Working on my Fitness

After finishing Insanity, I really wanted to go full force and tackle P90x. It just wasn't for me though. Between working 5 days a week and taking a hardcore Neuroanatomy class, 6 days a week of working out for over an hour a day was too much. And on a personal note, Tony Horton talks a bit much for my liking during a workout. So instead, I'm doing a hybrid Turbofire/P90x workout with some running integrated into my weekly workouts.


Sunday: Turbofire (I'm doing the program in order, just alternating the days with P90X)
Monday: P90x Legs/Back, Ab Ripper X
Tuesday: Turbofire 
Wednesday: 3 mile interval run, Ab Ripper X
Thursday: Turbofire
Friday: P90x Shoulders/Arms, Ab Ripper X


So far this is the perfect balance for me so I'm hoping to keep it up!

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Kindred Spirits

I'm sure I'll leave some great blogs out, but I have to give at least a short list of some of my favorite health and fitness blogs!


The Fitnessista - Gina incorporates two of my favorite things in her blog: food and fitness. Her philosophy is one I stand by myself, that you can get fit no matter what the circumstance!
Fit Sugar - Fitsugar has every type of fitness article you could imagine! Diet tips, workouts, lifestyle tips and much more. 
Fit and Hungry - Angel describes herself as a "personal trainer who likes ice cream", which is something I can totally relate to as well. She believes in being healthy without depriving yourself. Her motivation posts will really make you smile and work harder. 
Geek Turned Athlete - What's better than the blog of someone who proves that you don't have to be born running a marathon to become athletic and healthy as an adult?
Sterling Style - Taylor's blog isn't one hundred percent a fitness blog, but it's absolutely one of my favorites! Taylor shows how to balance being a girly girl with a super fit girl. It isn't easy, but it's great proof that you don't have to be a tomboy to be an athlete and that girly girls can be strong too.

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In Love with a Yogurt

Fage

FAGE Greek 2% yogurt with honey is one of the most delicious snacks I've ever had. I never really enjoyed Greek yogurt. It always seemed too tart to me and the aftertaste was a bit much for me. A co-worker recommended FAGE to me and I tried it with relatively low expectations, but it was cheaper than the yogurt I usually bought.

If you have a sweet tooth, this is the yogurt for you. I have a huge sweet tooth and so it's a challenge for me finding healthier alternatives to things like danishes and cookies that I happen to crave all the time. Eating FAGE Greek yogurt makes me feel like I'm eating dessert. It's creamy, thick, sweet and there's no tart aftertaste. The protein content always keeps me full so the amount of calories is not an issue. FAGE also offers a 0% fat option (I haven't tried it yet, I'm working on becoming a fat-free kind of person) and a variety of other topping flavors, from cherry to mango. 

I never thought I'd be so sold on a yogurt, but seriously, go get it!

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Fitspiration: Pippa Middleton

People.com

How is it Pippa Middleton can run a 50 mile duathlon and still look amazing? I am beyond impressed. Not only did Pippa recently run a 20 mile race followed by a 30 mile bike ride, but she finished 12th out of 150 women! Just a few weeks ago she ran a triathlon, verifying that Pippa has some serious athletic prowess. 

While I'm a proponent of all forms of exercise, I definitely love to push myself and I'd love to complete a duathlon in the future. Pippa incorporates a variety of workouts into her routines from running and biking to pilates and tennis. Clearly her hard work pays off and she's definitely one of my fitspirations!

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"You Work Out?"

Anyone who works out knows that eventually, if you do it enough and really integrate it into your lifestyle, you can't stop talking about it. You talk about your new favorite fitness class or the new equipment you bought or maybe how you set your own personal record for the 5k for which you've been training.
I'll absolutely admit that I do it. I can just feel my face light up when someone asks me about exercise or mentions sports. Often times when talking about working out I'm faced with the question, "You work out?"
This time last year one could describe me as "skinny fat". Genetics absolutely plays a large role in weight and my parents have always been small and athletic. Luckily I inherited those genes, so when I fell off my fitness track in my first two years of college it didn't have much of an effect on my weight. I drank as much soda as I wanted, ate as much fast food as I wanted, and exercise was not on my radar.
I started working out really just to pick up a hobby when I began working part-time instead of full-time. Within a few weeks, I fell in love with it all over again. I had more energy, my body felt stronger and tighter and I could work out longer and harder with every workout. After an intense workout, I just felt this high that could take away any stress I was experiencing and I had so much more focus. Nothing beats that feeling for me.
I don't work out to lose weight. I don't even look at the scale anymore. I workout to focus on me, make myself better, relieve my stress, and become healthier. There are so many benefits to working out beyond losing weight, so whether it's weight loss or health that motivates you, you'll find endless benefits to making fitness a priority.

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A New Dream Team

(C) US Soccer

I'll always remember World Cup 1999. I was 9 years old, a huge soccer fan and a player, and a huge fan of Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and Brandi Chastain. I have a questionable childhood memory, but I remember every moment of the game that won the United States the Women's World Cup title. It's really great looking back and thinking about the sports role models I had growing up, especially with the limited presence women have in athletics. 

There's a fair (and I'd say warranted) amount of criticism directed at the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team for its seeming inability to become competitive with the soccer powers in the world. What a lot of people don't know is that the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team isn't just competitive, it's one of the favorites to win the World Cup. With players like Abby Wambach and Hope Solo the U.S. women have every real possibility of become world champions. Most importantly, little girls who love soccer and sports will have great athletes to look up to like I did when I was younger.  

I was happy to see the coverage of the Women's World Cup on ESPN and I truly hope that should the U.S. women take the World Cup title it will do great things for soccer in this country as well as girls who play sports.

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Beauty from the Inside Out

GNC Hair, Skin, Nails

Let me first say, unfortunately there is no magic pill that will make your hair grow 5 inches a month and your skin become instantly radiant. However, after taking GNC's Hair, Skin, and Nails formula I would not go back to life without it! Within a week of taking this pill, I noticed a difference in how quickly my nails grow. I also noticed that my nails were super strong and able to withstand me constantly using my hands at workout with my nails breaking and my manicure chipping. As time went on I realized how quickly my hair was growing and, more importantly, how strong and healthy it was becoming! GNC's formula includes biotin, lutein, gelatin and amino acids as well as the other essential vitamins needed to be as healthy as possible.

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H.I.I.T. it!

Image: Bodyrock.tv

In January I encountered a bit of a problem with my workouts. I was working out almost every day a week, but nothing seemed to be happening.
I had hit a plateau. I was running longer than before, but it seemed like I wasn't really making any progress. Even worse, I was working four to five days a week and trying to keep up with five classes. I knew I needed to make a change and, finally, a new idea came in the form of High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T).
I incorporated intervals into my running and took on the challenge of Beachbody's Insanity program.
I'll definitely make additional posts on Insanity, but I have to say it took my fitness to another level. I cut a significant amount of time off of my mile sprint time, got some pretty sweet abs, and started to feel so much stronger.
H.I.I.T. involves a variety of options, including plyometric or jump training, sprinting and circuit training. The greatest bonus for me was the shorter workout times. In one twenty minute H.I.I.T session you can get the cardio burn of a less intense hour cardio session! My only word of caution is to not overdo it! When you push your body to the max you need recovery time, whether it's in the form of a day off or a less intense cardio session.


Read more about H.I.I.T:
H.I.I.T Supercharge Your Fitness

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Bienvenido!

Hello, everyone and welcome to "Sale El Sol". 

As a child, I was always a bit of a tomboy. I played soccer while my parents were avid sports players and watchers themselves. I really couldn't imagine a world that didn't include watching a lot of ESPN!

As I became a teenager, I lost a bit of my athletic touch and became more of a girly girl until I reached the point where I was never working out and eating as unhealthily as I could. It wasn't until October when I abruptly quit my job, started a new one at a great natural foods market and resolved myself to get fit again that things changed.

Since then I've rediscovered a huge passion in my life: fitness. I changed my eating habits and I've learned to push myself as much as possible athletically. I feel healthier than ever and inspired to share my fitness tips and ways to balance a busy lifestyle with a fit one.

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