Minstrels will write songs about us.

Wackiness from last year’s Ride To Montauk. The fish are biting!

On June 1, rain or shine, I’ll be joining some hearty (crazy?) friends and doing the Ride to Montauk. There are a few distances available, and we’re doing the 108 mile option (if you’re totally nuts, there’s a 150 mile route.)  Along the route, organizers feed you pie, healthier snacks and plenty of water and everyone meets at the end for a great big party by the lighthouse in Montauk which I can image is not very happening as most riders will be nearly comatose by then. The organizers truck your bike back to the city, riders take the train home, you sleep for a few days, and you’re done. Viola. Epic.

New toy alert. Say hello to my little friend, or should I say my GIANT friend. Gotta take ‘er out and let her do her thing!

I’ll let you know how it goes…or better still, sign up and say hi! xxoo Steph

A friend of mine from Boston, Fred Harrington, shared this story from his cousin, Laura Wellington, who ran the Boston Marathon yesterday.  I’m posting her story here as it made me feel a tiny bit better.  The horror of the bombs, and the violence and suffering they imparted, is hard to process and hard to withstand.   Please help share this story if it moves you – it did me.  xxoo Steph

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As some of you know, I was 1/2 mile from the finish line when the explosion went off. I had no idea what was going on until I finally stopped and asked someone. Knowing that my family was at the finish line waiting for me, I started panicking, trying to call them. Diverted away from the finish line, I started walking down Mass Ave towards Symphony Hall still not knowing where my family was. Right before the intersection of Huntington, I was able to get in touch with Bryan and found out he was with my family and they were safe. I was just so happy to hear his voice that I sat down and started crying. Just couldn’t hold it back. At that moment, a couple walking by stopped. The woman took the space tent off her husband, who had finished the marathon, and wrapped it around me. She asked me if I was okay, if I knew where my family was. I reassured her I knew where they were and I would be ok. The man then asked me if I finished to which I nodded “no.” He then proceeded to take the medal off from around his neck and placed it around mine. He told me “you are a finisher in my eyes.” I was barely able to choke out a “thank you” between my tears.

Odds are I will never see this couple again, but I’m reaching out with the slim chance that I will be able to express to them just what this gesture meant to me. I was so in need of a familiar face at that point in time. This couple reassured me that even though such a terrible thing had happened, everything was going to be ok.  -Laura Wellington

A gal and her trusty steed

My excellent athlete friend, Cristina Goyanes, just wrote a great story for Shape, 31 Biking Tips from Elite Female Cyclists ,   and I  had to share it with you. I pick up my new chariot on Saturday, a Giant Avail Composite 3,  and I’m about to embark in the world of all things bike, so this excellent advice comes perfectly on time for me.

Cristina pretty much has access to all the top bikers, so this compilation of the best from the best is insider gold. From the right tire pressure to the best seat height, from a weekend joyride to a competitive race, click  here to ensure happy trails.  See you out there soon, pedal pushers!  xxoo Steph

Yeah, I know it sounds scary and I felt the same way  before I tasted it – it won’t win any beauty pageants -  but it is a three ingredient, no-cook recipe that yields a great 4 pm POWER snack filled with protein, fiber, Omega 3 oil, iron and more. And c’mon, PUDDING?! What’s not to love?  [Can't lie, as I wrote this I have Bill Cosby's jello pudding voice in my head.]  Here’s the recipe:

Tony Soto’s Chia Seed Pudding

• 2 tablespoons Chia Seeds (Trader Joe sells them, as does Whole Foods)
• 1/2 cup vanilla flavored Almond Milk
• dash of agave to taste

Mix the chia seeds with the almond milk in a small Tupperware container or small bowl and stir. Add a teaspoon or less of agave and stir again. Cover and place in the refrigerator for an hour or two. If the spirit moves you, when it’s setting stir again and break up clumps that will form. The chia seeds will expand and absorb the almond milk, forming a thick pudding that will stick to a spoon, even upside down. It tastes like tapioca.  Zhuzh it up with berries when you serve and sprinkle on a dash of cinnamon.

This will make 1 serving and is approximately 200 calories. It is a great pre-workout snack,  light breakfast, or a perfect mid-afternoon energy booster. I’ve been bring it to work with me. It really sates my appetite before I train after work and doesn’t make me feel heavy. 1 tablespoon of chia seeds is 70 calories and  has more Omega 3 than any plant food. It’s also gluten-free, vegan approved and (best part)  easy as pie (actually, way easier than pie.)  It’s part of the treasure trove of recipes my trainer Tony shared with me last week and now I’m passing it on to you. Let me know what you think! xxoo Steph

quinoa and sauteed chicken and veggies. YUM

I have a problem with food. I train after work twice a week at 7 pm and often (too often) I get to the gym a panting, stressed out mess having sprinted there directly from my office, arriving with about 30 seconds to spare. Unfortunately, about 100% of the time I have not made time to eat before my sessions. I have lunch around 1 pm and have jam-packed days and working out 6 hours after eating is plain and simple DUM.  My workouts often play out like this: Here I go! Here I go! Heeere I  goooo…why am I so tired?…this stinks! ….grrrr!!!!…fail.

Not only does not eating for such a long stretch lead to hideously grumpy moods, low energy and overall poor performance, it slows my metabolism as I am, essentially, starving myself. Whatever good I am striving for with my intense workouts is nullified by the stress I am putting on my body by not feeding my engine and then asking it to go full throttle. And did I mention my mood? (Yeah, that bad…)

And so, enter my hero, vegan athlete superstar trainer, Tony Soto. Perhaps it was self-preservation on his part, but he came up with a plan for me to cook healthy meals that are ideal for training and can be prepared in bulk.  Let’s turn that frown upside down, shall we? Training is supposed to be fun.

Sweet potato chips with sea salt and a bit of olive oil about to go in the oven to bake.

Tony gives my kitchen a workout.

Tony came over today armed with groceries and we cooked and cooked. Thanks to him,  when the clock strikes 4 pm at work now, I’ll have great, balanced energy-rich meals packed in Tupperware and ready to go so that 3 hours later all will be well in Equinox.  Tony and I made kale chips, sweet potato chips,  a ton of quinoa (it freezes beautifully), sautéed seiten and a saute of veggies (kale, pepper, onions, carrots, tomatoes) with chicken breast (that was for me -  Tony politely declined the chicken.)  He even made a chia seed/almond milk mash that doubles as dessert (I’ll post that recipe this week.) Viola – snacks/small meals for DAYS.

The fact is, exercise is great, but food impacts how you fit in your jeans more than any pullup ever will. Food is the key, and I can tend to forget that. It takes planning, prep, and attention – but it’s worth it. I can’t thank Tony enough. The bottom line is,  eat up before you exercise and you’ll feel and look better. It may sound counter-intuitive, but you need to eat to lose or even to maintain.  xxxooo Steph

25 More Rules for Conquering the Gym by Jason Gay

Scott Pollack

This is our second Journal installment of Rules for Conquering the Gym, because let’s be honest: You probably have yet to conquer the gym. It’s OK. Gyms are tricky relationships. You fall in and out of love. Commitment fades. Maybe you have a torrid affair with ice cream sandwiches. All you know is that you used to go to that gym five times a week, and suddenly it becomes two, and then two becomes one, and one becomes none, and none becomes a brand new size of jeans.

Don’t give up! Exercise will keep you healthy and vibrant, happier than any shopping spree or Netflix frenzy, and you don’t need to chase a quick fix or run to a dodgy plastic surgeon. But you can use some encouragement. Here are our latest rules:

1. The first three months at the gym, you will not lose a drastic amount of weight. However, you will learn an amazing amount about Drew Barrymore while watching “Access Hollywood” on the elliptical trainer.

2. Focus on technique. Have an instructor teach you proper form. If you lift a barbell like a 129-year-old man bending over to pick up a turtle, you need some help.

3. No, you’re not getting a six-pack. You’re just trying to take off your shirt at the beach without people running to their cars.

4. Avoid gyms next to liquor stores and Cinnabons.

5. Consider investing in one of those fancy computer wristbands that measures how many calories you burn walking between birthday cake parties in the office.

 6. Here’s a helpful rule on gym clothing. If you’re not sure your shirt smells? Your shirt smells.

7. Everyone’s accidentally thrown a gym towel into the trash barrel. Everyone.

8. The scale in the locker room weighs everything seven pounds heavier. Do NOT dispute this. The psychological stability of the entire gym membership depends on this.

9. Every gym in the U.S. has an indestructible issue of People magazine with Katie Holmes on the cover. You can throw it into the recycling, and two weeks later, it will be there, sitting on a treadmill, open to the Katie Holmes article.

10. It’s fun to take an exotic gym class. But be careful: If you talk too much about your “Extreme Javelin” class to your co-workers, pretty soon your nickname behind your back in the office is going to be “Extreme Javelin.” Hey did you talk to Extreme Javelin about that report? Is Extreme Javelin coming to the 3 p.m. meeting?

11. Squat! You hear people say this and it’s true. If you’re not doing squats, just stop going to the gym and take $100 and set it on fire in a garbage barrel once a month.

12. The most intimate, personal thing on anyone’s phone is the WORKOUT JAM TUNES MIX. That’s where the Ace of Base and Men Without Hats hides.

13. The Clint Eastwood move in any gym is to walk up to the TV in a packed room full of ellipticals and treadmills, change it over to The History Channel, and light a cigar.

14. Nutrition is a half of the exercise battle. For real. Do not conquer the gym and then conquer The Cheesecake Factory.

15. Everybody has Gym Friends, people they know only from the gym. This is important and humanizing. You may have accomplished great and sophisticated things in the outside world, but to them, you’re just The Weird Guy Who Jumps Rope Like A Goat.

16. Someone really needs to start a gym chain called Bench Press and Stare at the Wall for people who just go to the gym and Bench Press and Stare at the Wall.

17. Wow you really just took a phone call in spinning class? Amazing.

1 8. Make sure to read every gym contract carefully. That gym you signed up for in 1989, in the city where you used to live? Check your credit card statement. You’re still paying $12.99 a month through 2092.

19. Every yoga class has a few show-offs who can’t wait to get to the handstands. Just let them do their handstands and get it over with.

20. Most hotels do not have gyms. They have a busted treadmill, a dusty exercise ball, and a sad TV that only gets Dr. Phil.

21. You know that CEO who claims to be working out every morning at 3:45 a. m.? Ha! The CEO just said that to a reporter once to sound tough. Totally wakes up at 8:30 a.m. and eats a huge pile of pancakes.

22. The best gym on earth is outside, and it’s totally free.

23. Everyone looks good doing dumbbell curls in the mirror. That’s why people do dumbbell curls in the mirror. But do other stuff, too, Narcissus.

24. Always end every gym class by shouting “I win! I win! I win!” at the top of your lungs, grabbing your stuff, and running out the door, laughing maniacally.

25. A visit to the gym is always better than nachos and margaritas. OK that’s a total lie. Nachos and margaritas rule. But go to the gym the next day, OK?

And so, The Times piece:

Why Women Can’t Do Pull-Ups

Ben Wiseman

While the pull-up has been used by everyone from middle-school gym teachers to Marine drill instructors to measure fitness, the fact is that many fit people, particularly women, can’t do even one. To perform a pull-up, you place your hands on a raised bar using an overhand grip, arms fully extended and feet off the floor. (The same exercise, performed with an underhand grip, is often called a chin-up.) Using the muscles in your arms and back, you pull yourself up until your chin passes the bar. Then the body is lowered until the arms are straight, and the exercise is repeated. The Marines say a male recruit should be able to do at least 3 pull-ups or chin-ups, but women are not required to do them. In school, 14-year-old boys can earn the highest award on the government’s physical fitness test by doing 10 pull-ups or chin-ups: for 14-year-old girls, it’s 2.

To find out just how meaningful a fitness measure the pull-up really is, exercise researchers from the University of Dayton found 17 normal-weight women who could not do a single overhand pull-up. Three days a week for three months, the women focused on exercises that would strengthen the biceps and the latissimus dorsi — the large back muscle that is activated during the exercise. They lifted weights and used an incline to practice a modified pull-up, raising themselves up to a bar, over and over, in hopes of strengthening the muscles they would use to perform the real thing. They also focused on aerobic training to lower body fat.

By the end of the training program, the women had increased their upper-body strength by 36 percent and lowered their body fat by 2 percent. But on test day, the researchers were stunned when only 4 of the 17 women succeeded in performing a single pull-up.

“We honestly thought we could get everyone to do one,” said Paul Vanderburgh, a professor of exercise physiology and associate provost and dean at the University of Dayton, and an author of the study. But Vanderburgh said the study and other research has shown that performing a pull-up requires more than simple upper-body strength. Men and women who can do them tend to have a combination of strength, low body fat and shorter stature. During training, because women have lower levels of testosterone, they typically develop less muscle than men, Vanderburgh explained. In addition, they can’t lose as much fat. Men can conceivably get to 4 percent body fat; women typically bottom out at more than 10 percent.

So no matter how fit they are, women typically fare worse on pull-up tests. But Vanderburgh notes that some men struggle, too, particularly those who are taller or bigger generally or have long arms. This is related to an interesting phenomenon: if you compare a smaller athlete to an athlete who has the same exact build but is 30 percent bigger, the bigger athlete will be only about 20 percent stronger, even though he has to carry about 30 percent more weight.

“We’re a combination of levers; that’s how we move,” Vanderburgh said. “Generally speaking, the longer the limb, the more of a disadvantage in being able to do a pull-up. I look at a volleyball player and wouldn’t expect her to be able to do a pull-up, but I know she’s fit.” End –

The Hagia Sophia, first a church then a mosque, always breathtaking

The Blue Mosque at night. The sleeveless summer nights nights in Istanbul were over-the-top gorgeous. You could almost touch the moon.

Well…I’ve seen a new light. Take a look at this – wow. The Hagia Sophia (right) built by Constantine in 360 AD and one of the most beautiful places in Istanbul, was just another stop on my fantastic week in the ancient city with Escape to Shape.  I was there at the end of August this year and I can’t say enough great things about the trip. Erika Gragg, the woman who co-owns and runs Escape to Shape with great care and attention to detail,  scouts out some of the most interesting places on earth and puts together week-long, highly considered itineraries that combine cultural highs, food fantasies, local secret and stylish finds, a touch of pampering, and daily get-your heart pumping exercise.  From daily 90 minute (excellent) Jivamukti yoga, to morning jogs along the Bosphorus,  to swimming in the Sea of Marmara and hiking on Prince’s Island, I think my feet touched the ground maybe maybe once when I was there.   Yes, Istanbul is a richly spiritual place – maybe that’s why I kept thinking, is this heaven? Or perhaps it was the Turkish Bath that made me find religion…

Escape to Shape focuses on a healthy approach to soaking up a culture.   Yes, we drank lovely wine at dinner, but the food was generally “clean” (no rich creamy sauces, no fried foods) and it was always, always fresh. Erica takes care of everything, and reservations and menus are pre-set. And she has great taste.

Basically, from the time I was picked up at the airport to the time I was dropped off a week later, my only decisions were what to wear and what to buy in the famous sensory overloading bazaars. Yup – I can handle that.

The Grand Bazaar made my head spin with choices.

Escape to Shape has about 12-15 guests per week. Depending on the location, Erica rents a villa or an entire small boutique hotel for the group, so you truly feel at home and relaxed wherever you go. The folks on my trip were great – I went with my fabulous friend Elsa, but I would have been fine and happy solo, too – basically, the people who sign up are a self-selecting group of adventurous types who like to stay fit, be healthy, and are curious about the world. If this sounds like you, I’d recommend signing up. Escape to Shape goes to Cambodia, Croatia, Cartagena, Guatemala, Morocco, Puglia Italy, and other must-experience, soul-rocking places, and they just started a Detox/Renewal spa-ish program in Hudson NY.  Wherever you go, bring good walking shoes – in Istanbul, we  explored for many miles and hours every day with our top-notch guide Resa, who explained the history of the ancient city. Every “Escape” spot has  it’s own story that you’ll want to learn about and touch and experience. Heels? Not so much. Save ‘em for dinner.  During the day you’ll want to Indiana Jones it up – by night, however, Scheherazade or Jezebel may appear. Hah, you never know, so just say yes and go, and if you reach out, please say hi to Erica for me, and tell her I’ll be back    xxoo Steph   What’s that? More pictures? Of course!

Happy Escape-To-Shapers outside one of the massive iron doors of the Hagia Sophia

Inside a hidden mosque near the Spice Market

Yup, they really do sell Turkish Delight!

Yoga every day. Thank you, fabulous Kari Zabel, for the great teaching and insightful adjustments. With 20 years more practice, I’ll be like you!

Here’s a heads up for a really fun event: The New York Century Bike Tour, which will take place on Sunday Sept 9 this year.  I’ve done this five borough bike ride before, and it’s a great (GREAT) way to see the Lovely Isles of New York City. Here’s how it works: sign up in advance, tune up your bike or reserve a rental, and bright and early on Sept. 9 meet either in Central Park or Prospect Park for your  journey along NY’s pathways, roads and bays. Up to you if your route is 25, 55, 75 or 100 miles – all are scenic and special. (BTW- this is not the same as the 5 Boro Bike tour, which is in the spring, and is a 40 mile loop. Another fun one -)

Roll down the middle of Broadway in  Manhattan, coast in the center of the Verrazano Bridge, and get a Nathan’s dog at Coney Island as you stock up for the push past the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge – it’s all mapped out for you and it’s FUN.  I am going to do the 75 mile route, I think, but as you can see from the map (above), each longer distance is an extension of the core route so you can decide on the fly if you feel up for a  challenge or would rather take the shorter path that day. From what I remember, there are many water and snack stations along the course (included in the price of signing up) so you don’t need to be laden down carrying fuel to do your thing.  What you’ll need are well-padded bike shorts  – crucial , sun block, a helmet, sunglasses, a good attitude, some buddies (or not- make new buddies!) and an appreciation for Gotham City. Easy, no? Join me! Let’s be part of a biker gang.  You’ll be exercising for many hours and not even knowing it as you’ll be entranced by the city and the setting- what’s better than that? Sign up today if you can – the prices go up by a few bucks as of tomorrow. Give me a shout if you’re in.  xxoo! Steph