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By admin On July 13, 2010No CommentsWhen the clock strikes midnight, most of you are probably snuggled deep beneath the covers of your duvet and dreaming the night away.
If you are a night owl, like me, you might be doing crazy athletic events that involve a bike, thousands of people, a great cause and an amazing city skyline. Just this past Saturday (ahem..Sunday morning!) I had the honor of participating in L.A.T.E. Ride 2010. Proceeds from this one of a kind bike ride benefitted Friends of the Parks, Chicago’s only citywide parks advocacy group.
So what was it like riding in the early morning hours?
It was an amazing experience, yet there were many precautions to be made with the large crowd and less-experienced, often reckless bikers. Here are some tips I’d highly recommend for late night biking:
Let’s Get Visible: Guess what, it’s dark out. Guess what, people can’t see you on your bike. Guess what, go and get a light for your bike. It’s best to have lights on the front and back of your bikes. Bike lights can easily be found at a sporting goods store near you. In true L.A.T.E. Ride spirit you could also don your glow lights and battery powered Christmas lights for full late riding effect.
“I can ride my bike with no handle bars..no handle bars”: Umm unless you are the Flobots who sing this awesome song, no you can’t. Make sure you have full control over your bike and are alert of your surroundings.
Midnight Suit: Get yo’ gear right. You might look amazing in black, but that car behind you might not think so when it hits you! Look for a quality reflective vest or jersey with reflective strips. I even suggest bike shoes with reflective strips.
Helmet Head: This goes for day time riders, too. Protect your head and make sure you wear a helmet at all times. The hard concrete doesn’t care about your hair, doesn’t care about the lines it leaves on your forehead. So be safe and wear one.
So, keep these tips in mind the next time you gear up, night owls!
Riding late at night was certainly an experience I will never forget, including the big reward of a beautiful, picturesque sunrise over Lake Michigan.
Urban Girl Fitness Quote of the Day:
Most people do not consider dawn to be an attractive experience - unless they are still up.” ~Ellen Goodman
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By admin On August 5, 2010
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You are working up a sweat.
Keeping an eye on those burning calories.
Making sure your favorite workout tune is turned up and jammin’.
You just found your workout groove and the last thing you need is a ponytail falling loose, those bangs you’ve been growing out getting in your face and flyaways gone amuck. Forget spending your valuable time constantly fixing your ‘do and pushing those flyaways back into place and try the following tress tips:
Sweet Buns: Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m talking about a bun in your hair. For those with extremely thick hair like mine, having a pony tail swooshing behind you is distracting and annoying. An easy solution is to pull your hair back in a ponytail just like normal (depending on your preference and length of hair this can be a low or high ponytail) and secure with an elastic hairband. Note: My favorite hairbands are thick and have non-slide grips. Twist the end of your ponytail until it reaches your hairband, the secure with an additional hairband. Those with thinner hair can use bobby pins as well.
Braid It Up: A simple solution for flyaways, braid them up. Braid your trouble spot flyaway areas and throw them back into your usual ponytail.
Accessorize, Accessorize, Accessorize: Yes, this one should go in the Urban Girl’s dictionary as a favorite word. I know thoughts of purses, jewelry and those cute stilettos you saw while window shopping pop into mind — but, this time I’m talking about hair accessories. They are simple, they are easy and the best part of all is they are cute. You can find adorable headbands anywhere from Target to Walgreen’s in the hair aisle (next to hairbands and brushes, etc.)
Keep It Simple: Go with simple braids. Part your hair into two ponytails and secure each ponytail with an elastic hairband. Take three equal sections of the hair and cross them over to the center one by one pulling firmly as you go, then secure them — most Urban Girls already know how to do this, but for the hair clueless like myself, I thought you might find this step by step helpful.
Urban Girl Fitness Quote of the Day:
I’m a big woman. I need big hair. ~Aretha Franklin
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By admin On August 3, 2010
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You’re hot, hot, hot..
Sure you are hot to trot everyday, but this summer’s work outs will literally leave you hot, hot, hot. Don’t sweat it, follow these simple rules to stay safe in the sun:
- Keep It Cool: Try to find a jogging or bike path that’s shaded. It’s amazing what a little bit of shade will do for your summer workouts.
- Water-holic: Yes. You’ve heard it time and time again. Stay hydrated. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, sip on some water. Before you head out try to drink one to two glasses of water. Also, bring water along and take a sip every 15 minutes. A CamelBak is my favorite go to for keeping hydrated, it’s simple and easy.
- Tick Tock Timing: Think about the time of day you are head out for your daily exercise routine. Try to avoid exercising from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Typically the morning is the best time for workouts.
- Screen It: Always, always wear sunscreen. It’s important to protect your skin at all times.
- Dress Right: Avoid heavier clothing during your workouts. Wear light, loose fitting clothing. A light color will reflect the heat. I prefer dri-fit material as well.
In addition to these tips, it’s extremely important that your listen to your body. If you feel lightheaded or dizzy, then stop. That’s that! I am also a big fan of using my Polar heart monitor watch, if I see my heartrate is sky high I simply slow down.
Urban Girl Fitness Quote of the Day:
If it weren’t for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn’t get any exercise at all. ~Joey Adams
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By admin On July 19, 2010
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You never know when it can hit you (or sting you!). As I was simply walking across the grass this weekend, an awful shooting pain hit my toe. A pesky little I-have-no-clue-what-it-was gave me the sting of my life, as somehow it ended up underneath my toe between my flip flop. The pain hurt so much I couldn’t even look to see what the culprit was, whatever it was I hate it.
As I was limping to the car, I thought *crap* I have a 7-mile race to run the following weekend. Thinking it was just a stinger and seeing no apparent bite/sting I thought the pain would eventually fade away.
Sure enough, a few hours later it looks like I have elephantitis of the toe. Yes, I am the first person to admit I am a hypochondriac. After googling everything and anything to determine what it was, I was determined I was going to die. Reading symptoms of everything from a black widow spider, brown recluse to who knows what.
Determined to get some additional miles in before the upcoming athletic event, I eagerly set my alarm for 6:30 a.m. to get in an early morning workout. But, nope. The toe is still swollen and I am still limping away. So, my mission is simple: find a workout that fits injured idiots like myself. Here goes:
The “Duh” Factor: Don’t work out using your injured body part. If you injured your foot or leg, chances are you shouldn’t be running, hiking or riding a bike. Instead, focus on the non-injured parts. Try an upper body workout or even yoga (upper body yoga, that is).
Doctor’s Orders: If your injury doesn’t let up it’s probably best to seek a physician. Doctor’s know best, so after the diagnosis be sure he/she clarifies the best activities for your ailment (that keep you off the couch and on the road to recovery).
Hot the water: Still want to run? Don’t want to hurt? Try working out in a pool. There are two types of pool running. Deep water running, pretty self explanatory, allows the running effect with no impact as your feet will not touch the ground (most often these runners wear floating devices to stay afloat in the running position). Shallow water running, again self explanatory, gives the same motion of running with less impact than (let’s say) running on a treadmill.
Now, for all the injured Urban Girls out there, it’s time to stop moping, get up and go!
Urban Girl Fitness Quote of the Day:
If life hands you lemons, throw them at people. ~anonymous
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By admin On July 16, 2010
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If there’s one popular word for summer 2010, it’s “stay”cation.
The economy still sucks, but that doesn’t mean your summer has to follow suit.
For those who get bored sticking close to home, try something new and different. This is the perfect time to plan a getaway that incorporates fitness and fun.
My favorite “stay”cation go-to is hiking. It’s nice to take a short drive out of the city and trade the skycrapers for trees and fresh air. Bring the whole family along, pets and all. Be sure to look for your closest state park, most parks are easily available online offering details on hiking trails.
Another element of a day away from it all is to add a picnic. I’m not talking Cool Ranch Doritos and mayo-saturated sandwiches. Look online and try something new and different. If you are a dork like me you will have a picnic basket to boot, for those non-dorks any cooler will do (or even a reusable grocery bag).
Here are some light picnic ideas that are sure to make for a memorable “stay”cation:
Kindergarten Flashback: Oh the careless days of kindergarten, remember those days with this healthy picnic treat of celery slices filled with peanut butter. If you really want to go back, add some raisins for the full “ants on a log” effect.
Kick A@$ Kabobs:The variety of textures, colors, and flavors in this recipe (thanks to www.medicinenet.com) makes it the perfect addition to a picnic.
You’ll need:
1 1/2 to 2 cups assorted fresh vegetables (such as baby carrots, halved radishes, bell pepper squares, whole miniature bell peppers, or halved pattypan squash), 2 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, or smoked Gouda cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, 2 ounces cooked smoked turkey sausage, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices and quartered, 2 tablespoons refrigerated basil pesto, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 12 whole fresh basil leaves.
You’ll Do:Place vegetables, cheese, and sausage in a self-sealing plastic bag set in a deep bowl. For marinade, in a small bowl stir together pesto and vinegar; pour over vegetable mixture. Seal bag; turn to coat vegetable mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. On 12 4-inch-long wooden skewers, alternately thread vegetables, cheese, sausage, and basil leaves.
Fruit-licious: Dip chunks and slices of fresh fruit in a sealable bowl of melted dark chocolate. Leave it in the fridge to set and keep it in your cool bag once you’re out to avoid it turning into a sticky mess. Dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate as it contains disease-fighting antioxidants. And because it’s richer, you need less of it to satisfy your chocolate craving. Try strawberries, raspberries, bananas, orange or mandarin segments, grapes or pineapple chunks.
Urban Girl Fitness Quote of the Day:
It just wouldn’t be a picnic without the ants. ~anonymous
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By admin On July 15, 2010
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10:15 a.m. — hmm, I can’t possibly be hungry yet.
11:25 a.m. — I’m starvin’ marvin hopefully this Fiber One Chocolate Chip Granola bar will hold me over..mmm chocolate!
12:32 p.m. — Must. Eat. Lunch. Now.
2:41 p.m. — Attack of the chocolate craving again. Taking an afternoon trip to the vending machine. Peanut M&Ms or Twix? Peanut M&Ms or Twix?! Ok easy solution to this dilemma. Both!
Is this what your typical day is like? Well, it is for me (although I do seem to have the case of an endless pit of a stomach most days). If you are a snacker like me, here are some healthy treats that will keep you going throughout the day, thanks to www.healthycastle.com:
Ah Nuts: In a good way, that is. Even though nuts are high in calories and fat, it takes only a handful to keep you happy. They also provide healthy fats and fiber, which is certainly a plus.
Edamame-me likey: Edamame is actually easier to bring to work as a snack than you think. You can find easy microwavable packets at any grocery store and not to mention these soy beans are loaded with protein.
An Apple a Day: Apples are easy, throw them in your bag and you’re good to go. I know an apple isn’t nearly as good as a huge bag of gummy bears, but you can easily make it fun. Bring some peanut butter and you have a delicious filling snack when combined.
Yo-yo-yo-yogurt: Get your dairy in for the day with a low-sugar plain yogurt. Add some fresh berries into the mix for the ultimate healthy snack.
Be Cheesy: Bring along a simple packet of string cheese, Laughing Cow wedges or colby jack cheese packs. They are sold at grocery stores for an easy, delicious and portable snack. If you’re really in desperate need of a snack add some Triscuits or healthy crackers for a delicious treat.
Urban Girl Fitness Quote of the Day:
I like vending machines, because snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at the store, oftentimes I will drop it so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. ~Mitch Hedburg
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By admin On July 9, 2010
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It never fails, if there’s a button to push I’m going to break it.
A computer. A television. A radio. My Blackberry.
I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s some constant electric shock in my body that automatically causes this to happen. Imagination aside, I’m a tech trasher. I often amaze my husband at my ability to freeze the simplest of technologies. Who freezes a television while changing channels? This girl.
For some time now I’ve been wanting to try out a Polar watch and heart monitor to maximize my work outs, needless to say my non-tech savvy has delayed my purchase of this watch. Even after receiving one as a gift from my hubby, it sat on our dresser for about a week.
Once I broke into the packaging, I was excited to give it a test run. I admit I still need to read the guide book, so here’s to learning side by side with me.
Why I Like It:
My Polar FT7 is a new extension of the Polar collection at less than $120, giving you more bang for your buck.
The chest straps are not awkward and fit extremely comfortably, to the point where I don’t even know they are there. The ECG sensor is removable, so the strap can easily be washed.
This monitor watch can save up to 16 weeks worth of training.
And..
It’s user friendly, whew (as I wipe the sweat beads off my forehead)! The set-up sequence takes only 5 minutes at the most to enter all of your personal data (height, weight, birthdate).
When in training mode, this watch allows you to move between displays show you can see heartbeat numbers, calories burned, date and time. It also gives you a heads up to let you know if you are in the fat loss or conditioning zones.
What better way to learn how to work this amazing piece of technology? A video.
Check out there from Polar USA for the FT7 model: http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/tutorial_videos#
Urban Girl Fitness Quote of the Day:
It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. ~Albert Einstein
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By admin On July 8, 2010
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Get me in a sauna and I’m a happy girl.
Add yoga into the mix and I’m a nervous girl.
What do I wear? How long will I last in this class? Will I slip on my mat from the sweat? Am I going to die!?
As I think about my first experience in Bikram Yoga, which will happen today, there’s one thing I know I can control. I have the cute purple yoga mat and bringing a towel is no problemo. Here’s my game plan when it comes to what to wear, especially since I know by the end of class I’m going to want to take it all off.
For those who have never heard of Bikram Yoga, it takes yoga to a different level as poses are practiced in a room that’s anywhere from 95 to 100-degrees. This form of yoga is known to increase flexibility, strength, balance and focus.
Tighten Up: You want those tone, tight muscles? Forget the baggy t-shirt, it’s the last thing you’ll want to deal with in the heat. Make sure to wear form fitting clothes.
Skimp on the Clothes: Wear as little as possible without baring all.
Layer Up: Dress in layers so you don’t get cold traveling to and from your class.
Staying Dry: Be sure to look for shirts, sports bras, shorts and yes, even underwear that’s designed to wick away moisture.
Stay tuned as this Urban Girl experiences her very first Bikram Yoga class today!
Namaste.
Urban Girl Fitness Quote of the Day:
I tried yoga once but took off for the mall halfway through class, as I had a sudden craving for a soft pretzel and world peace. ~Terri Guillemets
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