#Easter2013

Happy #Easter2013 everyone.

To my surprise the Easter bunny stopped by my house a day early. He must not understand that Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs are not Paleo. He did get my Almond & Coconut Milk which I have been wanting to try and boy is it delish! The coconut makes it refreshing.

Saturday, before coming home for Easter, we went out for brunch. Since there are so many places in DC I hate going to the same restaurant twice. We narrowed our options down to Columbia Heights and U street and decided on Busboys and Poets . I was happy with this decision because I had recently checked out the menu and loved all of their vegan and vegetarian options.

Busboys and Poets was established in 2005 and stands as a gathering place where racial and cultural connections are uplifted. The owner, Anas "Andy" Shallal, is an Iraqi-American artist. Another reason I was excited to go here was because the name Busboys and Poets came from the American poet Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy prior to gaining recognition as a poet in the 1920s. Junior year in high school the boy and I did a report on Langston Hughes actually!

When you walk in you are greeted by young enthusiastic hostesses. No matter where you go for Brunch in DC there is likely to be a wait. While waiting I grabbed a mimosa from the bar and explored their book store. Yes. They have a book store in their restaurant. How cool is that!

After browsing some novels, I grabbed a menu. While checking out the menu I found that they are one of the green-est restaurants I have been to. They recycle their oil, paper, plastic, glass, aluminum and use renewable wind energy. Their cleaning supplies are green, menus are printed on recycled paper, and in effort to conserve water only serve it upon request. What really caught my eye was that they primarily serve GRASS-FED, FREE-RANGE BEEF FROM A LOCAL FARM! HELLO PALEO OPTIONS!

The decor was awesome. Their were couches, long tables for larger groups and in the room we sat in, a stage where they hold open mic nights. We got really lucky and got a corner booth which was so comfy. Since it was so busy the service wasn't all that great but the delicious food and drinks made up for it.

I had french toast. Surprise Surprise?! ha. It came with a side of fruit and I ordered a side of bacon AND sweet potato fries. Emily and her friend had the Eggs Benedict with a crab cake. SURPRISE SURPRISE? haha Carol ordered a panini of some sort with a side salad. After brunch I ordered their THIN MINT LATTE and it was to die for.

I'm hopping that there will be some semi-healthy options at Easter dinner today but knowing my family.... probably not.

What does your family have for Easter dinner?

Educate yo' self

For weeks, I have been biting my tongue on the issue of Carbs. I wish I had a dollar every time I heard a girl say, “Just cut the carbs and you’ll be skinny” or “I don’t eat carbs”. My blood pressure is raising as a write this. WHOOOOOSAAAAAA

Some genius somewhere started the rumor that carbohydrates are bad and made millions off their fad diet. I curse the day that individual was born!

First what is a carbohydrate? For all you idio…. Sorry. Let me start again. Carbohydrates are what your body uses to make glucose. Glucose is the fuel that gives you energy and helps keep everything working. Why would you deprive your body of something it needs?

Where do you find carbohydrates?

·         Fruits

·         Vegetables

·         Breads, cereals, and other grains

·         Milk

·         Foods containing added sugars (cakes, cookies, and sugar sweetened beverages)

You can choose to get your carbs the right way or the wrong way but either way you need carbs.

There are two types of carbohydrates.

·         Complex carbohydrates

·         Simple carbohydrates

There are two types of complex carbohydrates; starch and dietary fiber. Both can be found in vegetables.

Simple carbohydrates include sugars found NATURALLY in foods such as fruits, vegetables and milk. Of course, you could choose to get your carbs from processed foods if you do not care about your body. Processed foods have little to no nutritional value, are loaded with tons of junk but give you that spike of energy and then leave you wanting more.

So don’t be an idiot and believe that cutting carbs will make you skinny. Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet.

Here are some tips for adding GOOD carbs to your diet (not paleo however):

1.       Whole Grains on Whole Grains. Whole grains are an excellent source of fiber which many of us don’t get.

2.       Bag the WHITE potatoes. Instead of white potatoes, try brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

3.       Stay off the juice. Choose actual fruit not fruit juice. Fruit juice is loaaaaaaaaaaded with sugar and other junk.

4.       Bring on da beans! Beans are an excellent carbohydrate as well as source of protein.

Carbs for Cavemen and women? VEGGIES on VEGGIES and a little fruit!!!  Let those non-paleo people suffer from leaky gut and other digestive problems while we become stronger and healthier ;)

Wow. I feel much better now that I got that off my chest. Whewwww.

No go and get your crunch on!

Xoxo,

Weekend in review.

This weekend I went to Baltimore to visit my friends from college. It had been a while since I had seen them. It may have been since our trip to Atlantic City in November now that I think about it. Friday evening we went out in Federal Hill and danced all night. When ever I go out in Federal Hill I make it a point to stop by my favorite Crepe place. It's always a struggle deciding if I will get sweet or savory and I always end up getting savory. My crepe had chicken, black beans, pico de gallo, rice, and some kind of jalapeno sauce. It's extremely spicy (in my opinion) but extremely delicious.

Fortunately I didn't wake up with a stomach ache but unfortunately I woke up at 8:30. It's comforting that I'm not the only one of my friends that no longer can sleep in. We all piled into one bed and laughed at the events of the previous night. All the laughter made us hungry so we drove over to THB. I'm still practicing paleo for the most part so instead of my typical egg, ham and cheese bagel, I ordered a veggie omelet and didn't eat my hash browns.

After breakfast we went back to the house and changed for the gym. Since the gym is only 6 blocks and the weather was decent we decided to run there. This made me realize I really need to step up my training for the Color Run.

Once I finished the 100 question guest form we jumped on the elliptical for 20 minutes. We were those obnoxious girls at the gym talking about boys and reminiscing about how much we missed college. After our warm-up we took Body Pump. I love this class. The music is always really good and you get an excellent workout. If you haven't taken the class before you should definitely give it a try. However I do not recommend the instructor we had. She was not very encouraging, she was off beat, and the class seemed to be dragging on and on. Fortunately she said it was her last day so maybe that had something to do with it.

Tomorrow will be week 3 of the Bikini Body challenge. So far you haven't been eating bread or pasta. This week instead of giving something else up we are going to add something. Water.

Many of us do not drink near enough water. Most people don't even drink water on a daily basis which is scary. The average american drinks 45 gallons of soda a year. That equals 42 pounds of sugar. This week increase your water intake to the recommended 8 glasses of water a day. By increasing your water intake you will flush out toxins and help your body carry out normal functions.

This week I will be posting daily AB workouts under the Workouts tab. Monday's workout will be posted shortly.

Hope everyone had a great weekend filled with friends and laughter.

xoxo,

Bikini Body Week 2

Happy day after St. Patricks...day. Today's been a little bit of a struggle considering I had lots of alcohol, bread, sugar, and popcorn this weekend. Friday night I went out for a friends birthday and on the way home, I stuffed my face with disgusting pizza. I love pizza but when grease is dripping down your elbows and covered in garlic powder you have to ask yourself, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!". Saturday I  had a alcohol hangover and  food hangover all in one! It was terrible. On the weekends I usually am up and running errands by 10 for some crazy reason, but this weekend things were moving a little slower. After a trip to the grocery store Emily and I had lunch at this pit beef sandwich shop down the block from us. We pass it everyday on the way  to work and always say we're going to give it a try. Surprisingly after a pulled pork sando I didn't feel all that bad.

Saturday night I went and saw OZ in IMAX 3D. The movie itself I'd give 2 1/2 stars but the visual effects definitely made it worth it. I loooove movie theatre popcorn. I don't put any salt or butter on it. I think it's perfect the way it comes. Normally I won't get anything over a small but the boy brought back a jumbo size... I didn't hate it but my stomach did.

For St. Patricks day we actually went to an authentic celebration with corn beef and cabbage, bottles on bottles of Jameson, and bag pipe performances. Needless to say this weekend was rough on my body.

I'm back on the paleo wagon though....well after the boo and I go to sushi tonight....

Anyway... Bikini Body Week 2!!!
So you've given up bread and you increased your cardio. This week you are going to eliminate pasta as well. There are alternatives to pasta so if you feel you can't life without it (rolling my eyes) substitute quinoa. Along with no pasta or bread each day you will perform this circuit:

30 Jumping Jacks
40 Second Plank
50 Bicycle Crunches
40 Reverse Crunches
30 Straight Leg Crunches

Monday you will do it once through, Tuesday 2x, Wednesday 3x, Thursday 4x, and Friday 5x!!! Between circuits take a 45-60 second "break" where you grab some water and catch your breath. Alright... have at it!

Commit below and let me know how it went!!

xoxo,

Target HR

How hard are you really working? I've included a few tips in today's blog that will help you make the most of your workout.

People tell me that they spend hours on a machine and the first thought that comes to my mind is how hard are you actually working that you could spend that long doing the same thing.

This week I've challenged each of you to get 90 minutes of cardio in by Friday. To really get the most out of your workout you need to be working hard enough. A way to measure that is by monitoring your heart rate. To determine your target HR you need to know what your maximum heart rate is.

The calculation to find your maximum heart rate is:
220 - your age= Maximum HR
My maximum HR is 196 bpm.

DO NOT strive for this number as it is your MAXIMUM! During your cardio you need to be working within 55 to 85 percent of your maximum HR. For my my target range is 107 to 166.

It's important that if you are using the machine to determine your HR or calories burned,  you need to enter in your gender and weight or it won't be accurate.

NOW GO GET MOVING!

xoxo,

Beach Body Week 1

After reviewing the survey results, it seems as everyone feels their core is their trouble area.

That may be a surprise to many of you but it's true. Doing 1,000 crunches a day may help but it's not going to get you where you want to be. With that being said, I challenge each of you this week to cut all bread from your diet. That means nothing breaded or fried, ie. chicken tenders. Instead of chicken tenders have grilled chicken. Instead of a sandwich have a salad without croutons. It's going to be hard at first but what in this world is easy?

As for what you should be doing in the gym, this week aim for 90 minutes of cardio by Friday. That doesn't mean 90 minutes in the gym. Working in a gym I know that the most people spend the majority of their time socializing, looking in the mirror or resting between sets. 90 minutes of cardio means having your heart rate up the entire time. You're going to spend more then 90 minutes in the gym to reach that. Divide the time up however you want (22 minutes everyday, 30 minutes 3 days etc.). Your cardio doesn't need to be in a gym either. Since it's becoming nice out, take your workout outside.

Let's hit the ground running and get those tummy's toned!

xoxo,

SnowLESS Day, Measurements, Brunch, Rants

Sooooo the weatherman spread the rumor that DC was going to be hit with a snow storm. I don't know if they know it or not but if it's above freezing snow is unlikly. I didn't go to meteorolgy school though so they may have changed the rules. Either way I'm not really mad about it. I woke up to a lovely text saying that work was closed and immediately opened my blinds to find this....

I couldn't be mad. I didn't have to shovel nor did I have to go to work. Instead I went to a delicious brunch at The Coupe in Columbia Heights. I've been wanting to go there for months but it's insane on the weekends. I have heard you need to make a reservation 24 hours in advance. So we figured that since it was a Wednesday we could definitely get a table. The Coupe is the defintion of Hipster. At least thats how I would describe it. Half of it is a "dinner" and the other half is the bar. There are couches and lounge areas where ton's of hipsters were on their MacBook's. I'm not knocking them or the place because as I left I told my roomies how I want to come back and blog.

Anywho... on to the good stuff. What I ate. Since I've been "50% paleo" when ever I go out I treat myself with french toast. It's my favorite breakfast food. The classic french toast sounded good but the Vegan French Toast caught my eye. Why you ask...."Made with vegan baguette dipped in our mix of soy milk, chickpea flour and cinnamon, topped with apple & cranberry compote." Ummmm yeah! I literally ate every single bite.

I won't tell you how the rest of the day went but it involved chocolate covered almonds and pizza...whooops

Thursday I went back to work and was dragging a little. It had been 30 days since I took my measurements so I was due to step on the scale again. I got to work a little early so I decided to hope on the Arc trainer and watch Live!with Kelly and Michael..... big mistake. It is not recommended to workout before getting measured but I did anyway. I'm not saying it's the sole reason my measurements didn't come out as good as before because we all know I haven't been eating all that clean but I'm sure it did have a little bit to do with them...



Weight 123.5 thats up 6.5 pounds. 3 pounds more then before I went Paleo. I have been lifting heavy though and muscle weights more than fat.....
Bicep 10.5, 10.75 went up (result of the lifting)
Bi Flex 10.75, 11
Chest 33.25
Waist 26.5
Abdomen 27.75 (thank you french toast and pizza)
Hips 37.75
Thigh 19, 19
Calf 14, 13.5

Body composition all increased.... I won't even go there.....

Needless to say I need to get back on track. I'm home for the weekend so thats nearly impossible. I've already had girlscout cookies and my mom bought me not 1 but 2 bags of snickers peanut butter squares... I'm not bringing them back with me though. Monday is a new day and I'm just going to enjoy my time at home.

MDW

83 DAYS!

For most people, Memorial Day weekend officially marks the beginning of summer. More than likely, prior to this weekend you haven't worn a bathing suit outside of a dressing room. The thought of being in your yellow poka-dot bikini/board shorts right now may make you cringe. It doesn't have to though! With a little discipline and determination you can sculpt your body and be beach ready in 11 weeks.

If you want to join me on my beach body challenge take this quick survey. It will help me determine what things my lovely followers want to work on the most.

 I can't wait to be bronzing on a raft at Seacrets with a drink in my hand and friends by my side.

xoxo,