If any of you city girls and guys are looking for a great way to burn calories, see new places, spend time outside and meet new people, take up cycling! I have been into cycling for the past 6 years or so and usually spend at one weekend day doing a long ride. This past Saturday, my friends and I decided to sign up for the ride to Montauk. You had a choice of 30 miles, 66 miles, 100 miles or 145 miles. Since we weren’t completely insane, we bypassed the 145 mile ride and signed up for the 100 mile ride.

This ride started in Babylon, N.Y. The hardest part (aside from having a sore butt from sitting on the bike seat for 7 hours) was getting up at 4:45 am to make it to Babylon for the 7 am check in. This was tough for an insomniac like myself. Seems like I was just starting to fall asleep when my alarm went off!

Highlights of the Montauk ride:
1. Great food at the rest stops - especially the stop at the 70 mile mark where homemade pies were served. Delicious! (Pic is of Martha and John enjoying their second piece of pie)Here was some of the food that was served:
 - Homemade pie from legendary Briermere Farms, along with fresh whipped cream that is made on the spot
 - The famous Clovervale Bars — peanut butter and jelly spread on two graham crackers.  (It comes wrapped like an ice cream sandwich so you can put it in your pocket and ride!) 
 - Hummus with Pita (for those who want extra protein in the middle of the ride) 
 - Ice cream
- Artisan whole-grain breads from Balthazar Bakery 
 - Fresh fruit
- Larabars 
- Foccachia from Balthazar Bakery. Biscotti. Muffins from Yura Bakery. Pound cake in a half-dozen different flavors from La Bonne Boulangerie.
- Gatorade and water, of course

2. Very scenic ride
3. Ended the ride with more food and free beer.  Nothing better than having a few cold ones after 7 hours in the bike seat!
4. Biking 100 miles burns a ton of calories. My heart rate monitor said I burned 2150 calories. Quite a bit of these calories were consumed at the rest stops…
5. Last, but certainly not least, free massages after the ride. (Pic is of cyclist Tom C. getting a much needed massage in the “seat” area)

Related posts

• Watch Martha on Youtube Talking About Fueling Your Workouts (3)
• So You Think You Exercise A Lot? Check This Out… (6)
• NYC Obsession with Fage Greek Yogurt (0)
• Make it Through Your BBQ without Bloating Out! (0)
• Fit & The City Sunday Boot Camp in Central Park! (0)

Here’s a great way to start your Sunday off - attend  Boot Camp taught by Julia Derek in Central Park.  You all know Julia as she a frequent contributer to CGB. Not only is Julia an excellent teacher (and I know because I have taken her classes …ouch!) with many years of experience, she is also entertaining. Other potential perks: the possibility of  meeting other city girls and city guys!

Fit & The City Sunday Boot Camp in Central Park will include:

High intensity workout for all ages and all fitness levels in the heart of Central Park taught by experienced fitness instructor Julia Derek. Gain strength, lose inches, and have fun doing it!  Email julia@adrenalinefitnessny.com to reserve your spot and find out details about this event.

When: Sundays (first class June 15) at 9:30 am (lasts for an hour).
Where: Great Lawn, Central Park
Cost: $15

For more info about Julia, go to www.adrenalinefitnessny.com

Fit & The City Saturday Yoga Class in Central Park

If you’re in town during the weekends , please join us for a Vinyasa Yoga class in Central Park! Destress, strengthen your body, gain flexibility. Class is aimed at intermediates and is taught by Vinyasa/Hatha instructor and Integral Yoga Institute graduate Alex Starodubstev. All you need is a yoga mat and 15 dollars! Please email julia@adrenalinefitnessny.com for more information and to reserve your spot today.

When: Saturdays (first class June 14) at 9am (one hour).
Where: Sheep’s Meadow, Central Park.
Cost: $15

For more info about Alex, go to www.adrenalinefitnessny.com

Related posts

• About Martha (0)
• About Martha (0)
• Will Eating Late at Night Make Me Gain Weight? (0)
• Warning: High Levels of Mercury Found in Tuna Sushi (0)
• Question on Diet Soda (3)

I used to hate yogurt. I thought it was boring and unsatisfying. Things changed a few years ago when I found Fage (aka Total) Greek yogurt. I became obsessed with it. I have at least one a day - usually two. I  prefer the 2% vs. the nonfat. I will go from store to store to find this product. Often times, it is sold out in my local supermarket. So I’ll head to the nearest Korean deli where I’ll will grab 5, 6 or 7 containers - not even blinking with the huge price markup.  

This week, it struck me that I am not alone in my obsession. I must have had 8 clients this week alone who eat this Fage at some point in the day. It is amazing how this  yogurt has become an obsession.

Some of you may be wondering what is so different about Fage yogurt. It has a richer, creamier taste, is higher in protein and lower in carbs than most other yogurts. There are many different types of Fage yogurts available. Most of them are plain flavored. If you like a sweeter taste, you may want to add a sweetener. I would recommend the 2% product (7 oz, 130 calories, 4 gm fat, 8 gm carbs and 17 gm protein) or the 0% fat (5.3 oz, 80 calories, 0 gm fat, 6 gm carbs, 13 gm protein). Some of the other products are a lot higher in calories and fat, and some have added fruit or honey. Check out the website for the nutritional content of the different yogurts.

Suggestions as how to incorporate Fage into your diet:
1. Add fruit and 1/2 cup cereal for a filling breakfast. Add a little sweetener if needed.
2. Great afternoon snack as it contains a lot of protein. This will help to prevent blood sugar high’s and low’s.
3. Good pre or post workout snack because it contains both carbs and protein. As I discussed in my earlier post on sports nutrition, carbs and protein are important both prior to and after exercise.
4. For a dessert, add fruit or a little unsweetened cocoa and a sweetener for a low cal version of chocolate mousse.
5. Use it in place of sour cream to make dips or add to a baked potato

Related posts

• About Martha (0)
• About Martha (0)
• Your Plate or Mine? An Excerpt from my Colleague’s Book (2)
• Work While You are on the Treadmill… and Lose Weight (1)
• Will Diet Foods Contribute Towards Making Your Child Obese? (1)

Martha McKittrick, RD, CDN, CDE is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. She specializes in weight control, cardiovascular health, polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes, sports nutrition and preventative nutrition. A staff dietitian at The New York Presbyterian Hospital for the past 22 years, she also counsels clients privately and is a consultant to physicians, corporations and health clubs. She was the nutritionist for the 1998 NYC Marathon. She was an exercise instructor in NYC health clubs for 15 years.

Martha has appeared on numerous television, radio and web cast programs. She lectures on a regular basis and has been interviewed and written for publications including The Journal of The American Dietetic Association, Dietitian’s Edge, Nutrition Today, Allure, Self, Family Circle, New York Newsday and Cooking Light. Martha is known for giving practical nutrition advice, both in her individual counseling sessions as well as group lectures. Two of her most popular lecture topics include “Healthy Eating on the Run” and “Tame Your Carbohydrate Cravings”.

Martha was a health expert on WebMD™s Diet and Nutrition Message Board for the past 7 years. She also developed and led Find Your Ideal Weight:12 Weeks to a New You weight control program on WebMD (with 42,000 registrants) for the past 7 years. In her free time, Martha is an avid cyclist, runner … and now a blogger.

Related posts

• About Martha (0)
• Read Martha’s Quote in Womans Day on Snacking (0)
• Effect of Coffee on Your Health (1)
• Allison’s Story with PCOS (0)
• The Silent Womens Condition: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (6)

Here is a speech called “Fuel Your Workout” that I presented at Toastmasters,  a public speaking group. I hate to watch myself on video…  but I will be brave and post it anyway (btw - I don’t think I really have a “lisp” like I do in the video….at least I didn’t think I did!)

If you can not access the video that is posted here, try this link:  Fueling Your Workout on YouTube.  For more details on sports nutrition, check out my post “Fuel Your Workout” a few weeks ago.

Related posts

• So You Think You Exercise A Lot? Check This Out… (6)
• NYC Obsession with Fage Greek Yogurt (0)
• Martha and Friends on a 100 Mile Bike Ride (0)
• Fit & The City Sunday Boot Camp in Central Park! (0)
• About Martha (0)

While this topic does not have too much to do with nutrition, I wanted to post it because I feel it is an amazing physical accomplishment by my brother, Dustin Baker. Dustin is a great athlete who has completed many marathons, iron man triathalons, etc. But he is always looking for a new challenge. Well, he found it!

Here was the event: a 750 mile bike race in France called Paris-Brest-Paris. This race consists of a 750 mile, out-and-back bike race from Paris to a coastal town in France called Brest. The course is relatively flat near the start/finish, but includes a great deal of climbing as you approach and leave Brest. You have to complete the distance in 90 hours or less (or you do not finish the event in qualifying time).  There are 18 mandatory checkpoints along the way where officials track your progress. Total climbing for this event is 30,000 ft. Since you need to complete the event within 90 hours, it is nearly impossible to stop to sleep.

What did they eat? Of course, I was interested in this aspect of the race from a sports nutrition standpoint. Dustin says “from a nutrition perspective, this event forces you to consume a great deal of calories.  My friends and I figured we probably ate about 2,000 calories per meal 4x per day. This did not include food consumed while biking. A typical meal at the checkpoint would include: huge pile of either pasta or rice with meat sauce,  2 large baguette’s, bowl of tomato cream soup, small taboule salad w/ pasta, bowl (French tradition) of coffee, 1 - 2 cans of Coke, 2 pieces of pound cake, 1 cup of custard, and stuff for the bike jerseys.  We repeated this process 4x per day.  Believe it or not, this entire meal would be consumed within 15 minutes in order to be back on the bike as quickly as possible.  Within 30-40 minutes of leaving each checkpoint, we would begin eating on the bike. Eating on the bike consisted of energy bars such as Cliff bars and Power bars - about 300 calories of food an hour”.  Dustin consumed mainly water while riding as opposed to sports drinks because he was eating so much and did not need the extra carbs and electrolytes from a sports drink.

How much did he sleep? Since I am somewhat obsessed with getting adequate sleep, I was very interested in how much sleep he was able to get. Not much was the answer! Dustin biked for 30 hours and then slept for 2 hours. He then biked another 50 hours and slept for 4 hours.  He slept approximately  6 hrs. over a 76 hr. period.  The event provided sleeping cots at some of the checkpoints.  For 2-3 Euro dollars, you could rent a cot and blanket.  They would have someone wake you up at your preferred time.  There were hundreds of people sleeping in large gymnasiums for as little as 1hr. Some of the competitors chose not to sleep at all, or sleep on the side of road if they could not keep themselves awake!

The results: Dustin and his friends finished in 76 hrs. This year’s Paris-Brest drew 5,000 riders from all over the world.  Due to the inclement conditions, i.e. rain, wind, cold temps, ect… 25-30% of field did not finish in the qualifying time or was forced to abandon. It rained almost the entire event except for a few hours. Dustin and his friends were expecting to be about 5 hrs. faster, but the challenging weather slowed their progress

The next time you feel too tired to workout, keep this in mind: 
Dustin slept a total of 6 hours and rode 750 miles. Of course, this is not normal human behavior and I certainly would not expect the overwhelming majority of people to try it.  But the next time you are feeling too tired to drag yourself to the gym, remember Dustin’s story. Often times feeling fatigued is mind over matter!

Joel, Chip, Dustin and Jeff

Related posts

• Watch Martha on Youtube Talking About Fueling Your Workouts (3)
• NYC Obsession with Fage Greek Yogurt (0)
• Martha and Friends on a 100 Mile Bike Ride (0)
• Fit & The City Sunday Boot Camp in Central Park! (0)
• About Martha (0)

Martha McKittrick, RD, CDN, CDE is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. She specializes in weight control, cardiovascular health, polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes, sports nutrition and preventative nutrition. A staff dietitian at The New York Presbyterian Hospital for the past 22 years, she also counsels clients privately and is a consultant to physicians, corporations and health clubs. She was the nutritionist for the 1998 NYC Marathon. She was an exercise instructor in NYC health clubs for 15 years.

Martha has appeared on numerous television, radio and web cast programs. She lectures on a regular basis and has been interviewed and written for publications including The Journal of The American Dietetic Association, Dietitian’s Edge, Nutrition Today, Allure, Self, Family Circle, New York Newsday and Cooking Light. Martha is known for giving practical nutrition advice, both in her individual counseling sessions as well as group lectures. Two of her most popular lecture topics include “Healthy Eating on the Run” and “Tame Your Carbohydrate Cravings”.

Martha was a health expert on WebMD™s Diet and Nutrition Message Board for the past 7 years. She also developed and led Find Your Ideal Weight:12 Weeks to a New You weight control program on WebMD (with 42,000 registrants) for the past 7 years. In her free time, Martha is an avid cyclist, runner … and now a blogger.

Related posts

• About Martha (0)
• Read Martha’s Quote in Womans Day on Snacking (0)
• Effect of Coffee on Your Health (1)
• Allison’s Story with PCOS (0)
• The Silent Womens Condition: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (6)