Treadmill vs. Outdoor Running

This week was all about running. I ran outdoors and on a treadmill I started to debate which was better? Which one works you harder?
When running outside you get to look at beautiful scenery and your one with nature (depending on where you run).
When you run outdoors your by yourself and you can really get in-touch with yourself and just focus on you. The terrain is uneven and you have to turn to that adds an extra element.
When your at the gym running on the treadmill there are lots of people and distractions. People coming and going and looking at you it can be distracting from your run. Also many gyms have televisions all over the place, a TV for every treadmill! Some people like watching TV when they work out for me I enjoy listening to pump up music so having TV's all around can be distracting. When running on a treadmill the terrain is all the same and you don't turn but if you add a 1.5 incline that can be equal to change in terrain.
Climate is another factor which can effect if you are able to run outside. In Palm Springs, CA where the temperature in the summer gets up to 115 degrees there wont be any running outside unless its extremely early in the morning or late at night. It's so hot in those summer months it's hard to walk from the house to the car. That is when many will have to invest in a gym membership to use a treadmill. Right now the weather is perfect for an outside run. Same thing goes for places that snow in the winter any extreme climate change force you indoors. Springs seems like the ideal time to run outside and winter and summer are treadmill time. I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy running outside in Spring and hitting the treadmill throughout the winter and summer months. I appreciate both for different reasons but if I lived by the beach I would run outside all the time so here's to the perfect outdoor run.

Pump up the Jam...literally!

Thinking back at playing soccer in high school I was recalling some of the running drills we used to do. One of them was running up and down a dirt hill 10 times. I remember it being really hard and I dreaded that drill.
Yesterday I ran 3 miles and I didn't dread any part of it. It has been 15 years since high school but I think I know why I enjoy running so much more now besides the fact that I get into that runners high and I'm not sure I ever did back then. It's because today I listen to music when I run, and I listen to music that pumps me up. I know we had Walkmans and Disc-mans back then but I don't remember running with them and I know I wouldn't have been able to run with it at soccer practice. What if I was allowed to bring it with me to practice I would have flown through all those running drills, I would have been unstoppable.
We used to listen to music while warming up before games and we always listened to Queen, "We are the Champions," "We will rock you" and "Bicycle." We would get pumped listening to those songs and sometimes I think we won because we got pumped up before the game.
Now I always put music on in the background when I do my Insanity or Asylum DVD workouts. I usually put on dance music my favorite Pandora stations are David Guetta, Bingo Players, Avicii, Top 40 and Britney Spears. For me the music you listen to in the club is the music I want to workout to. Dance music makes me run faster and get more into my run. I have tried to run to other music and I just find that upbeat dance music works best for me. I think whatever your favorite music is you should workout to that. I can listen to music during Insanity and Asylum because I have done those workouts so many times I know I can follow them without listening to the instructor. When I try a new workout DVD I usually try to do it once or twice without my music in the background and then when I feel like I know it I will incorporate music.
I feel like adding my favorite music to my workout adds another element to my workout, it makes we workout harder and better. My workout tip of the week is adding your favorite music to your workout.

Getting out of a fitness rut

So I finished the 30 day Asylum workout and then kept doing it cause I didn't know what I was going to do next. Two weeks later I was kind of burned out on Asylum, I had been doing it for a month and half and I knew the workouts by heart, they were no longer new and exciting it was like when your dating someone and the "your the most interesting person I've ever met" thing wears off. So I wasn't looking forward to working out and I love to work out its like therapy for me. I knew it was time for me to spice up my routine so I decided to incorporate Pilates, yoga and running into the mix while also keeping the Asylum too. Today I did an hour Pilates workout and I forgot how much I love Pilates and how invigorating it is. When you get your breathe in tune with the movements you really get in-touch with your body. I felt great the rest of the day and I know I am going to feel it tomorrow in my abs and gluteus. Tomorrow to keep up the enthusiasm for my workouts I'm going to run. I really enjoy running and I love the way it makes me feel and look. When I was training for the Thanksgiving 5k that I did my abs looked good. I recently found this really cool app called Charity Miles and it's a pedometer but for every mile you run, walk or bike it donates money to your favorite charity. It's so awesome I've only used it once so far because it has been bad weather lately so I haven't been able to run but I'm going to use it tomorrow on my run and I'm really excited. They list about 10 charities you can run for and you can pick a new one each time if you like. I feel like I have mixed up my workout routine enough that it's exciting again and I just need to remember that as long as I'm doing some workout I will feel good it doesn't always have to be the same one. So don't be afraid to switch it up every now and again. It feels good for your mind and your body.

First Week Of Insanity: Asylum

I just finished my first week of Insanity: Asylum. It is the next level after you finish Insanity. And even though I have completed Insanity and worked out to those DVD's more than one hundred times Asylum was definitely a challenge. I guess it didn't help that I didn't work out for the whole month of December so I am really out of shape. So you can imagine how I felt when I could barely complete the moves in my first DVD of Asylum "Speed & Agility" but I have something that keeps me committed as Shaun T would say "I want to look good".... Hahaha every time he says that in Insanity I think he is so vain. But isn't that what everyone wants. I am already skinny but my personal goal is to have a six-pack and look amazing in a bikini since I live in Palm Springs and 9 months of the year here are sunny and hot. I have also changed my diet this week to follow the nutrition guide that comes with Asylum. It sure is interesting when my co-workers look at what I am eating and give me funny looks. But then again they don't have the same personal goals I have. The hardest thing that I have eliminated from my diet is dairy because I love me some cheese. So in the morning with my coffee I have been drinking it black or with coconut milk creamer which is really tasty. I'm supposed to have 5 mini meals a day so in the morning I have plain oatmeal, I don't put milk in my oatmeal but if I wanted I could use almond milk. For my second meal I have been eating fruit and nuts, pears, apples, bananas whatever I brought to work with me. For my third meal I have an avocado and tomato or sometimes a yam. For my fourth meal I am doing a lot of black beans, brown rice and lots of veggies. The last meal of the day, the fifth meal is supposed to be lite and mostly veggies so I've been doing a lot of all veggie salads. Basically I am eating ridiculously healthy and it actually isn't as hard as you think, once you put your mind to it and get used to the foods. My body is detoxing from all the holiday foods I had in December. I have made it through the first week which is always the hardest week...so I'm proud of myself. Here's to the next week of Asylum.

Eating healthy at a wedding

Weddings...it seems like every few months I'm attending another one. I guess it's that time in my life for all my friends to settle down.
I'm heading to Eugene, OR to one of my best friend's wedding. We are so close she even picked me to be one of her bridesmaids. So I need to look good because I'm in the wedding. I also want to indulge in all the food and drink at this wedding. Champagne toast and wedding cake, how can anyone say no to those things. So I'm taking the ancient greeks advice "everything in moderation" it is the only way to look good and feel good at this wedding. No one wants to be the bloated bridesmaid, I won't let that be me.
First thing I must do is not fill up on booze and appetizers. Usually the bar is open right after the ceremony and while I'm waiting for the rest of the festivities I fill up on booze.
So at this wedding I have made sure I'm prepared I brought snacks to eat while we are getting ready and when the ceremony concluded I socialized instead of being the first one in line at the bar. Next bridal party pictures were taken do that occupied my time nicely. Before I knew it dinner was served, I had a delicious quinoa salad, chicken in a romesco sauce and steered clear of the bread. I decided I would have cake so that was gonna be my carbs for the day. To my surprise their ended up being no cake and instead mini cupcakes. How perfect I could indulge but not overindulge because the serving size was small. If there was cake I was going to split a piece with one of the other bridesmaids. It was truly a lovely day and I believe I was healthy and I felt great the next day. I wasn't bloated, guilty or hungover in the morning and it felt great. So next time your at a wedding remember everything in moderation and step away from the bar and desert table with your dignity intact.

Eating Healthy on a Road Trip

One of the hardest times to eat healthy is when you are on vacation. I am currently on a road trip that has taken me up the coast of California all the way to Oregon.
Meanwhile up and down every highway all you see is corporate commercialism at its best. Their is literally a McDonalds at every stop. So how can I continue eating healthy? Well the first day of my trip I stopped at a fruit stand and purchased 2 plums, a basket of strawberries and a bag of raw almonds. It was the perfect snack to get me to San Francisco. As I continued up north to Humboldt county my friends I was staying with were luckily on the same wave length as I was and they had nothing but healthy food. One night we had grilled chicken and zucchini from their garden. They also grew berries in their garden and we had a smoothie for dessert. Fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries blended with almond milk; it was healthy and refreshing. When I got back on the road I got snacks at a gas station, I got a Tiger Milk bar and a Cliff Bar and a small bag of cashews that was a healthy snack that got me through the rest of my journey back to the dirty Desert as us locals like to call Palm Springs. Next week I'm back to work and working out everyday. I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. TTYL