Blizzard Warning!!

Finally, it's feeling like WINTER! With the upcoming arrival of (hopefully) up to 2-3 feet of snow, surely I'm not the only one excited to build a snowman... I'm especially excited because next weekend I'll be heading up to Killington to ski for the weekend with the rest of the first-year students and judging from the weather forecast, it's looking to be a perfect weekend for it.

This morning's workout was a super tough one, so great job to everyone who got through it! Here it is:

UXF Tabata (1/25/15):

Warm up

"Bring Sally Up" song ("Flower" by Moby) done with push ups
This is what we were re-creating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41N6bKO-NVI

Circuits: 1 min of each exercise; 2x through
Rope slams
Plank
16# medicine ball slam
Goblet squats w/ 10kg KB
25# plate to OH
Wall sit
Tricep dips on box
10kg KBS
TRX Row

Up the Ladder
10 20 30 40
Burpees, Sit ups, Lunges, Push ups

For the workout for THIS week: lucky number 33 (that's my lucky number)
33 of each exercise:
Burpees
Sit Ups
Box Jumps
Push Ups
Jump rope
Squat
Dips
Lunges

Short Post: Workout!

Fun fact of the day: Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that “lack of exercise may be responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity.” Investigators “analyzed data from 334,000 men and women across Europe participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study.” The researchers “estimate that exercise equivalent to a 20-minute brisk walk each day – burning 90 to 110 calories – reduces the risk of premature death by as much as 30 percent when compared with no exercise.”

So unfortunately there won't be a long post this week as I have my final exam in medical neuroanatomy on Tuesday. Don't worry, I'll write again hopefully during the week this week after it's over!

Here's the workout for the week:     

(Similar to "Murph")
FOR TIME
1 mile run
100 sit ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run

Quick and Healthy Snacks & Workout Music

Happy Saturday, friends!

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend - just because it's cold that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a brisk walk with a friend or a jog to the gym!

One thing I find that really helps motivate me to "get up and go" or ensure I have a great workout is upbeat music. I know everyone has different music tastes (I do even within my everyday activities: I listen to country while I clean, classical while I study, and hip-hop/EDM while I workout) but sometimes there's that song or two that really revs you up... right now, mine is "Spaceman" by Hardwell.

The song doesn't have any lyrics but it was in my Boston Marathon playlist and it came on at mile 13.. when I was REALLY struggling and needed the extra push to keep going. 

[Side note: As some of you may know, 13 miles is just around the half marathon point. Boston 2014 was my third full marathon, but before I'd ever even thought of running a full, I would finish a half and think, "how does anyone run twice this distance?!" I didn't even feel like it would be possible for my legs to run another mile. And this is where the importance of the mental aspect of running becomes just as apparent as the physical aspect. Let's say you head out today for a 5 mile run: when you hit that 4 mile mark, all your mind can think about is, "oh thank goodness, only one more mile to go and I'm done." But then, let's say, next week, you're aiming for 7 miles -- and you start out the run knowing that's your goal. At mile 4, your mind knows you have 3 miles left and is able to push your body those last three miles. By mentally preparing yourself throughout training to push BOTH your mind and body further, you can push through all the way to 26.2 miles. This is why it's critical to set goals and routines before you get to gym, so your mind doesn't convince your body to quit early.] Sorry... got off on a tangent there!

Question for you: What type of music do you all listen to when you workout?

On the nutritional front, I wanted to provide some ideas for quick and healthy snacks, especially for those "on the go" who might not have time to cook or prep. 

• Quest bars: 21g of protein, 1g of sugar - to make it a true "snack" you can eat it with some almonds and an apple to get the good carbs and fat to help digest the protein. My favorite flavor is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and you can buy it on Amazon for $25!
• Fruit Smoothies: easy to make -> just add one banana, whey protein powder (I use the CVS Vanilla brand), frozen fruit, and almond milk... blend, and success!

• Healthy salads from the grocery store (most places have these) are great meals since you can pick and choose your toppings and the vegetables and meats are fresh!

Finally, a WORKOUT!

This one is for time... and it's a LADDER workout (meaning you climb up the ladder, and descend all the way back down)

10-20-30-40-50-40-30-20-10

Burpees, Squats, Kettlebell (KB) swings, Sit ups

 (So you'll do 10 burpees, 10 squats, 10 KB swings, and 10 sit ups, and then 20 of each, and so on)

Everything is better with a friend

Studies have shown the exercising with a friend has many benefits:

• Better accountability (you're not likely to skip a workout if you know your friend is counting on you being there)
• Positive support (having a friend with you going through the same tough workout and motivating you to finish)
• You're less likely to be bored and the time will pass more quickly with a friend going through the workout too
• You can celebrate your successes together!

Having a friend as a workout partner boosts your self-confidence in showing you that you can complete the workout with a friend who is similar to you. Having more self-confidence improves the likelihood of adherence to an exercise program - so that you're less likely to quit!

I'm fortunate that my roommate, Clare, loves to run as much as I do - and we're both on the same schedule - which means morning runs before class is our way of waking up and getting in a good sweat! Clare is a bit of a faster runner than I am, which has benefited me in that I've shaved off a couple seconds of my normal 3-mile time by pushing myself to keep up with her over the past 6 months. But I also think I've helped Clare by being her running partner both through ensuring she wakes up for the workouts and also pacing the speed during our runs.

This is Clare! Running a 5k benefit I put on March 2014

Below are some past workouts I've done that I'm grateful to have been with a partner or team who's helped push me to the end:

Warrior Dash with some DePuy ladies (and siblings / friends)

Felice's first full marathon in SF where I ran the last 8 miles with her!

Fenway Spartan Sprint DePuy Synthes Team 2013

Providence Frosty 5k w/ New Bedford & Fall River Folks

Killington Spartan Beast 2013 w/ my girlfriend Emily!

Hanover 5k April 2014

My Mom and I at our FIRST FULL MARATHON at Disney (it was 3am so we were sleepy!)

Having friends and family participate in workouts with you has double the benefits: you both get in shape while getting to spend time with each other!

And finally, for YOUR next workout... a partner workout, one I did while in Miami last Spring on a beach... all you need is a friend and either a yard, park, basketball court, or (yes) a beach. Give yourself about 150-200ft of space between what we'll call Point A and Point B. Only one partner is to be working at any given time. You can split up the number of reps however you want (doesn't have to be even). For example, for 60 burpees (the first exercise), I could do 40 and my partner could do 20 --> just has to add up to 60!

Anything in PINK is something you both do to get from Point A to Point B; RED (or ORANGE) is what ONE PARTNER DOES AT A TIME at one location

Further explanation:

• Wheel barrow = one partner has their hands on the ground and their partner is holding their legs and walking / running to point A (from Point B)
• Jump Over Partner = the partner is kneeling on the ground with their hands on the ground. You jump from one side of them to the other (without kicking them in the back!)
• Buddy Carry = carry your partner however you want from Point A to Point B
• Frog Jumps = partner kneels down and you jump fully over them, kneeling down to let your partner do the same