Miss Eurobar Event Industry Fitness Blog #6

Miss Eurobar Event Fitness Blog #6

 Been a couple of months since I last blogged!  Time flies when you are not keeping on top of things!

 Blog #6 Theme:  Yikes! The Dreaded Cold!  UGH!

 I actually spent some time out of the country a couple weeks after my last blog post and within a couple days after I returned, I was whammied with a seriously nasty cold that turned into a six week+ stint of bronchitis.  Talk about suck! 

 The thing is, on my trip I ate super healthy and walked miles every day as the weather was great and why rent a car or take public transportation when you have two legs and two feet that can pump you most everywhere?

 So – I worked out and ate healthy and was away from the office and working events – so why did I come down with such a nasty cold?

Well, I honestly can’t answer that one – some nasty bugger of a germ latched onto me like a tick and didn’t get washed off. 

I eat and live a pretty healthy life (I do have my temptations and vices and my lazy times….but it is overall pretty darn good living).  I also am a germaphobe when I travel.  I wash my hands any time I need to use the restroom and try not to touch the door handles on the way out. 

This is a catering trick in order to keep your hands as clean as possible – I kick the door open to the stall and use a piece of toilet paper to slide the bolt shut.  When I’m done, I use a piece of toilet paper or a clean seat cover to flush and open the door on the way out and push the water on (if needed), wash and then wait to turn off water with a paper towel, throw that away and use another towel to dry my hands and use that to open the bathroom door and toss in the nearest trash can.  Great way to use any public restroom!

I also use hand sanitizer as much as I can during air travel, try not to touch my face much and shower, wash my hair and wash all my clothes that I wear when I get to my destination or home after flying. 

 But this heck of a cold-turned-into bronchitis that I caught really took me out and guess what?  Yup, it also kicked me totally out of my workout routine.  Honestly, I’ve had a hard time getting back on schedule with workouts over the last six weeks.  They haven’t returned back into what I was doing prior to my knock-me-off-my-feet-for-way-to-long cold.

 In order to keep in shape during this bronchitis (which any hard breathing would send me into a 20 minute coughing fit) I had to really watch what I ate and try to do as much yoga stretching as my sinus pain and bronchioles would allow me to do.  I also started back into some short walks – not my usual almost jogging pace either (just getting back to that now!)  I ate good old chicken soup and a lot of veggies and cut down on my portions of other food.

(Well, portion control wasn’t a problem the first couple of weeks since I was never hungry – then I had to make sure to eat of the good stuff!)

 Today’s Tip: The dreaded Portion Control.  Like you haven’t heard that one before!  I’ve already said that diet is a four letter word, but I do firmly believe in trying to control the amount of food I eat. 

Wait – I did tell you that I snack in my last blog, right?

I do snack – BUT at meal time I eat only until I feel the beginning of fullness in my stomach, then maybe a few more bites and stop.  I am the queen of left over meals out!  Love having them for lunch the next day (get more bang for your buck!)

I like a snack at least one time during the day – and since I don’t keep anything bad and tempting in my cupboard, the snack is usually quite healthy.  I keep it a small portion, so I will spend a couple of minutes and actually fix up a plate, say a couple crackers with cheese and some grapes and/or apple slices.  Having that snack laid out on a plate for visual portion control is a lot better than grabbing a bag of something, taking it over to your desk and mindlessly sticking you hand in the bag, food to mouth and back (hey, I’ve done that a few times and was surprised when my hand hit the bottom of the bag).  Besides, you are less likely to take time again to fix another snack plate once you are done!  Keeping easy-to-eat bagged snacks and treats at your desk is a pretty dangerous thing to do.  Just Sahying!

 All right – back to chatting about recuperating after being down-and-out sick:

Actually, doing some exercise when you are sick actually can help reduce the duration of your cold.  Honest! 

But this doesn’t mean get all crazy with yourself.  AND if you are sick – DON’T GO TO THE GYM!!!!  Why spread your nasties all over every single thing you touch in the gym so someone else can be as miserable as you are now with a cold next week? Walk around your neighborhood, the local park, the beach…do pushups and sit ups in your living room…march in place…you feel me?  Stay outta the gym until you are outta the contagious stage.  PLEASE!

 OH!  For all of us in the meetings and events biz – all you huggers out there - scratch the hug and/or hand shake when you are coming down with a cold.  Give a wave and say how sorry you are not to hug/handshake that you are feeling a bit under the weather.  THANKS!!

 Eat healthy, drink lots of water (not soda!) and go for a walk. 

Amazing how much better you will feel!

 When your body is feeling like it can take more – then do more – and work back up to your regular routine with a week or so.

 I’ll see you in the gym when you are all better!

You can take 10 minutes to work out and you can take 10 minutes to pause and eat.  Enjoy the small things in life.  A few short minutes are all you need…

Pause and watch the sun set….amazing how that will relax you!

Miss Eurobar Event Industry Fitness Blog #5

Miss Eurobar Event Fitness Blog #5

Now, a couple of my comments below may get me in a bit of hot water with my catering clients and foodie friends, but the nice thing about writing a blog is it is my thoughts and opinions that I’m expressing to the public – so take it or leave it as you will.  (Just keep reading… :-)  )

First of all (Disclaimer)  – I am not a certified nutritionist and my answer is not going to be your eating plan, capiche?  This is to answer a direct question from a blog reader and industry pal.

Here is a sample of my eating day:

I eat as much organic and/or local grown produce as possible.  I don’t eat fast food or drink soda.  I’m not a big fan of fried food.  I’m not a big fan of tray passed food or buffet food either (reference note above) and I eat before I attend most association mixers so that I am not tempted to over eat food that has a lot of I-don’t-know-what-I’m-eating ingredients in it.  My go-to breakfast is a fruit bowl with plain Greek yogurt and cinnamon and my favorite snack is either reduced-fat Wheat Thins with gruyere or provolone cheese or organic peanut butter, a bowl of Kashi cereal or a handful of wasabi pea trail mix. 

Sounds too healthy?  Okay - -  I do like to eat lunch out a day or two a week.  Such as:  Sushi (love Harney Sushi rolls) or Tender Greens (favorite salad is the tuna nicoise and I do eat the side piece of buttered and grilled bread!)  I also like pizza – Pizza Port’s whole wheat beer crust Monterey pizza is my favorite as is anything from Bronxs and Isola.  I like pasta too – a good Bolognese sauce with spaghetti works just fine for me and I absolutely am crazy for Bencotto in Little Italy.

All right….most lunches consist of a big tuna or fresh roasted chicken salad or sandwich (21 grain bread) or left-overs.  But just sayhing… I do cheat too and savor every second of it!

And I cook.  My husband/business partner and I like to cook together.  We tease each other – he likes to cook heavy (i.e. sauces and butter with lots of dishes and a long wait for dinner) and I like to cook light (i.e. fresh and light – but will still use butter {just less of it} J  with less dishes and a faster time to eating!)  So we have fun in the kitchen – and this is a good thing because getting creative in the kitchen, whether you are a spouse or partner or not, makes you find out ways to eat healthy and at home.

And I also like to bake.  When my mom and I opened a coffee house years ago, she and I did all the baking.  I’ve always been quite good at it.  Cookies, cakes, pies…and I don’t skimp on the butter and sugar nor use whole wheat pastry flour in lieu of white (though I do use an organic bleached wheat flour from Whole Foods).   I bake when I have company or for family dinners and special occasions.  So sharing the baked goods means fewer leftover and less temptation the next day.

BUT I STILL EAT IT!

I do not believe in boxed anything. I also don’t eat processed foods.  I look at labels – things with too many ingredients scare me (especially when I’ve never seen the ingredient name before) and avoid things with too much fat or sugar or salt.  And I don’t believe in non-fat….

WAIT! You Say? You caught me - - I said my favorite snack is REDUCED FAT Wheat Thins….

I did.  Because I think reduced fat or low fat is okay – we don’t need all the saturated fat items, but we don’t need NON-fat either.  Non-fat equates to high sugar.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but sugar is why we put on weight.  American’s eat a LOT of sugar.

And I DO DRINK WINE!  Now – that is my bane.  Wine has sugar and it has alcohol…both not too high on the “What-you-should-be-consuming”  scale.  I don’t drink many bad things – no soda, no processed/bottled juices, no hard alcohol, no beer (though that is only because I dislike the taste of beer) ….  Coffee, water, wine…. My favorite things to drink.  All in moderation (except water – I drink that all day long!)  Coffee in the a.m., wine in the p.m.   I like to savor that glass of vino – and it is definitely red!

I also  juice – orange, grapefruit, cantaloupe, carrot, beet, spinach, kale, celery…. My afternoon pickmeup.  (Nice having a commercial veggie and fruit juicer at home - - hey, it’s my business, right?  The Beverage business!)

Flavor should be why you eat or drink something – and just slamming it down and not enjoying it is a waste (i.e. what sooooo many of us do in the events industry because we are on the go and on our feet for such long hours).  Eat a protein bar if you want to not enjoy yourself – lots of what you need in that thing – with no flavor, but will tie you over and keep the catering event tempting foods at bay.

So – getting the picture?  Savor good food and take your time.  Pause a moment to eat and try to make better choices – don’t starve yourself then slam into your mouth whatever gets in your hand.

On that note, Isola sounds rather tempting today…..

You can take 10 minutes to work out and you can take 10 minutes to pause and eat.  Enjoy the small things in life.  A few short minutes is all you need…

Miss Eurobar Event Industry Fitness Blog #4

Miss Eurobar Event Fitness Blog #4

In my last Blog, I talked about a quick and easy workout to try to add to your daily attempt to work out. 

For this Blog I will give some tips on eating choices.

Note the word “choices”…

Motivation Kick in the Butt #1:  You are what you eat.

Motivation Rebuttal #1:  But you can still eat!

What am I a saying here, you ask? 

In the fitness and nutrition world, you definitely are what you eat.  What you put in your body counts.  It really is about calories in and calories out per day.  How much you consume to how much you burn is a big deciding factor in your weight management.

Yeah – THANKS for saying that, huh?  We live and work in a world where there is a LOT of high calorie yummy food available for us to stick in our mouths all day long! Besides, we are busy, right?  Many times there just isn’t time to eat healthy!

Temptation is a nasty thing – it strikes all of us, most particularly when facing something delicious (made worse by a hungry and empty stomach and tired body).

So – to continue the answer to the question from an industry acquaintance from my last Blog:  What do I eat?

First, let me tell you that I am not a skinny-minny.  Not at all.  I don’t have a flat tummy (never have) nor will I deny myself food and drink to have a skinny, flat stomach that was never part of my genetic makeup.  I eat, I drink wine, I snack….sometimes bad snacks….and I can eat too much at one sitting.  Hey, I’m a normal person that works and that likes to have time to do what I want to do too – and sometimes you can’t be perfect  and eat perfect.

I occasionally fall into the DESSERT training effect (remember my term from Blog#2? “Double-Edge Sword Spiral Effect Result Training”) and beat myself up - - but then I realize I just have to move beyond it.  After all, “Tomorrow is another day!” (my favorite Scarlet O’hara saying from GWTW).  So pick yourself up if you’ve not been “perfect” and try again the next day. 

You see, the key term here is TRY. 

Yeah, so I ate the pecan pie tart – what of it?

Just don’t eat another one!  It is okay to give into the temptation – but it is NOT okay to pig out.  It is a proven fact in fitness industry publications (and even recently articled in some of the mainstream fitness mags such as Health, SELF, etc.) that you should give into temptation and not deny yourself that chocolate chip cookie.  BUT the trick is to savor it and eat just one!  (Not the whole bag).  Then you’ve got the senses going – the smell of this tempting thing, the way it hits your taste buds when you take a bite, the sensation of the flavor of it …. Enjoy it!  Just don’t start slamming this temptation into your mouth multiple times and getting all crazy on it.

Okay – back to the comment of “You are what you eat!” ….

You are – no doubt about it.  You know it – you know what you are eating and how it makes you feel and if it adds some flab on the tummy and tush…. You know it.  So don’t lie to yourself about it – just try to take a step back for a moment and think about it.  If you still can’t convince yourself to NOT eat it – then by all means - - Go for it.

And then TRY to do your “workout” routine – whether that is a walk around the block or down the office building stairs or to the spinning class at the gym or the 10 minute a.m. workout - - just make an attempt to balance the “calories in” to the “calories out”.

The same applies for missing a work out day.  I didn’t do my morning workout routine today.  I slept in because I obviously needed the sleep and then I took my dog for a walk at our favorite off-leash dog park for an hour because he needed the workout more than I did – then I had a morning meeting I needed to get to.  BUT I had plans to clean the house and do some yard work since I was not doing a full day in the office… so I knew I was moving my body today, just not in the sense of a full-blown “workout”.  Yeah – I did have a couple beat-myself-up thoughts, but, hey! …I had errands and house cleaning and yard work to do and I was moving.  Good enough for today.  Tomorrow morning I will resume my a.m. workout.

So – back to the question of what do I eat?

In my next Blog you’ll get a day in my life (well, on what I eat anyway).

Stay Tuned!

Miss Eurobar Event Fitness Blog #3

I had an industry acquaintance contact me and ask me about how I workout and what I eat and to expand upon my comments in regards to people’s bodies “fitting” them.  So, after thanking them for actually reading my blog, I figured this was a great subject for blog #3.

First for this blog – my workouts.  I try to work out every day.  Now, do I do so - - every day??

Nope!

BUT I TRY TO…and this is the first step to adding a fitness routine to your busy schedule.

In my brain pretty much each morning is one thought:  Get moving for 10 minutes.  Now, I am a personal trainer and have worked out fairly consistently for the last 20 years, so my 10 minutes of working out is after I do 5-8 minutes of yoga sun salutations (my go-to warm up). 

Note: Sometimes, this yoga routine is what I only have the effort and energy for in the morning and I will expand it to 10 minutes.

Then my 10 minutes is something what is called High Intensity Training in the fitness world.  Explosive movements for 30-45 seconds followed by 20-30 seconds of rest. 

Not for the faint of heart.

And I mean this literally!  NOTE:  Before you start any workout routine that is new for you and out of your comfort zone or if you have not worked out before, I highly suggest you get a nice check up with your Doc, Okie Dokie?!!  Just Sahying….I’m seen a few people get flung off the treadmill after passing out in my gym personal training career (ummm – NOT any of my clients, mind you!)

And to be honest with you – many times this 10 minutes expands to15-25 minutes, depending on how much time I have and what my internal system is yelling at me in the morning.  I’m also a big fan of the TRX Workout (http://www.trxtraining.com) a suspension workout created by former SEALs – but that is for another blog J

HOLD IT!  Wait….. You are saying that there is NO WAY you know how to do this “high intensity” thing - - like really - - what do I mean?

Simple Routine for the new at this:

~March in place (and I mean pump the arms and March!) 30 seconds

~Rest 15-20 seconds

~Jumping Jacks 20 seconds (take it easy – go slow to start)

~Rest 30 seconds

~Sit ups x 30 seconds (suggest bicycle sit ups as they are effective and easy – can Google how to or email me at mdteurobar@gmail.com  if you are not sure)

~Rest 20 seconds

Repeat for 10 minutes

Moderate Routine:

~Jumping Jacks 20-30 seconds

~Rest 20-30 seconds

~Push ups 20 seconds

~Rest 20 seconds

~Lunge Kicks – 20-30 seconds (can Google how to do or email me)

~Bicycle Abs or ball sit ups (if you have an exercise ball) for 30-45 seconds

~Rest 20 seconds

~Squat jumps 20-30 seconds (can Google how to do or email me)

Repeat 10 minutes

SO…. Did I use weights?  Nope.

Did I use a gym?  Nope!

Did I have an excuse to not spend 10 minutes working out?  NOPE!

For us event folks that travel – you can do this in your hotel room before you head out for the day.  It actually is a great bump start to a long day – gets you energized and motivated to deal with what comes your way when planning or providing services for an event.

No excuses.  Really!!!

If you try – just try – to spend 10 minutes a day “working out” – you’d be surprised at the results.

Totally new to this – walk it out, baby!  (And I mean literally – walk 10 minutes without stopping a day, till you can do it easily and longer and then try the Simple Routine above!)

The Side Bar:  Quick Eating Tip:  Try to cut out just one thing that you know you are eating each day that you should not be.

Uh-Huh - - you know what I mean.  That cookie you slip into your hand before it heads out to the buffet station….that piece of candy from your office mate’s desk jar….that can of soda to pick you up for the afternoon (try iced tea or a fresh carrot and veggie juice instead).

Just try it – I know you can do it!

Miss Eurobar Event Fitness Blog #2

Miss Eurobar Event Fitness Blog 07/01/13

Preview note:  Remember my DESSERT term from my first fitness blog (the “Double-Edge Sword Spiral Effect Result Training” effect?) - - well, let me tell you - I just came from a conference and I didn't work out daily nor did I eat as healthy as I would normally do.  There were some amazing desserts, and I ate them! Yup - I was tempted and I ate more than one of them.  And guess what?  I was not going to allow a couple bad days of eating depress me and spiral me down to the feelings of guilt that generally are associated with poor eating and not saying "no" to the cake.    I even took an extra day off after I got back then started back up on my routine and didn't beat myself up about it.  My body fits me, and I am not a skinny girl and never will be - so I'm not going to give up eating a cookie (or two) to try to fit a body size that isn't me.

Blog #2   I just worked a 12+ hour day and you expect me to work out????

 Simple answer = Yes!

Complex answer = No!  Not on the day you just worked for so many hours! 

We all work, we all have commitments, we all have spouses/partners/kids/parents/friends/pets that demand our attention when we are not working. 

So when do you get time to work out?

{Yeah – than when do I have time for me? - - More on that in a moment} 

Here is one of my little secrets:

Try to work out every single day first thing when you get up in the morning (or depending on your work schedule - in the evening – but not at night… {more on that in a future blog}) 

Yeah – right…I like to sleep as long as I can….THANKS! 

Can you give me 10 minutes?  Impossible you say?  

Motivation kick in the butt #1:  You are totally lying to yourself if you don’t have 10 minutes to work out a day. 

Motivational rebuttal #1:  You don’t have to do it every day! But the key is to try to every day. 

I am going to take a minute to give you some background information on me:  On the personal training - - I’ve been doing this for a decade+  There has been a lot of changes in the fitness industry and I follow them on all the insider, in-depth fitness study publications and websites.  (BTW- not a thing you want to read to wake up or anything! Kinesiology and physiology are pretty scary detailed stuff!)

 One study that is bull-dozing the fitness industry is being a quick, kick-butt workout to jump-start your day. 

 All right BEFORE we go down this path - - if you don’t work out much (or at all), you need to start somewhere and I just scared you, didn’t I?  

I will answer that by going back to the “Get out and smell the roses” comment in my first blog.  Take a walk – try to walk as briskly as you can for 15 minutes each day.  Take the stairs.  IF you do this as often as you can – you will be amazed in a month where you will be going. 

So, the workout I’m going to start talking about in my next blog begins when you feel strong enough to devote the 10 minutes for the fast and furious workout.

And back to "Is there time for me?" Yes.  There is always time for you - the key is making your workout time part of that "Me" time. 

Heard on event site:  “So, you actually need power?” Said to the espresso bar company and the photo booth vendor. {Umm- Sorry today we forgot to bring our gerbils and their spinning wheel}

Miss Eurobar Event Fitness Blog

First MissEurobar Event Industry Fitness Blog: 05/11/13

My goal is to have a fun, short blog with meeting, catering and event industry stay-fit tips (and fun from event site quotes and quips) but first there has to be the introduction to why I would want to write this:

We have one body that we are born with to take care of and preserve over our lifetime.  But wait, hold on, then there is the meeting, catering and events industry.  Whoa!! Back up…we not only need major clones of ourselves to make our bosses and clients happy - - but saying “take care of our body and health” in this demanding work environment with very (and I mean very) long work days, ridiculous schedules, backbreaking work and even more demanding clients (and bosses)…  Did I mention temptation?  Yup.  Lots of that!  All the awesome events and stunning décor set off by beautiful (and delicious) catering food and tempting cocktails, wine and beer…and…and…and…Hmmm…. mocha gelato dipped in pistachio flakes served in a mini cone with a side of vanilla soaked pound cake with chocolate shavings and hot rum milk?  The devil sitting on your left shoulder generally wins.  Yeah – absolutely NO temptation there!  (Okay, for you non-sweet weirdoes, prime rib sliders dipped in au jus topped with grilled sweet onions with a side of Texas-style BBQ sauce and Southern coleslaw OR you no-meat eaters, curried tofu with rice noodles and sautéed mixed veges topped with five-spice sauce served in mini-Asian take-out boxes with chop sticks?)  Nope.  Not tempted at all.  Not after getting up at 4 a.m. to be on event site at 5:30 a.m. to make sure registration/vendor set up/AV/lighting/booths/catering/etc. is ready for the client arrival at 8:30 a.m.  This is just the start of the day that may possibly end at 8:30 p.m. (more than likely around Midnight).  I’m not hungry – not at all.  Or thirsty for that matter – I was good and brought my protein bar and 16 ounce bottle of water with me for the day because it fit in my big purse.  How far did that get me?  I’m not telling!  I didn’t notice (or sample) any of the food and beverage that was displayed and offered.  Promise!

We see all the beautiful and fit people in magazines, in movies and on TV and we try our best to look like them.  We tear out the magazine pages or use our smart phone or tablet app and try to incorporate the workouts/diets/reduced calorie dessert recipes/juicing fasts/flat ab day meal plan….into our daily regime.

I think I mentioned above that we only have one body? Yes, true – but we only have one mind, one psyche, too.  If we try to look like something we are not  – then when we don’t succeed, that screws up our mind – because we are supposed to look like that woman/man on the cover of that popular fitness magazine…uh…Right?!?!?!

Here we go – start of what I call the “Double-Edge Sword Spiral Effect Result Training”  (DESSERT for short) or you can also call it a self-defeating prophesy…up to you.  Let me tell you a little secret…you are YOU and YOUR body belongs to YOU and you may not have a body type that can fit in that size 2 dress or for you guys, the size 30 waist pants – NO MATTER HEATHLY YOU EAT, HOW LITTLE YOU EAT, HOW RESTRICTIVE YOU EAT, HOW MUCH YOU EXERCISE…  Your body will fit YOU. 

We’ve all done it.  Lose weight and get fit with diet and exercise.  Got that flat tummy and hip bones or six-pack gently showing.   How long did that last?  (If it did last – my kudos to you and you can get off my blog … just teasing, sort of.)  We are real people, with real jobs, real spouses or partners, with real kids, real parents, real families and real worries.

Note before I go further:  Let me tell you that I definitely think that you should eat heathy, organic or locally grown and sustainable and with some restrictions.  You should also exercise daily, if possible, or at least 3-5 times a week. 

Second note before I go further: In regards to exercise: I don’t mean an hour of plugging along on the treadmill or boring workout class or video – I mean even simply getting out and walking and getting fresh air.  If you want to do more – then more power to you.  But get out of your desk chair and get outside for a walk for 20 -30 minutes if that is all you are able to do, and try to do it every day.  Just saying - Go smell the roses.

Okay. Climb off my soapbox  - - this is an event industry blog.  We all just don’t have time for that, right? 

WRONG!!!!

Time is a thief, for sure.  I have seen almost 46 years in this body and I hardly feel older than I was in my 20’s (ummm- would have to have a separate blog to delve into that statement) BUT I am a firm believer that you can work hard, have fun, eat bad (sometimes), drink alcohol (to moderation), have a belly and that dreaded “muffin-top”  and even moobs and still be “Healthy”.

Impossible you say?  I say NOT!  And if you continue to read my blog I am going to give you tips each week on having the body that was meant for you and finding time in this busy world of the meetings and events industry!

Stay Tuned!!!  …….