Are you a Vegetarian?

Welcome to Try-Athlete, the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week I struggled with my Vegetarianism. I don't like labels I eat healthy but I don't necessarily put myself into any categories even though I pretty much am vegan and vegetarian and eat mostly raw as well. I'm not sure why I don't really tell people I am these things.
I have watched so many food documentaries lately that it seems cruel and horrible to eat animals that lived an inhumane life just to die for me to eat. I haven't eaten any meat, poultry or fish in over a month and I haven't missed it. It's interesting when you cut something out of your diet for a few weeks and you end up never looking back.
I just want to be socially conscious about what I'm putting in my body and how it was raised and treated. This week was a struggle because we went to a seafood restaurant right by the ocean and I love seafood. As soon as we sat down I saw this lobster salad that looked amazing and I don't even like lobster. But something else caught my eye when scanning the menu the Crab & Shrimp Louis, I used to love crab and shrimp before I started on this journey.
I ordered the Louis with no egg and the dressing on the side but I still ordered it with the crab and shrimp. When it arrived it looked healthy and delicious but a part of me felt guilty because or the crab and shrimp. I ate it plain without the dressing and each one of the components was so flavorful the dressing wasn't needed. I ate the whole thing and once I was done the remorse set in. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had done something wrong I didn't know where they got their seafood from or if it was caught wild and not harmful to other sea life. I knew if my some of my girl-friends were with me they would look down on me.
I feel like we all make mistakes and struggle sometimes with change and new ideas. I got myself out of my funk by realizing I'm not perfect and no one really is even though we all try to come off like we have all the answers we don't. Sometimes we mess up or fuck up or order the wrong thing but it's our future choices that can help us feel better about ourselves. Next time I go to a seafood restaurant I most likely won't order fish because I will remember how I felt the previous time. Or next time I won't even put myself in that situation I will just pick a different restaurant something vegan or vegetarian or raw.
As long as you feel good about your decisions and find out if the meat/poultry/fish you are consuming was humanly raised, grass fed, wild and all the other things we need to ask then enjoy. I choose to cut all animal protein out of my diet because I've seen and heard too much to eat those things but even I had a slip up and I think it's normal to sometimes fall and get back up, dust yourself off and continue on your healthy path. This is a journey that has just started for some of us and I believe hiccups will happen but we can overcome them and it will just make us stronger! It is a marathon not a sprint so until next time stay strong and stay fit!

The Daily Hiit

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 a website called The Daily Hiit. The Daily Hiit is a website that has different workout videos uploaded daily. Hiit stands for high intensity interval training, each video is 2-5 minutes but you repeat it many times to get maximum results.
I heard about this website from a friend who used to do it when it was called Bodyrock.tv but it has now transitioned into The Daily Hiit. I was interested to see if I got the same results from a 12-15 minute workout than from a 45 minute Insanity workout. The first Daily Hiit I did was a HiitLite workout but let me tell you this workout was anything but lite. We did triangle push-ups, tricep dips with weights, tricep kick-backs with weights, fly bridge, and squat curl with weights. We did each exercise for 30 seconds with a 10 second break between each move. The first round was good I felt strong and in control of my body, but I was suppose to repeat the workout 5 times the second and third rounds were a bit harder the weight started to feel real heavy. The fourth and fifth rounds were a lot harder I was sweating like crazy but I held on and finished the last round. I was surprised I could already tell that my muscles were going to be sore and it was only a 15 minute workout.
The next day I returned for HiitCore this workout was five moves each for 50 seconds with a 10 second rest between each move. This core workout was intense I was sweating on the first round the moves included step out half burpee, in and out abs with ski abs, chuck and tuck, sit-ups with weight and push-ups. This workout was considerably harder than the HiitLite workout and I had to repeat it five times. In and out abs are my krptonite and that was the part of the workout I struggled with. I could not believe how much I was sweating at the end of the five rounds! I was exhausted and my abs and thighs were killing me, let me restate that every muscle I had used in this workout which was almost every muscle was killing me. I had worked hard and only worked out for 25 minutes not the hour I was used to. I was literally dripping in sweat.
The trainer who is doing the exercises with you is British and I lover her accent their is something about a British accent that just works for me. I listen to her more attentively than I would if she was American. Her body is also rocking, every muscle is lean and toned and I feel like she is inspirational to watch because I can connect with her but she also inspires me to push harder so I can look even better too. It's nice to follow her in these workouts because she does all the moves she isn't just telling you how to do it and watching others do it, she is doing it with you. The moves she comes up with are tough and work the appropriate muscles to guarantee a great workout in a short amount of time.
The rest of the week I was challenged everyday by each Hiit workout. I was sore and also excited to go back to the site each day for a new workout. Overall I would say I'm really enjoying the workouts on The Daily Hiit, they are challenging and target all the muscles I want to work. I like how they switch it up each day and how each day focuses on something different i.e. core, body, lean, reps and many more. I would definitely recommend this website as a great way to get or stay in shape, if you are just starting out you can do the HiitLite videos and move up from there. I'm excited to continue with this workout and see the long term effects so until next time stay fit!

The Return Of Pilates

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week I went back to the Pilates studio I haven't been to in a year. I'm not sure why I didn't renew my monthly membership last year but I woke up early Thursday morning with a Pilates itch that I needed to scratch. I went to the studio's website and saw that their was availability in the 8am class. So I threw on my sports bra and workout shorts and was out the door.

I arrived at the studio and was pleasantly surprised to see my favorite Instructor. He would be instructing me in the Scuplt class I signed up for, yes this was turning into a good day and a great decision. The studio that I go to has Pilates equipment such as the Proformer and the Wunda Chair; I thought I would be a little rusty but picked it up fast just like riding a bike. The class was all about doing each movement slowly so you could really feel it and "sculpt" your muscles hence the name of the class being Sculpt. Being in this class reminded me of why I love Pilates it stretches and lengthens your muscle so you have long lean muscles like a dancer. We did moves that worked my core, gluts, arms and thighs we basically worked everything.
The energy in the class was positive and energizing and was such a great way to start my day. The instructor made sure to show us each movement so we knew we were doing it correctly and also told us when to breathe in and out. A big part of Pilates is about breathing technique and making sure you contract your abs when your breathing. Throughout the class I was focusing on my abs and my breathe. After class my abs were sore I could tell I worked them hard and in a different way than my usual Insanity assault on them.
I felt great the rest of the day and I was convinced it was the Pilates class so I signed up for a 1 month membership. I returned the next day for the Intermediate Proformer class even though I hadn't been in class for a year till yesterday, I am in great shape and I had done the intermediate classes before so I thought I would be fine. It was a little bit harder then the Sculpt class but still in my skill level. Since I'm the Try-Athlete, you know I'm always looking for a challenge so I tried to really push it in this class. When we had the option to have heavier residence I would do it. I did notice that my abs were killing me at the end of class because they were already sore from the previous class. I decided to take the next day off to give my abs a much needed rest.
The following day I tried another class, this time with the instructor that I remembered to be the hard ass, you know the instructor who nitpicks your every move, yeah it was that guy. I gave myself a pep talk before heading into that class. The class was another Intermediate Proformer class and I thought he was going kill me but he ended up being really nice and pretty mellow. He didn't correct me every five minutes which was nice because that always makes me feel so self-conscious and then I don't focus on the exercise I focus on my ego. I was delighted by his class and was no longer scared to attend any of his classes.

The next day I tried a new instructor I had never taken before the class was 50/50 Proformer and Chair. We would do half our workout on Proformer and the other half on Wunda Chair. I was sore from the class the day before but I definitely was not prepared for how hard this class was. First she killed our legs on the chair my legs were shaking at the end of the segment because they were so tired. Next we moved on to the Proformer and worked shoulders, chest and arms.

Can I just say my shoulders were about to fall off they worked so hard. I could barely finish the arm segment because it was so hard but I never quit even when sometimes I should to not risk injury but I'm mentally tough so I finish. This was the first class that I went to where I was excited when I knew we were almost done because I needed a break. After class my arms and legs felt like jelly but I was glad I went cause I'm always chasing the challenge of a hard workout. I plan on continuing Pilates for the rest of the month.
Overall I would highly recommend Pilates to people of any fitness level. In every class I've been to there has been women in their 60's and people of all different ages. Pilates never gets old because their is always new and different movements and equipment to try. Depending on the instructor and the class it can be beginning to advanced just make sure to stay in your skill level until you feel comfortable moving on. So until next time stay fit!

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!

Staying Healthy in Sin City

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend and I headed to Las Vegas, NV to celebrate the end of our work season in Palm Spings, CA. Memorial Day is our last big weekend in the Coachella Valley and then the snowbirds head home and it starts to get triple digits hot everyday. Palm Springs and the whole Valley slow down tremendously. My favorite DJ's were playing in Vegas and I decided to go and see them. I'm the Try-Athlete I live, breathe, eat and sleep fitness so I wasn't gonna let Vegas tempt me. How do you stay healthy in the city that is known for temptation? Well here's how I did it.
Diet/Eating Healthy: We drove from Palm Springs and it's about a 4 hour drive so it's always important on road trips to bring health snacks with you. We brought almonds, bananas, cliff bars and lots of water. If you forget or don't have time to get snacks gas stations always have nuts and a couple pieces of fruit. When in Vegas the restaurants offer every type of cuisine you would ever want American Bistro, Japanese, Mexican, Italian and everything else you can think of. Even though I was on vacation I made sensible choices when eating in Vegas. For breakfast I had eggs and oatmeal, yes the Belgian waffle looked good but I refrained from ordering it. We also were going to be in our bathing suits all day so I wasn't about to look bloated. For lunch we went to a burger place and I ordered a turkey burger and instead of getting fries I got ordered a side salad. For dinner we went to a buffet and you can even find healthy options at buffets. They had crab legs, roasted veggies, sweet potatoes, sushi and more. I have to admit I was tempted by the desert part of the buffet but not enough to give in.
Drinking/Stay Hydrated: Since most of the activites in Vegas are centered around drinking I understand having a couple of adult beverages. I usually order a vodka soda with a lime which is very low in calories and doesn't have any added sugar or sweeteners. Try to find a low-calorie drink that you enjoy if you are doing to drink. Also drinking a glass of water between drinks will keep you hydrated and also keep you from ordering too many cocktails.
Dance/Workout: Most of the hotels in Vegas have workout rooms and even if you fit in a 20-30 minute workout that will keep you feeling good. If you just don't have time to fit in a short workout, dance at the club/pool/bar. Almost everywhere in Vegas has a dance floor and people are always dancing. I danced at the nightclub, at the pool and in the pool. I was a dancing machine this past weekend and we were always dancing or walking so I felt very active. Just try to stay active whatever your doing in Vegas.
Next time you're on vacation in Las Vegas or anywhere try to keep in mind to stay healthy and you will feel better if you stay true to yourself on vacation. So until next time stay fit!

6 mile Bike Ride

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week was a little different for me because I kind of pulled a muscle in my lower abs. I couldn't do much core work because I was in pain so it kind of limited my workouts. I couldn't do Insanity or Asylum because you use your core a lot in those and I didn't want to hurt the muscle further.
I just purchased a bike last week, a one- speed beach cruiser. So why not take that out for a spin. Being the Try-Athlete I always want to challenge myself so I thought why not add ankle weights to my legs for my bike ride.
After I had strapped on each 2 lbs ankle weight on to each leg I opened my Charity Miles app and chose "bike" and then chose the charity I wanted to bike for Vision Spring a charity that helps people see. Charity Miles if your not familiar with it is an app that every time you go for a walk, run or bike ride donates money to a charity of your choice. I use it every time I run, walk or bike; not only am I bettering myself but I'm also helping others when I exercise.
I was now ready for my bike ride I set out on my usual route. I should mention the weather in Palm Springs, CA had been hitting triple digits daily but I didn't let that stop me, my ride started around 5pm so it had cooled off a bit I believe it was in the low 90s.
Biking with a one speed beach cruiser is a lot easier than a mountain bike so there I was listening to my music with my headphones on and pedaling with my ankle weights on. I tried to pedal as fast as possible and not coast at all. After biking for about a half hour I was on a very bump run-down street and that's when it started to get hard to pedal because I had so much friction and resistance from the road. It was a street paved in tar that was run-down so it had a lot of little bumps, my ankle weights started to feel heavier at this point.
So I started to head back to my house but then looked at my phone and saw that I had a little more than half a mile left and I would have biked 6 miles. Well I couldn't go back now I had to hit 6 miles so I continued on. My butt kind started bothering me and I had to keep readjusting and the next day that area was soar. I pedaled and pedaled and I finally hit 6 miles on my Charity Miles app. Yes I had done it, my legs were a little soar but overall I felt good, I wasn't dripping with sweat which I think is do to the fact that my bike is a one-speed and not a mountain bike. I would recommend this workout to some one who wanted a relaxing lower body workout, you don't really have to think a lot during this workout but your still working and you will feel it the next day. I'm pretty excited about my next ride, until next time stay fit!

Running at 8,500 feet

Welcome to Try-athlete the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. Today I went for a run but I did it the way an ultimate fighter would I ran at 8,500 feet at the top of a mountain. I remember watching something about Tito Ortiz where he was training for a fight and he went to high elevation to train.
In Palm Springs, Ca where I live one of the main tourist attractions is the Aerial tram. It takes you up the mountain 8,500 feet to a climate very different than the desert. Instead of 108 degree weather it's 60 and instead of sand and palm trees it's dirt and pine trees. A cool breeze runs through the forest and the views are majestic.
There are many hiking trails at the top of the mountain so since I'm try-athlete and I decided to try running some of these trails. I started with the Desert View (1.5 miles) trail, it had 5 notches where it gave breathtaking views of the whole desert hence the trail name "Desert View." I ran to each notch and took pictures of each vista point. At some points I couldn't run because of the rocky terrain. I finished that trail and was thirsty for more so I ran the Nature trail (.75 miles), I felt like one with nature on my run I had to stop at one point to take a picture because the view was so beautiful.
After I finished that trail I decided to try one more trail the Adventure trail I ran it for probably half a mile and then saw that it went straight up into the mountain and was more like rock climbing so I turned back but will save that one for another trip. I thought because of the elevation change it would be tougher to run and I would be out of breath but surprisingly I felt pretty much the same as when I run at my house. My knees started to bother me and that's when I knew it was time to stop, but I still wanted to do more so I found a secluded picnic bench and started doing crunches I did sets of 20 of every crunch I could think of, I did this for 8 minutes and then after about a 3 mile run and a core workout I was ready to leave and head back down the mountain.
Overall I would definitely go back up the tram and go for a run, one reason being its so hot here right now I can't run. I also really enjoyed the nature I was surrounded by I saw lizards and squirrels and all different kinds of trees and plant life. Overall I would recommend going for a run at an elevated level but I would also recommend preparing for it eating before and staying hydrated are very important. Until next time stay fit!