My Journey Through 26.2 Miles: Miami Marathon Race Day

January 29, 2016 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hi everyone! It’s been a bit since I last posted since I wanted to think about my journey of my experience and not rush into just posting just to “post.” So the whole point of my blog was to document to my training for this race, but really I’ve been posting a lot about my active lifestyle in other ways besides running. This blog isn’t going to end anytime soon!–I’ll still use it to share my experiences throughout my running, fitness, recipes, and active lifestyle interests. I’m breaking up this post into two parts: Race Day & Training. There’s SO much to share so I would rather focus on one part of my journey at a time. This post is all about RACE DAY. The finale of my training!

I signed up for the marathon in July and started my training this past September. I booked about three months worth of training to play it safe while making room for life to happen, injuries, flexibility, etc. I ran about four times a week, which is what I typically do anyways but this time they were more scheduled runs. I still kept running for fun, but each run had purpose behind it in some way. They were an easy, tempo/speed based, long, or a combination of two.

Marathon Weekend/Day!

I drove home that Friday before, stayed the night there, and the next day drove down to Miami with my mom. The expo was amazing and was in the Art Deco district of Miami. There was so many vendors, food samples, and gear! I bought the Miami Marathon 26.2 mile car magnet and bought an “official” Miami Marathon long sleeve shirt! (not included in goodie bag). My mom and I walked along the Wynwood District (a part of the Art Deco district), saw the Wynwood Walls—which I recommend! and found a local coffee shop called Panther Coffee…AHmazing. They have a delicious latte I must say. Its always ritual for a pasta dinner the night before, so I made reservations at this local Italian restaurent called Spaghettino through Yelp. It was so cute and local! I had gluten free pasta with homemade tomato sauce, mozzerella cheese, fresh basil, and seasonings and it was simple and delicious. I didn’t over stuff myself and made sure to drink plenty of water. We got back to the hotel and relaxed. I tried not to think about my race, look at the course map, over plan or think about any of it. As soon as I posted pics to social media, I played solitaire (my fav mindless game) then went to bed around 9:45. Early to bed before my wake-up at 3:30am to eat!!

Mom’s really excited for our Italian pre race dinner!

Marathon “breakfast” included copious amounts of peanut butter with gluten free pretzels and an orange plus a bottle of water. I got to corral H (a corral are sectioned off areas behind the start to help keep runners organized, usually based on estimated finish times before the start of the race). My mom and I headed down around 5:15/5:30am all bundled up waiting to start at 6am. It was in the 40s that morning plus a windchill–one hell of a day to race! haha. I had two long sleeve shirts on for layering plus cheap gloves which I ditched at mile one. Throughout the beginning of the race, I didn’t kill myself and went about a minute slower then usual and took my first gu at mile four. I picked up the pace gradually, and had a gu every three miles.

By mile thirteen, I was feeling great! At this point I was considering removing and ditching my top layer. After going back and forth in my head, I decided against it. I honestly didn’t want to stop. I wanted to keep going! There was a breeze the whole time, so keeping both layers was tolerable. One regret I had was looking back where the marathon and half split…..LOL all mental! Coconut Grove, a quaint residental and historic area of Miami, was my favorite part of the course. It was somewhat shaded and the houses were beautiful. Some local families had tables of there own with beer and candy to hand out!

Pre-Race and Bundled Up before heading to the start!

I stayed focused throughout mile twenty. Mile 23 was probably my toughest. It was the pier (not sure the name) but that’s when I felt myself somewhat fade…eekk!!! It was also the mile my music died due to my playlist not being long enough and ran out of my electrolyte drink, Nuun in my Nathan Sports water bottle…oh well! Again I didn’t want to stop so mentally I pushed through. They say count down from twenty, but six more miles was too much. After starting to feel tired, I up-ed my gu to every two miles. At this point I was so over the gu, which at this point had eight of them, it took me my all to get it down. I used gu as another form of measurement to the finish as well haha…” I would say *two* more gus till you get real food!” If I had any more then eight gus during this race, I would have puked. Sorry #TMI haha. I took gatorade the last three to four miles and had my last gu at mile twenty-two. I felt my feet burning from blisters forming and was WAY past feeling anything in my legs. I kept saying to myself “all your effort and training is right here in front of you” periodically throughout the race, especially approaching mile twenty and the last six miles.

Most iconic pic of the whole race haha! Dad snapped this at mile 11

The last mile was momumental. Out of pure adrenaline, my pace was around seven or so minutes. I wanted to see that finish as soon as I could! We ran over the Biscayne Bridge before heading into mile 26 and although the bridge was hardly anything, it was the most mentally tough part of the course…tougher the mile 23. It didn’t help spectators saying, “finish is right over the bridge!” because it wasn’t. It was over the bridge, plus the .2 which was torture.

I’ve never been so happy to finish a race EVER!!!! The spectators along the sides of mile 26 were amazing. So many people cheering and smiling! I couldn’t help but smile too despite the pain. The finish was RIGHT THERE and BOOM I crossed it. Just like that, I FINISHED and was in one piece! Just like that it was over. I did the biggest fist pump at the finish. Then all of the sudden all the soreness and pain went straight to my legs and my body was numb. They tunneled us through the finish and gave goodie bags with pretzels and water. I was delirious. At the end of the finish, there was mom and dad!!! They had the cutest and brightest signs and were right in the front of the crowd. I was ELATED to see them. My mom cried and gave me a hug and my dad just gave me a hug and congratulated me. I needed water and fluids immediately but oddly there was not many options in the post race area 😦 one of the downsides in terms of poor planning. I sat down and couldn’t move and had no appetite. Three blisters later, but thankfully that was my worst “pain” the whole race. Thank God my mom surprised me with a new pair of flip flops called, Oofos. They were HEAVEN and was like walking on a cloud. We walked ten blocks back to the hotel…the longest ten blocks of my life even though I know it was good for me to keep moving. I showered, changed, and put on my CEP compression tights. Time for lunch at the Biscayne Tavern!

We went to a place for lunch called Biscayne Tavern for lunch, another Yelp recommendation. All I wanted post marathon was a huge A$$ burger and fries. This place hit the nail on the head let me tell you. The burger was amazing with all the fixings and sweet potato fries were on point. I didn’t have a beer because I feel like I couldn’t completely stomach that post race plus I felt dehydrated. After lunch we headed out of town and back to Delray where we arrived around 3pm and I went to bed, iced, ate more, and went to bed again. LOL.

I took off Monday and stayed home and recovered. I got a massage the next day at The Sagely Willow Massage & Bodywork Company. I’m not one to get massages, but today it was SO necessary! It was amazing. They used a car buffer/polisher on my body and it did wonders! I felt significantly better and was able to drive back to Tampa that evening.

I must say it was by far the most amazing running experience yet AND I would do it AGAIN! I’m proud to say I ran the entire race, did not need first aid, didn’t stop for water, gu, to use the bathroom, or tie my shoe, walk etc. I knew signing up I would RUN the entire thing and nothing else. Not to say walking if I had to would be the end of the world, but I had trained the three months I did to RUN it.

I finished strong with a time of 3 hours and 57 minutes and took number eight out of ten in my age group! All the training, early morning runs, the amount of time I spent on my feet, speed and intervals sessions, and gu of all things paid off!! Although I’m incredibly proud of my time and place, I am most proud of my commitment to my training. I could have said f— it, I don’t want to run today, but I sucked it up and perservered on ALL of my runs. I did not miss many of my runs. I knew the training I was getting into and the time I would be devoting to this. In some ways training is like a part-time job. I made sure to not look at it like this, but more of a dedication to my passion and an opportunity to improve and challenge myself. I can say I don’t regret training for this distance and making it part of my schedule the past three months. I can officially say that it’s true, miles change you, and I’m grateful every single one.

Standing and Smiling Post 26.2! Look at that hardware!

Results are IN!

What’s #InMyBowl? My Assembly Only Meal

January 16, 2016 by Ali ♥ 2 Comments

Happy Weekend! This past week, I’ve been part of challenge on Instagram using the hashtag #BGBInstaChallenge on my pics. I’ll be honest, I kinda fell off the bandwagon on it. However, it was super fun and it challenged me to pick fun interesting pics to share each day based on the theme. One day in particular was #InMyBowl. This one was my favorite because the first thing that came to mind was SALAD! Don’t roll your eyes yet 😉 To be real, salads are a really great meal. Yeah, most people associate them with weight loss, boring, and “full of vegetables.” I’m changing the conversation on this in this post.

Most days during the week I get home late–around 8pm from teaching group fitness and training clients. The LAST thing I wanna do is stand over the stove for an hour to cook a fresh meal post workout/work. NO THANKS! So instead of take-out or going out (which I don’t really wanna do either), I prep a salad. I fill my bowl up with greens as a base, on top various types of veggies of whatever is in my fridge, cheese, nuts or seeds, dried fruit, lean protein, and a bottled or homemade vinaigrette dressing to finish it up. I don’t touch a pan. It really is an assembly only type dinner! I mean yes, if I have to cook or warm up leftovers to put on my salad I’ll whip out a pan, but its only ONE pan! Not three or four each for something special. Bonus points if your protein or veggies are already pre-cooked!

Depending on my salad, sometimes it is meal-prep approved and all you do is add the vinaigrette when you’re ready. Otherwise, the only thing I do is take out a cutting board and knife, wash my vegetables, warm-up or quickly cook my protein, and add my dressing on top and dinner is DONE! I’m pretty sure it’s assembled and ready to eat in less then thirty minutes.

Simple Salad from #InMyBowl with greens, lean chicken breast, veggies, dried cranberries, and walnuts with feta cheese.

What I’ve learned about salads:

Get out of the box! Salads are more then just lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. Experiment with different flavors to make it interesting.
Read cookbooks or look online. I like Salads by Cooking Light or any of the Runner’s World cookbooks (which are my fav)
LAYER it UP:
- Base: greens (spinach, romaine, iceberg, kale, spring mix)
- Vegetables: A carb-rich vegetable (squash or potato) and a simple vegetable (carrots, cucumbers) pick two from each type
- Dried or fresh fruit: cranberries, apricots, raisins
- Dairy/Cheese: any shaved or crumbled cheese (parm, feta, goat) really anything you like!
- Nuts/Seeds: pecans, almonds, walnuts, flax or chia seeds
- Lean Protein: chicken, eggs (a quick cooking favorite), canned tuna, ground turkey or beef (for a Mexican inspired salad!), tofu or beans for a vegetarian or vegan option
- Dressing: bottled or homemade. I chose a low calorie/low sugar type dressing if buying. For convenience I’ve really used the bottled dressings a lot. When I’m not in a rush, I really love making my own! Check out my recipe on a simple balsamic dressing below:

Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Makes 1 serving

1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp of good balsamic vinegar

1 tsp of red wine vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp honey or agave nectar

A few shakes of garlic powder or 1-2 gloves of fresh garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

Wisk together until combined well. Pour over top of salad and enjoy!

Remember, salads can be anything you want! To make sure you’re get the most out of your salad, follow my steps above and don’t be afraid to get creative. Enjoy!

A Taste of Peerfit: Experiencing SOHO Cycling & Mantra Tampa

January 13, 2016 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

*Disclaimer: Thanks to my affiliation with the Tampa Bay Bloggers, I was able to experience Peerfit in exchange for writing this post. As always, my opinions are my own*

Have you established your 2016 goals yet?? The past couple weeks I had the privilege of being chosen to experience a taste of Peerfit through Tampa Bay Bloggers! Peerfit is a company creating a versatile, multi-location subscription used at various boutique fitness studios around Tampa Bay, Orlando, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Sarasota, and Jacksonville. Peerfit offers new ways to get fit while challenging yourself with different types of workouts and classes, and allowing you to explore fitness within your town, all while changing up your fitness routine and keeping you motivated.

Fun facts about Peerfit:

There are no limitations with studio visits
Credits renew each month and rollover to the next (you are able to use your credits for 60 days before they expire)
Big on corporate wellness–currently working with Laser Spine Institute in Tampa and St. Vincent’s Hospital in Jacksonville
Started by University of Florida students and alumni

With Peerfit, you don’t just “get your workout done”, you experience a one-of-kind fitness experience all under your own flexibility and control.

How does it work?

You sign up in terms of credits that act as a currency. Most classes are 2-3 credits each, while some are up to 3 or more. You simply reserve your spot online, and you’re good to go!

Wanna try it out?

Use this link for $1 for your first pack of eight credits. *this is good for your first month only, and renews at full price after the first month.*

I was able to experience Peerfit at two different locations: SOHO Cycling Studio and Mantra Tampa. Both were two different styles of workouts, both equally challenging in their own way 😛 (and super fun)!!

SOHO Cycling is an indoor spin studio located in South Tampa on W Kennedy Blvd, across from Buddy Brew Coffee. I’ll be honest, I’m not a “cycler”, but it was pretty tough yet invigorating! Luckily I had motivation from another blogger, LiveSweatSleep, to keep me accountable for our 6am ride…eekk!!! Totally worth the wake up! I enjoyed it so much, I would go back to use as a good form of cross-training when I’m not running. It is a relatively small building, mostly making room for 52 bikes, and had two large screens in front of you, as well as the instructor motivating you every step of the way. Upbeat, loud music kept you riding to the beat in conjunction to scenes of nature or music videos playing on the screens ahead of you throughout the ride.

Peerfit made signing up super easy, and convenient to try. No questions asked, I checked in and picked a bike! If you like to cycle, live in the South Tampa area, or just want to change up your cardio routine, I suggest SOHO Cycling Studio as one of many great places you can use through Peerfit!

SOHO Cycling across from Buddy Brew Coffee

IMG_0118-1 — LiveSweatSleep joined me for our ride at 6am! #accountabilityfortheWIN

Mantra Tampa is a #pilatesonsteriods (literally) style workout using a Megaformer. Located in South Tampa and Sarasota, Mantra is a Pilates-based class focusing on a variety of upper and lower body movements; A LOT of core and balance with a combination of resistance bands thrown in.

I’ve never done Pilates or any type of workout relating to a reformer/Megaformer, but this was the quite the workout, and a good one at that! Peerfit made signing up easy, convenient, without questions asked.

I went in early and received an overview of the Megaformer before my first class. I learned a few basic terms, how the class is instructed, and what to expect. The class had about eight to ten women with the instructor cueing you on transition throughout the class. Going slow is key, as well as pulsing and holding. YIKES!!! It hurt so good, if that gives any kind of indication!

I felt kind of uncoordinated the first time I took it, but caught on as they shouted each movement and transition. By the end of my class, I had it down. They recommend you use toe-sox with grips on the bottom since you are using your own body and multiple parts of the Megaformer. I would say you definitely should invest in a pair since it makes you feel more stable. I already had mine from teaching barre, so they came in handy.

Another class I would look into for a good switch up from my routine, also accepted with Peerfit!! Now I can officially say I can check off a Pilates class off my list under my schedule’s flexibility and control, thanks to Peerfit! 🙂

Melissa, our instructor, working with me during some lunges and bicep curls

Taps At International Plaza: Beyond Just a “Bar”

January 12, 2016 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

**Disclaimer: Thanks to affiliation with the Tampa Bay Bloggers, I was able to experience complementary menu items from Taps at International Plaza in exchange for this post and social media love. All opinions are my own**

I frequent International Plaza mostly for shopping, specifically Fit2Run, but now since I’m affiliated with the Tampa Bay Bloggers, I was able to experience more then just shopping! My first official event with the Tampa Bay Bloggers was at our Holiday Swap at Taps Bar & Lounge at International Plaza. We got to try a variety of different menu items as well as sampled some signature drinks. SO fun! I loved getting to know other bloggers all while eating and drinking complementary of Taps!–Thank you TBB!

Between a variety of drinks to choose from, the food was amazing and we were able to sample a few from each part of the menu! Check out a few of the dishes we sampled! SO GOOD!

Top left to right: Filet Mignon Brochette, Roasted Pomegranate Salmon, Sailor’s Shandy, Chocolate Lava Cake

Bottom left to right: Beets Beets Beets, Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños, Honey Badger

Not only is it a casual place to dine and drink, but was far from the “bar scene” vibe. More then just a place to drink, they have a great menu of various appetizers, salads, mains, and desserts. All ingredients are fresh, well-prepared, and have a variety of flavors everyone can enjoy. For their beer and wine options, they have over 100 varieties of wines and up to 60 choices available by glass as well as a wide selection of craft beers and imports. Drinks are paired with outstanding food with quality flavors, among a fun, casual ambiance.

I can’t wait to bring family and friends here the next time we want to switch it up! Taps is definitely on my list for a crowd-pleasing night out.

Mantra Tampa: The Ultimate Pilates Workout

January 6, 2016 by Ali ♥ 2 Comments

*Disclaimer: Thanks to affiliations with the Tampa Bay Bloggers, I was able to experience Mantra Tampa in exchange of free classes for writing this post. As always, my opinions are my own*

I was recently chosen to experience Mantra Tampa through Tampa Bay Bloggers! Mantra Tampa is located in South Tampa on South Dale Mabry and in Sarasota. Described as a “pilates on steroids” type workout using a Megaformer, you work your entire body with no impact focusing on core, upper body and lower body, and balance. Each class is fifty minutes total with a small class size of about eight to twelve participants with the instructor leading you throughout the entire workout. To get the best results, they recommend you take classes two-three times per week with enough time for your body to rest in between. Some people take classes five-six times per week, but always remember to listen to your body! Roughly, you can burn up 500-700 calories in fifty minutes! Talk about an intense burn…you end up burning calories post workout too! Check out other FAQ’s here.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous about my first class. I went in and received an overview of the Megaformer, what to expect, and a few basic terms. I felt awkward the first time, but caught on quickly. By the end of the class, I was already catching on! The key is to “go slow” to activate slow-twitch muscle activation while adding pulsing and holding. It was safe to say I was definitely dripping and shaking within the first five minutes 😛 holy sweatfest!!!

Not only does it combine strength training, but it is a great way to cross train. They recommend you should invest in some Toe-Sox, socks with grips on the bottom that allow you to feel more stable when transitioning to other parts of the Megaformer, and a towel…’nuff said 😉

Organizing the Essentials: Check Out What’s in My Gym Bag

January 1, 2016 by Ali ♥ 12 Comments

Like many people this new year, a resolution is stay or get healthy and fit. I didn’t always carry a gym bag when I started getting into fitness and health. I took group fitness classes in high school and only brought my water, car keys, towel, and phone. I took up cross country and had my backpack with my school stuff and change of clothes stuffed into two overstuffed, undersized bags without much thought besides the basics: socks, running shoes, sports bra, and cotton (ugh) shorts and shirt/tank top.

Two years ago I decided to learn more about the gym and took the time to challenge myself and push intimidation aside on the squat rack. This past year I got certified in group fitness and was in the gym a lot more and in some cases left the gym to train clients, teach classes, get my own workout done, or run errands and needed a legit place to put my stuff (which I carried too much of). After trial and error, I realized how you prep for your day starts with what you consider to be essentials and how you organize them in order to stay focused in and out of the gym. I have a wristlet clutch for my wallet, keys, business cards, cards/cash, and phone and my Jansport backpack for bigger things for food, clothes, laptop, notebook, toiletries, etc. I combine the two, and BOOM much more efficiently organized and ready to go!

What I have in my bag at the moment:

-Three to four sweaty bands/wide headbands

-Toe-socks for teaching barre

-Camelback water bottle

-Cheap headphones & extra Fitletic Armband for my phone ready for a workout

-Whistle for teaching my bootcamp class, HEAT

-A couple pens (ya never know!)

-My old phone (now basically an iPod) for music when I teach/workout since I like to keep my real phone put away to limit calls, texts, emails, etc.

-Healthy portable snacks like baby carrots or nuts

-Extra phone charger

How To Be SMART About Your New Year Resolutions

December 26, 2015December 26, 2015 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

2016 is right around the corner! How crazy is that?? That means new years resolutions are on the mind too. Did you know the most popular resolution is “to live a healthy lifestyle”–no surprise I’m sure. If you’re falling into the same resolution year after year and not keeping it, you may need to look deeper into WHY it isn’t working. I always like to say its a commitment between your body and your mind. If the two aren’t working together it only goes so far, and you go only half way. Make this year different! It may take a little more thought, but if you really do want to make a change, it IS worth it. Be one of the people that can say you DID achieve a healthy lifestyle this time next year. Instead of listing expectations for yourself, be SMART about it. 😉 Use SMART goals to kick your resolutions the right way!

S– Specific; make your goal meaningful and specific–not vague and “open.” If you want to take up running, instead of saying “run everyday”say, “run three days at 8am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before I go to work.”

M– Measurable; make your goal measurable to see progress and improvement. It no fun if you go through the motions without seeing progress–the whole reason behind your resolution, right?! Instead of saying “I want to run for thirty minutes everyday” say, “I want to start with running without stopping for 10 minutes for the month of January and continually add three to five minutes each time for the first two weeks in February.” You’ll see a difference in ability have kept a consistent measure of time.

A/R– Attainable & Realistic; this is interchangeable with realistic, but make sure this goal is something you know you can do and is possible to achieve! Kinda silly I know, but we can all get caught up in the goal and then forget it really isn’t feasible like we chalked it up to be. Do a reality check on yourself and look at it hard making sure you can make it happen. Don’t forget it IS good to push yourself!

T– Time Frame; Putting a timeline on your goal gives you something to look forward to and work towards. Instead of saying “I want to run the Thanksgiving turkey trot next year” say, “I want to be able to run/complete the Thanksgiving turkey trot 5k without stopping by Thanksgiving next year or *insert whatever day the 5k is”

Happy New Year and GOOD LUCK–Make it happen!!!

Enjoy the Season and Stop Cringing at Calories: Try my Peppermint Bark!

December 18, 2015 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Sooo…I don’t typically post a lot of recipes (my fault) especially dessert recipes but its the holiday season so how could I not?! Everyone loves treats this time of year so I figured why not make some! This recipe is not “healthified” whatsoever. Instead it is full of a of good reasons to try it that will put you in the holiday spirit instead of cringing at the calories. I feel there so many “approved” and “diet-friendly” desserts, which is great because we all have “get healthy” type goals…but sometimes it nice to give up that label for something indulgent anyways. The key is moderation. This recipe is indulgent, but it is also simple, fast, requires no baking, and won’t break the bank/budget friendly! However, it IS very addicting and yummy so enjoy at your own risk, aka moderation. 😉

I tried this recipe using only one bag of white chocolate and one of dark chocolate and it came out too thin. I used two bags of each chocolate instead and it came out perfectly thick! The peppermints also didn’t stick well in the first batch so I sprinkled them on when the white chocolate was warm and gently pressed them in with plastic wrap to eliminate direct contact with my hands. It took me about a half hour to whip up, and while the chocolate set in the fridge I was able to multi-task. For gifting, I bought christmas-y goodie bags from the dollar store and gave them out to some friends and my landlord (who doesn’t like getting food as a gift?!). A win-win I’d say!

Get In The Spirit Peppermint Bark

2 14oz bags of white chocolate chips

2 14 oz bags of dark chocolate chips

1 tsp of peppermint extract

1 Tbsp of vegetable oil

14 oz of peppermints or candy canes

-Start with crushing 14 oz of peppermints in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or heavy mallet until you see small chunks. If you have food processor, pulse 10-15x (I used my ninja and it pulverized them very efficiently and quickly)

-Start with melting both bags of dark chocolate chips in a microwave save bowl with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Melt in microwave for 1:30 sec at at power level of 50 until melted or in intervals of 30 sec. Combine well to make sure there are no lumps. Spread dark chocolate onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let set in fridge for 30 min.

Once dark chocolate has set, in another microwave bowl, melt both bags of white chocolate with a tsp of peppermint extract for 1:30 sec or intervals of 30 sec at a power level of 50. Combine well to make sure there are no lumps.Take out the set dark chocolate from fridge and spread evenly the white chocolate over the top, making sure to get every edge 😉

-Sprinkle peppermint chunks over top of the white chocolate. Using plastic wrap (not your hands), gently press the chunks into the chocolate so they stick. *It’s important to sprinkle the peppermints into the warm white chocolate so they stay*

-Pop the tray back into the fridge until set. Once ready, break apart into irregular pieces and devour [moderately] (or share and devour with others).

Enjoy & Merry Christmas!

Why Inclines/DIY Hills Can Be Your Friend + Incline Workout

December 16, 2015December 18, 2015 by Ali ♥ 2 Comments

Happy Wednesday! Although I live in Florida and hills are not really a thing (unless you have bridges #SoFlo or north florida-ish), reaping benefits of hills can be tough. Luckily in Downtown Tampa where I teach, using a long ramp along the backside of Curtis Hixon Park (Tampa friends you know where I’m talking) has been good to get some incline in and where I did my workout yesterday! If you don’t have a ramp, using a stadium, stairwell, even the stair master at your gym works too! Parking garages are also a great option, just make sure you’re running them safely and during a less busy time of day.

Hills can be intimidating, a long and tough climb to the top, but they have other benefits besides just strengthening your legs:

Build endurance
Improve efficiency
Great way to challenge yourself before a flat course
SPEED- hills are basically speed work in disguise
Boost cardiovascular fitness

After reading up on hills, I’m planning on doing a bridge workout with my HEAT class and adding to my training as well. Look for that post up soon too!! 😉 Back to inclines though, it all has benefits. I feel most people run them too hard, too fast up them resulting in burnout or they honestly hate them and don’t do them at all. Go slow, take baby steps up, and recruit those arms help propel you up! If you have joint issues, the downhill part of the hill is where you want to be careful. The eccentric (lengthening) part of the movement on the way down, can put pressure and extra strain on joints. Control your movement instead of “letting yourself go.” Rest at the bottom, then back over again! Your heart and legs will thank you 🙂

Check out my incline workout I did with my class yesterday! As mentioned above, use a stairwell, treadmill/stairmaster, stadium, etc. if you don’t have a ramp!

Curtis Hixon Ramp Workout (no equipment–YAY!)

Three exercises per round at the bottom, middle, and top of each incline

*single count means each side counts as 1 rep

*double count means both side counts as 1 rep

Starting at bottom, focus is lower body/squats[cue Drake’s song haha] :

-50 basic squats~~ run to middle portion of incline

–50 pulse squats~~ run to top of incline

-50 jump squats/basic squats~~ run back to the bottom

~REST 1 min~

Bottom, focus is cardio:

-40 jumping jacks~~ run to middle of incline

–40 burpees~~ run to top of incline

-40 Skaters (single count)~~ run down to bottom

~REST 1 min~

Bottom, focus is abs:

–30 bicycle crunches (double count)~~ run to middle

-30 supermans~~ run to top

-30 flutter kicks (double count)~~ run back down

~REST 1 min~

HOLLAA you’re done! Don’t forget to stretch and cool-down after. 😉

Reap Benefits of Recreation

December 11, 2015December 11, 2015 by Ali ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Friday is here YAY! That means more time for sleep, catch on work, fun things to do, and new ways to get FIT! Sometimes getting into a gym after work can be a drag, especially when friends or co-workers invite you to happy hour.

If we wanna maintain goals and stay on track, its good to have back-up plans or new ideas to have in mind that will keep us focused. So what if we can’t get in that 45 min spin class we wanted? Maybe a walk or a bike ride on Saturday will work. Its a about balance. Something is better then nothing right?! That’s where recreation comes in! No one seems to use that word anymore…lol. I have my minor in it, so I’m used to calling any activity (gym or no gym) that name. I mean running, cycling, dance, hiking, swimming, walking, stand-up paddle boarding (another fav!), roller blading, fitness in general etc. is considered recreation. (btw who still roller blades?!?). So when you dread heading into the gym, re-think it and see if any of these activities seem, hmm…fun-er? 😉

Running—the whole foundation of my blog is top of my list!
- Benefits: aerobic, anywhere, only need shoes, quick!
Swimming—a great summertime sport that includes some resistance, not just aerobic
- Benefits: aerobic, low impact, some resistance involved, total body type movement
Walking—anyone can do it!
- Benefits: somewhat aerobic, great/easy way to get moving for any fitness level, no special clothes or equipment required, fun, convenient
Hiking—not really here in FL (although in some parts, yes!), varying terrain makes this activity tough and invigorating
- Benefits: aerobic, great way to see the outdoors, good for doing in groups, challenges balance, works small muscle groups in the legs and foot
Stand-Up Paddleboarding—A Floridian’s favorite, or can be done on any flat lake or calm inlet.
- Benefits: somewhat aerobic, great for balance, core, and posture, good for groups, great workout for upper body
Roller Blading—An oldie, but goodie!
- Benefits: aerobic, great strength workout for legs, convenient, good for balance and core

Yes, these activities do NOT require a gym, but who said to improve you had to be in one?? Not here! This time of year can be tough getting in a workout, so the options above offer something for everyone without completely ditching your workout altogether…better then no workout, AM I RIGHT?! They might not create the strength training, heavy sweat sesh workout all of us crave, but they do offer tons of benefits. A good thing to keep in mind around the holidays, when you’re with family, friends, co-workers, etc and want to do something together!

YOUR TURN: Any good go-to activities you guys do that help with staying on track during the holiday season?? Comment below!