New Year's Goals

Happy New Year 2013!! Hope everyone rang in the new year in grand fashion; Laura & I were at the Burj Khalifa to watch the Epic Fireworks display with some close friends.

First off, resolutions in my opinion seem very immediate, without substance; where goals have lasting effect especially when planned or simplified to easily integrate into your daily routine. For example a resolution or choice to "Eat Healthy" is great but lacks the ability to achieve the end result because the commitment is open ended... a goal on the other hand to "replace potato chips with cucumbers and hummus" or "limit coffee to one cup per day" is defined giving you the opportunity for you to be proud of achieving your target.

I have a lot of things to be proud of and grateful for in 2012. L & I really came into stride when it comes to eating healthy and cooking. Yeah we still have our pizza or thai curry every now and again but for the most part we try to stick to lots of whole foods, fruits, organic veggies, eggs and lean protein mainly fish. We even bought a Juicer!

I have turned a new leaf after watching "Forks Over Knives" practically cutting out red meat and dairy from my diet. Fish is the preferred selection with Pork & Lamb in a close tie for second.

As for working out… I’ve maintained pretty much everything throughout 2012; Weight, Muscle Mass, Body Fat & BMI hasn’t changed over the course of the year. My goal in 2013 however is to increase my muscle mass, I weight about 160 right now and would love to be up to 170 by years end; this won’t be easy especially working a full time job and trying to meet the expectations of my wonderful fiancé (who wants a puppy). Anyways, 2013 Goals: 

1. Spend more time Outdoors with L: Going to the beach, golfing, camping, fishing, hiking, etc anything to get out the apartment; while safely sustaining the Dubai summer heat. 
2. Workout at least 4 times a week focusing on Multi-Muscle Lifts: Power cleans, dead lifts, dips, pullups, squats, and core training with dumbells or kettle bells. 
3. Eat more protein: Eggs for breakfast, tuna or chicken sandwich for lunch with bean salads, nuts and dried fruits for snacks, and looking forward to trying some new recipes for dinner which I’ll be try to be more diligent to post. 
4. Stretch Everyday!! Considering I can barely touch my toes I'd like to start the day stretching.
5. Write More: Weather it’s for The Healthy Press or otherwise, allocate at least 2 hours, 2 days a week and build from there; block out the time and stay focused.
6. Make Pickles: My buddy and I started making pickles a few months back aiming to sell them at the Ripe Farmer’s Market in February; check us out Mr Pickles: Famous Pickles!

We also plan to cut down on the drinking and going out to bars to once a week. A nice night in or with close friends over a decent bottle of wine is the preferred poison now days. I have been trying to learn more about wine and fascinated with the depth of the industry, expect some upcoming posts about Wine and my progression from 2 buck to chuck to hopefully a respectable standard. 

Wishing everyone a Happy & Healthy New Year!! Cheers,

Laura's Workout Ways

Laura & I have been pretty good about going to the gym over the past year however we decided to step up our game considering we are in a wedding in Atlanta in less than a month. Motivating her is quite different than motivating myself, trying to offer advise to my wonderful Fiancé can sometimes become emotional.

"Are you going to make me Hot & Skinny?" were her exact words... Trick Question!!

So we decided to document the plan: 4 weeks working out 30 - 45 minutes 5 days a week with limited equipment at the gym. Start simple and work our way up.

Day 1: Legs

• 50 Walking Lunges
• One Legged Squats
• One Legged Calf Raises
• Wall Sits Between Lifts
• 15 Min Run at 5º Incline

Day 2: Cardio

• 45 Minute Interval Treadmill Workout
• Credit to @IowaGirlEats

Day 3: Core

• 2x THP Ab Workout
• Romanian Deadlift
• One Arm Dumbbell Snatch
• Head up to keep your back straight

Day 4: Cardio

• 30 Minute Incline Treadmill Workout 
• Credit to @PBFingers

Day 5: Arms

• Tricep Dips on a Bench
• Incline Seated Bicep Curls
• Dumbbell Military Press on a Bosu Ball
• 50 Girl Pushups :)
• 10 Min High Intensity Run

We will let you know how it goes!! Enjoy...

The Resolution

New Year... New Opportunities!!

Last year my goal was to get in the best shape of my life and I did it: 1 Marathon, 1 Half, a 10k & countless hours in the gym destressing from the long work weeks. But as the memory of 2011 slowly permeates in the back of my mind the outlook for 2012 is optimistic!!

I thought this year I would choose something a little more tangible... 1000k over 365 days!! An idea stolen from L which I adopted because I like the concept as well as to offer support.

I am definitely faster than her; trying to get 5k down to 22 min, however L is the Slow&Steady type with the persistence of a Turtle, I just need to be sure not to fall asleep under a tree!!

January:       E - 5k & L - 6k

Fit Running Tips

Distance Running for me is not only good exercise but a great time to reflect... Part of me wishes I've been running for years; the other believes I've fallen upon this whole fitness thing now for a reason. 

Either way here are a bunch of tips I that would of helped me get started to train for a race. In Simple Bullet Points... Close the Gap!!

• Training: Choose a plan that fits your schedule, rushing home from work is a chore and will make the whole experience less enjoyable...

• Eating: Magnesium helps prevent cramping but Fiber causes it... What to do about those delicious leafy greens?? Still working on this one but my suggestion is to eat light, eat simple. 

• Drinking: Hydrate well the night before but minimal before the race. Once you get thirsty while running go to town on the liquids but don't overdue the gatorade, could cause cramps.

• Snacking: Dried Apricots & Almonds...

• Stretching: Don't forget your calves!! They tighten quick and don't let go.

• Listening: Live Music; feels like everyone is cheering you on!!

• Pacing: The right pace can last forever. Find it and stick to it, over exhaustion can lead to a miserable race. If you set you standards low there is only room for improvement!!

• Starting: Don't peak too soon; start slow & finish strong!!

• Breathing: I generally try to breathe normal when racing but for all the multitaskers out there deep breathes from the Belly increases the oxygen flow and reduces cramping.

• Thinking: Mind over matter. Your first long race I can promise you at some point you'll question your decision making process. I can also promise you'll be glad you did after you cross that finish line so just maintain those positive thoughts and push through!! 

• Finishing: Close the Gap!! That last 8th of the race make it a goal to slowly close the gap with person in front of you. Next thing you know you'll have some groupies on your coattail!!

• Celebrating: Have a nice protein filled meal... You'll have deserved it!! 

That's assuming you can walk... Just kidding! Hope you learned from my mistakes!! Check out more great tips from ChiRunning...

Balance & Moderation

Life is full of Balance and Moderation... especially when Eating!! I wrestled growing up and watching my friends gluttonously eat lunch while I feverishly ate my salad pretty much scarred me for life. Luckily Fear of Dieting is not an actual phobia.

Dieting is not even in my vocabulary. I always tended to focus on trying to burn the calories I enjoyed and more recently tried to eat in moderation to meet the caloric intake of my daily activities. This combined with a Healthy Diet I see no issues to balance a delicious Chicago Style Pizza on occasion if this makes you happy! It's healthy if it has Spinach, right?? Check out the link...

Now my "Occasion" usually comes to fruition during my Annual Thanksgiving Holiday in the Midwest... In chronological order the combination of Jetlag, Coffee, Road Trips, Dehydration, Football, Beer, Buffalo Wings, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Turkey, Stuffing, Family Fun, Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies, Chipotle, More Football, More Beer, and Al's Italian Beef definitely pays a toll on the body especially when cold weather and public transportation come into the picture.

Now I'm fully aware this is very hypocritical considering my Pseudo Mantra: Eat Healthy Live Healthy but I can't condemn the enjoyment of food. Mental Health is just as important as Physical Health!! Especially if you're Emotionally Diabetic and that perfect Burrito just doesn't exist in the Middle East...

So to make it up to my 14 Healthy Followers and prove my legitimacy as a committed fitness blogger I propose The 25 Day Healthy Press Challenge... Workout everyday until Christmas!! 

Any sort of High Intensity Exercise leading to Increased Heart Rate will do... The Challenge starts today 30 November at 1am and includes limiting the consumption of empty calories ie alcohol!! Now I just need to catch up on sleep from the trip, still on Midwest time!!

The Challenge

I see so many people; friends, family, coworkers get lost in the day to day. They start working late and stop working out... loose sight of their hobbies and ambitions. Soon weeks become months become years and suddenly you're stuck in the same routine. My goal, and I'm starting fresh, is to break out of this routine, enjoy the summer and simplify my life.

I'll be perfectly honest... I am no expert in the stuff I plan to write on but can tell you what I like, what works for those perpetually working towards enlightenment, or just a few ideas to mix things up a bit.

I live to eat, love good food and don't think I could ever compromise on this... won't touch diets but am more than willing try some simple healthy recipes.

I enjoy a drink, going out with friends helps me keep my sanity... just need to find some new refreshing drinks for the hot months ahead.

I need to workout, but have trouble finding the time... we'll see how waking up at 6 for a quick workout a couple times a week treats me?

So I take this post as a personal challenge to get fit, healthy and have a fantastic time doing it! Enjoy...