Snack Attack

For a post workout snack I love making smoothies. Usually I throw in whatever fruit I happen to have in the kitchen but ideally I'll use the following ingredients:

-1 cup strawberries

-1 banana

-1 heaping tablespoon almond butter*

-2 cups non-fat yogurt

-1/2 to 1 cup chocolate milk depending on the consistency of the yogurt

-1 teaspoon agave nectar**

Blend and enjoy. If you have any favorite smoothie recipes please post them in the comments section so I can give them a try!

*Peanut butter may be used as a substitute. **Honey may be used as a substitute.

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember this is only an opinion. When making any changes to your diet you are doing so at your own risk and should have prior approval from your physician!

Stays in Vegas

Vanity Night Club

Vanity Night Club

Hard Rock Hotel

I was going to write a few paragraphs to tell about my birthday trip this weekend but then I remembered, what happens in Vegas...

All-Hallows-Even

Six Pumpkins

Halloween is my favorite day of the Fall season and one thing I love to do to get in the celebratory mood is carve pumpkins. In the Tucson area, the two places my family and I go to get them are Agua Linda Farm and Brian and Kelly's.

The Agua Linda Farm experience is more like a day at a local county fair. There's a petting zoo, a hay maze, a hay ride, a tire swing, a country store with fresh farmed goods and a grill that serves all day. The main attraction of course is their pumpkin patch.

This year we picked as many pumpkins as we could carry and then grabbed a few more that were pre-picked and on display by the cashier. Need I say, Blaise loved every second of our visit.

Brian and Kelley's is a totally different environment that can be best described as a Pumpkin boutique, if there's such a thing. Their selection is amazing and their presentation is at a level above anything I've seen elsewhere in town.

Both this year and last, we didn't notice any activites for shoppers other than shopping but Blaise was quite content being rolled around in the little red cart provided for our orange and white selections.

I realize you probably won't make it to the two places I shop for pumpkins but jump on Google, you might be pleasantly surprised by what's offered close to you. Getting your pumpkins this year can be a really fun experience for the whole family, not just a stop at the grocery store.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Did I say that too early?

A Beginner's Workout

Things to remember: swimsuit, cap, goggles, kickboard, hydration, sunscreen. Nothing is worse than getting into the locker room and realizing you forgot something. Also, make sure a lifeguard is on duty. 

Warm up is 200 choice swim: 200 choice kick, 8x25's IM (Fly, Back, Breast, Free). Take as much rest as needed.

10x50's Freestyle. Choose your own interval so you challenge yourself: :40 :50, 1:00, 1:10, 1:20.

50 Easy.

10x25's Freestyle. Choose your own interval so you challenge yourself: :20, :30, :40.

50 Easy.

6x75's (25 kick/50 swim). Choice stroke on 1:30.

Warm down is 200 choice swim.

Total: 2100 yards.

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember this is only an opinion. If you attempt to follow it you are doing so at your own risk and should have prior approval from your physician!

Being Tan is Cool. Having Healthy Skin is Cooler.

The largest organ of the human body is your skin, or epidermis, and as the first line of defense against all kinds of would be invaders it's one of the most important organs you have. What should you do with something that important? PROTECT IT! How? One way is to stay covered up or hide from the sun all together but if you're like me and lead an active lifestyle that's probably not possible. Your next best option is to wear sunscreen. Let me say that again. WEAR SUNSCREEN!!! I'm not a medical expert and my blog disclaimer will assure you of that but of all the advice I can offer, the most important for someone who exercises outside during daylight hours is to wear sunscreen.

As a Mission Athletecare partner I've spent a good amount of time with founder and president Josh Shaw developing skincare products that work, not just for the average person but also for athletes who have a greater need for protection due to the extremes they are exposed to. It's very important to me as someone who's spent twenty six years swimming outdoors to know that the product I put on my skin works. I'm not saying you have to buy Mission products, I'm just telling you what I trust my skin to on a daily basis and why. Ultimately whatever works best for you and your skin you'll end up using and that's what's important.

Before leaving my house for practice I apply a good base layer of Sun Defeated so that it has time to dry well before I get near the water. Once at the pool I apply a second layer just in case I missed any spots as well add a layer of No Sting Facestick to my face.  If I'm doing a dry-land workout immediately after getting out of the pool I reapply another layer of everything. This routine keeps me burn free even in the unforgiving Arizona sun.

For a sobering look at skin cancer facts visit the Skin Cancer Foundation or CDC websites and no matter how healthy you are, visit a Dermatologist regularly. Prevention is the best medicine.

Set Shot

On the Softcup set with Blaise being photographed by Tim Mantoani.

A Day in the Life

- Wake up.

- Eat breakfast. Usually fruit, yogurt and coffee. 

- Pick out an outfit for my son Blaise.

- Pack my mommy bag. Diapers, wipes, book, toys, emergency change of clothes, snacks, water.

- Take Blaise to preschool.

- Head to the gym.

- Personal training for an hour or indoor rock climb or swim.

- Head home to work on my book that's due out spring 2012.

- Pack a lunch that my husband Sacha takes to Blaise when he picks him up.

- Eat lunch and recover a liittle.

- Pack swim bag. Swimsuit, cap, goggles, towel, sunscreen, shampoo, conditioner, water.

- Head to the pool.

- Swim hard for two hours.

- Head home for one on one time with Blaise.

- Work in the home office. Catch up on business emails, texts and calls.

- Walk the dogs with my boys in the neighborhood or park.

- Cook dinner.

- Read to Blaise. Babar, Goodnight Moon, Green Eggs and Ham.

- Put Blaise to bed.

- Pick up the house.

- Watch TV. Dexter, Modern Family, Tosh.0

- Work in the home office some more if need be.

- Read. 

- Bed.

- Repeat.

- Rest Sunday.

Kayenne

Small Fit

One of the most important components of a swimmer's kit and sometimes the most uncomfortable is her goggles. As an experienced athlete I can tell you, if you aren't comfortable and your focus is on your equipment rather than on your training or race, your performance will suffer.

I've been fortunate to work with Aqua Sphere for over a year now and after using their products extensively I can say they truly excel at making equipment comfortable without sacrificing its effectiveness in the water. A great example of this, and my favorite goggle ever made, is the Kayenne. It's the perfect blend of form, function and fit. They look great, work great and most important feel great.

I'm a firm believer of feeling how you look and swimming how you feel so the fact that these will make even the kindest face look unbreakably determined is a major bonus.

Kitting Up

Aside from the Keyenne's aesthetics, probably the most innovative part of the goggle's design is the curved lens. It's unique in that it allows for an extremely low frontal profile and has a 180˚ field of view which is helpful in keeping an eye on the competition, especially for a breaststroker who doesn't turn her head.

The Kayenne comes in two sizes, normal and small fit, the latter being my choice. Fitment really depends on a few factors like head size, eye socket size and distance from one eye to the other. The straps are easily adjustable via quick release buttons on each side and while the bridge is not adjustable, each eyepiece has its own skirt very similar to a dive mask. They end up being much more forgiving to different face shapes and sizes than your standard goggle.

Road Trippin'

California Moon Through My Windshield

Never doubt the power of stepping away to clear your head. Most of the time when I'm training if the going gets tough I dig in and buckle down but every once and a while I retreat so I can come back to the pool with a clear head and more focused energy than I had before I left. I'm not saying it's a good idea to take a week off and head for Tahiti but a short respite will often do little harm and much good.

One of my favorite ways to do this is by car. In the day of the jetset crowd there's something really fun about stuffing a few necessities into a small bag, jumping into ye ol' automobile with friends or loved ones and hitting the great wide open road. It's fairly inexpensive compared to flying, the conversations are usually great, the silent moments give time for contemplation of things lost in the daily grind and always at some point something makes someone laugh hard. 

The Biggest Flag I've Ever Seen

Do choose your travel partners wisely especially on longer journeys as close quarters tend to amplify moods and remember there's safety in numbers but there's no rule that says you can't go it alone. For extra adventure bring the kids. Travelling with a child requires stopping out of necessity frequently at locations you normally might not.  I've ended up visiting some very interesting places this way, some I'd driven blindly by a thousand times.

If you're hesitant to fly by the seat of your pants, take AAA's TripTik app with and know that you have the guidance of the road trip masters in your pocket.