Wednesday November 27, 2019

5 Simple Fixes!

 

 
My edited food journal above may look overwhelming, but the changes come down to a few basic concepts. Back in July we launched a contest offering 2 lucky readers the chance to win a diet makeover by Sarah Wragge, our contributing nutrition editor, with just 5 Simple Fixes. Yes, there are the obvious splurges like pizza, ice cream, and cookies, but lurking in many of our diets are extra hidden calories of which we are completely unaware. I found that out firsthand when I asked Sarah to take a look at my diet.

Thinking I ate pretty clean and expecting a pat on the back, instead I got, “OMG… you eat so much sugar!” Unbeknownst to me, what I thought was my healthy fruit and rice cake snacking was like sugar dosing and carbo loading all day. With some simple substitutions like adding more healthy fats such as avocado and nuts; swapping dairy for plant based alternatives like almond milk and coconut yogurt; and replacing my fruit dessert with dark chocolate (yes!), those abs I work so hard for started to pop — and with no feeling of deprivation because I was eating satiating and nutritious foods.

Our 5 Simple Fixes contest winners, Suzanne Donaldson and Mike Loftus, learned some of the same lessons and few more of their own — along with some easy fixes to attain their fitness and nutrition goals. Our contest should probably have been called “1 Simple Fix” because the leading culprit for all 3 of us was hidden sugar.

We all want to look good and feel good. We want those workouts to show on our bodies. For those of you who entered the contest but didn’t win, we wanted to share a sample 3 days of our diets, with the changes Sarah made. Many of you might have similar habits, and we hope seeing our mistakes and the easy fixes can help you achieve your fitness and nutrition goals too.  Read More

 

Saturday November 2, 2019

Are These Beers Your New Sport Drink?

 

10 POPULAR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEERS

 
Runners take your mark, get set, go, HAVE A BEER! Turns out your favorite brew might be the best sports drink around — but before you start getting hammered after your workouts, we are talking non-alcoholic beer here…

Beer, as post workout beverage, has been marketed as of late to fitness enthusiasts — with craft brews like Sufferfest, whose tagline is “Will Sweat for Beer”, and Samuel Adams’ Boston 26.2 Brew, targeting athletes and weekend warriors. They are still alcoholic beverages, however, and not exactly healthy. Non-alcoholic beers are changing that, and gaining in popularity as a sports performance and recovery drink — thanks in large part to one of the active ingredients, malt.

Traditionally non-alcoholic beers have paled in flavor, compared to their alcoholic counterparts. Stripping the alcohol removes that beer flavor, and adding malt is what brings it back — along with all sorts of additional health benefits. Malt extract is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Some of you will remember Ovaltine — the healthy malted milk beverage that was a staple of our childhoods — which is still widely consumed in Europe by both adults and children. Read More

 

Tuesday September 3, 2019

Best of The Box

 

ROW1: AEROSPACE; GRIT BXNG; GOTHAM GYM; ROW 2: PUNCH FITNESS; SHADOWBOX; OVERTHROW; ROW 3: MENDEZ; CHRUCH STREET; RUMBLE

 
Walking around New York City these days it’s not unusal to see a pair of boxing gloves draped over the shoulder of a fashionably dressed woman. Check out Instagram and you’ll see many a fashion model punching it out with her trainer in sweaty style. From the spa-like Shadowbox, to the speakeasy grungy Overthrow, to long established boxing gyms like Gleasons in Brooklyn — boxing is the hottest workout in town.

Fighters are known for their fitness and ripped physiques. Not only does boxing tone muscles and build full body strength, but it’s a major cardio workout, as anyone who has jump roped or hit the heavy bag for 3 minutes straight can attest. Just one boxing class can burn up to a thousand calories. It’s a sport that requires not just physical but mental discipline as well. Putting together a series of jab-hook-cross-upper cut combinations while bobbing and weaving requires intense focus and concentration, in addition to muscular and cardiovascular strength. Read More

 

Sunday March 3, 2019

Shock Therapy

 

 

Imagine fitness in the future. You strap on a full body suit – a cross between motocross and scuba gear — equipped with electronic stimulation pads that pulsate and zap your muscles while you workout. Standing in one of 6 spotlights in a darkened room, you watch a screen with exercises to follow, as house music throbs, and a master trainer wirelessly controls how much electrical stimulation is given to each body part. In 30 minutes, a full body workout is delivered in what would have taken been 3 1/2 hours in the gym. Imagine fitness in the future is now.

Shock Therapy Fitness is the first workout to incorporate EMS training – or Electronic Muscle Stimulation – into a group fitness class. Those who have had physical therapy will be familiar with the “Stim” machine as part of their rehab, and EMS training has been popular in gyms throughout Europe for years. It was a company in Germany, Miha Bodytec, that first developed a full body EMS suit. Shock Therapy Fitness has created their own custom Powersuit™ that safely distributes electrical impulses simultaneously to all the major muscle groups throughout the workout for continuous full body training no matter which exercise is being performed. Over 300 muscle groups are activated in one 30-minute class, with 8 to 10 times more contractions than without EMS. Read More

 

Friday February 15, 2019

The 5-Minute Warm-Up

 

1. RUNNER’S STRETCH

For those tight quads and hip flexors, place right

knee at 90 degrees with left leg bent behind at 90 degrees.

Hold for 30 seconds, switch legs, and repeat.

 

Ngo Okafor is the owner and founder of Iconoclast Fitness in NYC who has transformed the physiques of such celebrities as Brooke Shields, Iman, Mariska Hargitay, and Kate Walsh among others. Before any workout, he focuses on limbering up the body to prevent injuries and get it ready to go. We asked him for a quick warm-up routine to share with our readers. Here are the 6 total body stretches no workout should start without!
Read More

 

Tuesday January 1, 2019

31 Days of Digital Fitness!

 

 

Happy New Year and New Body… or Get Back The Old Body! If you’re like most of us December jingles left some January jiggles, but luckily there have never been so many workout choices to burn off those lingering lbs.

Every January we offer a month’s worth of options in what we call the 31 Days of Fitness. With the boom in at-home fitness offerings, from high-end interactive equipment to online fitness classes to workout apps — we’ve decided to make our 2019 theme the 31 Days of Digital Fitness. As usual, your fearless editor will be sampling a different workout every day and highlighting all the fun and effective ways to get all our 2018 bodies into 2019 shape. With classes you can stream anyplace and anytime, there are no excuses!

So here we go! Most all of these classes are offering free trials right now so why not join us and give one or two a try! For easy reference we’ve marked each workout with a 👍 or 👎, and color coded them for ONLINE, APP, or HOME GYM machine. If you’ve got Roku, Apple TV, or Google Chromecast, the workouts can be synced with your TV too.
 

January 1: CLASSPASS LIVE. After a New Year’s Day run this morning, I decided some strength training would be the perfect compliment to my cardio. I signed up for the Classpass Live trial offering unlimited classes free for 1 month. Classpass revolutionized the fitness industry with a subscription service that allows members to book and take thousands of different classes at the most popular fitness studios. Now those options are available at home streamed live or on demand from wide selection of Classpass’s own workouts, as well as classes from other studios. I opted for Full Body with Alex Redelico, a compact 35 minute workout with light weights that flew by and hit all the major muscle groups. Alex was the right mix of pep and push, and I’d take this class again – definitely if pressed for time!👍👍 Classpass Live is $19/month with free 1 month trial. Read More

 

Monday October 1, 2018

A River Runs Through It

 

HYDROW

The latest entry into the burgeoning world of high-end home fitness is the Hydrow – a rowing machine meets Peloton concept that is unlike any indoor rower you’ve ever seen. This sculptural work of art features a sleek HD touchscreen monitor that delivers an immersive outdoor rowing experience at home.

Home fitness equipment is no longer related to the basement or closet with the evolution of machines so beautifully designed they become the focal part of a room. First there was Ciclotte that redefined the indoor bicycle with its striking and unconventional design. Then came Peloton, a SoulCycle-inspired indoor cycle, that was the first to integrate a sleek, oversized tablet-like monitor to stream both live and on-demand spinning classes at home. Coming soon is the Peloton Tread, the same concept on a treadmill, as well as Tonal that expands interactive home fitness to weight lifting, and Mirror that streams yoga, Pilates, barre, cardio, and strength workouts. Both of these turn the wall mounted monitor into an object of desire.
 

CICLOTTE, MIRROR, AND PELOTON TREAD

Launching nationally for pre-order on October 2nd, Hydrow takes home fitness to the next level with an indoor rower that brings the outdoors in. Hydrow offers over 100 rowing workouts, both live and on demand, from the waters of such rivers as the Charles in Boston, the Hudson in NYC, and the Miami River. Founded by CEO and US National team coach Bruce Smith, Hydrow instructors are all elite level athletes that include three-time World Rowing Championship silver medalist, Danielle Hansen. Hydrow delivers an on-river outdoor rowing experience that engages two times more of the body’s muscles than biking or running. A 20-minute workout on the Hydrow burns over 400 calories compared to 40 minutes on bike.
Read More

 

Saturday September 1, 2018

Hip Hydration

 

Image Map

CLICK BOTTLES TO SHOP!

As Solange Knowles highlighted on the red carpet last week at the Met Gala… it’s hip to hydrate! But forget those old plastic water bottles… the most coveted are those of stainless steel and glass, as refined as your favorite barware. Molded into a variety of shapes and sizes, from tall and sleek, to fat and stout, fill her up with one of these style-minded, eco-friendly vessels!

 
ROW 1: KLEAN KANTEEN INSULATED 20 oz. REFLECT $40.95. The Insultated Reflect water bottle comes in a brushed and mirrored stainless steel that features a sustainably harvested bamboo top. Non-toxic and BPA-free, double-wall vacuum insulation keeps beverages cold for 24 hours and iced for 40 hours.

HIP TRITAN 22 oz. $14.99. New from acclaimed designers Richard Smiedt and Karim Rashid comes the flask style Hip Tritan. In partnership with Water For People, this BPA-free, reusable and recyclable water bottle provides 2 days of safe drinking water to someone in need with every bottle purchased. Available in 6 stylish colorways too.

YETI RAMBLER 26 oz. $39.99. Known for their supercool coolers – temps that is – Yeti water bottles are equally matched. Sleek and durable, double-wall vacuum insulation keeps beverages cold (or hot) for days, with no sweat tech to prevent moisture buildup. Available in three sizes: 18, 36, and now 26 oz.
Read More

 
 

BACK TO TOP