May | 2012 | Nikki Wears Nike

May 24 2012

Nike+ Sportband

I bought this new toy for myself after my half marathon with a few criteria in mind: 1) It couldn’t be too obtrusive/bulky, 2) It needed to track distance/time, 3) It had to look at least kinda cool. I took this Nike+ Sportsband for a test run (no pun intended) the other day and was excited to find that it accurately tracked my distance and time, as well as pace. Not only that, but when you plug the USB device into your computer it tracks everything for you online and even gives you new goals to strive for! At around $70 it retails for much cheaper than most watches and is also a lot less bulky. The only catch? You need to have Nike shoes to use it – not that I should have a problem with that!

Tagged livestrong, nike, nike plus, nike plus sportband, nike plus sportband review, nike product, running, running gear, sportswatch

May 15 2012

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Activity Profile

The Benefits of Blading

Myth: rollerbladers are wimps. Fact: rollerbladers are superhuman beings with quads of steel! Okay, so maybe we aren’t that good, but rollerblading is a seriously underrated form of cardio in the fitness world! I’ve considered myself a hardcore rollerblader for years now. I love it. Nothing makes me happier than blissfully gliding through the world on eight wheels. While I do this mostly for pleasure, I have noticed that my quads have become quite strong in comparison to the rest of my body. Let’s look at some of the other benefits:

From Livestrong.com

Roller skating uses mainly lower body muscles, and provides many of the same cardiovascular benefits as running or bicycling with less impact on your muscles, bones and joints. According to Harvard Health Publications, skating for 30 minutes burns between 210 and 311 calories, depending on your weight.

Case in point: rollerblading can burn between 400-600 calories an hour, and it is just as good for your health as running! Not only that, but it has hardly any impact on your knees (this is a welcome relief to somebody like me who is always getting knee injuries from running).

What else does rollerblading do?

- works your hamstrings, quads, calves, hips, and glutes

- swinging your arms while you skate for balance tones your shoulders and arm muscles

- you use your core to keep balanced while you skate, toning your abs, obliques, and lower back

- oh, and it’s much more fun than running like a rat on a treadmill!

The most effective way to burn calories and reap the health benefits of blading is to focus on interval training, however even a leisurely blade with friends is a far better choice than just sitting on the couch. To try some interval training, start slowly and work up to “roller sprints”, or find a hilly area and work up and down the hills. I’m a little hard core, but sometimes I’ll go for a three hour blade…it’s a great way to enjoy a beautiful sunny day. There are also some really cool “stunt bladers” out there…the possibilities are endless. Hope this helped to justify your not-so-guilty pleasure.

Tagged fitness, health, how many calories does rollerblading burn, low impact sports, rollerblading, rollerblading as cardio, weight loss, what muscles does rollerblading use

May 12 2012

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Food

1, 2, 3, Spaghetti Squash!

Let’s just say it: spaghetti squash rocks! For those of you who have never tried it, it is basically a vegetable that is so much like noodles that you can substitute it in numerous noodle dishes (say that three times fast)! Of course it doesn’t have the same taste as a pasta, however it saves you hundreds of calories in carbs (and it’s gluten-free), so I think it’s a pretty reasonable trade-off. Not only that, but it’s really easy to prepare. Here’s how you do it:

Step 1: Purchase a spaghetti squash from your local grocery store and chop it in half (this can be quite a taxing process so brace yourself and be safe)!

Step 2: Place each half face down on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at around 350 degrees until you can pierce through the top with a fork.

Step 3: Remove the seeds and then scrape out the insides with a fork (they’ll come out looking just like spaghetti noodles).

Time to eat! You can prepare this numerous ways: casseroles, spaghetti, pad thai, basically any dish that you might otherwise use noodles for. I enjoyed mine with Italian Turkey Meatballs the other day and it was fantastic!

Enjoy!

Tagged clean eating, cook spaghetti squash, low carb eating, pasta replacement, prepare spaghetti squash, primal blueprint diet, primal cooking, primal spaghetti, runner's diet, spaghetti squash, spaghetti squash how to

May 07 2012

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Food

Homemade Gluten-Free Tortillas

I find that I feel better when I am eating gluten-free, however this is often quite inconvenient, and not too economical. This is especially problematic if one is running regularly and needs to be consuming fuel heavy carbohydrates on a daily basis. I was particularly excited when I discovered this tortilla recipe online, and had to try it for myself. Good news: it’s awesome! You can use virtually any type of flour for this pan bread (including varieties containing gluten), it holds together surprisingly well, and best of all they only take five minutes to make! Allow me to explain:

Ingredients (for one tortilla):

1/4 cup flour of any sort (so far I’ve experimented with quinoa and brown rice flours…you can also combine them!)

1/2 a large egg

4 tbsp milk (I used almond milk)

Combine ingredients in a bowl.

Use a bit of oil on a pan (coconut oil works well), spread the mixture evenly, and cook until you see bubbles on the top. Use a spatula to flip and cook the other side.

Let cool and either eat immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate. There you have it! Five minute gluten-free, preservative free wraps that ring you in at only about 145 calories! You can also add spices, chia seeds, cut them into fours and make mini sandwiches, roll them up, etc. I would also recommend making sure the mixture is more watery (this might require adding extra almond milk for certain flours), as it makes it easier to spread evenly on the pan.

Today I spread some dijon mustard, spinach, and preservative free chicken slices on my tortilla and made a delicious, healthy, gluten-free wrap. Yum!

Tagged clean eating, gluten-free cooking, gluten-free tortilla recipe, gluten-free wrap, healthy food, homemade tortillas, runner's diet

May 06 2012

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Life LIst

I Did It!

Well, I’ve officially done it! Today I ran my first ever half marathon (see my big shiny medal above?), meaning that I was also able to cross “run a half marathon” off of my Life List. How very exciting! I only had one goal going into the race which was to run the entire thing, however I surprised myself when I managed to do so in under two hours! I might be hobbling around for quite a few days thanks to a lingering foot injury but that’s okay. You’ll be seeing me back on the streets in no time! Below are some photos from the big day.