I'm Back, thank you for your support

Hello Try-Athlete's, welcome to Try-Athlete, the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. It has been awhile since my last post and I wanted to explain where I've been at in my life.

I started this blog because I'm passionate about health and fitness and I wanted to share my experiences with others. In February I found myself doing the same workout program and had nothing new to share about trying new workouts. I ended up not writing, and I also lost my drive to share my experiences. This year my priorities have changed a little and although I'm still very passionate about fitness sometimes I would like to write about others thinks such as diet, health and vegan recipes.

Last year I tried becoming a vegan for 30 days, after that 30 day period I continued to be vegan. So I have decided to revamp my blog a little to encompass being a vegan too. I will now include vegan recipes and knowledge about being a vegan athlete. I will continue to try different workouts but instead of doing something different every week I will do it for a month to see the further results of the new workout. 

With that said I have been doing Insanity and Asylum DVD's and kind of burnt out with them since I have done them for so many years. I was also not seeing the results I wanted and I am in a Six-Pack Challenge with a co-worker to see who has a better six-pack by July 28. I've been eating super healthy and working out daily but not seeing the results I want. I am already very fit but I am ready to take my fitness to the next level. I have decided to shake up my workout routine because I feel like I have just been going through the motions since I have done the same workouts so many times.

Since becoming vegan I have been researching how to get everything my body needs without eating animal protein. I am going today to the book store to find a book about vegan athletes so that I can become an expert on that too. I have been told on numerous occasions that abs are made in the kitchen and I completely agree. I have also found out that you must eat the necessary calories that your body needs as well or you won't see results. I feel like I wasn't seeing results because I wasn't taking in the all the calories I needed. 

I have a new plan of attack, changing my workout routine to work different muscle groups and research exactly what to eat to have the six-pack I have always dreamed of. I also believe food combining has something to do with it, not combining the right foods together can also affect your results. 

I hope you are excited to join me on this journey and I look forward to seeing the progress I make and sharing it with all of you. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to catch up with me. Until next time stay strong and stay fit! 

Soulcycle

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week I tried Soulcycle, what is soulcycle? A spin class that brings together inspirational coaching and high-energy music. 

Soulcycle is like no other spin class I've ever been to the lights are super dim and the music is very loud and the instructor has endless energy. 

I had heard about Soulcycle from a friend about six months ago and I wasn't really sure what it was, for Christmas I bought my good friend a class to Soulcycle because she had been dying to try it. She asked me if I wanted to go with her and I was in. We went to Soulcycle in West Hollywood because I had read that was the original studio. The room was smaller than I thought it was going to be and the bikes were very close together and before entering the room I read an article that was framed on the wall that said the room would get so hot it was like a sweatlodge. I wasn't ready for the intensive 45 minute workout ahead of me. At Soulcycle they rent out spin shoes if you don't have your own. They look like cleats and they clip into the pedals. The Soulcycle employees help you set up your bike and get you ready for the class.

 

Our instructor came in and was full of energy, she even said she drank coffee that morning so she had extra energy. She wasn't kidding the first song was super upbeat and intense. We were pedaling very fast and then we were basically doing push-ups with our upper body on the handle bar. She would instruct us "up, down, up, down" and each time we would do a push-up with our arms on the handle bar. By the end of the first song I was already sweating and super hot.

Things just got more intense from then on, I was dripping sweat by the third song. At one point the instructor completely turned the lights off and told us to just focus on ourselves and let all our other thoughts fade away. It was really nice because I was able to focus on being in the moment and not let anything else into my head. I worked very  hard in this class and I was exhausted by the end of it. We worked everything in this class we worked our legs, abs and even during one song we lifted weights and worked our shoulders and arms. I had sweat dripping off my face and body, I was so tired but happy that I did the class.

I would definetly go back to Soulcycle for another class. It was such a great workout and it was fun. It was a really tough workout but I like hard workouts because they make me feel as if I've accomplished something. I would definetly recommend Soulcycle to anyone who likes working out and getting connected with themselves. You will sweat you ass off but it will be worth it. You will feel refreshed and energized after class and want to return the next day. I'm still sore from Soulcycle but I can't wait to go back and do it again! Until next time Try-Athlete's stay strong and stay fit! 

LesMills Combat Week 2

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week was week # 2 of LesMills Combat and I was still sore from week one. I am starting to see results on my body. My abs are coming back, I used to have a six pack and was unmotivated for a couple of week and noticed my six pack was starting to go away. But this week I started to see definition again in my abs so I am going to keep it up.

Week 2 brought some new workouts I hadn't done yet. One was called "Hiit: Plyo" using high intensity interval training with cardio. This workout was tough, and definitely got my heart rate up. Just like last week their was a burpee series and that was the hardest part of the workout. Doing burpees for 3 minutes straight will tire out just about anyone.

The other new workout I did was "Combat 60," a 60 minute kick-boxing aerobic workout that worked my entire body. I noticed that I'm using my shoulders a lot with this workout and my arms are sore almost everyday. I'm excited about this because I played soccer growing up so I've always had defined legs but it has taken me awhile to build up my arm and shoulder muscles.

Another thing I wanted to touch on this week is diet, because 70% of your of how you look is based on your diet. So like I said earlier I was unmotivated for a couple weeks and I wasn't eating as healthy as I usually do and I definetly saw that on my body. But last week and this week since I started LesMills Combat I have been back to my healthy diet. LesMills Combat comes with a meal plan/nutrition guide and I've tried to follow it to the best of my ability. I am a vegan so their are a few modifications I have made here and there to accommodate my dietary restrictions. A typical day includes oatmeal for breakfast, a smoothie or energy bar for a snack mid-morning, rice cakes with hummus, avocado and tomato for lunch and a vegatable salad for dinner. Grazing on bananas and nuts as snacks when needed. 

I'm starting to feel like my old self again having endless energy and I attribute that to working out and eating healthy...that truly is the secret to my success. I would recommend this workout and diet guide to people that are looking to work hard and see results. Hang in there Try-Athletes and until next time stay strong and stay fit!

Medicine Cabinet Makeover

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. Did you know you can fix anything that is wrong with you with plant-based medicines?

Last night I attended a "Medicine Makeover" party hosted by this new company called Saffron & Sage. The event was all about plant-based essential oils and how they can replace everything you have in your medicine cabinet currently. 

I am a big believer that diet and exercise can cure any problem you may have. I met a woman last night who had two tumors and by eating raw/vegan and using essential oils her tumors went away. She was very inspiring to listen to and it was amazing meeting someone in person who has used plants to cure themselves. 

I learned a great deal and I want to share what I learned with you. I already knew oregano oil was very good for our bodies but I wasn't sure why. I learned that oregano oil keeps you healthy, if you are feeling under the weather or are sick or feeling low energy taking a few drops of oregano oil can make you feel better. Last week I was feeling low energy and my sister gave me 5 drops of oregano oil in about a half a cup of water and after drinking it I felt better. I no longer felt low energy, I recommend oregano oil whenever you feel like your getting sick. 

Something else I learned was lemon oil detoxes the body and regulates blood pressure. I intend on telling my dad about that one since he is on high blood pressure medication. To demonstrate that lemon is a detoxifier and gets rid of toxins the host of the gathering put three drops of the lemon essential oil on a styrofoam cup and within 10 minutes it had eaten through the cup. 

Another thing I learned was wild orange oil is a mood elevator and gets rid of depression. Putting one drop in your palms and rubbing your hands together and smelling them is all you need to do to lift your mood. You can also put a few drops in a diffuser and use it that way as well. 

Onguard is an essential oil blend that keeps you healthy. It is made up of orange, clove, eucalyptus and sage and is an anti-viral oil. Onguard is known as "the theives blend," because back during the time of the plague there was a group of theives that would rob the dead. They never got sick and didn't catch the plague, eventually when they were found they confessed they had rubbed themselves with the blend of "onguard" and that's why they didn't get sick.

I was fascinated by what I learned at this event. You can basically replace everything in your medicine cabinet with plant-based essential oils! This medicine has been around for thousands of years and I'm not sure why we ever got away from it. 

A couple other things:

Lavender oil is good as a sleep aid, ditch the Tylenol PM and try lavender oil instead. 

Peppermint oil helps with an upset stomach or digestion problems. Fennel, carraway seed and peppermint is a blend that helps with acid reflux so you can throw away your Tums. 

Plants and herbs are truly amazing things that come from the earth and I urge you to try one of these oils instead of the over the counter pill and see how you feel. Until next time stay fit and stay strong. 

Juicing Part II

Welcome to Try-Athlete, the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week was dedicated to juicing. One of the companies I work for just opened a juice bar. I had the pleasure of helping out for the week and by doing so I got free juice for breakfast and lunch. 

I have done a juice cleanse before but that was when I wasn't eating as clean so I was interested to see how it would effect me since I've been eating clean.

Juicing is such an amazing way to get the nutrients you need and get them fast. Since juice absorbs into your system quickly you feel the benefits of the juice and you feel energized. 

The first day I started I got to try a taste of all the juices on the menu. Nine recipes total, they each were interesting and tantalizing combinations. My taste buds were one the ride of a lifetime with every sip of apple, kale, mint and orange, lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper. The combinations or the juices complimented each other so well and was making juicing fresh and new for me. 

The next couple days I supplemented breakfast and lunch with juice. I still worked out and made myself a healthy vegan dinner of mostly grilled veggies. I realized the 3rd night that all I had eaten for three days was fruits and veggies. I felt good, I felt refreshed and energized and decided to keep it up. 

The Good:

I felt amazing, just juicing and only eating fruits and vegetables really gives you the nutrients you need. It's also nice having someone else juice for you, I try to drink my juice within 15 minutes of it being made. When I make my own juice I am usually cleaning my juicer while drinking my juice instead of just enjoying my juice. 

The Bad: 

When you eventually eat something that isn't juice or fruits and vegetables your stomach tells you so. I had organic blue corn tortillas chips on my last night and my stomach rejected them. I had a horrible stomach ache which I never got when drinking juice.

The Unexpected:

I've juiced before but it's been awhile since I drank a lot of juice and I was very surprised about how much energy I had just drinking juice. I also craved carbs this week which was weird because I don't consume much carbs. I didn't have any but I noticed at lunch time I was craving bread.

Recommendations:

I would recommend juicing to anyone and everyone. It is a great way to get all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that we need on a daily basis. For someone just starting on the path to health I would recommend supplementing one meal for juice. It might take a few days to get used to but eventually you will feel the benefits. Until next time stay strong and stay fit! Connect with me @genevievemelzer. 

Vegucated

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. Last week I watched a very informative documentary called "Vegucated." It was about a young woman who is a vegan and got 3 New Yorkers to become vegan for 6 weeks. It was a very inspiring film and I learned a lot about how farm animals are treated in this country. Some of the scenes in the movie where hard to watch because they showed the inhumane treatment of the animals. At the end of the film all 3 of the people stayed vegan.
I decided hey I should do that, I already eat mostly fruits and veggies. I do indulge in the occasional turkey burger with cheese, which would have to be cut out. I realized that not everyone knows what a vegan is when my co-worker brought ceviche (fish) to our employee party and said he thought it was vegan. A vegan is no meat (including fish), poultry and dairy. Vegan's don't purchase leather or any animal products to wear as clothing as well.
I decided to try a week of being vegan and see how I felt at the end of it. I usually eat oatmeal with almond milk for breakfast. No meat or dairy to start my day. Almond milk is a fabulous milk substitute and it's delicious. I work at a breakfast/lunch joint which serves epic bacon. I haven't had a piece of bacon in probably over 6 months but I serve it everyday. This week I felt conflicted serving bacon after I had watched what happens to pigs in the film. The restaurant I work at serves local farm fresh food so I was optimistic that the bacon I was serving was treated with respect. All week at work I was bothered by how much meat and dairy people ordered. Breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day and all these people were starting their day with grease, fat and cholesterol.
Lunch was a little hard because the kitchen staff makes our lunch and they made a salad with cheese covering it and fried chicken sandwiches. I didn't eat either of them instead I waited till work was over and went to our local organic cafe Palm Green and ordered a hummus wrap. No meat, no cheese and it was amazing!
The week started to fly by and I didn't really struggle with being a vegan because when I saw meat or thought about it I remembered all the horrible but true facts I had learned about in the film Vegucated. One night I made myself a smoothie with spinach, banana, mango, coconut oil and almond milk and I got all the protein and nutrients needed and was full just from eating a smoothie that was 100% vegan.
At the end of the week I decided to stay vegan for another week, it wasn't that much of a challenge for me any more to eat vegan so why stop. I challenge everyone to research where your food is coming from especially the meat products you are eating. If everyone saw what was happening to animals behind closed doors they would be vegan too.
Overall I recommend becoming a vegan I had more energy this week, so until next time stay fit!