#because every time i try to google 'calorie dense snacks' so i can get some fucking food in my body it's like
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#it is one of those weeks where eating is not working and i get to remember once again how fucked diet culture is#because every time i try to google 'calorie dense snacks' so i can get some fucking food in my body it's like#'pair a quarter cup of fat free yogurt with six sliced almonds for a healthy snack!!'#like no! fuck you! my problem right now is that my fucked up brain has currently decided that all food is gag inducing#i am trying to get calories into my body as efficiently as possible! stop giving me diet tips!
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Cycling To Work Tips The Smart Way…
Cycling to work is a great and easy way for beginner/amateur. Amateur cyclists will find that the regular cycling will build a good base of leg muscles as well as help increase their average speed.
They will also be able to burn more calories and get a great start to the morning, boosting positivity and energy for a greater workflow and performance.
Tip #1 Start With An Easy Route
The first week or two you’ll want to get used to the cycle to work. Pre-plan your route using Google Maps, and if it’s not too far, even try out the route over the weekend so that you know how much time the route will take.
Being active looks great at work! Being late doesn’t.
Tip #2 Track Your Routes!
It’s a great motivation and helps you to create self-improvement or set goals for yourself. See what time, speeds and calories you can hit by downloading a cycling app to track your routes.
I personally use the Road Bike app as it tracks all the stats I need and gives me a nice summary at the end, however, any app that you find works for you is great!
Tip #3 Get Exploring
To keep things interesting, find new routes to make the journey interesting. Maybe instead of going through town, you can go on the outskirts (maybe go through the countryside if at all possible).
The fun thing is that you have almost unlimited scope to the number of route combinations you can find to get to work, and even more if you work in a town or city centre.
Tip #4 Safety Safety Safety
Safety for both yourself and your bicycle is paramount when on the roads. Always wear a helmet! Always… if your insecure about your looks, don’t be.
A helmet can be a lifeline if the unfortunate should happen, and here at Quicksport we and people we know, have had close calls, that if it wasn’t for helmets, we would have been in a lot of trouble.
As well as helmets, it’s good to always build awareness and know your surroundings. I recommend always having one ear without headphones (If you want to listen to music or podcasts) to help keep all senses active and your reactions sharp.
If you don’t have a helmet or need one, we have a great top selection of helmets here.
Another great tip is to lock your bike, not just lazily against a lamp post. Try and find a bike rail near you (or inside if your work allows it); sidenote if your a business owner with employees, try and find a place for your active workers to let them store bikes and other equipment, they’ll appreciate it!
Always put the bike lock through your wheels as well as your bike frame, this will stop anyone taking just the wheels and selling them (because yes there are idiots out there who will take them).
Once again if you need a new lock or don’t have one yet, we have a great selection here
For late finishes and winter times, it’s good to put lights on your bikes. This is essential for being seen, and if you can, try and wear bright or reflective clothing.
Tip #5 Bring Deodorant (Even If It’s For Your Colleagues)
Bringing deodorant is important! Cycling will make you look great but has a side effect of making you smell like a gym locker room.
Do yourself and your colleagues a favour, and take a small deodorant can or roller with you, nothing says an employee of the month, like lavender garden scented underarms (trust me).
Tip #6 Get Social!
As great as it is having your own personal time in the morning and evening commute, bringing friends along with you can add a level of fun!
Show them new routes and show off your rock hard thighs you’ve been working on (both men and women love rock hard thighs).
If you don’t have any friends, I suggest you try and make some! Maybe try and pick out someone you already know who cycles to work, don’t be shy, I’m sure they’d appreciate a buddy.
Tip #7 Bring A Snack
On a personal note, I always take a snack, always… but if you’re planning on a cycle to work, then having a post cycle snack is a great way to refuel and help build muscle.
I would recommend you take small but nutrient-dense foods. Good snacks include but aren’t limited to; Bananas, Apples (maybe some peanut butter with the apple), watery fruits such as melon (to help hydrate) and if you’re looking to define your calves and quads quicker, then a light protein shake can always do the trick.
Tips #8 Have A Decent Bike
Yes they can be expensive, but bikes are like cars, the better they are from the start, the more reliable they will be and the more enjoyable the journey will be.
You don’t want to go to your bike in the morning, only to find the brakes are loose, the handle is off key and the chains are weak and maybe even rusty.
If your planning on cycling to work 3 times or more a week, I’d highly recommend seeing your bike as an investment, bikes can last you around 10 years, as long as you don’t throw them around, make sure you do your best to avoid potholes.
This 10-year lifespan of a bike can be extended with the correct maintenance, as well as replacing parts that may fail i.e bike chains and wheels.
We do have a great selection of top bikes, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t recommend you take a look.
Skip the cheap £100 bikes, they are uncomfortable and don’t last. You and your bike work together, so look after your bike and it’ll look after you!
Top Quicksport Bikes
Tip #9 Bring A Spare Tire Or Puncture Kit
This one is quite simple. The streets can have many objects on them, from glass to loose gravel.
Your tires should be able to handle it most of the time, but occasionally the road may get the better of you. Don’t fear as bike punctures can be easy to fix or replace, as long as you have a small bike pump and tire patches.
If you don’t have a spare tire with you (which is understandable, then make sure you replace it when you get home as the patch is only a short term fix.
Tip #10 Go Out There And Get ‘Em!
This will be all for not if you don’t just do it! Maybe you’re still unsure or nervous to get out there. That’s Ok! It will pay off for you in the long run (or long cycle I guess) as you will notice many benefits in both fitness and mood.
You can go full at it, or build it up over time! The great thing about cycling is that it’s all for you, all the benefits you get from it are for you, you don’t share the hard work you put in with your colleagues and you don’t have to do what your boss says.
This is all about what you want in your 10+ minute ride to and from work. Your effort, your bike, your time, make it yours now.
Go out there and get ‘em!
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I’ve had a trip to climb Denali on the horizon for two winters now, which means I’ve had more than enough time to prep. Planning the food you’re going to eat is one of the most tedious and critical tasks on a long expedition—and probably one of the most important when nearly every day of that month will be spent exerting massive amounts of energy. Even something as seemingly small as snack choice can take, in my case, almost two years to perfect. It all started with an experiment in the fall of 2019: How many different adventure fuel options could I try before heading to Alaska? That experiment necessitated some organization, so I began logging every snack I’d taken hiking, climbing, skiing, backpacking, and more into a massive spreadsheet I called the Snack Tracker 1000. Along with the name and flavor of the product and a rating based on how much I enjoyed eating it, I would input details from the wrapper: a pile of nutrition facts and the weight of the product. And then I let Google Sheets do its best Jonah-Hill-in-Moneyball impression to spit out a final Snack Value Rating. Here’s what I learned.
The Starting Point: Breakfast and Dinner
For most trips, including my Denali expedition, breakfast and dinner are fairly predictable. Ideally we’re eating each at camp, which means these meals can be a little more traditional. Our meals—custom designed and dehydrated by Nutrition By Julie—are set up to have everything we need. But throughout the day, while we’re moving and don’t have access to a stove or kitchen, it’s more efficient to throw out the idea of “lunch” in favor of taking in smaller numbers of calories consistently interspersed between our two big meals. That’s where snacks come in.
What Is the Ideal Snack?
Calories are the obvious place to start when it comes to planning your food for a big mission. Everyone has different caloric needs (one way to calculate yours is by using the MET method)—we decided to shoot for approximately 3,000 calories per day. Our breakfasts and dinners took care of between 1,000 and 1,200 calories each, which meant we had roughly an additional 1,000 calories to slowly take in throughout the day.
Rebecca Dent, a dietitian for the mountain athlete training program company Uphill Athlete, recommends refueling every 60 to 90 minutes throughout an active day, which is somewhere in the ballpark of 200 to 300 calories at a time—much more than that, and your body will have a hard time processing while you keep moving.
In terms of the breakdown of those calories, Dent recommends a good mix of both carbohydrates and proteins throughout the day: roughly in a four-to-one ratio. While you’re active, your body will need carbohydrates (and burn them more quickly), but introducing proteins throughout the day, rather than simply resupplying them at the end of the day, will help keep your longer-term energy stores up.
On an expedition, of course, another critical factor in snacking is how much of these things—calories, carbs, and proteins—you get for the weight you need to carry. For obvious reasons, the more nutrients packed into a set weight, the less you’re going to need to carry, and the more bang you’ll get for your backpack’s buck.
But at the end of the day, according to Dent, “The most important thing is that when you get out there, you have foods that you’re going to want to eat.” Mixed with vigorous exercise, cold, and elevation, not everything is going to be palatable. “At home, everything tastes good,” Dent said, so she recommends trying all your options out in the field before a big trip.
How to Calculate It
Step one in using the Snack Tracker 1000 involves trying the food and rating its favorability: How much do I like eating it? Then I input the nutrition facts into their own columns (per package, rather than per serving, to make the math easier), as well as the product’s weight. Here’s where the math starts: dividing the number of calories by the weight gives a relatively simple calories per ounce—the snack’s weight efficiency. The higher the number, the more energy you get for what you have to carry. (For fun, you can do the same math with carbs and proteins to see which items are better at packing each of those nutrients into their size.)
From here, my goal was to see which options best accomplished two things—got as close as possible to that four-to-one ratio, and packed them as efficiently as possible—with the hope that by focusing on those that did the best of each, I could optimize both my nutrition intake and pack weight. I used three formulas to do this:
Nutrient Score=ABS((4/(Carbs/Protein))-1)*100
This spits out a score for each snack that rates it on how close it is to that ideal carbs to protein ratio. A score of zero is a perfect four-to-one. (I used an absolute value fuction here to make sure the value is always positive, to make for easier ranking.)
Caloric Efficiency=(Weight/Calories)*5000
This formula is the same as the calorie efficiency I already calculated, but scaled to roughly match the carb to protein score, and it flips it. The lower the number, the more calorie-dense it is.
Snack Value Rating=Nutrient Score+Calorie Efficiency
Finally, this Mystery Formula combines the two scores to make the ultimate Snack Value Rating, evaluating how well the foods do both things.
The Results
Out of the almost 70 snacks I tried, the top choices according to the Mystery Formula are a mix of classic standbys and surprising winners. At the very top of the list are products like Clif’s Nut Butter Bars and Cubes, thanks to a particularly impressive Nutrient Score: both have between 3.7 and 4.6 carbs for every gram of protein. But they’re equally efficient packers.
Also high on the list are various different chocolate and candy bars like Snickers and Twix, with a grocery store brand 70 percent cacao bar taking the cake. Chocolate like that is particularly calorie-dense and has enough protein (from dairy, and nuts in the case of a Snickers bar) to score well on its Nutrient Score. While you wouldn’t want your snack budget to consist solely of these sweets (they’re loaded with fast-acting sugars and don’t have a lot of the antioxidants and fibers you also need), Dent says you definitely shouldn’t count them out. “Ultimately, it comes back to do you like it and will you eat it,” she said. And in the case of candy bars, the answer is more often yes, making them a great option, especially for high altitude or during high exertion when other snacks might not go down.
At the bottom of the list are protein-heavy products like jerkys and meat sticks, which score so poorly largely because their overzealous protein content throws their Nutrient Score to the moon. Dent says there’s still a place for them, though. Not only do they add some variety in flavor and texture (making them easier to eat alongside other more homogeneous-textured options), but they can help make up for protein lost in your candy bar selections. Dent suggests pairing them with your carb-heavy snacks: the protein they provide is necessary, but is slower acting and won’t benefit you very quickly.
In the end, the Snack Tracker 1000 will never be the end-all-be-all solution for adventure snacks. Variety—in flavor, texture, and type—is critical to your nutrition over a long endurance activity. But by training an eye toward the right balance of carbs and proteins as well as the weight of each snack, you’re more likely to get everything your body needs, without breaking under your pack weight.
via Outside Magazine: Nutrition
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A High Route Across The Wind River Range
[NOTE: 2020 is the tenth year of my blog at Semi-Rad.com, and since I started it, I’ve been fortunate to get to do some pretty wonderful adventures. Throughout this year, I’ll be writing about 12 favorite adventures I’ve had since I started writing about the outdoors, one per month. This is the eighth in the series. The other stories are here.]
In the pre-dawn hours before the first day of our trip, I stared at the ceiling of the van above the mattress as I tried to get back to sleep—“trying to sleep,” of course, to an insomniac, meaning “tried to think of everything that we should have packed for a 6- to 8-day backpacking trip, even though it was way too late to purchase or acquire anything at that point.”
Parked near the Green River Lakes trailhead at the northern end of Wyoming’s Wind River Range, I had at least three worries about problems that could come up for Hilary and me over the next week, some that would become apparent very gradually over the course of several days, and some quite instantaneously:
I wasn’t sure we had enough food. It was a challenge to cram seven days’ worth of food into a bear canister, and we’d ended up with a little over 2,000 calories per person per day—plenty for a week of sitting at a desk typing emails, but a little light for a week of carrying a 40-pound backpack for 80 miles.
We didn’t bring mosquito nets. DEET, yes, a whole 1.25 ounces, but no mosquito nets. A few days earlier, our friend Jaeger had said, a little skeptically, “So you’re going to the Winds and you’re not taking bug nets?” Since the Winds are pretty famous for swarms of bloodthirsty mosquitoes, I had thought about it, but then rationalized that it was maybe a dry-ish year and maybe … they wouldn’t … be … that bad? Jaeger was not convinced. And neither was I.
We hadn’t brought bear spray. I knew I had a canister of it somewhere, and then a few days before we left on the trip, I couldn’t for the life of me find it. But we’d be above treeline for most of our trip, so was it really necessary? It was almost a pound of extra weight.
A few hours later, we locked the van, shouldered our oppressively heavy packs, and walked to the trailhead kiosk to start walking south. And there, next to the sign-in box, was a can of bear spray. I shrugged and stuck it in the side pocket of my pack. Seemed like a sign.
It rained on and of all day the first day, as we traversed the eastern shore of the two Green River Lakes, Squaretop Mountain towering above and dominating the view. It was a nice easy grade for most of the day, and although we’d started a little later than I’d hoped, it was a relief to finally be done planning and actually walking. We had agreed to write about the trip, and take photos, and review some gear we’d been sent, so almost everything in our packs was new and unfamiliar. Which was fine, except for the backpack itself: Mine seemed to be rubbing my hips rather abrasively. I chalked it up to being “out of shape” for backpacking, having not carried a big pack at all since the previous year.
I’d been to the Winds only once, four years prior, but I’d spent a chunk of time clicking around the internet looking at photos of the range: 100 miles of high, sweeping granite peaks hemming in hundreds—no shit, HUNDREDS— of alpine lakes. Twenty of the 21 highest mountains in Wyoming are in the Winds, all except for the Grand Teton, just a couple hours’ drive north. If you like big stands of dense trees, you could do better elsewhere, but if you love staring at glacier-sculpted granite towers, the Winds are a paradise.
In my internet puttering a few months prior, I had googled the phrase “Wind River High Route.” I had researched and walked the original “high route,” Switzerland’s Haute Route, in 2013, and had loved reading the story of how early mountaineers linked mountain passes and cols between Chamonix and Zermatt over several trips. I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to try to do that in the United States, somewhere it hadn’t been done?
Google revealed it had, in fact, been done: Two guys named Alan Dixon and Don Wilson had put together a “Wind River High Route” in 2013, and Alan had detailed it on his website, AdventureAlan.com, with the route description, maps, photos, and detailed gear lists, right down to how many squares of toilet paper they’d packed. I was disappointed at first—it wouldn’t be a pioneering trip. And then I was 50 percent disappointed, and 50 percent excited that I wouldn’t have to figure out the route myself. And then, 100 percent excited. Even if someone had been there before, I knew it would still be challenging: 70 to 80 miles, more than half of those miles off-trail, 14,000 to 20,000 feet of elevation gain, and more than 50 miles of walking above 10,000 feet. It might be nice to have the beta on where to go.
Adventure Alan’s website, as it turned out, got some decent traffic. Our first day, we ran into two younger guys who said they were doing the High Route. The next day, we met a horsepacker who was meeting a threesome who were hiking after finishing what he called “the bushwhack route,” as well as a guy turning around after a day and a half into the High Route because the talus was a bit much for his labradoodle’s paw pads. I asked, “Did you find out about it on that guy’s website?” He laughed. “Everybody finds out about it on that guy’s website,” he said.
A handful of people stretched out over an 80-mile route was not that many—it was certainly not a crowd like you’d find on Angels Landing in Zion, or on the fixed lines on Mt. Everest during a good weather window. Some days, we saw a dozen or so people. Other days, we’d see no one for more than 24 hours.
Our second day, we woke up a little soggy in our last-ditch campsite in the woods, where we’d camped after realizing we wouldn’t make it to the first alpine lake before dark. We got moving, and climbed up and over Cube Rock Pass, the first of nine passes we’d cross on the trip. By noon, we were picking our way up the rocky slopes on the west side of Knapsack Col, which topped out at just over 12,000 feet. The route was there, if a bit faint in spots, and the afternoon sun warmed the air so we were starting to drip sweat under our heavy packs by the top of the big climb. At the top, the view opened up over the other side: the steep west face of Mt. Helen and its northwest couloir, still packed with snow in early August, and the peaks of the east side of Titcomb Basin to the south of Mt. Helen. On the other side of the col, we’d descend over a short snowfield and then slabs and talus next to the Twins Glacier, the grade more gentle than the side we’d climbed up.
This would become our daily pattern: Look up at a daunting pass, grind up it wishing our packs were a bit lighter, be rewarded with a brand-new, amazing view of the other side, and figure out a way to get down. Adventure Alan had documented the route and confirmed it went, but the hourly daily navigation still took some time, looking at maps and the Gaia GPS app on my phone to figure the best way up and down drainages, across tundra and talus, and through the high passes—and sometimes through waist-high and chest-high willows. For most of where we went, there were no trails, and no footprints.
But the experience of rolling over a high pass (or two) each day, punching through to a new zone, new mountains, new lakes, is something Hilary and I would talk about years later. Some passes would drop us into areas where we wouldn’t see another human the entire day, and some would lead to more popular spots where we’d see a dozen people. But mostly, it felt like we had the place to ourselves, and all we had to do to earn those great views was carry our big backpacks for a few miles every day—slowly. Some days we barely managed to walk 10 miles (one day we only clocked 7.3 miles), and the primarily off-trail walking required patience. We had chosen the easiest version of the High Route, but we still felt like we were earning it.
By Day 3, my backpack had rubbed my hip bones raw, and I finally took two strips of duct tape and taped over the bleeding spots. Which helped a little. But every minute I had my pack on my back, I was in pain. No bears, so far, and the mosquitoes had been minimal. The food, however, as I expected, was not quite enough. We were definitely going to lose a few pounds, but have just enough food for six and a half days. But if it took us eight days to get to the Big Sandy Trailhead on the south end, it would get pretty dire. I rationed my 9-ounce bag of Annie’s Pizza Snacks Mix, watching the pieces crumble, convinced that the last day, I would be pouring bottom-of-the-bag pizza-flavored powder down my throat. At least there was plenty of water here.
By the morning of Day 5, we had chugged through 42 miles and over five passes, already convinced that the Winds were one of the most beautiful places either of us had ever been. We’d camped the night before on a small saddle above Long Lake at about 10,800 feet and watched some clouds filling in, with faint flashes of distant lightning illuminating the tent fly as we went to sleep. We didn’t know anything about our route on Day 5 except that if we were able to climb two passes, both higher than 11,000 feet, we’d be in pretty good shape to finish the route with just enough food.
We hiked fast in the morning, traversing the slopes above a half-dozen different alpine lakes before joining the trail around Middle Fork Lake, which we gratefully followed until it disappeared and we were left to choose our own adventure through willows and up talus toward the 11,380-foot unnamed pass to the south, where we may or may not get trapped in a thunderstorm. We methodically picked our way up the slope as the sun went in and out of clouds, and a few hundred feet below the pass, Hilary had gotten a little ahead of me and I had one of those “I wonder what’s over there?” moments and started to trend right. I popped out to a view of the steep spires of Pronghorn Peak shooting straight up for over a thousand feet, from a deep blue-green lake I’d never heard anything about. Hilary came back down, took a rest for a few minutes, and the sun came out and lit the whole scene up for about 10 minutes so I could take a few photos before the clouds filled back in.
We trucked on, heading up the pass with a bit more urgency as thunder started to rumble, just close enough to motivate you to hustle down the other side of the pass. And we did, stopping at Lake Bonneville for a quick lunch during a brief 5-minute rain shower, before we started back uphill to hopefully crest our last pass of the day before the sun set. It was easy going to the pass between Raid Peak and Bonneville Peak, but the other side of the pass was big chunks of rock, and hard to find a line down that didn’t involve hands-and-feet scrambling over refrigerator-sized blocks. It was slow going, and as we descended, I started to realize we needed to trend north, sort of out of our way, to avoid a steep slope of talus. At 7:30 p.m., we found a spot near a small unnamed tarn, and called it a day after 12 hours as the sun dropped behind the dramatic face of Ambush Peak.
On Day 6, we crossed Texas Pass, our second-to-last of the trip, on firm snow. Trying to capture the famous Cirque of the Towers on the other side, I bobbled and dropped the lens cap of our camera in a bergschrund, perhaps never to be seen again, the only trace we’d leave of our trip. Most climbers come into the Cirque from Jackass Pass on the opposite side, where we’d be departing the next day. The Cirque, famous for its alpine climbing, has two of the Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, as well as a bunch of other classic routes. I was content to just look up at the peaks and spires this time, relieved that we’d probably make it to our car without starving to death after all.
We hadn’t seen a bear, which was just fine by me as well. But at our last campsite, south of Lonesome Lake, looking west at the Cirque, we’d seen three moose grazing in the woods, between us and a few other groups of campers. My friend Kurt once told me he’d rather run into a grizzly bear than a moose, because he’d accidentally spooked a moose once while doing some field geology work and it almost ran him over. Moose, apparently, can run 35 mph for up to 400 meters, which is way faster than any human has ever run 400 meters. And they weigh 600 to 1,300 pounds, so if they hit you, it’d be like getting hit by a motorcycle going 35 mph. A motorcycle with antlers. And no one makes moose spray.
I didn’t think this when I was cleaning up our stove and pots just before crawling into the tent to go to sleep that last night, until I heard some rumbling on the ground not too far away. I looked up, and in a couple seconds in the dim dusk light, realized the moose were running straight toward our tent. Hilary was inside rolling out her sleeping bag, and the moose were speeding our way. I had maybe one second to say something, and a choice: Do I yell to Hilary? In that second, I decided there was nothing she could do and nothing I could do, and I just hoped moose had good enough vision to see and avoid running into a four-foot-tall, six-foot-wide, bright orange object with my girlfriend inside of it. And also maybe not run me over.
They did. A few seconds after they passed, Hilary asked from inside the tent, “Was that the …”
“The moose,” I said. “Whoa.”
The next morning, we woke up early to watch the sunrise light up the Cirque of the Towers, drank our last coffee, and hiked up to our last pass, Jackass Pass, to start heading down to the Big Sandy Trailhead. My hips were trashed from the backpack, I knew, but I wasn’t going to remove the days-old duct tape protecting them until I could take a shower. As we got closer to the trailhead, we started to see more and more people, then dozens of cars. At the trailhead kiosk, I stopped for a second to sign our names and note that we had finished the Wind River High Route. Then I pulled the can of bear spray we had borrowed from the Green River Lakes Trailhead, our starting point 76 miles and six and a half days away, and placed it on the kiosk, where someone else could grab it for their trip. And hopefully not have to use it.
Note: We did “a Wind River High Route,” not “the Wind River High Route”— although many people have traversed the Wind River Range over the years, there’s still not a consensus on the “best” route. Andrew Skurka has put in a lot of effort in developing a high-quality version of it, and has lots of info and history on his website]
—Brendan
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A High Route Across The Wind River Range
[NOTE: 2020 is the tenth year of my blog at Semi-Rad.com, and since I started it, I’ve been fortunate to get to do some pretty wonderful adventures. Throughout this year, I’ll be writing about 12 favorite adventures I’ve had since I started writing about the outdoors, one per month. This is the eighth in the series. The other stories are here.]
In the pre-dawn hours before the first day of our trip, I stared at the ceiling of the van above the mattress as I tried to get back to sleep—“trying to sleep,” of course, to an insomniac, meaning “tried to think of everything that we should have packed for a 6- to 8-day backpacking trip, even though it was way too late to purchase or acquire anything at that point.”
Parked near the Green River Lakes trailhead at the northern end of Wyoming’s Wind River Range, I had at least three worries about problems that could come up for Hilary and me over the next week, some that would become apparent very gradually over the course of several days, and some quite instantaneously:
I wasn’t sure we had enough food. It was a challenge to cram seven days’ worth of food into a bear canister, and we’d ended up with a little over 2,000 calories per person per day—plenty for a week of sitting at a desk typing emails, but a little light for a week of carrying a 40-pound backpack for 80 miles.
We didn’t bring mosquito nets. DEET, yes, a whole 1.25 ounces, but no mosquito nets. A few days earlier, our friend Jaeger had said, a little skeptically, “So you’re going to the Winds and you’re not taking bug nets?” Since the Winds are pretty famous for swarms of bloodthirsty mosquitoes, I had thought about it, but then rationalized that it was maybe a dry-ish year and maybe … they wouldn’t … be … that bad? Jaeger was not convinced. And neither was I.
We hadn’t brought bear spray. I knew I had a canister of it somewhere, and then a few days before we left on the trip, I couldn’t for the life of me find it. But we’d be above treeline for most of our trip, so was it really necessary? It was almost a pound of extra weight.
A few hours later, we locked the van, shouldered our oppressively heavy packs, and walked to the trailhead kiosk to start walking south. And there, next to the sign-in box, was a can of bear spray. I shrugged and stuck it in the side pocket of my pack. Seemed like a sign.
It rained on and of all day the first day, as we traversed the eastern shore of the two Green River Lakes, Squaretop Mountain towering above and dominating the view. It was a nice easy grade for most of the day, and although we’d started a little later than I’d hoped, it was a relief to finally be done planning and actually walking. We had agreed to write about the trip, and take photos, and review some gear we’d been sent, so almost everything in our packs was new and unfamiliar. Which was fine, except for the backpack itself: Mine seemed to be rubbing my hips rather abrasively. I chalked it up to being “out of shape” for backpacking, having not carried a big pack at all since the previous year.
I’d been to the Winds only once, four years prior, but I’d spent a chunk of time clicking around the internet looking at photos of the range: 100 miles of high, sweeping granite peaks hemming in hundreds—no shit, HUNDREDS— of alpine lakes. Twenty of the 21 highest mountains in Wyoming are in the Winds, all except for the Grand Teton, just a couple hours’ drive north. If you like big stands of dense trees, you could do better elsewhere, but if you love staring at glacier-sculpted granite towers, the Winds are a paradise.
In my internet puttering a few months prior, I had googled the phrase “Wind River High Route.” I had researched and walked the original “high route,” Switzerland’s Haute Route, in 2013, and had loved reading the story of how early mountaineers linked mountain passes and cols between Chamonix and Zermatt over several trips. I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to try to do that in the United States, somewhere it hadn’t been done?
Google revealed it had, in fact, been done: Two guys named Alan Dixon and Don Wilson had put together a “Wind River High Route” in 2013, and Alan had detailed it on his website, AdventureAlan.com, with the route description, maps, photos, and detailed gear lists, right down to how many squares of toilet paper they’d packed. I was disappointed at first—it wouldn’t be a pioneering trip. And then I was 50 percent disappointed, and 50 percent excited that I wouldn’t have to figure out the route myself. And then, 100 percent excited. Even if someone had been there before, I knew it would still be challenging: 70 to 80 miles, more than half of those miles off-trail, 14,000 to 20,000 feet of elevation gain, and more than 50 miles of walking above 10,000 feet. It might be nice to have the beta on where to go.
Adventure Alan’s website, as it turned out, got some decent traffic. Our first day, we ran into two younger guys who said they were doing the High Route. The next day, we met a horsepacker who was meeting a threesome who were hiking after finishing what he called “the bushwhack route,” as well as a guy turning around after a day and a half into the High Route because the talus was a bit much for his labradoodle’s paw pads. I asked, “Did you find out about it on that guy’s website?” He laughed. “Everybody finds out about it on that guy’s website,” he said.
A handful of people stretched out over an 80-mile route was not that many—it was certainly not a crowd like you’d find on Angels Landing in Zion, or on the fixed lines on Mt. Everest during a good weather window. Some days, we saw a dozen or so people. Other days, we’d see no one for more than 24 hours.
Our second day, we woke up a little soggy in our last-ditch campsite in the woods, where we’d camped after realizing we wouldn’t make it to the first alpine lake before dark. We got moving, and climbed up and over Cube Rock Pass, the first of nine passes we’d cross on the trip. By noon, we were picking our way up the rocky slopes on the west side of Knapsack Col, which topped out at just over 12,000 feet. The route was there, if a bit faint in spots, and the afternoon sun warmed the air so we were starting to drip sweat under our heavy packs by the top of the big climb. At the top, the view opened up over the other side: the steep west face of Mt. Helen and its northwest couloir, still packed with snow in early August, and the peaks of the east side of Titcomb Basin to the south of Mt. Helen. On the other side of the col, we’d descend over a short snowfield and then slabs and talus next to the Twins Glacier, the grade more gentle than the side we’d climbed up.
This would become our daily pattern: Look up at a daunting pass, grind up it wishing our packs were a bit lighter, be rewarded with a brand-new, amazing view of the other side, and figure out a way to get down. Adventure Alan had documented the route and confirmed it went, but the hourly daily navigation still took some time, looking at maps and the Gaia GPS app on my phone to figure the best way up and down drainages, across tundra and talus, and through the high passes—and sometimes through waist-high and chest-high willows. For most of where we went, there were no trails, and no footprints.
But the experience of rolling over a high pass (or two) each day, punching through to a new zone, new mountains, new lakes, is something Hilary and I would talk about years later. Some passes would drop us into areas where we wouldn’t see another human the entire day, and some would lead to more popular spots where we’d see a dozen people. But mostly, it felt like we had the place to ourselves, and all we had to do to earn those great views was carry our big backpacks for a few miles every day—slowly. Some days we barely managed to walk 10 miles (one day we only clocked 7.3 miles), and the primarily off-trail walking required patience. We had chosen the easiest version of the High Route, but we still felt like we were earning it.
By Day 3, my backpack had rubbed my hip bones raw, and I finally took two strips of duct tape and taped over the bleeding spots. Which helped a little. But every minute I had my pack on my back, I was in pain. No bears, so far, and the mosquitoes had been minimal. The food, however, as I expected, was not quite enough. We were definitely going to lose a few pounds, but have just enough food for six and a half days. But if it took us eight days to get to the Big Sandy Trailhead on the south end, it would get pretty dire. I rationed my 9-ounce bag of Annie’s Pizza Snacks Mix, watching the pieces crumble, convinced that the last day, I would be pouring bottom-of-the-bag pizza-flavored powder down my throat. At least there was plenty of water here.
By the morning of Day 5, we had chugged through 42 miles and over five passes, already convinced that the Winds were one of the most beautiful places either of us had ever been. We’d camped the night before on a small saddle above Long Lake at about 10,800 feet and watched some clouds filling in, with faint flashes of distant lightning illuminating the tent fly as we went to sleep. We didn’t know anything about our route on Day 5 except that if we were able to climb two passes, both higher than 11,000 feet, we’d be in pretty good shape to finish the route with just enough food.
We hiked fast in the morning, traversing the slopes above a half-dozen different alpine lakes before joining the trail around Middle Fork Lake, which we gratefully followed until it disappeared and we were left to choose our own adventure through willows and up talus toward the 11,380-foot unnamed pass to the south, where we may or may not get trapped in a thunderstorm. We methodically picked our way up the slope as the sun went in and out of clouds, and a few hundred feet below the pass, Hilary had gotten a little ahead of me and I had one of those “I wonder what’s over there?” moments and started to trend right. I popped out to a view of the steep spires of Pronghorn Peak shooting straight up for over a thousand feet, from a deep blue-green lake I’d never heard anything about. Hilary came back down, took a rest for a few minutes, and the sun came out and lit the whole scene up for about 10 minutes so I could take a few photos before the clouds filled back in.
We trucked on, heading up the pass with a bit more urgency as thunder started to rumble, just close enough to motivate you to hustle down the other side of the pass. And we did, stopping at Lake Bonneville for a quick lunch during a brief 5-minute rain shower, before we started back uphill to hopefully crest our last pass of the day before the sun set. It was easy going to the pass between Raid Peak and Bonneville Peak, but the other side of the pass was big chunks of rock, and hard to find a line down that didn’t involve hands-and-feet scrambling over refrigerator-sized blocks. It was slow going, and as we descended, I started to realize we needed to trend north, sort of out of our way, to avoid a steep slope of talus. At 7:30 p.m., we found a spot near a small unnamed tarn, and called it a day after 12 hours as the sun dropped behind the dramatic face of Ambush Peak.
On Day 6, we crossed Texas Pass, our second-to-last of the trip, on firm snow. Trying to capture the famous Cirque of the Towers on the other side, I bobbled and dropped the lens cap of our camera in a bergschrund, perhaps never to be seen again, the only trace we’d leave of our trip. Most climbers come into the Cirque from Jackass Pass on the opposite side, where we’d be departing the next day. The Cirque, famous for its alpine climbing, has two of the Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, as well as a bunch of other classic routes. I was content to just look up at the peaks and spires this time, relieved that we’d probably make it to our car without starving to death after all.
We hadn’t seen a bear, which was just fine by me as well. But at our last campsite, south of Lonesome Lake, looking west at the Cirque, we’d seen three moose grazing in the woods, between us and a few other groups of campers. My friend Kurt once told me he’d rather run into a grizzly bear than a moose, because he’d accidentally spooked a moose once while doing some field geology work and it almost ran him over. Moose, apparently, can run 35 mph for up to 400 meters, which is way faster than any human has ever run 400 meters. And they weigh 600 to 1,300 pounds, so if they hit you, it’d be like getting hit by a motorcycle going 35 mph. A motorcycle with antlers. And no one makes moose spray.
I didn’t think this when I was cleaning up our stove and pots just before crawling into the tent to go to sleep that last night, until I heard some rumbling on the ground not too far away. I looked up, and in a couple seconds in the dim dusk light, realized the moose were running straight toward our tent. Hilary was inside rolling out her sleeping bag, and the moose were speeding our way. I had maybe one second to say something, and a choice: Do I yell to Hilary? In that second, I decided there was nothing she could do and nothing I could do, and I just hoped moose had good enough vision to see and avoid running into a four-foot-tall, six-foot-wide, bright orange object with my girlfriend inside of it. And also maybe not run me over.
They did. A few seconds after they passed, Hilary asked from inside the tent, “Was that the …”
“The moose,” I said. “Whoa.”
The next morning, we woke up early to watch the sunrise light up the Cirque of the Towers, drank our last coffee, and hiked up to our last pass, Jackass Pass, to start heading down to the Big Sandy Trailhead. My hips were trashed from the backpack, I knew, but I wasn’t going to remove the days-old duct tape protecting them until I could take a shower. As we got closer to the trailhead, we started to see more and more people, then dozens of cars. At the trailhead kiosk, I stopped for a second to sign our names and note that we had finished the Wind River High Route. Then I pulled the can of bear spray we had borrowed from the Green River Lakes Trailhead, our starting point 76 miles and six and a half days away, and placed it on the kiosk, where someone else could grab it for their trip. And hopefully not have to use it.
Note: We did “a Wind River High Route,” not “the Wind River High Route”— although many people have traversed the Wind River Range over the years, there’s still not a consensus on the “best” route. Andrew Skurka has put in a lot of effort in developing a high-quality version of it, and has lots of info and history on his website]
—Brendan
Thanks for reading.
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Fellas, here comes June, here comes the summer :D. You’re super excited imagining lying flat on the white, soft sand, digging your hand deep into the hot sand dune. Salty, humid ocean breeze running through your hair, coagulating every drop of seawater on your arms, your thighs. The yellow-orange-ish, tender sunlight renders the atmosphere a tropical, hectic, heart feel. You’ve prepared a beautiful one-piece for this occasion that flatters every inch of your toned and slender body – the result of a hard-work in the gym and a “spotlessly” healthy diet. You put on the one-piece, expecting to see a Gisele Bundchen on Vogue swimsuit cover, then “BAM!!”, the image in the mirror shocks you to the core; disappointment is like a bomb exploded inside you. “What the heck?? Why is my stomach so bloated? I look like 3 months pregnant!” This is my exact situation when I was on my trip to Halong, just 2 weeks ago.
My whole afternoon is spent in discomfort; insecurity runs across my spines, like someone whistling to my ears “the world is looking at your belly”. In my head, I run through the things I ingest from the morning. Then realization finally hits me “It must be the beer!” After googling, I finally decided that the CO2-loaden beer was the culprit.
This is just one in a million cases I encounter that completely ruin my travel experience just by some easily avoidable mistakes (to be specific, mostly dietary). So now, I’m gathering my notes and share with you the lessons that I learn the hard way on how to stay fit and always look fabulous on vacation. Let’s get right into it!
First, let’s talk exercise…
#1. Bring a rope:
Rope jumping is the workout you can do everywhere, and bringing a rope is like, pshhh, piece of cake 😎😎. There’ so many videos on Youtube on effective rope jumping workout; my favorite is 10-Min Jump Rope Workout by POPSUGAR fitness. I also recommend Jump Rope Dudes (the coolest rope jumping guys on the planet and their videos are just chill and all-level).
#2. Running
Running (unprofessionally) doesn’t require much technique, but depending on your physics, running can be one of the most calorie-burning exercises. Just find a good road, and you’re good to go. Also, I always use the app Runkeeper, this app shows the estimated calories you burn, the time, the average speed, the map of your run, and many more features that are extremely helpful
And a small tip for anyone who thinks running sucks: good shoes make a good run.
#3. Cycling
Actually, I do most of my travel by cycling (except for the plane/train paths). I love cycling so much that I can’t understand why to choose car and motorbike over bicycle? I mean cycling is not only environment-friendly but also a very mobile and cheap mode of transport. Cycling is basically riding a motorbike but you have the additional benefit of exercise.
I often bring my bicycle with me on my trips. If you travel by train (like me), you may expect to be charged an additional 7 dollars (6.25$ exactly).
#4. Find a nearby park or gym:
The idea is finding a nearby place where you can freely exercise without being the odd one out. I often find a park, a square or nearby gyms to ensure my fitness training can be resumed (if needed, but most often, all the cycling and walking in the day has already worn me out).
When I went to Hue, there’s a large park running along Perfume River’s bank, where built a strong, new road, perfect for running. As I ran along the road, next to the Perfume River, I can also observe the activities of the local in the early hour of the morning.
#5. Schedule everything in advance and be active
I would say, a specific exercise window for your day is quite unnecessary if you’ve been on your feet all day (unless you feel like it :)))) ). Therefore, plan everything carefully in advance so that you can utilize most of the time being busy. Plus, while during exercise, typically the ones that raise your heart rate to about 70% or more maximum, your body mainly burns carbs for fuels, during moderate to resting activities, your body majorly burns fat. Therefore, keeping yourself moving throughout the day may actually stimulate fat loss
So that’s for exercise. Now comes the diet…
While exercise only contributes about 30% to your physics, diet plays 70% which explains why healthy, discipline diet is the utmost important thing in traveling.
#1: Do not be afraid of quick carbs
Quick carbs are foods that are low in fiber and high in sugar, or in other words, have high Glycemic Index level. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend having high GI food because it’ll cause a sugar spike which follows by a sudden drop in energy leading to more sugar cravings. High GI foods including most junk food, white bread, some fruits like lychee, banana, mango, etc
However, traveling days are very active days, and you’ll be on your feet most of the time. So you might want to ingest something that can be easily digested and rather leave you with a light stomach, and with just enough sugar to keep your blood sugar up (or you’ll feel lethargic if going for more than 5 hours without sugar supplies). Having said that, I advise against taking soft drinks and some other high-fructose food.
I recommend bring commercial bread (if you’re lucky to find whole grain, Ezekiel loaf, that’s awesome. But in most cases, white commercial bread can be found almost everywhere, and cheap) and make a PJ sandwich. I often travel all morning, stop and have 2 PJ sandwiches at noon and rest just a little bit, then I’m back on my feet again
In fact, if you have a full meal, you may feel heavy and tired afterward. You’ll need more resting time to digest all that food (precious time for traveling!)
#2: Eat slowly
Your brain takes about 25 minutes after you started eating to send out satiety signals. Also, eating slowly often means a chill, non-stress experience which has a better result on your gut microbiome that helps you digest food better (for more info, please read my review of The Microbiome diet by Raphael Kellman ). Plus eating slowly helps you to taste and enjoy the food better. The enzymes secreted in your mouth partly help breakdown all the fat (the flavor-concentrated area – On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee), the carbs. When I eat, I always think about the nutrition info of the dish, the origins of ingredients, how can I improve the dish, etc.
If you have friends enjoying the meal with you, that’s cool! But if you’re a solo traveler like me, who may feel boring eating alone and try to pull out your phone to keep you entertained during the meal, then put away the phone, pal! The phone will cause distraction during the meal, and before you notice, you’ve already finished the dish. Tip: listen to music or podcast while you’re eating.
#3. Eat in small portion:
I get it, you’re traveling to explore the culture, the cuisine, so why put holds on the food? Then just keep in mind that some local specialties can be deceptively calorie-dense, like sesame candy or dragon beard candy, and you can’t control the sanitation. So if you want to taste something exotic, local, then eat in small portion, and eat it slowly, savor the taste.
And again, as much as I hate to admit it, traveling in a group can be a real advantage here because you can share the food with your friends
#4. Always have plain H2O in your backpack
I always have a 1.5l plain water bottle with me. By this way, I save myself from wasting precious calories deficit on soft drinks and junk food from the vending machine as well as money.
#5. Keep your stomach light
Although it’s been mentioned above, I have to iterate it because it’s so important. You don’t need to eat a full meal to provide enough energy for your trip. You’ll actually feel less hungry and feel hungry less often when you’re constantly active. There are many researches showing that exercise can decrease levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin and increases levels of the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin. But you need food to keep your blood sugar up. So as I said earlier, quick carbs like PJ sandwich will do the trick
#6 Careful with dairy
If you have lactose intolerance (lactose is a type of sugar found in mammal’s milk), you may experience stomachache if you consume dairy pre-tour. I learn this the hard way from my marathon experience (Halfway through the 10K marathon, I vomit all the way out 🤮🤢 which is super embarrassing and off-putting)
Recommended quick meals – what I always eat on my travel
PJ sandwich: easily made, convenient, ubiquitous, a full package of carbs, proteins, and fat.
Sweet potatoes: so sweet and delicious, full of carbs and can quickly fill up your satiety and satisfy your appetite for a long time.
Soy milk: packed with proteins and WITHOUT LACTOSE. So for those who have lactose intolerance, soy milk got you now ☺☺
Oatbar/protein bar/energy bar: a quick, on-the-go snack. Protein and energy bar are not like sold everywhere in Vietnam, so I most often bring my homemade oat bar (recipe from Pick up Lime, I LOVE her content, and please check out her Youtube channel! Her videos are just so relaxing, informative but also easy to understand and relatable.)
Porridge/Congee: my go-to meal when I decide to eat in a restaurant during travel. Porridge is often made with rice and beans that make a heartful supply of carb and protein. And they can be digested easily and leave you with a light stomach.
Fruits: recommended for their nutrition content. I often bring apples with me, but I figure out they’re just kind of bulky, can be overripe and easily be smashed and become a mess in my bag. However, if you have tips on how to carry fruits as a snack on your travel, please comment below!
Problematic bloating causes during vacation:
Beer: you may hear the term “beer belly” before, then you know what I’m talking about. To avoid the bloating problem but still enjoy your fresh beer fully, take a chopstick or spoon and whisk it up to let out the CO2 before drinking.
Eating too fast, have large bites: you may swallow big gulps of air which cause bloating later on.
Fibrous food: oats, fibrous fruits like apples, pineapple, vegetables, sweet potatoes etc
How to stay fit and fab on vacation? Fellas, here comes June, here comes the summer :D. You're super excited imagining lying flat on the white, soft sand, digging your hand deep into the hot sand dune.
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Working Out on the Keto Diet Can Be Weird—Here's What Works
Oh, the keto diet. Everyone's buzzing about it—my friends, their friends, random Facebook friends I don't actually know but have somehow appeared in my feed. People simply won't shut up about how the keto diet has been yielding all these amazing results, like super-fast weight loss and increased energy. At first, I found this profoundly annoying, but eventually, I decided that if you can't beat 'em, well... I went ahead and tried it for myself.
Make fun of me for being the sort of person who would throw herself off a bridge if all of her friends were doing it all you want—at least I did my research going in: I learned early on that this diet is different, and I couldn't just try keto out for a quick week or two like most fad diets. Clinical nutrition coach Ariane Hundt, M.S., told me that, depending on your usual eating habits, it could take 1-2 weeks to drop into ketosis—a state in which your body turns to fat instead of glucose as a main energy source—and that it's best to go an additional two weeks to see significant results.
EDITOR'S PICK
That put me at a month of counting my macros like crazy, making sure that 75 percent of my caloric intake came from healthy fats, 15 percent came from protein, and a mere 10 percent came from carbs. To put that into perspective, on my 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, I'd have about 25-50 grams of carbs allotted per day, and one New York City bagel (which I am very, very fond of) has about 67 grams of carbs.
Once I realized my usual eating strategy (that focused mostly on protein and a healthy hit of fats and carbs) was about to fly out the window, I started to wonder how my workouts would fare.
At first, I didn't feel so hot.
Like any good dieter, I started keto on a Monday after a weekend of enjoying the f*ck out of some pizza and a few beers. More often than not, my calendar has a sweat session scheduled Monday through Friday, but I figured it'd be smart to take the day off from a hard workout in case I felt funky on day one.
That day came and went and I felt... fine. So I returned to my regularly scheduled programming on day two, starting with one of my favorite running-and-strength treadmill classes at Mile High Run Club. I know it's not a genius idea to try a brand new workout and a brand new diet (the fewer variables you have, the better) so I thought it was a safe choice.
I felt OK during most of the class—I didn't pass out or fly off the back of my treadmill—but whenever I kicked up the speed to my usual interval paces, I was quickly hit with fatigue. I rode the struggle-bus during the kettlebell portion of class too. Using the same weights I typically choose, I couldn't bust out as many reps as I normally do in the time allotted.
Menacham Brodie, C.S.C.S., C.N.C., head coach of Human Vortex Training, tells me this is normal. "Your body is using a different pathway to unlock the energy it needs to meet exercise demands," he says. "Plus, as a general rule, high-intensity workouts with repeated hard efforts tend not to go well with the keto diet, as your body is using fat for its fuel source. In order to get the energy it needs, the body has to break down fats as opposed to pulling from carbs, and that takes more time."
Which is why, for the rest of the week, I scaled back on the intensity of my workouts. "Understand that what you 'should' be able to do will be different, as you're asking the body to run in a different fashion, and on an energy system that can't keep up with demands in the way that you're used to," Brodie says.
I also wasn't fueling my workouts well enough, and I learned the hard way.
Toward the end of my first week, I was slammed with the keto flu, a series of nasty, flu-like symptoms that often crop up as your body adjusts to a new energy source and decreased electrolyte levels. I had a boxing class at Rumble scheduled but decided it was better for my body to rest—interval workouts needed to take a backseat as my body balanced itself out.
"For the sake of easing into ketosis, in the first week or two, it's best to focus on workouts that ensure appetite, cravings, and energy are balanced—like weight lifting two to three times a week, followed by low-intensity cardio," Hundt says. "Lower-intensity cardio burns more fat as fuel, while higher-intensity burns more sugar as fuel. That's why lower-intensity workouts allow you to move into ketosis with more ease."
What wasn't easy? Eating.
Another change I needed to make? Eating more. Because I was consuming such a high percentage of fats—which Hundt says can be very filling—I felt full a lot of the time. But I wasn't hitting my calorie goals. Brodie explained that if I was in too much of a caloric deficit, my body would kick into starvation mode, and that can lead to muscle breakdown and even more energy shortage than what I was already experiencing. It could also increase my odds of injury, he says, and there was no way in hell I was about to take myself out of the workout game entirely.
I thought I was doing enough, tracking every morsel on my Fitbit app and constantly Googling, "How many carbs does fill-in-the-blank have?" But I was still eating on the fly. Brodie explained that planning my meals in advance would make life on keto a lot easier.
EDITOR'S PICK
"Take a look at your energy demands for your sport, your daily energy demands outside of your workouts, and know with more certainty how much you actually need to eat," he says. "Then plan your nutrition throughout each day, breaking meals and snacks down into what you need to meet those goals."
Steady-state workouts were my jam.
Every so often, I have days when I totally draw a blank about what workout to do. When that happened during this month-long experiment, Brodie suggested I fall back on steady-state, endurance-style workouts.
"It's the fluctuation of effort that can kill you," Brodie explained. "When you start having these variations in intensity, that's when the carbohydrates are called upon to fill a quick need."
This actually ended up working out perfectly: I was signed up for a 62-mile charity bike ride right as my month of keto dieting was wrapping up. Rather than get bogged down with my normally interval-heavy workout schedule, Brodie gave me permission to hop on the saddle for exploration rides around the city. To stave off boredom, he suggested increasing my intensity once a week to see how I fared.
"Plan mini-experiments with increasing intensities in 1-2 workouts every 5-7 days," he says. "This will help you find your body's limits and continue to kick ass and take names while hitting your goals."
And strength training saved me.
While I did a lot of bike riding on the weekends, I focused more on strength training during the workweek. "Increasing dense, lean muscle mass helps the body burn more fat at rest and can supercharge you on your body-transformation journey," Brodie says.
Hundt agrees. "Strength-training workouts provide a much better metabolic effect than cardio workouts, whether you're in ketosis or not," she explains. So long as I busted out a routine that made me hot and sweaty, increased my heart rate, and reached muscle fatigue, I'd cash in on the coveted afterburn effect for up to 48 hours post sweat, she says.
Plus, strength workouts provide a boost in testosterone and growth hormone, which Hundt says shifts the body into fat-burning and muscle-building mode—two things I definitely wanted to experience on keto.
And there's at least some research to back her up: A recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research recorded the results of 25 men following a resistance training program. Some were on the keto diet, and others were on a standard Western diet. While lean body mass increased and fat mass decreased in both groups during the first 10 weeks, only the keto group showed more of an increase in lean body mass during the final week, when carbs were reintroduced. Of course, a study of 25 people is hardly proof, but it is a good start to supporting evidence.
That's why Brodie suggested I incorporate 3-4 days a week of strength training. But seeing how much I love the tread, he said I didn't have to ignore the machine completely. "After your strength training, hit the cardio equipment for 20 minutes of low-endurance work based on heart rate," he suggests. My go-to? Audio-guided outdoor running and treadmill classes on the Peloton app.
At the end of the day, sure, I had to scale back on the HIIT classes I usually sign up for…
but that freed up time for activities I know I love but rarely make time for, like riding outside and lifting. And after that first week, so long as I fueled correctly, I could still work my body in an endorphin-producing, sweat-inducing, fat-burning way.
And now that I'm done? I have a hot date—with an everything bagel.
Samantha Lefave is a freelance writer who is living, eating, and sweating her way around the world. You can find her Instagramming her favorite destinations, squeezing a Friends quote into every conversation she can or—when there's downtime—eating peanut butter straight from the jar.
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Working Out on the Keto Diet Can Be Weird—Here's What Works
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How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip
Confession: Over the last four years, I haven’t spent more than four consecutive weeks in the same place. In the last six months, my husband and I have slept in more than four dozen beds in seven different countries, with most of our travels spent zig-zagging across North America (twice in three months). This equates to a whole lot of time in transit from one spot to the next. But, because we’re both avid runners and cyclists, we’re heavily invested in making our trips as healthy and activity-packed as possible, even when we’re crossing from one coast to the other.
Whether your road trip is with family or for business, lasting a few hours or a few days, here are some expert tips I’ve personally tested on short and long drives. I can guarantee implementing a few of these stay-healthy hacks will make your destination feel a whole lot better.
YOGA ANYWHERE
You might feel a little silly doing yoga while you pump gas, but your back and neck will thank you. Try a modified downward dog against any wall, says Colin Matthews from Kula Yoga Studio in Toronto. “This posture makes it easy to melt tension in the upper back and shoulders without touching the ground,” he explains.
Stand about two feet away from a wall, and place your hands on it anywhere from shoulder height to hip height (higher for tighter shoulders, lower for looser). Your hands should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, with fingers pointing upward and spread apart. With a slight forward tilt in your pelvis, move your hips away from the wall while pressing into your hands to keep your shoulder blades flat on your back. If you start to feel tension along your spine as you move your torso toward parallel with the floor, stop and breathe into the tension. This pose is about melting, and melting takes time and breath.
WASH YOUR HANDS
This might sound obvious, but wash your hands every chance you get, even if you’re not hitting a restroom to use the toilet. You’re touching a lot of unknown stuff on the road that other people’s hands have touched, especially pumping gas or wandering around a convenience store, so scrub as often as possible. Hand sanitizer is equally useful, so you could also keep some in your car for quick access. Trust me: It stinks to get to your destination feeling sick.
Samsung and Under Armour have collaborated to offer an authentic fitness and nutrition experience by combining Samsung’s revolutionary wearable device with Under Armour’s Connected Fitness suite of apps. Whether you’re tracking your nutrition, daily workouts or running routes, this best-in-class partnership makes it easier to reach your personal goals and achieve things you never thought possible.
PICK SMART AT GAS STATIONS
Gas stations have gotten a lot more health-conscious in recent years; it’s not all candy bars and chips anymore. Clara Norfleet, RD, recommends any type of fresh fruit.
“I also like to pick up a bag of unsalted nuts as well. The fat is satiating and filling, and it’s a good balance to the sweetness of the fruit,” she says. “If they have some type of raw veggie pack, I’d pick that up as well, and a lot of gas stations are starting to carry greek yogurt. And water! I always have water!”
Hydration is exceptionally important on road trips — and not just coffee and Red Bull. Make sure you’re sipping plenty of plain water, even if that means more pit stops. Your digestive tract will thank you.
Norfleet also adds that the occasional caloric splurge isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Your road trip should feel fun, not like an endless struggle to stay uber-healthy. That roadside ice cream stand with homemade waffle cones might just be worth pulling over — and totally memorable.
PACK YOUR SNACKS
There’s no end to pre-packaged healthy snack options for the road, but you can go budget-friendly by buying your snacks ahead of time so you’re not paying a premium for healthier options at rest areas. Health Warrior bars, for example, use pumpkin seeds and a host of antioxidant-packed ingredients to make a much healthier, but still tasty, granola bar. “They’re easy to pack in a purse, bag or side pocket; they are nutrient-dense and with minimal added sugars,” says Norfleet. “Above all, they truly taste great!”
ADD VEGGIES
Whatever meals you do end up eating — and let’s be honest, even the healthiest among us have to go for fast food sometimes — do yourself a favor and make sure there’s at least one vegetable present. Even if that means getting a side salad with your burger and fries, that’s better than nothing.
DON’T FORGET THE PROTEIN
Finding healthy meat and protein options can be a pain, so pack an emergency protein powder supply to quickly get your protein fix. Unflavored collagen protein from Vital Proteins can be dissolved in coffee or tea for a protein boost that doesn’t add any taste.
“Protein has that extra staying power that will help us feel both full and satisfied,” adds Norfleet. “Oftentimes, carb- and fat-rich options may leave us feeling full, but hardly satisfied, and an hour or so later we find ourselves grabbing for another snack!”
KEEP TRACK OF SNACKING
When you’re on the road, it can be hard to stick to a reasonable calorie count. A donut here, a cookie there, a candy bar at 3 a.m. to stay awake … we know how it goes. Those calories, plus fast food stops and fancy coffees, can easily put you well above your daily calorie allowances.
If you find that you spend most of the drive mindlessly snacking, make it mindful by using the MyFitnessPal app to log your intake. You might be able to catch yourself reaching for the milkshake and swap it for a water instead, especially if you know you’re already at your target calorie count for the day. You’ll also be able to make sure you’re hitting your macronutrients, especially protein, and monitor things like your water and vegetable intake.
MAP IT OUT
Make your trip a little more fun by stopping in national or local parks along the way to stretch your legs and sneak in a couple miles of running or walking. Some sun exposure during a picnic lunch can also do wonders for your mood.
Luckily, it’s never been easier to find the closest park along your route. Thanks to the in-route search on the Google Maps app, it’s easy to look up nearby parks. Just put in your destination, pull up the route and then hit the search button. After that, type in ‘national parks’ and all of those along the route will pop up.
You can also use the MapMyRun or MapMyWalk apps to find routes nearby to get in a quick jog or stroll. Even if you have 15 minutes, it’s better than nothing!
STRETCH EVERY CHANCE YOU GET
Jacques DeVore, cycling coach and the author of “Maximum Overload for Cyclists,” is a huge fan of the walking lunge for opening hips and building strength. Whenever you have a minute outside of the car, instead of walking to the restroom, lunge your way there. You’ll look goofy but your hip flexors will be psyched.
“Movement Matters” author Katy Bowman echoes this sentiment and urges people to move as often as possible, in as many ways as possible. So even if you’re not a yoga expert or a serious runner, doing basically any kind of stretch or movement can help shake everything out and decompress after all that sitting.
PICK HOTELS WITH POOLS, PLAYGROUNDS AND GYMS
If you can’t find details about hotels online, call the front desk to check what kind of facilities they offer. Bringing the kids along? Look for hotels with pools or playgrounds attached so the kids can burn off some of that pent-up energy. The last thing you want to do is drive 12 hours, then be stuck in a hotel room with two kids jumping on the bed trying to blow off steam.
A fitness center is another great thing to look for since you may not be in the hotel during daylight hours, and a super-quick late-night or early morning workout before hitting the road is better than nothing.
PACK A QUICK-GRAB WORKOUT BAG
As you’re packing, put your workout gear in a separate bag and keep it handy. Having easy access to your workout clothes, running shoes, deodorant, a towel and some wipes makes a morning sweat session much simpler — and more likely to happen. Pulling suitcases out of the van and digging for your sneakers can quickly wreck any motivation to move, but it’s easily avoidable.
Written by Molly Hurford, a writer who spends most of her time living out of suitcases and chasing the best races, rides, runs, swims and whatever other outdoor adventures she can find. Follow her travels and adventures on Twitter and Instagram.
The post How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip appeared first on Under Armour.
http://ift.tt/2vbf1ny
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How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip
Confession: Over the last four years, I haven’t spent more than four consecutive weeks in the same place. In the last six months, my husband and I have slept in more than four dozen beds in seven different countries, with most of our travels spent zig-zagging across North America (twice in three months). This equates to a whole lot of time in transit from one spot to the next. But, because we’re both avid runners and cyclists, we’re heavily invested in making our trips as healthy and activity-packed as possible, even when we’re crossing from one coast to the other.
Whether your road trip is with family or for business, lasting a few hours or a few days, here are some expert tips I’ve personally tested on short and long drives. I can guarantee implementing a few of these stay-healthy hacks will make your destination feel a whole lot better.
YOGA ANYWHERE
You might feel a little silly doing yoga while you pump gas, but your back and neck will thank you. Try a modified downward dog against any wall, says Colin Matthews from Kula Yoga Studio in Toronto. “This posture makes it easy to melt tension in the upper back and shoulders without touching the ground,” he explains.
Stand about two feet away from a wall, and place your hands on it anywhere from shoulder height to hip height (higher for tighter shoulders, lower for looser). Your hands should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, with fingers pointing upward and spread apart. With a slight forward tilt in your pelvis, move your hips away from the wall while pressing into your hands to keep your shoulder blades flat on your back. If you start to feel tension along your spine as you move your torso toward parallel with the floor, stop and breathe into the tension. This pose is about melting, and melting takes time and breath.
WASH YOUR HANDS
This might sound obvious, but wash your hands every chance you get, even if you’re not hitting a restroom to use the toilet. You’re touching a lot of unknown stuff on the road that other people’s hands have touched, especially pumping gas or wandering around a convenience store, so scrub as often as possible. Hand sanitizer is equally useful, so you could also keep some in your car for quick access. Trust me: It stinks to get to your destination feeling sick.
Samsung and Under Armour have collaborated to offer an authentic fitness and nutrition experience by combining Samsung’s revolutionary wearable device with Under Armour’s Connected Fitness suite of apps. Whether you’re tracking your nutrition, daily workouts or running routes, this best-in-class partnership makes it easier to reach your personal goals and achieve things you never thought possible.
PICK SMART AT GAS STATIONS
Gas stations have gotten a lot more health-conscious in recent years; it’s not all candy bars and chips anymore. Clara Norfleet, RD, recommends any type of fresh fruit.
“I also like to pick up a bag of unsalted nuts as well. The fat is satiating and filling, and it’s a good balance to the sweetness of the fruit,” she says. “If they have some type of raw veggie pack, I’d pick that up as well, and a lot of gas stations are starting to carry greek yogurt. And water! I always have water!”
Hydration is exceptionally important on road trips — and not just coffee and Red Bull. Make sure you’re sipping plenty of plain water, even if that means more pit stops. Your digestive tract will thank you.
Norfleet also adds that the occasional caloric splurge isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Your road trip should feel fun, not like an endless struggle to stay uber-healthy. That roadside ice cream stand with homemade waffle cones might just be worth pulling over — and totally memorable.
PACK YOUR SNACKS
There’s no end to pre-packaged healthy snack options for the road, but you can go budget-friendly by buying your snacks ahead of time so you’re not paying a premium for healthier options at rest areas. Health Warrior bars, for example, use pumpkin seeds and a host of antioxidant-packed ingredients to make a much healthier, but still tasty, granola bar. “They’re easy to pack in a purse, bag or side pocket; they are nutrient-dense and with minimal added sugars,” says Norfleet. “Above all, they truly taste great!”
ADD VEGGIES
Whatever meals you do end up eating — and let’s be honest, even the healthiest among us have to go for fast food sometimes — do yourself a favor and make sure there’s at least one vegetable present. Even if that means getting a side salad with your burger and fries, that’s better than nothing.
DON’T FORGET THE PROTEIN
Finding healthy meat and protein options can be a pain, so pack an emergency protein powder supply to quickly get your protein fix. Unflavored collagen protein from Vital Proteins can be dissolved in coffee or tea for a protein boost that doesn’t add any taste.
“Protein has that extra staying power that will help us feel both full and satisfied,” adds Norfleet. “Oftentimes, carb- and fat-rich options may leave us feeling full, but hardly satisfied, and an hour or so later we find ourselves grabbing for another snack!”
KEEP TRACK OF SNACKING
When you’re on the road, it can be hard to stick to a reasonable calorie count. A donut here, a cookie there, a candy bar at 3 a.m. to stay awake … we know how it goes. Those calories, plus fast food stops and fancy coffees, can easily put you well above your daily calorie allowances.
If you find that you spend most of the drive mindlessly snacking, make it mindful by using the MyFitnessPal app to log your intake. You might be able to catch yourself reaching for the milkshake and swap it for a water instead, especially if you know you’re already at your target calorie count for the day. You’ll also be able to make sure you’re hitting your macronutrients, especially protein, and monitor things like your water and vegetable intake.
MAP IT OUT
Make your trip a little more fun by stopping in national or local parks along the way to stretch your legs and sneak in a couple miles of running or walking. Some sun exposure during a picnic lunch can also do wonders for your mood.
Luckily, it’s never been easier to find the closest park along your route. Thanks to the in-route search on the Google Maps app, it’s easy to look up nearby parks. Just put in your destination, pull up the route and then hit the search button. After that, type in ‘national parks’ and all of those along the route will pop up.
You can also use the MapMyRun or MapMyWalk apps to find routes nearby to get in a quick jog or stroll. Even if you have 15 minutes, it’s better than nothing!
STRETCH EVERY CHANCE YOU GET
Jacques DeVore, cycling coach and the author of “Maximum Overload for Cyclists,” is a huge fan of the walking lunge for opening hips and building strength. Whenever you have a minute outside of the car, instead of walking to the restroom, lunge your way there. You’ll look goofy but your hip flexors will be psyched.
“Movement Matters” author Katy Bowman echoes this sentiment and urges people to move as often as possible, in as many ways as possible. So even if you’re not a yoga expert or a serious runner, doing basically any kind of stretch or movement can help shake everything out and decompress after all that sitting.
PICK HOTELS WITH POOLS, PLAYGROUNDS AND GYMS
If you can’t find details about hotels online, call the front desk to check what kind of facilities they offer. Bringing the kids along? Look for hotels with pools or playgrounds attached so the kids can burn off some of that pent-up energy. The last thing you want to do is drive 12 hours, then be stuck in a hotel room with two kids jumping on the bed trying to blow off steam.
A fitness center is another great thing to look for since you may not be in the hotel during daylight hours, and a super-quick late-night or early morning workout before hitting the road is better than nothing.
PACK A QUICK-GRAB WORKOUT BAG
As you’re packing, put your workout gear in a separate bag and keep it handy. Having easy access to your workout clothes, running shoes, deodorant, a towel and some wipes makes a morning sweat session much simpler — and more likely to happen. Pulling suitcases out of the van and digging for your sneakers can quickly wreck any motivation to move, but it’s easily avoidable.
Written by Molly Hurford, a writer who spends most of her time living out of suitcases and chasing the best races, rides, runs, swims and whatever other outdoor adventures she can find. Follow her travels and adventures on Twitter and Instagram.
The post How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip appeared first on Under Armour.
http://ift.tt/2vbf1ny
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Text
How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip
Confession: Over the last four years, I haven’t spent more than four consecutive weeks in the same place. In the last six months, my husband and I have slept in more than four dozen beds in seven different countries, with most of our travels spent zig-zagging across North America (twice in three months). This equates to a whole lot of time in transit from one spot to the next. But, because we’re both avid runners and cyclists, we’re heavily invested in making our trips as healthy and activity-packed as possible, even when we’re crossing from one coast to the other.
Whether your road trip is with family or for business, lasting a few hours or a few days, here are some expert tips I’ve personally tested on short and long drives. I can guarantee implementing a few of these stay-healthy hacks will make your destination feel a whole lot better.
YOGA ANYWHERE
You might feel a little silly doing yoga while you pump gas, but your back and neck will thank you. Try a modified downward dog against any wall, says Colin Matthews from Kula Yoga Studio in Toronto. “This posture makes it easy to melt tension in the upper back and shoulders without touching the ground,” he explains.
Stand about two feet away from a wall, and place your hands on it anywhere from shoulder height to hip height (higher for tighter shoulders, lower for looser). Your hands should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, with fingers pointing upward and spread apart. With a slight forward tilt in your pelvis, move your hips away from the wall while pressing into your hands to keep your shoulder blades flat on your back. If you start to feel tension along your spine as you move your torso toward parallel with the floor, stop and breathe into the tension. This pose is about melting, and melting takes time and breath.
WASH YOUR HANDS
This might sound obvious, but wash your hands every chance you get, even if you’re not hitting a restroom to use the toilet. You’re touching a lot of unknown stuff on the road that other people’s hands have touched, especially pumping gas or wandering around a convenience store, so scrub as often as possible. Hand sanitizer is equally useful, so you could also keep some in your car for quick access. Trust me: It stinks to get to your destination feeling sick.
Samsung and Under Armour have collaborated to offer an authentic fitness and nutrition experience by combining Samsung’s revolutionary wearable device with Under Armour’s Connected Fitness suite of apps. Whether you’re tracking your nutrition, daily workouts or running routes, this best-in-class partnership makes it easier to reach your personal goals and achieve things you never thought possible.
PICK SMART AT GAS STATIONS
Gas stations have gotten a lot more health-conscious in recent years; it’s not all candy bars and chips anymore. Clara Norfleet, RD, recommends any type of fresh fruit.
“I also like to pick up a bag of unsalted nuts as well. The fat is satiating and filling, and it’s a good balance to the sweetness of the fruit,” she says. “If they have some type of raw veggie pack, I’d pick that up as well, and a lot of gas stations are starting to carry greek yogurt. And water! I always have water!”
Hydration is exceptionally important on road trips — and not just coffee and Red Bull. Make sure you’re sipping plenty of plain water, even if that means more pit stops. Your digestive tract will thank you.
Norfleet also adds that the occasional caloric splurge isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Your road trip should feel fun, not like an endless struggle to stay uber-healthy. That roadside ice cream stand with homemade waffle cones might just be worth pulling over — and totally memorable.
PACK YOUR SNACKS
There’s no end to pre-packaged healthy snack options for the road, but you can go budget-friendly by buying your snacks ahead of time so you’re not paying a premium for healthier options at rest areas. Health Warrior bars, for example, use pumpkin seeds and a host of antioxidant-packed ingredients to make a much healthier, but still tasty, granola bar. “They’re easy to pack in a purse, bag or side pocket; they are nutrient-dense and with minimal added sugars,” says Norfleet. “Above all, they truly taste great!”
ADD VEGGIES
Whatever meals you do end up eating — and let’s be honest, even the healthiest among us have to go for fast food sometimes — do yourself a favor and make sure there’s at least one vegetable present. Even if that means getting a side salad with your burger and fries, that’s better than nothing.
DON’T FORGET THE PROTEIN
Finding healthy meat and protein options can be a pain, so pack an emergency protein powder supply to quickly get your protein fix. Unflavored collagen protein from Vital Proteins can be dissolved in coffee or tea for a protein boost that doesn’t add any taste.
“Protein has that extra staying power that will help us feel both full and satisfied,” adds Norfleet. “Oftentimes, carb- and fat-rich options may leave us feeling full, but hardly satisfied, and an hour or so later we find ourselves grabbing for another snack!”
KEEP TRACK OF SNACKING
When you’re on the road, it can be hard to stick to a reasonable calorie count. A donut here, a cookie there, a candy bar at 3 a.m. to stay awake … we know how it goes. Those calories, plus fast food stops and fancy coffees, can easily put you well above your daily calorie allowances.
If you find that you spend most of the drive mindlessly snacking, make it mindful by using the MyFitnessPal app to log your intake. You might be able to catch yourself reaching for the milkshake and swap it for a water instead, especially if you know you’re already at your target calorie count for the day. You’ll also be able to make sure you’re hitting your macronutrients, especially protein, and monitor things like your water and vegetable intake.
MAP IT OUT
Make your trip a little more fun by stopping in national or local parks along the way to stretch your legs and sneak in a couple miles of running or walking. Some sun exposure during a picnic lunch can also do wonders for your mood.
Luckily, it’s never been easier to find the closest park along your route. Thanks to the in-route search on the Google Maps app, it’s easy to look up nearby parks. Just put in your destination, pull up the route and then hit the search button. After that, type in ‘national parks’ and all of those along the route will pop up.
You can also use the MapMyRun or MapMyWalk apps to find routes nearby to get in a quick jog or stroll. Even if you have 15 minutes, it’s better than nothing!
STRETCH EVERY CHANCE YOU GET
Jacques DeVore, cycling coach and the author of “Maximum Overload for Cyclists,” is a huge fan of the walking lunge for opening hips and building strength. Whenever you have a minute outside of the car, instead of walking to the restroom, lunge your way there. You’ll look goofy but your hip flexors will be psyched.
“Movement Matters” author Katy Bowman echoes this sentiment and urges people to move as often as possible, in as many ways as possible. So even if you’re not a yoga expert or a serious runner, doing basically any kind of stretch or movement can help shake everything out and decompress after all that sitting.
PICK HOTELS WITH POOLS, PLAYGROUNDS AND GYMS
If you can’t find details about hotels online, call the front desk to check what kind of facilities they offer. Bringing the kids along? Look for hotels with pools or playgrounds attached so the kids can burn off some of that pent-up energy. The last thing you want to do is drive 12 hours, then be stuck in a hotel room with two kids jumping on the bed trying to blow off steam.
A fitness center is another great thing to look for since you may not be in the hotel during daylight hours, and a super-quick late-night or early morning workout before hitting the road is better than nothing.
PACK A QUICK-GRAB WORKOUT BAG
As you’re packing, put your workout gear in a separate bag and keep it handy. Having easy access to your workout clothes, running shoes, deodorant, a towel and some wipes makes a morning sweat session much simpler — and more likely to happen. Pulling suitcases out of the van and digging for your sneakers can quickly wreck any motivation to move, but it’s easily avoidable.
Written by Molly Hurford, a writer who spends most of her time living out of suitcases and chasing the best races, rides, runs, swims and whatever other outdoor adventures she can find. Follow her travels and adventures on Twitter and Instagram.
The post How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip appeared first on Under Armour.
http://ift.tt/2vbf1ny
0 notes
Text
How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip
Confession: Over the last four years, I haven’t spent more than four consecutive weeks in the same place. In the last six months, my husband and I have slept in more than four dozen beds in seven different countries, with most of our travels spent zig-zagging across North America (twice in three months). This equates to a whole lot of time in transit from one spot to the next. But, because we’re both avid runners and cyclists, we’re heavily invested in making our trips as healthy and activity-packed as possible, even when we’re crossing from one coast to the other.
Whether your road trip is with family or for business, lasting a few hours or a few days, here are some expert tips I’ve personally tested on short and long drives. I can guarantee implementing a few of these stay-healthy hacks will make your destination feel a whole lot better.
YOGA ANYWHERE
You might feel a little silly doing yoga while you pump gas, but your back and neck will thank you. Try a modified downward dog against any wall, says Colin Matthews from Kula Yoga Studio in Toronto. “This posture makes it easy to melt tension in the upper back and shoulders without touching the ground,” he explains.
Stand about two feet away from a wall, and place your hands on it anywhere from shoulder height to hip height (higher for tighter shoulders, lower for looser). Your hands should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, with fingers pointing upward and spread apart. With a slight forward tilt in your pelvis, move your hips away from the wall while pressing into your hands to keep your shoulder blades flat on your back. If you start to feel tension along your spine as you move your torso toward parallel with the floor, stop and breathe into the tension. This pose is about melting, and melting takes time and breath.
WASH YOUR HANDS
This might sound obvious, but wash your hands every chance you get, even if you’re not hitting a restroom to use the toilet. You’re touching a lot of unknown stuff on the road that other people’s hands have touched, especially pumping gas or wandering around a convenience store, so scrub as often as possible. Hand sanitizer is equally useful, so you could also keep some in your car for quick access. Trust me: It stinks to get to your destination feeling sick.
Samsung and Under Armour have collaborated to offer an authentic fitness and nutrition experience by combining Samsung’s revolutionary wearable device with Under Armour’s Connected Fitness suite of apps. Whether you’re tracking your nutrition, daily workouts or running routes, this best-in-class partnership makes it easier to reach your personal goals and achieve things you never thought possible.
PICK SMART AT GAS STATIONS
Gas stations have gotten a lot more health-conscious in recent years; it’s not all candy bars and chips anymore. Clara Norfleet, RD, recommends any type of fresh fruit.
“I also like to pick up a bag of unsalted nuts as well. The fat is satiating and filling, and it’s a good balance to the sweetness of the fruit,” she says. “If they have some type of raw veggie pack, I’d pick that up as well, and a lot of gas stations are starting to carry greek yogurt. And water! I always have water!”
Hydration is exceptionally important on road trips — and not just coffee and Red Bull. Make sure you’re sipping plenty of plain water, even if that means more pit stops. Your digestive tract will thank you.
Norfleet also adds that the occasional caloric splurge isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Your road trip should feel fun, not like an endless struggle to stay uber-healthy. That roadside ice cream stand with homemade waffle cones might just be worth pulling over — and totally memorable.
PACK YOUR SNACKS
There’s no end to pre-packaged healthy snack options for the road, but you can go budget-friendly by buying your snacks ahead of time so you’re not paying a premium for healthier options at rest areas. Health Warrior bars, for example, use pumpkin seeds and a host of antioxidant-packed ingredients to make a much healthier, but still tasty, granola bar. “They’re easy to pack in a purse, bag or side pocket; they are nutrient-dense and with minimal added sugars,” says Norfleet. “Above all, they truly taste great!”
ADD VEGGIES
Whatever meals you do end up eating — and let’s be honest, even the healthiest among us have to go for fast food sometimes — do yourself a favor and make sure there’s at least one vegetable present. Even if that means getting a side salad with your burger and fries, that’s better than nothing.
DON’T FORGET THE PROTEIN
Finding healthy meat and protein options can be a pain, so pack an emergency protein powder supply to quickly get your protein fix. Unflavored collagen protein from Vital Proteins can be dissolved in coffee or tea for a protein boost that doesn’t add any taste.
“Protein has that extra staying power that will help us feel both full and satisfied,” adds Norfleet. “Oftentimes, carb- and fat-rich options may leave us feeling full, but hardly satisfied, and an hour or so later we find ourselves grabbing for another snack!”
KEEP TRACK OF SNACKING
When you’re on the road, it can be hard to stick to a reasonable calorie count. A donut here, a cookie there, a candy bar at 3 a.m. to stay awake … we know how it goes. Those calories, plus fast food stops and fancy coffees, can easily put you well above your daily calorie allowances.
If you find that you spend most of the drive mindlessly snacking, make it mindful by using the MyFitnessPal app to log your intake. You might be able to catch yourself reaching for the milkshake and swap it for a water instead, especially if you know you’re already at your target calorie count for the day. You’ll also be able to make sure you’re hitting your macronutrients, especially protein, and monitor things like your water and vegetable intake.
MAP IT OUT
Make your trip a little more fun by stopping in national or local parks along the way to stretch your legs and sneak in a couple miles of running or walking. Some sun exposure during a picnic lunch can also do wonders for your mood.
Luckily, it’s never been easier to find the closest park along your route. Thanks to the in-route search on the Google Maps app, it’s easy to look up nearby parks. Just put in your destination, pull up the route and then hit the search button. After that, type in ‘national parks’ and all of those along the route will pop up.
You can also use the MapMyRun or MapMyWalk apps to find routes nearby to get in a quick jog or stroll. Even if you have 15 minutes, it’s better than nothing!
STRETCH EVERY CHANCE YOU GET
Jacques DeVore, cycling coach and the author of “Maximum Overload for Cyclists,” is a huge fan of the walking lunge for opening hips and building strength. Whenever you have a minute outside of the car, instead of walking to the restroom, lunge your way there. You’ll look goofy but your hip flexors will be psyched.
“Movement Matters” author Katy Bowman echoes this sentiment and urges people to move as often as possible, in as many ways as possible. So even if you’re not a yoga expert or a serious runner, doing basically any kind of stretch or movement can help shake everything out and decompress after all that sitting.
PICK HOTELS WITH POOLS, PLAYGROUNDS AND GYMS
If you can’t find details about hotels online, call the front desk to check what kind of facilities they offer. Bringing the kids along? Look for hotels with pools or playgrounds attached so the kids can burn off some of that pent-up energy. The last thing you want to do is drive 12 hours, then be stuck in a hotel room with two kids jumping on the bed trying to blow off steam.
A fitness center is another great thing to look for since you may not be in the hotel during daylight hours, and a super-quick late-night or early morning workout before hitting the road is better than nothing.
PACK A QUICK-GRAB WORKOUT BAG
As you’re packing, put your workout gear in a separate bag and keep it handy. Having easy access to your workout clothes, running shoes, deodorant, a towel and some wipes makes a morning sweat session much simpler — and more likely to happen. Pulling suitcases out of the van and digging for your sneakers can quickly wreck any motivation to move, but it’s easily avoidable.
Written by Molly Hurford, a writer who spends most of her time living out of suitcases and chasing the best races, rides, runs, swims and whatever other outdoor adventures she can find. Follow her travels and adventures on Twitter and Instagram.
The post How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip appeared first on Under Armour.
http://ift.tt/2vbf1ny
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How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip
Confession: Over the last four years, I haven’t spent more than four consecutive weeks in the same place. In the last six months, my husband and I have slept in more than four dozen beds in seven different countries, with most of our travels spent zig-zagging across North America (twice in three months). This equates to a whole lot of time in transit from one spot to the next. But, because we’re both avid runners and cyclists, we’re heavily invested in making our trips as healthy and activity-packed as possible, even when we’re crossing from one coast to the other.
Whether your road trip is with family or for business, lasting a few hours or a few days, here are some expert tips I’ve personally tested on short and long drives. I can guarantee implementing a few of these stay-healthy hacks will make your destination feel a whole lot better.
YOGA ANYWHERE
You might feel a little silly doing yoga while you pump gas, but your back and neck will thank you. Try a modified downward dog against any wall, says Colin Matthews from Kula Yoga Studio in Toronto. “This posture makes it easy to melt tension in the upper back and shoulders without touching the ground,” he explains.
Stand about two feet away from a wall, and place your hands on it anywhere from shoulder height to hip height (higher for tighter shoulders, lower for looser). Your hands should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, with fingers pointing upward and spread apart. With a slight forward tilt in your pelvis, move your hips away from the wall while pressing into your hands to keep your shoulder blades flat on your back. If you start to feel tension along your spine as you move your torso toward parallel with the floor, stop and breathe into the tension. This pose is about melting, and melting takes time and breath.
WASH YOUR HANDS
This might sound obvious, but wash your hands every chance you get, even if you’re not hitting a restroom to use the toilet. You’re touching a lot of unknown stuff on the road that other people’s hands have touched, especially pumping gas or wandering around a convenience store, so scrub as often as possible. Hand sanitizer is equally useful, so you could also keep some in your car for quick access. Trust me: It stinks to get to your destination feeling sick.
Samsung and Under Armour have collaborated to offer an authentic fitness and nutrition experience by combining Samsung’s revolutionary wearable device with Under Armour’s Connected Fitness suite of apps. Whether you’re tracking your nutrition, daily workouts or running routes, this best-in-class partnership makes it easier to reach your personal goals and achieve things you never thought possible.
PICK SMART AT GAS STATIONS
Gas stations have gotten a lot more health-conscious in recent years; it’s not all candy bars and chips anymore. Clara Norfleet, RD, recommends any type of fresh fruit.
“I also like to pick up a bag of unsalted nuts as well. The fat is satiating and filling, and it’s a good balance to the sweetness of the fruit,” she says. “If they have some type of raw veggie pack, I’d pick that up as well, and a lot of gas stations are starting to carry greek yogurt. And water! I always have water!”
Hydration is exceptionally important on road trips — and not just coffee and Red Bull. Make sure you’re sipping plenty of plain water, even if that means more pit stops. Your digestive tract will thank you.
Norfleet also adds that the occasional caloric splurge isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Your road trip should feel fun, not like an endless struggle to stay uber-healthy. That roadside ice cream stand with homemade waffle cones might just be worth pulling over — and totally memorable.
PACK YOUR SNACKS
There’s no end to pre-packaged healthy snack options for the road, but you can go budget-friendly by buying your snacks ahead of time so you’re not paying a premium for healthier options at rest areas. Health Warrior bars, for example, use pumpkin seeds and a host of antioxidant-packed ingredients to make a much healthier, but still tasty, granola bar. “They’re easy to pack in a purse, bag or side pocket; they are nutrient-dense and with minimal added sugars,” says Norfleet. “Above all, they truly taste great!”
ADD VEGGIES
Whatever meals you do end up eating — and let’s be honest, even the healthiest among us have to go for fast food sometimes — do yourself a favor and make sure there’s at least one vegetable present. Even if that means getting a side salad with your burger and fries, that’s better than nothing.
DON’T FORGET THE PROTEIN
Finding healthy meat and protein options can be a pain, so pack an emergency protein powder supply to quickly get your protein fix. Unflavored collagen protein from Vital Proteins can be dissolved in coffee or tea for a protein boost that doesn’t add any taste.
“Protein has that extra staying power that will help us feel both full and satisfied,” adds Norfleet. “Oftentimes, carb- and fat-rich options may leave us feeling full, but hardly satisfied, and an hour or so later we find ourselves grabbing for another snack!”
KEEP TRACK OF SNACKING
When you’re on the road, it can be hard to stick to a reasonable calorie count. A donut here, a cookie there, a candy bar at 3 a.m. to stay awake … we know how it goes. Those calories, plus fast food stops and fancy coffees, can easily put you well above your daily calorie allowances.
If you find that you spend most of the drive mindlessly snacking, make it mindful by using the MyFitnessPal app to log your intake. You might be able to catch yourself reaching for the milkshake and swap it for a water instead, especially if you know you’re already at your target calorie count for the day. You’ll also be able to make sure you’re hitting your macronutrients, especially protein, and monitor things like your water and vegetable intake.
MAP IT OUT
Make your trip a little more fun by stopping in national or local parks along the way to stretch your legs and sneak in a couple miles of running or walking. Some sun exposure during a picnic lunch can also do wonders for your mood.
Luckily, it’s never been easier to find the closest park along your route. Thanks to the in-route search on the Google Maps app, it’s easy to look up nearby parks. Just put in your destination, pull up the route and then hit the search button. After that, type in ‘national parks’ and all of those along the route will pop up.
You can also use the MapMyRun or MapMyWalk apps to find routes nearby to get in a quick jog or stroll. Even if you have 15 minutes, it’s better than nothing!
STRETCH EVERY CHANCE YOU GET
Jacques DeVore, cycling coach and the author of “Maximum Overload for Cyclists,” is a huge fan of the walking lunge for opening hips and building strength. Whenever you have a minute outside of the car, instead of walking to the restroom, lunge your way there. You’ll look goofy but your hip flexors will be psyched.
“Movement Matters” author Katy Bowman echoes this sentiment and urges people to move as often as possible, in as many ways as possible. So even if you’re not a yoga expert or a serious runner, doing basically any kind of stretch or movement can help shake everything out and decompress after all that sitting.
PICK HOTELS WITH POOLS, PLAYGROUNDS AND GYMS
If you can’t find details about hotels online, call the front desk to check what kind of facilities they offer. Bringing the kids along? Look for hotels with pools or playgrounds attached so the kids can burn off some of that pent-up energy. The last thing you want to do is drive 12 hours, then be stuck in a hotel room with two kids jumping on the bed trying to blow off steam.
A fitness center is another great thing to look for since you may not be in the hotel during daylight hours, and a super-quick late-night or early morning workout before hitting the road is better than nothing.
PACK A QUICK-GRAB WORKOUT BAG
As you’re packing, put your workout gear in a separate bag and keep it handy. Having easy access to your workout clothes, running shoes, deodorant, a towel and some wipes makes a morning sweat session much simpler — and more likely to happen. Pulling suitcases out of the van and digging for your sneakers can quickly wreck any motivation to move, but it’s easily avoidable.
Written by Molly Hurford, a writer who spends most of her time living out of suitcases and chasing the best races, rides, runs, swims and whatever other outdoor adventures she can find. Follow her travels and adventures on Twitter and Instagram.
The post How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip appeared first on Under Armour.
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How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip
Confession: Over the last four years, I haven’t spent more than four consecutive weeks in the same place. In the last six months, my husband and I have slept in more than four dozen beds in seven different countries, with most of our travels spent zig-zagging across North America (twice in three months). This equates to a whole lot of time in transit from one spot to the next. But, because we’re both avid runners and cyclists, we’re heavily invested in making our trips as healthy and activity-packed as possible, even when we’re crossing from one coast to the other.
Whether your road trip is with family or for business, lasting a few hours or a few days, here are some expert tips I’ve personally tested on short and long drives. I can guarantee implementing a few of these stay-healthy hacks will make your destination feel a whole lot better.
YOGA ANYWHERE
You might feel a little silly doing yoga while you pump gas, but your back and neck will thank you. Try a modified downward dog against any wall, says Colin Matthews from Kula Yoga Studio in Toronto. “This posture makes it easy to melt tension in the upper back and shoulders without touching the ground,” he explains.
Stand about two feet away from a wall, and place your hands on it anywhere from shoulder height to hip height (higher for tighter shoulders, lower for looser). Your hands should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, with fingers pointing upward and spread apart. With a slight forward tilt in your pelvis, move your hips away from the wall while pressing into your hands to keep your shoulder blades flat on your back. If you start to feel tension along your spine as you move your torso toward parallel with the floor, stop and breathe into the tension. This pose is about melting, and melting takes time and breath.
WASH YOUR HANDS
This might sound obvious, but wash your hands every chance you get, even if you’re not hitting a restroom to use the toilet. You’re touching a lot of unknown stuff on the road that other people’s hands have touched, especially pumping gas or wandering around a convenience store, so scrub as often as possible. Hand sanitizer is equally useful, so you could also keep some in your car for quick access. Trust me: It stinks to get to your destination feeling sick.
Samsung and Under Armour have collaborated to offer an authentic fitness and nutrition experience by combining Samsung’s revolutionary wearable device with Under Armour’s Connected Fitness suite of apps. Whether you’re tracking your nutrition, daily workouts or running routes, this best-in-class partnership makes it easier to reach your personal goals and achieve things you never thought possible.
PICK SMART AT GAS STATIONS
Gas stations have gotten a lot more health-conscious in recent years; it’s not all candy bars and chips anymore. Clara Norfleet, RD, recommends any type of fresh fruit.
“I also like to pick up a bag of unsalted nuts as well. The fat is satiating and filling, and it’s a good balance to the sweetness of the fruit,” she says. “If they have some type of raw veggie pack, I’d pick that up as well, and a lot of gas stations are starting to carry greek yogurt. And water! I always have water!”
Hydration is exceptionally important on road trips — and not just coffee and Red Bull. Make sure you’re sipping plenty of plain water, even if that means more pit stops. Your digestive tract will thank you.
Norfleet also adds that the occasional caloric splurge isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Your road trip should feel fun, not like an endless struggle to stay uber-healthy. That roadside ice cream stand with homemade waffle cones might just be worth pulling over — and totally memorable.
PACK YOUR SNACKS
There’s no end to pre-packaged healthy snack options for the road, but you can go budget-friendly by buying your snacks ahead of time so you’re not paying a premium for healthier options at rest areas. Health Warrior bars, for example, use pumpkin seeds and a host of antioxidant-packed ingredients to make a much healthier, but still tasty, granola bar. “They’re easy to pack in a purse, bag or side pocket; they are nutrient-dense and with minimal added sugars,” says Norfleet. “Above all, they truly taste great!”
ADD VEGGIES
Whatever meals you do end up eating — and let’s be honest, even the healthiest among us have to go for fast food sometimes — do yourself a favor and make sure there’s at least one vegetable present. Even if that means getting a side salad with your burger and fries, that’s better than nothing.
DON’T FORGET THE PROTEIN
Finding healthy meat and protein options can be a pain, so pack an emergency protein powder supply to quickly get your protein fix. Unflavored collagen protein from Vital Proteins can be dissolved in coffee or tea for a protein boost that doesn’t add any taste.
“Protein has that extra staying power that will help us feel both full and satisfied,” adds Norfleet. “Oftentimes, carb- and fat-rich options may leave us feeling full, but hardly satisfied, and an hour or so later we find ourselves grabbing for another snack!”
KEEP TRACK OF SNACKING
When you’re on the road, it can be hard to stick to a reasonable calorie count. A donut here, a cookie there, a candy bar at 3 a.m. to stay awake … we know how it goes. Those calories, plus fast food stops and fancy coffees, can easily put you well above your daily calorie allowances.
If you find that you spend most of the drive mindlessly snacking, make it mindful by using the MyFitnessPal app to log your intake. You might be able to catch yourself reaching for the milkshake and swap it for a water instead, especially if you know you’re already at your target calorie count for the day. You’ll also be able to make sure you’re hitting your macronutrients, especially protein, and monitor things like your water and vegetable intake.
MAP IT OUT
Make your trip a little more fun by stopping in national or local parks along the way to stretch your legs and sneak in a couple miles of running or walking. Some sun exposure during a picnic lunch can also do wonders for your mood.
Luckily, it’s never been easier to find the closest park along your route. Thanks to the in-route search on the Google Maps app, it’s easy to look up nearby parks. Just put in your destination, pull up the route and then hit the search button. After that, type in ‘national parks’ and all of those along the route will pop up.
You can also use the MapMyRun or MapMyWalk apps to find routes nearby to get in a quick jog or stroll. Even if you have 15 minutes, it’s better than nothing!
STRETCH EVERY CHANCE YOU GET
Jacques DeVore, cycling coach and the author of “Maximum Overload for Cyclists,” is a huge fan of the walking lunge for opening hips and building strength. Whenever you have a minute outside of the car, instead of walking to the restroom, lunge your way there. You’ll look goofy but your hip flexors will be psyched.
“Movement Matters” author Katy Bowman echoes this sentiment and urges people to move as often as possible, in as many ways as possible. So even if you’re not a yoga expert or a serious runner, doing basically any kind of stretch or movement can help shake everything out and decompress after all that sitting.
PICK HOTELS WITH POOLS, PLAYGROUNDS AND GYMS
If you can’t find details about hotels online, call the front desk to check what kind of facilities they offer. Bringing the kids along? Look for hotels with pools or playgrounds attached so the kids can burn off some of that pent-up energy. The last thing you want to do is drive 12 hours, then be stuck in a hotel room with two kids jumping on the bed trying to blow off steam.
A fitness center is another great thing to look for since you may not be in the hotel during daylight hours, and a super-quick late-night or early morning workout before hitting the road is better than nothing.
PACK A QUICK-GRAB WORKOUT BAG
As you’re packing, put your workout gear in a separate bag and keep it handy. Having easy access to your workout clothes, running shoes, deodorant, a towel and some wipes makes a morning sweat session much simpler — and more likely to happen. Pulling suitcases out of the van and digging for your sneakers can quickly wreck any motivation to move, but it’s easily avoidable.
Written by Molly Hurford, a writer who spends most of her time living out of suitcases and chasing the best races, rides, runs, swims and whatever other outdoor adventures she can find. Follow her travels and adventures on Twitter and Instagram.
The post How to Plan a Better-For-You Road Trip appeared first on Under Armour.
http://ift.tt/2vbf1ny
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update!
so yesterday was a good day, health-wise. I saved calories for drinking but didn’t end up going out bc my flight was delayed and I didn’t get to my friend’s place until close to midnight. so instead I had granola and fruit snacks totaling ~175 calories. I totaled 1,010 calories for the day which is actually nice cuz it gives me a little room to f up. which I may have. today I walked a good amount. we took the subway once and two Ubers so I can’t act like I did a crazy amount of walking; in fact I’m not even to 10,000 steps yet. but I plan to be before the night ends and I’ve been more active today than I probably am on a typical day. (side note: my phone finally tracks my steps again, probably from when I reset it? damn, I’m a lot less active than I thought I was, which makes we wanna take my dogs for walks and go for more bike rides. yeah I enjoy sitting on my computer writing, reading etc and I like watching Netflix but just an extra twenty minutes a day moving my body could do me some good. and it’s not like I can’t talk on the phone or watch Netflix while I walk. okay end side note). however, I ate a lot today. not in terms of volume or number of meals/snacks consumed, but calorically. I didn’t eat in the morning cuz I got a late start and had to shower, get ready for the day and then write my entire article in one sitting (it was due today and I didn’t even start it until 11. somehow in one hour I managed to write the whole thing and put on makeup). we did some sight-seeing before eating, and it was this sushi burrito place. it was delicious, I had the Hanzo which has yellowfish tuna, sashimi, avocado, cucumber, pickled fennel (which I think was basically mayo), arugula, tempura crunch and lemon aioli. It was delicious but it was enclosed in a thick white rice and seaweed envelope. I’m just grateful it wasn’t a flour tortilla lmao. But anyways, I originally tracked it as 660 cals bc of a result that came up for sushirrito that seemed accurate, but then my friend said she thought it was higher than that and I wanted to be on the safe side cuz not eating a donut or having a couple fewer drinks than I would’ve if it was only 660 cals is worth it in the end because it will help me lose weight. So I tracked it as 1,000. Then I had a black iced coffee from Krispy Kreme and added two creamers and two splenda, and tracked that at 70. So from the sushi burrito and the coffee, I’ve eaten what I estimated as 1,070 calories. meaning I have 380 left for the day. part of me says I can probably eat more bc the burrito may have been less than 1,000 and because I walked so much, but then the other part of me, the one that’s prevailing, says no way. the burrito could’ve been 1,300 for all I know! if it were all spread out on a plate it would’ve looked like probably a serving of fish, 1.5-2 servings of rice, some crunchy carby shit, some mayo and some veggies. probably not 1,300 but the sauces, the breadcrumbs and the white rice can be calorie-dense. plus I googled “Buredo calories” and one of the top results had the word calorie-bomb in it. But they don’t post nutritional info ‘yet’. Every frickin restaurant says nutritional info is not up ‘yet’ but is coming soon. ugh, it cannot be that hard to count the calories in a couple dozen menu items and to post them in a PDF online. but anyways. I counted the best I could. I’m going to have drinks later (whatever I can drink for less than 400 cal). If I don’t end up drinking, I’ll have cereal (210) and fruit snacks (70) for 280 cals, leaving me 100 to spare. If I do drink, I’ll probably have 3 shots at around 100 cal each and hope that’s enough to get me drunk. I’m a lightweight but I feel like 4 is my go-to number of shots, and I’m worried 3 will be a waste of calories. I know it’s important to be able to have fun sober and so on, and I can and do frequently, but when my friends are drunk and I’m going to some sort of a bar or club It’d be nice to be able to have 4 damn shots. so ya I’m definitely rambling again but...overall, D.C. is cool, I saw some interesting stuff and it’s fun to be with the friends I’m with. it’s a little hard to feel like you’re not super in control of your life (I am. my friends respect me and my health goals and they would totally listen if I put in a request for a restaurant or activity or something. they’re generous and kind. I just feel uncomfy going against the grain on vacation w my pals, one of whom lives here). I also wish I had a more comfortable bed to sleep in. but I’m having fun!
Tomorrow I’m gonna see my other friend, and I don’t rly wanna go out to eat so I think I’ll just ask him if he wants to get coffee. I wanna branch out and try fun coffee shops but I love Starbucks with everything in my heart and I know exactly what kind of stuff I can get there for how many cals. so maybe that will be the move but I’ll probably ask him what good places he knows cuz he’s the one who lives here but also ugh!!! I don’t want him to suggest some bakery and then I’ll feel obligated to go and I’ll be underwhelmed with low-cal coffee drink choices and UGHHHH. I’m being whiny. I’m in an amazing city with amazing people but I want so badly to stay on track with my goals.
So tomorrow I’m going to have Starbucks and hopefully no more than one big meal, otherwise I’ll have a couple smaller ones. Hopefully i can venture off on my own tomorrow in terms of like, meeting my friend for coffee, maybe doing something fun w him and then going to Whole Foods on my own where I can buy some food. I’d love to get a sandwich like I got last time for 340 cal, some fruit and some sort of snack food that is single-serving or can be easily measured. and then I can bring leftovers back and have stuff to eat later in the day. but ya tomorrow should be no problem with calories if I end up eating on my own and then can tell my friends to eat without me, but we’ll see. I just don’t wanna end up at some restaurant where very single entree is close to 1,000 calories. ugh.
Sunday will be easy. I’ll get coffee in the morning, eat once before the airport, get a coffee at the airport and eat once at home. then things will get easier and I’ll be more in my comfort zone at my grandma’s. ok that’s all thanks for tuning in to this ramble. i’m gonna talk to my friends now : - )
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13 Myths About Losing Weight to Stop Believing, Now
How many times have you heard someone say something like, “I want to lose weight, so I’m going to start taking these fat-burning pills!” Or “I want to lose weight, so I’m going to cut carbs completely out of my diet!”
Google “weight-loss tips” and you’ll get around 38 million results. While it’s tempting to think that there’s a quick fix or a one-size-fits-all solution, there’s so much (mis)information out there that it’s difficult to know what works — and what’s a waste of your precious time and money.
Read on to find out what weight-loss tips are myths and which ones are not:
1. Myth: You Have to Cut Out Certain Foods to Lose Weight
Fact: Studies show that low-carbohydrate eating plans like the trendy ketogenic diet can help people lose weight in the short-term, but there’s no strong evidence of the long-term effectiveness or practicality of low-carb eating for weight loss.
“If you abruptly cut out carbohydrates (or any source of calories) from your diet, thereby reducing your total calorie intake, you very well may lose weight in the short term,” says Andy De Santis, RD, a dietitian based in Toronto, Canada.
“This has nothing to do with the carbohydrates themselves. In fact, it’s quite likely the sources of carbohydrates that people are cutting out are items like chips and baked goods, which actually contribute more calories from fat than from carbohydrates, ” he explains.
Another trendy choice: gluten-free diets. While people with celiac disease and gluten intolerances have reason to avoid foods with gluten, there’s no evidence that doing so is helpful for those who don’t.
“People who follow a gluten-free diet for weight-loss purposes may start eating the variety of gluten-free products lining supermarket shelves, which are often full of more sugar and fat to help mimic the flavor and texture of products containing gluten and can even have more calories,” says Amer.
To lose weight — and keep it off — it’s important to eat meals that have a healthy balance of carbs (40 percent), protein (30 percent), and fat (30 percent) in the proper amounts. If counting calories aren’t your thing, then using portion containers can take the guesswork (and math) out of the process.
2. Myth: Juicing and Detoxes Are Good Ways to Lose Weight
Fact: You might lose weight going on an all-juice detox, but you’ll quickly gain it back when you start eating again — and you’ll be missing out on important nutrients like protein, fat, and fiber.
“Juice doesn’t contain all of the nutrients you need to thrive,” says Chelsey Amer, M.S., R.D.N., a dietitian based in New York City. “Vegetable and fruit juices have the fiber stripped out and instead contain just sugar, vitamins, and minerals. I would much rather you eat fruits and vegetables in their whole form because they contain fiber, which helps keep you full and because we are more satisfied when we chew real food.”
A cleanse, however, like 3-Day Refresh or Ultimate Reset, focuses on filling, nutrient-rich foods that help you jumpstart a healthy eating plan. Losing weight is a nice bonus when you’re on a cleanse, but it’s not the ultimate goal; it’s the final result — establishing healthy eating habits — that will lead to lasting weight loss.
3. Myth: Losing Weight Is an “All or Nothing” Game
Fact: It’s tempting to try to change everything all at once when we think about where we ideally want to be. But you don’t have to do everything at the same time or even make radical changes.
“Don’t become wrapped up in the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ things you have been told about health,” says Lori D’Alessandro, a certified personal trainer based in Fairfax, Va.
Instead, she advises adopting a few easy things — like upping your daily activity and recording your daily food intake, to start. Eventually, those small changes will add up to bigger results — and long-term weight loss that’s sustainable.
In a behavioral study by Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab, researchers found that people who lost the most weight were those who made small, consistent changes to the way they ate.
4. Myth: The Number on the Scale Is the Ultimate Goal
Fact: Weight loss is not a linear process. You might even find that you’re gaining weight after starting a workout program, so the number on the scale isn’t necessarily an accurate reflection of the hard work that you’re doing.
When you work out, you’re making small “tears” in your muscle fibers; as your body repairs and rebuilds those tears, it retains fluid (temporarily) as part of the process, so what you see on the scale is most likely water weight.
A plateau can also mess with the number on your scale. These plateaus usually mean that you’re not paying close enough to your nutrition, your workout plan isn’t challenging you anymore, or you’re not adhering to the plan like you should. Figure out the source of the problem and you’ll be back on the weight-loss train.
Your weight can fluctuate from hour to hour, based on how much fluid, food, and sodium you’re taking in during the day. A scale can’t tell you the difference between actual weight (fat, muscle, etc.) and temporary weight (food and drink).
“Your weight can vary up or down by as many as 15 pounds based on your level of hydration and salt intake,” says Robert Huizenga, M.D., an internist and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at UCLA.
That said, don’t toss your bathroom scale out the window. A two-year study conducted by Cornell University shows that frequent weigh-ins can help you stay on track by keeping you aware of your progress and reinforcing your positive choices. So, go ahead and weigh yourself, but just know that the number you see isn’t the “final word” on how you’re doing.
5. Myth: All Calories Are Equal
Fact: Your body processes calories differently depending on the food source, so all calories are not equal. It’s not enough to hit your daily calorie count; you need to make sure you’re eating quality calories.
“Different foods go through different metabolic pathways and have vastly different effects on hunger, metabolism, and the hormones that regulate body weight,” says Meghan Kennihan, a NASM-certified personal trainer. “For example, swapping [simple] carbohydrates with protein can boost metabolism, reduce appetite and cravings, and optimize the function of some weight-related hormones.”
But you won’t turn into a calorie-burning machine just by packing your diet with protein. By adding more protein and weight training to your overall fitness plan, you’ll be building muscle mass, which in turn will elevate your metabolism.
So, let’s say your daily calorie target is in the 1,200-1,500 range. If you’re hitting that target, but with foods full of refined sugars, flour, and fat, it’s probably not going to be as effective as an eating plan in the same calorie range packed with high-quality, nutrient-dense foods in the proper proportions. Think quantity and quality.
6. Myth: The More Calories You Cut, the Faster You’ll Lose Weight
Fact: Eat too many calories and over time, your body will convert that excess energy to fat. Eat fewer calories and your body will lose fat. But eat too few for a longer period of time and your weight-loss progress will hit the brakes.
This seems counterintuitive, but long-term under-eating may cause your hormones to freak out: They tell your body to eat more food and slow your metabolism to conserve fat since it doesn’t know when you’ll stop under-eating.
Instead of always limiting calories, find a day or two of the week to eat more to help your hormones get back in line.
7. Myth: Eating After a Certain Time Will Make You Gain Weight
Fact: Studies show this may have some truth, but it’s not as cut-and-dried as some people claim. A couple of recent studies — one only tested on lab mice and the other on a very small group of people — found that nighttime eating could lead to fat gain.
That doesn’t mean you should starve yourself if you work out at night or haven’t had time to eat all day — just don’t go gorging on a high-calorie, high-fat meal.
A light snack of protein and complex carbs or Beachbody Performance Recharge can help your body jumpstart recovery after a late-night workout. It will also help you feel satisfied so you don’t wake up to a growling stomach in the middle of the night.
8. Myth: Cardio Is the Best Exercise for Weight Loss
Fact: Steady-state cardio isn’t the most effective strategy for sustained weight loss. You may see pounds drop off initially, but over time (and relatively quickly) your progress will likely stall. The reason is two-fold. First, it’s highly repetitive (think: running the same route at the same pace every time), so your body adapts to it quickly. As adaptation slows, so too will weight loss, resulting in a plateau.
Second, it’s low intensity and it targets your slow twitch muscle fibers. To kick your weight loss into high gear, you have to target your fast twitch fibers—which are larger and have more growth potential—with activities like weightlifting or (even better) high intensity interval training (HIIT).
HIIT not only burns tons of calories while you work out, but also ramps up your metabolism for up to 72 hours afterward as you body repairs the (very normal and natural) micro trauma caused by your workout and adds muscle tissue so you can better handle your next one. Bottom line: Muscle repair and growth requires a sustained increase in energy expenditure, and those processes are triggered to a greater degree with high intensity workouts (like HIIT and weightlifting) than low intensity ones (like running).
9. Myth: You Can Spot Reduce to Lose Weight in Certain Areas (Like Your Belly)
Fact: Nope! This is definitely one myth that needs to die. Repeat after us: You cannot spot reduce.
“It’s not possible to burn fat at a specific area,” says Behrendt. The only surefire way to reduce fat in one area of your body is to lower your overall body fat with a balanced diet and exercise program.
If you want to reveal your rock-hard guns and sculpted abs to the world, you’ll have to drop the fat that’s covering them up. Try adding more protein, fiber and healthy fats to your diet and ditch the simple carbs and liquor.
10. Myth: You Just Need to Have Willpower to Lose Weight
Fact: The idea that weight loss success hinges solely on willpower (i.e., the ability to resist unhealthy impulses, like eating too many cookies or not exercising because you’re just not in the mood) is flawed. Research shows that relying on willpower alone to lose weight only works in the short-term.
There are many factors that influence weight, including hormones, stress, and genetics. Weight gain and loss is complex, so don’t beat yourself up over a “lack” of willpower — or over biological and environmental factors you can’t necessarily control.
Instead of thinking of willpower as a superpower, and worrying about whether you have it or not, do as much as you can to make it a non-issue. Keep healthy snacks on the kitchen counter where they’ll be more easily accessible than, say, the cookies in the cupboard.
Place your running shoes next to your bed to make slipping into them convenient — and to give yourself one less excuse to stay under the covers when your alarm goes off. Ditch that gym membership you never use and join Beachbody on Demand, where you can stream hundreds of workouts at home. In short, have game plans to avoid temptations and triumph in circumstances that typically challenge your self-control.
11. Myth: The Sugar in Fruit Will Make You Gain Weight
Fact: While eating too much of anything, even healthy foods, can thwart your weight-loss efforts, eating a few pieces of fruit each day as part of a healthy, balanced diet will not cause weight gain, Amer says.
“Fruit does contain natural sugar, but it also contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are excellent for your health, so please do not completely eliminate fruit from your diet,” she advises. The fiber in fruit will also slow the absorption of the sugars.
What you really need to watch out for is sneaky sugars in foods like salad dressings, pasta sauce, granola, and ketchup.
12. Myth: Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal of the Day
Fact: Eating breakfast isn’t a guaranteed weight-loss tool. After all, if you’re rolling out of bed and eating a fat stack of pancakes covered in syrup with a side of bacon and a muffin covered in butter, the only thing you’ll be guaranteed is weight gain.
A 2014 study even found that there was no notable effect on weight loss in subjects who ate breakfast versus subjects who skipped breakfast. But the subjects weren’t told what to eat, so if you’re eating a breakfast that’s heavy on sugar or comes from a package, then no, it’s not going to help you lose weight.
That said, breakfast can be an important part of your weight-loss strategy — if you do it right. The key is that your breakfast lives up to the “most important meal of the day” title: Make sure it’s a healthy, balanced meal with a mix of protein, carbs, and fat.
Eating breakfast can also set the tone for the day and can help you establish healthy eating habits, which will give you an edge in the long run for losing weight and keeping it off.
13. Myth: Diet Foods and Drinks Can Help You Lose Weight
Fact: Foods labeled as “low fat” or “diet” or “gluten-free” can actually make people gain weight.
The reason? People see “sugar free” or “diet” and think, “hey, there’s no X in this so I can eat the whole bag/drink the whole jug!” Plus, once something is removed from a processed food, other not-so-great-for you ingredients are added in to replace them to make them palatable.
You’re better off sticking with whole foods and staying away from processed “diet” foods that have a long list of unpronounceable additives.
The Bottom Line
There’s a lot of conflicting noise out there about diets and weight loss, and it’s tempting to latch on to the latest trend in the hopes that it will be the new “magic bullet.”
But your best bet is to stick with what has proven results: Getting your nutrition and exercise on track, getting enough sleep, and staying on top of the latest science-backed information about nutrition and fitness.
from News About Health https://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/weight-loss/top-13-myths-about-losing-weight
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