equinox spin with sarah kusch

now that i'm finished with marathon training, i'm going to give running a break.  ok, that's not true, but i'm not going to be running as much and i'm going to start reincorporating some of the other fitness activities i love into my regular routine. i've always loved spinning and equinox has some awesome classes.

this weekend i took sarah kusch's "happy hour cycle" at the santa monica equinox and it was awesome. it felt good to use my muscles in such a different way than i've been using them for the past four months. the spin classes at equinox are usually only 45 minutes long, but sarah's class on sunday night is an hour long. trust me - it goes by super fast. sarah always comes to class with a perfectly planned out routine and when you're focusing on her 1-2 minute intervals, it's 5pm before you know it. her music is very high-energy and she gives you just the right amount of encouragement.

[equinox santa monica]

there's really no need to sign up early for sarah's class. the fact that her class is never full is not a testament to her teaching ability, but rather proof that most people take "the day of rest" a little too seriously.  sarah teaches at the santa monica equinox on mondays from 6-6:50 and sundays from 4-5. definitely give her class a try if you can!

 equinox santa monica
310.593.8888

homemade hummus

hummus is one of my favorite foods. it's high in protein, low in fat, and you can eat it with just about anything. it's also surprisingly easy to make at home. lately we've been making our own hummus using canned garbanzo beans (i want to try raw ones next) and it's absolutely delicious!

here is what you need:

1 clove garlic
1 (19 oz) can of garbanzo beans, half the liquid reserved
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
cayenne pepper (optional)

how to make it:

1. in a food processor, chop the garlic. pour garbanzo beans into the food processor and add lemon juice, tahini, salt, and cayenne.
2. blend until creamy.
3. transfter the mixture to a bowl, sprinkle with a little cayenne, and eat up!

[some like it hot!]

you can get raw garbanzo beans at the santa monica farmer's market that runs from 9-1 on sundays. i'll make this recipe using raw beans and let you know how it turns out!

s'mores

[vegan s'mores]

the only way to have a successful bonfire is to have s'mores (obviously).  unfortunately, marshmallows (like the ones pictured below) are made with some pretty scary stuff including collagen from the skin and bones from random animals.  sick!

lucky for us, i found some awesome vegan marshmallows at whole foods yesterday. these marshmallows are made by dandies and the ingredients include corn syrup and vegan beet sugar - no gelatin! they are a little smaller than traditional marshmallows and a little less fluffy (i guess collagen makes things lighter and fluffier?), but they are tasty!

paired with organic graham crackers and some vegan dark chocolate (rice dream now makes chocolate, btw), these marshmallows are the perfect main ingredient for vegan s'mores!

while i'm talking about s'mores, have you guys heard of s'muffins? they are mini s'mores cupcakes that are absolutely adorable. maybe i should suggest to them a vegan recipe!

the marathon is over - now what?

two days ago i did it - 26.2 miles in four hours and five minutes! it's amazing how one event can leave you with such conflicting feelings:  on the one hand, you have no idea why you would ever put your body through such torture, and, on the other hand you can't wait until your next marathon where you can have that euphoric feeling after crossing the finish line all over again. four months of training all comes down to one day and you just have to hope that everything works in your favor - no stomach aches, no injuries, and certainly no walls.

[100 mg of caffeine]

speaking of walls, i was absolutely determined not to hit one. so when i found these clif energy gel shots with 100mg of caffeine, i decided to stock up. during the marathon you need to constantly be hydrating and consuming calories. they suggest eating at least 100 calories in the form of gels, chews, or liquids every 45 minutes, so i decided to stock up on these turbo charged clif shots so that i would be getting calories and caffeine during the race. the more energy boosting agents the better, right? not really. although the gels worked for me during the race, it was after the race that i realized my mistake. an average cup of coffee has 30 mg of caffeine. the gels have 100 mg each. i had three gels during the race. that's 300 mg of caffeine, or, ten cups of coffee. hello caffeine withdrawals! 

[30 mg of caffeine]

the day after the race i was not only sore, but i was nauseated, dehydrated, and my head was pounding so horribly that it felt like it was going to explode. if you're going to use caffeine-spiked gels, maybe stick to just one during the race. no one needs 300 mg of caffeine in one day and your body will absolutely let you know that.

i'm going to take it easy this week (maybe some yoga here and there), but i'm excited to get back to running. next up on the agenda: an international marathon! who's with me?

marathon weekend

[oh how i wish this were my body]

hi everyone! sorry for leaving you hanging for a day there. i meant to put this post up yesterday, but, between working the morning in l.a. and then flying to new york, i didn't have time (excuses, excuses). anyway, i won't be posting until monday, 11/8 because i'm going to be too busy carbo-loading, hydrating, and biting my nails as i gear up for the new york marathon on sunday. wish me luck!

burn 60 with kyla

i went into my first burn 60 class expecting it to be a piece of cake. i was already running a ton and doing pilates plus twice a week - how hard could it be? well, i'll be the first to admit that i was wrong. apparently running at a comfortable pace outside on flat ground is just a tiny bit different than running 9 miles per hour up a 15.0 incline.  the class is one hour long and consists of cardio and strength training intervals. the cardio portion of the class is done completely on treadmills and consists of 8-12 minutes of hills and sprints (sometimes the two combined). there were definitely times when we were running so fast that i felt like i was going to end up like the guy in the video below (have you seen this?), but luckily the sprints were short enough that i was able to keep get my legs under control before tumbling to the floor in embarrassment.



the strength training was just ok. i was tired from all of the running so i didn't mind the fact that it was relatively easy, but i wouldn't go to burn 60 if you're looking for a really good strength training class. that being said, i was definitely sore the next day, but i think it had more to do with the sprinting up hills than anything else. i enjoyed burn 60 and i would definitely consider working it into my regular routine. i think it could help build up cardiovascular endurance quite quickly and it is a great class for someone who wants to get in and out in an hour and get a well-rounded workout.

the only burn 60 location is in brentwood.

Parking is free with validation!

real food daily

real food daily is quite honestly one of my favorite restaurants in los angeles. not only is the food completely vegan, but their menu includes things like nachos (not-chos), a spicy blt wrap with tempeh bacon, and dark fudge brownies with chocolate chips. this is the kind of vegan restaurant where you can take your "normal" friends and they'll leave raving about the food.

[the club]

sometimes i go to rfd if i'm craving something that i used to eat before i gave up meat and dairy...like a pizza or a club sandwich. the nice thing, though, is that they also offer super healthy options that are more classically vegan like the real food meal that is based on the principles of macrobiotics and comes with brown rice, beans, greens, land and sea vegetables, pressed salad and dressing (i prefer the house). there really is something for everyone.

[how in the world is this vegan?]

and of course i cannot end without addressing dessert. the dessert at rfd is to die for. trust me - butter and eggs are not all they're cracked up to be (no pun intended). i'll take this vegan chocolate cake anyday (or the carrot cake, or the coconut cream tart, or the chocolate cream cake, or the strawberry sourcream 'tofu chz' cake.)


there are two real food daily locations: santa monica and west hollywood.

oh, and don't worry if you can't make it to either of those locations because they deliver!