A Fabulous Arizona Saturday

Have I mentioned how much I love it here? Maybe once or twice, right? Well, I do...

I started out the morning with a long run! I did the first ten outside, and then I remembered that I HATE running in heat. It's easy to remember when there is sweat pouring into your eyes. I did the last four on the treadmill at my sisters house. I FINALLY got to watch The Biggest Loser Finale while I ran!

 

Yes, I ended up crying whilst running. AMAZING. So inspirational! I love seeing such awesome success stories. I sorta wanted Kim to win. She looked unreal!

 14 miles = Sweaty Megan.

I finished up my run with some good old fashioned stretching, and a little bit of mopping. Well, a LOT of mopping. Mopping up sweat that is. I am usually not a sweater, but apparently I turn into a dripping mess when heat is concerned. Overall, I'd say the run went really well. I was able to keep the pace I was aiming for, and I had negative splits for each mile, which was great!

 I then managed to do my favorite thing in the world: Lounging in the sun by the pool. I could do this professionally. We managed to interrupt our pool time to do other important things like go get a pedicure. :)

I love when I get to hang with my family all day!! They are the absolute best.

We finished the night out with dinner at Joe's Farm Grill, an Arizona favorite. It has been featured on Guy Fieri's, "Diners Drive in's and Dives." I had a veggie salad topped with chicken. The majority of the veggies are grown fresh right by the restaurant in what they call, "agritopia."  It was absolutely PERFECT temperature-wise, and so we sat outside and ate. Delightful. I don't know if I'm gonna want to go back to real life just yet?


Did you watch The Biggest Loser finale?? Who did you want to win?

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!

Happy May 5th!! You should probably celebrate by eating some healthy and delicious mexican dishes. In case you were needing some inspiration...

Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Delicious Fresh Homemade Salsa
White Bean Chicken Chili
Easiest Guacamole Ever 

Fiesta Chicken Salad
Oven Baked Tortilla Chips

Salsa Chicken
Chicken Tortilla Soup
These are some of my favorites!

What are your favorite healthy Mexican foods? Are you doing anything to celebrate Cinco de Mayo??

Trying Out Cryotherapy

I love coming to AZ for so many reason. Whenever I am with my mom and sisters we seem to end up talking about health and fitness. My sister Nichole is the one who I am going to run the Utah Valley Marathon with, so we are ALWAYS trading training tips and discussing what works and doesn't work for us. Nichole goes to a doctor at Integrative Health in Scottsdale that offers whole body Cryotherapy. 

I have heard of athletes using Cryotherapy, but I've never known much about it. It is a cooling treatment method where you stand inside a CryoSauna chamber and you are sprayed with nitrogen. Your core stays warm, and the nitrogen chills your skin, joints, and muscles. Basically, it is like the extreme version of taking an ice bath. It is actually ten times more beneficial than an ice bath. This is the CryoSauna chamber that you stand in.

 And your head pokes out up here...

 My cute sister posed in front of it for me, so you could see what the inside of the chamber looks like.

You have to strip down to your birthday suit, and some socks to keep your feet warm, and then you stand inside this chamber for three, very chilly minutes. I was shivering by the time the three minutes were over. I, of course, asked about a million questions about it while I was there to learn as much about this procedure as possible. The woman who was giving me the treatment told me that they work with a lot of the Cardinals football players, and the Diamondbacks baseball players to keep them in the best shape possible, and injury free. She also said they used to work with the Suns players, but they now have their own CryoSauna for their team. Some of their other patients are runners, cyclists, individuals who suffer from chronic pain, and individuals with arthritis. They also claim that cryotherapy is beneficial towards speeding up metabolism, increasing energy levels, improving skin, and raising endorphins. Because the sauna drops the body temperature so low, the body works extremely hard to raise it back up. This work is a calorie burner. The woman helping me told me that one treatment burns about 800 calories. It would be interesting to wear an exerspy or a body bug while doing a treatment to see what the burn equates to.

Like I have said before, I love learning about new methods of treatment! It was fun to try something different, and I'm interested to see how my joints are going to feel on my run tomorrow morning. My sister and I were saying how awesome it would be to be able to do a treatment right after a long run, or a race to aid in recovery! Maybe one day when I'm rich and famous I'll get one for my own house ;) Don't worry...I won't hold my breath there. Thanks Nich, for letting me try something new!

Have you ever heard of Cryotherapy? Have you ever used Cryotherapy before? Do you take ice baths or ice your joints after intense workouts?

Wednesday: The long and short of it...

Yesterday was a long (albeit awesome) day, so I'm going to make this short.

Ballet Barre Bootcamp was SO much fun! I am quickly falling in love with this class!

Last night we had a photo shoot at the lab. We were there until about 1 AM, but man these pics are gonna be SWEET! Worth it.

I'm off to Arizona for the weekend. Happiness!

What was the long and short of your Wednesday? I hope it was a fabulous day.

I've Been Converted

Last year on my list of New Years Resolutions I said I wanted to incorporate more yoga into my exercise routine. I'll be honest, I increased my yoga attendance by about .03 percent. I meant well, I did. However, It just didn't happen. This year, on the other hand, I have become a yoga practicing fool...and I LOVE IT. I have been doing at least one, if not two or three, classes a week and I am such a fan. When class is over I always feel worked, stretched, and very happy.

Last night I convinced my darling friend Janae and her husband to come to Power Yoga at The LAB with me. It was SO MUCH FUN. I took this pic from her blog...thanks girl...

I actually laughed when I saw this because I was reminded that I really am a midget. Billy, her husband had never been to yoga before and he totally rocked it, handstands and all. Janae, who is the cutest lil' prego thing I've ever seen, was also amazing. I'm fairly certain their child is going to come out running a 4 minute mile, wearing a gold medal around her neck...just saying. These people are athletes!

Some of the reasons I have loved doing yoga so much is because I feel like it is so beneficial for the body! Stretching is something that most of us don't do enough of, and yoga challenges both flexibility and strength. With all of the lifting and running I do, it is a great change up. It is also a great time to relax and meditate. Let's be honest here, it's good for the body and the soul.

We are currently offering two yoga classes at The LAB, and we are working on adding more in as we speak. The classes we do have are;

Power Yoga 6:45 PM Monday nights
Restorative Yoga 7:30 AM Saturday Mornings

You can come and try your first class for free, so if you are wanting to give it a shot, come and do so! Drop in rates are $10 per class, and we also have punch cards available.

ALSO...I am offering another FREE Barre Bootcamp class on Wednesday night. It will be from 7:00-8:00 PM. Come, and bring your friends with you! I promise it's a good workout, and your core/buns/thighs will thank you :) If you have any questions let me know!

Do you practice yoga? If so, what is your favorite kind of yoga?

May Minute Circuit

I am all about maximizing workout time. There aren't always hours to spare working out, sometimes there isn't even an hour to spare. This minute circuit workout is great because you can go for as long or as short as you'd like.  If you only have a quick twenty minutes you can bust through it full force four times and be done. If you are wanting to go longer you can add in some more rounds!

Grab
1) a timer
2) a jump rope
3) some dumbbells
4) Stairs/a bench/a chair

*try to get in a 2-5 minute warm up if you can*

MINUTE #1:00
Step ups with a shoulder press. Use your step and your dumbbells. Alternate legs as you step up and press your weights all the way overhead at the top. Go for the entire minute. Keep control, but go as quick as you can.

MINUTE #2:00
Push up Jumping Jacks. Get into a push up position. Do one full push up and then jump your legs out wide and back in. Follow with another push up and another leg jack. Etc. Keep your abs and core tight.

MINUTE #3:00
Jump rope. Keep it as consistent as you can! Aim to get your heart rate up! 

MINUTE #4:00
Squat, Curl, Press w/dumbbells. Stand with your legs hip width apart, and your dumbbells in both hands. Squat down, come to standing position, do a bicep curl, and then press overhead. Repeat for the full minute. 

MINUTE #5:00
Plank Rows. Get into an extended plank position with your weights on the inside of your hands. Grab one weight and row back with your elbow. Set the weight back down and switch arms. Repeat this for the full minute.

**Repeat this circuit as many times as you have time for!**

April Mix Winner!

Aaaaaaaand...the winner of the April Amazingess Mix is...

Erin Masi! Congrats girl! Email me at megolina21at gmail.com and I'll get you your tunes!!