The least relaxing massage, ever

I got a great massage yesterday.  It was the most unrelaxing massage I've ever gotten. 

It started off with a scalp massage with peppermint oil, which was nice and relaxing.  And a nice way to ease into the more painful portion of the show.  

It ended with a warning that I needed to ice that night or I'd be very unhappy the next morning.  Plus, free samples of BioFreeze. Never a good sign.

It was a deep tissue, trigger point massage, and the massage therapist was very reactive to what my muscles needed.  She'd find a spot and hold it until it was relaxed.  She went off of my feedback - so it was not a silent, listen to the calming music massage.  It was an "ow, that's about a 6 on a scale of 10 on the pain level" and "I feel that all the way down my arm" type of massage.  And it was focused on my left shoulder/neck and left hip - two areas that are a constant bother to me. 

My massage therapist, Jenna, at Hand and Stone Massage in Aberdeen, works with the Rutgers (go RU!) football team as well, and incorporated some stretches and more sports-massage elements in as well.  We also spoke about my past knee problems and other areas of concern, so she was aware of where some of my tightness was coming from.

Luckily, my sister has gotten several massages from Jenna before, and warned me that it was not fun while it was happening, but that it felt great afterward.  So I went with her recommendation and was finally able to book with Jenna (I had tried before, but with no success). I also made sure to take some Aleve beforehand, to ward off any post-massage pain.

So while it wasn't the nice relaxing massage that my mind might have needed, it was definitely the  work out all the kinks massage that my body needed.  And, given the interactive nature of the massage and the feedback loop that was required, it was actually pretty good at keeping me in the moment and forcing me to take deep breaths, which is something that normally doesn't happen for me during massages.

I plan to go back for more sometime soon. But I think that my next massage might have to be more along the lines of a Sweedish massage.  Sometimes you just need a nice, long, relaxing massage.

Red Pepper Gazpacho

I'm usually not a gazpacho person, mainly because I'm not a cucumber person.  But I got introduced to the idea of using other veggies to make a yummy gazpacho a year or so ago, and I really like the concept.  I've used this gazpacho as a dressing on a nice summer pasta salad, but you could also use it as a marinade for chicken, a salad dressing, or as just a cold soup.

Red Pepper Gazpacho:

 

Ingredients: 

• 2 large red peppers
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 medium tomato
• 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• Olive oil 
• Lemon juice
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Roughly chop veggies and garlic and add to bowl.
2. Add a bit of olive oil (I start with about 2 tablespoons) and lemon juice (again, start with about 2 tablespoons) and blend with immersion blender. 
3. Add lemon and/or olive oil, as needed, until mixture reaches desired consistency. If you like your gazpacho on the lemon-y side, add more lemon.  If you want it a bit less acidic, just go with the olive oil.  You can make it as thick or as thin as you want. 
4. Add salt and cayenne to taste. 
5. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or free for later use. 

 Enjoy!

Weekend Recap

I love when I get to spend a ton of time outside on the weekend, both doing things and also doing nothing.  This weekend was one of those weekends.  Plus, I got froyo.  So that's always a win. 

It started with working from home on Friday, which was very pleasant.  I don't think I'd want to do it every day, because I'd never have any human interaction.  But occasionally it's nice to work from your couch in sweats and get a little break from the dull drone of coworkers. 

Working from home also meant that we got a earlier start to the evening, and made it down to my dad's at a reasonable time.  Enough time to pick up my sister and go grab pizza and froyo for dinner and dessert.  Then it was back to the house to watch Love It Or List It before calling it an early night. 

As usual, Saturday started early with a 5:30 a.m. wake up call, as Bailey was looking for his walk.  He wanted to switch it up, and we went down a different street than we normally do.  What a crazy way to start the weekend!

After some eggs and toast for breakfast, it was off to the reservoir for a SUP lesson.  It was only my second time on a stand up paddleboard, but I really love it.  It's a great workout that doesn't really seem like a workout.  My only complaint was that we had to wear full on life vests (instead of the PFDs that strap around your waist like a Spi Belt).  So, crappy tan lines.  Which means that when we got back to my dad's house, I laid around on the hammock for a while (and fell asleep for a little while, until I realized that I was really hot).   

After a nice half-nap in the sun, I decided to take care of my neglected garden.  Which meant weeding, digging up some unwanted plants, and using the hedge trimmer to cut back some others (which is so fun!).  And also, dragging the really heavy garbage can around the back yard.  

Finally, at around 4 p.m., I decided to take a shower and put on real clothes. I spent an hour or so inside watching Girl Meets World (not sure how I feel, but I feel I owe it to them to watch) and Say Yes to the Dress.  Then, we piled into the car to meet my dad in Ocean Grove for dinner (pizza again, which was really hot and burned the crap out of my mouth), a concert (doo wop, which we didn't actually pay to see, but just hung out outside with the unwashed masses and "audited") and ice cream (mint chocolate chip and cookie dough hot fudge sundae).  

I slept well that night!  Even Bailey was pooped, and slept in until 6 a.m. on Sunday.  Then, it was walk time!

Since I was already up early, and it was getting hot out, I left at about 8 a.m. on Sunday morning to go to the park and do a hilly walk/run.  Despite my best efforts to beat the heat, it was still hot.  And my legs were tired from SUP and gardening on Saturday, so it wasn't my best run.  But whatever, it's better than nothing. 

When I got home, it was time to help dad trim the hedges for a while.  After showering and heading the the store with my sister for groceries, my dad and I went to the Red Bank Rockin' Country Festival for lunch and some country music for a few hours. Oh, and for a mechanical bull ride.  Which is a lot harder than it looks. 

It was a great weekend, but Sunday night called for some relaxing, which included the World Cup, a yummy dinner, and a bath.  Which is really a great way to cap off a great weekend.

Muck it for MS

Last Saturday I joined my brother, my sister, her boyfriend, and two of his friends to form the Filthy Mudbloods team to participate in the NJ Muck Fest, which is organized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  This has become sort of an annual thing for my sister and me - it's a fun way to raise awareness for MS and pretend that we're kids again for a few hours.  Plus, my nickname growing up was Muddy Megan, so it's clearly right up my alley. 

We usually try to get in one of the earlier waves, but this year, due to a change in how the organizers allocated the start times, we ended up with a 1 p.m. wave. Which could have been bad, but it wasn't too hot that day, so it turned out just fine. 

We started off all nice and clean: 

And ended up not so much: 

In between, there were about 20 or so obstacles filled with water and mud.  they included cargo nets, various methods of traversing pools of water, and numerous was to get from one side of a muddy pit to the other.  

The only obstacle that I skipped was the one where you jump form a platform about eight feet high into a pool of water.  I don't like jumping off of things of any height.  

I had no problems jumping from the swing. Source

This is clearly a very serious endeavor. Source

Truth be told, it's a charity event, so the obstacles weren't the hardest.  There weren't any walls to scale or fire to jump over or electricity to run through.  No ice cold water or precarious slippery slopes to run up.  But that's fine.  It's meant to be more all-inclusive and fun.  Which it definitely was. 

Source

Plus, there was about three and a half miles of running through the woods and up and down hills.  Oh, the hills.  But I like hills and woods, so it's ok. 
 

Spirit fingers were in abundance.

Muddy sisters at the finish. Source

After the the run, we rinsed off and then headed over to McLoone's Boathouse to cash in on our free beers and enjoy the music and sun.

All in, the event raised over $375,000 to support the National MS Society.  Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Workout Wednesday: The Compound

I love compound exercises - combine a few together, and you can get a quick and effective full body workout.  They also keep you (or at least me) from getting bored.  Doing a bunch of squats in a row gets tiring, both mentally and physically, but combine a squat with a shoulder press and the set goes by much quicker.  Throw in a few quick cardio moves and you're all set. 

Enjoy!

The first day of summer

Saturday was the first official day of summer, and it didn't disappoint. It started bright and early at 5:15 a.m., when Bailey woke me up to go on a morning walk.  After walking for about 30 minutes, I decided I needed to go back to sleep, and slept on the couch until about 8 or so. 

Once I officially woke up for the day, I had an egg bagel for breakfast - which is really the best type of bagel around - and then did a quick workout with my sister.  A little later in the morning, we headed up north for the MS Muck Fest (more on that later in the week).   We spent several hours outside hanging at the Muck Festival, running the course and getting muddy, and then enjoying our free beer and some music afterward. 

Once we got home in the early evening, we showered up (which took longer than usual - I didn't do a great job rinsing off afterward, apparently) and ate a quick dinner. Then my dad, sister, her boyfriend, and I headed over to a local beach on the bay to celebrate the first day of summer with a bonfire and some marshmallows.  It was the same beach that I helped clean up a few weeks back. 

It was a gorgeous night.  Warm, but not too hot and muggy.  And the sunset was great.

 

We got there a bit early for the bonfire (which was put on by the local park system), so we took a walk out onto the pier to check out the sunset and the views of Manhattan and the Jersey coastline

 

 

Then, we took a walk up the beach toward a jetty and inlet as the sun set further. After killing about 30 minutes, we headed back to the bonfire. 

 

 

There were marshmallows and chocolate chip cookies (sadly, no makings for s'mores, but I made a poor man's s'more with two cookies and a 'mallow).  There was also a woman with a guitar signing, and some stories from the Native Americans from the region.   We were the only family at the bonfire that didn't have small children, but it didn't matter.  The kids were all cute and I showed them how to stake their 'mallow stick in the stand so you didn't have to burn your knuckles holding it over the fire. 

All in all, it was a really fun (although loooooong) start to the summer.  I definitely slept well that night!

Pasta Salad Summer

I remember when I was little and we'd go to the pool club all day during the summer.  My mom would sit and read while the kids ran from pool to pool (pro tip - jump in the diving tank, which is freezing, and then quickly head over to the adult pool, which is usually pretty cold too.  But, it will feel like a hot tub in comparison to the ice cold diving tank!).  There was also the playground and basketball court and ball fields where we'd play kickball or tennis racket baseball.

And there was an awesome snack bar - with genuine Chipwhiches!  And chocolate ones, too! - but my mom would usually pack us lunch and snacks.  Feeding three hungry kids from a snack bar could expensive.  

My dad would sometimes meat us there for dinner after work.  Sometimes, we'd get pizza ordered to the pool club for dinner, but more often than not, my mom made tuna pasta salad - elbow noodles, tuna, mayo, and sliced hardboiled eggs - and packed it up in a cooler with ice to eat for dinner.  None of us ever got sick, so I'm guessing the ice did it's job in sufficiently cooling the mayo all day (although my RD sister would probably have none of that these days!).

That was probably my first introduction to the idea of pasta salad as a meal.  It's a great idea, especially in the summer.  It's quick and easy to make, and you only need one burner to boil pasta, so the house won't get too warm.  You can mix in anything that you want - veggies, protein, herbs, sauces - toss together, refrigerate, and enjoy for the next week or so. 

I have a big batch of pasta salad in my fridge right now that I'll be picking at for a while.  But I really don't mind - it's light and filled with veggies, and makes a great grab and go lunch or quick and easy dinner.  If I wanted, I could cook up some chicken or sausage and toss that in a serving for a little extra protein. And obviously, I could use it as a side dish as well. 

Pasta salad rocks.  Seriously. It's a great, versatile dish that also lets you use up whatever you have in the fridge and cabinet.  You can dress it any way you want - I've done it before with a gazpacho-type dressing and it's yummy, or an Italian-type dressing is always good.  And it stays for a decent amount of time without getting weird.  Plus, you don't have to heat it up (although you could, if you wanted to).

In summary, I'm a fan.  The end.

The lazy bike

The recumbent bike.  It's in every gym I've ever been in.  I always refer to it as the lazy bike.  You get to sit relatively comfortably while pedaling at a leisurely pace.  How can that be a good workout?

The regular bike is, itself, one of my go-to "not feeling it today" workouts (the other being the elliptical).  It's a decent cardio and leg workout, but I never work up as much of a sweat as I do running or lifting or doing intervals or something else.  So how could the recumbent bike - with it's lack of core work necessary to keep you stabilized - be a decent workout at all? 

That's always been my thinking.  I think I had been on a recumbent bike once - maybe? - in college. 

So I'm not sure what possessed me to get on the recumbent the other day at the gym, instead of doing my usual elliptical/regular bike lazy day combo.  Maybe the seat back looked really enticing or something. 

But I hopped up on it, and started pedaling.  It took a minute to get the seat adjusted properly, but, unlike the regular bike, I could move the seat around while I was still on it.  Score one for the recumbent!

I set the bike to do a 15 minute hill workout, and turned up the tunes to stave off boredom.  While I kind of felt like an idiot for using the recumbent, I actually think  I got a decent workout, and one that was different from the regular bike.  Given the angle of the seat to the pedals, I my calves actually got a good workout, which is something is usually missing from my workouts on the regular bike. 

All in all, the recumbent bike experiment was a success - I got a good workout, certainly no worse than the regular bike.   The downside?  It was definitely a lower-body only workout, with no real core engagement to speak of.  But hey, that's ok, especially since I had done a lot of core work the two days before.

Not letting workouts get derailed

I think anyone that's ever worked out has been there before - you're all set to go with your workout and something goes wrong.  Maybe you were planning to go for a run but you wake up and your foot hurts, or your treadmill is broken.  Or you were going to do some free weights but the weight floor at your gym is suddenly packed. 

Last Friday morning I woke up and my toe hurt.  It wasn't really bad, but it hurt to put into a sneaker.  So instead of going to the gym, I decided to just do a quick workout at home, where I wouldn't have to wear shoes.  

This is one of the times when it's good to have all sorts of random workout equipment on hand.  I grabbed my Val Slides and my tube with ankle straps (I have no idea what the actual name for this is), and made up a quick workout.  I just did variations on planks, pushups, squats, and lunges, but with the addition of the slides and the tube for resistance, it was actually a decent workout. 

On Sunday, I was going to do an incline walk on my sister's treadmill, but it was giving me an error message when I tried to turn it on.  Apparently, I needed to just hit end to clear it, but I didn't know that and didn't really try all that hard to get it working.  So, instead of an incline walk, I decided to just push the treadmill belt, without it being on.  And then I threw in some squats and lunges for good measure.  And then added on a P90X abs video on the end.  It was actually a hard workout, especially pushing the belt. 

I used to be really bad about adapting my workouts.  If I couldn't do what I wanted to do, I got flummoxed and half assed it for a little while and then just gave up. But I've learned that sometimes, you need to adapt.  

I find that usually the easiest way to adapt is to try to sub out something that's still pretty close to what you were originally planning to do.  So, when I couldn't get the treadmill working, I just used the treadmill in the way that I could get it to work.  If I were at the gym and couldn't get the pull up bar, I might sub that out with inverted rows on the smith machine. 

The other thing that's useful when you're changing things up on the fly is to listen to your body.  If you were planning on doing a treadmill workout but your knee starts hurting, then hit up a bike for a while.  Or do an abs and arm workout. 

By no means are all of my workouts awesome - I still have days when I don't feel like doing what I was planning to do but I can't come up with something else that I want to do.  Or just when I'm not feeling like working out at all.  But I have gotten a lot better about not letting one little setback derail me.  Which is progress. 

Workout Wednesday: Mill Push

I've known about treadmill pushing for a while, but have never really done it.  But the other day, the treadmill wasn't working, so I tried it.  And I liked it. 

Not sure what I mean by treadmill pushing?  It's when you move the belt on the treadmill using your own power - the treadmill itself is turned off.  If you get really good at it, you can actually run.  But even if you just walk, it's still a hard workout. I paired 5 minutes of treadmill pushing with 5 minutes of strength exercises, and then did three separate circuits with that scheme for a 30 minute workout. Try it out:

Enjoy!

An active weekend

Between Friday and yesterday, I think I did an hour of actual working out.  And those workouts were less than stellar.  Friday I cobbled together a quick at-home workout.  Saturday I went for a two mile trail run with my sister.  And Sunday was another random workout that had to be adapted when the treadmill didn't want to work.  

But I still got hours and hours of exercise this weekend.  And most of it was outdoors, which was great. 

First, on Friday, I walked to work from the train and then back to the train after work.  Midday, my colleague and I went on a (rather unsuccessful) trek to find donuts (note to self: if it's national donut day, go early, or you'll end up with not very tasty donuts), and strolled around midtown for about a half hour.  It was a nice break on a Friday afternoon. 

On Saturday, Bailey woke me up bright and early (5 a.m.!) for his morning walk.  We walked for about 15 minutes or so, which was a great way to start the day.  After breakfast, my sister and I headed to volunteer at the local park system to help maintain trails.  We went to a new-to-us park and grabbed our tools.  We were on the trails for about three hours, mostly digging up old water bars and putting new ones in.  It was a great upper body workout and a lot of fresh air. 

I dug the hole for this water bar using my trusty Pulaski. 

Since it was National Trails Day, Friends of the Park, a local non-profit, supplied a yummy lunch of sandwiches and sides for all of the volunteers. 

After lunch, my sister and I changed out of our trail maintenance clothes and into our trail running clothes.  Since we were unfamiliar with this particular park, we didn't get too adventurous and stayed on the trails that were the most well marked.  Altogether, we did about 2 miles, but there were lots of obstacles and sandy surfaces, so it took more effort than 2 miles on a road or paved trail would.

Once we got home, I took a quick nap outside on the hammock and then showered and changed for my next adventure: a 5 year old birthday party.  It was held out BounceU, which is a party place with two rooms full of bounce house-type things.  (I neglected to take any pictures because I was having too much fun running around like a 5 year old.)

One room had an obstacle course where you climbed up a relatively vertical wall and then slide down a pretty steep slide.  There was also this vinyl wall that was at about an 85 degree angle.  It had little velcro patches at various heights up the wall and you had to try and climb up as high as you could and stick a velcro flag to the patches.  It was tricky because you had to wear socks to bounce, so you had no traction whatsoever.  There was also a jousting bounce house in this room.  

The next room had a "spider web", which was basically a cylinder with layers of cargo nets going vertically.  You had to climb from one layer to the next until you got to the top, then you slid down a not-so-fast slide.  The only catch was that the cargo nets were made from a stretchy elastic material, so while it was easier for the adults to get through the nets to the next layer, it was really hard to pull yourself up or get any type of good footing.  There were also a few more bounce areas with basketball hoops and various obstacles.  Plus, there was a boxing ring with oversize boxing gloves.  I didn't box at all, but I did spend about 5 minutes in there letting a 6 year old run at me full force and then falling down when she hit me.  So, there's that.  

Let me tell you - bouncing around for about an hour and throwing and pulling yourself up things is a lot of work.  Plus, there was a lot of kid picking up and kid throwing.  So between that and all the digging on the trails, my arms were very sore Sunday morning. 

Sunday morning I woke up, took the dog for a 30 minute walk (he let me sleep until 6 a.m. Woohoo!) and then did a quick workout which included P90X2 abs and pushing the treadmill belt for 10 minutes, along with a few lunges and squats thrown in.  

After a quick shower, I was off to another local park for a beach cleanup.  Now, let me just say that I didn't think a beach cleanup would be much exercise at all.  I mean, you're basically strolling along the beach.  But, I didn't take into account that it's hard to walk on loose sand.  Or that there was a lot of bending and squatting down to examine things and pick up trash.  Not to mention the trash bag that I was toting with me, that kept getting heavier and heavier the further I went.  And I didn't want to drag it along behind me for fear that it would catch on something and rip.  So I was actually picking it up and carrying it with me. 

Isn't it pretty?  Especially once I threw out the cigarette pack that I found in here.

Plus, I got to spend a few hours on the beach.  Granted, it was the beach on the bay, but the beach nonetheless.  While there was some sunbathers and dogs playing in the water, it was pretty quiet, with just the sound of the waves lapping on the shore, so it was a really peaceful way to spend a Sunday morning. 

You can't really see it, but off to the very right of this picture is the city.

Overall, it was a very active weekend, and a very outside weekend.  Which is perfect, in my book.  Plus, I need to rack up as many outdoor hours and vitamin D as I can on the weekends to get me through the long work weeks in the city.

Workout Wednesday: Kettlemania

I don't remember where or why I got it (probably at Target and probably because I thought it looked fun), but I have a 10 pound kettlebell that sits with my workout equipment in my bedroom.  When I got it, I thought 10 pounds was kind of a light weight, but I didn't realize how great of a workout I could actually get from it.  I have a kettlebell video that came with an even lighter kettlebell (like 3 or 5 pounds), and I've tried that video with the 10 pounder and it's intense. 

I don't use kettlebells often - they're locked up in our gym and I usually get there before any of the employees are there to unlock them - but I occasionally do an at-home kettlebell workout.  My favorite one to do is to pick a number of different exercises to do for a minute each and repeat several times.  I try to complete the entire workout without putting the kettlebell down.  And holding a 10 pound weight for 20-30 minutes straight is difficult no matter what else you're doing.  So it really is a great workout. 

Here's a great full body kettlebell workout that that will get your heart rate up.  If you're short on time, just complete the circuit once.  If you have some more time, try it twice or even three times. 

Remember to alternate sides (or switch sides halfway through) for the lunges, high pulls, windmills, and plank and rows.  And switch directions halfway through for the figure eights, halos, and around the worlds. 

Enjoy!

Superheroes running

On Saturday, my sister and I woke up bright and early (well I was already up because Bailey insisted in a walk at 5:25 am; she woke up a few hours later, but still bright and early for her). We had to be out of the house and at our local park by 8 am to hang out with superheroes at the County Park System's first-ever Superhero Fun Run. 

The run was open to people of all ages, and I saw everyone from infants (in strollers, accompanying older siblings) to eight year olds, to parents and grandparents (many of whom were just as into it as their kids, if not moreso). The course was a bit over a mile and included a number of "obstacles" that each kid had to tackle - like weaving through objects, jumping over (really low to the ground) things, fishing for (plastic) bugs, and crawling through tunnels. 

My sister and I were stationed at the Hulk Smash, where the kids had to carry a small exercise ball over their heads for a few meters and then slam it into a net on the ground. 

The kids were so cute. Some couldn't hold the ball over their head so they rolls or kicked or convinced their parents to carry the ball to the net for them. Then they'd pick it up and slam it down. They were all so proud of themselves!  One kid even said "I can't believe I did that!"

It was so much fun to watch the kids enjoy themselves. And they didn't even realize that they were exercising or doing something good for them. They just knew that they were wearing capes and pretending to be superheroes and just having fun. (I also saw several kids with socks with capes on them, which are awesome.)

I think we lose that a we get older. That sense of just having fun and, hey, if it's good for you then that's a bonus.  That's something that I need to work on - doing things that are fun just because they are first and foremost fun and not because they are good for you first and fun second.  That's my goal for the summer, especially as I get out and explore on the weekends. 

I'll have to keep the superheroes in mind and run when I can, walk when I want to, and have fun the whole time. 

Weird produce finds

There's this really great little country food market near my dad's house called Delicious Orchards (DO for short).  They have really yummy, fresh fruits and veggies.  Not to mention baked goods and ice cream and meat and cheese and all sorts of other stuff.  It's so great that Queen Latifah even mentioned it on The Tonight Show once (but I can't find the link - it was back in the Jay Leno period and the links don't work on the Jimmy Fallon site.  Womp.).

But I mostly go there for fruits and veggies.  They beat the heck out of the options at the supermarket.  They've got all the basics - I usually get apples and avocados and peppers and lettuce and broccoli, etc. - but I also often come across some new-to-me food that either looks funny or has a funny name that I just need to try.  This is apparently a trait that runs in my family, as my dad will often bring home strange foods just because he liked the way that they looked.  

So, yes, weird names or looks get me to try strange things.  Either that or my sister insists that I need to try something. I'm pretty good about at least trying something new - I won't necessarily like it, but I'll give it a whirl. 

Here is some of the strange produce that I've tried lately: 

• Kumquats:  This was my sister's idea, and they kind of weirded me out.  First, they look like mini oranges, but you don't peel them.  You just eat the skin.  Second, they were super duper sour.  Like involuntarily pucker your lips sour.  I guess if you like sour things, these are great, but I couldn't get over the whole eating the skin thing. (But they still have a really fun name to say!)
• Gooseberry:  I first came across these at Easter brunch when one was used as a decoration on my dessert.  Then I bought a whole container of them and made my sister eat them all.  They're a bit strange too - they're sour and they're not as firm on the inside as you'd expect them to be.  They kind of pop in your mouth when you bite them.  Almost like a Gusher. But they're not bad, especially if you pair them with something sweet to balance it out.
• Mangosteen: Beside the weird name, what drew me to this was the cost.  It was something like $18 a pound.  Which is crazy.  After discussing it with my sister and her boyfriend (we all saw it on separate occasions and thought it was crazy-priced) and doing some research, I actually made my second trip to DO for the day to buy one.  They're fairly small, so it cost maybe $5 or so. Which is still a lot.  But since they apparently have really short growing seasons and strict import laws, how could we pass up the opportunity, no matter the price.  Plus, we'd read reviews where people said crazy things like it was the best fruit they've ever tasted.  I mean, come on.  So we bought it and failed to follow the directions and cut into the fruit by mistake while trying to get it out of it's little shell.  We split it into several (very small) pieces and each tried one, expecting to be blown away.  And we were....not.  For all the hype, it was just ok.  I mean, it had a decent taste, but definitely was not worth $18 per pound.
• Rambuten: This was next to the mangosteen.  The weird porcupine look made me want it. It was also pretty expensive, but nothing like the mangosteen.  Maybe like $5 per pound?  It was also much easier to peel open. But, again, not really worth the price.  It was kind of slimy (think eyeball), but not super tasty.
• Pluot: This is a hybrid plum/apricot.  I regularly forget the name of these and call them Plutos.  Close enough.  They are juicy like a plum but have a bit more of a sweet and sour taste to them.  This is another sister find and I get them occasionally, or just eat hers when I'm there.
• Date:  I know that this is pretty common, but I've just never had one before.  But I saw them in the bulk bin and decided we needed to try them.  I mean, they look like big raisins or figs or something, so how bad can they be.  So I bought two.  The texture was not my favorite, but I suppose I would eat them if they were the only option available.  Or if they were stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon.  Because how can you go wrong then?
• Ugli Fruit:  This is one of my favorite finds.  My sister actually suggested it, and I love it. As the name suggests, this fruit is ugly looking.  It's a hybrid citrus fruit that's kind of a monster - it usually barely even fits in a bowl.  You can either peel it and eat it like an orange or cut it and eat it like a grapefruit.  It's got a great citrus flavor and is super juicy, which I love.  They're a lot more expensive than an orange or grapefruit - around $2.50 a fruit, usually - and you'll get some weird looks from people when you eat it, but in my opinion, it's totally worth it!

There you have it.  Some of my recent adventures in the produce aisle.  I wonder what other fun fruits and veggies I've been missing out on all my life.

Workout Wednesday: Around the gym

My gym has been randomly busy lately.  I can't figure out the pattern, since I usually go on the same days at the same time.  Sometimes it's super crowded and sometimes I'm the only one there.  Sometimes when it's busy, everyone's on the cardio machines and sometimes it's all about the weights.  I can't figure it out.  When it's crowded, I try to stick to one area of the gym - maybe a cardio machine and some succinct body weight movements, or maybe I'll camp out in front of the weight rack, or just go to a corner with a mat for an NTC workout.  

But, when the gym is relatively empty, I like to take advantage and hit a bunch of different areas.  Which is what this workout does - it includes cardio, free weights, both upper and lower body movements, and some jumping.  It will probably get me the evil eye once or twice if I try to do it on a crowded gym day, but it lets me take advantage of a lot of what the gym has to offer on other days.  Unfortunately, our gym keeps kettlebells and medicine balls locked up (and I get there earlier than the staff, so have no way to unlock them) or I would mix those in as well.  Total bummer.  But, what can you do?  So, here it is: 

Enjoy!

Don't be that guy that gets hurt

I feel like there's a wave of injuries going around lately. Maybe it's just that the weather is nicer so more people are being active and training for things.  Or maybe I'm getting older and the people that I know are getting older and we don't all bounce back from little twists and tweaks as well as we used to. 

Who knows.  But I know several people who are training for races that have had some sort of nagging injury that has either slowed them down or sidelined them for a while.  Which sucks.  

Being hurt is not fun.  It doesn't matter if it's a major injury that requires doctor visits and physical therapy or a minor injury that's just kind of annoying and makes you move a little slower or avoid certain movements.  Trust me - I had plenty of each kind growing up.  And sitting out whole seasons of soccer while I waited for my knee to heal was a bummer (although, on the plus side, I'd still get out of class early when we had away games so that I could "be part of the team" which was always fun, especially since I had Honors English with the worst teacher ever last period).

There are all sorts of tips out there on how to avoid injuring yourself while exercising - which are all valid.  But in my opinion, three tips really stand above the rest:  pay attention, be prepared, and, most importantly, listen to your body. 

I think that a lot of injuries can probably be prevented, or at least minimized, if you follow those three simple rules.  Let's look at each, shall we?

First, pay attention to what you're doing.  If you're lifting weights in the gym, pay attention to lifting weights in the gym.  Don't mindlessly lift while you're watching TV or chatting with a friend.  It's much easier to get distracted and drop that weight on your foot if you're not paying attention to what you're doing.  Same goes with pretty much any activity you're doing - if you're running outside, sure, you can have your headphones on, but pay attention to your surroundings so that you don't twist your ankle on a loose rock or run smack into a tree. 

Second, be prepared.  Make sure that you have the right equipment for whatever you're doing.  You know, don't wear sandals to go for a run or to the gym.  If you're lifting something super heavy, have a spotter there just in case.  Make sure that you know how to properly work the equipment that you're using - if you don't know, ask someone or read the instructions on the machines.  If something seems precarious, you're probably doing it wrong. 

Last, but certainly not least, listen to your body.  Start to recognize the difference between good pain and bad pain, and stay away from bad paid.  If doing squats hurts your knee, then don't do squats.  There are plenty of other ways to hit those muscles.  If your body is telling you that you can't run another mile (and I mean your body, not your mind), then don't run another mile.  If your legs need a break from running, maybe try swimming.  On the flip side, if your body tells you it wants to sprint, then by all means, sprint - until it tells you to stop.  If you need a rest day, take a rest day - the hard part is recognizing the difference between your mind wanting a rest day (which is totally valid, as long as it's not just pure laziness) and your body actually needing one. 

So, there you have it boys and girls.  I've found that following these three rules has helped me to minimize injuries as I've gotten older and kept me from having to sit out too much.  The times when I haven't followed one of these rules have led to pain and heartache (and by that I mean painful plantar fasciitis that I decided to just keep running through, which eventually led me to take an extended break from running and jumping).  

By no means will these eliminate all injuries - there are always chronic things and freak accidents and events outside of your control.  But using a little common sense is just a good idea, in my opinion.

Workout Wednesday: Quick Box

I had a busy Saturday and didn't have time to work out in the morning like I usually do.  When I finally got around to it in the afternoon, I wanted to get in a quick workout, something that would keep changing it up and provide a nice sweaty challenge.  I originally thought to do a P90X, but only had the first series, which are typically an hour or so.  I didn't have time for that.  

I knew that I wanted to incorporate both cardio and some upper body work (my legs were kind of sore), so boxing immediately came to mind.  

Here's how to do it:

Perform the first exercise in Set 1 for one minute before moving to the second exercise and performing that for one minute.  Repeat five times (for a total of 10 minutes) without resting.  Rest 1-2 minutes before moving on to set 2, followed by set 3. 

Set 1
Box (with a bag or shadow boxing)
Jumping jacks (if you're wearing gloves, keep them on)

Set 2
Push ups (your choice what kind - I like triceps or diamond push ups)
Plank (30 seconds elbow plank, 15 second side plank on each side)

Set 3
Box (with a bag or shadow boxing)
Sit ups with double punch at the top

Enjoy!

A county park kind of weekend

One of the things that I love about where I grew up is the sheer variety of things that there are to do.  It's less than 30 minutes away from the beach, within an hour or so of NYC, and nearby a few cute little towns with restaurants and shopping.  Not to mention malls and diners, because it's Jersey.  There's also a great county park system.

There's almost 16,000 acres in over 40 properties, including parks, recreation areas, golf courses, and historic sites.  The park system also runs a host of programs for people of all ages - I've done hikes with them and day trips to fun sites in Jersey.  I've gone kayaking and cross country skiing and on nighttime hikes with s'mores.  When I'm down at my dad's, especially during the nice weather, I usually always make a stop at one park - if not numerous parks - during the weekend. 

This past weekend was somewhat of a tour of the parks for my sister and myself.  Within 36 hours, we spent 6+ hours at three different parks.  

First, we went to volunteer training.  We recently signed up to help maintain the trails in the parks, so first we had to go through some training to learn the tools and how not to hurt ourselves or anyone else while using them.  Training took place in a park that we frequent for running - it's got a great paved loop.  This is also where we've cross country skied and learned to shoot a bow and arrow.  When we were little, our parents used to take us to community theater at a great little barn on the property.

But this time we discovered a whole new section of the park, and inadvertently learned a lot about the history of the park, which is comprised of parts of three old farms.  The three farmhouses have now been converted to park system offices and multi use buildings, but I would be more than happy to live in any of them. We also discovered some wooded trails that look great for a bit more of a rugged run, which we kind of knew existed but never tried to figure out how to get to. 

Later that day, we took the dogs to another park. This is a park that I often go to when I want shorter, hillier runs.  It's also got a few great sledding hills that we used to go to in the winter months when we were younger.  There used to be an awesome playground, complete with a digger and an old school version of one of those log roller things, but it was wood and I guess it wasn't doing so great, so they tore it down a few years back and put up a plastic one, which just isn't the same.  There's also a lake to fish in, picnic areas, and big fields to run or lay in.  Plus, there's a recreated, working 1890's farm, complete with pigs, sheep, cows, and educational activities.  

Bailey loves this park - he walks around the lake, stares down geese and ducks, gets close to the water and then jumps back when his feet get wet, and the makes me run through the open field.  Sometimes he likes to go on a longer walk in the woods.  This weekend, we took my sister's dog with us to teach her how to be a dog - usually, she freaks out and wants to go home when she gets too far from the car or when she comes up on a parking lot.  We figured if Bailey was enjoying himself, she'd just follow.  And it worked, for the most part. 

On Sunday, the park system was having an outdoor activity fair at a park that I'd never been to before.  We wanted to check it out, but we also wanted to get in a run, so we decided to kill two birds with one stone.  We got there a bit early and went for a somewhat schizophrenic run through the trails there.  Given that we'd never been there and didn't really know the trails, coupled with the fact that they weren't very well marked and we came across a number of large puddles that we couldn't get around and didn't want to run through, we ended up kind of just cobbling a few different routes together to do a 30 minute or so run.  Wasn't the best run ever, but was good enough. 

After that, we went to check out the outdoor expo.  We weren't sure what to expect - we both thought that there would be some info on the park system activities and then maybe we'd have to pay to try a few things out.  But no - they had a ton of free activities around a great big lake.  So we got some life jackets and went on a paddle boat.  When we told the park ranger who helped us on the boat that we had come to the park to run, he laughed and told us that the paddle boat would be a great workout, and it kind of was.  It was almost like riding a bicycle with a really low gear or something.  And nice scenery.  

After the paddle boat, we grabbed some oars and tried out canoeing, which we've both always wanted to try.  What I don't understand about canoeing (or row boating - I'm including them in the same category) is why it's used in movies as a romantic activity.  Weren't they in a row boat during "Kiss the Girl" in Little Mermaid?  It's a decent amount of work to get those things going - and staying - in the right direction.  It doesn't seem like a very relaxing date activity.  But it was still fun, and much more stable feeling than a kayak. 

By that time we had worked up a bit of an appetite, so we grabbed some fresh cut cheese fries (yum! Although those were not free.) and sat in the picnic area for a bit, before heading over to the archery targets.   I tried to remember all my archery skills and show them I knew what I was doing. Thankfully, I remembered how to knock the bow and aim and shoot.  I was kind of all over the place, but one was close to the bulls eye and none missed the target entirely, so that's a win in my book.  After we showed off our Robin Hood skills, it was time to head home.  All in all, it was a great way to spend a few hours, and there was much more that we didn't do but could have (fishing, SUP, kayaking, rock wall).  I think that there are a few of these expos throughout the summer, and, now that we know what it entails, we're marking the others on our calendars.

So, to recap.  In one weekend I dug a hole in a trail, went canoeing, rode a paddle boat, went on a trail run, walked around a lake, ran through a field, and shot a bow and arrow.  All for free at local parks.  It really can't get much better than that.

My park

One of the first things that I do when I move to a new office (whether it be starting a new job or moving offices at a current job) is find a nice place to go for a walk break, preferably one that also offers the option of sitting in a park on nice days.  I usually bring lunch to work, so the only time I get out of the office is if I have an errand to run or consciously make a decision to go outside.

When I was downtown, I had the walkway along the river, from the Seaport to Battery Park, where I could walk. There were also benches in the park and along the walkway, as well as areas in the Seaport, where I could sit (or lounge and close my eyes for a few).  It wasn't exactly the quietest area in the world and was very touristy, but it was nice on the water and it was a little escape from the office. Perhaps most importantly it was nice and warm on sunny days - no tall building to block the rays.

When I moved to my last office in midtown, my walks usually ended up either taking me north on second or first avenue, or east toward the FDR.  That's where I discovered this little park right on the highway that overlooked the water and had good views of Brooklyn/Queens.  There was also a little dog park attached to it, so there were often cute pups running around and playing.  Again, it wasn't exactly the quietest or most serene place - being on the FDR and all - but the road noise was actually kind of calming, in a white noise type of way, and the park itself was usually quiet (it was in kind of a weird location, so it was never super crowded). 

We moved offices about 8 blocks south at the beginning of the year, and my little dog park is just too far away to walk to during a quick break from the office (and so are any decent fro-yo places, which is probably for the best).  The winter was brutal, so I didn't really take too many breaks outside the first few months that we were here, only for the occasional errand or food run.  But, once the weather started warming up, I started exploring this new neighborhood a bit more.  I started by just walking, seeing what was around and what areas were quietest.  What I discovered is that 8 blocks makes a huge difference - second and first avenues down here are a lot more busy, due to the proximity to the UN, and there's seriously not any fro-yo places.  There are a few more pocket parks and public spaces down here, but I know from experience that, once the weather gets nice, those fill up almost immediately starting at around 11 a.m. through the afternoon.  Plus, they're almost never sunny due to their location in between buildings. 

I was starting to get disheartened when I made a great discovery.  Only a few blocks away from my new office are two great little parks in Tudor City.  I kind of knew that they were there and forgot about them, so this was like finding gold. Given the weird location of Tudor City (it kind of dead-ends 43rd and 41st streets, and is situated above 42nd street - as in look up when you're driving on 42nd and you'll see it), it's relatively quiet.  Sure, there are people there, but it's not overly crowded.  And the traffic noise is pretty muted. There's a playground at the far end of the park that's usually pretty crowded, but the kids playing noises just kind of blend in to the everyday city noises, so it's not that noticeable.

There are trees and benches and the guy who maintains the park is there regularly.  Plus, since there are two parks in close proximity (like, a block away), if one is buzzing for some reason, the other is usually fairly quiet. 

There are also flowers and super fat pigeons and sunshine that peaks through the trees.  It's a great place to go to take a phone call, read, or just sit and relax and let the sun warm my face for a few minutes. There's also an obscene number of dogs that walk by the park (I don't think they're allowed in the park?), which makes me happy.  I met a really cute and happy puppy the other day on my way back to the office.
 

Sure, it's obvious that you're still in the city - just look up and you can see all the apartment buildings.  But I've learned that you can't be too picky in this city, especially in midtown, where real estate is expensive and everything is packed in super tight.  If it looks and feels like a park - even a small one - I'm happy with that.
 

I've never actually chosen a job or office location based on the park situation (that would probably be a little crazy, right?), but I've learned that, no matter where you are in the city, it's possible to find a nice, quiet(ish) little area to take a break from your day.  Whether that be somewhere scenic to walk or a bench in the middle of a small park. I'll take whatever I can get.  And I know myself well enough to know that I will be a much happier camper if I can carve out even just a few minutes outside in the middle of the afternoon - it's exactly what I need sometimes to get me through until quitting time.

Workout Wednesday: Pull and push

I'm still  on a pull-up kick - gotta use my new toy! - so I thought I'd combine them with a few other full-body exercises for a quick(ish) workout.  If you need to take breaks during a set, go ahead (I definitely can't do 20 pull-ups in a row yet, even with the band).  Just make sure that your form stays good throughout.  

You can also tack on some short treadmill or bike sprints before, after, or even in between each set if you want an extra cardio burst.

Enjoy!

Less than stellar

For some reason, I've been very tired and sore lately.  I don't know what it is - maybe I haven't been eating that well or haven't been getting that much sleep or have been working out too much.  Maybe it's allergies. I don't know. But I just haven't been feeling super energetic.  Which has made my workouts less than stellar.

I've had to keep this in mind, especially this past week.  I skipped my workout on Wednesday in favor of a bit more sleep.  I had a very slow, very hot and sweaty run (or more like slow jog/walk) on Saturday when it was humid out.  And I couldn't help but fall asleep on the couch on Saturday afternoon.  Yoga on Sunday was also less than stellar for me.

It's kind of annoying.  Not so much the skipping the workout on Wednesday or taking a nap on Saturday.  Those things happen from time to time.  It's the less-than-great workouts that kind of frustrate me. 

But I guess that happens sometimes too.  I just need to realize that sometimes I need a bit of a break.  And I'm not going to have a great day every day.  And that's fine.  It's better to listen to my body, to take a break when I need it than to run myself into the ground. Because getting hurt or sick will just make me even more frustrated. 

Just call me Rocky Balboa

I love the idea of boxing for, some reason.  Not actually watching boxing or anything, but boxing as exercise.  You know - putting on gloves and hitting a bag or pads.  It's a great workout that - to me, at least - doesn't seem like a workout at all.  So when my friend an I were looking for our next Groupon workout activity, I requested boxing.  Although I probably didn't really have to request it, since I'd already mentioned it to her about 500 times by that point.

I'd done kickboxing classes before, that were maybe 30% contact and the rest skills.  They were fine, but got a little tedious after a while.  And I'd done quick boxing workouts on my sister's bag when I'm at my dad's house, which again is fine, but the bag moves when you hit it which kind of gets annoying.  

But I had a vision of an actual boxing gym, with a ring and everything.  You know, like you see in Rocky or something (not that I've ever actually seen Rocky from start to end, but that's another story).

Well, my friend found a great Groupon for four boxing bootcamp classes at Work Train Fight (a.k.a. WTF - I kid you not - which only adds to it's awesomeness). We've only taken one class so far, but I loved every second of it and can't wait to go back  (and have even looked into pricing for classes after the Groupon ends, but we'll see if I pull the trigger on that or not).

So, what was so great about it?  Well, first, it was incredibly easy to sign up for, which is a big plus in my book!  And, they had a real boxing ring right in the front of the gym - we didn't get to use that at all, but it was still cool and totally what I wanted. 

When we showed up and were those people with no clue where to go or what to do (who also didn't have boxing gloves), everyone that worked there was incredibly kind and showed us the ropes (hehe) (and lent us gloves).  The instructor for the bootcamp class came up to us before class and introduced himself and was great about making sure that we were following along during class.  He was also good at correcting form - for everyone that needed it, not just us newbies - and making sure that we pushed ourselves.  Plus, he was one of those people who was just incredibly excited to be there and that energy flowed through to the rest of the class. 

The class was only 45 minutes long, but I was a sweaty, disgusting mess by the end of it.  My arms were like noodles and my legs and abs were pretty tired as well (we did some ab work toward the end of class).  But, unlike some other bootcamp classes that I've taken where I just feel completely drained by the end, after boxing bootcamp I actually felt good.  Yea, I was tired knew I would be sore the next day, but I also didn't feel like I needed to go immediately eat something and then lay down for a while. 

It was a small class - I think there were about eight of us, which was a perfect size - and everyone was super friendly and focused on getting a good workout.  

I was also smiling like an idiot throughout most of it - which usually never happens when I workout. I'm sure my friend thinks that I'm psychotic or have some anger management issues that I need to deal with.

The next day, as predicted, I was sore, especially in my arms.  Plus, my hands hurt - I felt like I imagine an old lady with arthritis would feel like - but the teacher let us know that was normal, since we weren't used to punching things, and especially not for almost 45 minutes straight.  But, that's totally ok with me.  

I can't wait for our second class - I'm just trying to coordinate with my friend.  Even though the location isn't the most convenient for me, it's not horrible, and given the ease scheduling, the good class times, and the awesomeness of the class, it's totally worth the 15 minute (local) subway ride.

But next time, we're bringing our own gloves (which I just happen to have).  The ones that we borrowed were kind of smelly.