blog #66: Add variety in your music selection to stay motivated!

I heard the coolest track The Cure vs. Lil Wayne, titled "Close To Me" (Vengeance Mash Up). This is a free download.

The source of this track and many similar mash-ups is fridaymixtape.com
This track is featured in mixtape 34

The site offers a new free mixtape every weekend...cool!! I am in the process of downloading all 59 mixes, so I will recommend my favorites in future posts. So far, they all sound amazing!

Remember, switching up your tunes can really help keep you on track while lifting/running/stretching.

If you want more mellow music to stretch to, or for yoga, let me know and I will recommend accordingly.

Happy tunes!

blog #65: How did you become a personal trainer? What’s the process?

I have been asked my numerous friends about the process of becoming a certified personal trainer. I have laid out the steps in today’s post:


1. Find an accredited organization like ACE, AFFA or NASSM that will issue you a cert

2. Do research what are your goals? Where do you want to work? These answers will help you decide who you want to get your cert from

3. Buy your study materials ( I recommend practice exams)

4. Study for the exam (do you have a background in exercise science? If not allow more time for prep)

5. Register for the exam (you can register online)

6. Take the exam (some sites allow you to take the exam on a computer in a monitored environment)

Ok so you passed the test now what? In order to WORK you need to also have:

1. Current CPR

2. Continue your certification yearly with CECs (continuing education credits)



• If you are an independent contractor like me then you need to purchase insurance to cover yourself and your client.

• If you want to know how to manage your own business that’s another blog. First get your cert and maintain it!

Bottom line:

Do your research and only go after your PT cert if you really, really want it!!

blog #64 What's in season for April?

Every weekend I volunteer with Meredith from Sobel Wellness as her prep assistant. Meredith is very creative with her nutritious, colorful dishes made with ingredients like fruits and vegetables that are always in season. This past weekend we made this beautiful asparagus and pea soup. When eating/cooking, remember to choose what's in season, so that you are consuming fresh, wholesome food.

For the month of April, these veggies/fruits are in season in the Northeast region:

Vegetables

 zucchini

 rhubarb

 artichokes

 asparagus

 spring peas

 broccoli

 lettuce

Fruits

 pineapples

 mangoes

blog 63: cardio tips and tricks

Today’s beautiful weather encouraged me to take a jog outside. Watching other joggers and being mindful of my own form inspired me to write today’s post.

I have a few tips for running outside:

1. Watch your form. (Keep your chest lifted when running and USE YOUR UPPER BODY*)

2. Keep your load light. (If your key chain has 500 keys, only bring what you need for re-entrance at home)

3. Breath in through the nose out through the mouth. (This is what I do because it feels natural to me, but there are many breathing techniques out there.)

4. If listening to your iPod, have a pre-designed playlist so that you don't have to stop and switch tracks mid-run.

5. Keep your music fresh and new by downloading new mixes or artists. (Check out my free suggestions in the music label on my blog.)



*I'm going to expand on tip #1: USE YOUR UPPER BODY

When you pump your arms and extend your fingertips, the lower half of your body works both harder and faster. I always see people with relaxed hands or clenched fists, but if you engage your entire body, you will increase your speed exponentially. TRY IT!

blog 62: How much do you know about organic foods?

take this 10 question quiz to see how much you know about organic food

Conventional farmers	Organic farmers
Apply chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth.	Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure or compost, to feed soil and plants.
Spray insecticides to reduce pests and disease.	Use beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption or traps to reduce pests and disease.
Use chemical herbicides to manage weeds.	Rotate crops, till, hand weed or mulch to manage weeds.
Give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth.	Give animals organic feed and allow them access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures — such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing — to help minimize disease. remember to check the label 100 percent organic. Products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients. Organic. Products that are at least 95 percent organic. Made with organic ingredients. These are products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The organic seal can't be used on these packages.

blog #61: prevent nausia with these dietary recommendations

Recently a client asked me about what to eat when feeling nauseous. I immediately replied...

"ginger!!!"

When she said that she detested ginger, I had to think a bit more critically.

In my "Nutrition and Life Cycle" class, we are learning about the needs of a mother-to-be during pregnancy, and nausea is a big topic of concern. I believe that women who are not pregnant can also follow these guidelines to prevent and ease nausea.

•         Alleviation strategies for nausea:

–        Eat desired foods at desired times

–        Arise slowly upon awakening

–        Eat dry toast or crackers to prevent or alleviate sickness

–        Chew gum or hard candies

–        Eat small, frequent meals

–        Avoid offensive foods

–                 –        Consume carbonated beverages and avoid citrus juice, coffee, tea, water, or milk Eat ginger!

blog #60: New tunes for motivation

I've mentioned several times before how important it is to stay motivated during workouts in order to reach both your short- and long-term fitness goals. I listen to different music styles and tracks to help me reach my goals. What do you do to stay motivated?

Check out DJ Earworm’s mashups, which are free downloads from his site

I like United State of Pop 2009: Blame It on the Pop.

About DJ Earworm:

"Basically, what I do is take a bunch of songs apart and put them back together again in a different way. I end up with tracks called mashups, which I post to this website."

contact DJ earworm if you want to receive email updates at signup@djearworm.com

blog #59: spend less money to eat healthier with Luscious Organics

I have been volunteering with Luscious Organics for a few months now, and I highly recommend this personal chef service.

"Sobel Wellness is pleased to announce a natural foods personal chef service, Luscious Organics Weekly meals.  Contact Meredith to find out more. All personal chef cooking services take place in your home in 3-4 hour blocks. We offer from 7-19 meals. Allow us to customize a weekly plan for you that makes sense. Standard weekly fees are billed monthly. Food is charged extra to a credit card on file through Fresh Direct or other similar organic/local services. Once or twice weekly cooking sessions available depending on preference."

Meredith Sobel is the founder and director of Luscious Organics. She is finishing her third degree at Columbia University in the Nutrition Education program, which will culminate in a Master of Science degree and eligibility for the Registered Dietitian exam and licensing. Meredith is also a blogger, so I encourage my readers to check out both her site and services. She's a pleasure to work with and I have learned so much from her in the kitchen, about managing my business, about nutrition/wellness, and so much more.

My duties:

As a volunteer for Meredith, I act as a "prep girl" and help with chopping veggies, etc. for her in her clients’ homes. Meredith has not only shown me how to make unique, healthy dishes extremely palatable and creative, but she has also shown me how using less salt can still yield delicious meals.

Meredith's services are CHEAPER THEN DINING OUT! Give her a try.

blog #58: Get your omega 3's without touching fish

Do you ever hear people saying " (fill in the blank) yields (fill in the blank benefit)?" For example flax seed lower cholesterol. Do you wonder why or how it does this?


In my Medical Nutrition class this past week we were studying Omega 3 Fatty acids. You may recall that tuna and salmon are good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids, but there are many vegetarian options that yield the same benefits. 


Vegetarian options of Omega 3 fatty acids are:
Flax seed oil
Evening Primrose Oil
Borage Seed oil


Flax seed oil is considered a "special type of fat"

flax seed benefits:

}Cardiovascular disease

}Menopause symptoms

}Cancer Prevention

}Hypertension

}ADD/ADHD

}macular degeneration

}wound healing

}hemodialysis patients 

blog #57: extreem gym mission statements defined: midcity gym and tanning vs. planet fitness

I just had so much fun with my "mission statement" post a few days back that I decided to compare two more facilities:
bodybuilding gym (midcity gym)
anti-bodybuilding gym (planet fitness)

Midcity gym and tanning (where I bring private clients to train)

planet fitness (I have never been to a planet fitness, but I interviewed a former member who is an athlete for this post. There is a planet fitness in Queens and Harlem here in NYC)

Midcity Gym and Tanning

"the last real gym"

Planet Fitness

"Judgement Free Zone® where a lasting, active lifestyle can be built."

So what does this mean? Bodybuilders arn't welcome at Planet Fitness, but they should hurry (but not to fast because true meatheads don't do cardio) on over to Mid city for a weight gainer shake which has about 10,000 calories. GROSS. Oh after the shake they should partner up with a spotter (who doesn't use one of those?) and get to the big three: deadlifts, squats and bench press. I do advocate the big three, but not the weight gainer shake. This is a very unique gym, and the point I am stressing is that it's crucial to understand your environment before you sign up for a gym-or even work out there. Save time by reading the mission statement. 

So whats up with planet fitness? 
I consider planet fitness to be like a Lucile Roberts type of gym from the mission statement, member feedback and the website. After interviewing a former member and athlete here is her response about plant fitness:

" The No Judgment Zone" statement is an oxymoron. Planet Fitness certainly does judge. They hold anyone who wants a really serious work out in contempt. The notion of someone pumping iron and at a very heavy weight is why most people go to the gym. We aren't there to look pretty, we are there to get fit so when we leave the gym and are in our normal settings, we DO look, we are, healthy, pretty, fit, strong, etc. Finally, the turn around from a standard, weight lifting gym (which, of course, included classes and aerobic machines) to this Planet Fitness not only judged the former members for their intensity, but took away their membership. Yes! Every former member had to repay to get to use Planet Fitness. This new business refused to honor member ships that were paid ahead, they refused to accommodate these original gym members. I think that is just bad business."-Nancy

bottom line: a goodworkout is possible ANYWHERE it's all about your attitude and comfort level. Where do you feel most comfortable? I take non-bodybuilders to midcity all the time, but we are aware of our surroundings which include: loud thumping weights, groans, dropping weights, snide remarks and smelly, smelly large men who stare.


If any of my readers have visited either gym please comment and share your experiences

blog #56: Yoga teacher training in India

My friend Becca is leaving for her trip to India the 10th where she will live in an ashram and practice/learn yoga all day long for 6 weeks with Yoga Point teacher training.

why? Upon completion Becca will be certified in yoga education
where? Vishaw Yoga Darshan (situated in the mountain range of Sahyadri)
what will they feed her? pure vegetarian food is served in accordance with yogi lifestyle. 

• In addition to learning about meditation and principals of yoga Becca will learn more about Ayurveda (the Indian traditional science of healthy lifestyle and herbs)

I read on the website that complete silence is maintained in the dining room during meals. The "Eating Guidelines" clearly state that talking while eating is forbidden. 

here is the daily schedule of Becca while she is in India:

05:00 am Wakeup Time
05.45 am to 06.00 am Mantra Chanting
06.00 am to 08.00 am Yoga Practice (Asana & Pranayama)
08:00 am to 09:00 am Karma Yoga (Selfless Service)
09:00 am to 09:30 am Breakfast / Snacks
10:00 am to 10:45 am Yoga Nidra / Theory lecture I
11:15 am to 12:00 pm Theory lecture II
12:15 am to 01:00 pm LUNCH
01:00 pm to 03:00 pm Resting Time (Self Study)
03:00 pm to 03:15 pm Herbal Drink
03:15 pm to 04:00 pm Theory Lecture III
04:30 pm to 06:30 pm Yoga Practice (Asana & Pranayama)
06:30 pm to 07:15 pm Free time
07.30 pm to 08:00 pm DINNER
08:15 pm to 09:00 pm Sanskrit Training / Meditation / Yoga Songs (Bhajans) / Group Discussions / Question Answer sessions / Satsangs.
10:00 pm Bed Time




I can't wait to pick her brain when she comes back!

blog #55 shopping for a gym? Check out the mission statements first!

A mission statement is a formal short written statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making. It provides "the framework or context within which the company´s strategies."

what does your gyms mission statement say ? What do you want your location to represent? Is your gyms mission statement representative of you and your goals?

I currently work for gravity fitness spa as a fitness instructor, but I use to work for equinox as a personal trainer over a year ago.

equinox was voted "AMERICA'S HEALTHIEST GYM" BY HEALTH MAGAZINE (whatever that means)

gravity has been consistantly rated one of the "10 best gyms" by various national publications.

Both gyms are high end facilities where celebrities workout regularly (gravity is located inside of le parker meridian hotel in midtown.)

mission statements:

equinox :

"its not fitness. its life"

gravity:

"your workout. not your life"

What do these statements mean to you? Which one is more appealing?

gravity:

equinox:

blog #54 balance your diet: lose weight with the Ayurveda practice

Ayurveda is known as Alternative Medicine here in USA and other parts of the world

Ayurveda focuses more on healthy living than treatment of diseases.

The word 'Ayur' means life, while 'Veda' means Science.

This practice is a 5000 year old approach to health based from India.

four taste 'primaries', referred to as the basic tastes:

sweetness, bitterness, sournessand saltiness and umami (which is described as savory from meat, cheese and mushrooms.)

In Ayurveda, foods are classified into six tastes -

sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent.

According to Ayurveda, when we are in balance, we automatically desire foods that are good for us. Wow that sounds like a great way to maintain or lose weight!


 I subscribe to Yoga Journal which regularly prints articles relating to this wholistic practice based from India. Check out their articles to learn more about the connection of Ayurveda and yoga.

blog #53 "calories are so bad!!"

I HATE when people say "calories are bad." Calories are neither good nor bad they are simply a unit of measurement. Calories in surplus attribute to weight gain, and calories in deficit attribute to weight loss. BUT CALORIES ARE NECESSARY FOR LIFE FUNCTION.

• a burger has a higher amount of calories then a carrot. Do you know how many calories would be a in burger? Carrot?
• carrot one medium=25 calories
• burger big mac from mcDonalds=485 calories

what is a calorie exactly?

• unit of energy
• unit of heat
• 4.184 Joules =1 gram calorie (based on one gram of water)
• 1 calorie is equal to 1 kilocalorie (kcal) or 1000 gram calorie (based on one kilogram of water)
• fats, carbs, protein and alcohol contain food energy

the differing energy densities of foods are shown in this table:

Food component	Energy Density
	Cal/g	kJ/g
Fat	9	37
Ethanol (alcohol)	7	29
Proteins	4	17
Carbohydrates	4	17
Organic acids	3	13
Polyols (sugar alcohols, sweeteners)	2.4	10
Salatrims (reduced energy fat)	6	25

35000 calories =one pound

wow that seems like a lot! well what did you eat for thanksgiving? How many thanksgivings did you eat? How many xmas parties did you attend? Leftovers....you do the math it adds up.

a preliminary form of measuring calories is through the bomb calorimeter shown below. Its been shown that measuring calories through carbs, protein and fats is a more effective way to measure food energy.

blog 52: Sproutarian ...sprouta-who-ian???

I had no idea what a sproutarian was until I moved into my apartment with my roomates who eat a raw diet. They are both sprout and juicitarians. 


Sproutarian-eats mostly sprouts which are high in antioxidants and nutrients. Sprouts are known to slow the aging process. Different types are: alfalfa, peas, fenugreek, fennel and celery seed. 


juicearian-mainly drinks fresh juice made from organic fruits and vegtables


My roomates harvest sprouts and home, and grow wheat grass.


raw diet= The raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed. Usually 75% of the diet must be raw of living. 





The raw diet is very trendy. What have you heard about the Raw Food diet? Check out this clip.

• nothing is heated over 118 degrees in a raw food diet
• nothing processed
• nothing artificial

check out this clip to learn a bit more about Raw Food

check out this blog to learn more about raw food

blog51: New Years Resolutions?

I read this article called "Aw the heck with it...Why resolutions wont work without resolve." Check it out.

1. Choose the right resolution.

2. Have a plan.

3. Don’t stray.

4. Stay flexible and keep going.

My friend Amy attends my yoga classes at Gravity Fitness, and she writes for Time Out New York. Check out her newest article under the "Spas and Sports" section.

Amy reviews a few fitness classes that she says will 
"whip your double-wide booty—and maybe even your social life—into shape"


that sounds like a good new years resolution to be. Get into better shape and meet people? I'm in.


amy reviews:
Punk Rock Yoga
FitChicNYC
The New York Metro Ice Skating Group
New York F.U.S.E. Dance Fitness Meetup Group
The NYC Flexibility Group

Amy is a friend of mine and I enjoy both her company and fitness reviews so I am going to try at least 2 of these classes through my winter break and then review them on my blog. If anyone wants to come with me....let me know.

.
sidenote: I met one of my best friends Laura who then became my roommate in college from a hip hop class. To this day some of my best girlfriends are women that I met through fitness classes. My resolution is to attend more fitness classes.


goal: attend more fitness classes
objective: try at least 2 new fitness classes a month




whats your new years resolution? what are your goals/objective?

blog 50: fight weakness with strength=henry rollin's essay is inspirational

Henry Rollins is a musician, writer, activist, DJ, and actor. He wrote a really inspirational essay that he posted on his website called THE IRON. This short essay is worth reading.

essay highlights:

nothing good comes without work and a certain amount of pain.

Rollins discoveres a sense of himself

Rollins did something no one could ever take away

he says that working out gave himself a great gift

strength revels itself through character

he speaks of "the iron mind"

he fought weakness with strength

Does working out give you a sense of identity?

"Iron" helped Rollins develop a sense of self. Rollins developed an "iron mind" from lifting. What have you developed from working out? What association do you have with the gym? What drives you to be consistent and make working out/taking care of yourself a lifestyle?

whats your relationship to iron?

blog #49: avoid the "holiday heart syndrome"

A holiday heart is a condition that causes irregular heartbeat in patients who are otherwise healthy individuals. Holiday heart syndrome now most commonly refers to the association between alcohol use and rhythm disturbances. 


what causes it?
stress
dehydration
alcohol-moderate amounts or binge drinking
marijuana
bing eating


symptoms?
rapid pulse
irregular heart beat
palpitations


my medical nutrition therapy professor who use to work at presbyterian hospital as a dietitian told our class that due to this condition every year the same group of people came to to hospital after the holidays (like thanksgiving and Xmas.) My professor said that many of the patients had preexisting heart conditions, and that they overeat/drank which caused palpitations so the patients were rushed to the hospital for a week of IV Lasix.