FlipBelt Review

Hey guys!

Since this week started off so awesomely amazing and threw all my blogging schedule off, this is not your usual Workout Wednesday post, BUT – it is fitness related.

Gonna drop some knowledge on you today 🙂

Have you ever experienced the dilemma before going for a run/grocery shopping/picking up the kids/to the gym of whether or not you should bring your purse with you, or in case of workouts – what to do with all this stuff you need (car/house keys, phone, etc..) once you get to the gym?

Don’t answer, we all did. 🙂

Well, I got a solution for you – FlipBelt.

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5 Things You Can Do to Help New Students in Indoor Cycling Class

Hey guys! The latest post I wrote with tips for new indoor cycling / Spinning® instructors totally exploded my blog stats. Thank you so much to everyone who came over to read it, comment on it, share it and I hope you found it helpful.

I thought I’d talk about indoor cycling / Spinning® tricks again today since it is something that I really care about, and this blog is a way to share the information I have hoping that it can help somebody one day. Hmm…I sense a new blog series starting 🙂

So you’re an indoor cycling / Spinning® instructor. I bet you were once a newbie student in somebody’s class. Remember that?

Most likely that instructor who taught the very first class you attended was pretty good since you decided to make teaching indoor cycling your job! Either way, I’m sure you remember the experience of taking the very first class, feeling weird and out of place with all those guys in cycling jerseys and funny shoes around you. Oh and that soreness in the saddle area the day after (ouch!) – but I digress.

We all once were very new to indoor cycling. Whether or not we came back to that class or indoor cycling in general depended a lot on the instructor of that very first class we took.

Now the roles are reversed and you’re on the other side of the room hoping you’re doing a good job and your students like your class enough to come back for more.

Here’s some more insider information for you from someone who was a newbie not so long ago and is now teaching indoor cycling. 🙂

new students in indoor cycling

{ONE} Have Your Radar On

Before your class begins, as people start entering the room… Keep your “radar” on. It is a great skill to be able to remember people’s faces and names, and to remember exactly if they’ve been to your class before. Not all of us have mastered it just yet – especially if the studio you teach at has 50 bikes in the room.

Do your best and try to remember new people as you meet them.

Back to that radar – it’ll help you spot the new people you haven’t seen before.

Asking if anybody’s new to cycling when you’re already on the bike and ready to start doesn’t work. Everybody knows it’s time to start. If you were new, would you say “Yes, I’m new. Can you please help me?” in the room full of people eager to start pedaling away?

Exactly.

Do your radar screening and walking around before the class. Spot them. Come up to them and introduce yourself. Ask if they need any help. Be proactive.

Keep an eye on them during the class and get off the bike to help if you see them struggling with form, etc..

That radar is called “I CARE” and it’s a shame that many instructors have it off most of the time. If yours is on – the new riders will come back. You know, because you care.

{TWO} Warn them in advance and keep it simple

We teach every day/week. Many things we do and say in the class seem natural and obvious to us, but they are not so obvious to new students in indoor cycling.

“What in the world is RPM and how do I find it on this little computer? How do I even turn it on?”

When you spot them and come up to talk to them before class, after the bike set up (see, I don’t even mention that as one of the 5 things – it’s a MUST) – go over the bike computer (if applicable) and basic terminology you use in the class (RPM, resistance, climb, flat road, etc..). You won’t have time for a lecture, but try to explain the basics briefly.

Consider changing up your cueing to “less jargon” if you have new students in that class.

Example:

Instead of:

“Gimme more of that hill!”

Say:

“Add resistance”

Remember, this terminology is new to them. Keep it simple.

{THREE} Magic Box

Let’s face it: they won’t remember the bike set up numbers next time they come to your/other instructor’s class.

They will feel embarrassed to ask for help again and will set it up themselves “by the feel”. They will end up doing it wrong and hurting themselves.

Don’t let it happen – all it takes for you to help them is one trip to Wal-Mart and about $10.

Buy an index card box, couple packs of index cards and a pack of alphabetic dividers:

new students in indoor cycling

After you’re done setting up the bike for them, write the settings and their name down on an index card and file under the letter their name starts with.

Now, I know they don’t show up with enough time for you to do all that before class. If you’re running out of time, mention this option to them and come back with that index card after class.

If they run out before you can get to them with that card, go over to their bike, write the numbers down and file. Mention it to them next time they come to your class.

{FOUR} Now about that saddle…

I mentioned being sore from the saddle earlier in this post.

Do you remember how miserable you were after the first ever indoor cycling class? I still do and it hurts to even think about it.

Talk to your manager and see if you can purchase a couple gel seat covers for newbies. Experienced riders come prepared (padded shorts, gel seat covers, tough rears 🙂 ) – new riders will not know about this “drawback” of the first class. I know a woman who never returned to cycling for that very reason.

Offer them a gel seat cover. It won’t take care of the issue 100% and they will still be sore the day after, but it will help. A LOT.

{FIVE} New Student Handout

Put together and print a handout for new students – anything they might need to know about indoor cycling for beginners. Here are some suggestions on what to include into the handout:

  • the importance of proper riding form,
  • a column with basic terminology,
  • contraindicated moves,
  • “dress code” guidelines and what to bring to class,
  • hand positions and moves,
  • cycling class types offered at your facility (junior, senior, introduction to cycling, express, 1 hour long, etc..),
  • schedule on the back for just the cycling classes your facility offers – for easier reference,
  • quick introduction of the cycling instructors on the back (add photos and let instructors write up the introductions themselves),
  • and any other information that might be specific to your facility.

What you include in that handout is entirely up to you and your Physical Director, but make sure it is a fun and engaging introduction to your club’s indoor cycling / Spinning® program. You want them to come back for more!

And that’s it, my dear indoor / outdoor cyclists 🙂

I hope you found this post helpful. If you did – please, SHARE to help more instructors make their newbies feel welcome in their classes and come back for more benefits that cycling has to offer.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Ride on!

Lean Lena

Pro Compression Socks Review and Special Discount!

Hey guys! Happy Monday!

How was you weekend? Mine was busy and active, as always 🙂

Even though I am just training for my first 5K, you might remember me wondering about the benefits/lack thereof of running in compression socks. Well, shortly after I wrote that post I got an opportunity to review Pro Compression socks through my Sweat Pink Ambassadorship.

pro compression

I decided to see for myself if compression socks make any difference while training and recovering!

We were given the choice of reviewing Marathon Socks or Calf Sleeves. I opted for the socks.

I ordered the Marathon Socks in white and got them in the mail just a few days later.

pro compression

Well, I just couldn’t wait to try them in action!

That same day when I got them in the mail, hubby and I had our next run scheduled with the C25K, so I put my socks on about 15 minutes before the run, kept them on and off we went!

Ok, here’s what happened: I felt like my legs were running ahead of the rest of my body that day. One of the reasons why was that it was the first cool day after a few sweaty exhausting runs. Another reason was that we had a 2 day rest since last run, and 1 day rest since the leg-related activity (the cycling class I taught that Monday).

But I know my legs – it wasn’t just cooler weather and rest. Those socks worked, too! For the first time since I re-started running I felt like moving my feet was not hard work, but pleasure.

pro compression

I got home, took a shower and put them on that evening for a while for recovery.

pro compression

Added in some foam rolling and next day my legs felt like that run never happened! No. Tightness. At. All.

From that day forward, I’ve been running in those socks and leaving them on for 15-30 minutes after runs.

pro compression

Here are the Key Features of the Pro Compression products:

1. True Graduated Compression 
2. Arch support with just the right amount of compression 
3. Stabilization zone through the sides to mid foot. Helps provide foot bed comfort.   
4. Open toe box so it will not keep your toes to tight.  
5. Wide cuff for added comfort. 
6. Moisture wicking materials
7. No blisters!  

Testified: ALL TRUE! I have decided that I am definitely a compression socks kinda girl! 🙂

Approved Stamp

Best part?

You guys can use the discount code “PINK” to get 40% OFF an entire purchase at the PRO Compression online store.

Click on the link below to tell your twitter friends about this awesome chance to get high quality product at 40% OFF:
Tweet: I #KeepItTight w/ @PROCompression! Use the code PINK for 40% OFF your entire purchase! http://ctt.ec/W2UDL+ @fitapproach #sweatpink

Stay fit, friends, and #keepittight 🙂

Lean Lena

C25K and Week 3 of 30 Days Active Challenge

Hey-hey my fitness gang! How is that hump day going over there?

I’m feeling pretty happy here 🙂 Oh! That’s right! Happy Birthday to me 🙂

Yep, I get to eat at least one of those today :) Image Source

Yep, I get to eat at least one of those today 🙂 Image Source

So I’m done with the 3rd week of my 30 Days Active Challenge and I have to say – it has been the toughest yet. Not only because I felt unmotivated for most of it, but also due to the family/life circumstances playing against me.

So here’s the Week 3 recap of the 30 days active challenge I brought onto myself.

{WEDNESDAY}  was a C25K run day.

c25k

Hubby and I went on another adventure with C25K – Day 2 of Week 2 is where we’re at. We ran/walked for 2.3 miles at about 13 min. average pace.

The stars were stacked against us that night – my Mr. H. pulled something around his knee and is out of running for now 🙁

{THURSDAY}  His knee didn’t start hearting until Thursday night after we got home from work.

I ended up staying at home and taking care of him/dinner/house stuff. I tried to make up for no official workout on Thursday by eating well and at least walking more.

dinner salad

{FRIDAY} was a nightmare

Family issue came up big time, which pretty much screwed up my entire weekend until late Sunday evening.

No official workout on Friday, but I did try to stay active and take more steps (I think I pretty much went up and down the stairs at work like every 30 minutes).

{SATURDAY}

I was so tired after Friday events that I was only capable of yoga – or so I thought in the morning anyway.

So I did yoga with Fiona.

I haven’t been to her class in a while and was so happy to get a chance to go – it was wonderful to see how her teaching style has evolved to showcase the strength that I always knew she had. It was a great class and really helped me relax after the stress of my Friday and tune out of everything but what my body was doing in that hour.

Thank you, Fiona. I’m really grateful for that class.

{SUNDAY} Active Day

The family train got back on it’s tracks – everybody was relieved and happy again.

I took a quick bike ride to the swim club choosing to move my legs rather than take a car ride with my folks:

bike ride

Got a quick refreshment in the pool, got back home and went for a run with C25K!

C25K

Lessons learnt: more that 2 days’ gap between runs does not feel good; it’s not the heat it’s the humidity that’s the “run killer”. Temperature was nice and pleasant, but it was still very humid. Besides, I chose a route that had me going uphill most of the time (silly). Oh well. That was done and felt good afterwards.

All my efforts on Sunday were rewarded by the FitBit stats in the evening:

c25k

{MONDAY} is my new favorite day of the week.

Why? Because that’s when I teach at the YMCA at 5:30 PM and get to see my cycling gang, ride with them and share this incredible energy they create.

I had 7 people in my class this Monday, no newbies, all my regulars and familiar faces. We had a blast!

cycling

If you’re a cycling/Spinning® instructor looking for new ideas for your playlists, check out this page here to see the playlists I use for my rides.

{TUESDAY} Swimming

It was hot yesterday! Really-really hot. So we grilled some chicken thighs, packed some watermelon and went over to the swim club, where I did some laps and then we had dinner there.

food

And then I got home and picked all this goodness in my garden to fuel my challenged body 🙂 🙂 🙂

gardening

So, what did I learn from this week of the Challenge?

First of all – I learned not to turn one slip up into a slip up week. Life got in the way of my workouts on Thursday and Friday, but I didn’t quit or stop the 30 Days Active Challenge. I kept going. Because it is not a failure. It’s a slip up. You get up and keep going.

Because I pretty much missed two days, I am going to extend my challenge until August 2 instead of finishing on July 31.

And that’s how it’s going to be. Bring on the final week of the 30 Days Active Challenge!

Tell me, guys: what was the best work out you had this/last week?

Stay fit, and keep going!

Lean Lena

Linked to: Work Out Wednesdays Linkup, The Hump Day Blog Hop, Wine’d Down Wednesday

30 Days Active Challenge Follow Up Report – Week 2

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Hey guys! The Hump Day is here!

Are you having a good week so far? I’m pretty excited to be back here with my Week 2 of the 30 Days Active challenge report.

This challenge to myself started with this post where I wrote a Tough Love Letter to myself following a session at FitBloggin’ 14.

And I’m happy to report that the challenge is going very well and I am staying active every day. Here’s how:

{WEDNESDAY}  last week was a yoga night! My legs were SORE from biking and running the week before, so yoga just felt super nice and relaxing.

30 days active challenge

I chose to walk to the Y instead of driving

{THURSDAY}  was HOT! Didn’t really feel like spending any time indoors though, so hubby and I went on a nice long walk together.

30 days active challenge

Sporting our Vibram Five Fingers (Stats on the right are for the day. Yeah, I know…I have a desk job)

Check out what we saw in one of the yards while walking:

Some people are amazingly creative!

Some people are amazingly creative!

{FRIDAY} was another run day – this time my husband decided to join me and train for a 5K too!

30 days active challenge

And that run marked the end of my Week 1 of 8 with Coach to 5K.

30 days active challenge

{SATURDAY} I did not feel the energy AT ALL.

All I could push myself to was a yoga class and a few laps in the pool. But I did it! And that was it 🙂

30 days active challenge

{SUNDAY} was another C25K Day

Hubby and I agreed to leave the house early in the morning (before the major heat kicked in) and go for a run. It was supposed to be the hottest day of the week, that’s why we wanted to get that run in early so we don’t have to suffer through it.

Well, Mr. H slept in and I waited for him patiently (because I am a good wife, you know). And then we suffered through it.

Not only was it miserably hot, but it was also the day in C25K when you switch to longer running sets.

That run was the worst of my life so far! I was drenched in sweat, breathless and a little dizzy when we got home. It took me a while to recover from that one…

30 days active challenge

The numbers above probably look funny to someone who runs regularly – nearly 14 minute miles… But I’m not sweating it. I’m getting there and working on it.

And I’m still lapping everybody on the couch 🙂 🙂 🙂

{MONDAY}  was a work day – I taught my regular Indoor Cycling Class at the Y.

It was raining outside, so I had 7 (!!!) people in my class – a record number for summer time 🙂 It also so happened that the class mostly consisted of my regular riders and good friends (Mr. H attended, too!).

We had a BLAST! I felt such wonderful energy exchange and inspiration! Don’t forget to check out the latest playlist right here to get the feel of what it was like 😉

30 days active challenge

{TUESDAY} was a weird day…

Mr. H and I were originally planning to go for another run with C25K, but he had to get up really early and leave, so we decided to re-schedule that run for Wednesday.

I had to do SOMETHING! I felt like peace and quiet. So I went upstairs, lit up some candles and did yoga.

30 days active challenge

And that was it, my friends!

Missed the Week 1 Report? No problem, check it out here.

Do share: what was your most favorite workout of the past week or so?

Stay fit, friends!

Lean Lena

This post was shared on the Workout Wednesdays linkup.

30 Days Active Challenge Follow Up Report – Week 1

Hey guys! Happy Hump Day!

As you may remember, last week I posted a Tough Love Letter to myself where I promised to go back to basics and workout every day for 30 days, and post weekly progress reports here.

So here is Part 1 of the 30 Days Active challenge recap, as promised.

{WEDNESDAY}

Last Wednesday, after I published the tough love letter, I was all jazzed up to get started on my new challenge!

So I grabbed my husband and we hit the weight room together (followed by a yoga class for me).

30 days active challenge

It felt awesome to be back in the weight room! I ran into a couple of my cycling students, which is always a pleasure. Love my people!

 {THURSDAY}

Oh, was I sore on Thursday! I think I pulled a muscle in my arm as it still hurts today – been working too hard 🙂

Since I couldn’t really use my arms to workout, hubby and I went on a long walk on Thursday evening.

30 day active challenge

{FRIDAY}

On Friday I woke up with an itch only a run could “scratch”. 🙂

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know that I got injured running about a year ago (on my first run in forever), went through a long and expensive PT, got a pair of expensive running shoes and never got back to running – story of my life…

Until the 4th of July 2014.

So at about 7 AM on the 4th of July, I dusted those Brooks off, laced ’em up, left a note for my husband (who was still asleep like most of sane people out there), and went for a run with the C25K® – 5K Trainer.

30 days active challenge

No, my bad knees didn’t give out and I ran/walked for about 1.7 miles. I know people who eat marathons for breakfast, and I’m awful proud of them and proud to be friends with them. But you know what? There’s no feeling like being proud of yourself for making those first 1.7 miles after a long period of being a lazy ass  injury!

I felt horrible every step of the 1.7 miles, and  felt awful proud of myself afterwards!

No knee pain so far (and it’s been almost a week), so I decided to stick with the C25K for now.

{SATURDAY}

It was my turn to teach Saturday Cycle at the Y at 8:00 am last week. The Y has dropped the 9:00 am class for the summer and made the 8:00 am class an hour long instead of the usual 45 minutes.

I have to admit, I dislike an hour long cycling classes. I think 45 minute format is ideal for getting a good workout and not overdoing it.

But hey, the boss is the boss, so I put together a hilly, one hour long nightmare plan on Friday night 🙂

30 day active challenge

It is VERY schematic though – the height and steepness of the hills in the drawing above had nothing to do with the actual intensity of the class profile elements. I just did that so I could better visualize the terrain I planned out for the class.

So on Saturday morning I grabbed my husband again (gotta love that guy for everything he takes from me!), and we headed out the door for the morning cycling madness 🙂

30 days active challenge

We killed it! It was a wonderful class – great energy from my students, lots of compliments from the class on my playlist. By the way, you can check out the playlists I use in my indoor cycling classes here.

After getting home, taking a quick shower and grabbing breakfast, I went back to the Y for a yoga class. Oh did that feel good to my sore legs and arms and shoulders!

{SUNDAY}

Regular workout was just not playing out for me on Sunday. The evening was approaching fast so I had to come up with something to stay active.

When the family decided to drive to our local swim club, I decided to bike there.

It’s not far – just about 1.73 miles one way, but that was better than nothing.

30 days active challenge

It felt great to do some laps at the pool afterwards, too!

{MONDAY}

On Monday I taught my regular indoor cycling class to my regular 3 summer students 🙂 You know, you might see a lot of instructors complaining about attendance numbers dropping in the summer time. I LOVE this time – I use this opportunity to try new things in the class that I wouldn’t be able to try with a bigger group, use it to bond with my students and give them more attention during and after class.

Love-love-love small classes. They might not be blasting the bigger class energy, but they sure feel rewarding and challenging!

30 days active challenge

{TUESDAY}

It was HOT here on Tuesday. I kind of gave up on the idea of going for a run since early morning – it was sticky! Options were: home yoga DVD or weight room at the Y.

Since my arm is still not 100%, I decided to wait with the weight room.

Home yoga DVD seemed a little boring….It cooled down after the rain…So I ended up going for a run 🙂

10 days active challenge

I love that feeling of freedom running gives you…All you need is a pair of shoes and some motivation to lift yourself off the couch and get out of the door – and you won’t regret it.

I felt so much energy after the run last night!

So, friends. Here are the results of Week 1 of the 30 Days Active Challenge:

  • I. AM. SORE. Like, all the time and everywhere 🙂
  • I am 2.8 lb lighter (that’s after a 6 months plateau and then a gain – I couldn’t believe the number on the scale finally moved in the right direction!)
  • I look at my FitBit more than I look at my watch 🙂 Sometimes I feel like I look at my FitBit more than I look at my husband! 🙂 🙂 🙂
  • I feel empowered!

That’s it for now, guys.

Remember to check back next Wednesday for the Week 2 recap of my 30 Days Active challenge I brought onto myself 🙂

Stay strong!

Lean Lena

This post has been shared on the Work Out Wednesdays Linkup. I am also a featured blogger there this week! Check it out – it is a great weekly linkup with wonderful people.

 

FitBloggin’ 2014 – Recap

Hey guys! I’m back from FitBloggin’ 2014 in Savannah, GA!

I am so overwhelmed with emotions, information and experiences that I kept my husband up real late on the day I came back telling him all about it. Just couldn’t shut up 🙂 I think he fell asleep while I was talking…and so did I. 🙂

Anyway, here’s a brief recap of the conference and I will be getting back to it again and again and will give you more details on just about everything I experienced there in the next few posts as it is just too much for one.

Let’s see…

{THE TRIP}

Giving some last minute instructions to hubs at the airport while he's taking a picture

Giving some last minute instructions to hubs at the airport while he’s taking a picture

The trip itself was awful – every flight I was on (both ways) was delayed. I had to make a run through Dalles Airport for a gate change and all that kind of “fun” stuff.

Tweeted my unhappy face to United and got this in return:

a compliment!

a compliment!

The view was totally worth it, though.

Chicago on the way back

Chicago on the way back

Beautiful sunset in the sky on the way back

Beautiful sunset in the sky on the way back

{THE SESSIONS} were so much fun!

Great information, a lot of food for thought and ideas! Just a few favorites:

Brooklyn Fit Chic talking about how to pitch to brands. Yep, that’s right. THAT Brooklyn Fit Chic. 🙂 Click here to view the live blog of the session.

IMG_6242

Dan Morris from Blogging Concentrated talking about monetizing your blog. Was stoked to meet this guy! I’ve been reading his newsletter for a while. He is even a better speaker than he is a writer.

Dan Morris and his session on monetizing your blog

Dan Morris and his session on monetizing your blog

Cutting Edge Culinary with Michelle Dudash was a great presentation of a whole new way to cut and peel an avocado 🙂

Cutting Edge Culinary with Michelle Dudash, RD

Cutting Edge Culinary with Michelle Dudash, RD

fitbloggin

Can you believe they trusted the demo part of that one to A Hungry Runner? 🙂 Seriously? 🙂

{WORKOUTS} were numerous!

I slept in on the Boot Camp morning but was there bright an early for the Yoga with Kia.

fitbloggin

Photo credit: Carrie D Photography

I didn’t go to any other workouts. They looked like they were ton of fun but I chose to attend sessions instead.

{PEOPLE} oh my….

This is a one crazy crowd those fitness bloggers, let me tell ya 🙂

Well, first of all, I finally met my blogging buddy Jennifer aka A Hungry Runner. We shared the room – if anybody tells you that she snores – don’t believe them, it’s a lie 🙂

Rocking the Sweat Pink glasses :)

Rocking the Sweat Pink glasses 🙂

I also met another wonderful Jen – from over at Cranky Fitness. Click-click on that link over to her blog – she’s awesome, I promise 🙂

IMG_6255

Just about the only two weirdoes who didn’t take a celebrity selfie when they had a chance

I met a whole lot of wonderful people! It was awesome to be a part of this event even though it was at times overwhelming and awkward being a newbie in the crowd mostly consisting of “seasoned” bloggers who had met before and are having a reunion.

I wish there were more activities for new attendees’ assimilation.

{ORGANIZERS} – last but not least.

Roni and her wonderful team did an AMAZING job making sure everything was running smooth. Seriously, this team needs to be delegated to organize Academy Awards they are so good!

This is Roni and her bloggers 🙂

fitbloggin

Yep, that pretty much sums it up 🙂 Photo credit: Carrie D Photography

Keep your eyes peeled tomorrow for the food and sights of Savannah recap as part of the Tasty Tuesday Linkup Party! Feel free to come link up your recipes, food adventures and other tastiness on tomorrow’s post.

Bye for now!

Lean Lena

Vega Sport Hydrator Review by Lost and Found Blogger

Hey my lovelies! Have you missed me? 🙂

I sure missed you!

My office still pretty much looks like this – at least for the most part of the work week:

IMG_5766

And my office clothes – like this:

IMG_5767

I am exposed to the weather conditions (rain or shine) and having all other sorts of fun related to overseeing container loading 🙂

Good news: this is the last week I’m doing it. After that – back to being an office rat and sleeping in until 6:30 AM.

Even better news: I have a piece of hard earned wisdom to share with you today.

If you have to work outside in the heat, if you do 12000 steps between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm – support your body. Drink a lot of water!

I was lucky enough to get a pack of Vega Sport Hydrator as part of the Fuel Your Better campaign with Fit Approach before my adventure started.

vega sport

I have to tell you – when it comes to hydrating, I prefer pure water. I just can’t really deal with the aftertaste of a sports drink and the feeling of complete draught in my mouth after drinking them. But since it was a Vega product, I decided to give it a try. They already surprised me once with their no aftertaste protein powder as I mentioned before. So, I thought, why not give it a shot again with Vega?

You probably know from my social media pages that I am now an employee of the Carlisle Family YMCA and teach an indoor cycling class every Monday. Since I am a beginner-instructor, I put a profile together every Saturday, give it a trial “run” myself on Sunday, then teach it on Monday. So! Back to Vega Sport Hydrator. One Sunday I went for my trial ride in the cycling room alone and brought the Hydrator with me to check it out.

Vega Sport Hydrator

It is a powder that you add to your water so you can decide for yourself how concentrated you want it to be. I made mine pretty thin so the taste is subtle.

I rode 8.6 miles on pretty intense hilly terrain that day!

Vega Sport Hydrator

I fueled those miles with the Vega Sport Hydrator. I have to say, being used to hydrating with plain water the taste was a little distracting in the beginning. But I still enjoyed it on my ride!

Vega Sport Hydrator

For my next class I made sure I had a bottle of this goodness with me!

Vega Sport Hydrator

The second time around I just loved it! So glad I have a whole box that Vega Team sent me!

It does its job perfectly in my opinion – hydrates and gives you energy to goof around like this after you taught/took a tough cycling class:

IMG_5776

My super exhausting few weeks of working outside all day would not be so bearable without this product either! I used it to hydrate while being out there in the sun for the past few weeks and running around between the containers and Gators 🙂

BONUS: Vega Sport Hydrator does not contain sugar or artificial sweeteners! 0 Calories, too!

No guilt, great taste and benefits for your body all the way around – count me in! 🙂

Thank you, Vega Team and Fit Approach for this wonderful opportunity to try out Vega Sport Hydrator.

Disclaimer: even though I received complementary product from Vega and Fit approach, I was not compensated in any other way for this post and the opinions above are my own.

 

Vega Bars Review

Hey guys! Happy New Week!

As you might have noticed from following me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook – I’ve been selected to review Vega Bars through Fit Approach. I am super excited and honored as it is my very first product review and it is for Vega! I wanted to thank both Fit Approach and Vega Team for this great opportunity!

The very first time I ever heard of Vega was when I got one of my Foodie Penpal boxes from Heather over at Kiss My Broccoli – she sent me a packet of Vega Sport Performance Protein. I am not very big on protein powders. I do add them to smoothies occasionally but mostly I dislike them for the artificial aftertaste. I was intrigued by the product of Vega back then for not having that aftertaste! So when Fit Approach sent out an opportunity e-mail to review Vega bars, I jumped right at it and was selected as one of the bloggers!

Anyway, back to the bars. I have received a box of goodness from Vega to try out.

Vega bar

There were four kinds in my box: Vega Snack, Vega One, Vega Sport Protein Bar and Vega Sport Energy Bar – I got 2 flavors of each kind.

I won’t bore you with nutrition facts and such in this post. All that information is available online and you can access it and decide if it is right for your nutrition goals. This post is all about my personal experience trying the bars and how my taste buds felt in the process. 🙂

Of course I had to try one right when I received my box! I just got home from work and was getting ready to go to my Wednesday night yoga class, so I thought that would be a perfect time for a snack!

Vega bars

Well, hello there!

I started with Cranberry-Almond snack bar. LOVED the combination of almond and cranberry! I personally found this bar a little too sweet, but you’re looking at the girl who loves super dark chocolate the most. Otherwise, it did the job just great – it was a perfect snack to keep me going for a few hours until dinner time.

Next up was Vega One meal bar and I tried Chocolate-Peanut Butter flavor.

Vega bars

Let me tell you, this is a one serious bar right there! It has 13 g of protein, it is just the right amount of sweetness, and it has peanut butter AND chocolate in it! I was a little skeptical about the name to begin with – meal bar? There’s no way I can be satisfied subbing a meal with a bar – I’ll get hungry in an hour! – I thought. So I had this bar as a snack between meals at work. Erm…I was not hungry for HOURS! I just wasn’t. I had it for a 10 am snack and didn’t have lunch until 2 pm while my usual lunch time after the 10 am snack is noon. Hey, if you know you’re going to be hellishly busy and will not have time to sit down and eat a meal – this is a perfect on the go solution. My favorite part was that having 13 g of protein in it – you get none of that disgusting artificial powder aftertaste you get after eating a protein packed bar. NONE!

On Saturday I headed out for my usual Saturday double in the morning – indoor cycling class and then yoga. Sometimes I eat breakfast before that, other times I don’t – depends on how early I get up and if I feel like eating. This past Saturday I didn’t – so Chocolate-Coconut Vega Sport protein bar came in very handy in between the classes – it was a perfect snack to keep me going for another hour of exercise after cycling.

Vega bar yoga cycling

Just look at this goodness!

vega bar

Yesterday my husband and I went for a 30K bike ride at our local Rail Trail. I absolutely LOVED the event and the trail, but 30K is a long way to go and you know me – I need a snack every 2 hours. I made sure I am well prepared for the challenge!

cycling

Once again, Vega Sport Energy Bar performed – I had my snack before the ride and then half way through:

cycling vega bars

Don’t mind my face – I just really wanted to finish my Vega bar!

The conclusion, my friends is this:

If you’re looking for a healthy AND delicious snack – Vega Bars are the way to go – no funky ingredients, yummy flavors, plant-based, gluten free and non-GMO.

Best thing – they taste GREAT. They taste like a treat without the guilt part of having one.

I absolutely and sincerely loved being a part of this campaign held by Vega and Fit Approach!

I hope you decide to try Vega Bars, friends. They are 100% worth it!

Have a great week and I will see you back here tomorrow for the Tasty Tuesday linkup party!

Lena

Disclosure: this is a sponsored post. I have received complementary box of Vega bars from Vega and Fit Approach. All opinions in this post are my own.

A Hectic Week Recap – Eats and Exercises

Hey guys! Happy Hump Pump Day! 🙂

I’ve had a very hectic couple of weeks as you probably noticed by the lack of my “What’s on my plate” Wednesday and Motivation Monday posts this and last week… Well, guess what? I am making it all up to you today by combining the two 🙂

Not much was going on on the exercise front last week – between the sharp right shoulder/arm pain and busy schedule I managed to squeeze in just a few workouts/classes last week.

{MONDAY} Cycling and Chicken

Cycling class with Jim on Monday

Cycling class with Jim on Monday

I don’t like Mondays most of the time. I am excited about Monday being a new beginning and all, but by the end of the day I am beat. It is usually the busiest day of the week for me – at work, exercising after work, etc. etc.. What do I make for dinner when I am busy? That’s right – crockpot anything 🙂

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Last Monday it was chicken! I used to put it in the crockpot in the morning, set on Low and turn it off when I get home at 5 PM. It made the chicken a little overcooked to my liking…So what I’ve been doing lately is I would come home for lunch, and throw the chicken into the crock pot (Low) for 4-5 hours. That’s plenty of time to cook it and it comes out just perfectly juicy.

Hubby made wok veggies on Monday night – and we got a perfect dinner right there!

{TUESDAY} No Exercise and Lamb

Took a rest day on Tuesday night.

Foodie’s highlight of the day was lamb for dinner – grilled to perfection by my husband.

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and this fruit and veggie platter I had at work for my snack throughout the afternoon:

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{WEDNESDAY} Yoga and Pork Chops

I did make it to yoga on Wednesday but didn’t take any pictures so you’ll just have to trust me on that one 🙂

And then I got home and made rosemary pork chops and a salad for my tired husband.

Mmmmmm....

Mmmmmm….

{THURSDAY} Rest Day and Orange Salsa

Yeah, that was the day my shoulder and arm started acting up. It was that kind of muscle paralyzing pain that makes it hard to lift even a cup of coffee.

That did not prevent me from making an awesome orange salsa to go with tilapia and rice for dinner on Thursday evening, though 🙂

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{FRIDAY} Another rest day and Beet Root Salad

On Friday my shoulder/arm was hurting so much it would wake me up at night. So…another rest day for the Lena 🙁

The food highlights of the day included the beet root salad I made for lunch on Sunday during my meal prep.

Canned beet roots, lettuce, feta, roasted pepitas and purple onions

Canned beet roots, lettuce, feta, roasted pepitas and purple onions

{SATURDAY} Yoga and Big Family Breakfast

By Saturday I felt good enough to go get some gentle stretching done in a yoga class.

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Yoga was followed by a breakfast fest made by my husband!

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I also had a super-delicious lunch – leftover pasta with scallops from eating out the night before:

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YUM!!!

{SUNDAY} Food Prep

Well, that decision to go to yoga the day before was a little pre-mature. My shoulder and arm were not ready for any Sunday workout.

They were good for Sunday meal prep, so I went wild 🙂 I actually started on Saturday with this:

Apple-Cinnamon infused water, sweet potatoes and quinoa

Apple-Cinnamon infused water, sweet potatoes and quinoa

and then continued on Sunday by making lunches and snacks for the week days:

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No working out on Sunday either 🙁 Some nice kitchen time though 🙂 🙂 🙂

And that was my week of eating and non-exercising at a glance 🙂

Do share: How did you do last week? Anything fun? Anything delicious cooking?

Take care, friends, and stay fit!

Lena

Five on Friday – Fitness Geek and a Little More Bling

Hey, guys! Happy Friday!

I hope you had a great week!

Traditionally, Friday post is about five things I am loving lately, want to own, already own and adore, etc. etc. – Five on Friday.

So, here we go.

{ONE} More Swatch Watches

Did I mention I am addicted to them? No? I am addicted to them.

Here is another one from my collection.

Swatch-3

There is an interesting story behind this one – I got it in China in 2007, at the Beijing International Airport duty free. I didn’t have enough money with me to get it at that time, so I had to borrow some from my travel companion. 🙂 Ever since – where ever I go wearing this watch – I always get a compliment.

I have never seen one like that anywhere else.

In fact, I was having trouble finding a picture on the internet until I got on Swatch Official Website and used their search function.

So, for those of you who want one, the model name is Swatch Affecting SFK292G.

{TWO} This awesome T

il_570xN_393991096_1thv

I think I am going to buy it as a present for one of my fellow “inmates” 🙂

Buy on Etsy.

{THREE} Stability Ball – Gold’s Gym 

I’ve been eyeing those for a while wanting to get one to exercise at home, and I finally did. I got mine at Walmart. If you ever go out to get one, pay attention to the sizes they come in – the ball diameter you need depends on your height, so read what’s on the box before you grab it – otherwise you will have to go back and deal with the people of Walmart trying to exchange it 🙂

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Can also get it on Amazon:

What I like about this particular one is that it comes with an air pump and an exercise chart! This Wednesday I did some ball exercises every commercial break while I watched Criminal Minds on TV 🙂

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{FOUR} Yoga Props – Blocks

You guys know that I have a couple of rest days a week… Well, what’s a rest day without some home yoga practice in it, right? 🙂 So. I’ve been getting some props for my yoga practice at home. It is amazing how much you need when you try to “do it at home”!

So, I recently read this article by Christine and it inspired me to order yoga blocks.

Yoga block

If you’re into yoga – check out Christine’s blog. She has a great series of posts titled “Ask a Yogini” where you can ask her any question about your yoga practice!

{FIVE} Homemade Granola

Been addicted to it lately. I made a whole batch last weekend, and I have to tell you – put some yogurt on top and you got a perfect filling snack that will keep you going until lunch! That’s pretty good if you’re trying to limit your snacking.

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You can find a recipe for it here.

Do share: what’s your latest favorite finds/likes/addictions?

Have a great weekend, guys, and I will see you on Monday 🙂

Motivation Monday: FitFluential March Miles and last week’s exercise round up

Hey guys! Happy Monday!

As always, I am sharing my last week’s exercise recap with you today! I can finally do that as I am back in the game – no more skipping, slacking, etc. etc. Last week was as close to my normal exercise routine as possible – that was my goal and I have accomplished what I’d planned! Here’s how it was:

{MONDAY} Cycling class with Jim.

I am still working on my resistance loading – it is amazing how hard it is psychologically to put more resistance on the wheel and push yourself, as opposed to pushing yourself to go faster with a lighter wheel. I only went for 9.2 miles this time, but oh did I sweat for those nine point damn two miles!
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Totally rocked my Spinning® bandana! Those things are great for blocking sweat. I have no idea why I’ve never worn one before!
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I am also doing a 100 mile March challenge by FitFluential! So I walked 2.80 miles on Monday, too to get my #ffmarchmiles in 🙂
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I am loving this challenge! It is amazing how it makes you realize that despite all the workouts you do during the week, you don’t spend all that much time walking at all…
Note the good use I am putting my Reebok pedometer to 🙂


{TUESDAY} Rest Day

Had a rest day from exercise, but did some walking for the March miles!

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{WEDNESDAY} Yoga and more

Wednesday night is yoga night! Oh it felt soooo good to stretch!
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I also hit the gym for a quick walk/run on a treadmill and some weights before yoga.
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And of course I had to log some FF March miles, too!
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{THURSDAY} Treadmill + Weights

I initially planned a rest day on Thursday, but that didn’t happen 🙂 I did go to the gym – walked/ran on a treadmill and did some weights after work!
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I am feeling very good about my latest treadmill “adventures”. It is hard to get back into running when you have never actually been a runner in the first place, and when you decided to start being one – you got injured. I am smarter this time. I take it slow. I am being careful. I take it one minute at a time. And it feels great 🙂
Here’s what Thursday #ffmarchmiles looked like:
march mile March 6
{FRIDAY} Yoga

Friday night is yoga night too, you know. I kind of figured it counts as a rest day 🙂
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Friday FitFluential March Miles:
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{SATURDAY} Cycling + Yoga

I did my double – indoor cycling and yoga:

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{SUNDAY} Rest Day

Well, so called “Rest Day”…My husband is working on our kitchen, so there were a lot of miles done around the house – cleaning, cleaning and cleaning some more:

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And that’s all she wrote 🙂

Do share: what fun workouts did you do last week? Which one was your favorite?

Stay fit, my friends!

Lena

#MNBChallenge, Week 3 Recap – Believe

Hey, guys! Happy Saturday!

How is your weekend going? I hope you are getting a lot of active rest and relaxation!

I am here today to tell you about last week’s happenings of the Move, Nourish, Believe Challenge. If you missed the previous recaps, you can find them here and here.

The past week was about the spiritual aspect of the challenge, which I struggled with the most, and which I think was the most important part of the challenge just because of that.

It is easy to comply with challenges like “eat this, eat that”, or “workout this/that way” for me…Unfortunately, it is not so easy to stop and think, and believe….

I’ve been struggling in the past couple of weeks with my overall motivation (or rather the lack thereof)…I hardly exercised at all and noticed that I started cutting myself a little slack here and there with my food choices. That is not good. Week 3 of the challenge made me stop, think and reconsider. And smell the roses. And realize that whatever is going on with my motivation is ok, and I need to go through this and bounce back. And I am bouncing back 🙂

So, here’s what happened during Week 3 of the MNB Challenge.

{MONDAY} Spoil Yourself!

Now that is an awesome start to any week, isn’t it? I did spoil myself with an at-home manicure.

here's all my gear!

here’s all my gear!

and the final result of spoiling myself

and the final result of spoiling myself

{TUESDAY} 5 Mindful Minutes

On Tuesday we were supposed to meditate for at least 5 minutes.

I am generally not a good meditation person. That is something I am struggling with in yoga – relaxation and meditation. ‘Cos, you know….I’m far better at buzzing around at the speed of light and it is hard for me to stop. Not that I can’t, I just enjoy my own rhythm.

Anyway, challenge is to challenge yourself, so I did.

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My peaceful place underneath the family pictures in the living room 🙂

{WEDNESDAY} Be Happy.

On Wednesday we needed to share our happy place picture. That one took me a while to choose from – I have so many happy places (luckily)! after a thorough selection process this picture was dug out of the cyberspace.

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This was take quite a long time ago, and it is of me sitting on top of a cliff in a nature park just outside the city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, overlooking the beautiful Yenisei River.

That picture made me remember that I am the happiest when I can be alone with nature. Just for a few minutes, to get out of the everyday routine and just sit there looking at the water off of top of a cliff. Perfect!

{THURSDAY} Thankful Thursday.

On Thursday we needed to think and show what we were thankful for.

I am a very lucky woman. I have a wonderful family and friends, I have a good life, everybody I love is in good health and happy. I have a ton of things to be thankful for.

However, none of that would be possible for me if it wasn’t for my mom and dad. They were my answer to the Thankful Thursday challenge – if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been where I am right now.

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{FRIDAY} #1

On Friday, we had to give a shout out to our number one supporter and motivator.

You all know this guy very well 🙂

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Best “Yes!” I ever said was to him. He’s always been my number one fan, my number one supporter and partner in crime, my best friend and the love of my life!

And that is how we believed this past week!

I can’t believe this challenge is over… It was so much fun to be part of it! Thank you Fit Approach and Lorna Jane for the wonderful 3 weeks of moving, nourishing and believing!

Dreams Come True – Awesome Weekend Adventures

Hey guys! How was your weekend? Mine was AWESOME!

As you probably remember, I had becoming a Spinning® instructor as one of my New Year’s Resolutions.

Well, this past Saturday I went for my Instructor Training session at the East Shore YMCA in Harrisburg, PA. It was a full day of training + 2 awesome rides – all done by an incredible Master Instructor Meg McNeely.

Gosh…where do I begin?

Well, first of all, for over a year I had no idea that the classes I was taking were not actually Spinning® classes. They were indoor cycling classes – thanks to Meg and Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc. – now I know what Spinning® really is 🙂

With this knowledge came a lot of revelations (mostly unpleasant) – starting with the basic moves I’d performed in cycling classes for the past year and a half being not so good for me, and ending with the whole different philosophy behind Spinning® classes as opposed to the classes I’d been taking… and unfortunately, I was not alone. 13 other people in the group were sitting there nodding their heads as Meg described the misuse of the terms Spinning®, Spin® and Spinner® and the basic moves used in indoor cycling classes that don’t do you any good and may be harmful.

This training was an eye opening experience!

I didn’t really have time to take any pictures except my Polar FT40 screen after rides.

Ride 1

Ride 1

Ride 2

Ride 2

I still have to pass the online assessment and get my instructor card, but I now have the Certificate of Completion of the instructor training which gives me the right to start teaching.

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I am SO excited!

Now on to looking for a place to teach and continuing my education as an instructor. So far I have one place expressing interest I my services. We’ll see what happens!

Meanwhile I have a lot of work to do profiling classes, choosing music and thinking it all through while learning-learning-learning.

On a slightly unrelated subject – I have just been accepted to be a Sweat Pink Ambassador!!!

I have been waiting for a loooong time for this to happen. First, Fit Approach didn’t have their application process open when I first found them, then they opened it, I applied and waited and waited 🙂 I am SO excited to finally become a part of this wonderful community and to be their Ambassador. Thank you, Fit Approach!

Thank you, my wonderful friends, blog readers and my family – for your constant support and encouragement in what I do. I wouldn’t be able to do it without you!

Now I better go check what else was there on my Resolutions list and get cracking 😉

Stay fit, my dears!

Lena

Five on Friday: MNB Challenge, Week 1 Recap – Move

Hey guys!

Happy Friday!

As you probably noticed from the social media, I am participating in the Move, Nourish, Believe Challenge hosted by Fit Approach and Lorna Jane Activewear.

In this post I am going to tell you what the 5 days of the challenge were all about this past week in the format of Five on Friday! (hey, I’ve been on fire with this lately, haven’t I?) 🙂

{MONDAY} Sweat-it-Out!

On Monday the challenge participants had to show their favorite way to sweat. Well, that was a no brainer for me – Spinning of course!

My fav way to sweat-1

and, of course, I had to sweat in my favorite way that night:

Monday night spinning class with MJ

Monday night spinning class with MJ

{TUESDAY} Change it up!

On Tuesday, we were supposed to try a new way to sweat – select a workout from the challenge website and show the post-sweat selfie. I chose two workouts from the website: the 10 minute core challenge and Work it out with this Wednesday workout – with dumbbells.

It was fun! I normally don’t workout at home (too many distractions), but the weather was crappy so it was nice for a change. I really liked it! I should do it more often, and now I have just the resource for great quick workouts at home. A lot of them don’t require any equipment at all!

And here comes the selfie 🙂

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{WEDNESDAY} Let’s get planking!

The goal was to plank for at least five minutes – either in one setting or splitting up.

On Wednesday we were snowed in and I worked from home – so I had time to get into my planking! Got it done in two sets – 2.50 minutes each. Whew!

Lets Plank

{THURSDAY} Buddy up!

Thursday was a “workout with a Friend” day! I buddied up with my husband for an awesome lifting session!

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{FRIDAY} Fave Friday!

This day is about sharing our Five Fitness Favorites. So here we go!

Five Fitness Favorites

You all know of course, that mine are – spinning, yoga, lifting, planking (Oh look at that 5 min plank! It is my Personal Record so far of continuous planking on straight arms) and Polar FT40!

This challenge has been so much fun! I am meeting a lot of new and interesting people and sharing a ton of fun with them!

Next week is the “Nourish” part of the challenge – all about good food! Stay tuned, guys 🙂

Now, your turn! What are your Five on Friday or just things you’re loving lately? Link it up below or just tell me in comments to this post.

Have a great weekend!

Lena