Spring into Summer
Summer is coming and we can’t wait! We LOVE summer almost as much as we LOVE music. Check out our “spring into summer” playlist to help push your through your workouts and get beach ready! This is what we use for our long runs and tough workouts.
- Just Give Me a Reason: Pink
- Madness: Muse
- Beam Me Up (kill mode): CAZZETTE
- Dear New York-Original Mix: Firebeatz
- If I Lose Myself: One Republic
- Dancing In My Head: Eric Turner
- Blurred Lines: Robin Thicke
- Can’t Hold Us-feat. Ray Dalton (we often listen to this a few times in a row)
- My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (light em up): Fall Out Boy
- Killin’ It: Krewella
- Starry Eyed-Russ Chimes Remix: Ellie Goulding (WE LOVE HER)
- I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Whitney Houston
- If: Janet Jackson
- I Need Your Love: Calvin Harris (with ELLIE!)
- Marchin On (Featuring One Republic): Timbaland
- Safe and Sound: Capital Cities
- Breathe, Stretch, Shake: Mase featuring P. Diddy
- Here It Goes Again: Ok Go (best song to get you to the finish line)
- Song For Zula: Phosphorent
- All I Need: Matt Kearney
The Benefits of Foam Rolling
It is so important to take care of your body — not just with proper nutrition and exercise, but also by being proactive in injury prevention. One great way to do so is with foam rolling.
Have you heard of this technique? You may have seen a foam roller at your gym, but had no idea what to do with it or what it’s used for. Foam rolling or “self-myofasical release” is done with a piece of dense foam and is considered an inexpensive deep tissue massage. By using the foam roller, you can improve your flexibility, function and performance while reducing injuries all by just using your own body weight.
Soft tissue is made up of a lot of components: muscle, tendon, ligament, fascia, neural system and joints. If one of these segments is underperforming, it will affect the entire chain, resulting in fatigue, over compensation and overload, which is likely to end in injury.
Foam rolling can be done before or after you workout — or whenever you have an extra 10-15 minutes. The more often you do it, the better muscle balance and joint motion you will have. It can be pretty painful at the outset, but that is your body telling you that you have knots. When you feel a spot that is painful, try and hold it for 30 seconds before moving to another area. The amount of pain you experience while rolling is a good indicator in how much muscle tension you have.
Keys to foam rolling:
- Never roll on a joint or bone
- If you find an area that is painful (trigger point), try and hold until it softens
- Try to focus on areas that have reduced range of motion or have tightness
- Some areas will feel very tender; try and roll over a few times until it relaxes
- Position foam roller under the area that you want to loosen; using your own body weight, gently roll back and forth until you find a trigger point and hold
Good foam rolling resources:
FLEX, sweat, stretch…repeat!
FLEXer of the Month!
Meet Kortni, our FLEX56 challenge winner and FLEXer of the month! We asked Kortni to explain to our blog readers – in her own words – why she started coming to FLEX… and more importantly, what has motivated her to be so successful!
“When starting the challenge I really had two main goals I wanted to accomplish: one was to lose weight and the second was to feel better overall and have more energy. I started my current job in early 2011 and noticed my level of energy had begun decreasing pretty rapidly due to lack of movement and sitting at a desk the majority of the day. Accompanying that was steady weight gain. I have always considered myself a fairly active person, so sitting all day is really a challenge for me. Also, working in an office setting can make eating healthy a challenge because coworkers are always asking to go out to lunch and having leftover food from meetings and events, which doesn’t help either.
I got to a point where I finally had enough and decided I was going to revamp my eating and exercise habits. I joined FLEXcity Fitness because of customer testimonials and my own experience through a trial period I had purchased. I was especially excited when the girls decided they were going to put on a challenge for their members. Prior to the challenge starting, Read the rest of this entry
Meatless Monday Recipe: Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Poblano Tacos
We get tons of questions about what to eat and what to avoid. One of the most common inquiries is related to maintaining a vegan (or “veganish,” as we call it) lifestyle. The FLEXcrew has plenty to say on this topic, but for now, we’ll address two main themes: how a physically active vegan can get enough to eat (because people are constantly concerned that we’re going to vanish into thin air); and how the food can be even remotely tasty. Sensing a theme here? 
Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Poblano Tacos
Today’s recipe is for a delish dish that I (Kelly) whipped up last night and couldn’t wait to share with you all: Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Poblano Tacos! Before you head into the kitchen to create these little beauties, here are a few thoughts on how to keep your taste buds happy with a meatless or veganish lifestyle.
How can a vegan get enough calories and nutrients to stay healthy and have a full stomach?
It’s pretty easy, actually. If you’ve read our past blog posts or received the FLEX56 Challenge newsletters, you know that we like to eat clean, whole foods and avoid stuff that’s overly processed and/or has a lot of artificial ingredients. And when you start to add up the calories and nutrients in those clean, whole foods, it turns out you can consume quite a bit without sabotaging all that hard work in the gym. Read the rest of this entry
Recipe: Easy BBQ Tofu
We get a lot of questions about easy meals to make that are inexpensive and packed with a lot of healthy benefits. Here is a recipe from Oh She Glows that will only take you 20 to 30 minutes to prepare and is well balanced and affordable. BBQ tofu is a great source of a lean protein providing lots of flavor!
Photo Credit: Oh She Glows
Ingredients:
- 1 package organic firm tofu (pressed for 30 min to drain water)
- 1 tbsp high heat safe oil (such as grapeseed or coconut oil)
- Sea salt and pepper, for seasoning
- Garlic powder, for seasoning
- 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups broccoli
To start, prepare your quinoa as directed on box. Then – in a separate pan – add oil and turn heat to medium. Add tofu and cook until crispy. While tofu is cooking steam your broccoli. Once tofu is done, spread BBQ sauce over tofu. A very easy and well balanced lunch or dinner the whole family will enjoy. Bon appetit!
Kelly’s “Say It, Do It” – Week of March 5
Another week is upon us! Here’s a quick recap of my “Say It, Do It” goals for last week:
- Sunday, 2/24: Long run – 5.2 miles complete!
- Monday, 2/25: Rest day – complete!
- Tuesday, 2/26: FLEX56 class - complete!
- Wednesday, 2/27: FLEX56 class – not complete – got stuck at work and had to forego my evening class
- Thursday, 2/28: Run 4 miles – not complete – laziness and fatigue were getting the best of me.
- Friday, 3/1: Run 4 miles – not complete – more laziness, etc etc. You get the drift.
- Saturday, 3/2: Two-a-day! FLEX56 class, followed by FLEXflow. – changed my routine and did a 2 mile treadmill run followed by strength and core work at home.
It’s pretty clear that last week wasn’t the most productive from an exercise standpoint. I think part of keeping a healthy outlook, though, is maintaining a good attitude and not letting those self-loathing feelings start to creep up. Read the rest of this entry
Kelly’s “Say It, Do It” – Week of February 24
The FLEXcrew has had a crazy couple of weeks! Great things are happening, the challenge is nearly complete and February is drawing to an end. So what have I been up to? In a word, working. Work (both day job and FLEX job) have been moving at about a million miles an hour lately. I have also been nursing my creaky foot back to normal, after what I can only assume was a flare up of plantar fasciitis.
Self Dx: Plantar Fasciitis (or I’m just getting old)
Despite all of that, I’ve managed to sneak in a FLEX class here and there. I’m really loving our new FLEXflow class; it’s an awesome complement to the regular FLEX56 class, focusing on the core strength and flexibility that so many of us need to build up. My training for the Nice Semi Marathon has also kicked off! I’m thrilled to be running outside whenever I can, even in the unpredictable Michigan winter weather. Jenny is being a good friend and doing long runs with me. Running with a friend is a great way to stay accountable – first, to just get out the door and do it, but also to complete the planned distance. I am notorious for stopping a half mile short, but knowing that I told someone else that I was supposed to run X number of miles makes me a lot more likely to follow through.
This week’s SIDI:
Sunday, 2/24: Long run of 8 miles. Complete… sort of. I ran 5.2 miles in the snow and slush. I use Yaktrax for winter running, but even with them, it was like running in mashed potatoes today. I kept a decent pace for nearly an hour, so it was worth it. I had a great 7 miler last week at a 9:30 pace, which makes me very excited about training.
It wasn’t 8 miles, but it’ll do!
Monday, 2/25: Rest day
Tuesday, 2/26: FLEX56 class
Wednesday, 2/27: FLEX56 class
Thursday, 2/28: Run 4 miles
Friday, 3/1: Run 4 miles
Saturday, 3/2: Two-a-day! FLEX56 class, followed by FLEXflow.
How do you hold yourself accountable during training or the FLEX56 challenge?
Things We Love: lululemon!
It’s no secret that the FLEXcrew loves lululemon apparel and gear. We’ve hosted several trunk shows with the team from lululemon’s Ann Arbor show room and always have a great time when they’re in town. We’re excited to announce that that lulu will be returning to downtown Lansing, holding another show in the FLEX studio! Join us on Wednesday, February 13, from 4:30 to 7:30 pm to check out their newest, hottest products. See you at FLEX!
Kelly’s “Say It, Do It” – Week of January 28
I’m back on the Say It, Do It wagon! We had a fun, productive trip to LA last week. It was great to finally visit the Hermosa Beach studio and see all of Jenny, Trista and Betsy’s hard work live and in person! We had amazing weather that was perfect for outdoor runs! I set a new 5 mile PR, with a time of 44:32, or an 8:54 pace. Yay!
We can’t stop here, it’s PR country!
I am getting really excited to start training in a few weeks for the Nice Half Marathon. So after a crazy couple of weeks, here are my plans for this week. They’re much lighter than usual because I’m waiting for a flare up of post-travel foot pain – which I can only assume is plantar fasciitis – to go away.
Sunday, 1/27 – rest
Monday, 1/28 – rest
Tuesday, 1/29 – easy walking on the treadmill and light weights at home
Wednesday, 1/30 – FLEX56 class!
Thursday, 1/31 – FLEX56 class!
Friday, 2/1 – rest
Saturday, 2/2 – outdoor run, if the weather cooperates.
It’s week 4 of the FLEX56 challenge! What are your Say It, Do It goals for the week?
Reflecting on Year #1
Wow! We can’t believe that it has already been a year since the doors opened at FLEXcity Fitness. This past year has been the most amazing and hard-working year of our lives. We had a dream and a vision for FLEX and have worked very hard to create it. When you find your passion in life, it doesn’t seem like work. We are lucky to have found that with FLEX.
Our success is determined by the success of our members. We couldn’t be more proud of your dedication and commitment to creating a healthier ‘you.’ Our FLEXcitizens inspire us everyday and are the reason that the first year was so rewarding.
We want to continue to give you the tools and motivation to reach your goals. We have many exciting things in store for 2013 and are thrilled to share the next part of our journey with you.
Thank you, FLEXcitizens, for loving FLEX and believing in our vision. We are so grateful for you all and can’t wait for what’s to come!
Jenny, Trista and Kelly
