Friday, April 22, 2011

"Have It Your Way ..."

... and I’m not talking Burger King! (“Have it your way” was a very successful marketing campaign in the 70’s for Burger King). I understand it’s challenging to eat well and stay on track with so many wonderful choices each and every place we go.

This idea came to me as I was waiting in line at Starbucks. I was about the 8th person in line, so I had the opportunity to listen to what customers were ordering and how they ordered it. “I’ll take a Tall Vanilla Latte with Whole Milk filled to the top and extra whip.” My mind starting thinking about all of the options available to us and the many opportunities we have to make great choices over mediocre ones each and every time we choose to eat out. Why not make the best choices for our bodies? It’s our responsibility to take care of ourselves, and if more and more establishments are allowing us to tell them what we want—we should indeed Have IT Our Way.

Try these calorie saving, sugar cutting strategies the next time you’re ordering out or dining in at home.

Tips for "Having IT Your Way"
  • Know What’s in your Foods: Many eating establishments have nutritional information available either at the counter or on-line. Knowledge is power. Know more…eat better! 
  • Learn to Read Nutrition Labels: Always look at total calories, serving size, total fat and sugar grams. An easy way to figure out sugar grams quickly is to divide the total sugar grams by 4. If your favorite snack bar has 18 grams of sugar that is equal to approximately 4 teaspoons of sugar. If it’s two serving sizes, double it for 8 teaspoons. The FDA recommends no more than 10 teaspoons daily. Aim for items that have 5 grams or less total. 
  • Create YOUR “Five Alive” list: Choose five of your favorite daily ‘good for you’ items. For example, apples, pudding, FiberOne bars, nuts, yogurt--know exactly what’s in them. Make these your “go to” items. It takes the guess work out of it. It’s a sure fire way to stay on track. It simply makes it easier. Be accountable for what you’re putting into your body. 

For the Health of It,
Vanessa
Gethealthywithvanessa.com


Vanessa is a Nutritionist and Personal Trainer offering services in health, wellness and personal training, including the TRX system. Visit the website: www.gethealthywithvanessa.com

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Week of 4/17/11 - 4/23/11

Another great weekend of racing.  Keith and Peter both set PR's in the Pike's Peek 10K this morning.  In addition, I've heard rumor that April had her first "pain free" run since hurting her hamstring in the New Orleans Marathon back in February.  Check the results page to see just how well they all did!

Tomorrow is the 2011 Boston Marathon.  For those interested in watching the race, there will be live online streaming starting at 9:30am on Universal Sports.  The elite women start at 9:32am and the elite men start at 10:00am.  (GO KARA!!!)  We have three Rogue Racers running the race; you can sign up for AT&T tracking alerts and follow their progress along the course.  You will need their race numbers to track them, so I have included their bib numbers below:

John Carmichael:  12254  (Starts in Wave 2 at 10:20am)
Jenn Chapman:  5533  (Starts in Wave 1 at 10:00am)
BethAnn Telford:  17345  (Starts in Wave 2 at 10:20am)

Happy training,

Holly

Sunday, April 10, 2011

ROGUE RACER WINS PARKWAY CLASSIC 5K!

Congrats to everyone on some amazing racing this weekend.  Rogue Racers team members competed in three races this weekend, achieved one overall win, three top division wins, and eight PR's.  WAY TO GO!  Check the results page to see just how well everyone did!

A big shout out also goes to several of our team members who got up at the crack of dawn to man the "Mile 9" water stop at the Parkway Classic 10 Miler.  Thank you for volunteering for TEAM BT and cheering on the runners!

Last week Keith attended The Running Store's first Wednesday night track workout.  He said it was a lot of fun, and has forwarded me the information in case anyone else wants to attend.  I plan on attending this Wednesday (and hope to drag as many people out to Gainesville with me as possible).  Click here for directions and workout information.

Happy training,

Holly

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Week of 4/3/11 - 4/9/11

The singlets and T-shirts are in (just in time for the race this weekend).  The plan is to have the Rogue Racers singlets/shirts and the water stop volunteer T-shirts available for pick-up this Saturday at 9am at the Vienna Starbucks (address below).  Kelly was kind enough pay for the items, so when you pick up your stuff on Saturday you can either bring her cash or a check (made out to Kelly Paul).  The cost of the singlets/shirts came out as follows:

  • Singlets - $20.75/piece
  • T-shirts - $34.15/piece (a little cheaper than last time)

For those interested in still doing a short jog on the W&OD trail on Saturday morning, we will have two groups.  One group will be doing 5 miles at 8am.  The second group will be doing 2-3 miles at 8:30am.  We will then head over to Starbucks to distribute the shirts.

107 Maple Avenue West
Vienna, VA 22180

On Sunday after the race, we are going to try Le Pain Quotidien.  It is approximately 7 blocks from our water stop, so we should definitely be able to walk over there once the race is done.  I've called the restaurant, and although they do not take reservations, the manager thought that they should be able to accommodate a group of our size.  They have a pretty large selection of brunch foods (and coffee) on the menu, so I'm hoping everyone will be able to find something they like.

701 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

See you Saturday morning, 

Holly