Fitness

Ethiopian Date Night

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Is the day really almost over?? I feel like I was unable to complete everything I had set out to do today.  I guess sometimes life sends you in a different direction than planned! Although I didn’t finish the dishes and I didn’t get a few health coaching projects and blog projects done that I had planned to I did get to spend time with a girl friend, spend over an hour picking out new running shoes and then the Hubz and I had a spontaneous date night.

Today we spent over an hour at Fleet Feet being fitted for the perfect pair of shoes for my feet I finally found a pair!  If you have never been fitted for shoes I really recommend that you do because I have spent the last year running/being active in a pair of shoes I chose myself and although they were nice they were just a little off. Once we finished shoe shopping the Hubz and I decided to have a spontaneous date night and take advantage of our (free-win!) Jump On It for Duino Duende.  Jump On It is similar to Groupon and if you share the deal and three others also buy it based on your reference you get it for free! Great deal right? We thought so!

We started our night off with a cocktail; Manhattan for me and a Gin Martini for the Hubz.  For our meal we both got the Tuesday night special the Ethiopian plate, which comes in vegetarian, omni and vegan.  I honestly can’t tell you everything that was on my plate but it included a split pea wat, misir wat, spicy sauce, salad, beets, kale and another item that was tasty but we have no idea what it was.

Everything was really delicious and I can’t wait to head back again for a Tuesday night date and Ethiopian food!  Additionally because of our late (for us) dinner we also were able to enjoy the live music that starts at 7pm at Radio Bean (connected cafe).

After dinner we picked up some cereal and bananas for breakfast tomorrow morning and then stopped into the garden to water our plants.  Now it’s time to sit back, relax and then head to bed to read a good book.

What are you reading right now? I am on the last book of The Girl With… series and I am going to need new suggestions! Let me know what I should be reading.

Giggles & Goggles

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Good Morning!! The Hubz and I had a busy night and I didn’t get to blog after we finished our shopping trip. So lets rewind to yesterdays lunch which was leftover spicy swiss chard & lentils over quinoa which I ate about half of and an apple which I forgot to take a picture of however I’m sure you all know what an apple looks like and if you don’t google “gala apple”.

After work I headed out to pick up a mothers day gift which I am not going to reveal here because my mom reads the blog- Hey Mom! I also picked up a few plants for our balcony garden and an Honest Tea.

After shopping I picked up the Hubz from work and we headed home for the early bird special (dinner at 4:30pm) before we spent the night running around doing errands and shopping. For dinner I whipped up soba noodles with sundried tomatoes, fennel, mushrooms & garlic with a tahini sauce.

Once we fueled up we did a marathon shopping trip; first stop Fleet Feet to shop for new running shoes for the Hubz.

It was pretty interesting to watch how the guy measured your foot to figure out the right pair of shoes. He brought our two pairs of shoes for the Hubz to try and then he watched him run in them to evaluate how they worked for him. It just happened that the first pair he recommended where the ones that worked the best too; pretty talented shoe fitter. It made me realize that I should probably get fitted for my own pair of shoes since mine just feel a little off and the fact that I have had them for over a year.

We went from shoe shopping to bathing suit and goggle shopping. Since the Hubz and I are going to get a membership at the YMCA we decided that we needed goggles for the pool and were in need of swimming suits rather than sitting by the pool, I may go in to get wet bathing suits. We had a great time trying on all of the different goggles at Dick’s and both found a pair that we liked. However we did not find new swim suits, they were all awful. I did end up finding one at Kohl’s and on sale- WIN!

After goggles came …compost? Yes we headed to pick up compost and potting soil for our garden plot and balcony gardens. After that we ran a few more errands and then came home for a late second dinner of sushi and beer (yes we let ourselves have the night off from the cleanse- more on this in up coming posts).

and we watched a movie (the Hubz picked).

It was really good however we still need to finish the movie because the old man the Hubz was falling asleep.

Now we are heading out to the Y and then the market and then breakfast and then our community garden work day. AHHH! Busy day!

What’s the most recent movie you have seen? How was it?

A Week In My Life

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Over the past few months I have had a number of requests for me to post more of my daily eats and life.  I have been really hesitant because honestly I am not sure that I can commit 100% to doing it due to how busy I am, however I’m going to give it a shot. For one week I am going to post daily eats and happenings.  After the week I’ll see how I am feeling about it and whether it is something that really interest you and go from there.  Now I won’t be doing three posts a day (unless I’m bored or suddenly my life gets really exciting.) Most of the time you can expect at least one daily wrap up and if I have time I will post late morning and then evening.  Of course all of this posting will be in addition to Weekly Recipes, Healthy Living and Fitness Friday Posts.  Okay so lets get started!

Last night the Hubz and I decided to take a tour of our local YMCA and got ourselves a 3 day pass to try it out.  We have really been debating joining a gym for years but when we were living in Montpelier I had a mini gym at work and the Hubz work (still) has a really nice gym at his work as well as workout classes and a tennis court (lucky, I know), so we never really needed to.  Before we moved last year we purchased an elliptical  and it is great but honestly I want to run, swim and have access to group classes.  Finally we looked into the Y and the prices for a couple are good especially with yoga, BodyPump, zumba and other classes and a really nice lap pool.  The gym overall is pretty basic with cardio equipment squeezed in next to each other; it also has free weights and weight machines but it fits both of our needs.  This morning we used our trial pass and the Hubz swam and I did C25k on the treadmill.  Overall I loved it.  It felt great to be working out at a gym and not at home, alone.  I think that for me a gym is a place you go to workout and there is a certain energy about it that motivates me, along with being able to workout with the Hubz.

 

Burlington Vermont Community YMCA, circa 1940. Postcard.

After our workout we both really wanted Friday Bagels but since we are on a soy/gluten/wheat/alcohol/caffeine free cleanse it was a no go. Instead we decided to go to Magnolia Bistro where they have tons of options that are still inline with our cleanse.  I was really feeling something hearty and starchy so I went with three sides: steamed kale, chipotle black beans and homefries, the Hubz was also feeling the starch so he went with kale, polenta and homefries.  We also got a cup of decaf fair trade organic coffee and big glasses of water.

Now I’m off to work and then heading out to find a Mother’s Day Gift and then it’s shoe shopping with the Hubz.  What are you doing for Mother’s Day?

Fitness Friday: What’s Your Favorite Yoga…..

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It’s Fitness Friday! What have you been doing this week to stay fit?  This week the Hubz and I started a mind body and soul cleanse to help get our bodies ready for a busy summer.  Part of the cleanse is to stay active, here is what I did this week:

  • Friday: 20 cardio workout
  • Saturday: nothing- I spent Saturday cooking, cleaning, demoing chocolate, preparing for a birthday party and hosting a birthday party with only about 30 minutes to sit down and relax. This resulted in my fail of not completing this months challenge.
  • Sunday: 2.5 mile 60 minute walk
  • Monday: off
  • Tuesday: 30 minute yoga burn
  • Wednesday: 30 minute abs & legs Skinny Bitch
  • Thursday: off…..b/c girl reasons had me curled in a ball. TMI.

Days: 4/25 Days  2/15.5 Hours

What’s Your Favorite Yoga….

Mat:

I am honestly a yoga mat hoarder.  My friend came over the other day and walked into our workout room and saw the basket full of yoga mats and stared in shock – asking why do we need so many mats? Well honestly a few are samples that I have received, a few are the Hubz and a few are mine.

  • I have my super old Winsor Pilates Mat which is a thicker spongy mat that I don’t really use for yoga but more for mat workouts.
  • Then I have a Jade Yoga mat that is my favorite however it slips a lot so using it at home is not ideal because we have carpet and when I do use it I always end up at least a foot back from where I started.
  • The next mat I have which I like for power yoga and on carpets is my pRana Mat; it is super heavy, long and is good for more vigorous yoga sessions.  The downfall with this mat is that it weighs a ton and there is no way I could (or would) lug it to and from yoga classes.
  • I also have an Aurorae yoga mat which I don’t really like that much, although many people love it and honestly the Hubz is the one who uses it consistently.  I do however love my Aurorae yoga sport sweat towel and sleep free rosin bag.
  • My favorite mat because it is thin, naturally sticky, light weight and it doesn’t slip is my Gaiam Wisdom Yoga Mat; created from all-natural rubber that’s non-toxic, eco-friendly and biodegradable.   My husband also has  a Gaiam Mat, I’m not sure which one but it is a thicker one and he has a super cheap one he got at Target which is really pretty awful and slippery.

So as you can see I am a yoga mat hoarder; I like each mat for different reasons and use them all for different types of yoga, different floors and depending on my mood. What type of yoga mat do you have?

Type of Yoga:


I have tried Power Yoga, Anusara, Ashtanga, Groove Yoga, Restorative Yoga and community classes which are usually a Vinyasa class. My favorite yoga class to take is  Anusara which is a system based on Hatha Yoga founded by John Friend. I recently just took a Groove Yoga class and it was really an amazing experience.  It incorporates dance and yoga into one class and it gives you a great cardio workout and just lifts your spirit.  Ashtanga is more regimented than I like and after my six week workshop I  have never returned to another class. Restorative Yoga is all about being slow, relaxing, concentrating on the breath and you stay in poses for several minutes.  For me Restorative yoga is my favorite way to unwind, relax and it leaves me feeling like I just had an hour massage.  At home I usually do Rodney Yee Power Yoga, A.M. Yoga, Yoga for Abs and Yoga Burn at home along with some podcasts from yogadownload.com. What is your favorite type of yoga?

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Staying Fit: April Wrap Up & May Goals

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This month has flown by, I can’t believe there are only two days left for this months incentive program.  Unfortunately I took too many days of in the last few weeks that I will have workout today and tomorrow to complete the 80% for the month or I will have to do over three hours to complete the 70%….I think I’ll be going with 2 more days of working out. I had taken a break from Couch to 5k due to the fact our weather has been rain, rain and more rain which makes it difficult to get out and run.  The Hubz on the other hand has a beautiful gym at work so he has been doing his C25K on the treadmill at work and is a week ahead of me.  Also in new and exciting news the Hubz an I signed up for our first 5K you can read more about it here. With that being said I am back on the C25K wagon and am taking advantage of the sunny days to get out and prepare for my first 5K.  Okay so lets get to the break down of the past week April 22-28:

 

  • Friday OFF
  • Saturday 1.5 mile walk and power yoga 1hr 35min
  • Sunday 2 miles hike – 1 hour
  • Monday 20 minute Yoga/Abs/Legs workout
  • Tuesday OFF
  • Wednesday C25K Day 2 Week 1 plus walking- total 4 miles in 58 minutes
  • Thursday- 20 minute Ab workout

Totals: 22/24 days and 14hrs 23minutes/15hours

April 29th Friday- 20 cardio workout

April 30th Saturday- nothing- I spent Saturday cooking, cleaning, demoing chocolate, preparing for a birthday party and hosting a birthday party with only about 30 minutes to sit down and relax. This resulted in my fail of not completing this months challenge.

This equals a giant FAIL for the 80% & 70% rule for April.  It is really unfortunate because it as a matter of 17 minutes and 1 day.  So what have I learned? Those days when I took a day off because I was tired or just didn’t want to workout I should have just sucked it up and done 20 minutes because you can never tell what is going to come up, especially at the end of the month.  Oh well lets move on to this month:

May 2011 Goals

  • 80%
    • Must workout 25 days
    • Total of 15.5  hours

OR

  • 70%
    • Must workout 22 days
    • Total of 18.5 hours

So far off to a good start after yesterday’s 2.5 mile 60 minute walk and plans for C25K and lots of work in our garden plot.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my Nathan’s Sports giveaway!

 

 

Fitness Friday & Nathan Sports Giveaway

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This month has flown by, I can’t believe there are only two days left for this months incentive program.  Unfortunately I took too many days of in the last few weeks that I will have workout today and tomorrow to complete the 80% for the month or I will have to do over three hours to complete the 70%….I think I’ll be going with 2 more days of working out. I had taken a break from Couch to 5k due to the fact our weather has been rain, rain and more rain which makes it difficult to get out and run.  The Hubz on the other hand has a beautiful gym at work so he has been doing his C25K on the treadmill at work and is a week ahead of me.  Also in new and exciting news the Hubz an I signed up for our first 5K you can read more about it here. With that being said I am back on the C25K wagon and am taking advantage of the sunny days to get out and prepare for my first 5K.  Okay so lets get to the break down of the past week April 22-28:

  • Friday OFF
  • Saturday 1.5 mile walk and power yoga 1hr 35min
  • Sunday 2 miles hike – 1 hour
  • Monday 20 minute Yoga/Abs/Legs workout
  • Tuesday OFF
  • Wednesday C25K Day 2 Week 1 plus walking- total 4 miles in 58 minutes
  • Thursday- 20 minute Ab workout

Totals: 22/24 days and 14hrs 23minutes/15hours

Friday- TBD

Saturday- TBD

 

Nathan REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

Now that we have discussed the updates lets get down to the good stuff- the giveaway.  I think that this giveaway is perfect for this post and in honor of my first 5k. Nathan Sports just sent me one of their Speed 2 Hydration Belts and Zebra steel 700 mL to try out. The details about the Speed 2 Hydration Belt :

I have been wearing it for running and on our first hike of the season.  I have used other hydration belts before for hiking specifically and they have been uncomfortable and floppy but this one fit perfectly.  It fit snug on the hips to prevent any flopping and it was great because the storage pocket allowed me to carry my ID, car keys and digital camera.  I loved the water bottles; they were easy to access and drink from.  For our short day hike it held the perfect amount of water for one person.  I really am looking forward to using this more on afternoon hikes.  In addition to using it for hiking I also used it yesterday on my run because it was nearly 80F here and water was necessary for my 3 mile run/walk. Again I loved how it fit and didn’t shift while I was running.  I was able to carry my keys, ID and my iPhone which I use for C25K and music.  My only complaint is that I have to place my iPhone in the back pocket which makes it hard to use my headphones because the cord isn’t long enough.  Since  I don’t have another place to hold my iPhone unless I carry it in my hand or wear my SPIbelt (which seams silly)  I guess I will have to get a headphone cord extender.

The second item that I have been trying out is the Zebra steel 700 mL to try out. The details about the Zebra steel 700 mL :

I have tried my fair share of reusable water bottles including Nalgene, Sigg, Clean Canteen, and EarthLust however none of the models of these that I have tried compare to this style of water bottle.  This bottle is perfect for the elliptical because a) it fits in my water bottle holder (my other ones don’t) b) it has a great stray feature which means I don’t pour water all over myself or fall of the elliptical trying to drink oh and c) it looks pretty and has a fun design.  The mouth piece is different too it is very soft and flexible and perfect for to sip through.  I also love that it comes with 2 extra straws so you can switch them out while you are cleaning them or if you need to replace one. The other feature I love is the clip on the top; I haven’t used it yet but I imagine it will be great for hooking on things when traveling or even hiking.

Now that you have fallen in love with both of these items (you have right?) Nathan Sports is going to give one lucky reader both of these items.   Now here is how you enter, oh and this is open to US and Canadian residence and you can enter until May 2nd 10th at 8pm EST.

THE WINNER IS LAUREN!

Mandatory: 

1. Visit the Nathan Sports website and tell me something you learned. (leave a comment below)

Additional Chances to Win (you must leave a separate comment for each)

  • Follow Nathan Performance Gear on Twitter
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Follow my health counseling on Twitter
  • Tweet “I want to win the@NathanPerfGear giveaway on @cookveganlover http://wp.me/pFVWo-21j”
  • “Like” Nathan Performance Gear on Facebook
  • “Like” Cook.Vegan.Lover on Facebook
  • “Like” Get Healthy With Lindsay on Facebook
  • Leave a Facebook Comment on Nathan Performance Gear saying that you want to win and include http://wp.me/pFVWo-21j


 

Fitness Friday: Staying Active Update

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I am happy to say that this week went much better on the workout front than last week.  I was able to get in (most) of the types of workouts that I wanted to and I am feeling good today.  So lets see the results (April 15-21)

– Friday Elliptical; 40 minutes

– Saturday Off

-Sunday Elliptical; 30 minutes

– Monday Elliptical; 30 minutes

– Tuesday Elliptical and Ab/Butt/Leg workout ; 45 minutes

-Wednesday Approx one mile quick paced walk with Hubz; 15 minutes

-Thursday- Elliptical and Core Workout; 35 minutes

 

Totals: 17/24 days and 10hrs 10 minutes/15hours

So it looks like things are on track and to accomplish the 80%Goal I need to do 7 more days (out of 9 -includes today) and 4 hours and 50 minutes (about an average of 42 minutes per day).  It looks like this month is totally do-able for the 80% Goal versus the 70%.

What did you do this week to stay active?