Tired of the same old workout? Can’t face that boring eliptical machine another day? Having a hard time getting motivated to work out? With the warm weather around the corner, it will soon be time to shed some clothes. Are your “bat wings” ready for sleeveless shirts? Is your muffin top ready for a bikini? If not, get in shape now and lose weight with this motivating class designed for busy women (and men).Get ready to kick your butt into shape! Check it out …

What is the NYC Adventure Boot Camp for Women?
A four-week outdoor program of fitness instruction, nutritional counseling and motivational training provided by New York City’s local fitness and nutritional expert Stacy Papakostas.

What if I’m not very physically fit?
NOBODY will be left behind or asked to complete more than they are capable of doing safely. Nor will anybody go home unchallenged! Women of all ages and abilities are welcome to participate. Each day will slightly increase in intensity. You will inspire and be inspired by others.

What types of exercises are included in the program?
Exercises include: core conditioning, functional training, short distance running (less than one mile), muscular strength, jumping rope, circuit training, hiking, obstacle courses, PAR course, Pilates mat exercises, surprises and more! This technique was developed by Dr. John Spencer Ellis.

How often will we meet?
Participants will meet every Monday through Friday for one hour during the four-week program. All participants will be expected to arrive on time.
- East Side Camps start at 5:30 AM, 6:30 AM & 6:30 PM.
- West Side Camp start at 5:30 AM ONLY!

For Fitness Boxing (east side) schedule visit us at www.geminiadventurefitness.com

Cost:
Registration is just $419 for a 4-week camp or $ 309 for a three-day-per-week program.  

Expected results when you complete camp are:
• 3-5% reduction in body fat
• greatly improved posture
• better relaxation
• 5-12 pounds of weight loss
• 1-3 inch decrease in the midsection
• 25% improvement in endurance
• 25% increase in strength
• and 100% gain in self-confidence

East side location calendar:
West side location calendar:

Stacy Papakostas is the Owner of NYC Adventure Boot Camp as well as an instructor, E.C.I.T.S. Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritional Coach. Stacy has been an ECITS Certified Personal Trainer for over 10 years in Miami as well as New York City. Stacy currently holds certifications in Functional Body Weight Training, Sport Specific Exercise, Boxing and Kickboxing.

Check this link out for testamonials

And be sure to mention that you heard about NYC Adventure Boot Camp on CBG to receive  a discount!

I have been having some tech issues with this blog for the past few weeks. The title has been containing spam like charactors for some users – not all. We are trying to resolve this issue. I would really appreciate it if you could email me at mmckittnyc@gmail.com if you HAVE been getting spam like titles. I’m really sorry for this annoyance!  I want to see how common this problem is.

Maybe there are some techies out there who will have a solution to this problem????

You eat a healthy diet during the week and even manage to drop a few pounds. But every Monday am when you get on the scale, your weight is 2 pounds higher. Does this weekend weight gain sound familar? How can you break this cycle of losing a few pounds during the week only to regain it on weekends?

Weekend weight gain is a common scenario. We work hard during the week and it is only natural that we would want to relax on the weekends. Unfortunately this “relaxing” also means becoming quite lax with our food and booze intake. However, with a little awareness and planning, you can minimize this weekend weight gain in time to get ready for bathing suit season.

Potential problems with the weekends:
1. An unregimented schedule can lead to skipping meals or going too long without eating. This can cause low blood sugar, which can eventually lead to overeating.

2. More time at home can lead to more snacking … handful of chips here, a few cookies there – say no more!

3. Grabbing food on the run can mean fast food and other not so healthy food choices.

4. Eating out in restaurants more can lead to an increased caloric intake (bread, appetizers, large portions, dessert)

5. Increased intake of alcohol. Many activities on weekends revolve around booze … mimosas at brunch, cocktails at neighbors dinner party, wine with dinner, meeting friends for drinks after dinner, etc.   (pic is of me and city girl A … who can be a bad influence on me!)

6. The “weekend mentality” can lead to feeling of entitlement. You worked hard during the week and deserve to eat and drink what you want on the weekends.
Tips to minimize weekend weight gain:
- Try to eat on schedule as much as possible or at least don’t let too much time go by in between meals. If you will be on the run much of the day, plan to carry snacks with you. Good snack ideas include: nuts, dried fruit, energy bars, whole grain crackers and cheese or peanut butter.

- Be as active as possible. Meet friends for a speed walk or spinning class rather than brunch. Plan activities that the whole family can do – bike rides, hikes, Frisbee in the park, etc. Walk your dog – a lot!

- Change your mentality. Weekends should not be a free for all when it comes to eating and drinking. Stick to your usual eating plan as much as possible but allow yourself a few indulgences.

- Allow yourself one splurge on the weekend. So if you order the Penne a la vodka on Saturday night, make sure you skip the dessert and have your usual Greek yogurt and fruit instead of a bagel on Sunday morning.

- Consider keeping a food record on the weekends. It might make you think twice before you grab that second piece of pizza or pour yourself another glass of wine.

- Think damage control. If you’re in a situation where you are faced with not so healthy food choices, just eat a small portion. For example, let’s say you are at Shake Shack in NYC. You’re not going to find a grilled chicken on a salad here, so go for the burger. Omit the cheese and fries … maybe take off ½ the bun if you are really diligent. You turned a potential caloric bomb into a lunch that is not so bad!

Bottom line, it comes down to planning, exerting some discipline and changing your weekend mentality when it comes to eating and drinking. Following my tips should get you on your way to minimize weekend weight gain!

Soon the streets in NYC will be flooded with party goers dressed in green. After the parade, they will tumble into the nearest bar (preferably an Irish bar) as long  any kind of shamrock is displayed in a window. Even bars that you would never even think twice about going to will get crowded today as long as it displays something green in the window. The streets will be inundated with firemen and policemen (not on duty of course) roaming the streets – likely seeking libations. By the time I get out of work at 8 pm, the crowd on the streets will appear a bit tipsy. St. Patricks Day is a day for everyone to enjoy, whether it be watching the parade, dressing in your favorite green outfit or having a few brews!

 Here are some St. Paddy’s Day thoughts to get you in the mood:
 1.Go green. Get in the spirit, wear some green and try a green beer. I read this statistic: Pubs and bars use more green food dye on St. Patricks day than on any other day … hmmm… why would they ever use green food dye on any other day?

2. Check out the St. Patricks Day Parade (this link gives great info) This  annual parade down Fifth Avenue honors the patron saint of Ireland and is a New York tradition that dates as far back as 1766.  The festivities kick off at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue at 11:00 am on  March 17th, with bagpipers, high school bands, and the ever-present politicians making their way up Fifth Avenue to 86th Street, where the parade will probably finish around 4:30 or 5:00 pm. The New York Convention & Visitors Bureau says that the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the largest and most famous of the many parades held in the city each year.

The best viewing spots are toward the north end of the parade route, away from the shopping and work-a-day crowds that throng the sidewalks below 59th Street. Try sitting on the upper steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a great view or catching a close-up view of the marchers where the parade turns east on 86th Street.

 For those people interested in the traffic situation: The Central Park transverse roads will stay open to traffic. Pedestrian crossing along the parade route will be allowed on 49th Street to 55th Street, 57th Street and 58th Street, 59th Street eastbound only and 60th Street westbound only.  

3. Indulge in Irish food. Get into the spirit and have an Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage.  

 4. Loosen your belt notch as you prepare to build your beer belly. Check out the calories in these libations.

  *Keep in mind if you add whipped cream to your Irish Coffee, you will tack on ~ 75 – 100 calories. 

5. Check out Behind the Burner’s St. Paddy’s Day tips: What Ales You? Our Top 5 Picks for Celebrating St. Patty’s (Without the Green Beer)

6. If you get a chance, visit Chicago on St. Patrick’s day. They dye the entire Chicago river green. (see pic). Can you imagine the Hudson River being dyed green. I guess it doesn’t have too as it already has a somewhat greenish appearance.

 7. If you end up overindulging in green beer, check out my previous post on dealing with the dreaded hangover.

 
Happy St. Patricks Day!

You eat out in restaurants several times a week and make really healthy choices.  Yet you can’t lose weight. You diligently avoid the dessert and starch (ok – so one little piece of bread…) and limit your intake of wine. So what’s the problem? The problem is that these supposedly healthy restaurant meals contain more calories than you think!

So here is a typical restaurant meal:
- One glass of wine (120 calories)
- Piece of bread dipped in 2 tsp. olive oil (170 calories)
- Mixed green salad dressed with oil and vinegar (150 calories)
- Grilled salmon (8 oz) with vegetables (750 calories)

Yikes - the total caloric content of this meal is 1200 calories! And this is one of your “good” nights when you limited the wine and bread, selected fish over that pasta dish you were eyeing  and bypassed the dessert. Can you imagine the caloric content of some of your other restaurant meals?

The major calorie culprit with ”healthy” restaurant meals:
Oil, oil, oil! Food tastes better when it is moist, so many chefs are rather heavy handed with the oil (I’ve taken part in many cooking demonstrations and can attest to this!) The typical amount of fat added to restaurant food is as follows:
-   1/2 tsp of oil per ounce protein. So a 8 oz piece of fish might contain 4 tsp of oil (160 cal)
- 1 tsp fat per cup of vegetable
Then of course, there is oil in your salad and oil to dip your bread in …

Caloric needs of the average person
In order to lose one pound a week, the typical woman needs about 1200-1600 calories a day, while a man needs 1600-2000 calories a day. This varies depending upon your age, weight, activity level, individual metabolism, etc.  So you can see how difficult it is for the typical woman who eats out frequently to keep her caloric intake low enough to lose weight. She might be getting all her calories for the day in this one meal!

Stay tuned for my slimming restaurant dining tips – learn tips and tricks to help you stay slim while dining out!

You just had a delicious full  meal and are absolutely stuffed.  The dessert menu arrives, but you decline as you couldn’t eat another bite. Suddenly a tray of desserts appear and is placed on your table. What is this?  It is the dreaded – but desired – complimentary dessert!  After all, calories don’t count if they’re free … right? (pic is of city man L.C. after indulging in multiple complimentary desserts. Understandably, he didn’t want to show his face to the camera)

I’m sure most of you have had this happen to you on occasion. Perhaps you knew the owner of the restaurant or there was some sort of problem in your dining experience – hence the complimentary dessert.  This actually happened to my friends and I at a great restaurant called Washo in Park City, Utah. Unfortunately the restaurant had run out of several of the entrees that we selected. Despite this, our meal turned out to be great. We declined dessert, stating we were all too full. Then the tray appeared with 3 decadent COMPLIMENTARY desserts – squash cheesecake with cream cheese ice cream, coconut creme brulee and an apple tart with homemade ice cream. Mmmmmm…

So what do you think happened? Suddenly our forks attacked the 3 desserts like we hadn’t been fed in a week. Moments later, the plates were empty … So much for having been “too stuffed” for dessert! (pic is of the 3 delicious desserts pre-attack)


Tips to resist a complimentary dessert
Confession – I really don’t have any good advice, as I don’t practice what I preach on this one. But if I had to give a few tips, here they are:

1. First of all, if this rarely happens to you, dig in and enjoy it! Ideally, you would just have a bite or two to taste it.

2. Eat slow. Your dining companions will likely scoff it down in a few minutes (especially after a few drinks!) They will be so caught up in their feeding frenzy that they won’t even notice you eating minimally.

3. Put down your fork/spoon in between bites and drink water. Again, this will slow down your rate of eating.

4. Place the dessert as far away  from you as possible. This will make it less likely that you’ll eat it. Leaning across the table to grab forkfuls of food looks greedy.

5. Secretly entertain yourself watching the sharks feed.  

6. Keep in mind that all calories count, including the free ones. Each large bite of a rich dessert can contain 80 calories or more. (pic is of totally empty dessert plates. That mound you see on the green plate is an empty coconut shell. We weren’t that greedy…)

So my question is – why do we find room in our stomachs to eat a complimentary dessert when we are too full to order from the menu? Because it is free? Because it is in front of us?  Just food for thought!

My special thanks to L.C for letting my friend and I stay with him in his condo in Park city and for being a good sport while I took numerous pics of him eating. He probably couldn’t wait until I left! Here is another post I did on L.C.’s olive oil habits last year.

What you eat and drink during your cold weather exercise can have a major effect on your athletic performance and your ability to withstand the cold temperature. We are in the midst of ski season and many city girls and guys are hitting the slopes. So what are you thinking about when you head out to the slopes … your boots, skiis, outfits (of course), or perhaps the best apres ski place? How many of you are actually thinking about how best to fuel your body? What we eat and drink can have a major effect on our skiing performance. Here are some nutrition to help you hit the double back diamonds … while your buddies flail around on the greens!  (city guy with stylish ski outfit … wonder if he was thinking about nutrition?)

Top 7  nutritional tips to improve your skiing performance
1. Stay hydrated. You may not feel thirsty in the cold weather, however your body needs hydration in order to perform at its best. Staying hydrated is just as important in cold weather as in warm weather. Stop to drink something every 2 hours or so. Since drinking cold water in 15 degree weather is not so appealing, try warm water with some lemon, hot tea or hot chocolate.

2. Eat a good breakfast. The ideal breakfast is one that includes carbohydrates along with some protein. This will provide you with sustained energy levels.
Suggestions:
- oatmeal with raisins and walnuts
- peanut butter on toast
- yogurt (my favorite is the Greek yogurt!) with banana and whole grain cereal
- omelet with toast
- whole grain cereal, fruit and low fat milk

3. Eat a moderate sized lunch. Eating too little won’t give you enough energy for your afternoon runs. But on the other hand, eating too much can cause you to feel sluggish and lose your “ski legs”. In addition, it can make buttoning your tight ski pants somewhat difficult (pic – this happened to me… not pleasant)

4. Include carbs and protein at lunch.  This combination will give you sustained energy levels throughout the day. Go easy on the fat as it takes longer to digest.

5. Avoid low carbing. This is not the time to embark on the Atkins diet. Our muscles need carbs for fuel and our brains need carbs to think clearly. (go around the tree … not into it) A salad with grilled chicken is not the ideal lunch – unless you have a few pieces of bread with it. I saw numerous people at Park City having only salads for lunch. I held off from pointing this out to them … didn’t think they’d appreciate it … especially if they saw my skiing abilities! In addition, eating adequate carbs (versus fat) helps your body acclimatize to the high altitude.

6. Consume adequate calories. Skiing burns a significant amount of calories. The extra weight of heavy clothing and boots can increase your caloric expenditure by 5-15 percent. Remember how exhausting it feels just carrying your skiis and boots to the base lift? Consuming adequate calories will help your body to perform at its best. Note: this doesn’t give you permission to gorge.

7. Pack snacks with you. You easily eat an energy bar on the chairlift. It will give you a burst of energy for that bump run you’ve been eying. Again, focus on carbs as they provide the quickest energy.

While I can’t guarantee my tips will turn you into Lindsey Vonn or Bode Miller, they will help you perform to the best of your ability.

Stay tuned for my next post on best and worst ski lunches.