BEER OF THE MONTH OCTOBER 2009

Beer of the Month Club for October 2009 is now ready for pick-up!

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

AUTUMN MAPLE

...IS HERE!!!

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

It’s an open windows, music flowing throughout kind of day

Happy Wednesday! We’re halfway to Friday :-)

Yesterday I began looking into local gyms to find the one that would be best for me. The first one went terribly.

I surely wasn’t planning on disclosing the names of the gyms, but this one was so bad that I have no problem with it. It was such a bad experience that I wouldn’t want to ever go in there again… much less work there.

I visited my local L.A. Fitness. Do a quick search on Google for L.A. Fitness and you’ll find a series of stories of how the gym scams its members. My local L.A. Fitness is probably the largest gym in my area and has the most impressive group exercise schedule; I couldn’t cross it off my list without first checking it out for myself.

I went in intending to use their free guest pass they push on their website. The last thing this sales guy- who was also the general manager- wanted to do was let me test the gym out for a few days. When he first met me he actually said, “Let’s not waste my time here. What are you looking for? Are you going to join?” He was pushy, confrontational and got very angry when I insisted for the 6th time that I was not ready to buy an overpriced membership right then and there and that I wanted to actually try the gym (with my free guest pass!) before putting any money down. Ugh.

I shared with the salesperson/ general manager that I was going to be certified next month and might be interested in working with L.A. Fitness. He then introduced me to the Personal Training Manager- a.k.a. a casually overweight guy who was too good to talk to a potential customer/employee. He told me he has several personal trainers already but needs to “clean out some bad ones” and I could apply but if they want me the process could take two months. Then he ran off without saying bye.. instead just “I have to pee!”

They did talk a bit about training their members. They had the most lackluster comments about it.

After I narrowly escaped the sales office an hour later I was finally permitted to try out the facilities. I did 5 minutes on the treadmill and had to get out of there.

The facilities were beautiful (full lap pool, indoor basketball court, indoor racquetball courts, weights, cardio equipment, free space), but the focus on selling memberships was so extreme that I wanted to run out of there the moment I stepped in. The whole process was really disheartening. I want to train people to radically better their lives. I want to impart knowledge, help people get healthier, help them surpass their goals… not merely have a place to work and sell packages.

I really hope the other gyms go over better.

On to today! Me food blogging is back!

I started the day with some Rapberry Kombucha (strawberry is still the “best”) and some naner-flax-oats. Hearty :) Today is suddenly gorgeous in central Florida. The temperature is cool and the sun is shining. TO take advantage of this perfect day I turned off the AC, opened all windows and put on Pandora to play throughout the house. I thought some fresh melon (and 1 granola bar) was a perfect complement to the breezy morning.

I also enjoyed the last of my iced green tea. I’m so lucky to have this beautiful baby keeping me company. Seriously, that face is the cutest. So kissable!

I think it’s about time I introduce you to Dixie’s favorite toy, Roadkill. Roadkill was a gift from David’s mom (Dixie’s grandma) and is.. well, roadkill.

The poor thing.

I really wanted soup for lunch, but it’s not that cool outside yet, so I settled on another comfort meal: quinoa. I made mine with everything leftover in the fridge: asparagus, corn, peas, garlic, tomato sauce and spices. Yummy :) I also made three extra servings to hang out in the freezer for a while!

Post-lunch I enjoyed a yummy fruit bar!

Now back to studying. I’m heading out for a run later this afternoon. I actually haven’t run since the race Saturday because my shins haven’t felt 100%… wish me luck today!

To Gym or Not to Gym

Yes, that is two Kombuchas you see hanging out in my fridge. It’s funny- for a drink I think tastes gross, I’ve got quite the big craving for it! Part of it might just be placebo, but I feel clean and light after drinking these. I’ll work through these two throughout the week. So far I’ve tried Mango and Strawberry… next up I have Multi-green and Raspberry Rush. Ummm… yum?

Yesterday Ryan and I started the week off right with a 90 minute power yoga class. Holy sweat! We are loyal to College Park Yoga. The teachers/owners are welcoming and really encourage us to own our practice and listen to our bodies. I try to let that message continue to the rest of my life, too :)

  After yoga Ryan and I walked over to Infusion Tea, a little vegetarian teahouse/cafe near the studio. We were overwhelmed with yummy choices but I eventually settled on their 1/2 and 1/2 lunch combo with Tempeh Chili and the Milton Special salad.

From the menu: “Milton Special-vegan-Organic field greens, roasted beets, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, tomato, cucumber, hummus and tabouleh with balsamic dressing.”

The hummus was super-creamy, the tabouleh the best I’ve ever had and the balsamic dressing was more like a sweet glaze. The tempeh chili had big chunks of tempeh, beans and peppers. It was perfect.

Ryan got a great vegan chili cheese burrito! And thanks to Miss Ryan for the photos… I left my camera at home and was forced to use her gorgeous Nikon!

   I promise to actually blog all of my meals soon! I’ve been quite busy studying, eating Zbars (yum.) and finishing the cupcakes from my birthday :-) 

To Gym or Not to Gym

As you might know I’ve been studying with NASM to get my personal trainer certification for a few months now. The exam has been scheduled for October 13th. Right now I’m taking advantages of guest passes at my local gyms to figure out which feels like the best fit for me to work at (or for me to want to work at… I’ll need to get hired!).

For the past few months, other than a weekly yoga class, I’ve been exercising only outside the gym- bike rides, runs outside, strength training at the park or my living room, and yoga next to my bed. I find my workouts have been more intense, more exciting and much more efficient than when I belonged to a gym. My workouts are less on auto-pilot when I’m outside or in my own home. I’ve also saved money from membership fees and saved the time it takes to drive to and from a gym.

But for many people the gym works best for them. Having a place dedicated to fitness makes it easier for some to get a good workout. There’s also a high level of motivation that comes from group classes and other gym benefits.

I’ve been to good gyms and bad gyms. There have been gyms that I want to spend the whole day in and some where I feel closed in and am itching to get out after five minutes. I want to work in a gym that is set up in a way that is easy for my clients to follow a program with the tools they need. Also, a gym should feel positive and welcoming.

I’ll report back on what I find visiting these new gyms!

Do you prefer working out inside or outside the gym? If you belong to a gym, what made you choose yours?

Cupcakes and a 15K

Thank you for all the birthday wishes left on my last post and over on Twitter! I did have a great 21st birthday.

The day kicked off at 5:20 a.m. so we could get ready for Miracle Miles. We ended up getting a little lost trying to find parking for the race… something I hate. We finally got to the race site 10 minutes before race start time and immediately got in line for the port-o-potties. We ran out of time waiting in the line and had to rush to race start as the race began. I had oatmeal and tons of water in my belly and I wasn’t happy about running 9.3 miles while having to go to the bathroom. That was where my negative thinking started. Running is a mind game and my mind wasn’t positive at race start so my run didn’t go as well as I had hoped. I finished in around 1 hour 42 minutes… about 12 minutes faster than I had expected.

I was bummed during the race but immediately forgot all of that when I met up with an awesome group of runners at the finish line!

Meghann, Kelly, Megan, Debbie, Caitlin, Ryan, Katy, Sarah and most of their other halves were there and ready for a race-side picnic!

Megan and Meghann made some awesome vegan chocolate PB cupcakes, Ryan brought OJ and vegan cream cheese and Caitlin delivered with bagels and cream cheese. These girls were prepared!

Thanks again girls (and guys!) for being so sweet!

I might have snuck a Starbucks venti passion tea in the morning as well :)

Post-picnic David and I promptly headed home to eat, shower and plan what was next! I oddly felt like visiting the Orlando Premium Outlets about 40 minutes from our house. I usually hate shopping, but we went with it :)

The sky was extra gorgeous for me :)

We found some interesting shoes there! I find outlets to be silly with claims of big sales but a reality of too-high prices, but we had fun anyway!

I actually found a new running hat and purse I’ve been looking for! I was a big spender at $33 :)

For dinner I asked for an Italian restaurant that had pizza and was close. Carrabba’s was on an hour wait so we went to Macaroni Grill.

I had lots of free bread while looking over the menu… while David ate his salad… during dinner… and a little but afterward :) It’s my birthday and I can eat lots of bread if I want to!

It was an awesome birthday date with David and the setting was beautiful, but I thought the food left plenty to be desired. My veggie pizza could have had more interesting veggies and flavor. I was shaking so much pepper on this for flavor! (Plus the crust was burnt!) We decided it’s Carrabba’s next time :)

After dinner we caught a late showing of the Informant. I’d tell you how it was if I was awake for more than half of it :) It was passed my bedtime! I know, I’m a party animal, even on my 21st birthday.

I should also add that there were plenty of cupcakes involved in my day! Yum :)

Today is back to real life. I’m wrapping up studying for my NASM certified personal trainer exam and planning out the next week of running. I’ve been running long, but I also want to run fast!

Next week I’ll be celebrating my birthday with my family back home, so the party hasn’t ended quite yet…!

Enjoy the last bit of your weekend :)

What’s your favorite cupcake?

ALLAGASH FLUXUS/INTERLUDE AND MORE!!!

1. Allagash Fluxus
2. Allagash Interlude (2009)
3. Bruery Partridge in a Pear Tree is back!!! (Limited Quantities)

Drink you crazy Viking!

dave hauslein

beer manager

415-255-0610

Birthday-Eve

I love birthday cards :)

I have two hours left before work… two hours to blog, walk Dixie, do yoga, prep for tomorrow’s race (someone remind me why I volunteered to wake up at 5:30am on a Saturday, much less my birthday!?) and get ready for work. I couldn’t not blog my food, so this baby is going to be quick!

Yesterday I had a banana and way too much homemade flax-cinnamon-almond butter before running a hot 3.5 miles. Last run before the race!

I had my last vitaminwater10 before meeting a friend for lunch. My BFF from back home, Becca, moved to Orlando shortly after I did and yesterday was the first time I was able to see her since we moved. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

We had the perfect date: Chipotle salads for lunch, Whole Foods for browsing and essentials and Jeremiah’s for Italian Ice!

At Jeremiah’s I had the same thing as last time: 1/2 p-nutty and 1/2 pina colada. I want this in lieu of a birthday cake tomorrow. HINT.

Synergy Kombucha’s might taste like nasty vinegar, but my last one really left me feeling light and alive. I told Becca this was “yoga in a bottle.” I had half a Strawberry Serenity yesterday. The strawberry isn’t as gross as the mango!

      I also had plenty more almond butter. Confession: I added a bit of sugar to my mix. I know, I’m a horrible “healthy” blogger… but it makes the AB so much more addicting!

I also had afternoon snacks and dinner, but for the sake of keeping it interesting…

  Uh-oh! Guess who I caught chilling on the bed! Jack and Dixie.. my babies. These photos also prove that Dixie doesn’t consider me the boss whatsoever. She’s not allowed on the bed but didn’t care that I caught her. If David had walked into the room she’d be off that bed so fast!

This morning I enjoyed naner-oats with ALMOND BUTTER! ..iced green tea..

Lunch was simple and amazing. Half a block of baked tofu (with Country Bob’s sauce, hot sauce + seasonings) and broc. Yum.  I’ll have snacks and dinner today too, but again, let’s keep this interesting!

I’m all set for tomorrow’s Miracle Miles 15K! I even have oatmeal, shot blocks and a SIGG with water in the fridge ready to go!

Next time I see you I’ll be 21. It makes no difference to me since I won’t drink, but woot woot I love birthdays!