2011 Highlights

Mug shot in the Nordic style of woodcarving from Wisconsin

Mid-summer rain Hiking in North Carolina

I had a busy summer.  I read several good books on training, attended a conference and numerous workshops on Functional Training.  I kept clients busy with workouts between my weekend trips and longer family vacations.  I went to Missouri, Wisconsin, and North Carolina this year leaving only Oklahoma for next year when it's 20 year high-school reunion time!  

Racing and training with Wheelworks Multisport went well.  I even won my division at the Quassy Rev3 race (photos link) in Connecticut and at the Whaling City race in New Bedford, but still, nothing motivated me to write articles.    

Then in July August, and September my trips to see family travels and to race in several new triathlons (USAT Age Group Nationals in Burlington, VT and the Pumpkinman Half-Ironman in southern Maine) kept me running strong with my fastest paces ever in triathlon and juggling clients around my travel times.  

Healthy good veggies from home

 Food continued to be a minor and fun obsession over the summer.  Fresh veggies from our Red Fire Farm CSA share filled us with kale and summer squash.  These were once again my staples for Paleo-influenced eating as whole veg, low grain eating became more my norm. I ditched a lot of sugar and refined grains except when mandated by homemade holiday celebration treats including fine pastry and sometimes, yes, homemade toffee.  There were also a few take-out treats like this meringue cookie found after seeing the Boston Ballet's Nutcracker.

Snowman that doesn't melt...he's meringue!

I barely spent any time on the computer with blogging.  August had me strong with group workouts and a good, lean body fat percent, but still nothing to write about.  Waiting for inspiration to strike, I left blogging and followed twitter feeds on exercise and health more closely.  I also joined the Google+ social networking site but still found it dull compared to Facebook.  Breaking news on exercise science and the latest tips to motivate healthier lifestyles didn't turn my head for long.  I tweeted and I waited for dialog or feedback of any kind, not just the ego-stoking retweets, but it all felt moot.  There was so much more summer to enjoy -- so I went to the river and took up rowing!    

Sculling Level 1 class was a good time!

Single person rowing, or sculling, became a minor obsession in my Tues/Thurs adult lessons at Community Rowing Inc  How I wish I'd discovered crew and ERG'ing while back at UC Berkeley and living in the Bay Area, California, not Massachusetts.  It could have been pretty great to row back then as I'm learning it a little late now.  At least I'm eating well and healthier than ever even if my local access to produce isn't quite as bountiful.

A beautifully balanced salmon salad eaten in SF, CA in Dec 2011

Finally in late October fall really did arrive and I got very busy again with clients.  My hours with SunnyDayFitness clients (~5 per week) and Healthworks clients (~25 per week) took over my planning and marketing time.  I was all about the hustle this fall, and now I feel a little sad for it.  How could I let my writing go for so long without notice?  Who did I disappoint by not sharing more ideas more often?  Anyone?  No one?  I won't really know, but I do know that I feel bad that I missed those months and wrote so little. 

So maybe you fell behind on something, too?  Could 2012 be your year to step back into stride with that lost passion for exercise?  Maybe returning to the old exercise habits won't do this time around?  Let me know if you are looking for something new, OK?  We just might find it together in 2012.  Get in touch if I can help or comment on "What you missed in 2011 and want to find in the new year".

Peaceful and Happy Holidays

50th post and Hooray, it's May!

"How's it going with your trainings?"  Business has been good and steady.  I'm proud of what I started here, and I want to make my clients proud of themselves for participating.  Spring started at a good tempo and I'm finally making room for more clients again.  I'm training 25-30 clients each week, mostly in hourly sessions at the gym.  Several new clients are taking it outside, especially now that the weather has improved (finally!).

See that complimentary session gift on my business card?  Well, now you can use it outside in a Bootcamp!  

The SunnyDayFitness Bootcamp series starts June 1 for Wednesdays at 6:30am on June 1, June 15, and June 29.  Meeting at Danehy Park and Champions Track in North Cambridge (map link), we will dust off the old cobwebs and shine with my outdoor *rain or shine* group fitness Bootcamp.  Sign-up by e-mailing me at sunny@sunnydayfitness.com or just show-up with $20 per workout.  

A high quality nutritional choice

Low quality nutrition

Speaking of Champions... Bootcampers will be given a few nutritional challenges.  Real champions need to eat better foods than cereal, pizza, and peanuts.  We will endeavor together to clean up our diets and fuel our bodies with what we *know* we should be eating.  Each Bootcamp participant will take a weekly diet challenge during the 2 weeks between sessions and will report back.  Are you ready to get fitter and eat healthier?  You'd better be on board!  Wednesdays at Danehy, 6:30am in June.

Healthworks Happenings

It's March already.  How did this happen?  I can honestly say that my busy-ness at the gym has hit new highs.  While still serving my SunnyDayFitness clients on their territory, I worked many long days and nights with new gym joiners in this new year 2011 at Healthworks Fitness for Women.  So many people are now training with me for weight loss and in small groups, it's wonderful!  

Although January was epic and February was full,  I still gave time away to do what I love:  teaching folks how to do new things like

Indoor Rowing

This lady loves taking a break from rowing

Kettlebell Swinging  

She needs a bigger bell to swing, for serious, really. 

and Making Better Nutritional Choices.

Me at Tulsa's QT trying "boston baked beans" and a slushy drink.
Not really your best choices for convenience store eating...sorry!

 Here in March I am actively seeking other venues to teach.  Do you have a community center, a church, or a tennis club where I could share a class like "Restore the Core" to post-natal moms?  Or a senior center with people who'd want to know about "Building Bones with Weight Bearing exercise" to prevent osteoporosis?  

Please think of me and SunnyDayFitness for your fitness teaching and athletic coaching needs.  I offer a complimentary in-home training or consultation to all new clients and a free training session to you if you refer me to someone who does become a client. It's nearly time to run and play outside again, but will your body (or your mom's or your sister's or your grandma's) be ready for that next sunny day...?

Cookie-eating vs. Walking it off

Sunny asked a few friends recently, "Are you Trading Your health for a “Treat”?  The resounding answer was "I don't think so. I can eat dark chocolate every day because it's good for me and I'm so active.

While walking to burn a few extra calories is good, it's even better to limit the incoming cakes, cookies, etc.  Did you know that even a tiny Tootsie Roll has 25 calories?  And who eats only one...usually it's 3-4, so you'd need to do 10 minutes of power walking just to burn off that trip to the candy bowl.

What about a single dark chocolate cookie -- how much damage can that do?  Well, the Nantucket cookie seen here has enough calories to sustain a 20 minute jog to and from the park!  Can you really take that jog every time you hit the bag at the office meeting?

Pepperidge Farm® These cookies are American Classics

Nantucket™ Dark Chocolate Cookies

Nutrition Facts*
Amount per Serving (serving size) = 1 cookie

Calories 130	Sugars 8g
Total Fat 6g	Protein 1g

“It’s not the one cookie; it’s the one cookie you eat everyday” said my training client, Jess Grass.  When I see that she's gaining back the weight she worked so hard to lose, then I know she's giving in to the sweet treats too often.   You don't have to go sugar-free everyday, but she and many others should try it for just a single day or two and see how many calories we save.

I went sugar-free for 5 days in September and it was eye-opening.  There's sugar hidden in so many foods!  Ketchup, salad dressing, and simple breads, not even "sweet" breads.  My boyfriend asked what I was doing and if I was somehow anti-sugar.  “I’m in favor of sugar” he said, and three of his friends quickly agreed.

But if I can do without sugary treats, I will save a lot of the fall and winter excess from ever piling on.  And that will keep me in summer-weight range and happier, longer than any Nantucket cookie can make me.

6 Tips for Clean Eating

Getting cleaner foods into your body will help you get leaner and healthier.  

Where to begin?  Start with these tips:

Red Fire Farm carrots really do taste amazing!

1. Shop the perimeter of the store – skip the aisles of packaged, canned, and processed foods.  Whole nuts, oats, and brown rice are a few exceptions.  You can only eat what you buy, and if you shop for clean foods from the start, you'll make clean eating possible and easier then saying "no" to other junk.
2. Freezer friendly finds – try new vegetarian burgers, fish/shrimp, steamer bagged veggies, and ripe frozen berries.  Skip the freezer entrees, Haagen-Dazs and fast-food knock-offs like freezer fries.  And try my favorite freezer veggie:  soybeans in the shell, or edamame.
3. Join a CSA or shop the farmers markets – prepare to spend a little more on local organic foods to eat truly clean.  Cook and appreciate kale, spinach, and raw gems like real, earthy-sweet carrots.  A great Boston based CSA is Red Fire Farm and www.localharvest.org will help you find other CSAs.  
4. Clean those fruits and veggies – take 10 minutes after shopping to rinse, chop, and make-ready your veggies.  Drop them into plastic boxes or baggies and leave them on the top shelves of your fridge.  Then in a hurry you can just pop them into your bag for easy snacks.  Or just streamline the evening meal prep by having it all ready to cook or eat raw.
5. Focus on whole grains and short ingredient lists – foods that are best for you will have fewer than 10 ingredients and all they won’t read like a chemistry book.  Even CLIF bars have 20+ ingredients.  Why not try to make your own?  If you can’t pronounce an ingredient, or your grandmother had never heard of it, then you probably shouldn’t be eating it. 
6. Alcohol and sweets really should be treats – and not every day is a “special day”.  Think of your diet as the building block of your healthy life, and ask “what would an athlete eat before competing?” and if they wouldn’t eat it or drink it, then why should you.  After all, you are planning to workout hard tomorrow, right?  Another great post-race meal may be waiting for you...

Lobsterman Triathlon post-race healthy feast

Spring Smoothies

Few food options rival the smoothie for simplicity (no cooking, no chewing), deliciousness (fruit, ice cream), and versatility (it's a meal, snack, or dessert). Indeed, it’s as close to a perfect meal as you can get. The only problem: Duplicating juice-bar results at home.  Try some of these nutrient-packed smoothie ingredients that will juice your brain, build muscle, burn fat, and strengthen your heart in less than a minute. Just throw them in a blender, hit liquefy, and start slurping. It’s that simple. 


And for even more great ideas, check out TheMen’s Health Smoothie Selector online, 

Raspberries

High in antioxidants, and bursting with fiber, manganese, and vitamin C, these berries will keep your heart and brain in top shape.

Mango 

With abundant Vitamins A and C, mangoes also add a healthy dose of beta-carotene, which helps prevent cancer and promotes healthy skin. 

Orange and Citrus fruits

OJ has vitamin C, and pineapples contain bromelain, a cancer-inhibiting, inflammation-reducing enzyme.  These all make citrus fruits golden and great ingredients for your smoothie!

Dairy delights and Protein punches -- Milk or Whey

Then add, either Milk, Water, or that devilish combo of the latter two, Whey protein!  1% Milk has calcium, protein, added vitamins and almost none of the fat.  Whey protein has essential amino acids help pack on the muscle—making whey the best friend of athletes and gym rats alike.


For more smoothie ideas and nutritional info, search for your favorite smoothie ingredients or see the smoothie selector tool (with over 30 recipes!) brought to you by Rodale/Men's Health Magazine:   http://www.menshealth.com/smoothies/ 

Small meals and Your appetite

Appetite tells us when to eat, and when working well, how much to eat or when to stop. It works well when we eat natural, filling foods at a slow and measured pace. But it doesn't work so well when processed and calorie-dense foods rather than nutrient-dense foods take center stage. Given today's culture and conveniences, in just 10 minutes you could scarf down a variety of foods to satisfy hunger. For example, it's easy to feel full after eating two whole carrots (150 calories) or you could get a similar satisfaction from eating a jumbo-sized box of fries (1,150 calories). Either way, the appetite is satisfied but with a very different calorie and nutrient content.

Meal timing also plays into appetite. Eariler and frequent smaller meals are easier for the body to use as fuel during exercise. It makes sense for most people dieting to lose a weight to 25% of their daily calories in a larger breakfast. This controls appetite and reduces hunger throughout the day, resulting in lower overall calorie intake. Meals every 3-4 hours will also require more energy to digest than the traditional 3 meals per day format. There is also evidence from weight loss studies that suggests that people usually eat less overall when they eat often, so it's a win-win.

Finally, developing a healthy appetite using frequent, small meals should be easy and appetizing. Consider a few high-nutrient, very satisfying appetizers. This list of 5 foods have at least two high-satiety foods that can fill you up on healthy combinations. Eat one about 10 minutes before your next meal to fill up early, or have 2-3 as a meal combination for fullness. These recipes were recetnly published in Triathlete Magazine (See triathletemag.com article by M. Fitzgerald from May 2009).

These all come it at about 150 calories. Try a few!

Spinach & Avocado/Tomato Salad

1 cup Spinach + 1/4 cup Avo's and Tomat's

with 1 tsp olive oil dressing

Crackers & Low-Fat Cheese

4 whole wheat crackers + 1 oz. cheese

Lentil Soup

1 cup as prepared by Amy's Organics or homemade

Asparagus & Almonds

4 spears steamed + 1/8 Almond slivers and Parm Cheese

Baked Fries with Rosemary

1/2 cup of potato slices baked at 450F for 30 mins

with olive oil spray and rosemary and S&P before baking

Mid-day quick meal

It's all too common to rush through lunch. I used to do it while I was a scientific consultant; I still do it now as a trainer. Sometimes clients keep me too busy at the gym, and a quick 45 minutes at home is all I have to prep, eat, and dash back to the next client.

Summer is a prime time for veggie-based lunches. Today lunch was heavy on the zucchini and light on the bread. I used cottage cheese and deli turkey as my primary protein sources because that's just what I was in the mood for. The simple sandwich was about the same size as the bowl of microwave-steamed zukes/tomatoes/parsley/parm. In total this was about a 600 calorie lunch. Some of the chilled extra veggies later made a nice afternoon snack.

Eating on the patio is a great way to enjoy healthy food in the summer!

Sunny's Top 5 Nutritional Tips

I check labels and make informed choices about what and when I eat. But nobody's perfect, and sometimes I slip up ... a lot. See my Saturday log and how bad it got? I used to log my diet daily, even hourly to see what my hunger triggers and relievers are. Now I think a little longer term and have come up with 5 tips for better nutrition.

Here are my top 5 tips to drop 5 pounds with fewer calories and minimal hunger:

1. Drink water. 2 liters daily, at a minimum. Start with a tall glass 12oz before every meal and another glass with snacks. Add more water by drinking every 5-10 minutes while working out whether with cardio or with strength. Yes, you'll pee more but you'll also feel full more quickly and feel hunger less often.
2. Get green. Rethink snacks and look for veggie options like cucumbers with s&p or mustard, leafy green salads, steamed broccoli with a sprtiz of lemon. These are not on the shelves at CVS or Shaw's so you'll need to use pre-pack your snacks. Invest in ziploc baggies which microwave easily and small plastic boxes that won't leak.
3. Grains keep giving. Complex carbohydrates are slow burners that are perfect workout fuel. Whole grain bread and barley or whole grain couscous salads will leave you full for hours, especially if eaten with a tall glass of water. The darker, chewier, and less processed grains are best. Try cooking a new/old grain like quinoa today!
4. Nix sugary snacks. Fruity yogurt, begone! Unless you add the blueberries yourself, you're getting more corn syrup and sugar than goodness from fruit-included yogurts. And check the labels on so-called diet or nutritional bars also. Rice and cane syurp are common additives that only add quick-burn sugar to your diet. Use sparingly if at all.
5. Keep one treat. In all things, balance -- if you too strict, you'll likely really fall off the wagon quickly. Follow the above guidelines 90% of the time and indulge a little, daily with your free 10% of the time. If you allow for a little 100-200 calories "fudge" factor you can more easily keep the rest of your diet squeaky clean.

That's the recipe for contentment and success! I use this to drop 5 pounds almost every summer and usually within just a few weeks. It takes cooking and packing meals, plus snacks, and several large water bottles, but it's very doable. You don't need to write it all down, but it helps -- just keep it real and honest. It's that hard look in the mirror that makes us able to see what's real, and grow from it.

Drop me a note at sunny@sunnydayfitness.com if you want to know more about a nutritional lifestyle for weight loss or healthy weight maintenance. I look forward to hearing from you!

Saturday: Food & Exercise log

I began with a good appetite from a 5-6 mile run from Stade Olympique back to the B&B. Starting with the residential Rue Rachel, which features a prominent bike lane, I ran west towards the southern route called Rue Prefontaine, perhaps after the famous runner (more likely a Quebequois politician). In any case, I ran down to the gay village's main drag called Rue St. Catherine. This road, filled with bars/discos/boutiques near the center part of the Latin Quarter, is rather industrial on its eastern edge. The only scenic section was the overpass going across a few RR tracks that while running into a head-wind offered full views of downtown. The bright sun and strong breeze motivated me to run faster down through the Quarter.

People on foot were not as plentiful at 10am as they were at 1am, but remarkably I was the only one running and one of the few not smoking. People smoke everywhere here, especially on the sidewalks. It was a little sad to see so much disregard for health, lungs, and a bright Saturday morning, but I was happy to return to the B&B with my non-smoking friends.

Looking for food after the run, I was pleased that it was pancake day at the B&B and my two palm-sized cakes were nicely crisped at the edges. Add to that some syrup, a banana, two berries, a cup of soymilk, a croissant with smooth, Skippy-style peanut butter (a Nutella-like indulgence), a cup of plain yogurt and about 3/4 cup of muselix with dried fruits and oats. Whoa, that's a lot of food! It was probably 600 cals total. I drank diet soda and ate a piece of dark chocolate (only 30 cals maybe) afterwards, and thought "I should get out of this sweet-feed habit." But no...I added some gummy peach hearts to the mix for another probably 80 cals, which were entirely unnecessary. Note To SELF: Eating to win isn't about careless excess, and the race I want to win is just 5 weeks away now.

So, I continued with a rather light mid-day meal (ham on wheat) and a 100 cal trail bar that tasted like fruity pebbles but claimed to be healthier. Evening meal in Ogunquit was a lobster stew with garlic bread, and lots of it. I should have gotten a salad! Then after the dinner we went for dessert and I had a wonderful, half slice of homemade carrot cake. I felt pretty good about all that except for the lack of greens. I only disappointed myself further by eating another 250 cals at 10pm in malted milk balls while driving back to Boston. Ugh. I have got to drop that late night sweet-eating habit! More on that in my next posting on nutrition...