November fitness tips from the Streaming Colors Fitness Journal

What are you thankful for this month? Look back over your calendar and if you see plenty of color, thank and commend yourself for a job well done. Count your blessings if you're enjoying better health & more energy. Now don't undo your healthy habits just because the holidays are here. Enjoy holiday meals, but focus on lots of healthy vegetables, lean meats, and a little less pie. Keep track of "treat" days by coloring them in you journal, but try to limit it to one or two days a week. Give thanks actively this Thanksgiving, with a brisk walk outside or a game of touch football. Give thanks because life is good–and even better when you're healthy and fit!

account login & sign up form

Hola everyone! I'm working on getting the account logins and sign up form sorted out, as it seems to not be working properly. Squarespace, our hosting site is great, so I'm sure it's something I didn't do quite right. Sorry for the inconvenience and I will keep everyone updated as we get this fixed. Mostly, I'm so excited that so many people want to be part of our fitness community! YAY!!!

Update on Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 5:10PM by [Alexis]

Here's the scoop. There's no longer a need to "login" to our website. Comments on the blog are now open to the public. And the "sign me up!" form is strictly for our Streamail Updates, which are basically little announcements we send out when we have a new product, good deal, or fun news to share with our fitness community. We're considering setting up a forum but we're really waiting to hear from you on that, if it's something you would want to use. So let us know. I hope this clarifies things... if not, shoot me an email.

surf the turf

I like to go hiking with my girlfriends (you know who you are ladies... love you all!!!) in the canyons around LA. Most of the trails are well traveled and easy to navigate. However, some of them (like Temescal Canyon) are way more au natural than one might expect and therefore require the purchase of some serious hiking shoes. (Any excuse to buy shoes will do, right?!?!) So I picked up these North Face Cipher shoes, and after many many hikes I have to say, I really like them! My three favorite things: I like the design a lot, blue & grey are my colors. I also like the mesh inserts that allow my feet to "breathe" while hiking, which keeps me cool. And I like the traction, lots and lots of traction, so I no longer "surf the turf" (which is cool outdoorsy person speak for "trying not to fall on your a** while hiking downhill," right Stacy?) If you're looking for a pair of hiking shoes you can find these at Zappos. (They have excellence pics from every angle.)

the pen is mightier than the scale

Wow. It's been 3 weeks since I last posted. We've been so crazy busy with our Lean Mode Food Diary product launch that I haven't had time to write. Well, actually that's not true. I've been writing every day, mostly emails, press releases and other communications. Haven't had much time to surf the web for fun stuff. Though I did find another news story about the benefits of keeping a food diary. It's a good, quick read. And it makes the most important point, that if you want to change your habits (& lose weight) you have to be accountable to yourself. Keeping a food diary tells you exactly what you're doing right & what could use some improvement. And this article shows that it will help you lose twice as much weight. Read the article from abc news.

sneak-a-peak: lean mode food diary

Our new eBook has a bunch of color pages. Aren't they cute?!?! Not to worry, the rest is b&w, so you won't have to use $10,000 worth of printer ink!We previewed our new online shop and food diary to our loyal journal-ers today. We love you all!!! I still can't believe we've been doing this now for five years, and there's still so much more to come! And even though I'm completely exhausted from these past few weeks of trying to pull everything together (new website, food diary, blog & online shop - and we did it all ourselves, thankyouverymuch) I'm really just so thrilled about finally being able to share it with everyone! My greatest hope is that you all have as much fun using our journals as we've had creating them. And if you love em, tell your friends :~)

skyr - icelandic yogurt

What is skyr? It's Icelandic yogurt. Just like regular yogurt, only thicker, and very high in protein. I read about it in this article on MSN. Apparently Skyr has about 16 grams of protein per 6 oz. compared to my Brown Cow yogurt (which I love) which usually has about 5 or 6 grams of protein per 6 oz. Does that matter? I don't know. I suspect you'd feel fuller longer by consuming more protein. But what I really want to know, is does it taste good? I'm a big fan of yogurt. So I'm a little picky about it. I don't like anything with artificial sweeteners, or anything that's overly gelatinous. Yogurt should be smooth and creamy. Like Brown Cow from Antioch, CA:

Not only is Brown Cow yummy. It's the only yogurt with a website that has a talking cow, named Lily, who will greet you (while wearing a diamond tiara) when you enter the site. Too funny! This is also one of my favorites:

 

Fage (fah-yeh) Total greek yogurt. It's the best! It's soooo rich and creamy. I have two favorite concoctions I like to make at home. I'll share them both.

Banana Bliss (I made that up, just now actually. Because really, I usually just call it breakfast.)

-1/2 cup Fage greek yogurt (usually 1%)

-1 small banana, sliced

-walnuts, sliced, (about 8, or sometimes I use pecans)

-1 tsp. of honey (for taste)

-a dash of stevia (if you want it to be even sweeter)

-1/4 cup of blueberries (optional)

This makes the yummiest breakfast or snack. It's such a treat, and it's totally healthy.

My other concoction is pretty simple:

-1/2 cup Fage greek yogurt (usually 1%)

-1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

-dash of stevia

If you don't let the berries thaw out a little bit this one gets really frosty and thick, sort of like frozen yogurt. But you don't want to put honey in it, because it won't blend well if it's cold. 

I must admit, this is the most thought I've ever given to yogurt in my entire life. Probably won't need to post on this again. Ever. So, if you haven't tried Fage Greek Yogurt you should give it a shot. And for the truly adventurous, this Siggi's Icelandic Skyr sounds like it could be a real treat! Now if I can only find it on the west coast...

stella mccartney for adidas

Doesn't this hoodie look super comfy?!?! It's all thick and warm, perfect for fall. I think Stella McCartney has done a fantastic job designing athletic apparel that is functional yet stylish. I have my days when I want to wear super high energy brightly colored workout clothes (my lululemon), and then I have days where I want to be more calm and design-y. Stella is perfect for that. Though I must admit, her clothes are a little spendy, so I usually wait for them to go on sale. However, I think this hoodie is a must have! Check out Stella's fall collection for Adidas.

pilates (pi-lah-teez)

Definition: a method of physical and mental exercise involving stretches and breathing that focus on strengthening the abdominal core. Named after Joseph Pilates, designer of the system.

I am a big fan of pilates. They are the best exercises for your abdominal core. And they will help you to have beautiful posture (something I am trying to improve) which is important, not just for looks, but for keeping your whole body strong.

Here's the thing. Pilates are usually performed on a machine, with a personal trainer. This would seem to be the most effective way to get results, however, it is also the most expensive. I have always taken pilates mat classes. Which don't use machines, and are performed in a class of up to 20 people. They are a lot less expensive, and you still tend to get some personal attention from the instructor. The main thing about pilates, (actually about any exercise plan) is to be consistent with your workouts. If you are, you will see results. If you haven't ever tried them, give it a shot!

This post from FitSugar offers some great ideas on how to recession proof your commitment to pilates. 

october fitness tip from the streaming colors fitness journal

If you're in the habit of working out with weights, it's time to change–not your habit, but your routine. Continually adding more weight or sets can lead to overuse injuries or a plateau. To see real progress, you need to challenge your muscle fibers in new ways. Shake up your strength training routine every month (and track it in your journal) by varying the exercises you do and/or the order in which you do them. Try "breakdown training," where you decrease the weight at the end of the set by about 10%, and then immediately perform up to three more sets at the lower weight. This recruits fibers deep within your muscles and helps your muscles grow. Allow adequate time between workouts for muscle repair.

i dig my sigg

love the motto on the back! it's the same concept as our fitness journals. make small manageable changes one day at a time.One of the healthiest habits I have is drinking water. I always have a bottle w/me. I drink way more than the recommended 64oz a day. I think it goes back to when I was little and my mother owned a clothing store in Stillwater. She was always sending me down the street to Brine's deli to get her lime flavored Mendota Springs bottled water. This was back in the day, before plastic bottles were everywhere and glass was the trend. Now in my recent attempt to be more environmentally conscientious I'm trying to quit plastic bottles altogether. I've converted to aluminum. My bottle of choice: Sigg. These water bottles are everywhere in LA. I got mine at Whole Foods, but when I looked at the Sigg website I wish I would've ordered direct. This Eco Logical bottle is so cute! Their website has a lot of fun designs. And yes, I realize they are kinda spendy - $25 for a water bottle!!! But they are really durable, lightweight, and they don't have any funky odors. So your water tastes like water flavored water. Not plastic or tin. Anyway, thanks mom, for getting me started on drinking lots of water, and for all the change I kept from every bottle you drank. I made a killing off of you. Ha!