"Are you fit?" "Did you say that you workout?" These were the questions our tour guide was shouting to me as I struggled to keep up with him and my husband biking through the hills of Austria. We had booked a bike tour in hopes of seeing more of the beautiful Austria countryside and getting some leisurely exercise in during our vacation there, but I wasn't so prepared to be huffing and puffing with my heart rate at a sky-high level. Our guide was a little man in his 60s, originally from somewhere in Asia, who seemed to be in good shape for his age and told us he exercised daily. While I already knew that my husband was stronger and faster on a bike than I was from our bike date workouts through the hills of California, I wasn't really expecting our guide to be as hardcore of ... [Read More]
workout inspo index
4 Instances You Should Skip Your Workout
Last week I decided to do something that I pretty much never do: take an entire week off from working out. I had been exercising pretty hard, and my nagging calf and foot injuries were bothering me, so I knew that at least a few days of rest was necessary. With a 4-day trip to Miami coming up, I decided it was the perfect time to give my body a rest from working out for a solid week. Besides a very mellow yoga session one morning, walking around a decent amount in Miami, and taking my pup for walks once I got home, I got little exercise all week. Everyone has a different exercise balance that works for them. Me? I'm somewhat of a fitness freak. Typically I train 6 days a week, with one of those days being something low-impact, like a long yoga session. I switch up my routine a ... [Read More]
What Do You Look for in a Gym? My Must-Have List
Hi friends! I'm writing this on Thursday night, as I'm coasting on an exercise high from a workout that ClassPass hosted at The Rush Indoor Cycling Studio tonight. I had never been to the studio before, and found it to be a lot like SoulCycle (review of me trying that out in NYC here): a fast-paced cycling workout with good music and high energy. Thanks for hosting the fun event, ClassPass! Any other American readers have off of work on Monday for Presidents Day? I do, and I'm pretty excited for the long weekend! But back to fitness! Recently I talked about how I haven't been a member at a regular gym since moving last year. I decided that I'd like to shop around for a normal gym to possibly join. I did a free trial at a gym a few weeks ago, and while they had all of the ... [Read More]
6 Ways to Stay in Shape When You’re in a Relationship
Recently I was having a conversation with someone who was mentioning that she finds it hard to stay in shape once she begins dating someone. I totally get it: when you get into a relationship, all of a sudden you might find yourself wanting to stay in bed and cuddle instead of rush to sunrise bootcamp; to go out to romantic restaurants and indulge in 6-course meals and all of the wine on a weekly basis. (source) But to me, being a healthy, confident, taken woman means finding balance between your romantic relationship, and the relationship you have with yourself. And a big part of that healthy self-relationship revolves around nourishing yourself with good food, being at a healthy weight, feeling attractive, and finding time for endorphin-boosting exercise and other healthful ... [Read More]
Let’s Get Sweaty! Heated Workouts: Yay or Nay?
Confession: I don't do well in the heat. If the temperature's cold, I'm usually fine with a blanket and a hot cup of tea, but what I don't like is being hot and sticky. This may be in part the reason that I'm living in SoCal, since I love being outdoors and the mild weather is so conducive to that. When I go back to Jersey in the summertime, where I was born and raised, I practically melt with the high humidity. It's not even that I've turned into a spoiled Californian. My body just has never done well in weather over 85 degrees. My house doesn't have air conditioning (which I recently found out is common in this area), and I actually have a heat paranoia. All windows and doors are opened and my ceiling fans are turned on first thing in the morning, for fear of getting hot and not ... [Read More]
Getting an Education in CrossFit Culture
Recently I had a freelance writing assignment centered around CrossFit, so I ventured around to different gyms in my area to interview owners and members and get a better grasp of what it's all about. Though I've never tried it, I have a couple of friends who are avid CrossFitters and I've watched the CrossFit Games on TV before, so I had a general idea of what the fitness regimen entails. However, doing research for the article really gave me a much more detailed look at what it's all about and why people are crazy about the so called "sport of fitness." (source) I learned that conventional CrossFit wisdom says to forget about the aesthetics, to focus more on what you can do versus what you want your body to look like. Essentially, it values athleticism over superficial concepts ... [Read More]