5. Have a game plan. Before heading out to the cocktail party or happy hour, make sure you have a game plan. Decide in advance the number of cocktails you are going to drink and cut back on calories during the day in anticipation. But eat a light snack before you go so you won’t get tipsy with the first drink and it will be less tempted to dive into the food. Always be aware of your own personal limits. Don’t drink too much, and, of course, don’t drink and drive.

How Many Calories in Popular Cocktails?

So just how many calories are in your favorite cocktail? These calorie counts for popular alcoholic drinks are approximate, based on popular recipes, but may vary depending on ingredients and portions.

• Pina Colada (6 oz): 378 calories
• Mojito (8 oz): 214 calories
• Cosmopolitan (4 oz): 200 calories
• Chocolate martini: (2 oz each vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 oz creme de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438
• Margarita (8 oz): 280
• Skinnygirl margarita (4 oz): 100
• Green apple martini (1 oz each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148
• Martini (2.5 oz): 160
• Port wine (3 oz):128
• Bloody Mary (5 oz): 118
• Red wine (5 oz):120
• White wine (5 oz): 120
• Alcohol-free wine (5 oz): 20-30
• Beer (12 oz): 150-198
• Light beer (12 oz): 95-136
• Ultra-light beer (12 oz): 64-95
• Champagne (5oz): 106-120
• Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348
• Godiva chocolate liqueur (3 oz): 310
• Wine spritzer (5 oz): 100
• Eggnog with rum (8 ounces): 370
• Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps (8 oz): 380
• Hot buttered rum (8 oz): 292
• Spiced cider with rum ( 8 oz):150
• Mulled wine (5 oz): 200
• Vodka and tonic (8 oz): 200
• Screwdriver (8 oz): 190
• Mimosa (4 oz): 75
• Gin and tonic (7 oz): 200
• Long Island iced tea (8 oz): 780
• White Russian (2 oz vodka, 1.5 oz coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz cream): 425
• Mai Tai (6 oz) (1.5 oz rum, 1/2 oz cream de along, 1/2 oz triple sec, sour mix, pineapple juice): 350
• Rum and Coke (8 oz): 185
• Rum and Diet Coke (8 oz): 100
• Mike’s Hard Lemonade (11 oz): 98

Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, is director of nutrition for WebMD. Her opinions and conclusions are her own.

Further Reading:

• Slideshow: Skinny Sipping — The Best & Worst Beverages for Weight Loss
• Are Beverages to Blame for Your Weight Gain?
• Skinny Sipping: Drink Pounds Away
• Healthy and Unhealthy Summer Drinks
• Party Drink Calorie Alert
• Avoid Weight Gain: Watch What You Drink
• A Fluid Path to Weightloss
• See All Beverages and Weight Topics

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View Article Sources 

Edited on July 18, 2011

© 2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.

“Baby, imma be your motivation”-said your new tank top

I buy new workout clothes every now and again because not only am I in front of a group of people every day teaching, it is satisfying to be motivated by a new pair of running shoes or a new workout top. Looking fabulous in itself is motivation.  We like to joke about being on barbie status…The term Barbie is not to describe the plasticity and negative connotations associated with her. Instead, it serves as almost a compliment to give each other and make a new name for the look. When we were younger Barbie was idealized. Now that we are older it is not the size 00, shoe size 3 that Barbie would have been with her measurements that we are striving to be…in fact it is not her look whatsoever.  It is the concept that you know you look good inside and out and want to embrace that.

Workout Barbie

My latest splurge….Who needs a boyfriend to treat you to a nice dinner or box of chocolates? Flowers die and chocolate isn’t good for you…My recent valentines day gift to myself was a new yoga outfit and cross training shoes that matched. Why? Well…it is my first single valentines day in a while and instead of getting myself chocolate covered strawberries I got something I can use for a while and that makes me feel good.

Pink ❤

The point is if you are lacking some motivation to go to the gym, go shopping for a new workout outfit to look good in while you workout and you will find yourself wanting to get to the gym! Stylish and fit….the way to be! I also recommend subscribing to the emails from sports authority, finish line etc and getting the deals when the email out the coupons! It saves a bunch.

Finally I found out this weekend that if you put your running shoes on a table and either one tilts to a side and is not balanced, it is time for some new shoes because the tread is worn down too much (thank you J Squared). Keep up with this for injury prevention and it’s also a good excuse to look into buying some new kicks. If you are looking for a long distance running shoe try going to a store that specializes in the sale of them. Often times they will film you or watch you running on a treadmill to evaluate the shoe that would best fit your body.

Don’t allow yourself to lean on excuses why not to work out. If you are experiencing a dull routine, that’s probably because it is. Try running outside, taking a boxing fitness class, downloading the Nike Training app for the iphone, or a body weight workout.  You may notice that just by looking the part you are advancing yourself and motivating yourself to get healthy and fit.

And you’ll feel good about yourself which is part of maintaining that healthy balance between fitness and wellness…so treat yourself! (Especially with this weekend’s Presidents’ Day sales!)

P.S. GUYS…you know you wanna look good too in your muscle shirts. I see you in the weight room staring at yourself, and I don’t hate it! Be proud of your hard work, and the fact that you are surrounded by 50 other dudes staring into mirrors! Go ahead and buy some new workout threads to wear to the gym instead of your old football practice shirt…you might notice a difference in your motivation to head to the gym as well.

Happpy shopping!

Cheers, it’s Wednesday Wine Night!

I saw this wino, he was eating grapes, and I was like, “Dude, you have to wait.” ~ Mitch Hedberg, Comedian

Below is an article I found from MSNBC.com about the nutritious aspects of wine. Personally I am a Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay girl…but knowing that red wine has significantly higher antioxidants I began to test others out and found that Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite 🙂

So make Wednesday Wine night a weekly tradition like I do and enjoy a glass of wine or two with a nice healthy dinner. It helps bring the weekend a little bit faster too and is always something to look forward to celebrating with roommates, significant others, and friends.

 

Cheeers! xoxo

 

 

Is wine good for you?

In moderation, a glass or two can help your heart, prevent cancer and more

By Joy Bauer

TODAY.com contributor

updated 6/4/2008 5:26:48 PM E

Is wine good for you?In moderation and as part of an overall healthy diet, the short answer is yes!

Thanks to its alcohol content and non-alcoholic phytochemicals (natural occurring plant compounds), wine has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and slow the progression of neurological degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.

However, the amount of wine you drink matters tremendously. Drink more than what’s recommended, your health benefits are lost and your health risks go up.

Here’s what’s considered safe and effective:

Men: No more than two drinks per day.

Women: No more than one drink per day.

One drink is defined as a 5-ounce glass of red or white wine, 12 ounces of regular beer (1 bottle) or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.

The health benefits of wine
When it comes to wine’s health capabilities, here’s what we know:

It’s been well documented that moderate amounts of alcohol can raise your good cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) and thin your blood. This is thought to be one of the primary cardiovascular benefits from wine (red and white), as well as hard liquor and beer.

Non-alcoholic phytochemicals in wine, such as flavanoids and resveratrol, act as antioxidants and prevent molecules known as “free radicals” from causing cellular damage in the body.  Although some studies which have focused on the health benefits of resveratrol use much greater dosages than you’ll find in an average glass of wine, resveratrol has been shown to prevent blood clotting and plaque formation in arteries by altering lipid profiles and plasma viscosity.  Findings from a recent study suggest that resveratrol can produce potent anti-thrombotic agents that can potentially improve cardiovascular health and lower the risk for coronary heart disease.  In animal studies, resveratrol reduced tumor incidence by affecting one or more stages of cancer development.

Red wine provides much more resveratrol compared to white. That’s because the longer the skin is kept on the grape during the wine making process, the greater the concentration of resveratrol in the wine. In the case of white wine production, the skin is removed before fermentation, giving white wines a lower concentration in resveratrol compared to red wines. Also, wines made in cooler climates have greater amounts of resveratrol too. Thus, red wine from cool climates have the most resveratrol.

The negative side of wine
Wine, however, is not for everyone. Certain medical conditions are worsened by the consumption of wine, so it’s vital you seek the advice of your personal physician. Here’s a few things to know:

• High Triglycerides: One downside to wine consumption is that it can elevate triglyceride levels, which is associated with health problems such as diabetes.  Those who already have high triglycerides should, therefore, avoid or dramatically limit their wine (and alcohol) consumption.
• Breast Cancer Risk: Studies have shown alcohol can increase estrogen levels and raise tumor progression in women with (or at high risk for) estrogen positive breast cancer.
• Migraines: Wine is often a big trigger for people who suffer with migraine headaches. Although white wine contains more sulfites than red wine (sulfites are added to white wine to preserve its light color), red wine seems to be a much bigger migraine trigger. That’s probably due to the accumulation of histamines and tannins from prolonged contact with the skin.
• Weight Gain: People who drink alcohol also consume empty calories, calories that lack nutrients and can lead to weight gain.
• Five ounces white or red wine = approximately 120 calories.  Drink a bottle of wine (4 glasses), and you’ll be consuming about 480 calories (that’s the equivalent of two 20-ounce Cokes!).
• Here’s how alcohol compares to carbohydrate/protein/fat:
  1 gram carb = 4 calories
  1 gram protein = 4 calories
  1 gram fat = 9 calories
  1 gram alcohol = 7 calories

Joy Bauer is the author of “Food Cures.”  For more information on healthy eating, check out Joy’s Web site at www.joybauernutrition.com

© 2012 MSNBC Interactive.  Reprints

Namaste*

Hello world!

This is my first time blogging so as you can imagine I am still in the learning process. My goal with this blog is to post fitness activities, recipes, encouragement etc. A place open for discussions and free from all competition and judgement.  The title of this post is Namaste which you will find is one of my favorite words. It means the light within me honors and respects the light within you. In India they use this word as a salutation (beats your average hello!) At the end of every Yoga class I teach we bow our heads and speak this word as an end to our practice. It is a Sanskrit word, I added the symbol below. So as we make this online fitness journey together I hope not only your body but your mind is prepared to begin or continue to lead a life of balance and purpose.  Let our goal be health and happiness for all.

Namaste*

Jess