Month: February 2016

Categories
Lifestyle

Saving Food And Money Is As Easy As Rearranging Your Fridge

As a mom, I’m interested in saving money wherever I can. I like to think that I’m pretty mindful about my money and watching where it goes. So I was pretty shocked when I learned that I might unknowingly be throwing away the financial equivalent of my annual car insurance bill! Studies show that most Americans waste about half of their food, which translates to about $2,265 a year per household, or $165 billion nationwide. That’s the bad news. The good news is that with a little (and I stress a little because who wants to spend endless hours doing this?) planning and organizing, you can save a lot of money and wasted food. Here’s the plan to get you organized and richer.

First things first. Before you can organize your fridge and bring in anything new, you have to get rid of all of the old things. Look at all of the food in your fridge and check the “best by” and “sell by” dates. Throw everything away that is past its expiration date. Then, move on to your condiments. These, along with any food in your freezer, should be thrown out if they’re over a year old.

Your next job is to use up all of the food in your fridge. This is known as “shopping your fridge.” Make as many meals (purchasing what little you need) as you possibly can with what you have inside your fridge (that includes your freezer). Try looking up recipes online and planning for the week.

Next step is to organize. Where you put things in your refrigerator will determine:

1. If you’ll eat it

2. If it will spoil quickly.

Let’s tackle #2 first.

Different areas of the fridge have different temperatures. Things tend to be colder toward the bottom. It’s important to place things in their proper temperature zone to keep them tasting their best and lasting the longest.

  • On the door. The warmest area in the fridge. This is the place for condiments and butter.
  • On the top shelf. Since it’s the second warmest area in the fridge it’s the perfect place for soft drinks, yogurt, leftovers, cheese, and deli meats.
  • On the middle shelf. This is the moderate zone; eggs and milk should go here.
  • On the bottom shelf. Since this area is the coldest, this is where meat and seafood should go. Place them in the back where it stays evenly cold.
  • In the drawers. When placing items in drawers it’s important to keep fruits and veggies separated. Keep fruits in the lowest humidity drawer–sometimes called the “crisper”–and keep the vent open. Vegetables should go in the highest humidity drawer with the vent closed to keep the moisture in.

As you place your food in areas of the fridge that are the most appropriate temperature, it’s now important to organize them in those areas, so you’ll see and use them. Here are some tips for doing that:

  • Make sure when you buy new food that you rotate the old food forward, to the front, and place the new stuff to the back.
  • Write the date on partially eaten food or leftovers so that you know how long they’re good for. The Mayo Clinic suggests not eating anything that’s older than 3-4 days.
  • When you buy things in bulk, divide the food into resealable plastic bags according to the serving size and freeze them. This will make the food easy to thaw and use.
  • Put the things that you use the most in the easiest-to-reach places.
  • Place taller things in the back and shorter ones in the front so you see what you have.
  • Use plastic, glass, or clear plastic bags to store leftovers and extra food so you see everything that you have.
  • Wash and cut fruit and veggies just before using, not prior to storage.
Categories
Sweat

No Gym, No Problem–Bodyweight Exercises Are Rising To the Top

No gym? No problem. Bodyweight exercises have become so popular that they placed second in the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) annual Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends. In fact, you won’t see one piece of fitness equipment or fad workout in ACSM’s top 10 fitness trends this year. This hasn’t always been the case, though.
Let’s recap the last few decades. If you went back in time 50 years, it wouldn’t take long to figure out just how much the world of fitness has changed. A visit to one of the first fitness centers back in the day, often referred to “health spas,” may have included a few leisurely laps in the swimming pool and socializing with friends in the steam sauna.
After Arnold Schwarzenegger wowed moviegoers in 1970’s Hercules in New York, bodybuilding quickly gained popularity. By the late ’70s and early ’80s, people began putting a greater emphasis on weight training. While Arnold was inspiring men to pump more iron, women were flocking to Jane Fonda’s aerobics classes.
By 1989, I was working at my first gym, wearing a one-piece thong over leotards. Women of all ages were doing Jazzercise on an open carpeted floor and loving it. Carpeted dance floors slowly were replaced with wood floors in private group exercise studios, offering a much larger variety of specialty classes. Year after year, new trending workouts like Tae Bo, Reebok Step, Spinning, and Zumba would make the top charts with traditional bodyweight exercises not even being discussed.
However, in more recent years, fitness has simplified in many ways. People exercising these days are training more like an athlete in a 1960s gym class or a new cadet in basic training. The bench press is being replaced with pushups and fancy treadmills are being passed over for plyometric exercises.
Why has bodyweight training taken off? First, it’s cheap. Okay, it’s better than cheap. It’s free. You literally need nothing but floor space. Second, bodyweight exercises are endless. There are a variety of bodyweight exercises for every muscle group. If you have access to a computer, there are thousands of exercises you could learn in the privacy of your home. Lastly, they work.
In order for an exercise to make ACSM’s top 10 list, the exercise trend has to work–and bodyweight training is no exception.

6 Reasons to Do More Bodyweight Exercises

1. Strengthens the Core. Unlike working out on a machine, where your core is supported by a bench, bodyweight exercises incorporate the full body–including the core. A strong core helps prevent back injuries and improves posture.
2. More Efficient. Bodyweight exercises can also be more efficient because many bodyweight exercises incorporate both strength and cardiovascular endurance in one single exercise. Instead of working each individual muscle independently on weight machines, you can work more muscle groups at once, saving you time.
3. Improves Flexibility. Since you aren’t saddled with additional heavy weights, it’s safer to complete the full range of motion, which results in improved flexibility.
4. Develops Better Balance. Most people don’t attempt to do daily tasks on one leg. However, many bodyweight exercises, like lunges and planks, require good balance. The more exercises that require balance, the better.
5. Always Challenging. Bodyweight exercises can be challenging for all shapes, sizes, and physical conditions. The more fit you are, the more reps you may get in during an allotted amount of time. As long as you are giving each exercise your all, you are getting a great workout no matter what your fitness level is.
6. Never Boring. Since there are so many exercises to choose from and so many ways to put different exercises together, you’ll never be bored or confined to certain moves. The longer you do bodyweight exercises and expand your exercise library, the more you’ll enjoy them.
If you’ve been using a list of excuses that include “I can’t afford to join a gym” or “I don’t have any equipment,” I just took your excuses away. It’s time to clear a space on the floor and get to work!

Sample Body Weight Workout:

Do 30 seconds of each:

  • Jumping jacks
  • Burpees
  • Push-ups
  • Sit-ups

Repeat five times as quickly as you can, with no rest, for an intense 10-minute workout.

Categories
Nosh

Do Vegetarians Have The Upper Hand?

There are a lot of niche dietary preferences (paleo, gluten free, low carb), but I think the one that sparks the most curiosity is vegetarianism or, better yet, veganism. But what do you eat? How do you get enough protein? Perhaps most fundamentally, why?

For a while, the most common reason was ethics: It’s wrong to kill an animal when there are perfectly edible, nutritious plant foods available. Other reasons that are rising in popularity are personal health and sustainability.

There are also different “types” of vegetarianism. Lacto-ovo vegetarians consume eggs and dairy, while vegans reject anything derived from an animal. There are also pescetarians (who eat fish) and pollotarians (who eat chicken). More recently, there are “veggans” (vegans who eat eggs) and pegans (a hybrid of vegan and paleo). Oh and then there are “flexitarians” who will occasionally eat animal products, but not always.

There are arguments on both sides of the fence when it comes to vegetarianism, but does one side edge out the other?

THE PROS

We have to establish one thing early on: Vegetarians and, yes, vegans can easily meet their protein needs and live perfectly healthy lives without animal products. The question is not whether vegetarian diets can be healthy, but are they superior to animal-based ones?

A lot of the evidence says yes. Vegetarian diets have been associated with lower cholesterol, blood pressure, heart disease, and certain cancers. In fact, of Harvard’s list of 11 foods that may help lower cholesterol, a whopping 10 are plants.

Cancer, specifically, has gotten a lot of media attention over the past year after the International Agency for Research on Cancer published a statement that red and processed meats are significantly associated with increased risk of colon cancer. From this perspective, a diet that eschews them would by nature be a healthier one.

Seventh-day Adventists are another oft-cited example of the benefits of a plant-based diet. Compared to 3 percent of U.S. citizens overall, 30 percent of Seventh-day Adventists are vegetarian. They are also known for living extremely long and healthy lives. Many researchers think it has a lot to do with their plant-based diets.

Our health is not the only consideration for the “ideal” healthy diet, however. Our food choices have a direct and significant impact on the environment. Although a few studies have played devil’s advocate, the vast majority of evidence shows that animal products put a greater strain on the planet than plants do. A healthy diet has to account for how it affects the sustainability of the food system and planet overall, and vegetarianism seems to have the upper hand here.

THE CONS

Even though a healthy vegetarian diet is more than possible, you do have to be vigilant about nutrition. Animal products are our main sources of certain nutrients, including vitamin B12 and EPA/DHA (the forms of omega-3 fats most readily used by the body). It’s easier to get these nutrients without relying on supplements if you continue to eat animal products to some degree.

It’s also extremely important to note that just because a vegetarian diet can be healthier than an omnivorous one, that does not hold true for all vegetarian diets. Some individuals, for example, default to being “pastatarians,” a tongue-in-cheek term for vegetarians who rely on carbohydrates almost exclusively. There are also plenty of “accidentally vegan” foods and other vegetarian-friendly but highly processed products, such as Oreos and low-quality veggie burgers; filling your diet with these foods would not guarantee improved health.

Vegetarianism is also likely too extreme for the majority of individuals. By going too gung-ho on strict vegetarianism, we run the risk of alienating a lot of people who start to feel overwhelmed or intimidated and decide against even trying.

BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?

FIT! As far as I know, there is little evidence that eating no animal products is significantly healthier than simply eating less, choosing higher quality options, and filling most of our diets with fiber-rich, vitamin-rich plants. However, done well, a vegetarian diet could be an express ticket to personal and planetary health.

If going full veggie is a bit of a stretch for you, experiment with Meatless Monday or dishes that use meat as a garnish; stir-fries are especially good for this. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Harvard Medical School both have excellent tips for reducing or eliminating animal products.

Regardless of how you choose to get your protein, focus on filling your diet with plenty of plants. And if you do decide to transition to a more plant-based diet, listen to your body and get regular blood work to see how you as an individual respond to those dietary changes.

There is no one-size-fits-all diet, but I think we could all stand to learn at least a thing or two from our veggie-loving compatriots.

Categories
Sweat

Are You A Hobby Dieter? Why A Committed Diet Is Better

I’ve been enamored with a lot of hobbies throughout the years. First it was tennis, then knitting, scrapbooking, and furniture refinishing. Like many hobbies, some I stuck with and some I didn’t. If you always seem to be starting your diet, stopping your diet, and then restarting it once again, you may be treating your diet like a hobby. If you are tired of this pattern, here’s how to quit hobby dieting and diet like you really mean it.

Hobby dieting isn’t an official dieting term but rather one I use sometimes when talking to people about weight loss.

I define it as dieting without committing–kinda like casual dating without any intention of getting serious. There’s nothing wrong with either hobby dieting or casual dating, but if you really want to lose weight, you’ve got to get serious about what you are doing and why.

Hobby dieting is easier than committed dieting. Because you aren’t truly invested in a successful outcome, you tend to approach your diet with enthusiasm at first. After you’ve been at it for a while the excitement diminishes and then fades completely. Before you know it, you are done with that particular dieting experience.

Committed dieting requires you to look at your weight loss effort differently and has these characteristics:

Shows a Long-Term Commitment

A hobby diet is often a short-term diet. A committed diet shows a commitment to making lifestyle changes that will be permanent. For example, when I was in hobby diet mode, I’d swear off chocolate forever, but that didn’t last for long. During my final diet, I learned to manage my cravings and have the occasional treat without blowing my diet.

Is Action Driven

Hobby dieting is sometimes lazy dieting. You might not exercise much and only measure your food every so often or when you feel like it. A committed diet is based on actions that will get you to your goal, such as regular exercise, learning to deal with emotions, and careful food choices.

Often Evolves

Hobby dieting is usually a set diet that is short-term. A committed diet typically evolves over time. After dieting for some time, you may decide that you want to tweak your balance of nutrients, change up your exercise routine, or explore new ways of staying accountable. The benefit to allowing your diet to evolve as you achieve success is that you are preparing for eventual weight maintenance.

Avoids Excuses

Committed dieting avoids making excuses for failures. Instead, when you are truly committed to your diet, you put excuses aside and take responsibility for what went wrong. For example, a hobby dieter might excuse a week or two of poor eating because of work stress, but a committed dieter owns up to overeating and figures out how to not let it happen again.

Hobby dieting isn’t all bad because it can give you practice for a truly committed diet when you are ready. But I encourage you to give up on hobby dieting right now and move toward committing to a diet that will finally get you to your goal weight.

Categories
Sweat

How To Prepare For Your First Obstacle Course Race

So you’ve finally given in to the lure of obstacle course racing (OCR). You’ve had your fill of 5 and 10Ks, and you’ve run plenty of half and full marathons, but none of those events holds any thrill for you anymore. With its blend of cross-country running and challenging obstacles to overcome, OCR looked like just the kind of thing to get your competitive juices flowing again.

In a fit of excitement, you signed up for a race, not really knowing what you were in for. Now, as reality sets in, you realize you have no idea how to prepare for this strange new event. Don’t panic: We’ve got tips to get you ready for your first ever obstacle course race.

Keep Running 

If you’re jumping into OCR, chances are you’re already a regular runner on some level. That conditioning and training will come in handy out on the course; although there will be a number of obstacles to negotiate, running is still the core discipline for sure.

If you’re someone who tends to run longer distances, however, you may want to mix up your routine a bit. Conditioning is the key to completing an OCR, but speed comes in handy too. As you prepare for the event, mix in interval training a couple of days a week, running sprints over shorter distances to build up quickness. This will come in handy out on the course, helping you to hit the walls, ropes, and ladders with a burst of energy, and making you more nimble when you’re accelerating.

Strength Training Is Critical 

In addition to running, building a strong upper body will come in handy too. Climbing ropes and scrambling over walls requires plenty of strength in the arms and shoulders, so hit the weight room to get yourself ready. The key isn’t necessarily to bulk up, however, but to build lean muscle using lighter weights instead. Improving your strength will provide serious benefits out on the course.

Calisthenics Are Your Friend 

It may be hard to believe, but basic calisthenics can be extremely helpful in getting you ready for an OCR event. Pushups help to build upper body strength, and sit ups work the core too. Pull-ups are also essential for building a strong grip, which you’ll need if you want to hold on to ropes, walls, and monkey bars. Also, learn to love burpees. Just trust me on that one.

Train Like You’ll Race 

OCR events can be a bit overwhelming for newcomers, and it is easy to rocket out of the gate a bit too quickly. While preparing for the event, learn to pace yourself, and leave a little energy in the tank. Chances are you’ll need it at some point, because many first-timers end up facing as many mental challenges as they do physical ones. When that happens, you’ll be glad that you didn’t expend all of your energy early.

Get Creative 

When preparing for your first OCR event, you’ll definitely need to get creative. After all, you’re going to have to overcome some seriously challenging obstacles while running the race. There is just one problem: It is impossible to build those same obstacles at home to train on, so you’ll have to find some interesting ways to simulate the course.

Believe it or not, a playground can actually be a good spot to get in some OCR training. The jungle gyms, monkey bars, and other assorted equipment found on a playground can often serve as close approximations of some of the obstacles you’ll encounter during a race. They’ll also give you a chance to work on your upper body and grip strength in a real world setting. Just be careful not to scare the children with your intense workouts.

Don’t Train Alone 

If possible, convince another sucker to join you for the race. That way you can both push each other to improve your strength and cardio, plus you’ll have someone to rely on while you’re out on the course. Even if you’re both fit and ready to compete, it is always nice to have someone to share the experience with. After all, misery loves company.

Gear Up 

While not part of your training regimen per se, it is also important that you prepare and race in the proper gear. If you’re taking on an OCR event, there is a high likelihood that you’ll get wet and muddy, so invest in clothing that is quick drying, temperature appropriate, and highly breathable. Those features will help to keep you comfortable and performing at your best.

Also, don’t get too attached to your clothing or your shoes especially. At the end of the race, they could very well be trashed, and you may not even want to take them home with you. OCR events can be very hard on gear, so make sure you wear stuff you’re okay with destroying.

With these helpful tips, a dedicated training schedule, and a healthy dose of determination, you can be more than ready for your first obstacle course race. Upon crossing the finish line, many first timers find themselves completely hooked, and immediately want to sign up for another event. Fortunately, preparing for the second one is usually much easier.

Categories
Lifestyle

Natural Sore Throat Soothers

You’ve been there before: that moment when you first realize you have a sore throat and are probably coming down with a cold. Instead of hitting up the pharmacy and pondering the hundreds of over-the-counter medications in the cold and flu aisle, try a few of these natural remedies that may be in your kitchen already.

Sage

If you’re like me, the herb sage conjures up memories of Thanksgiving dinners, but it does way more than make yummy cornbread dressing. Sage (also known as salvia) is a member of the mint family, with more than 900 species throughout the world.

Sage tea has been used in traditional medicine for many years to treat common respiratory problems such as bronchitis, coughs, asthma, and sore throats. A study published in the African Journal of Biotechnology found that sage essential oil was more effective against certain bacteria than most antibiotics.

Gargling with sage is also a go-to for sore throats. Try this sage gargle from Organic Authority‘s website:

  • Mix 1 teaspoon fresh or dried sage leaves in 1 cup boiling water.
  • Steep for 10 minutes, then strain.
  • Add 1 teaspoon each cider vinegar and honey.
  • Gargle up to four times a day.

Ginger

You may have tried ginger ale or ginger tea in the past to help with an upset stomach. Ginger has many other healing properties, including chasing away painful sore throat symptoms and fighting bacteria.

Ginger has been a popular herbal medicine in Asian, Indian, and Arabic cultures for thousands of years. The spicy root has been used to aid digestion and to treat upset stomachs, arthritis, and cold and flu symptoms. 

Whip up this simple recipe we found at Popsugar.com.

Ingredients

  • 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced 
  • 8 ounces boiling water

Directions

Place sliced ginger in a tea infuser inside a mug. Pour hot water in the mug, cover, and steep for five minutes. Remove infuser before drinking.

For a spicier brew, steep the ginger for longer or try grating the ginger instead of slicing.

Echinacea

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center‘s website, echinacea is one of the most popular herbs in the U.S. today. That explains the number of different formulations–tinctures, extracts, teas, and more–that can be found in mainstream and integrative pharmacies alike.

A University of Connecticut research team analyzed data from 14 clinical trials involving more than 1,300 patients. The findings? Echinacea cuts the chances of catching a cold by 58 percent and reduces a cold’s duration by 1 to 4 days.

For best results, experts recommend using echinacea as soon as cold or sore throat symptoms begin and choosing a high-quality echinacea supplement. This organic tea from Traditional Medicinals is a personal favorite.

Garlic

Most of us love the spicy garlic sauce served up on our Chinese food favorites, but did you know that eating a fresh clove could help stop the common cold in its tracks?

Garlic is a powerful superfood that contains loads of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. When you crunch into a clove, the compound allicin is released–that’s where the typical garlic odor comes from. It is in this stage that garlic is effective against the bugs that are causing your cold symptoms.

If you can stomach it, health experts recommend eating an entire clove a few times a day for best results. If that isn’t appealing, you can also add a little olive oil to a freshly minced clove and eat with a slice of bread.

Categories
Sweat

Turn Your Watch Into A Personal Trainer

Training can get expensive. There’s good news, though. If you don’t have the luxury of a hiring your own personal trainer, or you don’t have access to a really great (more affordable) group training class, you can turn your watch into one tough trainer.
Back when I started working out, my workout consisted solely of reps and sets. No one ever gave me a time limit. Time wasn’t really even addressed. By the age of 18, I was showing people how to use the weight equipment at the gym, and I never once talked about pace, how long to work out, or how long to rest between sets. All I did was show them the equipment, help them find a challenging weight, and spot them while they banged out their 12-15 repetitions. Then we’d talk until they felt ready to do another set.
As I reflect back, I don’t ever remember anyone sweating while lifting weights unless the air conditioning was not working. People sweat during aerobics classes, but weight training was totally different. Well, not today. Things have changed dramatically.
Over the years, experts have seen how adding a time component to a workout can completely change things. Even if the exercises are exactly the same, working out to the clock can give you a totally different experience. By using an interval timer app or handy gadget like the Gymboss Interval Timer, you are forced to stick to a training schedule. Typically, this means less rest and more work.
Before I started using a timer, I pretty much did my next set when I felt like it. With a timer, I work out when it tells me to work out–and most of the time, it’s much sooner than I would like. That’s when I realized my timer became one mean trainer.
There are several ways to use time to your advantage. Here are four different training methods where your clock becomes your toughest trainer.

1. Tabata

Tabata is a specific style of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), alternating 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds lasting a total of 4 minutes. Tabata is great for improving your pace as a runner, but can also get you in amazing shape when used with body weight or free weight exercises.
The most common exercises for Tabata training are multi-joint exercises like sprints, pushups, squats, kettlebell swings, pull-ups, burpees, and rowing. I also use Tabata to isolate muscle groups in bicep curls, tricep dips, and push presses if I really kill one body part.
Tabata is intense, and it’s awesome because you get a lot of work done in very little time.

2. AMRAP

AMRAP stands for for As Many Rounds As Possible. How does this fall under a time component? It’s not like you just do as many rounds of an exercise or circuit until you can’t do it anymore. AMRAPs are timed. You will have a certain exercise or combination of exercises to do in a set time, like 5 minutes. It’s your job to get as many rounds, or sets, as you can in that amount of time.
AMRAPs ramp up intensity like crazy, especially when you’re working out with a partner or in a group setting. The clock measures your fitness level and gives you a number to beat the next time you do the workout.
There is no set guideline for AMRAPs. You can do a 5-minute AMRAP or a 20-minute AMRAP. The key is to keep the time and tasks the same each time you attempt the workout so you can measure progress.

3. EMOM

EMOM stands for Every Minute On The Minute and is another great way to keep you on task. For example, you may have an EMOM where you do 10 squats every minute on the minute. You can also do a combination of exercises, like five box jumps and five burpees every time the clock hits :00.
Another way to increase intensity is to increase reps, weight, or exercises each round. You can add one or two reps, 5-10 pounds, or one more exercise each minute, making each round more and more challenging.
Like an AMRAP, EMOMs often last from 5 minutes to 20 minutes.

4. HIIT

HIIT is the most versatile of all timed workouts. HIIT alternates repeated bouts of high-intensity intervals with lower moderate-intensity training, called active rest.
An example of a HIIT workout could include one minute of high-intensity training at over 80 percent of your maximum heart rate with two minutes of moderate-intensity active recovery. For example, you may run for one minute followed by a moderate jog or fast walk for two minutes.
While a 2:1 ratio is popular, everything goes with HIIT training. You can create all types of interval combinations, like 30:30, 40:20, 50:10 and so on. You can also flip flop intensities, using the longer interval for the high-intensity exercise and the short interval for the low-intensity exercise.
You really can’t go wrong with any combination of interval training. As long as you are on the clock, you are burning calories and staying on task.

Categories
Sweat

The Surf Board That Will Get You Fit, No Beach (Or Sharks!) Required

Dressed in an old t-shirt and workout capris, I hardly looked, or felt, ready for my first surf class. It was morning. The cerulean walls around me called to mind an ocean far more exotic than the Jersey shore of my childhood; the wooden floor was far less forgiving than sand; and the board in front of me felt every bit as unstable as I imagined it would, pressed against a crashing wave.

I did quite a bit of imagining that morning, as it turns out. I imagined the shoreline that we, as a class, pretended to paddle away from, bellies pressed to our individual boards and arms outstretched. I imagined the waves we were told, again and again, to duck dive beneath. I imagined spotting it, eventually: The Wave, looming and promising ahead of us. I popped up onto my board and imagined to ride it. I barrel rolled to one side. The board shook beneath my feet but I stayed grounded. I was surfing!

Well, kind of.

By the end of my first SurfSET fitness class, run by NJ Surf Fitness in Bloomfield, New Jersey, I was feeling pretty good about myself and the workout I had just completed. By the next day, I was wincing over muscles I didn’t even know I had. Apparently Pilates and HIIT don’t quite prepare you for a day of imaginary wave catching.

The SurfSET program, brought to fame and fruition largely thanks to Shark Tank and Mark Cuban, turns modified surfboards into an indoor workout involving both strength and cardio conditioning (only you do it on an unstable platform because, you know, burpees aren’t brutal enough already). As the program’s website puts it, “Imagine combining the cardio benefits of spinning with the strength and versatility of TRX suspension training and fun had in a Zumba class but all on an unstable surface.”

Yikes, right? But also: cool!

Ok, so it’s intense, but is it really comparable to surfing?

I had my doubts when I sat down with Fred Trauerts, the owner of the two-year-old SurfSET studio that introduced me to the program several months ago. According to Trauerts, a lifelong surfer himself, it challenges the body’s stability and balance the same way that actual surfing does, but “you’re not fighting nature, and nature is the biggest part of surfing.” When it comes to the ocean, your body is up against the elements. In a fitness studio, though, there aren’t any actual waves, no matter how vivid my imagination was the morning of my first class, and the circulating air from the a/c is hardly what you’d call an ocean wind.

In other words, I may not be quite ready for something like this, but the skills developed on a SurfSET board can make learning to surf easier in the long run.

It’s also a lot of fun.

Too often we overlook enjoyment when selecting an exercise program. We want to know what burns the most calories, what will give us Channing Tatum’s abs or Beyonce’s behind. Obviously, it’s important to find an effective workout, but finding one that is fun to boot is critical. In the end, that’s what keeps you coming back. Fitness isn’t a punishment and should never feel that way. It’s about feeling strong, empowered, and alive; and that’s exactly the response that SurfSET classes seem to give to so many people, myself included.

Despite obtaining my certification in personal training in 2014, I never was much of a gym person. I flirted with some equipment in college but mostly stuck to at-home routines and the occasional outdoor run. I would always look forward to the energy a workout would give me (thanks, endorphins!), but I didn’t often look forward to the workout itself. With NJ Surf Fitness, I honestly do, and I’ve gotten the same feedback from every person I’ve dragged (er, convinced to tag along willingly) with me.

In Trauerts’ words, it’s not “the workout grind” to which so many individuals have grown accustomed. In fact, one of his favorite things about leading class is seeing people of all skill levels enjoying fitness while challenging and bettering themselves. There’s no competition; it’s just you and the board, your own progress is your best benchmark of accomplishment.

Intrigued? To see if there’s a surf studio near you, check out the SurfSET website, but it’s important to keep in mind that SurfSET instructors don’t need to have a background in fitness (or surfing) to lead a class. Look out specifically for those that are led by experts in their field. Oh, and if you happen to find yourself in the small, mid-northern New Jersey town of Bloomfield, be sure to swing by the NJ Surf Fitness studio, and tell them Jessica sent you.

Mahalo!

Categories
Nosh

5 Beginner Juicing Mistakes To Avoid

I’m not the kind of person who does a lot of research before I jump into something. Typically I just jump in and often learn the hard way. You’d think by now that I’d know that I should dig a little and learn from the mistakes of others, but I guess I’m a little stubborn, and I was born in Missouri (the “show me” state), so I continue to learn the hard way.

The good news is you don’t have to learn the hard way, because as much as I like learning things on my own I also like sharing what I learn and helping others (who choose to do the research) avoid the mistakes that I didn’t.

When I began juicing four years ago I just jumped right in. I’d watched Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, and I downloaded their plan for a juice fast (so I could have some recipes to start with). But I didn’t really know what I was getting into, which may have turned out to be a good thing. I learned a lot in those first few days and weeks of juicing, and I’ve learned even more in the years since. Here are just a few of the mistakes that I made that you might want to avoid.

Not planning appropriately 

I started my first juice fast on January 2. The problem was that there weren’t many grocery stores open on New Year’s Day. As a result, I ended up overpaying for the produce I needed for those first few days. Had I been prepared, I would have shopped on New Year’s Eve (or earlier) to make sure I had enough produce to get through the holiday.

Not researching

There are a number of areas where research would have helped me during that first juice cleanse, not the least of which would have been knowing where to buy my produce to get the best deals. I probably spent close to $100 for the produce I needed for the first three-day juice cleanse. These days, because I know where to shop, I can buy enough produce for a 7-day juice cleanse for about half that much.

Not understanding the difference between fruits and vegetables

We all know the difference between a fruit and a vegetable, yet when it comes to juice cleanses it seems to be the number one thing that people forget. Somehow a juice cleanse becomes all about fruit juice, and we end up taking in huge amounts of sugar and calories. The reality is that a juice cleanse should be mostly about vegetable juices with a little fruit added for flavor (not the other way around).

Not getting to know your juicer first

When I did my first juice cleanse I used a juicer I borrowed from my mom. I picked it up the day before I started the cleanse and used it once before I officially started the cleanse. I should have borrowed it a full week earlier and familiarized myself with it. Had I done so, I would have known that that model didn’t juice green leafy things well, and I would have found a replacement sooner.

Not easing into it

This is actually one mistake I didn’t make as completely as I could have. I did start removing meat and sugar from my diet and replaced it with produce a week or so before I began the cleanse. Unfortunately, many people don’t do this, which is probably one of the biggest reasons for negative side effects and juice cleanse failure. If you go straight from eating a standard American diet to trying to do a juice cleanse, you will be in pain, you’ll suffer withdrawal, and you will have headaches, digestive issues, and a host of other possible side effects. The cleaner your diet is before you make the transition, the fewer side effects you’ll have to face.

There are likely a host of other mistakes that you should avoid and probably just as many others that I made. I doubt I have to tell you not to stick your finger in the juicer while it’s running. I made that mistake, but I’m sure you are smarter than I am.

Even if you do go into your first juice cleanse as unprepared as I was, you’ll still come out ahead of where you started. You’ll learn a lot (perhaps the hard way) but you’ll be better for it, and your next juice cleanse will be that much easier.

Of course, if you can make your first juice cleanse easier, why wouldn’t you?

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Wellbeing

The 5 Most Abused Prescription Drugs In The U.S.

The average American who is prescribed medication has more enemies than allies. Pharmaceutical companies are cashing in on addiction and few politicians and officials are trying to stop greed and preventable death from overdose. Prescription drugs are killing 44 people every day and show no signs of declining. Prescription drug overdose is the top cause of accidental death in the United States; because 60 percent of Americans are prescribed at least one drug, changing this is nearly impossible.
Opioids like OxyContin are a driving force in this epidemic leading to 19,000 of the 47,000 annual deaths related to prescription drug overdose in 2014, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s most recent data. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is one of the drug-takers’ few allies. She recently sent a letter to the head of the Center for Disease Control calling for the government to consider legal marijuana as an alternative painkiller.

Ten years ago, this proposal would have been deemed ridiculous. But there’s proof that marijuana usage is a legitimate alternative, which could potentially reverse sky-high overdose death rates in the U.S. In 2014, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article saying that “states with medical marijuana laws had a 24.8 percent lower average annual opioid overdose death rate compared to states without such laws.” But those debates will take place in the future; let’s take a second to focus on the past and how it impacts today’s alarming rates of prescription abuse.
 

What are the most abused prescription drugs?

  1. 1. OxyContin

    The Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma, turned the most lethal and heavily prescribed painkiller into a controversial drug. This has earned them a net worth of $14 billion and a spot on the Forbes 2015 list of richest families in the U.S.

  2. 2. Suboxone

    Thanks to the free market system, a highly successful and profitable pill like OxyContin is so addictive, the second most abused prescription drug in the U.S. is the one prescribed to treat addiction to opioids like OxyContin. The company Reckitt Benckiser spent their early years lobbying the U.S. government to enact the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2002 and worked closely with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and FDA to lay the groundwork for their product which established a company now worth around $12.5 trillion. Coincidence? You tell me.

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  3. 3. Concerta

    When Concerta was being studied for FDA approval, there were accusations that one of the doctors was lobbied to inaccurately report that there were no side effects to using the drug in 2004. In 2009, Concerta ran this high-profile ad claiming the drug will help kids get on a path to success. Six years later, the New York Times raised alarming questions and suggested that the national spikes in diagnoses were caused by effective marketing and advertisements. ADHD medication prescriptions have increased more than 600 percent since 1990.

  4. 4. Ambien

    Millions of people have been sleeping like a baby since this drug emerged in 1993. Fun fact: The two biggest high-profile cases around the drug’s ability to impair drivers were thanks to two Kennedys crashing their cars. Robert F. Kennedy’s daughter Kerry said the drug turned her into a “zombie,” but she was eventually found not guilty of driving under the influence in 2014. In 2006, the son of John F. Kennedy’s brother, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, also crashed his car after popping Ambien.
    In 2013, the FDA demanded that doctors lower their dosage to women because there were too many reports of women feeling drowsy the next morning and an increase in car accidents. Despite these demands and the incidents involving the Kennedys, the drug’s parent company, Sanofi, has been raking in around $36 billion in annual revenue with minimal distractions.

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  5. 5. Ritalin/Focalin (methylphenidate)

    The U.S. accounts for more the 80 percent of global consumption of methylphenidate which is sold as Ritalin. In 2013, the New York Times reported that the “sales of stimulants to treat ADHD have more than doubled to $9 billion in 2012 from $4 billion in 2007, according to the health care information company IMS Health.” When pharmaceutical companies, doctors, psychiatrists, and the FDA all believe that one in five high school boys have ADHD, it should be no surprise that profits are in the billions.

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    In one of the most underrated marketing accomplishments of all time, advertisements literally convinced millions of American families to look into ADHD and prescription drugs. Remember the Seckler family that owns Purdue Pharma and has a net worth of $14 billion? That same family-owned business settled complaints that they encouraged physicians to overprescribe OxyContin. Paying $19.5 million in settlements can’t stop greed. It’s unclear how many preventable deaths are to blame for the absurd levels at which American doctors have prescribed these five drugs. There are dozens of others being abused that have not been mentioned here, but American prescription drug consumers need more allies than enemies. For now, that’s just a pipe dream.