Q & A Training on the Elliptical

I got a great question this week about varying an elliptical workout, and thought it would apply to many who are looking to get the most for cardio sessions. This can apply not only to elliptical workouts, but any cardio/strength routine! As the weather chills, don't forget to keep moving!

Question: I have mostly been doing elliptical workouts because I don't like running. Do do you have any recommendations about how to make the best of an elliptical workout, and maybe include a little running?
My answer: For ellipticals (or any cardio), here's my reccomendation: get VARIETY. Even if you were only running, I would tell you to change it up every once in a while. Your body responds positively to changes and differences in your routine. 

For example, if you vary your elliptical workout with intervals, moderate/endurance workouts, circuit workouts with strength training, you will get more out of it. 

Here's example workout routine for 5 day that is mainly based on the elliptical:

Workout 1: Warm-up lightly for 5-10 minutes, then intervals: 2 min on (hard resistance/fast pace); 2 min easy (recovery); 2 min moderate resistance/fast pace,' 2 min easy; Repeat 4-6 times.
Workout 2: 30-45 min at a moderate resistance & pace; then strength training; choose 8-12 exercises and do 1-3 sets of 10-15 reps of each exercise with the last 2-3 increasing in challenge (in general, take about 15-30 minutes on strength training, if you are also doing cardio that day OR skip the cardio and focus on more strength training this day
Workout 3: Warmiup elliptical x 5 min; Run 10-min at moderate pace; Do elliptical for your remaining planned workout time with alternating intervals (30-sec on/30 off)
Workout 4: 20-45 minutes at a moderate resistance & pace
Workout 5: Alternate: 5-min on elliptical, hard resistance/moderate pace; then choose 3 strength exercises with different muscle groups and do 12-15 reps for 1-2 sets (for example: squats, chest press, plank). Repeat this circuit with new strength exercises 3-4 times.
Remember this is general info, and may or may not be right for you! Feel free to ask if you are wondering! Everybody responds to exercise, and specific activities differently, and part of it can be based on your genetics. It's important to do something that will keep you going and getting after it. If you continually try to force yourself to do something you hate, eventually, you may quit. Keep searching to find what it is you like, if you haven't found it yet.

Don't Burn the Turkey, Burn Calories!

Calories Burned with Thanksgiving/Fall Activities!

Tis the season of action! Cooking, cleaning, cooking, raking leaves, catching up with friends, attending parties; it's endless! As the weather gets chilly, the leaves fall and there is more demand on your free time, it's important to take time to exercise and continue making healthy choices! You deserve to know what some seasonal activities yield in calorie burn.

Do 45 minutes of any of these exercises and burn calories!

Catching up with friends/family on phone: 60 calories
Washing Dishes: 126 calories
Cooking: 148 calories
Loading/Unloading car (carrying your turkey from the car!): 178 calories
Raking: 222 calories
Playing with your kids outdoors: 222 calories
Ashtanga Yoga (to chill after all the work you've done!) : 290 calories
Touch Football (continuous): 490 calories

Based on calculation for a 165 pound person. Check out calories burned based on your weight and activities: http://www.healthstatus.com/cgi-bin/calc/calculator.cgi

Find Your "Sport"

Finding the exercise that you like, that gets you results, and most importantly keeps to motivated to go back for more. This weekend was enlightening for me with regard to this topic. I set the goal to run the marathon, trained for it (not as much as my coach had planned), and then did it. It was a great accomplishment; I'm proud, but it doesn't mean I want to repeat it over & over! 

Often, I meet with people who say, "well I just don't like exercise." And usually I wonder and inquire, "well what have you tried." Most often it boils down to the particular activity as not being the right choice, for that particular person. I have always related this dialogue to the new exerciser, almost exclusively. After my marathon overall experience, I now know that this type of conversation can come up with a "regular" too. 

Yesterday I ran the Marine Corps Marathon, my first marathon. It was an inspiring race, one I will never forget. So many friends reached out on Facebook to congratulate, and that meant a lot. A few great friends came down to cheer on and support. It was fun and I enjoyed the experience greatly. Going into the race, I met people who said, "this is my first marathon," "this is my 35th marathon," "this is my 8th time running the Marine Corps Marathon," etc, etc. There were many first timers who are now hooked on marathoning and many repeat offenders who will continue to race as long as possible. There's no question that the marathon culture is well and thriving. 

Great experience and super motivating, especially when at mile 24 there were two Marines broadcasting encouraging words, "This is where you did deep. Find your motivation." I ran faster.  

But, I don't have a desire to do it again (except for maybe one more time!) It's not because it's hard, or it takes a lot of time to train (although both of those are true). It's because I found that I am not motivated by training for this type of race; in fact the last 6 weeks before the race, I barely trained and was the most inactive I have ever been since I started working out regularly, 7 years ago. This baffled me, at first I thought I was just slacking and becoming lazy, even though this is not my way, but in reality, I just wasn't motivated by running 15-20 miles as my workout. This is good knowledge to have. I encourage you to explore what motivates you and what doesn't. 

After the race, my coach and great friend, Jeff, asked me, "Are you elated? Are you feeling that runner's high." My answer was no. I couldn't even believe it! I thought I would be up in the clouds after finishing the race and running home to sign up for the next. Nope! 

There were many runners who, like me, ran their first marathon yesterday and will go on to run many more. I think that's awesome and am excited for those that found their exercise niche! 

Hopefully this message doesn't come across as whiney and make me sound weak. This is not the intention. I completed the race, I am proud of my accomplishment, and my legs will be talking to me for days!

The point is, I now know that I am excited about lifting weights, getting stronger, and accomplishing in the gym. I love to hike and cycle, and run 5-10 miles. Awesome. 

It's the same with food or with careers. You may love horseradish (like me) and your brother could hate it (I'll have to ask mine his preference!). You may be a engineer and your neighbor may be an artist. You can both appreciate each others profession, without having the desire to switch places. 

Do you enjoy what you do for exercise, or do you find yourself skipping it often? If you love it, awesome, you've found the right activity (don't be surprised if it changes and evolves over time). If you skip or are not consistent, try something new. Keep searching until you find that activity or sport that works for you. Maybe its dancing, or archery, or trail running, or water aerobics, or Olympic lifting, or rollerblading. Whatever it takes to find what works best for you: do it. (and then tell us about it!). 

What's next for me? Taking a few days off from anything other than walking and yoga, then focusing on strength training to build back up, and cycling! My next race will be a fun one, the Turkey Chase 10k in Bethesda, MD on Thanksgiving Day!

Learning from past, present & future to get what you want!

I love how things work out. I love how when you seek inspiration and seek stories, they can be found. Whatever you seek, you will find. I believe this wholeheartedly; it's also biblical and true. For example, if you focus on always being sick, then you are probably always sick. If you focus on never being able to make your car payment, it's probably a struggle every month. If you focus on moving toward your purpose in life (even if you don't really know what it is yet), you gain clarity. If you focus on the good, on your strengths, you can find the victory in anything and everything. 

This weekend is the celebration of 10 years since high school. Whoa.

There are several events lasting the weekend, in honor of the alumni. Today, I visited my high school, which is in a new location, about 4 times the size of the school I attended, however still under the same name. It has grown and is thriving, yet it still holds the same core values.  I could be mad and think, 'why couldn't I have had attended this large, beautiful, lovely school,' but the truth is I was in the right place at the right time, and guess what, so are you. 

High school was a great time for me, personally. In many ways, better than college. On the tour today, it was funny what we all remembered. Lucky for me, I ran into two of my high school classmates, making it way more fun to reminisce. They remembered so much more detail than me. It took me 10-minutes of hard thinking to remember what the library looked like, which shows how much time I spent in there! 

The new school had characteristics of the old school, but with much burlier features. It was better, and that's a good thing. On a wall near the gym, hung a large piece of the gym floor where I played volleyball everyday with Miatta (one of the girls I was blessed to run into today) and where I remember that awful freshman gym class where we all had to run a mile for time. 

Each of us were reminded of our own stories of that treachorous mile test. During the tour, no joke, I saw Mr. Hilton, my gym teacher from 14 years ago, instructing a new class of freshman recruits. I bet they were about to run their mile too! He was a great teacher, and I respected him a lot. I am sure I can give him partial credit for my chosen career, but boy, I hated that mile test. 

In high school, my mile time was 14:10. For any of you who don't know what this means...it means I walked a lot of it. 

Next weekend, I am running my first ever marathon. 

Today I was brought back, with a laughing nostalgia, to a time when I could not run 1 mile.

In 9 days, I will run 26.2

Thrill, excitement, anticipation, and eagerness all describe what I am feeling about this race. 

It was not a coincidence that today, I got a glimpse of the very floor, which shaped the drive to get physically better, stronger and do what I never thought possible. 

Never did I ever see a marathon in my future when I was huffing and puffing around a track, my freshman year of high school.

In 9 days, I will embark on a 26.2 mile journey, that it more meaningful than just the physical. It is a testimony of the success principle, known as consistency. What can we accomplish over time, if we stay consistent, keep moving forward, and exude the attitude of aggressive patience?!

The point of all this is not about me, my marathon, and my past experience as a run/walker in high school. 

It's about all of us; about what we are capable of. It's about what we can do to meet our dreams and goals with sustained, patient, and persistent effort. Today I challenge you to think beyond today, to think about what you want and what you are willing to do (probably a little bit everyday), to get there. 

Write it down and revisit it often. As my friend, Napolean Hill says, there is nothing that sustained thought cannot overcome. 

What you seek and what you think about is what you get. 

Think about and embrace your future. For good. Dream a little bit. Actually, dream a lot. 

Define what your tomorrow will look like, and start today. Actually, start right now, on the path to what you want! 

Lessons from the Road: Push On

...Even if it's unfamiliar. 

This weekend, I was in Louisville, KY at Freedom Hall for a leadership/success celebration conference through one of my favorite organizations, Leadership Team Development. We heard so many amazing speakers, including Dr. John C. Maxwell, the king of leadership training. 

During a break at the conference, I decided to go on a 4.5 mile run and explore a bit. Louisville is on the Ohio River, and was surrounded by bridges and paths. I just started running, found a path along the river, and in the distance, saw 2 immaculate bridges. I decided that I was going to run across this one bridge that appeared to be close by. First of all, it wasn't as close as I thought and I was on a timeline! Secondly, I couldn't quite figure out how to get there, although I just figured it out. 

As I was running across this bridge, the creep of the unknown started to settle in after about minute six. The bridge seemed longer than I had expected and it was on an incline, so I really couldn't see the other side (my goal). The scenery was lovely and the weather was perfect, and I was renewed, simply by running in a different location. But the doubt of how long this bridge actually was and if I had time to complete it, started to enter my mind. 

I almost turned around, before I looked at my watch and realized it had only been 8-minutes. 

I pushed on across the bridge, got to the other side, tagged the rusty side rail, checked my watch and started running back. 

It took 9-minutes to get across the first time. 

It took 6-minutes to get back across.

This got me thinking about life, about goals and about dreams. Now, my above example is a little bit dramatic, but I think that we can often do this to ourselves when pursuing an unknown (something we have never done) or something that seems outside the box (like maybe something "the world" wouldn't jump for joy about). 

You see, on the way across the bridge, I didn't know how far it was, how long it would take, or really the end point (because I couldn't see it). All I saw was some pretty water and the road in front of me. What if I had given up at 8-minutes? I would not have met my goal by 1 more minute of running. 

Apply this to life. Have you ever pursued something and given up at that moment that it seemed like it wasn't going to happen? I demand today; keep pushing on. Your dream or your goal may be just around the corner and all you have to do is just push a little more. 

Also, the second time you do the unknown, it doesn't seem like it takes as long, or is as challenging. I improved my time by 3-minutes, because I knew where I was going and now had experience with this particular route. Have you ever driven somewhere new where you didn't inherently know the directions (you had to use GPS) and it seems to take forever, but on the way back, it seems much faster. 

The same thing applies to those steps that it takes to get to your goals. Once you do something once, the second time is not so bad. Say you make the decision to start exercising and you do so moderately for 20-minutes. You may not know if you can get through 20-minutes, but once you do, you know you can do it again and again.

My message today is simple. Keep pushing on, even when it feels like you may not be getting anywhere. If you are consistent and persistent and taking the appropriate action, success may be just a sliver away. 

Pumpkin, Need I Say More!

It’s October…it’s fall…and it’s time for pumpkin! I’m totally biased when it comes to pumpkin, I think it’s absolutely, hands down, the best seasonal ingredient out there. Why? Pumpkin is full of vitamin A and fiber and very low in calories. It’s beautiful orange color and it's mild yet distinct flavor affords it to match with anything. Check out these healthy pumpkin recipes to get you started! 

I love to just mix it in with my regular veggie salads and hot dishes, knowing that I am adding vitamin value, taste, and nutrition to my meals!

Also, I couldn’t resist..I ran across an article about a kid who is selling pumpkins like an old school newsboy. You’re telling me, you wouldn’t buy pumpkins from a kid with a truck bed selling fresh, farm cultivated pumpkins. I would. Everyday. All fall! Check out his story!

If you love pumpkin and don’t know what to do with it, check out these recipes and resources!

Spaghetti Squash with Pumpkin Pesto (this is my go-to during the fall/Thanksgiving season)

Spaghetti Squash is a delicious fall alternative to pasta and a great way to introduce your kids to harvest veggies. You can twirl the squash just like pasta and get extra benefits from vitamins like: Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C. 

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash

1 package of powdered pesto

3 tbsp. pumpkin puree

Dash of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon

Salt and pepper

Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese

Cooking Directions and Tips:

1. The Spaghetti Squash: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash in oven safe pan and spray with cooking spray. Roast for 20-30 minutes and take out. Let cool for 10-20 minutes; then cut in half and take out the seeds.   Place skin sides down back in pan. Salt and pepper the flesh and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for another 20-30 minutes until squash easily forks into "spaghetti."

Busy Chick Trick: Put the squash in the oven in the morning, roast for 30 minutes, then turn oven off and leave squash in oven until evening when you are ready to cook it. The squash will stay tender and it will only take 10-15 minutes in the oven to heat up.

2. Pesto: follow the directions for the water on the pesto package, add mix and water to stovetop. Add in half the oil recommended. Stir in 3 tbsp of pumpkin puree and a couple dashes of the cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Leave on low for 5-10 minutes.

Why packaged pesto? It's inexpensive, it's healthier, and it's quick. The calories are less than in pre-made pesto, because you control the oil and it is a water based sauce. The pumpkin puree thickened up the pesto and helps it spread over the squash.

3. Mix and Serve: Fork out the squash and place in a big bowl. Note: it will make more than you think. Mix in pesto, and top with a tbsp of parmesan cheese, and serve. This makes 3-4 servings.

Nutrition: 1 serving = 2 cups. 187 calories, 14g Fat (2g saturated), 15g Carbs, 4g Fiber, 2.5g protein

Add a protein to make it a dinner: lentils, grilled chicken, or turkey meatballs would be delicious!

5-minute Pumpkin Soup: great for a quick dinner, serve it up with a serving of protein for a complete meal. Also pairs well with roasted kale!

In a sauce pan, combine 2 cups chicken or veggie stock and 3/4 cup pumpkin puree along with a bit of cracked pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg (generous), ginger and cinnamon. Cook together over medium-high heat for 3-min. Add 1/2 cup of almond milk. Cook for another 90 seconds, or until desired temperature. Place in bowl and top with cilantro.

Nutrition: 102 calories, 3g fat, 18g carb (5g fiber), 4g protein

Pumpkin Pineapple Smoothie: a delicious snack or quick breakfast

In a blender, combine:

1 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup pineapple

pinch of cinnamon and pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp almond or vanilla extract

1/2 cup almond milk

1 cup ice

Nutrition: 153 calories, 3g fat, 31g carbs (9g fiber), 4g protein

 Eating by Elaine: 

Autumn Soup: a delicious & creamy combination of butternut squash, pumpkin and sweet potato. Elaine Goldstein is very gifted in designing recipes that are simple, full of nutrition and unexpectedly delicious!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: I have had these, they are amazing, and healthy, and just wonderful to have around any holiday!

There are so many more pumpkin options, this simple scratches the surface and hopefully gets you to think of what you can do on your own!

Sweet, Tempting and American?

Oh Sugar! This week at a local coffee shop, I ordered a healthy breakfast sandwich of thinly sliced whole grain bread, spinach, a slice of ham and 1 egg. The server got my order wrong and it came as a sammy with thick slices of bacon and cheddar cheese. While delicious this was not my go-to choice. After returning it and asking for the original order, the young lady brought me not only the right sandwich but a gonking piece of coffee cake as a friendly offering. It was huge and it literally seemed like it was staring at me!

Just the day before, I committed myself to pay attention to the amount of sugar and caffeine that I consume on a daily basis. When I ordered my breakfast sandwich, I specifically did not order coffee to go with it, but normally I would. Although cake and desserts are not really a temptation for me, because I decided to check out how much sugar I was consuming daily, this piece of coffee cake suddenly became alluring.

The incident got me thinking a bit about:

1) How many people really pay attention to what they eat (especially out) and what the caloric repercussions of such choices are.

So if this scenario was you, you would now have your cake, but would you eat it too?

What if I told you that this particular slice of cake (the one pictured that I was served) is listed online via the company's website at 770 calories, 34g fat and over 100g carbs. Is it worth it? Absolutely not!

In the USA, there are more than 25,000 fast food restaurants which spend $294 per year in marketing directed toward children (source). Unless we teach kids (and this means we have to know what's right too!) what the right choices are, how can we expect them to make healthy choices at school, at their friends houses, or as they get older. I remember growing up, we traveled a lot, and ate fast food alot. As a kid (and somewhat into adulthood), I loved happy meals, which have over 500 calories and 20g of fat! Yikes; glad I learned what healthy means as I got older.

2) How often are we presented with temptations like this on a daily/weekly basis?

Do birthday parties, office parties, take-out after a long day, dinner out, lunch out, lattes and cappuchinos from coffee shops, snacks, drinks, fast food...need I go on...ring a bell? How much do we consume throughout the week that we don't even think about?

Ok, so what's the point? This is not to give you yet another piece of health advice to think about. It's more to help increase awareness about seemingly insignificant scenarios that can add up to high calorie choices and potentially weight gain over time. When you are out and about, be sure to pay attention to how many times you are presented with (and give into) food temptations that you would not normally eat, if you were preparing your own food 100% of the time.

From Reader's Digest: Make healthier choices at coffee shops

3) Even if calories are listed, do we really know what is in the foods we are eating when we are on the go?

A recent study published in the July 2011 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association compared laboratory measurements of calories in 269 food items with the restaurants' stated calories. Researchers found that 19% of food items had at least 100 calories more than listed and only 7% of the 269 foods tested were within 10 calories of what the restaurants stated (source)

If you're like me, you are on the go and overbooked, constantly. Cooking for yourself and planning your meals everyday is near impossible. It's important to know what your goals are and how to best fuel yourself during the day. Sometimes keeping a bar or nutrition shake or a piece of fruit and a serving of almonds in your bag can save you from overeating at a quick joint or getting to a point where your blood sugar is too low.

The message today is simple. Find out what works for you so that you are prepared for your own schedule. Decide in advance where you will resist temptations and where you will allow yourself to indulge a little bit. Life is meant to be enjoyed and we shouldn't be bogged down by the foods around us!

Fit to Call Yourself Fit

We tend to compare ourselves to others. Usually its our worst to their best. What is your best and how does it fit into "fit"?

To discover this, I think it's important to define what "fit" really means in the broad sense and also in your own personal sense. For example, if you previously hadn't exercised for three years, but have been working out 3-4 times per week; find that you are gaining lean muscle and losing body fat, and that you have more energy and can do more than you have in the last 3 years...are you fit? If you are naturally a thin person, but have never really exercised, would you define yourself as fit? If you go to the gym most days of the week for a general workout, does this mean you are fit?

Appearances can be deceiving; don't be fooled.

The naturally thin person may secretly desire to become more fit, even if she/he is constantly told how awesome they look. The 'working towards fit' individual may look at the naturally thin person, and not know that and get jealous. I've seen this, so many times. In all cases (yes, I am speaking in absolutes here), I think it's vitally important to avoid comparing our worst to another's best.

This short blog post from Stop Chasing Skinny shows how we can do this, from the perspective of a "skinny" person.

So, are you fit? I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately, about how to define, or describe fitness. The truth is, there are so many aspects to get into. As a society, we could say, "to be fit, you must be able to run a 5k without stopping." Well, that's great for some, but for others, it may not be realistic. For example, a gentleman in his 50's may have had knee replacement surgery from an old football injury. He swims 2,500 meters every other day and is in great health. But, because we defined "fit" in one way, he wouldn't qualify.

This is my opinion, but here is a way that you can define general fitness:

Can you perform 1 or more of these activities:

Cardiovascular

1. Running for 30-minutes at any pace without stopping

2. Walking briskly for 60-90 minutes while holding a conversation

3. Biking at an above leisurely pace for 60-minutes

4. Swimming for 30-minutes with minimal rest

5. Dancing, Zumba, rowing, hiking, incline walking, rollerblading, or any other moderate movement exercise for 30-60 minutes without getting super out of breath

6. Playing a recreational sport like football, basketball, volleyball for an afternoon

Strength

1. Being able to do 10 to 20 pushups in a row

2. Being able to perform basic strength movements in good form and for at least 20-minutes (examples: squats, lunges, rows, pullups, bench press, deadlifts, shoulder press, core exercises)

3. Being able to perform above ordinary tasks like moving heavy furniture, loading boxes, etc.

We could go into balance, agility, and many other measures of fitness, but the point is this... "fit" is all relative....to you. You may read this list and know that you can do it all, or you may look at it and think the opposite. Here's the key, there are 9+ examples here. Did you read the list and pick out 1-2 that you couldn't do or did you pick the 5-6 that you can. Focus on your strengths and build on it. I can do most of these things, but swimming for 30-minutes consistently? No thank you, there is no desire there; and that's ok.

This year, I have chosen to run a marathon. Why? Two reasons: 1) often, when someone finds out I'm a trainer, the first question that comes out is, "oh, do you run marathons?" Now, I am not sure what one has to do with the other, but I figured, I might as well do one, so I could answer 'yes' to that question (for those of you wondering, yes, this is 90% of my motivation for doing the marathon!); 2) I like to compete against myself and see what I am made of.

I love CrossFit. It's one of the influences that helped me develop my passion for fitness. I am training for a marathon, and for my body, find that the 2 do not mix as I'd like. Because my goal is the marathon, I have to dissociate myself from the CrossFit world, even though I am constantly surrounded by friends/colleagues who are participating and competing in the sport. Sometimes it's hard, because I feel like I am not as fit as they are, because I am running versus doing CrossFit workouts. In my head, I know this is nutso talk, but in my gut, I am jealous of their workouts. The point here is...whatever your goals are, stick with them. Don't let the sway or enticement of someone else's goal sway yours. Become the fit that you want to become in that moment. Define it for yourself and then stand proud of your progression.

If you go from playing recreational basketball, to training and completing a triathlon, I'm proud of you. If you go from getting winded walking up a flight of stairs to being able to walk up 4 flights of stairs easily, I'm equally proud of you. If you go from not exercising to walking 10-minutes a day, I am ecstatic for you. (Please, insert your own goals here and then get excited about them).

Go after your goals, and define what fitness means for you.

By the way, I'd love to hear your definitions and accomplishments!

Welcome!

Monica Niska here, excited to present to you www.thewellwithall.com, a blog dedicated to spreading the health word in a fun, down to earth, and useful way! My passion is fitness, food and helping friends figure out their goals and get after it. You may already know me or you may not; you may think you know me, and you may not :)

As an ambitious chick, with lots of dreams and goals, I thrive and find reward with helping others reach their goals. I am proud to say I get to do this everyday. What you will find on this blog is up-to-date info on various health topics, post about personal development, and links to cool people, resources, and blogs that you can use to better yourself. You will not find negative material, complaints or woes! I believe & operate with a simple mantra: believe in better, inspire & empower.

My professional background is personal training and lifestyle consulting. Even though I'm good at this; I think I'm an even better cook. Creating food and recipes is a skill and passion that I could pursue everyday. I love to travel, move/exercise, cook, inspire, discover, explore and get inspired from other leaders and successful people in life. I believe we should get outside and enjoy life everyday. By nature, I am a bit disorganized and very spontaneous, but have found that in order to get what I want in life and make the impact I desire too, this has to change. The blog gives me a chance to place much of my creative energy in one place, to hopefully benefit you and your friends!

The goal of this blog is to launch a resource that inspires others to find balance and health in life; and provides encouragement/ammunition to reach goals, find happiness and move closer to passion, quicker! "The Well With All" is a play off the term 'wherewithal' which describes "the means or supplies for the purpose or need." In our case, the purpose is finding fun and encouragement in health.

Please let me know about your businesses, your websites, blogs you follow, resources you find encouraging and beneficial, and I will post about them. Share with your friends and let's build a healthy empire together!

Best,

Monica

Out of Routine: What You Want

Healthy living is more than just diet and exercise. While I won't overwhelm you with all the factors that contribute to health; finding balance in daily living is one of the keys find health universally. In my opinion, healthy living can be summed up to one or two action steps:

1. Progressively (yes this is a double meaning!) develop a positive mental attitude

2. Take the time to stop and think about what you need and what you are willing to maintain or improve your health

Perspective, either forced or sought out can move us to change. Maintaining a healthy perspective is sometimes as simple as getting out of your routine, admitting you need guidance, or experiencing something impactful or unexpected.

Henrik Edberg, posts on The Positivity Blog a title called "How to Get the Boring Tasks Done."This caught my attention, because I consider ALL household tasks boring (aside from cooking or rearranging furniture). The tips are awesome; even more impressive is that they can be changed over to refer to any area of your health that you find boring or mundane!

Recently, I have been trying to get out of my routine/out of my comfort zone to gain a new perspective. Yesterday, I was done with training, a little earlier than expected. My instinct was to go home, make dinner and then do some work on the computer. Instead I went to Barnes and Noble and sat up in one of their window seats, to get my work done. Simply being in a different location than usual helped me to think differently about a couple of things. What does this have to do with health? EVERYTHING (for me!) As a worker bee, I find it challenging to "turn it off." By setting myself up to finish my work, before heading home, it allowed me the freedom to go home, cook dinner, and just chill out. Don't you know, I got more sleep than normal too. Changing your perspective or your routine can have a ripple effect on your health, that you may not recognize at first. My above example is just a tiny one.

Laura Yochelson, budding author of "I Only Had Anorexia: Could I Ever Have Something More" is a sweet example of one who identifies changes needed, then seeks out answers, and then teaches others about her experiences. Stay tuned for her book launch, coming soon!

Getting out of our routine (or sometimes getting into a different, more productive routine), can help you gain a new perspective when it comes to your health. We can get up so close in our own business, that we lose our goals. Or we can just go-go-go without relishing in on on the most vital activities...thinking.

Get out of your own way, stop and think, then take action. Do this regularly and watch your life change over time!

Running Reflections from a Marathon Rookie

For those of you interested in running or participating in distance events, the best advice I can give you is to start. As you start, don't get discouraged about where you are at. Instead, think about where you are going.

The Marine Corps Marathon on October 30, 2011, will be my first marathon. Up until last month, I declared that this will also be my only one. However, I can already tell that I am going to want to do a second one to improve my time, based on some lessons learned. One of the biggest changes in routine I have made as of late, is to repeat routes. Prior, I would just go, just run as long as I could, without much direction. What I found is that knowing the end point, helps me run faster, harder, and longer. After doing the same 10k training route three times, I improved my original time by 15-minutes, because I had "been there." Sometimes, experience pays.

Historically, running has been my fitness nemesis; I would prefer to do anything else for exercise (except dance in public!). Now, as I have practiced and improved, I have found it to be, not only a great escape from work, stress, and other stuff, but an activity that I actually look forward too. Maybe for you, running leaves little to desire. If so, apply your sport of choice and get going (even if it's just 5-min). We all must start somewhere!

Yesterday, I found myself in deep thought on the trail during a 14-mile training run. With longer distances, it's all about perspective and expectation. This distance was about twice the length of my average training run. Because I knew that this was part of the process to hit the end goal (increasing my mileage), I wasn't intimidated. Reflecting on the past, I remember when I couldn't run for 14-minutes...ok, let's be honest, probably not even for 4-minutes; let alone over 14-miles.

The body is amazing when you progress properly and give yourself room to improve. You can be hard on yourself for where you aren't (this applies to a non-active individual, as much as it does to the athlete). Or, you can recognize where you are at, and resolve to get better. A little bit. Most days of the week.

The best way to get where you want is to know where you are going!

Indulge AND Avoid the Bulge?!

Life is meant to be enjoyed. We are meant to live abundantly and in good health, so why live with such large restrictions when it comes to food. I am a huge fan of food. Actually more so, a huge fan of food that tastes amazing and is good for the body. Yes, it is possible!

Today, I now consider a homemade smoothie with simple ingredients like greek yogurt, strawberries, peaches and pineapple, an indulgence. It's healthy, and tastes like ice cream (winner!). The reason I consider it an indulgence is because to take the time for myself to make it, is not always a luxury I allow in the morning. I vow today, to make this more of a habit. What are your healthy indulgences? Do good for your body on a daily basis and it will do good for you!

Indulging will mean something different for everyone. Maybe you love chocolate and choose to indulge in a small amount daily or just occasionally. Maybe you enjoy butter on your bread or potato. By the way, a surprisingly flavorful way to dress a baked potato with with a few drops of soy sauce, fresh horseradish and chives. Maybe you love ice cream or potato chips or just an old fashioned American cheeseburger. Whatever it is for you, decide to indulge sometimes, and be good most of the time. You can be good with moderation (not overeating) or by only enjoying your indulgences occasionally (I promise it will taste even better this way!)

So what does indulging have to do with "avoiding the bulge." Discovery Health blogger and fitness expert, Jonathon Ross, posts Mind Over Milkshakes: Do We Eat Less if We Indulge? Interesting comparison of how labels and perception can potentially affect your metabolism!

Indulging (or allowing yourself to eat tasteful foods) in moderation is one of the keys to controlling your weight and enjoying food and the experiences that go along with it. Learn what this means for you and your lifestyle; discover what to indulge in often (and what to save for special occasions); and enjoy!

The Proof is in the Beans

Or something like that! Do you know how much caffeine is in your favorite morning drink?

Any brand coffee-decaf = 2-12 mg per 8 ozInstant coffee = 27 - 173 mg for 8 oz

Dunkin' Donuts, 16oz coffee = 143-206mg caffeine

Starbucks Espresso (1 oz) = 58-75mg

Starbucks Vanilla Latte, 16oz = 150mg

Starbucks Skinny Carmel Macchiato = 150mg

Starbucks Grande Brewed Coffee = 330mg

Check the caffeine content of your favorite drink from Starbucks.

12 oz sodas

Coke Zero = 35 mg

Mountain Dew = 54mg

Pepsi (reg or diet) - 37mg

Black Tea = 20-120mg (8 oz)

Green Tea = 26 mg (6 oz)

Good to know: "The actual caffeine content of the same coffee drink can vary from day to day — even at the same coffee shop — because of factors such as roasting and grinding, as well as brewing time" (Mayo Clinic, 2009).

Jitters

Moderate caffeine consumption is considered to be around 200mg per day. If you consume more than 500-600mg per day, you may want to consider cutting it back. But how do you know? Coffee drinks can be tricky, and you could be consuming more than you think you are (or you could be fine!).Signs of too much caff include: headaches, restlessness, anxiety, jittery behavior, irregular heart beat, difficulty sleeping, frequent urination, etc.

Perks

Coffee and it's buddies can sometimes get a bad rap. But there are benefits to coffee/caffeine. Recent research has led to the thought that the antioxidants in caffeine could help fight against free radicals. Check out a recent article from CBS news for more details. There are also many studies being done about how caffeine can postively affect the endurance athlete, when consumed in small amounts throughout a race or training event. Some studies also show that consumed in moderate amounts, coffee/caffeine could have a positive influence on disease prevention. As always, talk to your doc, if you have questions about how much you should consume!

Story Time!

When I was about 14, Starbucks launched its empire and I was well on my way to thinking that I was a professional adult. Almost daily, I went to Starbucks and got a coffee or frappachino; and became addicted! Post college, I was drinking 5-6 home cups a day and often another cup from a coffee shop. I was definitely jittery all the time; and eventually cut back to 1 cup of coffee per day or a B12 energy drink, designed for active people. It wasn't easy, but it was necessary to cut back!

Please sir, I want some more (for 400 calories or less)

When it comes to dining out, you can enjoy your food and eat a healthy meal! Most restaurants today, have nutrition information online, so that you can check out your dishes before you go out. Many times, dishes can be tricky, and what may appear as a healthy choice, may in fact, be a calorie trap. Check out some of these local, healthy, franchise finds:

Seasons 52 at White Flint & Tysons Corner

Fish, Black Bean & Jimaca Piperade

380 cal, 9g fat, 708mg sodium, 33g carbs (10g fiber), 42g protein

Blackened Grouper with Sweet Potato

390 cal, 6g fat, 1559mg sodium, 34g carbs (7g fiber), 50g protein

All Seasons 52 dishes are under 475 calories, so you really can't go wrong! Pick out your favorite dish online, before you go out

Sweet Green, in DC, MD, VA & PA

Make Your Own Salad or Wrap

Monica's Modest Mesclun Salad: Mesclun, shredded carrots, grape tomatoes, raw peppers, hearts of palm, cucumbers, edamame, roasted shrimp & honey dijon dressing

325 cal, 9g fat (1 g saturated), 1107mg sodium, 34g carbs (4g fiber), 24g protein

Make your own & check your calories

Mongolian Grill, check your zip code for the closest one!

Charred Tomato Pasta: Whole wheat pasta, onions, basil, tomatoes and bd's Mongo Marinara sauce.

370 cal, 7g fat (1.5g saturated), 520mg sodium, 66g carbs (11g fiber), 11g protein, 2 servings of fruits/veggies

Spicy Tiger Chicken: Chicken breast, bean sprouts, mushrooms, onions and pea pods with Mongolian ginger sauce and tiger sauce.

250 cal, 8g fat (0.5g saturated), 1100mg sodium, 23g carbs (2g fiber), 23g protein, 1 serving fruits/veggies

Create your own bowl & find out what you are eating!

The Olive Garden--found in your favorite town or city!

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

250 calories, 8g fat (3g saturated), 1180mg sodium, 29g carbs (2g fiber), 16g protein, 1 serving fruits/veggies

Venetian Apricot Chicken Dinner: grilled chicken breasts with apricot sauce & served with veggies

380 calories, 4g fat (1.5g saturated), 1420mg sodium, 32g carbs (8g fiber), 53g protein, 1.5 servings fruit/veggies

Look up your favorite dish.

Sources: www.healthydiningfinder.com & restaurant sites