NIKE does it right

Ok. So for several years now the primary thing NIKE has been associated with in my brain is tragic (in my case entirely made-up) images of smokey sweatshops where small children slave over cheap shoes till their fingers bleed... From what I now understand this may be a bit overdramatic and (hopefully) not even accurate, however, I have yet to personally visit one of their factories so to be entirely honest I just can't know for sure (though apparently they have been doing a lot of work to improve this image). One thing I do know is that their new NIKE-Women campaign is about ten kinds of awesome. Not saying that this justifies sweat shops, but I have to say, this is one thing they really are doing right. The ad campaign uses 7 world-class athletes and some flashy interactive media to inspire, educate, and unite female athletes everywhere. My personal favorite part? That they are planting an image of female athletes in the collective consciousness as beautiful, driven, and completely kick-ass. I take it as a good sign of the times when women are admired who are muscular, fierce, and passionate. The idea that strong women are ok, is a relatively new one (think back to fainting couches or bound feet) and portraying them as attractive and enviable is definitely a new thing.

So, Yey Nike! Thank you for supporting women around the globe to 'make themselves' and empowering them as athletes. Keep cleaning up your manufacturing practices and I may just start sportin' your pants...

PLANK IT!

OK. So I know for many of you the plank is the most dreaded part of our workout (or class) so I thought you might appreciate knowing that there is a strange subculture of random plank artists who have created a global trend out of planking in weird places. Note: their 'plank' is a bit different than ours but still...

For more fabulous and inspiring (and sometimes disturbing) planking photos click here.

HAPPY PLANKING!! :)

ONLINE BOOKING!!

I am pleased to announce ONLINE BOOKING for both my personal training clients and my classes. To book, simply follow this LINK and create a profile. Payment can be done in person (which I then update to your profile) and you can receive confirmations and reminders via text or email! Very snazzy, huh?

Hope this helps!

My Favorite 10-min Dinner: Taco Night at the Wood's

So it occurred to me the other day when the clock struck 7:45pm and we still had nothing planned for dinner, and were both ravenous (and therefore grumpy), that we may not be the only two people in the world who sometimes wait too long to figure out what to eat and need something FAST but still want it to be healthy and yummy and, did I mention, that we need it NOW!? In a situation like this, which seems to happen way more often than I'd like, we have a few key meals we often fall back on. One of which is: Taco Night. Taco Night is always fun (i am decidedly pro-finger/hand foods due to my irrational hatred of utensil washing- don't ask), flavorful, and can be as elaborate as you want. You can fill them with roast duck or grilled salmon (both suuuper yummy options), and top them with everything from black beans to grilled pineapple. They can be a casual quick bite on the go or a fun interactive meal for beloved guests. The sky is the limit on your options and they are easily customizable for guests with tricky diets (remember my dinner with the gluten-dairy-cashew-coconut-and pineapple free guest? bingo!).

For our purpose tonight I am going to show you the how-to for the FAST yummy tacos that I made last night (perhaps later we will get into the fancy pants versions).

You Will Need:

-sprouted corn tortillas

-butter (preferably pasture-raised)

-1 warm rotisserie chicken (I highly recommend Bumblebees for this, although whole foods does a decent one in a pinch)

Toppings:

-black beans

-sunflower sprouts

-cilantro

-rosted bell peppers (make your own or buy a jar full)

-arugula

-salsa

-organic sour cream

Directions:

1. In a small frying pan melt a little butter and fry your tortilla on both sides (omitting this step is not recommended- it is key to the yumminess factor of the end result. Unfried sprouted tortillas tend to taste like thin cardboard in my humble opinion).

2. Pile on as many toppings as you desire and eat.

Now wasn't that easy? And tasty? I think so. Try it and let me know your favorite topping combinations you come up with...

SUGAR: It's different than you think...

Now, I know a lot about sugar. Or, at least, I thought I did. This guy explains sugar (and it's connection to obesity) in a way that blew my socks off. It's a lot different than we all think. Think everything is just the law of thermodynamics (calories in vs. calories out= your body composition)? Or how about the commonly held belief that "if you eat it, you better burn it, or you'll store it"? Think fat is simply the result of 'gluttony' and 'sloth'?

Watch. And Learn.

Is Sugar Toxic? Fabulous article from the NY Times (refers to this video). Author Gary Taubes is also the author of "Good Calories. Bad Calories." and "Why We Get Fat" two books I highly recommend.

Lethal Sitting- why it's not just the big stuff that counts

Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?

By JAMES VLAHOS

Published: April 14, 2011

New York Times Magazine

"DR. LEVINE’S MAGIC UNDERWEAR resembled bicycle shorts, black and skintight, but with sensors mounted on the thighs and wires running to a fanny pack. The look was part Euro tourist, part cyborg. Twice a second, 24 hours a day, the magic underwear’s accelerometers and inclinometers would assess every movement I made, however small, and whether I was lying, walking, standing or sitting.

James Levine, a researcher at theMayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has an intense interest in how much people move — and how much they don’t. He is a leader of an emerging field that some call inactivity studies, which has challenged long-held beliefs about human health and obesity. To help me understand some of the key findings, he suggested that I become a mock research trial participant. First my body fat was measured inside a white, futuristic capsule called a Bod Pod.Next, one of Dr. Levine’s colleagues, Shelly McCrady-Spitzer, placed a hooded mask over my head to measure the content of my exhalations and gauge my body’s calorie-burning rate. After that, I donned the magic underwear, then went down the hall to the laboratory’s research kitchen for a breakfast whose calories were measured precisely.

A weakness of traditional activity and obesity research is that it relies on self-reporting — people’s flawed recollections of how much they ate or exercised. But the participants in a series of studies that Dr. Levine did beginning in 2005 were assessed and wired up the way I was; they consumed all of their food in the lab for two months and were told not to exercise. With nary a snack nor workout left to chance, Dr. Levine was able to plumb the mysteries of a closed metabolic universe in which every calorie, consumed as food or expended for energy, could be accounted for."

read the rest of the article here!

Dr. Levine is starting to explain what figiters have long known- it's not just your weekly workouts that count- it's the sum total of all the movements (small and large) you make throughout the day. Very interesting. Want to boost your fat-loss and extend the effects of your workouts? Do what this guy is doing and smash your chairs:

:)

Sat: 4/16 BINGE DAY!!!!

We started our day with BODPOD body fat testing out at the community college which required us not to eat or exercise for 2 hours prior so by the time we did we were STARVING! Went to my autie's house and had:

BF: 2 pieces organic bacon, 2 fried eggs, steamed chard, and gluten-free banana chocolate chip pancakes

Then we went to Tune Up and each had:

L: a turkey club with french fries

But we found we could only each eat half because our tummies had shrunk?...super lame...

In the afternoon I ate an apple and peanut butter and a few thin mint cookies from Whole Foods

while getting ready for our big BINGE DAY BBQ at which we had:

D: lamb and bison burgers (with buns!), greek salad, few bites of Connor's maple chicken, and home-made milk shakes for dessert. :)

All in all, I gotta say I was a little disappointed in myself. I had been hoping to really consume a serious amount of food but instead I found myself eat rather...moderately. COME ON Ranier! Next time I will plan it better and eat even more. :) After a few sips of milk shake I didn't feel that good so I stopped and we both went to bed bloated and 'ugh-'y feeling. Tim said this is a good thing (to make yourself a little sick on binge day) and it helps motivate you clean back up for the next week. Previous to BINGE DAY Will was down 6.4lbs and I was down 5 (and that's where Im staying! No more!) so gotta say, week one was pretty successful. Will is going to continue staying strict and I am going to loosen it up (I need more calories to breast feed than I was getting) but all in all I think it's very do-able. Especially for people who do well with extremes or have aggressive goals. I am/have neither so I will be adding in some fruit and occasional grains but I encourage all of you to try this, and when you do, send me your best recipes with BEANS!

GAAAaaame ON!

For your comedic enjoyment... Joey and Will get BODPOD-ed: