boot camp burn

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to try out the guest week of Body Inspired Fitness's boot camp in Santa Monica. Yes! This boot camp is so fun, and offers such a great workout that varies every class. No matter where you are at in your fitness level, Angela and her team will inspire and encourage you every step of the way to reach your goals. With summer here, this is a great way to get in shape and train outside instead of trudging away in the gym. I'm so excited to start this new six week session!

Read the reviews here, and be sure to join me for the next guest week at the end of June.

we love stairs!

the best waffle recipe...ever

Not only are these waffles delicious, but this is the easiest recipe ever--and super healthy! Double or triple the recipe, then freeze the leftovers for easy heating up during a busy week. 

Ingredients

• 1 medium banana 
• 1 medium apple, peeled and cored
• 1 cup almond butter
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 T gluten free baking powder (or arrowroot powder)
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• coconut oil for greasing the waffle iron 

Instructions

• Puree apple and banana in a food processor or blender
• Use the whisk attachment on your mixer and whip almond butter on high for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffed
• Add puree and remaining ingredients to almond butter and continue to whip until combined
• Grease your hot waffle maker (for each waffle you make)
• Use about 1 ladle of batter per 8-by-4 inch waffle onto hot waffle iron for 3-5 minutes until browned. Do not fill up the entire waffle maker, leave about 40% unfilled so that the batter can spread. If your waffle is soft or floppy, it's not ready yet so keep cooking for another minute or two
• Eat immediately or store flat in the freezer. Put in the toaster or toaster oven to reheat

bon appetit! 

Emma approved! 

how do you work it out?

Anyone who knows me, knows I have workout A.D.D...big time. I get hooked on a gym or into one fitness craze for a month or two, then find something new I love. I'm not much of a gym rat--I'd rather be outside running, surfing, or biking. But I do love workout classes and specialty gyms.

One of my favorites was the month I bought at a spin studio in Studio City called Lotus Kitty Yoga & Power Cycling. Another amazing workout is Krav Maga, which I did for a couple of months at one of their worldwide gyms in Sherman Oaks. The warm up alone was killer, and the workouts toned my arms and core and built up my upper body strength more than anything had in a very long time.

I know everyone is really into CrossFit right now. I've done it a few times, and have a number of obsessed friends who do it. I think there are a lot of great principles to it and some excellent workouts, but I don't think it is for everyone (just like any workout regime). I just bought an unlimited month at Focus Self-Defense and Fitness in Culver City. I like that they offer a range of classes including Krav Maga, CrossFit, Self Defense, & Cardio. I personally think offering more than just one type of workout keeps people interested, plus is great for your body.

The key to sticking with a workout is finding something you enjoy doing--otherwise you just won't continue to go. In my case, it's not that I don't enjoy almost all workouts, it's that I like them all and want to try everything! Find your passion, and I guarantee you'll stick with it and see results.

A great way to be able to try out different workouts and see what works for you is through Groupon and LivingSocial. You save a bunch of money, and it allows you to test the studios and teachers before fully committing to any kind of membership or contract.

sarah lee photography

tips from the running doctor

My neighbor, Dr. Paul, is one of my favorite people around. One visit to him, and you'll feel amazing. I love chatting with him--he is so knowledgable and just makes sense! Whether you're just starting to run regularly (like me), are an avid runner, or training for a marathon be sure to check out his blog for super helpful tips and advice:

Do You Know What Side of the Road You Should Run On?

As crazy as it may seem, this is often one of the most important things I tell my patients. As the saying goes, “the devil is in the details.”  I have been able to collect some valuable information from 4,000 patients who have come to me over the last 32 years.

Leg Length Measurement

During that time I have been responsible for ordering, evaluating and the computations of more than 4,000 X Rays of my patients’ legs, their femurs and tibias.  I, along with other medical researchers, have concluded that 95% of us have about  ¼ inch or 5 to 6 millimeters difference in the longitudinal length of our legs.

If this abnormal difference is more in the femur (the thigh bone), the difference in the weight of an average adult male’s longer femur could be 5 to 20 pounds more than the leg with the shorter femur!  This is because of the extra body mass, more bone mass, including the bigger and stronger muscles in the buttocks and upper leg of the longer femur, especially the glutes, quads and hamstrings.  Ever wonder why one glute, hamstring, quad, and/or calf always gets tighter or is more symptomatic than the other one?  This is probably because of this elementary imbalance.  Some dedicated runners, hikers and walkers have noticed they feel better exercising on one side of the road more than the other side and consequently use one side more to their benefit.

The only way to know for sure what this finite leg length difference number is with a special life size X Ray of the femurs and tibias—what is referred to in medicine and sports science as a scanogram or orthoroengtenogram of the femurs and tibias.  A bone scan of the bones can be done as well, but I feel lacks the accuracy of a scanogram.

You might say this leg length difference number is the answer to the $40,000 question.  But in the case of a professional athlete, it could be the security of the team owner’s $40M investment.

Once you know which leg is longer, you know what side of the road to run and/or walk on, depending on whether you’re running on the pavement or the sidewalk.  The longer leg’s foot should always be lower than the shorter leg’s foot.  For instance, if your right leg is longer, running on the right side of a crowned, paved street should feel better than running on the left side… and vice versa if your left leg is longer.  If you’re running on the sidewalk, it is the opposite because sidewalks always slope toward the road.  This means left long leg people should feel better running and/or walking on sidewalk on the right side of the street, or with the traffic if your right long leg is longer.

It should be noted that even if you correct the short leg length deformity with custom orthotics, or place an extra insole in your short leg shoe, the longer leg will still weigh more than the shorter leg.  As a result, you will probably still feel better exercising on the side of the road that addresses your long leg imbalance. This leg length imbalance is also the reason you’ll want to stretch your long leg’s hamstrings, glutes, ITB, calf and quads more than the corresponding muscles on the shorter leg, especially after you exercise.

I believe that this leg length information will help extend your body’s physical longevity. We now know the elderly usually break the neck of their femur bone in the long leg about 90% of the time after putting 200,000 miles on their legs. The fall usually occurs after the femur breaks, and it is not the fall that causes the break in the leg.  This does not discount the fact that any fall may result in a fracture for a geriatric.