Tag: fitness

The Walt Disney Treatment

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It is rumored to believe that the animation legend himself, Walt Disney, was cryo-genically frozen to preserve his body, and to be restored to life in the future. I decided to try something similar, cryotherapy. I didn’t use this treatment for self preservation instead, I used it for a therapeutic purpose.

Whole Body Cryotherapy is a form of medical treatment using liquid nitrogen and refrigerated cold air. It has only been used as a form of medical treatment in the United States for about 10 years. Recently, athletes have been utilizing cryotherapy as an alternative to ice baths to alleviate muscle soreness, which is why I sought this alternative treatment. I went straight from a workout to test that theory myself.

In order for you to receive treatment, you have to strip down to minimal or no clothing. You do have to wear long, almost knee high socks, and mittens. You then step into a standing, vertical vestibule (think of a standing tanning booth). Once you are inside, the pedestal you are standing on is raised so that your neck and head are above the chamber. The liquid nitrogen is then turned on creating a vapor to the tune of -180 degrees Celsius. Yes, NEGATIVE 180 degrees. The treatment lasts between 2-4 minutes, I was in for 3 of the longest minutes- as cold as ice.

I did feel effects immediately-energy! As the day progressed, I felt tightness in my body especially, in my stomach. My stomach felt flatter and tighter up until the next day. I slept really well the night of the treatment, also. So where does one go to receive cryotherapy? I went to Grace Medical Aesthetics in Middlebury. They are actually running a Groupon so you can try a session for yourself! Without the deal, one session costs $55. Would I do it again? I would. This is something fitness centers should look into offering!

Big thank you to Grace Medical Aesthetics for their friendly staff. I hope to be back soon!

 

 

 

 

Master Reset

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Off season for me is from mid- October to Dec31st. My birthday is October 22nd, and I’m notorious for a month long celebration. What that includes is, more time away from the gym, enjoying a few extra glasses of champs and indulging in not-so-clean eats. It’s a two month free for all for me, and I enjoy every moment of it.

Birthday celebrations consisted of LOTS of dining out, an all girls trip by limo to the vineyard, and a vacation in Arizona- just to name a few festivities. After October, Thanksgiving sneaks up on us, another excuse to indulge. Before you know it it’s Christmas, the holiday where food is usually a little more decadent and the wine flows more heavily, and- it is also my favorite holiday. Then it’s the last hoorah- New Year’s Eve. I spend the last night of the year popping bottles, knowing the next bottle I pop will not be until February.

Jan 1st,2017 detox begins. Time to clean out all the toxins I have subjected my body to over the past two months. I have a few methods to detox, the most important method is WATER. I easily consume my body weight in ounces of water each day. Water is such an integral part of being healthy, you know the secret to know if you have drank enough water for the day? Urine. Drink until your urine is clear, those kidneys are working like a Brita filter. Plain water gets boring after a while, right? Right. Well, I have two recipes to bring some excitement to that H2o. Warm lemon water being one of them, and a grapefruit juice fat burner. I have posted about the importance of lemons previously, but just to emphasize on it’s benefits again, lemons help to increase your metabolic rate, thus allowing you to burn more calories and store less fat. It is best consumed within 30 minutes of waking up and before your first meal. I make a large batch so when I wake up all I have to do is warm it up. Lemons are known to provide energy, an extra benefit if you workout in the early morning. Secondly, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. It is best consumed before a meal, to aid in fat burning most effectively. Certain compounds in grapefruit burn up stored body fat. I, also, make a large batch of this and bottle it for convenience. I will post both recipes for my cleanses, below. Wheat grass is slowly entering my daily regimen, as well. I have included the link for the brand I am using. I will post, solely, on the benefits of wheat grass at a later date. Oh, and last, but certainly not least, NO ALCOHOL.

Meal prep Sundays have always been consistent year round for me, but my meals become super strict for the first 2 weeks of the new year. Lots of roasted veggies, protein shakes,egg whites everyday, lean proteins and rationed portions. I will also post a sample of my meal plan. I cannot express how crucial prepping meals are to sustain a healthy diet. When all of your meals are planned, there is no room to snack on something that can sabotage your weight loss goals. Lastly, it’s back to the gym for 6 a.m. gym sessions. Six days a week, 1 hour workouts(minimum), to shed those added pounds that have piled on for 2 months. It will take just as long to work off the fluff maybe more, maybe less, but persistence is key.

No alcohol for 30+ days, lemon water, grapefruit cleanse, clean eating, and working out. That’s it, that’s my secret, that’s my master reset. Think you can do it? I think you can.

Warm Lemon Water:

3 Organic Lemons = 1 Cup

2 Tsp Trader Joes’ Raw Honey

1 Large Dash of Cayenne

1 Cup Filtered Water

  • Juice lemons, mix honey,water and cayenne. Store in large glass bottle.Refrigerate. Heat to warm within 30  minutes of waking up every morning.

Grapefruit Fat Burner:

3 Grapefruits= 2 Cups

2 Tbsp Raw Honey

2 Tbsp Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar

2 Cups Filtered Water

  • Juice grapefruits, mix honey, apple cider vinegar and water. Add to bottles. Refrigerate. Drink before meals.

 

 

 

Don’t Sweat Not Sweating

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Dumbbells Up

Ya know when you do something differently that’s out of your “norm”, and then the next day you kinda don’t get back to your “norm”, and then it’s been a week and now you have a new “norm”?  Well that’s what happened to me. I was in the process of packing and moving and so, my fitness regime took a back seat. I had switched my gym schedule to nights prior to the move so, that time became designated to packing. I could have woken up earlier in the morning before work to get a workout in but, I didn’t. This led to me taking almost two months off from the gym, 7 weeks I believe. I didn’t miss going to the gym, at all. I knew eventually I would ease my way back in, I just had no intentions on doing it anytime soon, hence my 7 week hiatus. However, my eating habits remained the same;meal prep Sundays, clean eating. I maintained my weight and kept my muscle mainly due to, moving boxes and spending time unpacking. I actually ate less for a short, very short period of time!

As of two weeks ago I returned back to my regularly scheduled program. Meaning, 6 days a week, not just one or two days which, I did do a couple times throughout my hiatus, but I’m not counting those. The time I took off from the gym happened to be well needed, sometimes we need to hit the restart button. I gave my body a break from spinning, lifting, pilates, running, and yoga. Days weren’t revolving around fitness classes and budgeting time to fit in a workout . So, I returned to my temple of fitness, picked up some dumbbells and got right back at it. Before my time away from the gym I had gotten in the habit of getting my workout in during fitness classes, solely. A habit I needed to steer away from and get back to training myself. Don’t get me wrong, fitness classes kept me fit but, I needed that one on one time for myself, just me and the dumbbells all alone. I’ve designated Mon, Tues and Wed to Group Fitness Classes, and the remainder of the week I work solo. Weights, Sauna, and Stairs, Oh My.

Did I miss the gym? Not really. Did I beat myself up about not going? Not really? Did I enjoy being out of the gym? Absolutely. I think people start to develop this funk when they are away from the gym, people can tend to become depressed and then feed on that negative energy. You just have to keep telling yourself that you’re going to go back, you WILL be back. Make it a mantra , and who knows, tomorrow might be that day where you set your alarm for 5 a.m. and climb 42 flights of stairs on the StairMaster. I’m here to tell you, It’s ok to take time off! It’s like vacation time that you take off from work, yeah you may feel bad about taking time off, or worry about work piling up, but taking time off is encouraged. You are more productive after a master reset, it’s a fact! So, don’t sweat not sweating, even if it’s been 7 weeks.

Dumbbells up!

See, Still got my muscles!20160730_104354[1]