I Can't do 100 Push-ups!

About a year ago, with three of my friends, I attempted the six-week 100 push-up program. Yes, 100 seemed a bit ambitious, but I thought, if the website says it’s possible, then it must be? Wrong. Well, maybe not wrong, but I didn’t stick around long enough to make the 100 – I only got to 31.

Over my long birthday weekend (June 21), my best friend, Jodi, was visiting and she was doing push-ups and stretches each morning. She reminded of my failed attempt at the 100 push-up program and being the obsessive person I can be, I couldn’t just sit there and watch, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon. I mean, I couldn’t have her being all active and fit without me, now could I?

On day 2 of her visit, she finished 20 push-ups, so I had to see if I could match her…or beat her. And guess what? I did. I accomplished 25 push-ups before falling on my face. (Pat on the back. Hoorah!) This only reminded me that when I’m at home or watching TV, all I need is 10 minutes to get in a quality workout session. Try it!

How it works (if you’re up for the challenge). First off, you need to see just how many proper-form push-ups you can do. By the way, my mom couldn’t do one push-up when she started, but after doing the girly, on-your-knee push-ups to start, she is now able to do 5 regular push-ups – anyone can do it! Very important: Don’t stop until you are shaking and can’t possibly do one more…you’ll kind of want to fall on the floor. 

After the initial test has been accomplished, you will place into one of three levels. After your level has been determined, you move on to the actual program – this means 3 days of your week will be spent doing push-ups. Even if you don’t finish the six weeks, you are guaranteed to increase the amount of push-ups with strong arms to boot!

With a total of 21 push-ups, I fell into level three, but I had to actually do the program in level one because it became too difficult to complete each week.

LEVEL 3: Week 1

Day 1 (rest 60 seconds in between each set) Set 1: 10 push-ups Set 2: 12 push-ups Set 3: 7 push-ups Set 4: 7 push-ups Set 5: max (at least 9)

Day 2 (rest 90 seconds in between each set) Set 1: 10 push-ups Set 2: 12 push-ups Set 3: 8 push-ups Set 4: 8 push-ups Set 5: max (at least 12)

Day 3 (rest 120 seconds in between each set) Set 1: 11 push-ups Set 2: 15 push-ups Set 3: 9 push-ups Set 4: 9 push-ups Set 5: max (at least 13)

As you can see, the days get progressively harder and thus, why I had to switch levels. If at any point it becomes too difficult, just repeat whichever week you are struggling with until it becomes easy. I highly recommend this program to friends because even if you don’t finish, you are guaranteed to increase the amount of push-ups you can do with strong arms to boot!

To view the program in its entirety, visit One Hundred Push-Ups.

Thou Shalt Eat

I feel that breakfast is one of the most difficult meals of the day to accomplish. Maybe it’s due to lack of time to shop for breakfast foods; you’re in a  hurry or maybe you ate too much yesterday, but for me, if I don’t eat breakfast, come noon and I’m starved and ready to eat anything in sight. This is no good, my friends. Research shows that eating breakfast will help you to lose weight and will stimulate your metabolism – if you starve yourself, your body will then reserve that energy (slowing the metabolism), which can lead to weight gain.

Metabolism is a collection of chemical reactions that take place in the body’s cells. Basically, your metabolism converts the food you eat into the energy needed to carry out day-to-day activities, from moving to thinking to growing. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy having high energy and a clear mind for my workouts! :-)

A healthy breakfast helps to boost your metabolism, reduces cravings, while providing your body with energy – more energy means burning more calories. If you have no energy, let’s face it, your daily activities will move slower and you will burn fewer calories. Even if you ate the largest feast of your life last night, you still need to power up in am hours.

Some of my breakfast choices have come from trial and error. I understand that every person is different and you may disagree with picks, so just let your body tell you what feels good. If you are ravenous an hour after breakfast, this is one sign that you may need to rethink the meal or add more protein, which will keep you feeling fuller longer. I have listed 4 of my go-to choices – try them out and let me know how they work for you! Also, if you have some ideas for me to try, I’m all ears. Eat up!

Tip: If you’re in a hurry, stop by your local bodega (or grocery store) and grab a Fage Total Greek yogurt (120 calories, 9 grams of carbs) or if available, oatmeal (make sure it’s unsweetened) with fresh fruits.

1. Kashi Cereal: Heart to Heart or GOLEAN 1 cup of cereal with your choice of milk (I like Silk Soy Milk, plain) Sometimes I include half a banana (I usually bring a box of cereal and carton of milk to work on Monday and I am all set for 5 days of breakfast.)

2. Egg whites with cheese on whole wheat 2-3 egg whites 1 T feta or goat cheese Handful of fresh spinach leaves 1 piece whole wheat toast or a mini whole wheat pita

Scramble 2-3 egg whites in a bowl with some pepper or other spices to taste; spray pan lightly with olive oil cooking spray, sauté the spinach for 1-2 min or until almost wilted; pour in eggs and cook on medium heat until the eggs are almost cooked (2-3 min.); sprinkle the cheese on top and cook for about 1 more minute; then stick inside the pita or on the toast. (This may sound like a lot of time and effort for the morning, but you can even put the meal into some aluminum foil and take it to go…I promise, it’s worth it.)

3. Green Smoothie Either use my at-home recipe or go to your local juice place and try a new variety – one of my favorite combos is apple, carrot, beet and ginger.

4. Kamut* Flakes with Blueberries 1/2 cup Kamut flakes 1 cup water Agave (drizzle to taste) Cinnamon (sprinkle on top) 1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) Optional: Almonds (try adding some of these for added protein)

Bring water to a boil and add the Kamut; boil for 3 minutes until all water is dissolved; pour into bowl with blueberries. Add agave and cinnamon to the top and mix ingredients.

*A rare non-hybrid grain offering the highest protein of any wheat; 100 percent whole grain.

30/60/90

30/60/90, created about two years ago by Kristi Molinari, is by far the best class I have ever taken from any gym. Althought this class is offered at many Equinox locations, I take it at the SoHo Equinox on Tuesdays at 6:30pm. "For those of you who haven't taken this class before; it's really hard," Kristi yells into the microphone. "If you need to take a break, do so, but just don't do it in the last 10-15 seconds each exercise). These last 10-15 seconds is when you get the anaerobic exercise and your body sees the results."

As the title suggests, the class is run on intervals of 30, 60 and 90 seconds. Kristi walks around the class with her stopwatch and makes sure everyone is using 100 percent of their energy. The items needed for the class include a step pad, hand weights and medicine ball...and a gallon of water and towels to soak up the excessive sweat.

She starts the class with a quick warm-up and then the class goes full force into the timed intervals. For the first two minutes we jumped up and down and back and forth on the back of the step pad, which began to work my quads and hamstrings—a variation of squats and lunges. Then each interval took us through pushups using the side of the step pad, jumping lunges with weights held above the head, side-to-side with weights held high, some arm exercises, dips on the pad and many other strenuous, torturous cardiovascular exercise (with weights). In between each cardio/weight jumping sequence was another weight exercise.

Now, I had done the wedge class the day before I took this class, so I was already kind of sore. The side-to-side lunges were almost painful for me and the entire breathing thing became hard. When the time came for us to do a 7-minute plank routine (plank is a yoga position where you get into a push-up position, but don't go down for the actual push-up). I almost died. Luckily, I am pretty good at plank and incorporate it into my daily routine; otherwise, I would have fallen on my face. Next was side plank where you hold your body up by one arm, on leg is on top of the other leg with feet flexed, giving you an oblique workout. Then we had to run in place while still in plank. I really wasn't joking about the 7 minutes.

Have you ever heard of a squat thrust? Well, it starts with a simple jump in the air, down into push-up position, push-up, then back to the jump. This is a pretty difficult thing to do for 90 seconds, so Kristi decided to bring a medicine ball into the mix, so instead of just a regular push-up, we had to balance on a medicine ball.

I have a love/hate relationship with this class and I highly recommend it.

SELF Workout in the Park

The SELF Workout in the Park is an event I have wanted to attend for five years and on May 9th, I finally made it! Held in San Diego, Chicago and New York City. The NYC event took place in Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield where thousands of women come together for workouts by Crunch, beauty treatments and product samples. Registration began at 9am, but the events didn’t start until 11am. Since the $15 entrance fee was paid in advance, I stood on line waiting for a while. There was a choice of taking classes in three areas – the main stage (mixed classes), quiet zone (yoga), and Ford Rebounding Zone (cardio on a trampoline with weights). Since we (Nathalie, her sister and I) only wanted to stay at the main stage, we secured our spots right up front…also the yoga and urban rebounding required that you sign up.

I didn’t eat breakfast before, so I stopped by the EAS booth for a chocolate Myoplex drink and and energy bar. Other sponsor booths included Ford, Blue Diamond, Afrin® PureSea™, ASICS, American Laser Centers, Garnier, Jennie-O Turkey, lucy®, JELL-O, Pretty Elizabeth Arden, PureVia™, Smartfood, Reebok EasyTone, Maybelline and Veramyst.

Classes we tried:

11:10 – 11:30am Strength and Alignment: Create a leaner, stronger, more flexible body using classic sculpting and stretching movements.

11:35 – 11:55 Latin Rhythms: Moves from the mambo, cha-cha, merengue and samba.

12:00 – 12:20 Rock Bottom: Intense lower body workout that targets butt and thigh muscles.

12:25 – 12:45 Cardio Tai Box: A cardiovascular workout with great music and simple choreography. (Because we were all so close together – everyone was kicking wet gook on each other’s backs – gross!)

12:50 – 1:10 Movieography: Break out your sweatbands for moves from the most dance-tastic movies of the 80s: Footloose, Flashdance, Dirty Dancing and more. (This wasn’t so much of a workout, but it was really fun!)

Classes we didn’t try:

Beach Body: Total body workout.

Steletto Strength: Calf boosting, posture-building, cat-walking diva class.

Million Dollar Knockout: Traditional boxing principles and training targeted for women.

Masala Bhangra: Traditional Indian dance workout set to hip-hop, disco, salsa, techno, house and rap music. (I was so sad I didn’t get to try this!)

After 5, 20-minute classes, we took a break to walk around and grab some goodies at the booths. I came home with a Ford scarf (everyone needs one of these suckers), some popcorn chips, some Garnier shampoo and a SELF magazine. We planned on trying Masala Bhangra, but it was hot out and we were tired...I will have to try it at Crunch in the future. If you are in any of these cities in 2010, you should definitely do the SELF workout in the park.

TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour

My 42 miles of adventure started at 7am when I met my team in TriBeCa. At 8am sharp, we were off!

With roughly 30,000 participates, the ride was pretty slow at first, but as we got closer to Central Park the gaps between people became greater. After Central Park, we went through Harlem (for about 10 blocks), then Brooklyn and finally, Queens. Along the way were rest stops stocked up with Pop chips, Bonita bananas, Larabars, Snapple energy drinks, water and other little snackies from the sponsors. We only stopped at one rest stop (#2) and I’m proud to say that in the span of 4 hours, I didn’t need to use the restroom once!

What a cool experience to have in NYC; we rode on streets, bridges, and highways, through parks, and should have gone on ferries (we didn’t make it to Staten Island due to the 3-hour wait when you return to the city). Not sure if you noticed or heard, but it was raining on Sunday and yes, I rode through it like a champ…sort of. The subway ride on the way back was a little painful and cold…very cold.

Did you know that this tour is the largest biking event in the United States!?! If you live in NYC (or not), this is an experience not to be missed. I was lucky to be recruited by a team of 18 that raised money for three great charities: Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA), United Veteran’s Beacon House (UVBH) and Generation Iraq. Overall the team had 228 donations for a total of $19,200!

Join me next year!

Arms with Tim @ Equinox Soho

My friend Nathalie invited me to a 4pm training session with her friend Tim Keleher (thesportingclub.co.uk), and I couldn't turn down the offer. I guess I really didn't know what I was getting into, but how can you pass up a free personal training session? Apparently he had found this new great arm routine, which he learned of in Sweden...I think by great, he meant torturous, but anyway, it's always good to mix it up. You're body gets used to certain workouts and you need to spice it up! We started out with negative dips and negative pull-ups. When did I last do a pull-up? My best guess is 4 years ago. After doing about 4 regular dips, from starting position, with arms straight, I had to lower my body down while Tim was counting from 3-10 seconds (different count for each of the 3 sets), then weighted chest dips with a belt around my waist (3 sets). The weighted dip is an excellent movement because it allows for the training of the chest and triceps together in a way that uses a greater mass of muscle from more muscle groups. Next were the pull-ups…so hard. Tim had to lift my legs a bit so I could pull myself up and then while he counted down from 6-12 seconds (3+ sets of different counts), I had to lower by body to the count. This was incredibly fatiguing but that is why it was exercise #1.

We moved on to push-ups and bicep curls on an angled bench. I thought that at least the push-ups would be easy for me, but NO – my body was already tired. I started out with push-ups (5-10 reps), then bicep curls on the bench with an 8-lb weight (12-15 reps) and finally bicep curls with a 20-pound bar (10-12 reps). I actually had to switch to a 5-lb weight for the bicep curls and a 10-lb body bar because I was shaking like crazy! We did 3 sets of each and it was tough to say the least. Next was tricep work: skull crushers (3 sets of 12) and tricep rope pushdowns (3 sets of 12-15: 1 set standing and 2 sets on the knees).

Dips

1. Stand at the dip station and grip each handle, with palms facing the body. 2. With arms nearly straight, lift legs off the floor or platform and lean forward slightly without dropping your head. 3. Slowly lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. 4. Push yourself back up until your arms are almost straight. 5. Repeat, lowering and raising yourself until exhaustion.

Skull Crushers

1. Lie on the floor or a bench and hold a light-medium barbell with the hands close together, about shoulder-width apart. 2. Extend the arms straight up over the chest, palms face out and thumbs wrapped around so that they're next to the fingers. 3. Bend the elbows and lower the weight down to a few inches above the forehead or until the elbows at about 90-degree angles. 4. Squeeze the triceps to straight the arms without locking the joints.

Rope Pushdown

1. Attach a rope to the top portion of a cable machine. 2. Grab the rope with your palms facing towards each other and position the rope at about chest level. 3. Slowly lower the rope downward, making sure to keep your elbows in while extending your arms and have a slight bend in your arms when you reach the bottom of the movement. 4. While keeping your elbows in slowly let the rope come back up to the starting position.

This concluded the workout (roughly an hour and a half). While my blood sugar was high, I inhaled a smoothie with strawberry, banana and soy milk. Every responsible source in bodybuilding and athletics recommend that you eat preferably within 45 minutes (maybe up to 60) after a workout. Known as the “golden hour,” this is when the muscles absorb the most nutrients and when glycogen, an energy reserve in your muscles, is replaced most efficiently.

This workout was on Saturday and today (Monday), I can barely straighten my arms, lift my purse or basically do anything other than type with my fingers. I recommend this workout to anyone who wants to see major results and feel the pain. Yay! Thanks, Tim and Nathalie.

Blueprint Cleanse: Day 3

After going to bed after midnight on Friday night, I ended up waking up on Saturday at around 11am and I was STARVING! I had an acupuncture facial at 12:30, so I gulped down my first juice and brought my second one for the road. It was 82 degrees out, so I decided to ride my bike from West Houston to East 56th Street -- about 5 miles round trip! The last real workout I had was on Thursday, the first morning of the cleanse, so when I was going up the slight hill in Midtown, it was a bit hard on the legs. After my facial, which was amazing (post to come), I was feeling a bit fatigued, but still had good energy! I have to admit that I'm a little sore from the ride. :P Because it was so nice outside, I was out and about all day, thus, not consuming enough water. At around 7pm, I went with a friend to Carerra, one of my favorite wine bars, and tortured myself while she indulged in some vino. As I was sitting there, I started to get really light headed and realized that I needed my last juice and lots of water. I rushed home to get my juice and then I went with her to Pepe Rosso, where I then watched her eat a delicious looking pasta dish. What was I thinking?! I guess it was a good test for me.

After dinner I had some tea with peppermint to calm down my body and then I went to bed early to finish off the cleanse. Overall, I greatly enjoyed the Blueprint Cleanse and I would recommend the 3-day cleanse to anyone who wants to give their digestive system a rest. Next time, I'm gonna go for the 5-day. Right now, I'm enjoying my first real meal: oatmeal.

Blueprint Cleanse: Day 2

Today was much less painful than I had anticipated and the juices gave me lots of energy -- I think tomorrow is going to be a breeze. The only hard part of this cleanse is that NYC is finally warm (82 degrees tomorrow), so the whole not eating/drinking thing is going to be a challenge for me with such fine conditions. The same as yesterday, my meals today consisted of 6 juices: Pineapple / Apple / Mint, Green Juice, Spicy lemonade, Green Juice, and Cashew Nut Milk. Yesterday I wasn't so much a fan of the last juice, but today I found it to be quite nice and filling. Compared with the usual detox I do (grains, fruits, & veggies), this cleanse has been great -- I'm just hoping that tomorrow doesn't surprise me with intense hunger...until then, I remain a happy juicer. Thank you, Blueprint!

Blueprint Cleanse: Day 1, Foundation

I learned of Blueprint Cleanse through the recommendation of Fathalie, one of my best friends, who has done two cleanses with her boyfriend (he has done many). I usually eat fairly healthy, but I just wanted to give my body a little break from all the food and drink I consume on a daily basis. I don't think a cleanse should be a time to lose weight, but more of a time to rest your immune system and clear out the toxins. There are three choices of cleanses , so I picked the middle cleanse as my first time, since I wasn't really eating badly to begin with. As an addition to the cleanse, many people do colonics, but I don't think I'm ready for that. :) BPC says that the possible benefits of the cleanse are the following:

- Boosted immune system - Alleviates allergies - Improved thyroid dysfunction - Rests the digestive organs - Physical rejuvenation - Normalized weight - Normalized blood pressure - Reverses signs of aging - Elevates mood and sex drive - Alleviates symptoms of PMS - Promotes clear skin - Increases energy - Increases fertility - Combats viruses - Aids Fibromyalgia issues - Saves money you would have otherwise spent on “that new antibiotic"

MENU

1. Green Juice 2. Pineapple, Apple, Mint (my favorite!) 3. Green Juice 4. Spicy lemonade 5. Green Juice 6. Cashew Nut Milk

Each juice is numbered in the order that you should consume them to digest the veggies/fruits properly. The idea is to drink one juice every two hours and leave about an hour in between juices, during which time you can drink herbal or green tea. Today I felt pretty good other than feeling cold and a little fatigued. I still had some energy and was able to accomplish tasks at work and my mind was clear. I went to they gym this morning, but for tomorrow and Saturday, I plan to take it easy and rest my muscles.

Wish me luck and please don't talk about food...especially cheese!

Printing House Fitness + Squash Club

The Printing House Fitness + Squash Club, a former printing factory, is located on the corner of Hudson and Leroy in the West Village. Known mostly to those who live in the neighborhood, Printing House is a hidden gem. At $88 a month plus a $50 initiation fee, this gym is a steal. After my long addiction to Equinox, I decided to switch gyms and I’m truly happy with my decision. I still believe Equinox is the best, but I enjoy the many features offered at Printing House.

Located on the 1st, 9th and 10th floors of the building, this boutique gym’s top floors feature floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Hudson River, the Village and beyond—it's amazing...and it isn't crowded. Most machines have TVs, but forget having a TV; you can just look out the windows! Boasting all the usual suspects in terms of equipment, I was drawn to this gym for the rooftop pool, the views and the rooftop workout classes. Because there are two very separate floors, Printing House almost feels like two gyms; the bottom floor is where you find the squash courts, cycling studio, Pilates machines, free weights and regular class studio. One oddity is that the treadmills and a couple elliptical machines are pretty close to the reception desk and I don’t think there are any upstairs (correct me if I’m wrong!). I have yet to try the squash courts, but it looks like a great workout and top notch courts.

The pool is my favorite part; not only is it quiet, but you have an extensive view of the city from your lounge chair. They actually have a set time for children to swim, so after noon on the weekend, it's just the adults. The only hassle is securing yourself one of the 20 lounge chairs—you have to get there early or be prepared with your hawk eye for those leaving the pool area. You learn quickly. And for all of you BlackBerry and iPhone addicts, you aren't allowed to talk—I was actually told to get off my phone, but texting is allowed...secretly. The pool is small, although, if you like to swim laps, a current can be switched on, which makes for quite the interesting swim. The one drawback about the pool is that it's only accessible during the summer, but I don't know of any other gyms in NYC with rooftop pools, unless you have a membership to SoHo House. (I will touch on this pool in the future.)

The locker rooms on both the 1st and 9th floors are pretty normal, with nothing spectacular to report. They do have two large Jacuzzis to relax in after you workout, but I have yet to try these out—they seemed a bit scary, but I probably will check out the steam room and sauna. There are blow dryers, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and body wash, but nothing compared to Equinox—I mostly miss the Que Tips.

On the way out of the gym, there is an actual button on the 9th floor that can be pressed to call the elevator before you are standing in front of it. This may be due to the slow elevators, but it's a pretty neat little feature. Being the sucker that I am for open-air workouts, I can't wait for the rooftop classes to begin so I can get my yoga on while taking in an amazing view of NYC. Other classes I want to try are BodyPump and Fluidity, a class that combines movements from ballet, yoga and Pilates. If you want a pass, just ask!