If you have been reading my blog for a while, you probably remember last year when I attended Fitness Magazine’s Meet & Tweet in NYC. Well, this year I was lucky enough to be invited to attend again!

Lynda was invited as well, so we met in Hoboken around 8am to head into the city.

This year, it was held at the Mercedes Club and we had a lot of outdoor space to utilize. It ended up being a nice day, not too hot but perfect to sit outside for the speeches and enjoy breakfast. They provided us with a few options, but I opted simply for a green juice since I had breakfast before I came.

I got hungry a little while later so I snacked on the Lynda’s almond butter balls that she brought me. She makes all different kinds, so she brought me one chocolate chip and one cherry. Delicious!

We heard from many people, but the highlight of my day was Dr. Jennifer Ashton. She is an ABC News senior medical contributor, triathlete, author, and an OBGYN… in New Jersey! Hmm.. I may have a new doctor!

Not only is she absolutely beautiful, but her views on women and her profession really interested me. She expressed how an OBGYN should be a women’s ‘everything’ doctor, not just for vaginas and boobs! She takes time with each of her patients and treats the woman’s body as a whole. I love her holistic approach to health! We couldn’t resist but to go chat with her when we had a small break.

After the speeches, it was time for lunch, socializing, and making our way through all of the booths. Reebok, Athleta, Saucony, Smart Balance, Crystal Light, Marmot, and Vichy Skin Care were of the many brands that were there.

I also got to see Ashley from Running Bun! Love that big bun! She rocked it at the Brooklyn Half today!

We eventually split up for our respective workouts. Because my allergies have been so awful and the running and yoga events were outside, I went with the cardio dance class with Mad Cool Fitness. I was apprehensive, but it was really fun and challenging!

Afterwards, we picked up our swag and headed back to Hoboken. It was so heavy, but who can complain when you are given such awesome take aways!

Two pairs of sneakers (Reebok SubLites and Saucony Virratas), waterbottles, Kinda granola (!!) and bar, Sparkly Soul headband, Athleta headband and visor, Bliss products, Vichy products including a 50 SPF mousse sunscreen, a Reebok yoga top, Stila eyeliner, BlowPro products, “unjunked” candy, iPod and iPad accessories, hair accessories, and so much more awesome stuff!

I wore the Reebok SubLites today to our outdoor CrossFit workout. We did “Helen”, and I rocked it even with a sinus infection (yea, bummer). Yesterday I had a shot of prednisone in the butt and got antibiotics, a new nasal spray and a new allergy medication. If that won’t make me better, I don’t know what will. But I couldn’t sit home anymore, so I decided to get out and move!

Thanks again to Fitness Magazine and all of the sponsors for #fitblognyc 2013. I had an amazing time again this year and look forward to many more!

How do you define “eating clean”?

I’ve gotten this question a couple of times over the past few weeks, so I decided to do a post on my thoughts about it. I am not a professional so don’t hold me to anything I may say in this post, but I do have to say that I don’t believe there is one right definition for “eating clean”. That’s basically why I wanted to express my opinons, because I don’t believe that it’s a technical term and it can mean something different to everyone. However, the most generally accepted would probably be Whole 30 as it focuses on detoxing the system.

So, first things first. What do you think of when you hear “eating clean”? Here are a few things I am sure come to mind for most people:

• cutting out processed foods..
• meat, chicken, fish, fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds..
• organic..
• grass fed, free range, cage-free, etc..
• paleo, whole 30..
• food that has been scrubbed with soap?

Now, for the issues regarding the above.

1. A lot of people will post a picture of greek yogurt or oatmeal and hashtag #eatclean, right? Guess what? Both oatmeal and (most) dairy products are processed. I am not saying these foods are bad for you; just saying that they are processed, even if it’s minimally.
2. Non grass-fed beef, farmed seafood, and non antibiotic/hormone free chicken: clean? Some would argue. If anything, you lose out on the omega fatty acids.
3. If it’s not organic, is it still clean? Does it depend on the fruit or vegetable in question here?
4. Did you use olive oil or canola oil to cook your veggies? Are those white or sweet potatoes?
5. Peanut butter and lentils are paleo, right? Wrong. Legumes/beans are off limits too, not just dairy and grains. No tofu either!
6. What’s the difference between Whole 30 and Paleo? Whole 30 is like Paleo on steroids; eat food as it naturally occurs, no paleo-fied treats, no sugars like maple syrup, honey, etc. So, I can’t have paleo pizza or almond flour pancakes? NOPE!

Alright, now that we cleared that up, do you think differently about what “eating clean” means to you?

My point of all of this is not to define eating clean, but to encourage you to learn about the foods you are eating and find what works for you. Read about paleo and whole30, read about the benefits of grass fed beef, read about the dangers of sugar and decide for yourself. Eating clean to one person may mean doing Whole30 with organic products only, and to another includes 0% greek yogurt, oatmeal, beans, and farm raised salmon. A lot of foods, though (minimally) processed, still contain a great nutritious profile.

My Eating Habits

I am sure you are wondering my personal opinion and what I typically eat. Well, if it was a perfect world and all organic fruits and vegetables, grass fed beef, and wild seafood were cheap, I’d definitely include them in every meal. About 50% of what I eat is organic or grass fed/wild. Additionally, I eat eggs and Chobani and yes, I include cheese, though mostly parmesan for topping. I do eat oatmeal, ezekiel bread, and quinoa as far as grains are concerned. I eat almond butter AND peanut butter, and sometimes they have added sugars. I use stevia and soy creamer in my coffee. I eat all kinds of hummus, chick pea, black bean, and lentil, with lentil chips. I often enjoy tuna from a can. I always buy organic spinach for my smoothies and I eat sweet potatoes whenever I want. I eat a lot of (high glycemic) bananas and protein bars like Quest and ThinkThin. I use whey protein powder. I only use coconut oil and olive oil. I eat sushi with brown rice and dip it in low sodium soy sauce. I like bacon and try to buy uncured and nitrate/nitrite free. I can probably go on more but I’ll stop here.

Then there’s Sunday, where I typically eat pizza and fries and cake and chocolate and drink wine, beer and manhattans. Not counting my cheat meals, my opinion is that I eat pretty clean. Although, I do notice how much better I feel when I cut out dairy, grains, and beans but would never be able to eliminate them totally. I focus on getting enough protein, good fats, and carbs from meats, seafood, chicken, and vegetables.

Conclusion

So when people ask me “what is eating clean?”, it’s pretty hard to answer. I think it’s safe to say if you aren’t eating anything from a box that says “fat free oreos”, you are doing better than a lot of people. Eat real food. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Don’t fall into the fat free and no added sugar trap. Educate yourself. And last but not least, eat what works for you, not what works for someone else.

• What does eating clean mean to you?

I am so excited to announce that I’m working with FitFluential on the Under Armour What’s Beautiful Campaign. So many of us use the internet to give and gain motivation. The mission of What’s Beautiful is to redefine the female athlete. The idea is to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and actually do those things you’ve dreamed of, instead of just dreaming of them!

I encourage you to join and get in the competition. You can create a goal for yourself, but also join teams with those who want to complete the same goal. It’s all about motivation, encouragement, and inspiration. Let’s help each other conquer our goals!

My goal revolves around CrossFit. As most of you know, I’ve been doing CrossFit outside with locals who are also waiting for the box to open. A few days ago during one of our workouts, I finally got the kettlebell swing down. I struggled with using my arms too much and swinging way to low to the ground. The feeling of surpassing it is something I want to feel everyday! I am so excited to get started, get strong, and learn all of the Olympic lifts that look so intimidating. I’m ready, LET’S DO THIS! Join my CrossFit group and work towards your beginner CrossFit goals with me! If you win, there’s some pretty AWESOME prizes lined up!

Additionally, if you need some extra motivation, you can follow the hashtags #whatsbeautiful, #IWILL, and #fitfluential on Twitter and Instagram. You can also watch this video clip on the Under Armour YouTube page. I hope you’ll join me!

• What’s the one fitness goal you want to conquer?

Well, it sure is Spring out there!

I was happy to come home from California to decent weather.

Well, I wasn’t happy to come home from California, let’s be honest. It’s freakin’ beautiful out there! But really, I just hope it stays warm in the east coast from now on!

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I received a package today from Luna. When I opened it, I found this cute little pink box!

I was expecting a sample from them, but I am always surprised at the cute packaging from the folks at Luna Bar!

It was a perfect afternoon snack!

Chocolate covered coconut is by far my favorite flavor, but the new carrot cake flavor definitely gave it a run for it’s money! It was sweet but I could taste the carrot cake spices you’d normally find in the real deal. It was also really fresh. It was extra soft, as if it was just made! Delicious!

Luna is also currently hosting a contest on Facebook. You could win a vending machine for your workplace by telling them how you and your co-workers are making your office a healthier and happier place! How cool is that? I would love a Luna vending machine. I mean, we don’t have a cafeteria let alone a “bad” vending machine at our office, so this would be awesome.

Alright, off to grill some steaks with the man!

Well I’m settled in and ready for bed in Santa Monica, but lets rewind to 12 hours ago!

My flight left Newark at 1pm. I was pretty excited to be flying Virgin America. Oh by the way, I’m out here for work until Monday!


The plane itself was pretty cool with the violet lights and sleek features, but the entertainment system was down.


Unfortunately this is also how you purchase food. It took a while for them to finally come around with drinks and address the food problem. Eventually they just gave it to us for free, so I guess I can’t complain. However, 3/4 of the way through an $8 movie (This is 40 is freakin hilarious by the way), the system went out again and I didn’t see the ending. Bummer!

I landed around 4:15, just in time for rush hour traffic, of course! When we landed, the flight attendant said “You can pickup your baggage at carousel B. That’s B as in Botox”. How appropriate in LA, right? Anyway, it was a miracle that I fit everything in my Vera Bradley duffel. That may have been the first time ever in my life that I didn’t have to check a bag.

I dropped my stuff and immediately met up with Caitlin for a run! It was so awesome to catch up with her – I haven’t seen her since she moved out here last August!


We ran down by the Santa Monica pier which was beautiful. I can’t believe she gets to do this everyday!


After about 3 to 4 miles and lots of talking, she took me to one of her favorite places to eat.

Tender Greens was unlike your average salad bar, thats for sure! I went with the kale salad topped with steak. The meat is all sustainable, grass fed, organic, etc. which was right up my alley. I also got a side of grilled veggies and an iced green tea. Everything was delicious and I cleared my plate!


Okay – off to bed. I have to be up sort of early for a work event. Goodnight!

P.S. this is the first time posting from my iPad so sorry if it looks wonky.

Why is it that I’ve only been blogging right after CrossFit workouts lately? It’s like I get this crazy burst of energy post WOD. Obviously, I’ve been doing something wrong for the last few years of my life. Hail CrossFit.

Speaking of, in the past week, I’ve discovered the sexiness that is Christmas Abbott (and Josh Turner but we’ll get to that later).

Last night Joe and I had some random channel on TV and while he was e-mailing or something from his phone, I was watching Christmas become part of a Nascar pit crew. Crazy. Then, I discovered she’s a CrossFit athlete. Needless to say I was googling her all day today at work during my 5-minutes-every-hour-social-media-time that I give myself. Now, I just wanna be her.

So back to Josh Turner, because I swear I like boys and not girls.

And I’m allowed to say anything I want about Josh Turner because it’s totally Joe’s fault that I’ve been listening to country. Ever since he opened the new western/saloon style restaurant/bar and I’ve been helping out, country songs seem to stick in my head and I can’t get them out, specifically Why Don’t We Just Dance by Josh Turner. You know when you like a song so much you that put it in Pandora trying to find other songs that are just as awesome, but nothing does it? The only thing that satisfies you is putting it on repeat. Well, that’s what happened.

Anyway, I think it’s just that he has really nice teeth.

WOD

After sitting in unusually obnoxious traffic on the way home from work, I was more than ready for the evening WOD in the park that was planned. We repeated the following 4 times:

• farmer walks with two 26lb KBs to the end of the…runway? We’ll call it a runway.
• sprint down and back on the runway
• 10 front squats using two 26 lb. kettlebells
• 10 hand release pushups, which were super awesome. Mainly because when he first said “hand release pushups” I thought he meant these:

Real hand release pushups were a lot less grueling.

That’s a lie. I got that metallic taste in my mouth after I finished that we all agreed was a sign of a good workout.

I made dinner and sat down to blog as soon as I got home.

I know it looks like a plate of parmesan cheese, but it’s actually broccoli, quinoa, and chicken parm; basically plain chicken with tomato sauce and fresh mutz.

..aaaand here comes Gus with his toy (yes, he has two of the same).

Play time…

How is it the weekend already? Doesn’t matter – it will be Monday again before we know it, so let’s enjoy!

This morning I set my alarm for 8:45 and snoozed until 9:30. That just feels wrong saying that, but my 5am alarm Monday through Friday would probably disagree. The reason being… another CrossFit workout in the park!

Today we worked on our sumo deadlift high pull form before going right into the WOD.

• 10 sumo DL high pull
• 15 air squats
• sprint 10 meters and back
• sprint 20 meters and back
• rest while your partner completes the above
• repeat 4x

After the DLs and squats, my legs felt like jell-o when I tried to sprint. It was actually quite funny. I thought I was going to fall on my face!

Now I am totally questioning myself if that was 10 and 20 meters – is that right? Sorry, I guess I need to work on my CrossFit lingo/knowledge? No shame, I’m totally a newbie and just jumped on the bandwagon. I should go get my Nano’s now, right?

Anyway, we finished with some stretching and then hit the road.

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I tried to convince Joe to come but he went to the gym instead because he was worried about his knees. So, I didn’t wait for him to eat breakfast!

I’ve had a major french toast craving lately so I decided to healthy-it-up and use the Ezekiel Flax bread that the company sent me to try out. It’s 5g of protein and 4g fiber per slice!

I mixed two eggs, 1/4 cup almond milk, cinnamon, stevia, and vanilla extract for dipping.

I made some coffee while I waited.

And then decided to cook the remainder of the egg mixture. No protein goes to waste around here. Cinnamon eggs = thumbs up!

Finished with homemade sunflower butter (!) and a chopped pear, it was a delicious breakfast.

I made this last night in the food processor and then Vitamix, as the recipe states. I’ve never made creamier nut seed butter in my life! This will definitely be the new process.

Off to get some groceries and then to help Joe out at the restaurant.

Later!

Waaaahhh CrossFit isn’t opening until May 1st-ish.

Luckily, the owner Justin is super awesome and decided to hold workouts in the park for us. I couldn’t make last weeks because I was in Pennsylvania visiting my Mom, so tonight was the first one I attended.

First off, it’s a really fun group and Justin is an extremely good coach! I’m so excited for the box to open!

Anyway, we started off with a warm up jog and some mobility exercises. After that, we went right to the kettlebells. Justin taught us the proper way to do a KB swing, and of course I was singled out because I’m an old lady who’s had surgery on both of her hips. I think I got it down now though!

Next up was burpees. Chest to ground burpees. No explanation needed.

So, we grabbed a partner and started the WOD, rotating from:

• 3-3-6-6-9-9 etc. KB swings and burpees
• run a lap down to the water and back

Three times total. Easy right?

REALITY CHECK! I’m pretty sure I felt yesterdays Baptism – 5 course Italian meal, coming up.

But still, it was awesome and I loved every second of it. Jill’s on the bandwagon. Thanks Justin!

As soon as I got home I made a green protein smoothie. I wasn’t craving anything else, so… spinach: it’s what’s for dinner.

Gus was curious about Mama’s food, as usual.

His eyes match the smoothie almost exactly!

So he gave it some love…

And then stuck his face in it and licked his lips. What a character.

Off to shower and hit the sack!

Last week, Kirta from Lady Foot Locker e-mailed me and asked if I’d like to participate in an advisory panel for some new product that is part of the Fall 2013 buy for SIX:02, which is a new concept for Foot Locker brands. Right now, there are three test stores across the U.S. and I am lucky enough to have one at the mall right near my office! I’ve stopped in a few times and the selection is awesome.

On Friday, I headed into the city to Lady Foot Locker HQ. We walked in to a room filled with product, a table for the panel with some goodie bags lined up, and a photo shoot backdrop. In attendance was Jess, Allison (no blog), Allison, Jocelyn, Bianca, and Dana.

Sorry guys! No pictures because it’s not in stores yet, but I can tell you that there is some pretty funky stuff to look forward to!

Anyway, the day started off with lunch while chatting with the shoe and apparel buyers. We discussed what trends we’re hoping to see for fall, our thoughts on the product, and what makes us splurge on fitness gear.

It was interesting to hear the various opinions from everyone. While others said they splurge on super trendy fitness clothes or Lululemon quality, I find that fit is what gets me. If I find a sports bra or capris that fit comfortable and move well while I workout (read: no pinching love handles or flattened chest), I will buy them in multiple colors no matter the price! We also discussed how often we replace our workout gear. I usually look for new stuff when my old gear starts getting worn out. Sometime I make an impulse purchase though!

Afterwards, we were able to try on all of the Fall products and do a photo shoot, which was super fun. They brought in hair and makeup artists, too! I won’t have the photos until August but can’t wait to see how they turned out.

As soon as I got home I opened the Nike Brasilia 5 Duffle that they provided us with, which I LOVE because it’s super small and I have been looking for a bag this size. I don’t carry much with my when I go to the gym after work, so this is perfect.

They gave me a pair of Nike Flyknit Lunar1+s! How cool!? They are super comfy and were also voted Runner’s World Editor’s Choice 2013.

Kirta told me that the whole shoe is knit with one string. Crazy, right?

They also gave me a pair of Nike Tempo Shorts, a pink Nike Dri-fit tee, a white Dri-fit Nike sports bra, and a VERY generous gift card.

I actually used a portion of the gift card today to purchase 2 Actra tops, these awesome Nike crops, and some socks. I am in love with patterned and colorful bottoms. I see a lot of those in my future!

I’ve done a few events with Lady Foot Locker in the past at Exhale Spa and Warrior Fitness Bootcamp and have really enjoyed them all, including being a part of the advisory panel. Thanks to Kirta, Rebecca and the LFL crew for having me! It was a great way to kick off the weekend.

Wow! Thank you for all of your kind comments on my last post. I read every single one and really appreciate the thoughtfulness!

Despite this, I decided to quit blogging.

Okay okay, fine! Before you click the X and never come back…

I am not quitting. In fact, I am celebrating my two year blogiversary this week!

On that note, I am doing the opposite of quitting. I am doing just what all of you said: blog when it fits and don’t stress. My blog has given me way too many opportunities and been the reason for so many positive things in my life, so right now is not the time for me to quit.

Luckily, today was a day that I felt like blogging. I went on a run and of course had about 15,000 ideas that I lost before I returned to a notepad and pen. Thankfully, a few stuck.

Most importantly, while I was running, I was focusing on my plan of action to get back in shape and gain some motivation. I can honestly say that I worked out about 5 times in the last month. I was in Italy, then I was sick non-stop for like two weeks, then I was in Las Vegas for IHRSA…..

and then it was Easter.

Most of the time when I come off a “binge”, if you will, I try to make a drastic change. Well guess what? After eating pizza, lasagna, cake, candy, burgers, fries, and ice cream (and one too many tequila shots) for the past month (okay, like 50% of the time), and barely exercising, it’s not going to be that easy to get back to normal.

I allowed myself to indulge a little too much and I am totally fine with that. I think it was needed. I haven’t let myself go this much in over 3 years, so it’s not the end of the world! I just know that I need to take it slow and not go out trying to run an 7:00 mile or start eating paleo cold turkey.

Instead, I created a plan of attack. As far as exercise, I know what interests me at this point in time and what will keep up my motivation.

• Running outside: Now that it is light out later, I have the option to run outside after work. I honestly have had so much trouble trying to stay motivated with a treadmill, so this is perfect. I also bought a new pair of kicks (see below). I plan to do this about 2 times a week.
• Hot yoga: I was doing hot yoga for a while during my month of bootcamp, and I absolutely loved incorporating this into my routine. My one month trial ran out and I am seriously contemplating purchasing a session package, so I can go atleast once a week. I was able to stretch further in some of those classes than I ever have. I know I should be careful because it’s the heat helping my muscles relax, but I never had any issues. It totally loosened up my IT band and hips which are always a trouble spots for me. This can only help with running and Crossfit! I also intend to foam roll more often, but I don’t think it deserved it’s own category because truthfully, I end up not doing it enough and hope that hot yoga will help me TONS!
• Crossfit: I’ve taken a few teaser classes, so I know what it entails. And let’s be honest, I have been following bloggers who have done Crossfit for over 2 years. A box is opening up in my town so I decided to bite the bullet and join. It’s a pretty decent deal if I purchase for a year and I figure, if I am going to purchase 6 months or something lower, I am going to end up wanting to do it longer anyway. I thrive on that team encouragement, especially after having bootcamp to motivate me, and I am finding that I am slowly changing from a “lone workout-er” to a “I need motivation and a group setting workout-er”. I intend to do Crossfit about 3 times a week.

So that’s that. Now what about eating? I don’t have a plan, because I don’t really need one. I know what I enjoy and what makes me feel good, so I am going to pick back up where I left off. I have a protein shake for breakfast, I prep my lunches and snacks for the week, I wing dinner (usually fish with veggies or canned tuna with hummus or even a protein shake if it’s late), and I indulge when I want to on the weekends. This has always worked for me. I eat grains (quinoa, oats) and dairy (greek yogurt) but make sure that the majority of my diet is lean protein, good fats, fruits and lots of veggies.

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So back to today’s run and my new shoes.

Before I left for Las Vegas, I purchased a pair of Brooks PureCadence from SIX:02 (btw, love this store – it’s Lady Foot Locker’s new concept) because my current Pures were desperately needing a replacement.

As soon as I opened the box I saw that there was an additional pair of shoelaces, which were much brighter. Um, they were changed IMMEDIATELY, and while doing so, Gus found a new toy.

I took these babies out for a spin around the park and could already tell the difference in my knees and hips. I did foam roll, A LOT, before heading out too.

It was so beautiful out today (almost 60 degrees!). I absolutely love running outside and zoning out to my music!

I cringed a little when I saw that one of my miles was a 10:41, being that I used to run an 8:41 no probs. But I thought about it and remembered how I pushed myself too hard for my half marathon training and had to stop. I know that I have a lot of building to do before I get back to where I was, but I am also thankful that my body hasn’t really lost a whole lot in the last month. I ran about 3 miles easily and walked the rest around the park.

By the way, it’s totally normal to wear 2 watches on a run, right?

Holy crap – I just noticed a creeper as I was posting this! 

I wanted to see my distance as well as my true calorie burn, so I wore the Garmin and the Polar. Surely, there must be a device that does all of this, but I am oblivious and too cheap to make the change.

Thanks for sticking with me, readers, it wouldn’t be the same without you!