Happy Healthy Halloween!

"Mistress Sweets" Halloween 2013

Happy Halloween from (Mistress) Deborah Sweets!  

How to have a Healthy Halloween... and beyond.

I usually think of Halloween as the "official" kickoff to the holiday season... for the next two months we will be surrounded by all sorts of temptations from extra sweet treats, to booze, to holiday parties, to giving nonstop to others but not taking time for ourselves.  Prime time to make excuses for lack of self-care!

Here are a few Healthy Tips to start off your Holiday season right!

1)  Don't wait until January 1st to make a Resolution.  Make a goal TODAY for what you want to do this holiday season - whether it be choosing to stop holiday weight gain before it starts by implementing a healthy weight management plan, making a schedule of all your favorite classes at the gym (and resolving to go!), or adding healthy additions to your diet and life such as fresh vegetables, or more sleep.  Small changes now will mean you can avoid the rush, stress, and/or exhaustion on January 2nd!

2)  Have a little of what you love.  We've heard it time and again, but moderation is key.  Choose the holiday treats you love the most and enjoy them.  Eat slowly, savoring the food or drink, and really taste it.  A little goes a long way.  Balance is key - what goes up must come down - so depriving yourself completely will most likely lead to overindulgence at some point down the line.

3) Give away what you don't need.  This can be in the form of food, gifts, or other 'extras' that start to gather and take up precious space (which we all know is at a premium here in the city) in your abode.  Share calorie-laden goodies with your neighbor, doorman, or give them away to random strangers!  The less "extra" you have in your place, the less likely you will be to indulge.  And maybe you'll make someone else's day that much better!

4) Be consistent.  Don't try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to your workouts, diets, or lifestyle.  Small, CONSISTENT changes that allow you to live your life in a comfortable way are most sustainable.  If you currently workout two days a week, aim for three.  If you are mostly doing cardio, add strength training to your regimen.  Resolve to try one new vegetable a week.  Try a day or two without gluten-dairy-coffee-alcohol-chocolate-sugar-processed food or whatever might be weighing you down.  Increase healthy activity and habits slowly but consistently, and they will be more sustainable.  

5) That being said, Try something new.  Scared of yoga? Get over it and try getting down with down dog.  Think the TRX looks like a torture device?  Take a class and find out.  Challenge your body to go OUT of your Comfort Zone - that's where the good stuff happens!  If you try something new and don't like it, at least you can say you've tried!  (PS You'll probably like it).  Besides being mentally stimulating (helping you to avoid dreaded workout boredom), it's physically important to keep your muscles and body guessing (to avoid the dreaded plateau).


Need to jump start your holiday goals?  Try starting with the phenomenal food-based Detox program from Urban Detox Club.

...and check out this AMAZING (and detox-friendly) recipe for Healthy Peanut Butter Cups!

HAVE A SAFE, HEALTHY & HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

You Know You're A Fitness Instructor When...

New York City. 

"if you can make it here, you'll make it anywhere."  

Particularly true in the ever-sought-after-yet-generally-underpaid-and-underappreciated world of Group Fitness.  New Yorkers have seen it all, done it all, know it all, and definitely know what they want (and, ahem, know more than you).  So to those of us in the ever-changing, ever-challenging world of Group Fitness, I dedicate this Blog entry.  Because at the end of the day, we LOVE what we do... and we wouldn't have it any other way.

You Know You're a Fitness Instructor When...

• The mere thought of wearing 'civilian clothes' gets you... Well, excited.
• You shower, shave, and apply makeup BEFORE you go to the gym.
• You walk around with an oversized bag containing multiple sets of the following: socks, underwear, sports bras, shorts, tank tops, water bottles, hair elastics, and CDs in case that darn iPod connection is acting up again.
• You do your absolute best to make said oversized bag look not only 'cool,' but also not burdensome.
• You always carry extra batteries - AA & AAA thank you very much
• Same for mic wind guards - both sizes
• Your monthly metro card shows signs of losing magnetism within 7-10 days
• You lose your voice a minimum of once a month
• You shower multiple times a day - then again when you get home at night. You start to wonder if you will lose skin.
• You have 'really creative ways' of staying warm in the winter - i.e. multiple pairs of pants, leg warmers, knee socks, head wear, & many (often uncalled for - but better safe than sorry) layers of shirt.
• You worry that your playlist won't be new enough, 'fresh' enough, or cool enough for the crowd you are about to teach. Then you realize you are waaaay 'cooler' and 'fresher' than they know what to do with.
• You get über annoyed when people think you have an 'easy job' because you 'only' work 'part time'
• The staff at your local Lululemon and/or athletic shoe store greets you by first name when you walk in, promptly sets up your personal fitting room, and immediately and without being asked starts pulling items 'just for you'
• The mere thought of having clean (read: sweat-free) hair for longer than 12 hours at a time sends shivers of excitement down your spine
• You can pretty much drop everything & leave for vacation at any given moment since you regularly carry a full line of travel-sized toiletries in your bag
• Your 'gym clothes to real clothes' laundry ratio is approximately 4:1.
• You could run an energy bar and raw almond distribution business out of your bag
• You don't understand what 'lunch hour' means
• You have a college degree, 463 certifications, and an MS in exercise science, but you just can't figure out how to use that damn microphone.
• You have an uncontrollable need to check your Email the moment you exit the train, lest you miss a precious subbing opportunity while having been underground for seven and a half minutes
• Your iTunes library is worth more than your apartment
• The discovery of Spotify Premium literally changed your life
• You know the entire Facebook life story of fellow instructors - their spouse/lover, children, class schedule, workouts, recipes, and food intake - but have never met them a day in your life

...this is just the few that came to mind.  feel free to add yours!! 

LOVE to all my colleagues in this amazing field!