Workout Playlist: Music to Squat By
Recently I was doing a lot of squats…a lot of them, and the music I was listening to just wasn’t cutting it. Then “How Low” by Ludacris came on and I really reached deep in those squats.
Here’s a playlist of music to squat by – a mix of rap & electronic, and lots of lows and downs to motivate you to really get into those squats! Note: some of the lyrics are NSFW.
Check out my past playlists for more workout music inspiration.
Goal weight, photos, and undergrowing your closet
Fact: I’m currently below my goal weight.
Fact: I am more muscular and my body is a little different than the last time I was at this weight and clothing size.
Fact: I saw a bunch of pictures of me recently and hated them. Hated them to the point I didn’t see any of the loss or improvements over the past 18 months. Poof. Gone. In a few pictures. (Let me be clear: it was definitely *not* the photographer’s fault, but wholly mine).
Read more…
Need some Motivation? My Motivational Saying Posters
I find a lot of times a simple phrase can become a mantra or a reinforcement when I need it most. I thought about making my own motivational posters, so I fired up GIMP and created these for everyone to enjoy and share.
Pin them on Pinterest (click the Pinterest button below the post), use them on your own site (I’d love a link/credit back to foodbloggeronadiet.com, please!) and let me know if you’d like to see a saying of your own in the next batch of motivation posters, and I’ll include! Requests accepted.
When you need to knuckle down and make sure you’re getting your work done – so simple, so effective: ”Get to work.”
Fueling and hydration during a run or race
In preparation for the SF half-marathon, I started experimenting with fueling during a race.
It had been a long time since I really needed to worry about fueling during a race. I think I used to just fuel up with a banana (or half) before a run. One big change from 10 years ago is I didn’t drink coffee then. Right. It’s now a big part of my life (I wrote a book about Italian coffee) in that I have one espresso, like clockwork, in the morning (most days I only have just that one). I usually have a few hours to process the coffee before heading off to the gym, so needless to say a 5 or 6am start for a race was making me nervous.
I tried a run a few weeks ago with no coffee and that was a bad idea. I also do most of my workouts on an empty (post-coffee) stomach and I think running longer distances (6 miles or so), I can’t. So I’m back to experimenting with proper fueling and giving my body proper time to process them so I’m not burping them up the first few miles (TMI?)
Here’s a look into how I fuel:
San Francisco Half Marathon Recap
10 years later, I completed my 2nd half marathon!
I definitely won’t let another 10 years go by. As I’ve said often, I think halfs are the sweet spot for training because your long runs never take more than about 2 hours and you aren’t wiped out for the rest of the day (vs. training for a marathon). I’m going to do a 10k as soon as I can (I can bust out 6 miles pretty easily) and perhaps another half marathon this fall.
This time, I’m positive I wouldn’t have finished as fast as I did if it hadn’t been for my two best friends pacing and encouraging me. Following my setback, I wasn’t able to get in enough long runs (or short runs, for that matter) to really feel prepared for the event. Last time I trained, I also did more track work (including speed work) and trails (for hills) which I think showed vs. my mainly treadmill + some outside longer runs.
The results? Read more…
Setback
A week ago, I was struck down with some gastro-intestinal…something. After 3 days of not being able to eat / breathe well / sleep, I ended up in urgent care for some relief (say what you will, but having access to Italy’s healthcare system is one of the reasons I love living in Italy). On day 6, I finally was able to spend the entire day out of bed, even if I still was eating only rice, crackers, and water.
I’ll be honest one of the first things I thought about when I started feeling bad was the 1/2 marathon I’m training for at the end of the month. The past week I haven’t left my bed nor my apartment much, much less exercised. A few days of eating only 300-500 calories has left me seriously weak and wondering what that means for July 29th which is quickly approaching. On Day 4 sitting at a computer made me break out in a sweat.
Sucks to be sick….closing in on Day 2 of Gatorade, white rice & crackers. Most upset to have to postpone #longrun tomm. Back to bed.—
Sara Rosso (@rosso) June 30, 2012
Last year when I started looking at making some changes to how I eat, several of my colleagues were doing the 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. Now while I haven’t read the book in full, I’ve learned a lot about the diet portion of the book, and I’m not really a fan. The principles are great for a short-term change, but not for anything sustainable, and seem like they are aimed mainly at single men (like the author).
Let’s take a look at his rules for the 4HB diet:
Rule #1: Avoid “white” starchy carbohydrates (or those that can be white). This means all bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and grains. If you have to ask, don’t eat it.
Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again, especially for breakfast and lunch. You already do this; you’re just picking new default meals.
Rule #3: Don’t drink calories. Exception: 1-2 glasses of dry red wine per night is allowed.
Rule #4: Don’t eat fruit. (Fructose –> glycerol phosphate –> more bodyfat, more or less.) Avocado and tomatoes are excepted.
Rule #5: Take one day off per week and go nuts. I choose and recommend Saturday.
Let’s take a further look at each rule. Read more…
