Yoga + Yogurt

Happy Friday!!

A couple weeks ago I was invited to an event hosted by the wonderful folks at Stonyfield called “Fueled by Organic”.  It was a quick mid-work day event at Equinox gym in the Back Bay, and luckily I was able to just leave work for a couple hours and come back.  Equinox was a very quick T-ride away!  The event consisted of a 45min yoga class followed by an organic nutrition discussion and a sample of Stonyfield yogurt :)  Sounded like the perfect afternoon escape to me.

As much as I love Stonyfield, I was just as excited to step foot in Equinox!  I don’t know if you’ve heard of Equinox gyms before but they are the NICEST (and also $$$) gyms around!  At least in Boston, but I know they are elsewhere around the country.  I was also told each attendee would receive a free 1-week pass!!  I didn’t want to miss out on that!  I’ll be sure to keep you updated when I use my free pass.

(sorry for the blurry pic, it was a dark room and I had my iphone)

I arrived, changed, and headed into the dimly lit yoga studio where most everyone was already there on their mats.

It was a really great 45-min class!  The room was slightly warm, not like “hot yoga'” but I’m thinking they just keep the yoga room on the warm side.  I would definitely call it more of a power yoga, we did some challenging strength poses, and some I had never done before!  I was sweating after 45 min :)

After yoga, we headed to another on of their fitness studios for yogurt and the nutrition talk.

This was another nice large fitness room.  Can’t wait to take some classes here!

Especially whatever class involves these:
;)

I headed over to the table with the bucket-o-yogurt to choose from

And headed to a mat with my vanilla Oikos (one of my fav’s!)

Mary Kennedy,a  Stonyfield Nutritionist, gave us a quick talk/presentation about the importance of properly fueling before and after workouts.  I thought I knew a good amount on this subject but there was definitely a lot to be learned from here and I’m really glad I took notes so that I could share…

I’ll give my notes in bullet form, and please note that most all of this information is relative to people who are generally active (workout regularly) or athletes.

• For an active person a general rule for the # of calories you should consume is your weight X 20! 
• This seemed a lot to me, but at the same time I do not consider myself very active.  I have my weeks, and do try to workout regularly but it just doesn’t always happen.  This would be good to remember though if, for say, you were in the thick of training for a long distance race or other endurance event!
• Of these calories, 60-70% should come from carbs, 25-35% from fat, and 10-18% from protein.
• Mary said that most people thing protein is the big important thing you should be getting a lot of, but for an active person it’s CARBS that are on top!
• Protein is the LEAST efficient fuel for your body.
• Carbs refuel!  Protein helps muscle repair.
• HYDRATE!!  Not drinking enough water and keeping properly hydrated can really drag down your energy and make you feel sluggish.  Even a deficiency of 2% of your body weight can make you feel a difference.
• Aim for your body weight / 2 for the # of ounces per day you should be drinking of water.
• And not to be gross, but I think most of us know how to tell when we’re not getting enough hydration – color of your urine.   You want it to be clear.
• Plan ahead to fuel up.  This means getting fueled before a workout!  You need to eat something before a workout, but also should leave time to digest!
• For me, when I have a run or other strenuous workout planned for the morning,  I need to wake up with enough time to eat, and then digest.
• This is another place where carbs win! 
• on an empty stomach, carbs take 1-2 hrs to digest, where as higher fat items can take 6-7 hrs to digest!! 
• Of course this depends on exercise intensity.  You should fuel accordingly. 
• If you keep a food journal, it would be a great idea to add your workouts!  This way you can see if you are fueling properly before and after.
• The best POST workout re-fuel is something high-carb with a little protein. (like yogurt!)
• If nothing else, Mary said you should have something small with carbs within 30 minutes after your workout.  Even just a glass of juice. 
• I actually never knew the 30 min rule!  But now I will try to make a more conscious effort.
• You want an energy balance: Calories in = total energy expenditure.
• In instances with high exercise, like marathon training, women are the ones who tend to gain weight (and men tend to lose…so nor fair)
• This is because a lot of people tend to over-compensate when they all of a sudden start working out more than normal and at a higher intensity.
• Think QUALITY food = fuel!
• No energy in a bottle!!  We’re talking protein shakes, energy drinks…etc.
• You can get the best fuel for your body from the food that the earth makes!  REAL food!!
• This is where organic becomes important.
• organic = less junk!
• The last thing our bodies needs are pesticides and GMOs (genetically modified organisms….eww)
• Lastly she touched on the confusion some people can have with labels.  Organic does NOT equal natural!  So many packaged foods these days claim to be “all natural” but according to the FDA guidelines this doesn’t really mean much and can still have pesticides and GMO’s. 
• read the ingredients folks! 

A lot of this I knew, and I’m sure you do too, but sometimes it’s just good to get a refresher and maybe even learn something you didn’t know!      

I had a lovely break from work that afternoon: yoga class, yogurt, nutrition talk, and getting to see these ladies!

Elizabeth, Me, Tina, Elina, and Sarah!

But want to know the BEST part of that day??  In addition to a fun swag bag we all received with our 1-week passes, they pulled a name to receive a special gift: a fun cooler bag with some great stuff inside AND a 1-MONTH pass to Equinox….and I WON!!!!  I was SO pumped!  I seriously can’t wait to cash in on that month and week!  

Thank you Stonyfield and Equinox!  Stonyfield always puts on really great informative events, and I always feel lucky to attend.  This was no different.