What are the latest and greatest health-related products? How can I spice up my ho-hum workout? Are the new nutritious food products and health-focused restaurants worth my money? If you're asking any of these questions you've found the right spot!Note: While I'm a journalist with a Bachelor's degree in kinesiology and am a Certified Health Education Specialist, I don't replace the guidance/counseling that comes from a good chat with your doctor or dietitian. For more information, feel free to contact me at karlaswalsh@gmail.com!
Healthful Bites
You didn’t think I’d let the boys have all the fun during Music May, did you? There have been some pretty rockin’ girl groups over the years too. Sadly, there haven’t been too many since Destiny’s Child went their separate ways…I say it’s about time to change that! Sure, some of this is bubble gum pop, like last week, but all of the songs have great beats. Plus, no one can hear them when you’re wearing earbuds!
Here’s a selection (full playlist waiting for you on iTunes!) of my favorites that are ready to pump you up during your workout.
- 1966: “You Can’t Hurry Love,” The Supremes
- 1982: “Vacation,” The Go-Go’s
- 1983: “It’s Raining Men,” The Weather Girls
- 1983: “Jump (For My Love),” The Pointer Sisters
- 1986: “Push It (Remix),” Salt-N-Pepa
- 1986: “Venus,” Bananarama
- 1997: “Spice Up Your Life,” Spice Girls
- 1999: “No Scrubs,” TLC (Was it really that long ago?!)
- 2001: “Bootylicious,” Destiny’s Child
- 2001: “Lady Marmalade,” Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & P!nk
- 2003: “Quicksand,” Lillix
- 2009: “Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny),” A.R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls
What are your favorite female artists—in groups or solo?
I’m a Beyonce fan and Adele gives me chills…but her music isn’t too exercise-friendly!
Inspired by my friend Sam—and spurred on by my rapidly approaching 25th birthday (quarter-life crisis?)—I decided to create a “30 by 30” list! I’ve lived an incredibly blessed life. Yet, I’ve realized that it’s a bit too easy to fall into a comfortable routine during busy times. Hopefully this will inspire me to shake it up a bit more often!
Here are two-and-a-half dozen to-dos that I want to tackle within the next five years:
- Be in a wedding as part of the bridal party (we’ll consider the bride part later!)
- Run a race for charity
- Finish a three-day benefit walk
- Watch the sun set in at least two more continents
- Participate in RAGBRAI
- Fall in love
- Get my personal training certification
- Swim with dolphins
- Join a book club
- Begin a gratitude journal
- Go white water rafting
- Eat a piece of cake, brownie, cinnamon roll, etc. with zero guilt
- Take a nap (this seems to be a skill I lost somewhere around high school)
- Start learning a new language
- Spend one week completely off the grid…no cheating!
- Plan a vacation around a 10K, half-marathon or other fitness event
- Take a photography class
- Give a Kiva loan
- Complete a full month of “photo a day”
- Go on a trip with my whole immediate family now that we’re all adults
- Ride in a hot air balloon
- Do at least one pull-up
- Teach someone how to do something really meaningful and new
- Learn how to surf
- Make one week complaint-free
- Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
- Do something truly spontaneous
- Take a trapeze class
- Be able to turn my brain off and just “be” during corpse pose in yoga or be able to meditate without a wandering mind
- Climb a mountain
This weekend, I’m starting to tackle number one—my sister Sarah and I are co-hosting my sister Amy’s bridal shower/bachelorette party! Since Amy and her fiance Joe are headed to Italy for their honeymoon, we’re having an Italian theme. Salute and talk to you after the festivities!
What is on your bucket list?
Well, maybe the half-marathon (and a peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat with an apple) was breakfast and the pancakes were brunch…but you get the idea! :)
Not that I slept much the night before, but last Sunday started off bright and early. I had a 5:15 a.m. wake-up call to get dressed, grab my gear, eat breakfast and catch the train to Central Park. You have to love weekend subway work! (Best sign seen on the sidelines during the race: “You run better than the MTA!” Truer words…) Anyway, I was out the door to allow enough time for any travel hiccups and had plenty of time to chat with a few co-workers and friends who were running, check my bag and down a bottle of water before the gun went off.
I was a bit nervous since the forecast called for showers early in the day, but after a few sprinkles right before the official start, we were in the clear and the clouds rolled away. I took that as a good omen!
During the first few miles, I made a concerted effort to pace myself. I knew the excitement and crowds could easily make me go out too fast and I had the hills to contend with later in the race. So for miles one through four, I stuck around a 9:12-9:20 pace or so. I also kept an eye out for the photographers staked around the course (see above and right for evidence of me being a goof ball in my outfit that was a mash-up of the two top vote-getters in my poll!).
Feeling good and motivated by my killer playlist, I picked up the pace for the next couple miles. Around mile six is when the half changed for me. I finished lap one of the course, and while it was slightly depressing to be scooted over so the elites could finish their race, I realized there was a very legitimate possibility that I could reach my pre-injury goal of sub-two hours. Truthfully, I had never stepped foot in Central Park during my training and was intimidated by the hills past racers had warned me about. But I proved to myself during lap one that I could take it, so I picked up the pace!
From there, I took a few sports beans to make sure I had enough energy for round two. I then changed gears and watched my splits tick down to the 8:34-8:50 range. It’s an awesome feeling to have leg strength left and gas still in the tank at mile 11! I glanced at my watch, did some quick math and made the decision to make it happen. It was tough, as the weather was rapidly warming up and my right hip was starting to complain, but it felt SO good to sprint the homestretch and come in at…1:59:31. Talk about a close call!
While there were thousands of strong women who finished before me, I took it as a big personal victory. The ten weeks of training, although full of roadblocks, had prepared me well for the race. The mental games I played with myself (dividing the course into manageable segments, thinking of/dedicating each mile to a family member, friend, etc.) kept me inspired. The food and water I ate leading up to and during the race fueled me to the finish. That deserves a thumbs up…and some pancakes! ;)
It was an awesome experience and I can’t thank you all enough for cheering me on and providing advice along the way. Will I do another endurance event? The race itself was super-fun; the training beat me up a bit. But overall, I think the pros outweigh the cons. I don’t know when it will happen, but I’ll likely lace up for another half sometime not too far down the road. Who’s with me?
Thank you all so much for your support these past three months! It was a neat experience crossing the finish line with a smile on my face and I’m looking forward to filling you in about it later this week. In the meantime, you’ll find me doing plenty of yoga/stretching and treating myself to a much-needed pedicure. Congratulations to all of the other MORE/FITNESS Half-Marathon participants. You looked great out there today!
*Crossing fingers* that this stays true, but the weather for Sunday’s MORE/FITNESS Half-Marathon is looking glorious. A high of 70°? Perfection! Now that I have a pretty good idea of the conditions, I’m preparing my gear for the day. I’d love your help making the final call for my outfit!
Here are the constants for my race day wardrobe:
And the variables:
I’m rarely too hot while working out unless it’s over 85°, so I’m toying with a few different combos. Do I go with a light long sleeve top and shorts? Or perhaps a regular T-shirt with capris? Or I could opt for running tights that match my shoes and pair them with a tank? (Although I’m leaning more and more away from this last option as I’ve watched the forecasted temperature increase throughout the week!)
Please help me decide…And thank you for your input!
Quote to consider this week (and what I’ll be thinking around mile 10):
Running is like mouthwash; if you can feel the burn, it’s working. — Brian Tackett
Wishing you all a great weekend and sending best wishes for a successful race to all my fellow runners!
Do you ever pick your outfits well in advance of your workouts? What are your current favorite clothing/gear items?
It’s time for part two of the Healthful Bites “lighten up” series! Here are a few fun quotes, photos and videos that I’ve recently stumbled upon that have made me grin—or even laugh out loud! I hope they do the same for you. :)
Just in time for spring break. You can’t put your rock-hard core on the conveyor belt, right?
A backbend or forward fold, depending on how you twist it. What an awesome marketing idea!
Why yes, I do. :)
And now, some hilarious videos for your viewing pleasure!
- Fourth meal, sleep breakfast, dinner prequel…Stephen Colbert suggests we just banish separate eating occasions all together and have a constant stream of food. He also has some unique ideas about upgrading your nutrition! Best line: “Can I get that Nestle Crunch with brown rice?”
- The perfect love story, told through running by Nike. This makes me smile every time!
- Tim Gunn’s first foray onto the treadmill was captured on The Revolution. I’ll teach him how to fall in love the machine if he gives me a fashion makeover? :)
- The kid is the one scolding his parents this time. “Look at those crusty feet. One word: Pedicure!”
What’s making you laugh or smile this week?
Happy Easter/ Passover/ weekend!
Thanks to the amazing powers of Ibuprofen, I’m back up and running! During my brief running hiatus, I tried to stick with the all-natural route; doing my rehab moves, resting and icing to alleviate the tendinitis. When it was time to start training again, I quickly realized that this plan wasn’t going to cut it if I wanted to cross the finish line. In one word: Ouch!
So I gave the anti-inflammatory a try and what do you know, it works! It works so well, in fact, that I was able to fairly comfortably crank my mileage back up to seven this weekend. The goal now, with less than three weeks until race day (ah!) is to stick with consistent runs during the week, complete one more long run this weekend and taper from there. Here goes nothing!
As promised last week, here are a few more podcasts to power you through your run (or now that the weather is so nice, perhaps your active commute).
- Planet Money: An amazing team of journalists have somehow figured out how to make financial stories understandable and interesting. Humor the nerd side in me and give at least one episode a listen—I think you’ll be surprised at how relatable and yes, even occasionally fun, it all seems!
Have a Taste: The High-Tech Cow
- How to Do Everything: Hosts answer listener-submitted questions that range from “is it a split or the splits?” to “what should I do when a car is barreling my way in the cross walk?” From the humorous to the potentially life-saving, the topics on this quick weekly show are never boring.
Have a Taste: Splits, Paper Airplanes, Haircuts and Snakes
- The Jillian Michaels Show: The well-known former Biggest Loser trainer covers more than fitness on her podcast! If you’ve read or heard about her book Unlimited, it’s similar to that (with mind/body topics mixed with wellness advice). Each episode, Jillian also fields calls from fans with questions related to their own quandaries.
Have a Taste: Get Out of Yourself and Take Notice of Others
Quote to consider this week:
“There is no satisfaction without a struggle first.” — Marty Liquori
In addition to wrapping up the higher mileage training, I’m going to be doing a bit of traveling this week! I’m planning a brief blogging break, but will be back soon with more leading up to race day.
What’s on your to-do list leading up to a race day?
During the few medium-length runs I’ve been able to eke out during training (before the whole tendinitis situation), I discovered that while a pumping playlist is great, you can easily make time fly by flipping on a good podcast. Some runners swear by listening to their breath and their footsteps, but I know that’s not for me. My mind races anywhere and everywhere and listening to something gives me a singular focus—well, besides running.
I usually start the first few miles with my current favorite songs to get me going since finding that initial groove is often the most difficult part! Then I switch over to one (or more) of these podcasts for a little story time. Anyone who knows me knows I love to multitask, so a little educational running is right up my alley! Then, when I feel like I might need a little extra kick, I flip back on the playlist. Want to try it? Here are four podcasts to load on your iPod and intersperse with your music. Click on “have a taste” to find one episode to get you started.
- Fresh Air: The ecclectic mix of stories on Fresh Air keeps things from getting stale—an amazing feat since it airs every weekday! Government, movies, books, health and more are discussed during expertly-performed interviews by award-winning journalist Terry Gross.
Have a taste: ‘If Walls Could Talk’: A History of The Home
- Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me: This current events quiz show with a side of humor often has me stifling giggles mid-run. Panelist and callers answer questions about the week’s news. I especially enjoy the absurd, lesser-known facts that stump everyone (including me). Time flies when you play along!
Have a Taste: March 17 episode recorded in Tucson, Arizona
- Freakonomics: You may have heard of their bestselling book by the same name, and now you can catch the frequently-updated audio version. An economist and New York Times journalist tag team to bring you “the hidden side of everything!” A few recent fascinating topics: How to boost willpower (a so-called commitment device) and whether media is biased (people seek out sources that confirm their beliefs).
Have a Taste: The Days of Wine and Mouses
- The Joan Hamburg Show: Exhibit A that I am a grandma: The hours I pull to ensure that I get enough sleep. Exhibit B: The fact that I listen to this podcast by a 76 year old. :) I’m glad I found it and gave this one a shot, though! Many celebrities stop by to promote their latest projects and I get the scoop about the latest New York City news, shows, shops and restaurants.
Have a Taste: Porgy & Bess, The Manhattan Diet and More
Check back in next Tuesday for three more podcast picks and a training update!
What do you like the listen to while you exercise? Do you have any favorite podcasts or audiobooks?
Quote to consider this week:
“Tough times don’t last but tough people do.” — A.C. Green
I’m one of those people who, after they download a good new running album (David Guetta!) or craft a fun playlist, put it on repeat for every workout for the next month. That’s not just me, right? Eventually, the thought of listening to any of the songs once more drives me up the wall. But the beats are so motivating and the tunes are so catchy, how can you not play them until you O.D.?
Knowing this about myself, I’m trying to be proactive about keeping things fresh by rewarding myself with a few new songs every couple weeks. This is especially important to help me stay motivated and energized during longer runs on the way now that I’m more than halfway through my training program! (Although, I have to admit that after a great start, it hasn’t been all sunshine and butterflies so far in terms of training. But more on that in a later post. Anyway…)
Click on each song below to download individually, or find the entire 50-minute playlist on iTunes here!
- “Part of Me,” Katy Perry
“Starships,” Nicki Minaj- “Talk That Talk,” Rihanna, featuring Jay-Z
- “A** Back Home,” Gym Class Heroes, featuring Neon Hitch
- “Good Girl,” Carrie Underwood
- “I Can Only Imagine,” David Guetta, featuring Chris Brown and Lil Wayne
- “Mine,” Karmin
- “Do My Thing,” Estelle, featuring Janelle Monae
- “Tonight is the Night,” Outasight
- “Like a Drum (Beat It),” Lauriana Mae
- “Glad You Came,” The Wanted
- “All I Need,” Natasha Bedingfield, featuring Kevin Rudolf
- “Some Nights,” Fun.
- “Lights,” Ellie Goulding
- “Skyscraper,” Demi Lovato
If you’re a workout music listener, do you constantly switch it up or fall into a rut? Any current favorites?
Quote to consider this week:
“If you under-train, you may not finish, but if you over-train, you may not start.” — Tom DuBos
