If you have never tried kickboxing before i recommend that you do. Yesterday rugby practice was cancelled and so still on my mission to lose 30 lbs by September 1st i decided to go to the gym. There i thought i would try something different and take the kickboxing class. It was later in the day than I usually like taking classes but i thought it always sounded interesting.
It was awesome. I really enjoyed the class. We spent a lot of time doing jumping jacks and i wish we had more time kicking but it was so much time. I love using rugby as a way of getting out pent up frustration and kickboxing is the next best thing. It is a great core exercise and really works arms and legs. A full body workout that is a lot of fun. You don't even realize you are working out!
Kickboxing or any self defense class is great for any woman who lives in a city. It not only boosts confidence but also teaches self defence. Living alone in a city can be scary at times, especially walking home at night. This is why I recommend to everyone and especially people who feel like they are victims to take a self defense class. It doesn't have to be kickboxing, however if you want a great workout then kickboxing is right for you.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Superfood of the day: Dark Chocolate
It is every chocolate lover' s dream to be able to lose weight and eat their chocolate cake too. Well according to WebMD, and other sources, Dark Chocolate is actually a superfood.
Rick in antioxidants, dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure. However, the trick is to choose the right type of chocolate. I personally am a fan of milk chocolate, and love brownies. Nonetheless, for health benefits the darker the better, chocolate with 60% cocoa content or more is best for ones health. It is even lower in fats and sugars, which makes it healthier than milk chocolate.
Next time you have a chocolate craving, skip the snickers and go for high cocoa content dark chocolate. It tastes delicious and is good for you too!
Rick in antioxidants, dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure. However, the trick is to choose the right type of chocolate. I personally am a fan of milk chocolate, and love brownies. Nonetheless, for health benefits the darker the better, chocolate with 60% cocoa content or more is best for ones health. It is even lower in fats and sugars, which makes it healthier than milk chocolate.
Next time you have a chocolate craving, skip the snickers and go for high cocoa content dark chocolate. It tastes delicious and is good for you too!
Superfood and Fad Diets
Lately I came across a new diet trend which I found really inspirational. Many people eat healthy food to lose weight, and actually that is the bad rep that a lot of healthier choices for foods get. People loot at a box of fiber rich cereal and think "gross, that is healthy it must be disgusting" or "i am skinny enough i can eat apple jacks instead". What some people don't realize, myself included, is that foods are not just calories and fats. Real foods contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which all have dramatic effects on ones life.
Imagine dramatically changing your life, how you look and how you feel without taking a drug or a pill but simple by changing your eating habits. The switch is simple and the effects are real all one has to do is eat healthier. The problem with most fad diets is that they focus on changing one thing. Some focus on cutting carbs(aka Atkins and in some cases South Beach) some focus on cutting calories (aka Bally Total fitness or Jenny Craig) some focus on cutting fats, but all limit your intake of certain foods which could have a bad effect on ones health.
Yes, losing weight is good for your health, in most cases However, eliminating one food group is also harmful to your health. By eliminating all carbs you can cause yourself to be more hungry overall and thus eat more, or eat foods that don't have carbs but are also unhealthy. The secret to real weight loss is superfoods.
Superfoods are foods that are high in nutrients (higher than most other health foods) and antioxidants to help clear your skin, maintain focus, lower cholesterol, and fight diseases. Switching to a diet high in super foods can have a dramatic and positive effect on ones mood, appearance and outlook on life.
Imagine dramatically changing your life, how you look and how you feel without taking a drug or a pill but simple by changing your eating habits. The switch is simple and the effects are real all one has to do is eat healthier. The problem with most fad diets is that they focus on changing one thing. Some focus on cutting carbs(aka Atkins and in some cases South Beach) some focus on cutting calories (aka Bally Total fitness or Jenny Craig) some focus on cutting fats, but all limit your intake of certain foods which could have a bad effect on ones health.
Yes, losing weight is good for your health, in most cases However, eliminating one food group is also harmful to your health. By eliminating all carbs you can cause yourself to be more hungry overall and thus eat more, or eat foods that don't have carbs but are also unhealthy. The secret to real weight loss is superfoods.
Superfoods are foods that are high in nutrients (higher than most other health foods) and antioxidants to help clear your skin, maintain focus, lower cholesterol, and fight diseases. Switching to a diet high in super foods can have a dramatic and positive effect on ones mood, appearance and outlook on life.
Friday, July 20, 2007
The slip up
I started to slip on my summer diet. Yesterday I had a brownie which put me 300 calories above my recommended amount. Feeling rather sad about the fact that I gave in and ate a brownie I decided to watch The Biggest Loser for motivation and inspiration.
My favorite way of motivating myself to lose weight it to watch the television shows about people who are on a mission to lose weight: i.e. Celebrity Fit club and the Biggest looser. The "players" act like they went through a complete transformation, and to see them step on a scale which says they lost 82lbs(as one man did today on the final episode of Biggest Loser) is facinating. That man lost the weight of an entire person.
While watching The Biggest Loser one of the personal trainers said to a woman on the show "sometimes you go through lags and setbacks as you go through setbacks in life, it is how you get over them". That is what made me realize that it is OK that I ate that brownie and super foods shake, as long as I keep pushing.
The most important thing rugby has taught me is to never give up, even when you are losing horrible. It is OK if you lose as long as you learn from the experience.
My favorite way of motivating myself to lose weight it to watch the television shows about people who are on a mission to lose weight: i.e. Celebrity Fit club and the Biggest looser. The "players" act like they went through a complete transformation, and to see them step on a scale which says they lost 82lbs(as one man did today on the final episode of Biggest Loser) is facinating. That man lost the weight of an entire person.
While watching The Biggest Loser one of the personal trainers said to a woman on the show "sometimes you go through lags and setbacks as you go through setbacks in life, it is how you get over them". That is what made me realize that it is OK that I ate that brownie and super foods shake, as long as I keep pushing.
The most important thing rugby has taught me is to never give up, even when you are losing horrible. It is OK if you lose as long as you learn from the experience.
The gameplan
The week and a half before school starts this year is going to be one of the oddest weeks of my life.
After going home the week before, I plan on arriving back to my apartment in center city on the 23rd. From the 23 of august to the 30th I will be working out,eating nothing but vegetables and milk, and illegally moving my belonging from my apartment in the city to my dorm room in suburbia. This would not be illegal had it not been that the school will not let all upperclassmen move into the dorms until the Saturday before school starts. However, this weekend I will not be in the same side of the country as my dorm or my apartment.
On the 30th I am meeting my sister and her boyfriend at the airport when they are at their layover and then the three of us are getting onto a plane to Arizona. Once we arrive in Arizona it is time to unpack and have dinner with the family before I fall over and fall asleep. On the 31st there is first breakfast with the family, then first rehearsal at a church(all in Spanish), then rehearsal lunch, followed by the rehearsal with the rabbi at the site of the second ceremony, and then ending with dinner and collapsing by the pool. Saturday is the wedding. Sunday I get on a plane and fly back to school where I will unpack my stuff and get ready for the first day of classes on Monday.
After going home the week before, I plan on arriving back to my apartment in center city on the 23rd. From the 23 of august to the 30th I will be working out,eating nothing but vegetables and milk, and illegally moving my belonging from my apartment in the city to my dorm room in suburbia. This would not be illegal had it not been that the school will not let all upperclassmen move into the dorms until the Saturday before school starts. However, this weekend I will not be in the same side of the country as my dorm or my apartment.
On the 30th I am meeting my sister and her boyfriend at the airport when they are at their layover and then the three of us are getting onto a plane to Arizona. Once we arrive in Arizona it is time to unpack and have dinner with the family before I fall over and fall asleep. On the 31st there is first breakfast with the family, then first rehearsal at a church(all in Spanish), then rehearsal lunch, followed by the rehearsal with the rabbi at the site of the second ceremony, and then ending with dinner and collapsing by the pool. Saturday is the wedding. Sunday I get on a plane and fly back to school where I will unpack my stuff and get ready for the first day of classes on Monday.
The End of Summer 7s
So this summer I decided that in order to be less of an idiot on the field I wold play rugby with club team. A few of the girls on my team were planning on joining a club called PW and thinking like it would be a great way to meet new people and learn more about rugby I joined too. I thought that we would have our own side of sevens made up of people from my school team, however after a few unexplainable injuries and lack of insurance only Kendra and I remained.
I had a wonderful time this summer with the PW team. It has been a great learning experience which I value greatly. I also have heard a number of funny stories and witnessed some pretty spectacular rugby.
This weekend is the last sevens game for the summer. It is the championships and I hate to say it but I feel like it is the end of an era. I had a great time this summer and i am sad to see sevens go. Not that I won't be continuing to play rugby during the year and even play touch for the rest of the summer. I just am going to miss the sevens tournaments.
I just wanted to say thanks, PW for an awesome summer!
I had a wonderful time this summer with the PW team. It has been a great learning experience which I value greatly. I also have heard a number of funny stories and witnessed some pretty spectacular rugby.
This weekend is the last sevens game for the summer. It is the championships and I hate to say it but I feel like it is the end of an era. I had a great time this summer and i am sad to see sevens go. Not that I won't be continuing to play rugby during the year and even play touch for the rest of the summer. I just am going to miss the sevens tournaments.
I just wanted to say thanks, PW for an awesome summer!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Team Handball!
I recently became aware of a sort that i never knew existed: team handball. Team Handball which is a relatively new sport takes combines, basketball, sevens rugby, and soccer all in one indoor game. It reminded me of a bunch of kids stuck indoors wanting to play basketball but all they didn't have baskets, they and soccer nets, and they had a volleyball so they decided to play soccer with but use their hands. I didn't believe that it was real at first, and was shocked to read that it is even an Olympic sport!
For any athlete who has played either soccer or basketball or rugby watching handball can be rather amusing. Because it violates the rules of all of the other sports and makes one sport that seems relatively dangerous. Lets just say this rugger has found a new winter sport.
Interested in more about team handball? It's on you tube and wikapedia!
For any athlete who has played either soccer or basketball or rugby watching handball can be rather amusing. Because it violates the rules of all of the other sports and makes one sport that seems relatively dangerous. Lets just say this rugger has found a new winter sport.
Interested in more about team handball? It's on you tube and wikapedia!
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