8 Minute Arms

Discovered this Tracey Anderson video on YouTube. It's a great way to squeeze in an arm workout when you don't have access to a gym. Try and get through it without letting your arms down...it's hard!

Working Out On Vacation

You might think I'm nuts but some people really do use the gyms at hotels...I never have but there are ways to squeeze in some exercise while on vacation.

If you're going to the beach...
Take a nice 20-30 minute run/jog down the beach. Bring a yoga mat and some dummbells and leave them on the beach in front of your condo. When you get back from your run, spend another 15-20 minutes doing a few ab and arm exercises such as bicycle crunches, toe touches, pushups, tricep extensions with a dumbbell, bicep curls or really any simple stength training exercise you can do with little to no equipment.

TIP - Another great thing to do at the beach is paddle boarding. I have yet to try this but I hope one day I get to. I've heard it's a serious workout for your core and arms really your entire body! Check into renting a paddle board for the day and get to rowing.

If you're going to the country...
This one is easy, go for a hike! Before you leave do some research on any local hiking trails or state parks and plan a morning or day to visit. Hiking burns tons of calories and you don't even realize your're exercising!

If you're going to the big city...
I love going to NYC and exercising doesn't usually fit into my vacay. However, when you're in NYC all you do is WALK! Take advantage and skip the taxi or subway and spend the majority of your time walking around the city. One morning you may even take a jog or run through Central Park. What did Carrie Bradshaw always say..."Shopping is my cardio." I agree with Carrie on this one shop til your drop!

*Another great exercise while on vacation is tennis! I play regularly so I own a few racquets, but if you don't most vacation clubs will let you rent a racquet. Check out local tennis clubs or even with your condo (if you're going to the beach) they may have courts available to play. Tennis is great cardiovascular exercise and engages your whole body. It's also fun!

Road Trip

I will be leaving for a very long road trip this weekend and trying to figure out what to pack for snacks and meals is always difficult. There's no way I am indulging in any type of fast food so here's a list of food I plan on packing to stay on track and still eat clean.

Quest Protein Bars
100 calorie packs of almonds, unsalted
Apples
Bananas
Dried Fruit, watch the sugar!
Pistashios
Boiled Eggs
Tuna packets
WASA crackers, contain very low sugar and are great to eat with tuna. I found them at Whole Foods.
MIO liquid, if you get sick of plain water add a little MIO!
WATER!

Of course I will eat in restaurants at some point so I plan on sticking to lean meats or fish, salads with oil and vinegar (stay away from the dressing!) and of course steamed veggies! If you pick the right restaurants it's easy to find a healthy meal just order smart, stay away from butter, and always skip the bread basket!

Step Mill Interval Training

I used to avoid this machine like the plague because I thought it was pointless however, I have grown to love it! Also come to find out it really gives you a great cardio workout considering I barely lasted 15 minutes the first time I started interval training. After a few weeks I have worked my way up to a decent 30 minute workout that burns some serious calories. Here's my Step Mill Interval Workout! Enjoy and good luck!

Favorite Workout Gear

Nike Legend Leggings

Under Armor Racerback Tank

Zella LiveIn Leggings

Hard Tail Wide Neck Top

Nike Flyknit Lunar+1 Running Shoe

Recipe of the Day!

Fajita Stir Fry 

This dish is an interesting fusion approach to stir fry. Traditional Latin spices combined with the kick of dark Jamaican rum make for an interesting marriage of flavors.

• 4 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 T. lime juice
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 pounds skirt steak, pounded thin and cut into 1-inch wide strips
• 1 small yellow onion, cut into small wedges
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into quarter-inch strips
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into quarter-inch strips
• 1 medium plum tomato, diced
• 2 T. dark rum
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Place meat in bottom of glass dish. Combine 2 T oil with garlic, lime juice, chili powder, and cumin in jar and shake well. Pour over meat and marinate at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium flame. Add meat strips in single layer and cook without stirring, one minute. Turn and continue cooking for one additional minute. Add onion and peppers and continue to cook for four minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine tomato and rum in small bowl. Stir with fork and pour into skillet. Cook one minute. Sprinkle with cilantro. Remove from heat and cool three minutes. Serves four.