2010 = New Fitness Goals!

It's a new year, friends. Happy days at the gym begin right about now...when everyone joins and vows they're going to starting working out and staying in shape. We have all been in this predicament with one excuse or another, and it's important to have goals in the fitness world. However, staying healthy should be a life goal, not just one of those new year's resolutions that is top of mind on January 1st and is nowhere to be found come March 1st. Don't let this be you! Power through all year long with reasonable goals. The new year is about starting fresh, so don't give yourself unreasonable goals, e.g., work out every day (after never working out at all). Start with one or two days a week and get yourself into a routine - you can even mix it up with some outdoor activities with friends (sports team, dance class, yoga, cycling), weather permitting. If your a novice, start off slow and if your seasoned "professional" just start by adding in something new; work with a trainer, Pilates, jumping rope instead of the stair climber, etc.

My first change to my fitness regimen in 2010 is adding Boot Camp to the mix. For six weeks at The Sporting Club, I will be doing Boot Camp every Tuesday or Thursday night. I will be sharing some exercises that I learn and hopefully you will try them at home...but be sure to report back with feedback!

A Happy and Healthy 2010 to all of you!

PS. I did 48 push-ups...in a row. My goal for January is 50!

I Moved to Sunny San Diego!

Would anyone in NYC be offended if I tell you that I'm cold? :) In a city that usually holds temperatures in the 70s year-round, I'm feeling just a bit cold in the 50- and 60-degree lows we are seeing in SSD (Sunny San Diego).

After five and a half years of living and loving NYC, I made the move to San Diego to obtain an EMBA in Global Entrepreneurship from San Diego State. Sadly to say, the program has been since canceled...thanks to three people who dropped out last minute. Instead of spending a year abroad in Abu Dhabi, India and Hong Kong, learning all about international business, working out and eating in other climates and cultures, I'm "stuck" in San Diego. I know life works in mysterious ways, so I don't blame anyone, but I was quite bummed that I quit my job, moved across the country and am now jobless. No biggie...there's always Burger King. Just a joke.

With the move, I faced a great challenge facing my world. How do I leave the love of my life? Boyfriend? No...Equinox. This gym has been a long standing part of my life and saying goodbye was bittersweet. Unemployed and heartbroken, I learned that my only inexpensive option was 24 Hour Fitness. After all the luxuries found at Equinox, this whole "bring your own towel," "clean your machine after you workout" and "bring your own kettlebells" concept puts the fear in me, but I know I can make it through. I was a member of 24 Hour for about 10 years prior to moving to NYC, so I think the transition will be somewhat okay.

And...a  year membership only put me out $200, so I just keep reminding myself that Equinox cost me $142 PER MONTH. With the "extra" cash, I plan to utilize the personal trainers and have started out with 3 sessions for just $99. Wish me luck!

San Diego: The Sporting Club at The Aventine

Located in La Jolla, California, The Sporting Club is actually one of the more expensive gyms in San Diego, but I guess coming from New York City, it seems pretty inexpensive for what you get. To be a member of this luxurious little gym, it costs $100 per month with a $300 initiation fee. Because this gym is part of the Hyatt, the property includes tennis courts and an Olympic-sized swimming pool where you can get poolside service. Shaped like a circle, The Sporting Club has an open layout; on the mezzanine, where the cardio equipment lies, overlooks the entirety of first floor of the gym, so you can look down on all the southern California hunks who are pumping iron. HA! Everything at this gym is clean, clean, clean. This was my second visit to this gym (the first was about two years ago when I attended a kick-boxing class), but on this trip my girlfriend, Jodi, and I stuck to the usual elliptical machines and then some abdominal work. I loved that I was looking outside at an 85-degree day with beautiful blue skies.

Once we finished our gym session, we went down to the locker rooms, which have the most serene sauna and steam room I have ever scene, outside of a spa. I didn't go in, but they looked lovely. The lockers were the lockless type where you can type in your own code. The showers had all the normal shampoo, conditioner and body wash, but the shampoo smelled a bit like Band-Aids (don't ask why I know this smell), but the conditioner was yummy and smelled of mint/eucalyptus. Jodi told me that there is a private locker room area that serves food and drinks the VIP members. Excuse me.

My second visit to the gym entailed lying by the pool with two of my best friends and some beers (woops!).  Although I didn't work out, I got to watch an incredible fit swim instructor hold a private lesson—it was at that time I was regretting my choice of beverage.

A guest pass will drain your wallet of $20, but if you sneak in the back door as a guest—it won't cost a thing. ;-)

I Did 100 Push-Ups

After attempting the whole one hundred push-up challenge, I decided that I would take things into my own hands. Well, this isn't entirely true. My friend Jodi, who has recently become a fitness maven, told me that she did 5 sets of 20 push-ups and I started to feel a bit of push-up envy. Then envy buried itself inside my brain and turned into a competitive fire.

Over Thanksgiving in Vegas (with my dad and my new twin brothers), I made an amazing pumkin cheesecake for my family and after watching 4, 8 ounce cubes of cream cheese, 2 cups of sugar and all that other really "healthy" stuff, I started to think about the push-ups. I think the first thing that comes to mind when someone is overeating is cardio, but no, I was too distracted by the fact that Jodi could do the push-ups and I couldn't (or so I thought).

If you think you can't do 100 push-ups, you probably can; just start by doing sets of 10, until you can do 15-20 with ease. I finished my 100 by doing a set of 15, 20, 20, 20, 10 and 15. See. not so bad! :)

If you have five minutes of spare time, do some push-ups!

Upper Body by Matthew McConaughey

I’m back! It has been almost a month since my last post about fitness, which funny enough, was about motivation. For me, the summer is my season to relax and enjoy the weather (especially being in NYC) and thus, I don’t make it to the gym more than 2-3 times per week. I do ride my bike, run along the Hudson, and walk a lot from place to place, but I don’t do a lot of weight training and heavy workouts until the fall rolls around. Except for the most obvious reason of wanting to be outside, I haven’t put my finger on really why the summer isn’t my prime time, but c'est la vie. Realizing my slacker tendencies with the warm weather, I have kicked myself in the ass and out of my rut. Yay! I recently went to the gym with a guy friend of mine who wanted to do an arm workout. I quickly said, okay, but really, I don’t know a good arm workout for men?! I got on the computer to do some research on men’s fitness and came upon workouts by Matthew McConaughey, Matt Damon and Jason Statham. I went with Matthew McConaughey for now, but I will try the other two one of these days. Apparently it was a good arm workout...my friend was sufficiently sore. Try it for yourself!

Complete each exercise below with 3 sets of 12-15 reps. The weight you choose should be difficult to lift toward your last rep.

Lat Pulldowns For: Back & biceps Tip: Make sure legs are secure under the padded bar

Bench press Works: Triceps, deltoids & pectorals Tip: Always use a spotter for traditional bench press

Biceps Curl Works: Biceps, elbow flexors Tip: Keep your elbows against your body in lift in a controlled motion with palms facing up

Incline Dumbbell Press Works: Pectoralis major & clavicular Tip: Press dumbbells up with elbows until arms are extended – you want to feel a slight stretch

Triceps Rope Pushdown Works: Triceps Tip: Keep arms bent 90 degrees at both start and finish of each rep

Dumbbell press Works: Pectorals, deltoids, triceps and biceps Tip: Keep palms facing your feet, don’t click the dumbbells and finish the exercise with dumbbells directly over your shoulders.

After you try this workout, let me know the results or one of your favorite workouts! Matthew has a few more workouts that I have to try, so stay tuned for more!

Pasta di Farro

For all of the pasta lovers out there, this quick and easy homemade pasta dish with farro (see About Farro below) is a healthy alternative to regular pasta. I learned about farro through my friend Alexi, who spent a couple years in Italy. Don't mind the spoon in the photo below, there were no forks in my office. ;) Ingredients ½ container of farro spaghetti (about 4oz) 3 T olive oil 6 garlic cloves chopped (garlic lovers: add more) ½ yellow onion, chopped 2 large on-the-vine tomatoes (or tomato of your choice), chopped 1 t sea salt Fresh black pepper (to taste) Red pepper flakes 1 T fresh basil or ½ T dried Fresh parmesan

Instructions Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add farro and cook according to instructions on package, about 6-8 minutes. While pasta is boiling, in a small saucepan, on low to medium heat, warm the olive oil (about 30 seconds) and add chopped garlic and onions. Saute for 3-4 minutes until garlic is browned and add the tomatoes and sea salt. Stir. Sprinkle the black pepper, red pepper and basil and bring mixture to a boil. Cook on low to medium heat for about 20 minutes or until sauce is to your desired thickness. Stir every couple of minutes to mix the flavors around. Serves 2-4, depending on your appetite. :)

About Farro Farro is an ancestor of modern wheat that closely resembles spelt, which has been grown throughout Europe for centuries. With the increasing interest in healthy and organic foods in the US, farro is starting to show up in more and more restaurants and grocery stores—I buy mine at a local Italian shop near my apartment: Rafetto's.

Farro is an unhybridized form of wheat that closely resembles spelt, but has a hearty and nutty flavor that last throughout the next day's leftovers. A great alternative for people who are sensitive to hybridized wheat, the type of gluten in farro is easily digested.

What is Spaghetti? "A long, thin form of pasta. Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning thin string or twine. The word spaghetti can be literally translated as little strings." - cubemarketplace.com