Ernestine Shepherd. If this doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know what will!

The world’s oldest female competitive bodybuilder is 75 years old, and her name is Ernestine Shepherd. She started training at the ripe young age of 71. She started exercising at the age of 56. She now promotes exercise and healthy eating as a lifestyle with her community and church. I say it’s NEVER too late to do ANYTHING, and here is the perfect example. What a freaking INSPIRATION!!!!!!

I’m back, and I bring Salmon Sandwiches with me!

I know, I know, I haven’t posted for the past 2 weeks. It has gotten super busy around here, and in my defense, I’m really not used to having “planning a wedding” in my schedule. Not that I’m complaining 🙂

Jen and Tonic commented that she wanted to hear all about my 100 mile race last year, and since I know not everyone lives the life of an ultra runner, I will have to write a separate post about that. Training for and running a 100 mile mountain race is really a life-changing type of experience, and can barely be described with words. Every time you hit the trails for a long period of time, you learn something about yourself. You learn how tough you are, what you’re really dealing with on the inside, how weak you are, how beautiful the earth is – the number of epiphanies you might have within one race/run is truly astounding. And it is something I’m proud of, and I’d love to share more of my trail running experiences with you soon, including details about Western States 100 last year.

With that said, here is my yummy easy sandwich recipe for the day – to energize you all for your runs & workouts today!

SALMON & CHILI AIOLI SANDWICHES
adapted from the June 2012 issue of Runner’s World Magazine

Ingredients (makes 1 sandwich)

• 3 tbsp light mayo
• 1 tsp chili sauce
• 5-ounce can of salmon
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 minced garlic clove
• Sea salt, to taste
• 2 slices of multi-grain bread, organic mixed greens, slice of tomato

Directions

1. Mix light mayo with chili sauce in a small bowl. Set aside

Chili Aioli Sauce

2. Combine the salmon with lemon juice, fresh dill, garlic, and salt to taste. Cut bread into sandwich halves. Spread the aioli sauce onto one slice of each half, and place the tomato, mixed greens, and salmon mixture on top. Sandwich with the other slice of bread, and enjoy!

Western States Training Camp

Where am I this weekend? Up in Auburn, CA running 70 miles in 3 days in training for Western States 100 Mile Race. I’m just crewing a friend of mine this year, but I finished the race last year, and running these trails this weekend is really bringing back some memories for me…

One of my most favorite places to run EVER- by the American River.

Arthur Boorman’s Beautiful Story. Never Ever Give Up.

“Never underestimate what you can accomplish when you believe in yourself.”

This is a very cool story about Arthur Boorman, a Gulf War veteran, who was told by doctors that he would never walk on his own again. He believed them, gained a lot of weight, and gave up. Until one day, someone else believed in him. DDP Yoga (a hybrid yoga workout system designed by Diamond Dallas Page) helped change Arthur’s life in the best way possible.

Not a single gram of…..shall be given today

Please excuse the language on the following image. But I love it so much. Hope y’all are not offended by this one. I got it from Jennifer Pastiloff’s Facebook Page – she is my new obsession. I took her yoga flow class last night and fell in love with her energy and teaching style. Check her out if you live in the Los Angeles, she teaches all around town!! Her blog can also be found here.

30-45 Minute Quick Workout of the Day

I used to think if I didn’t have 1 hour or more, it wasn’t worth working out. This was years ago. I feel a lot more differently about this now, and since working in the fitness industry, I have seen first-hand that even just 30 minutes a day will give you that mental and physical boost we all strive for from our exercises routines. IT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Even if I only have 20 minutes to devote to working out, I will always choose that 20 minutes over 0 minutes.

Here is what I did at the gym the other day when I didn’t have a lot of time, and it didn’t take much over 45 minutes. Emphasis on legs, back, and core. You can scale back the # of sets (but try to do a minimum of 2), and the # of reps depending on how much time you have. Enjoy!!

15 Minutes of CARDIO: Stair Stepper Machine set at 100 steps a minute (or whatever challenges you best)

I am a fan of the stair steppers that look like these

20 minutes of STRENGTH:

[Superset #1, repeat 3x]

• 15 reps seated cable back rows, 40 lbs
• 15 reps prone hamstring curl machine, 40 lbs

Seated Cable Back Rows

Prone Hamstring Curl Machine

[Superset #2, repeat 3x]

• 10 reps of assisted pull-ups, set at your appropriate assist depending on your current weight & strength
• 30 reps squats, no weights

Assisted Pull-Up Machine

10 minutes of CORE STRENGTH:

[Do all four exercises, repeat 2x]

• plank with medicine ball touches, 20 with each hand
• russian twists with 6 lb medicine ball, 20 twists on each side
• supine scissors, 15 criss-crosses
• v-ups with 6 lb medicine ball, 15 times

I hope the pictures helped you understand what machines I’m referring to. Please feel free to ask me any questions about various exercises and form, etc. But most importantly remember, it doesn’t matter how much time you have, just get out there and do what you can – your body will always thank you for it!

Skip The Snooze…Get Your Workout On!

Here’s for some morning workout motivation…GET IT DONE!! Skip the snooze button tomorrow morning and get in some extra time at the gym, on the trails, in the pool, on your mat, fill in your own sport here. Boom. Done.

Westridge Trailhead

Westridge Trail in November 2011

For those of you that live in Los Angeles, Westridge is one of the quickest hikes/runs that you can bring your dogs on. I love it. If you’re heading east on Sunset coming from Santa Monica/Brentwood/Malibu, then you would turn left at Mandeville Canyon Rd., left on Westridge Rd. and drive all the way up until the road dead ends into “Westridge Trailhead”.

bring your dogs!

It’s not a terribly demanding hike/run, but you can make it more challenging by starting up the tiny single-track trail on the right-hand side (the main entrance is a fire road that’s to the left of the little parking lot), and the single-track will prove to be more challenging with steeper grades and also more rewarding with sweeping views. Today we could see Downtown LA, Century City, and the gorgeous coastline. The picture above is of a portion of the single-track trail.

If you hike to the big tower (where the water fountain & bathrooms are) and back to the trailhead, it makes for a round trip total of just about 7 miles and about 1,100 feet of total elevation gain. If you’re feeling frisky, you can continue past the trail, make a left, and you will be heading toward the rest of the Santa Monica Mountains (Temescal Hub, etc.). Also, just a note, but the trail can get pretty hot during the summer time, so be sure to bring water for you and your dog during the summer months!

 

A Parody of “Yoga by Equinox”

HAHAHA!!!

So I posted an awesome video a couple week ago called “Yoga by Equinox” that features that super awesome Briohny Smith going through a beautiful yoga sequence. Check out the post HERE if you haven’t yet seen that video! (And yes, like I briefly mention in the post, many people criticized this video for overly sexual and exploitative toward women…I don’t agree, but you can pass your own judgement on this topic…)

Anyway, whether you like the video or not, I think everyone can enjoy this parody video done by Michael A. Stusser, of “The Dead Guy Interviews”. I think this is what most people feel like while doing yoga, and to be honest, he’s pretty good too! Check it out:

Ellie Goulding – Lights & RUNNING!

Yay, it’s the weekend!! I am LOVING Ellie Goulding’s “Lights” song & video…enjoy!!

…and while I was browsing Ellie’s site, I discovered that she loves to run! So cool! I’m even more stoked on her now. So a few things regarding this and her site. First, on her homepage there’s a link for a free download. Click this to register for her updates and get a free download of Wish I Stayed. Second, she has partnered with Nike to create a 30 minute running mix (yeaaaahh!!) that you can download off of iTunes. Super cool. It’ called the Run Into The Night Medley and you can buy it for $5.99. Lastly, I’m going to leave you with ELLIE RUNS: