In Greek Yogurt

As this yogurt becomes more popular, it's availability and shelf space is expanding. This is great news for all you health conscious people out there! Not only is it lower in sugar compared to your everyday light yogurt but it is higher in protein too meaning you stay fuller longer. :-)

Some of my favorite brands include Fage 0% and Chobani. Both can be found in bulk at Costco for when you really fall in love with the stuff. But, if you have never tried it and are interested, the consistency and textured can be compared to that of sour cream. Most people I know who have not given greek yogurt a chance have told me it is because they don't think they could get over the thickness of it. I can tell you that after eating Greek yogurt, I will never go back to the light stuff. Below is a comparison of Yoplait Strawberry, Chobani Strawberry, and Fage.

Brand	Yoplait Strawberry	Chobani 0% Strawberry	Fage (Fe-yeh)  0%
Calories (170g)	170	140	100
Fat	1.5g	0g	0g
Carbs	33g	20g	7g
Sugar	26g	19g	7g
Fiber	N/A	.9g	0g
Protein	5g	14g	18g

 If strawberry isn't your thing, Chobani also comes in Apple, Black Cherry, Blood Orange, Raspberry, Pomegranate, Passion Fruit, Plain, Honey, Blueberry, Lemon, Pineapple, Mango, Strawberry Banana, Peach and Vanilla. I have tried all of these and can tell you first hand they are delicious. Experiment them alone or topped with fresh fruit, nuts, jam, or mix with cereal.
Don't let me limit the brands you try, test out some of those below and see what you like!

• Dannon
• Noosa
• Oikos (Stonyfield)
• Greek Gods
• Vosko
• Brown Cow

Thanks for reading :-)

In Water

The human body is about 60-70% water, so how much should you be drinking? This question has been around a long time, and the truth is, there isn't a definite answer. Your water needs are not dependent on one factor and there is no formula that spits out the perfect number of water glasses we should consume. The Institute of Medicine has recommended that men get about 13 cups of water while women drink 9 cups per day. However, what we should be aware of is all the health benefits that come with drinking water not to better understand why. 

Water is the main component to your body and every system depends on it- to rid toxins, hydrate, carry nutrients, and provide moisture. 

While many can argue they are getting the recommended amount through their soft drinks, coffee, tea and what have you, these all contain caffeine. Caffeine is a mild diuretic preventing water from reaching its appropriate destinations. 

Also it is important to know that you can drink too much water. This is referred to as water intoxication, and happens when the sodium levels in the blood are diluted.  It cause an imbalance of water in the brain (hyponatremia) meaning water rushes into the cell, expanding tissues, and swelling the brain. The effects resemble something like alcohol intoxication and more serious conditions result in seizures, coma and possible death. Too much water is most commonly seen in athletes who have lost water and electrolytes. They take in water but have not replenished the necessary sodium levels. It is important to take in a balance and a good sports drink should do the trick. 

Other benefits of water include

• Helps with metabolism
• Regulates body temp
• Aids in joint health
• Protects organs
• Lose weight
• Stay alert

Thanks for reading!

In Spin Class

If you have never tried spin and you are looking for a huge cardio calorie burn- try spinning. On average, in a 1 hour spin class, I burn anywhere from 700-1,000 calories (according to my heart rate monitor). Not only will you get your ass kicked but you will build up your endurance.

Since spin is a high intensity cardio workout, you will be sore the first couple times you go. This is a great thing! Why you ask? Because when your body goes out of its comfort zone, it has to rebuild the muscles that were overworked. The larger the muscles worked during exercise, the more muscles it takes to rebuild them. Large muscles, like the legs, take a couple days to rebuild and in order to make this happen, your metabolic rate is increased = more calories burned during this time :-)

One of the best parts of spin class is you are in control of your bike which is especially great if you are new to class! This doesn't mean you should slack off but if the class is a little too hard for you,  you can easily adjust the fly wheel (resistance level) and the instructor won't know if you are at a level 7 or a level 5.

Yes an hour is a long time but with a planned workout and speeds/resistance/position constantly changing, it goes by fast. After only a few classes, you will feel a difference in  your legs, gluteus, back, and abs.
Spin is also a great way to give your knees a break from any other work outs you have been pushing your body through.

Most of the time a knee injury is due to an issue that is going on in the hip, just like a quad injury is because the hami is tight. When you spin you are relieving pressure on the hip and knee... happy hip, happy knee. Or for all those who have ever had shin splints, this is also a great alternative to get pressure off those muscles. Do make sure to have your instructor position your bike properly so you don't cause any harm or injury to yourself and be sure to watch your posture.

If you are still looking for a reason to try spin, I will tell you it is a great stress reliever after a long day at work!

 Happy Spinning and thanks for reading!

In Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Bread

If you have never tried this bread I strongly suggest you do. Let's do a comparison.
I went with Nature's Own Whole Wheat bread (just choosing a popular brand) and compared it to Ezekiel's Whole Wheat.

Brand	Nature’s Own	Ezekiel
Calories	50	80
Fat	1g	.5g
Carbs	10g	15g
Sugar	1g	0g
Fiber	2g	3g
Protein	4g	4g

From this it appears that Nature's Own might be the better choice because it is lower in overall calories but looking at the ingredients may change your mind.
The first couple of ingredients I actually recognize but then by ingredient 8 you get to Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate. What is this you ask? It is a dough conditioner to make the gluten in the bread stronger and increases the volume of the loaf. So it looks like you are getting a lot of bread but this filler does not fill you up at all. It's also used as a fat replacer, sugar replacer, and shelf life enhancer all to cut down on production costs. So really, it would appear the company is more concerned about operational spending rather than producing something good for us. Also, SSL is used as as an emulsifier basically meaning it takes oil and water and makes a mixture.
Some other ingredients include monoglycerides, calcium iodate, ethoxylated mono and diglycerides, calcium peroxide, datem, azodicarbonamide, calcium suflate, monocalcium phosphate, and soy lecithin. =What??

Let's delve into Ezekiel's ingredients, ready?
Organic sprouted whole wheat, filtered water, organic malted (dried) barely, organic sprouted whole millet (small seeded species), organic sprouted whole barely, organic sprouted whole lentils, organic sprouted whole soybeans, organic sprouted whole spelt (wheat species), fresh yeast, and sea salt. Pure goodness.

This bread is not only made with ingredients I know (and can fully pronounce) but this is one of the most filling breads I have ever eaten. This coming from a girl who could eat bread all day every day. My theory: while we all love to pig out on things that aren't good for us (guilty), at the end of the day I want to know I am fueling my body well. I make it a priority to know what these foods are and among them I have found Ezekiel. I should tell you, that you will find this amazing bread in the frozen food section near the vegetarian products (Boca burgers, MorningStar, and Annie's). Also this bread does run on the more expensive side ($4-5/loaf compared to $2-$3 of the regular stuff) but in my opinion it is worth the extra few dollars to know I am fueling my body well.

Thanks for reading :-)

In The Non-Cotton Sock

A couple months ago I complained to the owner of my local running store that I was developing multiple blisters on the bottom of my feet ("battle wounds"). Normally I wouldn't care but I become a bit agitated when I have to end my run early because the pain is so bad. I was surprised when he didn't ask how old my shoes were or where I was running but the kind of socks I was wearing. To which I responded with your average bulk pack of ankle cotton socks from Costco. Immediately he told me "Cotton's Rotten. Go pick out some new ones on the wall and then we will talk about shoes." 
Yikes, I felt naive. So simple but something I completely overlooked.

I'd be lying if I said my blister went away for good. BUT I can say they are not caused by my socks, rather when I am wearing a new pair of shoes for the first couple times.

 I haven't tried enough brands to tell you which ones are best but the first brand I did buy (and have stuck with) have been wonderful. These are the SofSole Socks Coolmax Performance socks and you should be able to find these at your local sporting goods store. Other popular brands include PowerSox and Softwick which categorizes their socks by sport.

If you still aren't sure what is for you, as a general rule I recommend going with a sock that is around 50% polyester and higher is better. You want your foot to be able to breath in the sock but at the same time isn't falling down to the bottom of your shoe while working out. Therefore, try to find one described as a lightweight compression sock. Test some out and see what is right for you, I guarantee you feel the difference.  

In Almond Milk

Almond milk has many health benefits over cow's milk and we can start by looking at the the sugar content. Your average 8oz glass of Skim contains 12g of sugar compared to the average Almond that contains 7g of sugar.

Don't get me wrong, whole milk has a lot of nutritional value as well but with whole milk comes a lot of fat, 24 mg of cholesterol to be exact. Almond milk contains vitamins & minerals including E, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, calcium and depending on the brand, only contains 40 calories per serving! The fat found in this milk is healthy fat, unlike coconut milk that contains trans fat. Meaning it raises your bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases your risk for coronary heart disease. In 2011 alone, the US spent $1.33 billion on lactose free drinks while the gallons of cow's milk consumed per-capita continued to decrease.

Now let's turn our attention to rice milk which is also making more of an appearance on the shelves these days. Seeing that rice is a grain, this milk contains 23g of carbs and a little under half of those are from sugar. It will break down quickly (leaving you feeling hungry) and the chocolate versions are even worse. 

Then comes Soy milk. This, along with almond milk, are tied for the healthiest non-dairy milk and are among the 2 most popular dairy-free milks in the industry today. You will find Almond milk to be less starchy and best for the calorie conscious while Soy has more proteins. Both have high amount of fiber as far as milk goes. Also they have a higher content of (natural) vitamins and minerals when compared to the cow. The best thing about these two, the vitamins can help raise your basal metabolic rate = more fat burned & calories = :-)

Other benefits of Almond Milk include

• Free of saturated fat
• Gluten free
• Lactose free
• Contains about 455g of calcium (almost 50% more than cow's milk)
• Rich in antioxidants
• Soy Free

I recommend Blue Diamond Unsweetened Milk and if you are within distance of a Trader Joe's, there store brand is delicious! If you are just making the transition, starting with the chocolate- it might be easiest. 

In Vibrams

I believe in barefoot running. After reading "Born to Run" (and if you are among the 5% of runners who have yet to read it, I strongly recommend it), I became intrigued with the idea of barefoot running. Meaning, unless I am running on a beach or AstroTurf, I will never go completely naked below the ankle, but I'm willing to get as close as possible. I had seen the famous "FiveFingers" shoes before when I was still in high school and wanted to try them. After I mentioned something to my cross country coach, I was surprised he share the same interest. He didn't own a pair but really enjoyed the few pairs of the Nike Free's he owned.
So fast forward 7 years and a semi-impulse buy, I am now a proud owner of Vibrams. I do own light weight running shoes already but I will be the first to tell you, nothing is like Vibrams. The first time I left on a run I felt like I forgot something back home. As I headed down the street, I had many perplexed looks at my "Smurf Blue" feet from passing cars and I couldn't help but smile.
The first mile and half felt awesome and my foot landing was completely altered but it felt normal. Muscles in my calves regular shoes don't seem to call on were triggered awake. I felt great and just as I was thinking I will be fine to do the last 800m of the 2 mile loop, the cramping set in. I knew I would be sore, but that didn't even begin to describe the feeling. For the next 3 days my calves were in knots and walking down the stairs became a striving effort.
I will continue to do short runs till I can build up to longer mileage and would recommend nothing longer than a mile for a first timer. It's hard to describe what it feels like to run in Vibrams only that I can say you have to try them to know.
For more information on barefoot running, first read "Born to Run" and then a simple 'barefoot running' search in Amazon will return sufficient suggestions. Happy running :-)

In Honey

I believe in the natural goodness of honey. Not only is it a nice sweetener to tea but it can help boost your athletic performance. According to Runner's World, athletes that consumed a TBSP of honey every half hour with water, performed ending sprints just as well as those taking energy gels. What the secret? Honey contains certain sugars, specifically glucose and fructose, which store tons of reserves in the liver = endurance. The glucose is used right away where as the fructose is stored for later (finishing kick).

Other benefits include

• Providing vitamins and minerals
• Antioxidants
• Helping with digestion

Remember the lighter the color the sweeter and milder the taste (Clover) where as darker (Buckwheat) are bolder and more malt-like.

Now you can even buy different flavors of honey in a single serving straw- certain grocery stores will sell these and you can always buy online. Flavors range from lime and cherry to rootbeer and pina colada!