Claire Muszalski, RD

Cycling is a perfect form of exercise to improve overall health because it is a weight-supported exercise that is easy on the joints. Biking both indoors and out helps tone muscles, enhance lung capacity, and increase endurance.

Getting the recommended amount of exercise is key, but it’s also important to think about nutrition as well. Nutrition before a high-intensity workout, like our classes at Cycletique, is crucial to sustain the bike ride.

Here are a few reminders on how to fuel your cycle workout:

• If you’re headed to Cycletique for our 5:30am or 9:00am workouts, be sure to focus on hydration and a carbohydrate-rich snack. Drinking 16 ounces of water, along with either a mini-bagel or ¾ cup high-fiber cereal with milk will give you enough energy to compensate for an overnight fast. After your class, consume a meal rich in quality carbohydrates and protein such as hard-cooked egg, whole grain toast, oatmeal with berries, and low-fat milk.
• Eating before your evening spin class is important as well. Lunch should be consumed 3 to 4 hours before class starts with enough calories to sustain the late afternoon workout. Remember to bring a snack for right before class for the extra energy boost. Good choices include a banana, a cup of grapes, or orange slices, and don’t forget your water bottle! Water is a perfect choice for the 45 minute cycle class. When class is over, and if a large meal isn’t what you’re up for, be sure to recover with fat-free chocolate milk, low-fat Greek yogurt, or string cheese with crackers.
• For those of us who enjoy riding outside this summer, and if the ride will be longer than 90 minutes, it’s important to fuel up on carbohydrates earlier. Two hours before a scheduled ride will power your muscles with the necessary energy required to endure the ride. Keep your meals lower in fat for easy digestion, and be sure to include whole grains, fruit, and a modest amount of protein.

Fueling your body is important before, during and after your cycling workout. Nutrition is just as important as the bike ride itself when it comes to getting the most out of a workout.

As the temperature and humidity increase, so does our body’s need to stay hydrated. Here are some tips to make sure you’re getting enough fluid this summer.

By the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Dehydration can also cause fatigue, weakness, irritability, and constipation – or worse.

All fluids count toward your total intake for the day, but don’t undo your efforts: avoid beverages with high caffeine or alcohol content, which can actually dehydrate you over the course of the day. If you drink more than one glass of iced tea or iced coffee, brew a decaffeinated variety. Not a fan of plain water? Look for flavor-enhanced waters or low calorie powders or drops that add flavor. At home, infuse your ice water with fruit, cucumbers, or herbs for a natural flavor boost.

When it comes to beverages, avoid added sugars. Although a cold soda or frozen drink tastes refreshing, some sweet drinks can stimulate your thirst rather than quench it. Substitute calorie free carbonated mineral water, or make your own with club soda and bit of fruit juice. Do you really need a sports drink? If you’re sweating excessively and working out for more than an hour, the electrolytes in sports drinks can be helpful for rehydrating, but check the labels to see how many calories you’re consuming.

Before a cycle class, make sure you’ve had 8-12 ounces in the past hour. You’ll need up to another 24 ounces throughout your workout. Afterward, continue drinking – and refuel throughout the day with water-rich foods like watermelon, grapes, and tomatoes. They provide fluid as well as natural sugar when you need a boost of energy.

Although drinking water alone does not lead to weight loss, foods with a high water content (think fruits and veggies, soups, smoothies) can make you feel fuller, longer. If you’re replacing a high calorie beverage with water, it will decrease your calorie intake for the day. Also, thirst is often confused for hunger. Before you grab a snack, have a glass of water first – and see if you’re actually hungry.

Remember that your fluid needs may change based on how much you exercise (and sweat!), your height and weight, and if you’re pregnant or nursing. Try these tips to help meet the general goal of eight 8-oz glasses per day!

T’is the season.

Farmers markets can be an excellent way to spend some time outdoors this season. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your visit, while staying healthy.

What to Bring

Cash (many stands don’t accept cards), lightweight canvas/reuseable bags, cooler bag (if you need to transport cold items home)

What to Expect

Anything and everything! Many markets have expanded their offerings beyond local fruits and veggies. You’ll typically find bread/baked good vendors, meat vendors/butchers, specialty cheeses and spreads, and arts/crafts. Markets that take place over lunch time often offer ready-to-eat foods and meals as well.

How to choose what to purchase: decide what is important to you – buying local, saving money, getting specific items for a recipe? It can be overwhelming to choose tomatoes from among 10 different options. Know what you like, and how much you’ll be likely to use in the next few days. Often vendors will offer samples/tastes of their produce to help you decide.

How to Keep It Healthy

Just like when you grocery shop, don’t arrive starving – you’ll be tempted to buy all the items. Do some research on what is in season, what the average prices are at grocery stores, and whether or not extra produce you purchase will be canned/frozen or repurposed.

Tips for Saving Money

Often you’ll get a better price buying in bulk – bring a friend or family member to share with. If you’re using the fruit or veggies in a recipe (when you’ll chop them up and cook them anyway), sometimes you can buy slightly bruised/irregular produce at a bigger discount. If you visit around closing time, you’ll have less of selection but may get a deal on items the vendors want to sell that day.

Psst: there’s a great list of daily markets here.

How are you doing with your resolutions from January? It’s been a few months, so it’s time to check back in and evaluate your progress.

Check in on what is going well and what has been challenging – reach out to your support team if needed, and set some goals for the second half of the year.

It can be easy to get off track in the summer with cookouts, graduation parties, and weddings (did someone say cookie table!?). Many of us have the notion that we’re inherently more active in the summer, but an hour of light gardening doesn’t always equal the cardiovascular benefit and calorie burn of your favorite cycling class. Here are some ways to stay (or get back) on track.

Make a Plan

Evaluate how your schedule might be different in the summer time. Do you have to drive kids to baseball three nights a week, or are you off for the summer (lucky teachers)? Think about where shopping, meal prep, and your workouts will best fit in.

Exercise vs. Activity

Since we’ve all heard how “sitting is the new smoking”, we know it’s important to be active throughout the day – taking the stairs, parking farther away, mowing the lawn instead of hiring your neighbor’s kid. But remember that all of those small steps count as being more active – they don’t take the place of structured, moderate intensity exercise. Keep up the exercise routine that makes you feel the best – and add those other activities in as a bonus.

Choose Wisely

When we’re faced with lots of tasty food options, it’s easy to overindulge. One simple way to manage your food intake is to fill at least half of your plate with low calorie fruits and vegetables – this will force to control the portions on proteins and starchy foods (choose the low fat proteins like fish or chicken, and whole grains when possible).

Stay Hydrated

We often think we’re hungry (snack time!) when really our body just needs more water. Aim for mostly calorie free beverages with no added sugar. If you need some flavor, take advantage of fresh fruit and herbs for flavoring. If you’re celebrating, alternate alcoholic drinks with water, and choose lower calorie mixers (think vodka and soda versus a pina colada).

Need Some Help?

Trouble staying motivated? Talk to someone who inspires you to be healthy, reach out to your cycling instructor or get your family on board and work as a team. Enjoy the beautiful summer days while feeling your best!

No … we don’t mean green beer.

In addition to the delicious fresh pressed Huli Pau juice available in the studio, there are countless other ways to incorporate greens (like spinach or kale) into your shakes and smoothies. What is the advantage to using real, whole greens instead of a “superfood” powder supplement? You get all of the nutrients straight from the source, and don’t loose any water, fiber, mineral, or vitamin content.

If you’re new to green drinks, try a mild flavored leaf like spinach (rather than kale or chard). Mix in frozen fruit, and any other add-ins of your choice – nuts, protein powders, yogurt, etc.   Start with one or two handfuls of spinach, add in your others ingredients, and top with skim milk, soy or almond milk, or water. The more powerful the blender, the better job it will do of making the shake smooth, without big chunks of greens.

Here are some flavor combination ideas:

• Spinach, frozen banana, peanut butter, cocoa powder, milk (Elvis would love it)
• Spinach, blueberries, almond butter, oats, vanilla yogurt, milk (perfect for breakfast on the go)
• Spinach, cherries, chocolate milk, protein powder (great post-cycling treat)

Here’s my favorite alternative to the sickeningly sweet fast food shamrock shake. It’s the perfect shade of green, with a much better nutrition profile!

Shamrockin’ Smoothie

• 1/2 frozen banana
• 2 handfuls of spinach (about 1 cup, packed)
• 1 Tbsp almond or cashew butter
• 1/4 of a single avocado (or 2 heaping Tbsp) *key to a creamy shake
• 1 cup milk of choice
• 1 tsp honey (or artificial sweetener if you prefer)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 drops mint extract (take it easy – a little goes a LONG way)
• 3-4 ice cubes

Do you like green juices or green smoothies?

When it comes to envisioning the changes you want to make for the New Year, it can be overwhelming. Here’s how you can make a realistic resolution to see real results in 2017.

Whether you want to eat healthier, exercise more, improve your relationships or succeed at work, it can be helpful to break overwhelming goals in to smaller steps. How do you envision your best self? What do you need to work on to help achieve that vision?

One way to get started is to make a SMART goal. SMART goals are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Appropriate
• Realistic and
• Timely

Specific

A specific goal can help you narrow down where to start—instead of saying, “I will improve my diet.” Think, “I’ll add a serving of vegetables to my lunch every day.”

Measurable

When a goal is measurable, you can be sure you are making progress—whether that is by counting the number of cycling classes you attend, or making sure you record your weight progress once a week.

Appropriate

An appropriate goal is one that will help you reach your overall resolution—will buying new tennis shoes help you lose weight, or will walking 20 minutes a day?

Realistic & Timely

Lastly, your goals should be realistic and timely—something you feel confident to achieve, and within a certain time frame.

You may want to set a SMART goal for the week or maybe for the month, and change them based on how easy or difficult they are to complete. Reach out for support—tell your friends, family, or your cycling instructor what you are working on so they can support you along the way. Consider a reward for yourself when you meet a small goal or milestone.

Identify what might get in your way, but remember why you are motivated to make a change, and how great your achievement will feel.