Archive for April, 2010

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BOOK YOUR LOCAL (AND FREE!) SKIN-CANCER CHECK SOON

Health and fitness editor Jenna Bergen just booked her first-ever skin-cancer screening — and she wants you to join her

Posted by Jenna Bergen on 4/30/2010 at 5:05PM | No Comments

I just got off the phone with Fran, one of the most helpful and sweetest ladies ever, to schedule my first (and admittedly overdue) free skin-cancer check at Jeff on May 19th. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and so many of Philly’s top hospitals open up their doors for a day and kindly offer to check you over from head to toe—without charging you a dime—to make sure your skin is healthy and good to go for the upcoming summer. READ MORE

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PHILLY’S BEST PED-SAVING PRODUCTS

Got a case of “fitness foot?” We asked Philly’s beauty pros for the products that’ll give those overworked feet some oh-so-needed TLC

Posted by Jenna Bergen on 4/29/2010 at 11:11AM | No Comments

After training for Broad Street for the past 9 weeks, I cannot tell you how terrible the bottoms of my feet look. These babies have endured blisters, bumps, and are working on calluses so tough that I imagine firewalkers would have a hard time competing with them. So, in a complete SOS for my tootsies, we called some of Philly’s top beauty pros and asked for their very best defense against the dreaded “fitness foot”—aka, those tough, cracked soles that you’re slightly ashamed to slip into sandals.

Run on, Philly. Just keep a few of these ped-saving products around the house and show those two wonderful appendages how much we appreciate them (regularly, please).

— Research by Lana Morelli

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EAT SMART: A YUMMY QUINOA RECIPE

Local chef and RD Katie Cavuto-Boyle shares a super-simple recipe you'll love

Posted by Katie Cavuto Boyle on 4/29/2010 at 10:00AM | 1 Comment

I call this recipe Sunshine Grain Salad because it’s packed with beautiful colors. I am constantly encouraging people to eat the colors of the rainbow on a daily basis (more nutrients and antioxidants that way) and this salad is about as colorful as it gets. Quinoa [shown right] is also packed with protein in the form of essential amino acids which your body cannot produce on its own. For a grain—its actually a seed—it’s simple to cook. It takes about 10 minutes, so it’s a great way to get a lot of nutrition into your body when you’re short on time. READ MORE

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RUN YOUR BUTT OFF: BE WELL’S SPRING AND SUMMER RUNNING CALENDAR

Don’t miss a chance to sweat for a good cause. Here, our roundup of 28 area runs (and walks!) from now through the end of September

Posted by Sara Friedel on 4/28/2010 at 11:36AM | 2 Comments

Mudder Mayhem 7-mile Trail Run, May 8, 2010
This second-annual run takes place in historic Evansburg State Park along a path that is guaranteed to be a muddy good time. The mayhem this year is set to rival last year’s muddy goodness with a new path and crew committed to making Mudder Mayhem part II even better!

Type: Trail Run
Where: Evansburg State Park, May Hall Road, Collegeville
Time: Registration closes May, 2010, at 11:59 p.m.; Race starts at 9:30 a.m.
Cost: $25

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K & 1-mile Fun Walk, May 9, 2010
This iconic race includes a 3.1-mile course that you may run or walk, and if you’re not into racing, try the 1-mile Fun Walk. Come out and help celebrate 20 years of “Racing. Embracing, Empowering.”

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WEDNESDAY IS NATIONAL WALK AT LUNCH DAY!

Head to City Hall on your lunch break and walk a mile-and-a-half

Posted by Jenna Bergen on 4/27/2010 at 3:04PM | 3 Comments

If you often find yourself so busy during that day that your “lunch break” ends up being a few multi-tasked minutes at your desk that somehow, amidst reading emails or answering calls, involves the consumption of some sort of midday sustenance, commit to starting a new habit this Wednesday, April 28th. As part of Independence Blue Cross’ National Walk at Lunch Day, Philadelphians will be heading to City Hall between 11am and 2pm to walk one-and-a-half miles. Go here to register. (Don’t worry, it’s free. They just want to estimate how many people will be coming through at the 45-minute time slots they have set up.) READ MORE

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I TRIED IT: YOGA FOR RUNNERS AT STUDIO 1831

Should you do it or ditch it? We try out area classes so you don’t have to waste time — or money — on workouts that don’t make the grade

Posted by Janine White on 4/23/2010 at 1:44PM | 1 Comment

What we want: A yoga session that’ll help us runners cross the finish line by limbering up super-tight hamstrings, quads, and calves.

What we tried: The 4:30 p.m. Yoga for Runners class at Studio 1831 on Saturday, April 10th

Who was teaching: Lindsey Schweiger-Whalen

Student/teacher ratio when we dropped by: 4:1

Lockers/Showers: No.

What we loved: Lindsey’s contagious enthusiasm, her hands-on adjustments (“Can you go a little deeper?”—yes, please!), and the poses that stretched our running muscles in all the right ways. How many yoga teachers talk IT bands? READ MORE

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FITNESS CHALLENGE ON PHILLY FYI: WE HAVE OUR WINNER!

See which one of our four contestants lost the most body fat throughout our eight-week challenge (and scored some super-cool prizes!)

Posted by Jenna Bergen on 4/22/2010 at 12:00PM | 1 Comment

Fast-forward to minute 8:15 to go right to our Fitness Challenge winner!

Congrats to Jim Schindler, our first-ever Philly Mag Fitness Challenge winner! After eight weeks of daily sweat sessions, grueling one-on-one workouts with his Sweat Trainers, and lots of smart tweaks to his previous fast-food-filled diet, Jim has cut his body fat percentage by a whopping 13 percent. “I felt fantastic when I looked at the scale today and discovered that I lost 20 pounds in eight weeks,” says Jim. “My goal of losing 26 pounds is in reach and I feel terrific. Now that I know how to exercise, I can go to the gym and burn fat and build muscle.”

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GET READY FOR BROAD STREET!: JENNA’S DAILY RUNNING DIARY

See how health and fitness editor (and running-phobe!) Jenna Bergen is doing with her daily mileage on the countdown to Broad Street

Posted by Jenna Bergen on 4/16/2010 at 1:00PM | 2 Comments

Scroll down for today’s entry.

Week 9
Monday, March 1
So today is my first official training run. I’ll admit that two weeks ago, when I announced to everyone that I’ll be at the starting line on May 2nd (and I mean everyone—if you work with me, are related to me, call me a friend or have seen me on the 79 bus, you probably already know I signed up to run Broad Street this year. I think it’s because my subconscious is trying to talk myself into believing I can actually do this), I’ve traded some of my Spin sessions for time on the treadmill. Basically, I just wanted to make sure I could run without dying for a few miles. And, thankfully, I happily found out that I could do a few miles (very slowly) and that it actually felt really good when I finished. Read about why I decided to run here.

Today I’m supposed to do three miles. I just saw that yesterday was supposed to be my X-training day, but I left my Team Philly schedule at home and ending up running on the treadmill to try and burn off some of the amazing dinner I had at L’Angolo the night before to celebrate my February B-day (so worth it!). So I’m a little stiff today, even though I stretched. I’m going to hit up Sweat in Center City on the way home from work and do three miles slowly. We’ll see how I do!

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GET READY FOR BROAD STREET!: EASE YOUR RACE-DAY WORRIES

Team Philly’s running coach Ross Martinson on everything from what to eat and when to sleep to the best spots for spectators

Posted by Jenna Bergen on 4/16/2010 at 12:53PM | No Comments

You always hear that you should eat pasta before a race. Is this true?
For a 10-mile race you don’t need to carb load. The run should burn about 1,000 calories (kind of disappointing, huh?) and your muscles normally store double that in ready energy. Marathoners need to try to boost their stores by loading up for a few days before their event.

You do want to eat something the night before the race that you are comfortable with, and that your stomach is comfortable with. Try testing some foods out before your long runs. I went through a phase where I only ate pizza the night before races, then turkey clubs. But don’t feel you need to force down extra calories or stuff yourself, since you might not feel as good in the morning. Save that for after the race.

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FUEL UP LIKE THE PHILLIES: THREE GAME-DAY RECIPES

Katie Cavuto Boyle, consulting dietician for the Phillies, shares the healthy dishes the Phils eat before taking the field so you can fuel up like a pro before your next fitness performance

Posted by Jenna Bergen on 4/16/2010 at 12:48PM | 2 Comments

How you fuel up before a game or tough workout can affect your performance — which is why Katie Cavuto Boyle, owner of Healthy Bites and consulting dietician for the Phillies, puts a lot of thought into the Phils pre-game menus. “A pre-game meal should have moderate amounts of protein, easily digestible carbohydrates, and be low in fat,” says Boyle, noting that this combo ups energy and keeps you going without weighing you down. This week, Boyle is serving up chicken and spinach lasagna, lemon and herb chicken with ratatouille orzo, spiced chicken with herb sauce and roasted sweet potatoes, and turkey chili with Mexican rice. Sound good? You don’t have to be a pro ball player to eat like an athlete — all you have to do is whip up one of the Phillies’ go-to recipes below. READ MORE

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