Personal Fitness Victory!

Seven years later, my dad and I revisited a straight up mountain climb that left me crying, panting and begging to go home. I didn't realize how out of shape I was then, until we did this hike. Revisiting the same starting point, and going for it, I found that while it wasn't easy, I could do it no problem (so could dad!), and we continued hiking afterwards for about 8 hours.

Seven years ago, this would not have been a reality. It feels great to achieve something like this and revisit something that was "impossible" at the time.

Whatever you want to achieve, even if you suck at it now, just keep getting better everyday.

It's never too late.

You can be fitter in one year than you are now.

Just be consistent.

Don't ever give up.

This video is from the top of the mountain, right after we finished the 20-minute ascent. A little red in the face, but still breathing and standing ;)

Monica's Fitness Victory: A Mountain Climbed!

The 80% Rule for Food

This may go against the beliefs of many fitness "professionals" and maybe against what you believe about what it takes to be healthy, but I believe in a practical, realistic approach when it comes to health. In my opinion, for the regular, hard working American eating "clean" and perfect and only fruits and vegetables from the farmers market and grass fed meat from the local farmer is not realistic 100% of the time. I believe this, because as a person who strives to be healthy, I have fallen into this trap of trying to be perfect and then finding it impossible, many times.

I'm not into making excuses, so please don't think that's what I'm trying to do here. What I'm aiming to help us all achieve is the understanding that you can be healthy and still splurge, eat crap sometimes, get take out sometimes, and still be healthy.

If you have kids or a (more than) full time career or you hate to cook or you don't have time to cook or you are just getting started on healthy eating, let me tell you, healthier choices are better than not healthy choices. If you can make healthy choices say 80% of the time, you will be well on your way to health. The 80% is just a number. It's all about progression. If right now, you make healthy choices 10% of the time and already find that hard, don't try to change to 80% today. That's unrealistic and in most cases it won't last. Instead, aim for 15%, then 20% and so on. Progress slowly and experience the liberation of healthy choices, as you progress...Ahh...

The easiest times (in most cases!) is to eat healthy is at breakfast (when you're home) or at snack time, by packing  healthy snack. As a woman on the go, I find that some days, a healthy breakfast, a healthy snack and an attempt at a healthy dinner are all I've got. Ok. In my opinion, it's better to eat healthy when you have the option too, than to say, "ugh, this day is a waste, I'm just going to eat whatever junk comes my way, because I've already ruined the day." This is a lie we tell ourselves and I encourage you NOT to believe it.  A healthy breakfast doesn't mean you have to sit down, read the paper and cook french toast (for real, it's 2012!), but it does mean that you can grab and go a healthy breakfast or take less than 10-minutes to make an energizing first meal.

While driving through a fast food joint for breakfast can be appealing, it's way healthier and sometimes faster to make your breakfast sammy at home. Try cooking 1-2 eggs on a skillet over medium heat and adding to 2 slices of whole wheat bread, with a slice of cheese or a slice of deli ham. Add an apple and you will get a well balance meal of protein, fiber and sustained energy for your morning ahead! For other breakfast ideas, check out my blackberry coconut smoothie or  my feta and egg breaksfast burrito.

When it comes to exercise, so often we set a goal and try to go from no activity to running a half marathon or lifting a house in one week. I've been guilty many times. Why do we feel like the microwave, short term solution will give us long term results. Have you ever heated up coffee (or anything!) in the microwave. It's hot at first, maybe for 10-minutes, but it cools down quickly. Don't be a microwave product; increase your heat (time, effort, consistency) over time and watch your results fire up!!

So where does the 80% come in?!

As a fitness professional, I keep up to date on different blogs, articles (and comment on those articles), trends, and research updates. I often read comments or blogs that refer to the extremes. My post today was inspired by a comment I read two months ago from a woman who was responding to a social media chain about the childhood obesity epidemic. She said that if schools and parents would just feed the kids 100% vegan diets, the obesity problem would be solved. I was appalled by this. Not because a vegan diet is evil, but because to ask a child to become 100% vegan (or anyone else who has troubles with eating healthy foods regularly) is outlandish. What?! This kind of hit my core and made me realize that we need more people who promote a healthy diet, but not who promote extremes. I like being healthy, but I can't say that I'm ready to change my diet to 100% vegan or inflict it on a child. As a child I ate McDonald's and I drank huge sodas (which I biked to get--does this redeem it?!) I know what it's like to eat food and not know the negative affect on your body, but does that mean we make rules that kids can only eat vegan? Hopefully you agree, of course not.

So, today, I'm telling you that 80% pure healthy and 20% fast food, quick stops, etc. is ok. You can easily control the 80%. Maybe some weeks, its even 98%. You don't have to be perfect or extreme to hit your goals. Everyday or every week make one small change that moves you forward toward a hug future. I empower you to make the healthiest choices you can with your circumstances. Choose fruits, vegetables, beans, lean proteins like chicken and seafood, and healthy fats like olive oil, almonds, and avocados. Don't try to be perfect. Please.. Make a vow to improve. Maybe you add salmon to your dinner menu once a week to start. Maybe you start by making a green smoothie twice a week for breakfast.

Don't give in to information that you read telling you that you must eat a certain way all the time to be healthy. Extremes for food are silly. Limiting food groups is silly (in my opinion). Eat healthy most of the time and allow yourself indulges when you travel or when you're out and about with limited options. You'll be happier, less stressed about food, and more able to focus on issues that really matter.

Happy (and mostly healthy!) eating,
Monica

Egg, Feta and Herb Breakfast Burrito

This is an energizing breakfast and can be made in about 5-minutes.

Scramble 2 eggs and place in a whole wheat tortilla with an oz of feta, a handful of cilantro (or your favorite herb) and some cracked pepper. Roll it up and put it back in the skillet over medium heat, browning both sides.

Serve with an apple and some energy lemonade. For energy lemonade combine 8 oz of seltzer water with 1 shot of lemon XS (ask me about this!)

Stay energized until lunch!

Fall into Your Goals

The fall is always a time of renewal for me. 

The leaves falling reminds me of letting go of any baggage or negativity or any voices that may say, "no you can't do that." 

All that stuff falls to the ground and is raked away by us or washed away by the rain. What's left is a bare tree, ready to be renewed. You can be like this too, if you have things that you want to change. 

This month I have set 1 goal for myself and only one. It's scary, it's atypical, it's out of character, but I believe that hitting this one goal will catapult me & start the process of building momentum for what I really want.

Usually I set 3-4 business goals, 1 personal training goal, 1-2 personal health goals, a spiritual goal and an organizational goal. What? This is nuts--it's a lot of pressure, and it's unhealthy. And I almost never hit every goal I set (or even remember what they are a week or month later)

This month I have one business goal. 

One.  

This is the first time in my life I have only set one goal in a month. 

Change must be proceeded by change. 

I'll update you at the end of the month.

If you want change you have to change something. This is profound, I know. But how often do we desire change, but we change nothing. Or how often do we think we are changing, but then fall into old habits. 

 This fall, choose to fall into change. Pick one thing you want to accomplish and pursue it wholeheartedly. I bet that things will start to fall into place for you!  

Ok, enough puns about fall, it's time to take action. 

What do you want? What are you willing to do for it? Where do you see yourself at the end of October? Did you hit your goal?

In health & prosperity, 

Monica

19 Hikes in 30 Days

Yesterday marked day 30 in my quest to do 30 hikes in 30 days. Somewhere around hike 7, I realized how ambitious this goal was and how with a career and a business, doing a long hike everyday may or may not be possible.

This is not an excuse; it's a reality.

Hiking takes time (and also driving to each one takes time) and I didn't want to compromise the integrity of the hike, by doing half a$$ hikes. If I am going to do 30 hikes, I'm going to do 30 hikes, not 30 semi-maybe this counts-no one will know if I compromise hikes.

Let me next say that I missed my goal of 30 in 30 days.

But I did 19.

I'm impressed and happy with myself for doing 19 hikes in 30 days. Real hikes. No compromises. No cheating.

As I got into the pursuit of the goal, I realized how tough 30 hikes in 30 days actually is. I appreciated the goal more when I was taking action on it.

This is why at the end of the 30 days, I can get excited about the fact that I did 19 hikes, instead of bummed about the fact that I didn't do 30.

And guess what? 11 of those 19 hikes were brand new. Never before Monica charted territory. If I hadn't set the goal to do 30 hikes, I may not have ever done these 11 hikes, which I gained lasting value from.

So BIG question....

Did I succeed or fail?

Truth. I successfully completed 19 hikes. And I have 11 more to do.

I would fail if I stopped hiking at 19, because the 30 days is over. I'm not stopping. I will complete the 11 hikes, and in a timely manner. You won't see me blogging about my last 11 hikes in 2013. I will finish it ASAP.

So the point...and how it applies to you.

Set a goal that stretches you, and then pursue it. Evaluate it (not the first or second day, but after you've had a chance to understand if it's the right goal for you).

If I didn't set this goal, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to get as many in as I could have. I wouldn't have hiked Old Rag for my birthday, or met my friend Janelle on a Tuesday morning to explore a lake trail near our houses, or driven to Virginia to hike an unfamiliar trail with my friend Rachel, or hiked from Bethesda to DC with my friend Laura, or finally crossed a small bridge to Roosevelt Island in DC (highly recommended, it's like being in the Matrix!)

Going for 30, meant I got 19 in, instead of the usual 4-6 I would have done without thinking about it.

Set a goal that gets you out of your comfort zone, that maybe you are not sure that you can do (right now).

Pursue it.

At the top of Old Rag on my 30th Birthday!

Evaluate it.

Reset it.

Smile and speak that you will make it.

Hit your goal.

Set another goal.

Then set another.

And another..

Don't be afraid to miss a goal. Finish what you started. I didn't fail by doing 19 hikes in 30 days. I would fail if I stopped there. Because I am capable of more. And you are too.

Be brave and set new standards for yourself today!

Rock Your Cholesterol with a Busy Lifestyle

 

It's no secret that we live in a fast paced world, but what you may not know is that one in six Americans have high cholesterol; yikes!  But there is good news too. Between 1960 and 1962 about one out of three adults, ages 20-74 had high cholesterol. This suggests that we are getting better in the new millenium...good! 

With a busy life, sometimes nutrition takes second priority, but it doesn't need too. No doubt, with the overload of information available today, knowing what to eat can be confusing and may even cause you to throw in the towel and think, 'what's the point.'

I understand.

Dietetic trends, fads, and even research seem to change regularly. It's tough to know what is right and what may change in five years!  What I have gathered over the years from reading, talking with registered dietitians and consulting other health professionals, are some general rules for healthy eating.

These rules for improving cholesterol apply to anyone, whether you don't have time (or desire) to cook, if you are already eating healthy, or if you are not, but want too.  Whether you are feeding just yourself or a family, or if you just want to have a list of what the heck to eat, in order to improve your cholesterol. 


5 Tips to Improve Cholesterol Through Food

1. Eat fat, but make it low in saturated fat and avoid trans-fats. The simplest way to do this is to limit fast food, fried food, whole milk and 2% milk, creamy dressings, pastas with cream sauces, and even sandwiches out at a deli. Whoa! It sounds strict, but its really not. Make smart choices out, like mustard instead of mayo, dressing on the side, or skim milk in your coffee. At home, make your own dressing or cream sauce with greek yogurt, a little lemon juice, and spices. Bake fish and chicken at home and freeze, instead of driving through somewhere on the way home. Figure out what works best for you to avoid these typical American fat filled downfalls.

2. Eat fruits and veggies. Filled with fiber, water and nutrients, fruits and vegetables are a low calorie, easy option to included daily with your meals and snacks. Easy ways to include vegetables in a snack is to cut up pepper strips, celery, cucumbers or carrots and eat with salsa or a tablespoon of hummus. Try adding an apple or grapefruit with your breakfast, or making a quick smoothie of frozen blueberries and banana for dessert. At the beginning of the week, chop up a bunch of veggies, place in a big bowl and top with any kind of vinegar, olive oil (a drizzle) and spices. Serve it up as a side dish for lunch or dinner all week.

3. Eat whole grains instead of the whites. When looking at ingredients, buy products with 100% whole grain, and avoid products with "enriched" anything. Fiber helps to improve cholesterol and helps you digest your food. Enriched is not whole grain, and has been stripped of the fiber, making it similar to white bread. Check the ingredients on your favorite bread, pasta, and oatmeal.

4. Eat more foods high in Omega-3's. This includes foods like, salmon, tuna, mackerel, ground flax seed, olive oil, walnuts, almonds and avocado. Omega-3's are important because they are the heart healthy fatty-acids and we do not produce them without food/supplements. You may also need an omega-3 supplement, if you don't eat enough of these foods, or if you want to improve your HDL. Your HDL (or happy cholesterol), should be above 60; you can get this checked easily with your doctor. The American diet is very high in foods with Omega-6 and 9's, like chicken, beef, steak, butter, even tilapia. Your Omega's must be in balance to work most efficiently. In addition to cholesterol benefits, omega-3's also has a positive effect on brain health and concentration.

5. Prepare to eat healthy. Success comes from simply knowing what to do, doing it and repeating it. As you get more comfortable with these steps and integrate them into your lifestyle, taking into account your time constraints, cooking desire, and budget,  you will find what works for you. Don't expect to be perfect at this right away (or ever!). Treating yourself right and hitting your goals is a constant process and understanding that will help you move forward and feel good about it each day. Here are some tips for prepping to eat cholesterol healthy:

a. Go to the grocery store and invest in plastic food storage ware. Get a couple of different sizes. These are so useful when cooking food to take to work or on the go for the week. Using this method, you can cook and then split it up right away, so that you have portioned food, ready to grab and go. The possibilities with this method are endless. My go-to dish is quinoa, some type of beans and several diced veggies, like peppers, onions, cucumbers, artichokes, and scallions. Or try cubed chicken with whole grain pasta and spinach.

b. Roast veggies and bake sweet potatoes. To roast, choose veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, any kind of pepper, tomato, zucchini, and squashes.  The key here is to cut veggies to relatively the same size, so that they cook pretty evenly. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place veggies in a baking dish.  Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil for every cup of veggies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 30-45 minutes. For sweet potatoes, clean and then wrap in aluminum foil; bake at 350 degrees for about 30-minutes. Store in fridge and take out during the week when ready to eat.

c. Defrost your meat during the day. In the morning, take your salmon, chicken or other protein out of the freezer and place in fridge while you're away during the day. When you get home, do a quick marinade of something like fresh squeezed orange, olive oil and garlic, and bake, grill or saute. Serve with a side of roasted veggies or a salad that you made earlier in the week.
Following these five steps will help improve your health and cholesterol. Here's the biggest tip. Focus on one step at a time. Don't try and master all five steps at once. Work to improve your diet and lifestyle, but know that change is a process and it doesn't happen all in one day!

Resources:
Centers for Disease Control. Cholesterol Facts. January 30, 2012.

Mayo Clinic. Cholesterol: Top 5 foods to lower your numbers. July 27, 2012. Mayo Clinic Staff,

Harvard Health Beat. 11 Foods That Lower Cholesterol. October 2009. Harvard Heart Letter.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC. December 2005. NIH Publication No: 06-5235.

30 Hikes in 30 Days! (Recap 1-5)

One of the mini waterfalls along the trail

Hike 1: Swallow Falls Canyon Trail, Deep Creek, MD
 Take off the blinders and live adventurously

It's amazing what you find when you take a couple steps off the paved trail.

My hiking compadre and I decided to go off the beaten path a bit & explore.

The cave we found by looking beyond the trail!

As we were trancing through the woods, we both agreed we felt like we were on the set of Hunger Games. 

We balanced ourselves over fallen trees, ran up and down wooded hills, and zig zagged through roots and branches.

We hopped from rock to rock across the river a couple of times.

We even found a bow and arrow.

Just kidding...

We did get to a spot where there was this straight up rock wall and we both kind of wondered if we could do it. We jumped right in and climbed it quickly, finding that the doubt was overcome by quick action & a good grip on the rocks!


Next to one of the waterfalls, we climbed up a a couple of rocks and found this awesome little cave. It was so lovely and unique and it was like a little secret that only those brave or creative enough to step off the path a little bit will see. 
August 26, 2012




Hike 2: George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, VA
Explore your own town or city, there is always opportunity right under your nose

Front view of the George Washington Masonic Memorial

With hiking on my mind, I found this memorial by happenstance after running an errand in Alexandria. Somehow I had never seen it before up close, so I decided to explore. 

This is my urban hike. Hiking doesn't have to be through woods or mountains, sometimes the best adventures are right in your own backyard!

The GW Masonic Memorial is surrounded by hills, so I took 25-minutes and hike up to the front door, around the building and then up and down the stairs and around the winding paths in front of it. 

This sign said, "no exercising" on property

One of the things that I love about DC is that the buildings are short and you can see the Washington Monument from so many different places. Standing at the top of the stairs, I looked to the left and saw the Washington Monument and the Capital in the far distance. Mapping it, I found that the Washington Monument was 7.5 miles away walking!
August 27, 2012  

Driving on 95 today I saw the Masonic Memorial. I've seen it before, but now I know what it is! It helped me understand where I was compared to DC.
September 1, 2012

Hike 3: Billy Goat Trail A & Great Falls Overlook, Carderock, MD
From a bird's eye view, you see the whole picture from afar. Dig deeper and get close to find out the the real story.

This is my go-to hiking/running trail. I love it!

Twice a year, I go to the falls overlook.

Today I saw a group of rafters on a tour of the Potomac.  I could hear them yelling and cheering and encouraging each other from a distance, before I could see them. When I got within eye sight, I could see they were fighting to get up a rapid and cheering each other when there was success. 

Bird's eye view of the rafters.

From my perspective, from way up top the mountain (the bird's eye view), the rapid looked small. 

Blue markers mean you are on the trail!

The rafters were working hard, paddling with all their might, and putting their whole bodies into it.  

The point..don't judge another's struggles. Your struggles are your struggles. When you see someone overcome something, no matter how big or small, congratulate them and make a big deal out of it! 

The bird's eye view only tells part of the story.
August 29, 2012










Hike 4: Sugarloaf Mountain, Dickerson, MD
Hiking isn't always glamorous

View from the overlook. It was a bit foggy this day.

The trail I chose shoots straight up to the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain. It's efficient. There is no mercy. Within minutes my heart rate was skyrocketed and in the 95 degree, high humidity environment, I was glistening a pretty good deal.

As I got near the peak, and was finally on just a slight incline,  I passed a young kid walking leisurely down the trail with his mother. The kid pointed at me like a zoo animal and exclaimed "it's wet, it's wet."

It's fun to see where your feet take you!

Awesome.

It was a good laugh.

Point being, getting to the results you want isn't always pretty. Sometimes you have to dig in and accept that the job to be done is going to take some sweat equity. Just do it...and then celebrate.






Hike #5: Bull Run Park, Bull Run Occoquan Trail, Manassas, VA
Sometimes the road to what you want isn't super exciting. Hike on anyway!

I feel super young in this pic, and I like it!

Today I went hiking with my original hiking buddy...my dad. When I was a little one, he used to put me in a baby backpack and hike along the mountains and trails near Augusta, ME, where we lived. I am pretty sure this is why I like hiking so much today.

At dad's suggestion, we went to Bull Run Park, which neither of us had been too. We found a trail and started going, to find that although it was through the woods and on a dirt, rooted, leaf covered path, it was pretty flat and not too exciting. Kind of like a simple walk through the woods.

We had a great conversation throughout the 3 hour hike, but agreed that this wouldn't be on our #1 list for returns, just because we both love a challenge.

Point being, when you are striving for goals, everyday may not be super exciting. That's all part of the process. I constantly want things to be fun and challenging (I know weird, right?). Stay in the process, pursue it and move forward, even when it seems more boring. The reward is there!