One of the boys...

I’ve always wanted to be “one of the guys.”  I can talk sports.  Like, I know the Heat beat the Spurs last night and that Tony Parker cheated on Eva Longoria…devastating on both accounts.  I can play sports (little known fact: I did win my rec center’s basketball championship in the 5^th grade—not to brag or anything).  I can drink beer…on occasion…as long as it’s light…and it’s a Corona…and it has a lime.  And I can hit up the gym with the bros any day of the week—the fact that I go for the 12.5’s is just a minor distinction.

Another slight differentiation between me and the boys is our post-workout regimen.  While I’m dripping sweat in my Lululemon Power-Y tank or my sorority’s formal tee (aoe), my bros are rocking muscle tees.  While I’m wiping said dripping sweat with the provided towel, my bros are checking out their abs while pretending to wipe their face with said muscle tees.  And while I reach for my post-workout snack of a yogurt or apple and string cheese combo, my bros are pouring scoop after scoop of protein powder from a Costco size can promising the musculature of a baby oiled man, flexing in a Speedo (delish).  Now while I want to be “one of the guys,” surprisingly entering a male body building competition is not my primary goal for working out. 

That is why I have developed my own Princess Protein Smoothie.  This way I can keep up with the boys, but also ensure no confusion when it comes to guessing my gender.  It’s simple, it’s healthy, it's delish, and it’s under 250 calories.  Protein is essential after a workout, but this way I won’t end up looking like the Hulk.  Plus, it sneaks in some greens…but, don’t tell the guys, kale doesn’t really go with fist-pumping, beer-drinking, bro time.

Princess Protein Smoothie:

1 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein

5 strawberries

½ banana

1 spoonful peanut butter (I like Low Sodium Better’n Peanut Butter: low cal, low fat, but great taste)

½ cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

½ cup water

Handful of spinach

Handful of kale

A few ice cubes

Travel Tone-Up

 

I've always had trouble with the old adage: "Do as I say, not as I do."  If you don't practice what you preach, it's time to step down from the podium.  In an attempt to avoid colossal hypocrisy (a la Eliot Spitzer), I followed my own healthy travel tips during my flight to New York this weekend.  Feeling guilt- and jetlag-free, I stepped off of the plane only to be greeted by a terrifying question that hit me like a pound of bricks: how the #&@! am I going to stay on track during the trip?! 

My personal motto is, "If I have to diet and shave on a trip, then it's not a real vacation."  If you tell me that your 5-day spring break trip was worth the three months of starving yourself beforehand and watching your carb intake throughout the week, you are a liar and a masochist (but maybe you're into that sort of thing, so who am I to judge?).  Personally, I want to maintain my normal routine prior to a trip and most likely devour a plate of nachos when I arrive (the destination is irrelevant...I will have nachos no matter what).  Having said that, I'd also like to keep up some semblance of my regimen while away and also attempt not to look like a total yetti.  So this weekend, I packed my razor and aimed to discover how to stay healthy and active while also living it up on vacay.

Vacation (vāˈkā sh ən)- A period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation.  Or in layman’s terms: sip the margarita, eat the gelato, and soak up the sun.  Splurge a little (if you have to unbutton your high-waisted jeans at the table, you’ve gone too far) but stay active so as not to do too much damage.  No one wants to come home busting out of their clothes like Kim K’s prego feet in sandals.  Here are 10 moves you can do in any motel, hotel, or family road trip RV—no equipment needed.

Do one minute of each with no rest in between the moves.  After finishing all 10 exercises, rest for 2 minutes and repeat the routine again.  The whole workout is only 22 minutes so you’ll have plenty of time to get the rest of your cardio dancing on the bar at Liv, El Squid Roe, Marquee, or wherever your booty shakin’ moves take you this summer.

Warm-up by jogging in place

Push-ups (real ones, ladies!)

Butt-kicks

Squats with your feet hip’s width apart

High-knees

Tricep dips (you can use any chair)

Mountain climbers

Alternating forward lunges

Heisman's

Bicycle crunches

Now get your lil toned body out there and enjoy your summer getaway.  Don't worry, there will be plenty of time for shaving and nacho-free meals when you get back. 

Traveling Trifecta

Like most girls, I aspire to embody the trifecta: trendsetter, go-getter, jetsetter.  Naturally, I already have the trendsetter thing down.  I opt to rock Hardtails and Uggs...most days of the week...and although this trend was widely popular circa 2004, I am definitely breaking some sort of fashion boundaries by continuing this "comfort chic" look into the future, almost a decade later.  Definitely.

Now being a go-getter requires a bit more work than yoga pants and fuzzy boots, but I'm willing to put in the effort because no one wants to be just a...fecta (the singular form of trifecta, obviously).  Although I'm sure there are multiple interpretations of how one embodies the term "go-getter," in my world, it means doing what it takes to get what you want.  For example, this past December, at an LF store warehouse sale, I found myself head first and waist deep in a large bin of shoes only to return to the surface with a pair of size 7, Jeffrey Campbell boots (you know, just in case Uggs ever go out of style).  I wanted them, I go getter-ed them, and therefore I officially attained 2/3 of the coveted package in that proud moment.

As for the jetsetter part of the equation, personally I don't care if you're flying to your grandma's house in Palm Beach or taking a casual vacay to Dubai, being a jetsetter is all about how you travel.  It is easy to get caught up in logistics of traveling or your impending destination when at the airport or even in the air, abandoning your Happy Healthy lifestyle for the comforts of convenience.  But it doesn't have to be that way.  With just a little bit of planning and conscious recognition that you can maintain your lifestyle despite what airport you are in or what's on the in-flight menu (yum!), you can stay nutritionally and physically on track.  In order to help you avoid the Cinnabon stand (I've definitely been guilty of devouring a roll...or two before a flight), here are 5 of my healthy travel tips, helping you attain the final piece of the trifecta and becoming a true jet setter.

1) Eat before you go to the airport.  I don't care if your flight is at 5 am and you're just not in a "breakfast mood" at that time, eat!  I'm sure you tell yourself you'll just get the oatmeal at Starbucks, but we both know when that maple nut scone is staring at you from the counter, you're gonna succumb to its powers.  Take that decision off the table and eat strategically beforehand.

2) Bring snacks.  Airport food is grimy and airplane food is gross.  Save yourself from noshing on a CPK mini pizza or scrumptious beef salami with cheese in-flight by packing foods beforehand to get you through the flight.  I like to bring an apple, a Greek yogurt, a protein bar, and for really long flights, an almond butter and banana on a whole wheat English muffin sandwich.  I try to keep fueling my body every few hours to rev up my metabolism while my seat partner appreciates that a) I'm not in low blood sugar bitch mode and b) I'm not stinking up the plane with my McDonalds' Egg McMuffin...it's really a win-win.

3) Pack an empty water bottle in your carry-on.  Dehydration can cause jet lag AND can often be confused with hunger...leading you to mosey on over to the Cinnabons.  Step away from the roll of dough covered with sugar and promises of an early heart attack, and fill your bottle from a water fountain as soon as you get through security.  Stay hydrated!!!

4) Don't chew gum.  If your ears hurt from the pressure, try yawning or popping them by holding your nose and then trying to blow out of it.  Flying makes you bloated and so does gum.  That's a double whammy.  Maybe grammy doesn't care that you look like a gummy bear, but my guess is that you do.  The amount of air swallowed by chewing gum alone, can make you go up an entire dress size!  Now I don't know where you're going, but you probably did not account for a size change while packing--so skip the pack of spearmint.  

5) Do small exercises on the plane.  I always feel so lazy when I'm sitting for hours on end so I try to implement little exercises throughout the flight to keep me feeling toned and on track. By sitting up in your seat and maintaining good posture, you are engaging your core and thus keeping your abs in tip-top shape.  When waiting in line for the restroom or standing in the aisle, do a few calf raises.  Everyone assumes I'm just fidgety and stretching out, but really I am ensuring that the next time I wear heels, my legs look bomb dot com.  Lastly, put your own bag in the overhead bin.  Although I love it when men are chivalrous and offer to help, I'm a strong a** bitch and love the little bicep workout.

So fly safe and healthy wherever your travels may take you, you little trifecta you.

Juice-y Couture

 

I am from the land of unbearable traffic and spray tans—needless to say, I love a good shortcut.  Tell me I can get what I want faster, easier, and without leech therapy, and I’m there and signed up for the next fad route to the promise land.  There is really nothing better than attaining something you want without putting in the necessary effort, just ask any of my group project team members from school.  Shortcuts don’t always pan out the way you had hoped, but then again, Lincoln will always be better than the 405 during rush hour, so I think they’re usually worth a shot.  That is why, this week, I tried a juice cleanse.

Juice cleanses are a fave shortcut of some of Hollywood’s hottest celebs and supermodels.  The cleanse guarantees a litany of unbelievable promises including: elimination of toxic buildup, vitamins A, C, K, E, B (etc…you get the picture), cardiovascular support, healthy skin, bones, & teeth, increase in brain function, strengthening of immune system, purification of blood, blah blah blah, and of course, weight loss.  For anywhere between 3 to 10 days, all you consume is pre-bottled, insanely overpriced fruit and vegetable juice (most cleanses range from $45 to $70 per day).  Somehow as unappealing as that may sound, I thought it would be a great idea to give it a go…I mean if Adriana Lima can do it, so can I…right?

Wrong!  Very, very, VERY wrong. 

Day 1: I woke up ready and amped to start my 3-day shortcut to my detoxified and runway-ready bod.  I laid out the times that I would consume each juice, stuck my straw in the first designated bottle, and started a sippin’.  I felt great!  I felt refreshed and light and ready to own this cleanse—adios toxic buildup!  By juice number 4 (out of 7), I was a little bit hungry but too consumed with the promise of looking like Bar Rafaeli in the next 72 hours to falter.  For the rest of the afternoon I laid in bed watching Hunger Games and How I Met Your Mother, too tired to engage in normal daytime activities.  Luckily, my mom and my sister jumped on board the supermodel juice train, so come dinnertime, I was not tempted by solid foods.  I shortly elected to soothe my dizziness and fatigue by putting myself to bed at 9:30, falling asleep before I could even peruse my Facebook News Feed as I do every night (How else am I gonna know that my elementary school crush is “feeling hungry” that night?!  Riddle me that!).  I woke up approximately 5 times during the night to pee, due to the mass amount of liquid supposedly detoxifying my system.  I wonder how models on these cleanses make it down the runway without a pit stop…

Day 2: Gonna be honest with you, when I woke up, I was not Happy Healthy Hannah.  I was tired, bloated, and definitely low-blood sugar bitch Hannah.  I had a bad headache and was just not thinking straight (I called my mom 7 times while she was in a business meeting, panicked and crazed about the whereabouts of juice #1…appropriate?  I thought so, apparently).  But regardless of my psychosis, I was not going to quit now.  Victoria’s Secret was going to be calling me soon for the next Angels campaign, as they do for most pale, 5’2” Jewish girls, and when they did, I was going to be camera ready.  I lounged about doing, well, nothing for the rest of the morning, which if you know me, NEVER happens—I am always being active or productive or doing something, at the very least.  By 2 pm I knew something was not right.  I felt weak beyond belief, I had a migraine, and I left the TV on “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta” (when everyone knows the original is way better) because the remote was too far away.  Now, I like to pride myself on being in touch with my body and knowing my limits, but I also didn’t want to be a quitter.  I knew I was at my limit and I had to figure out my plan of action.  It was time for the next juice and the thought of ingesting another apple, lemon, ginger, & cayenne pepper concoction was enough to make me vom.  So with that lovely image, I quit.

I ate real human food and guess what?  I felt normal again!  What a surprise…

Now I’m no history buff (Franz Ferdinand started WWI with their hit “Take Me Out,” right?), but I’m pretty sure that cavemen did not own juice pressers—don’t quote me on that though.  Our bodies have been evolutionarily conditioned to be fueled by nutrient and protein-filled food.  Why f@*# wit dat?  Anything that promises drastic results in 72 hours has got to be unhealthy for you.

So although I love that I can leave the house without blow-drying my hair due to my Brazilian Blowout, not all shortcuts are worth it.  Some things you are better off working for.  Save the money, time, and agony intrinsic in a juice cleanse and just do it the old-fashioned way: workout and eat right.  It may take some more time and effort but it’s the healthy route and that’s what is most important.  Plus it’s not like I even wanted to model for Victoria’s Secret anyway…   

"I be up in the gym, just workin' on my fitness"

After sharing a story from my past, I think it’s only appropriate that this week’s playlist include jamz from an earlier time.  Back to a time when cell phones had real keyboards, back to when you still used AOL Instant Messenger, and before Spencer Pratt went insane on The Hills.  It was a simpler time… 

Although these songs are only a few years old, they never fail to get me pumped up and ready to attack my workout.  I know it’s hard to believe there was a time before Justin Bieber, but enjoy these blasts from the past and don’t be ashamed to reignite your love for Fergalicious

Remember the Name- Fort Minor (Featuring Styles of Beyond)

Gotta Get Thru This- Daniel Bedingfield

Pump It- Black Eyed Peas

4ever- The Veronicas

Good Girls Go Bad (feat. Leighton Meester)- Cobra Starship

Strong Body, Strong Mind

 

A lot of people ask me how I came to love fitness to the extent that I do.  My go-to response usually includes some medley of, “I just started working out and fell in love” or “My body is a temple and I like to keep it healthy” and sometimes even, “I love the results I see when I’m active.”  These responses have almost become automatic and although there is truth in each statement, my passion for fitness was ignited by a catalyst that I do not often discuss—until now.

When I was 15, I fell head-over-heels in love with a boy named Travis.  From the moment I met him, I felt a connection that I had never had with anyone before.  He became my everything.  There were few moments over the following year that Travis and I weren’t together or weren’t talking.  He was the start and end of all my days and I couldn’t imagine a world without my boyfriend, my best friend.

On November 4^th, 2007, a few days after Travis and I celebrated our one-year anniversary, I woke up without a “Good morning honey!” text like I always had.  Confused, and frankly a little annoyed, I made my way downstairs for breakfast.  I will never forget the look on my mom’s face as she said, “I have to tell you something.” 

“Travis got in a car accident on his way home from here last night.”

“And he didn’t make it”

I immediately felt as though I was out of my body, watching from above, as I let out a scream from the depths of my chest, watching myself fall to the floor.  I watched myself repeat “no” over and over again, as I tried to convince myself that there was no way he could be gone.  He was just here the night before.  We were watching TV.  He had left at 11, the house rule, just like he always had.  He was only 18.  I watched myself call his friends one by one, repeating the words I didn’t want to believe myself: Travis is gone. 

The rest of the day and weeks to follow felt like a blur.  No one knew how to deal with me.  I was suddenly thrust into the role of “the girl whose boyfriend died,” and I wasn’t prepared.  At school, my friends and teachers would give me sympathetic looks of pity and as I walked through the halls, I would hear whispers of “that’s her,” as girls informed one another about the tragedy that had somehow become my life.  In town, I would be approached by strangers who had seen my picture on the news or in the paper, asking if they could give me a hug.  At home, my parents would try and hold me as I cried, suggesting that it might be in my best interest to visit a counselor.  The panic attacks that ensued from the constant reminders and pressure of being the “dead guy’s girlfriend,” only furthered their efforts to have me seek professional help.

I didn’t need help.  I needed Travis back.  He was the one I would talk to when I was upset and now, when I was at my lowest, was the only time he couldn’t be there for me.  No one knew how to deal with me; I didn’t know how to deal with myself.  I didn’t want to even be myself anymore.  I wanted to get away.

That’s when I started running.

I had always been relatively active.  I was on the dance team all throughout middle and high school and would take a spin class at the gym here and there.  But it wasn’t until Travis died that I seriously fell in love with working out.

I would go on runs to cry.  No one would try to hug me or suggest solutions to something that couldn’t be fixed.  It was just me, running until my body was numb and until I couldn't cry anymore.  I became obsessed.  I loved the way I felt with each stride—the monotony of the sound of each foot hitting the pavement one by one cleared my mind and made me feel alive for the first time in, what felt like, forever.

Running saved my life.

I used fitness as my escape and as a way to cope.  As I got older, fitness remained a large part of my life.  No matter the problem I faced, whether it be school, friends, or family, I knew that I could always put on my running shoes and everything would be alright.

I know I talk a lot about how great working out is to get the body you want.  I also know the health benefits of being physically active are widely known and accepted.  And both of these things are accurate and great, but I truly believe that the most important aspect of fitness is the benefits it provides to your mind.  Working out keeps me sane.  Being active provides an unparalleled way to cope with stress, anxiety, and depression.

I love my body.  I love that I’m healthy and fit.  But more than anything, I love that I am able to face whatever obstacle in life that may come my way because I start each day with a workout.  A strong body yields a strong mind. 

Travis’ death will always affect me but it no longer defines me.  I have gathered the strength to break free from my role as the “the girl whose boyfriend died,” and instead, prefer to be “the girl who will kick your ass when it comes to fitness.”  I am Happy Healthy Hannah, and that’s how I intend to stay.

Health Magazines...You Tease

I like to always be prepared.  My purse is constantly filled with anything and everything I might need during the day.  Obviously I have the essentials: wallet, phone, lip gloss, fro-yo rewards punch card, but I also like to carry around other items that, in the event of an emergency, I could possibly need.  This list is a bit more extensive: headphones, Tide-to-Go, tampon, sewing kit, pen (in case the man of my dreams is technologically incompetent and asks for my number the old fashioned way), Band-Aids, tissues, deodorant, snack (in case low blood sugar bitch Hannah comes to chill), and of course, a water bottle in case wherever I am going does not have access to a sink or reliable water source…I mean, it could happen.

So when I read a magazine article promising recipes that will “instantly make you drop 5 lbs,” I want to be prepared to make these magical foods.  You can imagine my dismay when hunger strikes and I look to the ingredients section to make my meal.  I quickly learn that half of the ingredients are, not only nonexistent in my pantry, but also require multiple trips to different stores to amass, what I can only assume, foods that no normal person has stock of in their home.  I feel utterly unprepared and usually immediately make an emergency trip to receive yet another punch on my card, getting me that much closer to my free frozen yogurt.  So although this situation is bittersweet (the sweet is naturally from the globs of cookie dough in my cup), I would like to help you avoid a similar situation.  That is why I have compiled a menu of snacks and meals entirely composed of items you most likely already have in your fridge or pantry.  Eating clean foods strategically should not be a hassle.  But don’t worry, you can still get your Menchies at the end of the day.

Breakfast: Whole grain waffle topped with almond butter (can substitute for peanut butter) and fruit

Snack: Low-sugar protein bar (I like “NuGo Slim” or “Think Thin”)

Lunch: Tuna (canned), spinach, and hummus wrap (I like to use “Flatout Flatbread” but you can use any tortilla or wrap you may like) with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar…and yes, I just said, “drizzle”

Snack: Hardboiled egg

Dinner: Turkey burger (without the bun), steamed broccoli and cauliflower, brown rice, and avocado (remember, don’t go cray cray)

Dessert: My Ginger-honey Greek Yogurt