Posted by: Stephanie Tuck | March 10, 2011

Yin and Yang Workouts

The yin/yang image is so cool and so perceptive. Even if you're almost all, say, yin you still have some yang in the house. Makes sense to me!

I have new theory about exercising.

As some of you may know, I have found religion with Zumba (I’m a little giddy here – I loveitloveitloveit with a level of devotion that approximates what many pre-teens feel for Bieber.) But even though my new workout crush has turned my head, I am still faithfully continuing with my core (pun intended) weight-training sessions.  Turns out, I like rotating these exercises: like peanut butter and chocolate, Sonny and Cher, and Anne Hathaway and James Franco (well, okay, not the last pair) they work together beautifully. In fact – DING! LIGHTBULB! – they are opposing-yet-matching YIN and YANG workouts. And like a dog who gets scratched in that magic spot behind the ears, doing these workouts together just feels so deliciously right.

Hip? Check! Thanks, Shakira - we did that move in Christopher Vo's awesome Zumba class today.

Zumba is all hip shaking, booty shaking, feminine flirty fun. Even though your heart is cranked up and you’re sweating gumdrops, there’s a sexy flow to the movements. In Zumba class, you get to be allll woman.  You know how you dance at home when you’re getting dressed to go out and you put on Hot 97 and do your crunkiest/nastiest video vixen  moves in front of your bedroom mirror? (You know you do…)  Well, picture 40 women of different sizes, ages and skills doing that together, unselfconsciously,  each one enjoying herself and thinking, “Daaaaamn,  I am ALL THAT!” and you’ve got the essence of Zumba.

If that’s not the Garden of Estrogren, I don’t know what is.

Resistance training is a totally different experience.  If Zumba’s soundtrack is Shakira, training’s is AC/DC. I may be stereotyping here, but the energy feels rock n’ roll  (or, I suppose, what society calls “masculine”)  to me. It’s about muscles, power, strength. I don’t flow and float when I am pushing through a set of pull ups;  it’s a hard, warrior effort (makes me feel kind of like Demi Moore in GI Jane, in fact.)    I tear…it…up, and I love it. I love feeling strong, I love the accomplishment and the rush. And this kind of work changes you: studies show that weight training is THE best thing you can do for your bones, for your metabolism, for longevity and on and on. Pretty much, weight bearing exercises are the key to staying and being healthy.

I have come to crave both.

YOU LOOKIN' AT ME? Ultra-foxy Beyonce boxes ...and can kick your ass.

And so, after years of working out, cross-training is finally making sense. Float like a butterfly, AND sting like a bee! Don’t limit yourself.  Doing both dance AND weights hits both sides of my spirit, the yin and yang, the masculine and feminine, not just different muscle groups. POW and ZEN, ah, got it.  Muscle extension, muscle contraction – both movements are vital. In fact, you couldn’t have one without the other – they inform and impact the other.

So  expand your world (I’m talking fitness and beyond)  and try something new, something you didn’t think you were suited for. You may find, it feels great. We’re all a mix of masculine and feminine – folks have said that from Confucius to Jung to Oprah – so don’t hold yourself back in some stereotypical corner.  These definitions are arbitrary anyway. You can do anything! (Lightbulb #2: I’ve been organically yin/yanging forever.  In spring of 6th grade,  I was the only girl on my Little League baseball team AND Snow White in the school play…) And, truthfully,  any time you get off the couch it’s a move in the right direction.  So what’s your balance? What makes sense to you? Let us know, here,  on Tuck Takes Off.  xxoo Steph Oh, and sorry if I am repeating myself, but Christopher Vo is the best Zumba teacher in NYC. Take a class – WOW.

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Posted by: Stephanie Tuck | March 9, 2011

Inspiration: Never Give Up

Wow, I have never seen anything like this: these guys  transcend mere football and hit some kind of spiritual plane with their teamwork and focus  (and supreme monkey-in-the-middle skills.) Watch! Each person is firmly planted in the NOW and look what they achieve together. Seriously…ridic and amazing.

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Posted by: Stephanie Tuck | February 17, 2011

Elsa’s Kale Salad: Superpower in a bowl

kale: superpower greensAnswering the call of my last post (The Stephanie Salad), my talented and lovely friend, Elsa Mehary, is sharing her favorite salad recipe, The Kale Medicine Salad. This dish came to Elsa courtesy of Jen Hickman and Elsa swears by it (the best recipes are passed along.)  Elsa is a designer who is also a lifestyle and nutrition coach – she counsels clients on healthy eating and overall wellness (contact is elsamehary@mac.com.) Recommending kale means she’s up to date with the most recent research:  kale is is not only a superfood, you could call it THE superfood. It is loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin  b6, beta-carotene, fiber, potassium, calcium, Omega 3 fatty acids…basically, eat a few bites and you’ll leap over tall buildings (and have lower cholesterol, better vision, potentially less probability of getting cancer…)  I look forward to whipping up Elsa/Jen’s treat below. If you have any tasty and healthy recipes, please don’t keep them secret. Tell us here! Thanks guys, and take it away Elsa.  xxoo Steph

Elsa Mehary. Look what happens when you eat kale! As my mom would say, '"Walking gorgeous." Photo by Marne Lucas

Kale Medicine Salad

Salad:
1 bunch Lacinato (aka Tuscan) kale
1-2 ripe avocados
1 zucchini
1/2 large beet
1 bunch basil
2″ ginger root
2″ turmeric root

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup olive oil
Celtic sea salt to taste
Green powder to taste (Vitamineral Green powder by Healthforce Nutritionals or Spirulina.)
Lemon juice (I’ve found that 1 and 1/2 lemons seems to work well. Adjust to your own taste)
Agave Nectar (to taste)

Directions:
Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl with a fork or whisk until smooth. Place finely chopped kale in a large bowl, pour on dressing and massage with love and gratitude. The massaging softens the kale. De-pit avocados and slice into cubes, chop or shred the beet, zucchini, turmeric and Ginger root and add to bowl. Add the basil leaves, whole or chopped.

Recipe note: This yummy and highly potent and nourishing meal is rich in chlorophyll, essential amino acids (protein) and minerals. Eaten regularly, the body will begin to ask for it. – E.M.

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Posted by: Stephanie Tuck | February 15, 2011

Chop Chop: The Stephanie Salad

This post is a big one for me, a big reveal.  Those of you who know me well have probably experienced The Stephanie Salad, a huge (as in HUGE) salad I’ve been refining and shaping for so many years it’s comical. The Stephanie Salad debuted in high school and it was a hit out of the gate. Paul Wessel, (cute neighbor/friend/athlete/romantic-tension-buddy) used to ask for it by name and his moniker stuck. Since then, though my range as a cook may be limited, I’ve dived deeply into the salad niche. It’s my vertical. I hate to brag, but I am a Saladologist, The Marquise de Salad. And now, after guarding my recipe as tightly as Coca Cola does its secret formula, I’m letting go of the apron strings and sharing.

And so, drum roll please, here is the Stephanie Salad:

1 head Boston or Red Leaf lettuce

1 endive, chopped

1/2 cup radicchio, shredded

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1/2 cup raw purple cabbage, chopped (adds great color!)

1 carrot, chopped

3 scallions, chopped

1 small handful of raisins

2 cups grape tomatoes, each tomato cut in half

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1 cup penne pasta, cooked al dente (8 minutes) and then rinsed for 2 minutes in cold water

1 can solid white tuna in water

1 tbs. real mayonnaise

1 tbs. Dillweed – when you make the tuna, add mayo and generous amounts of dried dill. So nice.

Dressing:

1 tbs. dijon mustard

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

salt/pepper

Serves 6-8. I’ve made this salad for friends,  parties,  family, and myself  (a billion times.)  If I’m solo, this will be my food for the day;  lunch/afternoon snack/dinner.  The Stephanie Salad has tons of greens and veggies plus a healthy mix of carbs and protein. Bam, your nutrition is covered for the day…and you won’t feel deprived. (One note: best if eaten the day it’s made – dressed salads suffer ignoble deaths overnight in the refrigerator.) Meanwhile, just because it’s funny, take a look at this story about how women are often depicted, alone,  laughing wildly when eating a salad (!), So leafy greens are a darn good time? My salad is good, but I can’t say it’s a party in a bowl. It’s just good stuff that’s good for you.

Do you have a go-to salad you love to make? Let us all know – leave a comment! xxooSteph

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Posted by: Stephanie Tuck | February 1, 2011

Paddleboard in Paradise

Stroke! Stroke! Learn paddleboarding at Del Mar Extreme.

I have seen (my) future, and its name is Del Mar Extreme. My friend Maria Del Mar, this gorgeous Costa Rican Tika who is a fantastic surfer ( in the photo, left) just created a fitness retreat for folks who want to experience a range of sports packed into a week. This sounds great to me – I have visited Maria’s surf and yoga camp a few times in Hermosa, Costa Rica, and although the surfing is excellent and forever a challenge (I am somewhere between advanced beginner and lowest level possible intermediate) and the yoga at Vida Asana is fantastic -this is not “resort” yoga – it’s serious and the teachers are serious and the classes take place in an open-sided studio in the jungle (!) – – we still had many many hours of downtown in the course of a day. Playa Hermosa is paradise – beach,  jungle, mountains, rivers –  and there is so much to see and do.  A lightbulb went off in Maria’s head so now she continues with her surf camp, but for energizer bunnies like me she developed a new program that offers a mix of surfing AND paddleboarding, mountain biking, Pilates, hiking, TRX training, yoga, Zumba, kickboxing and circuit training. Wow. Want to join me? xxoo Steph

If you’re an athlete who feels stuck in a box in the winter because you can’t get outside to run and bike and hike, this is your place in the sun. And if you simply want to get in better shape or maybe lose a few pounds, this place is guaranteed to make your jeans fit differently.

surfing and paddleboarding gets you super fit super fast. Maria's on the right.

Get in ridiculous shape at Del Mar Extreme in Costa Rica

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Posted by: Stephanie Tuck | January 20, 2011

Hot Body Hall of Fame: Jennifer Lopez

Just sayin'...

Hot off her debut last night on American Idol, I am reminded of what a righteous babe  Jennifer Lopez is and the impact she’s had on me. But before I begin, I must tell you: Celebrity Name Dropping ahead! Warning! Read at your own risk! As fate or life or what-have-you should have it, I have worked in the Celebrity Industrial Complex for years. Sooner or later, some of that experience was going to show up here. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, I’ll proceed with my tale. 🙂

I remember when I first became aware of Jennifer Lopez.  I was at The Ashram in LA, a hardcore fitness retreat that only has a handful of guests a week. As fate should have it, Sir Charles Barkley was there and as we hike at the same pace (!),  we became workout buddies,the two of us schlepping for hours, side by side, up the steep fireroads of Malibu. (Bethany Frankel, turns out, couldn’t keep up…NAME DROP! Told you!) So there we were, huffing and puffing and dreaming of cheeseburgers, and to pass the time we talked and talked and talked about our lives. Charles told me, among other things, that the week before he had been at a dinner at the Ivy in LA and next to him was this emerging actress, Jennifer Lopez, who was SO HOT he literally broke into a sweat looking at her. This was the late 90’s and she had starred in “Selena” but not become a household name yet. I had an idea of who she was but had not paid attention to her, but Charles’ words made me flag her in my memory. About a year later, I saw an early screening of the excellent Stephen Soderbergh movie, “Out of Sight,” starring George Clooney and this same Jennifer. Daaaaaamn, I thought. This gal can act (she was great in that film, a real presence – no relation to what she delivered in Wedding Planner, yeeesh) and then pow, they had their requisite love scene…

She's real...Jennifer Lopez in Out Of Sight

Hey! She has meat on her bones! She doesn’t have fake boobs! She is short and solid …and sexy! I was psyched – finally, a woman who looks like a woman was up there on the screen and it was almost a shock.  Woo hoo, I can watch a movie and RELATE to the heroine instead of thinking we’re from different phylum. Team Jennifer felt like Team Steph, and that was nice. And the timing was perfect – I was the senior editor assigned to manage the annual Body & Soul issue for InStyle magazine and I lobbied, successfully, to have this gal Jennifer – a woman my Celebrity Spider Sense told me was about to blow up – as our cover girl. This was to be her first big national women’s magazine cover, in fact. Bam! I knew what I was doing – I had an agenda. I wanted to send the message to our readers that the definition of a great body is broader than the classic Barbie stereotype. Jennifer not only has a booty, but she has hips and thighs. She is almost pear shaped as her bottom is distinctly bigger than her top. And it all works like a dream!

But here’s what really stands out about Jennifer. She is comfortable in her own skin, on a level that is truly breathtaking. I have been on photo shoots with her a few times and I have never seen a celebrity move like she does. She looks straight into the camera and must be thinking about the best night of her life or the raciest secret of all time because something delicious is going on in her head.  J.Lo enjoys herself. Yup, she’s hot but, frankly, someone else with the same shape could just as easily slump her shoulders and wear baggie clothes and bemoan how short her legs look in skinny jeans. Not Jennifer. She is very happy with her shape, thank you, and she is on fire sexy because she FEELS on fire sexy. She’s confident, deeply confident, because she likes who she is and what she’s got. The gal OWNS it. She’s strong, she can move, she has grace and agility and yes, a big booty for which she has no apologies. I’ll say it – her bodacious ass is LOUD and PROUD and we are all the better for it because she proved to us all that beauty truly does come in all shapes and sizes.  Instead of hiding her indiscreet tush, she flaunts it. And that is so cool.  She is so awesome because she flips the script we, as women, have been conditioned to recite.  I can imagine her asking, “Do these jeans make my ass look big? Yes? Good!” And this resonates with me because when I was younger I, like a zillion other women, spent a long time trying to  hide my shape and to conform to a cookie cutter outline that was simply not what my momma gave me and never would be.   And all that effort, ah, why? Ideas of beauty are arbitrary so just focus on who YOU are and how YOU are built and don’t worry about the style of the day. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what J.Lo taught me. That’s her secret, and she’d be the first to share it.  Love your body and you, too, will have the J.Lo glow. So here’s to you, J.Lo. What Sir Mixalot started, you knocked out of the park. And check out the classic Jenny From the Block video (below.) It’s as fab as ever. Love!  xxoo Steph

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Posted by: Stephanie Tuck | January 18, 2011

Daytripper: Crosscountry skiing

See ya, treadmill! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Escape from New York! My friend, Fina, and I rented a car last Saturday and headed up to Clarence Fahnestock State Park for a day of cross country skiing and fresh air. Cross country skiing is an amazing exercise that burns approximately 1 billion calories/hour (okay that’s a stretch…here are the real – and astounding, nonetheless – details, courtesy of ESPN.com.) But what was truly awesome about this excursion  was how  easy it was.  Fahnestock is 55 miles north of Manhattan (Cold Spring, New York, is nearby) and in the winter it offers groomed trails for cross country, snowshoeing and inner-tube sledding. Travel is 80 minutes, tops, and you can rent equipment there – best to get there by 11 am or so on a weekend just in case supplies run out – or bring your own.  It’s cheap ($25 for gear and a day pass) wholesome fun. The trails cross flat open  fields and frozen lakes (great for skiing fast or learning how to glide to extend your stride) or they twist and turn, up and down, through the woods. Fina and I skied beginner, intermediate and expert trails (where we caught a few nice hills and a few resulting face-plants)  and we warmed up by the fire outside the lodge when our fingers got cold.   I stayed toasty in my Patagonia Storm Gore-Tex miracle jacket, the same one that took me up Kilimanjaro. All in all, ’twas a Norman Rockwell meets Robert Frost delight, with some serious cardio thrown in. By the time  we wolfed (oh, sorry, “ate”) our apres ski dinner, we had earned it.  So have a little adventure and trade  taxi honks for the muffled quiet of frozen trees and snowy fox tracks. Shhhhush. You’ll be glad you did. I, for one, can’t wait to go back – xoxo Steph

Shushing through woods on a snowy afternoon...

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Posted by: Stephanie Tuck | January 9, 2011

Keep on Runnin’: Tuck Tunes Vol. 2

Living in NYC, I walk everywhere, and my big Bose headphones and ipod help me get where I’m going: I am forever  listening to music or podcasts (This American Life, Fresh Air, The Moth,  Sound Opinions – all are free, all are great great great and if you subscribe, new episodes are delivered to your itunes like magic.) With so much info and music coming my way, every day I hustle down the street to my own ever-changing soundtrack.  I have visions of  young John Travolta shaking his (paint) can as I write this… Can’t help it, have to post the Saturday Night Fever video:

And so, after bopping down the street yesterday to Janelle Monae’s killer song, Tightrope (courtesy of another podcast – NPR’s All Songs Considered Listeners’ Picks for 2010)  it occurred to me that it’s time, drumroll please, to post another play list of get-you-going workout music. Tuck Tunes, if you will.  I smartened up this time and linked the Keep On Runnin’: Tuck Tunes vol. 2 playlist to itunes  (Click “View Item” below).  Pedal To the Medal, Vol. 1 is also there.

 

Cover Art  

Tuck Tunes Vol. 2: Keep on’ runnin’!

Various Artists


Here’s the Keep On Runnin’  lineup:

Song of the day: Tightrope by Janelle Monae

Tightrope – Janelle Monae (featuring Big Boi)
Last To Know -Pink
Shame -Evelyn Champagne King
All I Want- LCD Sound System
Don’t Stop Til You get Enough – Michael Jackson
Push It – Salt-N-Pepa
Are You Gonna Be My Girl-Jet
ABC’s (Chubb Rock version) -K’Naan
Brimful of Aisha – Fatboy Slim
Dream on- Robyn
That’s Not My Name -The Ting Tings
Lisztomania- Phoenix
I See You Baby (Fatboy Slim Radio Edit) – Groove Armada
I’ll fess up: running can be BORING (there, I said it!) so good music is actually crucial. It can change a chugging slog into a dance. As always, I am looking for new or notable music so please click “comment” and tell me and TTO readers about the music that gets you going. So what are your song suggestions? What moves your foot and raises your mood? I’m all ears. xxoo Steph

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Posted by: Stephanie Tuck | December 31, 2010

Great Gear Award: Best Winter Boots

Yesterday, three unrelated strangers stopped me on the street to tell me I looked hot. It just happened again in the elevator of my building this morning as I headed out to walk Stella, my pup. I wasn’t even awake and I may not have brushed my teeth yet, but still, longing looks came my way…

Okay, to be clear, these folks didn’t exactly say I looked “hot” – it was more like “toasty,” and they were referring to my feet.  They were right! I was wearing my amazing SOREL 1964 winter boots, these huge waterproof  can-survive-an-ice-age -or-a-nuclear-explosion stompers, and in them  snow, ice and water pile-ups are no problemo. Seriously.  Pardon the pun, but they make SLUSH FUN. Designed to keep you warm in temps as low as -25 degrees, wear these tundra-savvy boots and you won’t care if the streets are plowed or not – you won’t notice! What are your weather-busting finds? Let me know. xox Steph

Sorel 1964 boots. Mine have pink laces and a pink band. $100.

Sorel Tivoli boots. $100.

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Posted by: Stephanie Tuck | December 25, 2010

Confessions of a former InStyle Beauty Editor

Back that truck up. That phrase crossed my mind almost every day when I was a beauty editor at W magazine and later at InStyle.  Every makeup line, you see, would send every new shade to my office EVERY season. I was in deep – so deep, in fact, I was the originating editor of InStyle’s annual  Best Beauty Buys feature, kind of the Oscar’s of the industry.  Beauty was the beat I covered and it was a struggle to stay on top of the deluge of products that arrived like locust swarms in pretty bags with pink wrapping paper.  I often felt like Mickey Mouse in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (please, please click on this link – seriously amazing and it may take you back to childhood…)

Over time, I became turned off by the sheer volume and excess of it all. Much like someone who works in an ice cream shop and can no longer stand the sight of vanilla swirl, delight in these pretty-making tools and treats went out the window for me.   Mostly, though, I was tired of the quest for hope in a bottle – that’s what all of those products promised – some kind of miracle that would instantly make the user irresistible. With the exception of slick marketing and gorgeous ad campaigns, one lipstick is pretty much like any other, and boy does all that stuff take a lot of time to collect and master. Enough.  I was outta there. I walked away from a lifetime supply of Chanel mascara…

And so, I truly surprised myself last week when I suddenly had rhapsodic feelings about a beauty product. Doo de doo, there I was, sudsing up in the shower with my new liquid soap, and out of nowhere…product love! My skin felt super soft. The yummy scent surrounded me. What can I say, super inexpensive (and corny named) Bath and Body Works Sensual Amber shower gel does it for me. Mmmmm hmmm. Yup. A $10 mall rat purchase beat the stuffing out of the other stuff I’ve tried, among the world’s fanciest/most expensive/most fabulous.  And it brought my (dormant) buzz for beauty back…

InStyle is built on the premise that celebrities have access to the finest things on earth, so what they choose to wear and use has value as it is, arguably the best of the best. And so, here is my list of current beauty favorites, culled from my very own shower/medicine cabinet/still-filled-to-the-rim front hall closet product stash.  I don’t believe in magic and I will guarantee none of these will make you taller/thinner/younger/prettier/wittier/or better at math. But you may enjoy using them.  Your skin or hair may feel good or smell nice. Simple sensory pleasures, bring ’em on. They are the true magic in those fancy bottles.

My current faves – or in Tuck Takes Off parlance, Great (Beauty) Gear award winners:

Cote Bastide Amber Bath Gel ($51)  and Bath Oil ($34) : This is the good stuff. Amber with a touch of vanilla and so yummy. My favorite Sunday ritual is lighting an Aveda candle or two and hopping in an amber bubble bath after early evening yoga. Beyond.

Boots No 7 Protect and Perfect Intense Beauty Serum ($22.99) : Oprah’s favorite and mine, this serum simply feels good on your face.  I put it on after I use a moisturizer (with SPF, of course) and it adds extra moisture or something …What can I say? I like it! (For you close readers out there, yeah, I did not say it slays wrinkles or collides with collagen or whatever as I’m not a believer – just like how it feels!)

Almay oil-free makeup remover pads ($7) – Works like a charm, especially for removing mascara. Make sure to get oil-free; the version with oil blurred my vision and feels greasy.

Ahava Moisturizer with SPF 15 ($18) : Feels Good! Made with nutrients from the Dead Sea! Whatever you use, make sure your moisturizer has an SPF of at least 15 (I also like Aveeno’s  Positively Ageless Moisturizer, $20,  and that has SPF 30.)

Moroccan Oil Intense Curl hair cream($30)  and oil treatment ($45) :  WOW. These styling products are awesome for thick, curly hair. I work them through my wet hair when I’m just out of the shower and they keep the shape of my curls and get rid of frizz. I love the shine and softness the oil delivers but only use a DROP – this stuff is thick and no joke.

M.A.C Bronzing Powder ($22): It’s winter so we are all looking a bit ghostly. This bronzer adds just a bit of a sun-kissed glow without turning  you  Snooki orange.

Cheap and Chic! Sally Hansen Diamond lip gloss ($6.99) I put this gloss over lipstick for some shimmer and shine and it also moisturizes, which is great for this cold, lip-chappin’ weather.  Thank you Brian Boye, Men’s Health’s Fashion Director, for hooking me up.  (Ah, the joys of fashion shoot excess.) Available at any CVS, I swear by the stuff, which makes me laugh as I am a recovering beauty snob.

So, what are your current favorites?  What makes you feel good? I’d love to hear.

xoxo Steph

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