 After a Summer of running in humidity and heat, the cooler weather of Fall is a welcome feeling. Fall is also the time where people feel like they want to go more distance, or bring their speed up since they aren't weighed down by the humidity.
I always like to take this time to remind everyone of a few things: 1. Watch your mileage increase! Running injuries can happen all the time, but if you can prevent it, then why not? When you've ran or power walked consistently for a few weeks and you feel ready to increase your mileage- remember the rule of thumb is an increase of 10% of your last weeks miles. So if you did 30 miles the week before, an increase of 3 miles is a safe bet. I know it doesn't seem like much, but sticking to that 10% rule has kept A LOT of people safe and able to continue getting out there. 2. Check the weather reports. I don't have to tell you twice- New England weather is insane. In the Summer months not planning properly means you might get wet in a rain shower or resort to taking a layer off but in the cooler months it is very important to see what you'll come across while out there. Low temperatures and a sudden downpour while improperly dressed can lead to big problems. It's easy just like stretching (we'll get to that) and starting your activity on your phone or watch is something you don't even have to think about doing anymore, make checking the weather just as important. I'm not saying don't run if it's going to rain, I'm saying to dress for the occasion. 3. That stretching thing. Ask any runner if they have a stretching routine for before and after a run- the answer should ALWAYS be "yes" but more often than not I hear the opposite. Remember in the Fall people like to add on mileage and speed workouts? Yea.. get that stretching routine down. 4. Stay safe in the dark. Depending on the time you can get out, remember the sun rises later and falls earlier. You may have to adjust your running time if you don't like running in the dark or get some reflective/night gear. For me- I enjoy running right before sunrise. I guess it's years of running overnight races but I find it so energizing to run with the rising sun. I'll wear my headlamp and plenty of reflective pieces on the shirt, shoes and pack. You don't need anything fancy- there's $2 reflective tape at Walmart that does the trick. Those are my Fall tips. Remember, you don't have to run or even jog for a good cardio workout. Power walking is a bit less impactful on your joints but still great for your body and mind. If you can't or don't like to run.. don't. Hike, power walk, bike, even rollerblade. Just remember to dress appropriately, increase duration/intensity slowly, and stretch! I bet you're thinking you don't need to do a warmup because you are just going for a run, right? Wrong. If you're going from a sedentary state (sitting at your desk, driving, riding the T) to an active state, then you need to warm up. I'm here to tell you a little about it. Well, what is a warm up? A warm-up is one of the important elements of an exercise program. It safely prepares your body for the increased demands of the workout. Meaning, it gets your cardiovascular system ready to work, it lets your muscles know they're about to take on some load and it even sends signals to your brain so you can mentally prepare for the next 30-90 minutes. Having a "good" warm up routine is important to prevent injuries and when you're physically and mentally ready- you'll perform better as well. Ok, so what do I do? Keep in mind that every body is different. As a trainer, it is my duty to create a different warm up for each of my clients because some people take longer to warm up, some have different muscle tightness, etc. But, I'll explain some rule-of-thumbs that I use so you can make a routine for your own. -Make sure to incorporate the entire body, usually starting from either the feet or head and working your way up or down, respectively. -Each exercise should take about 30-60 seconds, and the whole routine could take 10-15 minutes (On Dave's very tough workout days, he takes about 25 minutes to warm up!) -Dynamic stretches are the way to go before a workout. Dynamic just means the exercises you're doing are functional and mimic the moves you'll do in the workout. They tend to get your muscles ready for the specific movements they're about to do and get your heart rate up a bit more to prepare it for the workout. -Never forget to warm up the parts of your body that give you trouble i.e. lower backs, hamstrings, even ankles! Here are some of my favorite exercises I incorporate into my workouts (from the toes up)
Remember, there are so so many dynamic moves to use for your warm ups. A few other ones I like to use are:
-Runners lunge stretches -Glute bridges -Supermans -Bear crawls -Low squats -Calf raises  I've recently become obsessed with falafel. The only problem is buying it premade at Whole Foods can get expensive- so, I decided to attempt my own and was very surprised at how easy and quick it was. So, here's the recipe. Ingredients:
2 15-oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed 8 cloves garlic, peeled 4 tablespoons cashews 3/4 cup fresh parsley 1 tablespoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt 3-6 tablespoons flour 3-4 tablespoons oil for cooking, optional Instructions 1. If you're going to bake them, set your oven at 350. If you're pan frying, no need to set the oven. 2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Pat dry with a towel and set aside. 3. Add the garlic and cashews to the food processor and pulse just a few times to chop them up. Add the chickpeas, parsley, cumin and salt and pulse. Make sure to scrape the sides and don't blend until smooth, it should just be crumbly. 4. Add in the flour to the mixture to form dough. If it's too sticky, add in another tablespoon. 5. Scoop out about 2 tablespoons (I used an ice cream scoop) to form a ball, squish down into a disc and cook as you'd like. 6. If you're baking them- cook at 350 for 10 minutes on each side. If pan frying, cook at medium heat for 3-4 minutes per side. Nutrition: Per falafel Calories: 99 Protein: 5 Fat: 3 Carbs: 15 Sodium: 103 Fiber: 3  Fried rice is something I gave up a long time ago when I was overweight and knew I needed to ditch some foods to be healthier.
I think it gets a bad name because typically when ordered from a restaurant it's saturated in oils and made with fatty pork pieces and few veggies that are nutrient rich. I also think it's frowned upon because it is usually a side dish, and a large one at that- the containers restaurants use are 2-3 servings worth. When I started eating cleaner and thinking of recipes I could make clean and continue eating, fried rice was one of them. I thought how can I put the right portion of carbs, protein and fat in a yummy dish that is filling enough to be a main course, but not too high in carbs or calories? So, I started playing around with recipes and entering them into My Fitness Pal to see what the macros were. This is the recipe I came up with, and Dave and I have enjoyed ever since. Ingredients:
Instructions:
Nutrition: -Makes 2 servings Per serving:
 There are many, many times during the day that toast can be a great option. My go-to bread option has been David's Killer Bread recently. Maybe it's because of the story of "David," maybe it's because most of their products are vegan, or maybe it's just because it's delicious. But, whatever your choice of bread, here are some ideas to put that bread to good use! Peanut butter bananaPeanut butter and bananas just go well together, don't they? This has a few extras as well: 1 piece of toast 1 TBS peanut butter (or almond butter, sun butter, cashew butter) 1/4 banana sliced A pinch of cinnamon 1 TSP of hemp seeds Small drizzle of agave tomato Avocado1 piece of toast 1/2 avocado sliced or spread 3-5 cherry tomatoes sliced Salt to taste Extras: Fresh basil Drizzle of balsamic or olive oil Hazelnut yumminess1 piece of toast 1 TBS hazelnut spread Small handful of blueberries OR 3-5 sliced strawberries 1/4 c slivered almonds Extras: Agave Give one a try and let us know what you think!
 2 Ingredient homemade nutellaI know.. it's not the absolute healthiest thing, but it's better than the stuff at the store and everyone needs a treat every now and then. Right? It's also not the cheapest. The recipe calls for 8oz of hazelnuts and some dark chocolate. At my store (Stop N Shop) an 8oz container of hazelnuts is about $7 soooo this is more expensive than the Nutella you can buy. This is why you can make it and use it just every now and then, instead of buying a jar and devouring the whole thing in one night (I've been there too).
Here's the recipe, enjoy on toast, banana, apple or on a spoon :) Ingredients: 8oz hazelnuts (raw or roasted) 1-2oz your favorite dark chocolate (for vegan we use Endangered Species 3oz bar and use 4 squares) Directions: 1. If you go with the raw hazelnuts, you'll have to roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes first. 2.Place hazelnuts into a high power blender or food processor and pulse for a total of approximately 4-5 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds or so to scrape down the sides. 3. Once hazelnuts have formed hazelnut butter, pour into a bowl and stir in chocolate. Hazelnut butter should be warm from being blended for so long, so the chocolate should melt with consistent stirring. 4. If chocolate doesn't melt, place mixture in a saucepan over the stove and stir until melted. 5. Enjoy!  I feel like I put up a lot of soup recipes but it's because they're all so easy to make, good for you and can last a few days in the fridge. This really is super easy to make, there's more steps than I normally like in a recipe but let me just say- if I can make this recipe while living in a van- there is absolutely no reason you can't make it in a house. It's of course, vegan but as always- if you want to use something different than coconut cream, go for it.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Nutrition: -Makes 6
 Ingredients: Makes 6 servings
Directions:
 Yes.. it's vegan but doesn't have be. Simply replace the seitan for 3-4 oz of chicken or your meat of choice.
Ingredients: Makes 1 serving
Directions:
 Buddah Bowls aka hippie bowls, grain bowls, nourish bowls were a huge hit in 2019 and no doubt they'll be a huge hit in 2020 too. What are they made of? The great thing is they don't have an exact recipe, buddah bowls can all be quite different but they are typically made of various greens, raw or roasted veggies, beans, and a healthy grain like quinoa or brown rice. Sometimes they also include toppings like nuts, seeds and dressings for added texture and flavor. If you're meal prepping for the week as long as the dressing is on the side these bowls would be a great option! They pack a good amount of healthy calories in a little bowl but can also be expensive and add extra calories if you're eating out. We found a few examples from restaurants to compare: Panera Bread offers a few types of grain bowls. This bowl is their most popular Mediterranean Bowl Calories: 740 Fat: 35g Sodium:1340 Carbs: 82g Fiber: 13g Protein: 31g Chipotle also got on the band wagon and offers a burrito bowl: Calories: 660 Fat: 23g Sodium: 1845g Carbs: 68g Fiber: 18.5g Protein: 51g Sweet Green has some great options, but they're also on the more expensive side. Here is their popular Harvest Bowl: Calories: 705 FatL 38g Sodium:905g Carbs: 57g Fiber: 9g Protein: 39g So... how do you put one of these together? We found this to be very helpful. It can be very easy to overfill your bowl, especially if you're a big fan of fats or carbs. Don't worry about being too exact on the percentages. This picture just gives good ideas of about how much and also offers a few options in each category. We've made a few recipes that you can find at the bottom of the page.  |
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