Tag Archives: walking

skinny fat

Working to Avoid the Skinny Fat

skinny fatFor those that follow me on my and my husband’s blog Far Away Reasons, you know that we’ve hit New Zealand and were immediately shocked to discover how ridiculously high the cost of living in Aucklund is.

Keeping with the theme of my post last week, I have since become my own worst client having every excuse in the book not to follow my own healthy eating plan.

In trying to stick to my budget, I’ve found it nearly impossible to eat as frequently as I would like, nor maintain the food quality nor macro nutrient consistency I would like.  That being said, here are my solutions to eating cheap and sticking to plan.  

skinny fatThe first night we were in town we strayed away from restaurants, not because of the food quality, but because of the cost.

Thinking we would do better buying our own food and cooking in the hostel, we headed to the grocery store.

We quickly discovered the options weren’t much better there.  Produce and Proteins were scarce.

Feeling discouraged about our ability to stick to budget and feed ourselves for the next couple months, we settled for some cheap Ramon ($5.99 for 5 bags) and splurged for some steak ($12 for 1/2 a lb) –the only protein we could find.

This was obviously an attempt to stick to our 1:1 or 1:2 protein to carbohydrate ratios,  and while we were successful, I normally wouldn’t recommend eating Ramon noodles.  The sodium content is much too high and Ramon noodles are far from the healthy types of carbohydrates that I normally like to consume.

We quickly learned our lesson from our poor eating choice, when my husband got food poisoning after this meal.  We cleaned up our cooking by instead making a stir fry of eggs, frozen veggies, and steak.  This may not sound like the most glamorous meal, but our bellies thanked us.

Another solution I’ve found to sticking to my budget is to eat the local meal deals, filling up on one to two large meals a day.   I’ve found $4 pizzas and $10 Indian Meal combos.  These deals, however, do come at a cost–THEY ARE NOT ON PLAN.  Both meals are run heavy in carbs and either lack or contain very little protein.

I’ve found the days that I eat out, my calories are actually pretty low.  Remember though, maintaining a too-low calorie diet isn’t good.  The body needs fuel to function.  If you don’t provide the body the fuel it needs, it begins to break down your muscle for fuel since muscle costs more calories to maintain than fat.

I’ve found low calorie/bad nutrient diets to be the general trend here in Aucklund which would explain the very large population of “skinny-fat” I’ve noticed.

skinny fatFor those of you who haven’t heard the term “skinny-fat” before, urban dictionary defines it as:

“1. When someone is thin and looks great in clothes, but is all flabby underneath

2. A physique, while not overweight (and possibly underweight), lacks any visible lean, striated tissue. The term is often NOT used or understood by the uneducated, untrained eye. To the uneducated, untrained eye, a skinny fat female may appear to have a physique of the same caliber as an individual who is comprised of significantly more lean tissue. The term is particularly relevant  while eating at Denny’s and discussing how unappealing the waitress is. You can always resort to getting traditional weight loss surgery mexico, but going out and using the gym is the best alternative to avoid the issue.

skinny fat

Miley Cyrus at the VMA’s: another example of skinny fat

3.  A person who is not overweight and have skinny look but still have a high fat percentage and low muscular mass. Usually those people have a low caloric diet, that’s why they are skinny, but are not involved in any sports activities or trainings and that’s why they don’t have any muscle. Since between the bone and the skin those people only have fat, the skin can be deformed easily because the skin layer is located on an unstable matter (fat).
Skinny fat woman look sexy from a certain distance but they have soft jelly skin and still have some cellulite even if they are in there early 20.”

Skinny Fat does have an official medical term, metabolically obese normal weight or MONW, but according to the dr grawe reviews it is not easy to change, specially if the person decides to undergo surgery.

Besides the physical appearance ramifications one runs risk of by becoming skinny fat, being such is also one step away from Type II diabetes.  (I realize there is a comical air to what I’m writing, but this is a serious topic.  Check out Mark Hyman, MD’s post.)

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Besides diet, one way to combat the skinny fat is exercise.

Since arriving in Aucklund, I have been able to stay on track with my exercise, averaging over 20,000 steps a day.  There are gorgeous parks all over the city, but the trick is to taking advantage of these parks and getting outside.

I’ve loved having access to so many trails to run, but even walking around these areas is good for combating skinny fat. I recommend getting a fitbit so you can start monitoring your daily activity!  You should aim to have at least 5,000 steps a day, even if you exercise regularly and 10,000 a day if you don’t.

20131006_172448[1]Unfortunately, I’ve noticed most people choose to drive around the parks and craters we’ve visited rather than explore them on foot.  Once again explaining the skinny fat population here in Aucklund.

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In a more optimistic light, I can gladly report that Bikram Yoga East West in Aucklund has a very large population of regular practicing yogis.  I saw by far the largest population of fit people that I had seen in the city dropping in to take yoga classes at their studio!

Luckily for me, I’m leaving Aucklund tomorrow and heading up North.  I’ve been told that once out of the city, fresh veggies are much more abundant.  I’m hoping there will also be a better selection of protein, but even if there isn’t we could eat better just with some more fresh vegetables.

Regardless, the good news is a couple days of poor diet won’t kill me, especially since I’ve kept my exercise up!

It can be very easy to allow yourself to become skinny fat, but if you follow these simple rules you can quickly avoid this.

Simple Rules to Avoid the Skinny Fat:

  • Eat Protein as much as possible!–Remember, if you are traveling, a couple of days of a poor diet won’t kill you, but do the best you can to pick nutrient rich options.  If you can’t eat healthy one meal, don’t use that as an excuse to eat poorly the next.  Each meal is an opportunity to fuel the body to be strong!

    photo travel workout card

    Click here to get a workout for home or travel!

  • Maintain your exercise!  Hit up local classes such as yoga, crossfit, and cycling!  If you can’t afford them or the times don’t work with your schedule do a workout you can do in your own home or in a hotel room if you’re traveling!
  • If you still can’t find the time to workout, make sure you maintain a high level of activity.  Track this with a pedometer, or Fitbit.  This is a great tool to keep you on track in your daily life, especially if you travel frequently.
  • Eat frequently so your body relies on healthy food to fuel itself so it can build muscle, not eat away at it!  If you don’t know how to do that, here is a meal plan you can follow!

What’s your favorite way to avoid the skinny fat?

 

fitness lessons

Fitness Lessons You Can Learn from a Traveling Bikram Yoga Instructor/Personal Trainer

I’ve officially been in the road now for over a week now.  So far my quest to maintain a healthy fit lifestyle is working out pretty well.

I’ve gone on some awesome runs.

I’ve run around the Marina with views of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.

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I’ve run along rolling hills of vineyards in Napa.

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I ran the famous Dipsea trail among giant Redwoods in Muir woods.

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I’ve also made time to practice at some awesome Bikram Yoga studios.

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I sweated along side the colorful Frankenstein cartons at the funky door studio on Polk Street in San Francisco

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I sweat out my “pour” decisions in my college town studio in Davis.

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I received some excellent, disciplined instruction on a beautiful cork floor in Napa.

 

 

From the sweat and steps I’ve also learned a few fitness lessons and those are what I want to share with you today.

 

Fitness Lessons Learned:

Lesson #1: The more you workout the more you can enjoy your travels.

As most of my clients always report, with travel comes the temptation to eat out frequently, try local foods and treats, (which unfortunately never seem to be on the diet plan!) and to drink an abundance of alcohol.

Now if I was on vacation, I would gladly rationalize that I deserve a break from my normally fit and healthy life, however, since travel has now become a lifestyle I have to make sure I earn the luxury of gluttony.

The same goes for anyone else who travels a lot for work or pleasure. If you keep yourself disciplined to get your exercise in first thing, you buy yourself budge room to enjoy a treat our two in the evening. Make sure to consume supplements such as lgd 4033 daily cause even if you manage to skip food after your exercise the supplements protein and other minerals will still help develop your body while also providing your energy to perform other tasks.

daily Lesson #2: Drink water.

My favorite type of water bottle is my hydro flask. It will keep water cold for days even in a hot Bikram Torture Chamber!

My favorite type of water bottle is my hydro flask. It will keep water cold for days even in a hot Bikram Torture Chamber!

Making sure you stay hydrated is very important to maintaining fit lifestyle on the road.

Travel in general makes you dehydrated.  The first step to making sure you stay ahead on the hydration curve is to bring an empty water bottle through security and then fill it up before you get on the plane, it would be great if you could also bring h2 tablets along with it.

Most people mistake thirst for hunger making it very likely to binge eat at meals if you aren’t drinking enough water.  Before ordering food or an alcoholic drink order a glass of water and down it every time before you eat.  A glass or two of water will make you feel full sooner.

Finally make sure your alcohol:water ratio stays in favor of water. (See above where I mention being a sweaty out “pour” decisions on my mat in Davis. Aka lying in the fetal position counting down postures until class is over.)

Not only does being dehydrated make your workout less effective, but it also makes it harder to stick to lesson number one: get your exercise in!  If you are hung over there is a much larger chance you will skip your workout the next day.

Lesson #3 When in doubt eat at a Mexican restaurant.

20130828_113146When eating out, it can become very hard to stick to your diet ratios. The good news is you can find a Mexican restaurant almost anywhere you go.

Obviously there are plenty of restaurants where you can eat lean, but every menu is different.  Mexican restaurants are nice because every single one should have a burrito on the menu.  As long as you unwrap the burrito and eat around the tortilla you should be able to find a good meal full of protein, veggies, and beans.   (Just be careful of the tortilla chips before the meal!)

Lesson #4: Carry Deodorant

The bad news about squeezing workouts into your travel is often times you really do have to squeeze it in.  Make sure you that bring some deodorant to avoid the post workout sweat that tends to come no matter how cold of a shower you take!

Lesson #5:  Don’t Underestimate the Calorie Burning Potential of Walking

Product DetailsThe final lesson I would like to touch on is the caloric burn potential of just walking.  If you are in a foreign city, the chances are you probably don’t have a car.  Rather than spending money on a taxi see if you can walk somewhere.  Not only will you see more traveling by foot, but you will also burn calories without even trying.  Every mile traveled by foot is an extra beer you can enjoy at dinner or a cookie you can eat guilt free.

A heavy day of walking around a city can burn just as many calories if not more than a short morning workout and if you do both then you have even more room to give into culinary temptation.  If you are going to be traveling a lot, I highly suggest investing in a fitbit.

Today rather than driving to yoga, I walked the 2.4 miles.  It only took me 35 min each way, my fitbit showed me I accumulated 13,000 steps, and bought myself an extra 400 calorie deficit.  (That’s 3 beers!)

The point of these lessons is it isn’t too hard to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle on the go.  If you stick to a workout plan and are conscious about balancing out your physical activity with what you put in your mouth being healthy doesn’t have to be a sacrifice.

What are your favorite activities to do on the go?

What are your go to meal options when you travel?

Walking for exercise

It is funny how reliant we are on our cars.  I may be able to walk to the things around me, but why take the extra time when I can just drive there.  That is, however, until I woke up to find the card that allows me to get my car out of the parking garage had gone to work with my roommate.  At first I was super bummed!  I had planned a perfect day of double yoga at noon and 4:30.  I had plans to come sit in the my wonderfully air conditioned apartment, make lunch, read, and write in between sessions on the mat.  The day that ensued turned out to be much better than originally planned.

Determined to not let me lack of car keep me from my goal to hit a double yoga, I mapped out the route to get to my yoga studio.  I could either wait for the bus, and be there in 40min, or walk and arrive in 36.  Those who know my love for my fitbit and steps can easily guess which route I decided to take.  I loaded up my bag for the day and set out.  After my first class let out, I had 3 1/2 hours to kill.  Rather than trek back to the apartment, I decided to explore the area around the studio.  Right across the street from the yoga studio is the Vanderbilt Campus.

walking for exercise

I found a nice spot in the shade, busted out my lunch and read for a while.  I love being on college campuses.  They all tend to have the same similar, yet varying components; a quad, a large central clock tower, crazy artistic statues, greek life, tracks, and good people watching.

walking for exercise

Sycamore tree with crazy tennis ball fruits.

walking for exercise

The Tri Delta House. One of the many on Greek Row

walking for exercise

The Vandy Track, this was the area of UC Davis that I called home.

walking for exercise

Another random sculpture. Davis had egg heads scattered around campus in various poses.

Finally, after walking around for the while.  I decided I needed to get out of the heat for a bit.  I headed to an air conditioned coffee shop and busted out the work I had planned to do at home that day.

When I was finished I still had an hour and a half to kill until my next yoga class.  I headed over to check out one of Nashville’s Parks, Centennial Park.

walking for exercise

Centennial Park is home to the Parthenon.

walking for exercise

There is also a little lake that will be great to run around on a later date!

walking for exercise

walking for exercise

After yoga I headed back home pleased with how successful my day had been with the lack of my car.  I was even more pleased to sync my fitbit and see my data for the day:

walking for exercise

So the moral of the story: next time you start to head to your car ask yourself, “Could I get there by walking?”  When I drive to yoga I leave 30 min prior to the start of class.  When I walk I leave 45 min to the start of class.  Maybe you need those extra 15 min, but if you don’t that’s an extra 5,000 steps you could be getting.

funday

“Sun” day = Funday!

This morning  I woke up to the sun–NOT MY ALARM CLOCK!! 🙂

It is an amazing sunny day!  I walked to yoga to hit the 10am class.

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Poster that hangs in the locker room at my studio

After yoga I continued my day in the sun, stopping at the local gluten free bakery Flying Apron.  I’m not gluten intolerant, but for some reason I feel less guilty indulging in a cookie for breakfast after yoga if I get it from Flying Apron.

 

I hope everyone else is enjoying this gorgeous sunny day!  I’m off to go play in the sun and soak up some natural Vitamin D!

San Fran 6 miler + Active Rest

Alright, for those who read last night you know I was able to find bottomless, (yes Eduard did you catch that?!?!  BOTTOMLESS) Mimosas in San Francisco.  What I haven’t talked about yet is the exercise you can get exploring the city.  

Saturday we woke up, walked to get coffee (and an amazing ham and cheese croissant!) and began our trek of the city.  First stop was Lombard street.  

Lombard Street: The crookiest street in the world

After walking 3 blocks completely uphill we hit the crookiest street in the world.  From here we headed down to the Marina.  At the top of the Marina district right by where the street car drops you off there is a classic San Francisco staple known as the Buena Vista.  My mom brought me here for the first time when I was in

Buena Vista Irish Coffees

college and I make sure I have at least one visit every trip.  They are known for their traditional Irish Coffees, Classic Bartenders, Magic Tricks, and yummy San Francisco Breakfast.  After loading up on some yummy food we set out for the rest of our day.  Stopping to get a Street Caricature, see the seals down on pier 39, and take a fishing boat tour under the golden gate bridge and

 around Alcatraz.  After our tour of the bay, we got our walking shoes on and made our 2ish mile trek down Marina Blvd to the Palace of fine arts.  

Palace of Fine Arts

Overall for the day we walked 26,796 steps, 13.37 miles, and oddly enough climbed 79 floors which ironically enough happens to be the height of the Golden Gate Bridge. (Thank you Fitbit!)

FItbit for touring San Fran

Kind of crazy to see how “active” you can be goofing off having fun in the city.  The trick is to avoid the taxis–AND ESPECIALLY THOSE DORKY MOTORIZED SCOOTER TOURS!

 

 

Sunday Run 6ish Miles

Sunday we got another amazing sunny day and took advantage of it by going on a 6ish mile run from our friends house down the San Francisco Marina Waterfront to the Golden Gate Bridge.  We stopped long enough for a photo opp before heading back to find our demise a refuel breakfast at Circa with Bottomless Mimosas!  Now that’s how to run in the city! 🙂