Winner: Anytime Fitness “Working Out Sucks!” Giveaway

Thank you to all 61 of you who entered my FitFluential giveaway for Anytime Fitness CEO Chuck Runyon‘s new book, “Working Out Sucks! (And Why It Doesn’t Have To)“. Entries closed last night at 11:59PM EST, which means that this morning I was able to pick the winners! I used a random number generator to pick three numbers from 1 to 61. And the winners are…

Tara Burner

Lizzie

Alexis

CONGRATULATIONS! Please email your shipping address to me at caitplusate@gmail.com. If you didn’t win the giveaway, you can always head over to Amazon and purchase a copy – it’s only about $10! And if you buy $15 more (that’s not very hard to do on that site!) then you can get that good old free shipping 😉

It was really interesting to read about the different workout excuses people have used, because almost all of them were covered (aka “shot down”) by Runyon in his book. I could also identify with a great deal of them, like:

  • I don’t have time.
  • I just don’t feel like it.
  • I’m hungry (in this case I just eat a snack and THEN go).
  • I’m sore.
  • It’s so cold out that I don’t want to leave the house (even to drive to the gym).
  • They say it’s better to get an extra hour of sleep than work out.

I do want to say that my views of these excuses are not quite as “hardcore” as Chuck Runyon’s views in the book, as I mentioned in my review. As part of my journey to find balance and be less rigid with my working out and eating, I’ve been trying to teach myself that it’s okay to miss a workout every now and then. Usually my rest days are the ones in which I don’t have time because I’d rather get an extra hour of sleep than wake up really early to fit a workout in before work, on the days that I have class or errands or plans after work that would prohibit my usual post-work group fitness class. Why look, there’s two of the listed excuses justifying my rest days! But the thing is, Runyon’s book does advocate one or two rest days each week. So from my view, if an “excuse” becomes “reasoning” for when the schedule a rest day, that seems fine to me. It’s when the rest days start outnumbering the workout days that you may want to take a look at your “reasoning” again!

Now that we’re on the subject of workouts, I guess I could recap this morning’s workout for you. I woke up surprisingly well-rested and relaxed after an evening of wining and dining last night with my wine-loving partner-in-crime, Kelly (recap to come). I arrived at the gym too late for the start of the 8am spin or Group Step class, so I took to my go-to cardio machine, the Step Mill. I always set it on speed intervals, level 15, but last time that seemed to be getting too easy, so I upped it to level 16. Wow, I was sweating and out of breath during the fast intervals, and the slow intervals were a good little recovery, but my heart rate was still up. After just 30 minutes I’d completed an efficient HIIT cardio workout – my favorite kind, because they’re over faster 😛

Actually kinda hate you.

Then I took to the mat for planks, push-ups, v-sits, and leg lifts. After some pigeon posing to get those glutes stretched, I was outta there.

Image credit.

Congrats again to the winners!

Did you work out today or are you planning to do so? What’s on the agenda?

Rest Days, Christmas Day, and Too-Jay’s

You have until 11:59PM EST tonight to enter the giveaway for Anytime Fitness CEO Chuck Runyon’s book “Working Out Sucks! (And Why It Doesn’t Have To)”. What are you waiting for?!

HAPPY FRIDAY! Is it just me or did this week go by quite fast? Even though I had to work on Monday, unlike the rest of the world (seemingly), I still don’t feel like it’s Friday. I just kept telling myself that this morning as I tried to drag myself out of bed. I was in the habit for awhile of waking up before my alarm a couple times a week, but lately I’ve been sleeping like a rock and can barely wake up, despite going to bed at the same time as I usually do. I’m gonna take this as a sign that I’m less stressed (I tend to wake up thinking about all I have to do for the day – quieting my mind is not something I do well) but I also do not enjoy feeling so sleepy each morning.

Yesterday was a long, busy day with errands that ran over, so I took it as a spontaneous rest day from the gym. I was feeling a bit guilty about it at first (after all, reading “Working Out Sucks!” will take away any excuses you have in your reserves),  but I took to Twitter to get a little #fitfluential chat about rest days going, and received some good insights.

The general consensus seemed to be 1-2 rest days per week – sounds good to me! But everyone is different – some people just starting out in working out may only do so every other day. As long as it’s something, I think you deserve a pat on the back for getting out there.

This is the portion of the post that moves into beyond-late-recap zone, a recent trend as of late, but a trend that I plan to continue since I believe that withholding delicious eats from my Florida trip would be more of a crime!

Looks like Marian agrees with me on this one…

And is it appropriate to say Merry Christmas, since this is a semi-Christmas post, even though it is now January 2012? I think I’ll say it anyway – Merry Belated Christmas, because this is a Christmas Day recap! It’s my blog, and I’ll recap late if I want to!

Told Hannah she looked like a yogi prepping for boat pose here – she didn't follow.

My dad’s flight to Florida left ridiculously early on the 25th (as in, he had to get up at 4:30am), but my siblings, mom, and I were lucky enough to score a flight that departed at a godly hour, so we left the house around 9:30am (leaving me time to do the moving vinsaya portion of P90X Yoga). Hannah and Mom scored their usual airport Dunkin, but I just can’t stand their coffee anymore enough to even have it once in a while, so I went with a nonfat café au lait from the not-much-better Lavazza.

He loves me so much.

Michael opted for a bacon, egg, and cheese on a plain bagel from DD – Hannah stole a bite!

He doesn’t quite understand my blog-photo-taking ways, nor does he want to partake in them.

We arrived at my grandparents’ apartment in Florida in the late afternoon, which gave us time to get settled in and chill for a bit while my parents headed to TooJay’s Gourmet Deli to get Christmas dinner! This is a tradition we started last year, and I hope we keep it, because I adore TooJay’s and would much prefer their food to a traditional Christmas meal. I know my blend Amy may agree with me on this – we spent time tweeting about TooJay’s!

Fun fact – my mom was a TooJay’s waitress up until she had my younger sister! So our family has a lot of history with this restaurant. They have various locations (the one we got dinner from was not the one my mom worked at), but quality never varies from city to city. I remember going there with my dad for dinner when I was little, so she could be our waitress. Of course back then all I’d touch were the steak fries because I didn’t like anything else. Sometimes I’d convince my dad to order me a slice of carrot cake just so I could eat the little icing carrot on top. I was a real pain, huh?

Michael went with the most basic of meals. He’s still in the I-like-much-of-anything phase that I was in until about age 18.

Chicken tenders and steak fries.

The steak fries still remain one of our favorite menu items, so there was no shortage of those. I had a few once I finished my meal and knew I had room for a bit more.

Hannah's grilled chicken pesto sandwich on wheat.

My favorite part of going to TooJay’s has got to be their pickles – Christina, you feel me on this? I probably ended up eating all but three of these over the course of our stay in FL, including three during this dinner and four in one sitting a few days later. What salt addiction? I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Can't put a price on pickles (or maybe you can).

My dad, mom, and I all got the same thing – the turkey pastrami on rye bread, Russian dressing on the side. This dressing is not something my mom and I usually eat, but it’s a necessary indulgence when it comes to TooJay’s. Oh, and steak fries are VERY good dipped in it, FYI.

A normal looking sandwich, right? Not so fast.

That’s right, each half is stacked that high. IT’S SO GOOD with spicy brown mustard. I ate every last bite.

Then I had one bit of my grandpa’s leftover dill chicken salad (it’s under there somewhere), and oh man. Best chicken salad I’ve EVER had! I polished it all off, I couldn’t help myself. And then I definitely didn’t have any room for dessert. But man oh man, that was fine with me because this chicken salad was fantastic.

We spent the rest of the evening exchanging gifts with my grandparents and watching the NBA’s return (more specifically, the Miami Heat’s return) before hitting the hay. I was bummed Christmas was over, but psyched for the amazing vacation that lied ahead!

What do you usually have for Christmas dinner? Relive what you had a couple weeks ago for me!

Christmas Eve…Two Weeks Later?

You have just a little over 24 hours left to enter the FitFluential Inc. giveaway for Anytime Fitness CEO Chuck Runyon’s new book, “Working Out Sucks! (And Why It Doesn’t Have To)!” Three people will win!

I’m very aware that Christmas Eve was two weeks ago. I’m also very aware that the dinner I ate that day was awesome and too great not to share. So without further ado, I give you Christmas Eve dinner.

Christmas Eve was a whirlwind of a day. After we were done being famous and eating breakfast in NYC, my dad, sister, and I got right in the car and headed back to CT. What was the reason behind our hurry to get back? Another beloved holiday tradition of course – our family friends, the Peredas, host a Christmas Eve pig roast dinner each year! Since they had an early flight out to Florida the next morning, the gathering was pushed to an earlier time than usual, and became more of a mid-afternoon “linner”.

The Peredas are Cuban, and love to serve an entire roasted pig (that they cook on their back deck), rice, and beans, along with traditional salads, appetizers, and desserts that guests bring.

Broc casserole, corn casserole, and cheesy potatoes.

Joe and I arrived a bit late due to our wine-tasting stop, so some appetizers had been almost entirely cleaned out, but there was certainly no shortage of delicious food.

Mmm veggie madness!

Joe, AKA typical boy who doesn’t seem to care about or ever want food, wasn’t very hungry. I was though! I don’t like ham much, but the Peredas’ party is the only time I ever eat it, because this freshly-roasted pig is just SO good! The black beans, which they usually bring in from Pollo Tropical, were homemade this year because the nearest location closed. And they were actually the best they’ve ever been, so way to go Mrs. Pereda!

Joe's plate…lame.

My plate (and wine)…awesome.

And of course, more red wine was had! How could I not when I had so many delicious foods that paired well with it, like kalamatas?

I chatted with the Gerbers, who I’d just seen a couple days before at the Andersons’ get-together, and a bunch of other family friends that I hadn’t had the chance to catch up with in a few months.

Amazingly talented Mollie (she just got into the Mass Institute of Art!) and I.

Got to wear my new Kohl’s skirt from Black Friday! First time pairing a skirt with tights and heels, and I loved it.

Megan (she's a nutrition student!) and I.

My mom, me, and Mr. Gerber (Mollie and Megan's dad). They match!

Not long after my (late) arrival, dessert came out! So many options, but I had about one sample of each.

Cream cheese and almond stuffed strawberries – surprisingly, I didn’t like these too much! It’s just because the almond flavor was very strong. I can only take so much almond in anything. Everyone else adored them though – Vivian did a great job. Don’t trust me, I’m an almond-avoider!

If you weren't drooling yet, you are now.

She also made these mint chocolate chip cookies, which were perfectly gooey and didn’t skimp at all on the chocolate, just the way I like it. They reminded me of the cookies I got from my wine-twin Meg of Eat, Drink, and Be Sperry in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!

Casual Steve stood guard over the other desserts pictured – many holiday cookies, including leftovers from Mrs. Anderson’s goodies!

I didn’t have any of the above creation because it was made with cherries, which are definitely one of my least favorite foods of all time. Too many cough syrup associations…but cherry lovers dove in!

One of our friends, Mr. Andries, happens to have a birthday on Christmas Eve! So the party was also a celebration for him. His daughter, Courtney, picked out the most fabulous red velvet Coldstone Creamery ice cream cake ever, made with cheesecake ice cream – which happens to be my favorite Coldstone flavor!

We all got a bit carried away with the birthday wishes, and followed up Mr. Andries’s birthday song with one for my mom, whose birthday was the day before. And then we expanded to other December birthdays…November birthdays…things started getting out of hand when we began singing to Mariel, whose birthday was back in early October.

Parents are into it.

My mom is loving it.

Nice bunny ears move, Mr. Pereda!

OK…can I have my cake now?!

Now that’s what I’m talking about. Hands down, best ice cream cake I’ve ever had.

The fun wasn’t over yet…I’m not even sure if these came out before or after the birthday singing, but it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that Vivian had another success in the kitchen, and we all certainly benefitted.

I give you – butterscotch liqueur and caramel apple shots!

Now, I don’t like apples. But who couldn’t love these?

Sorry, Joe.

What a festive Christmas Eve! I think this may have been the best Pereda pig roast ever.

Afterwards, my family and I headed home to open presents – our first time doing so on the 24th, since our planes to Florida left early in the morning on Christmas Day. I definitely didn’t like it as much as the whole Christmas morning routine, but I couldn’t really complain because I just wanted to get on that plane to the warmth!

So you guessed it, this means I can finally start recapping my trip to Florida. I may finish writing about things that happened in December 2011 in…I don’t know…March 2012? Sounds about right 😛

Have you ever been to a pig roast or something similar? What’s your favorite place to get ice cream cake?

Group Core and Catsup and Mustard

Have you entered the giveaway to win a copy of “Working Out Sucks!”, the new book from Anytime Fitness’s CEO? You have until Friday night!

I got to try a new group fitness class yesterday! After Casey and I finished up a sweaty hour-long spin class with one of my favorite spin instructors, Jocelyn, we were feeling pretty wiped. Jocelyn announced to the class that she had just been certified in Group Core, a Body Training Systems class that would be coming to our gym soon. She planned to practice in a conference room and needed some guinea pigs. I was intrigued – I’m ALWAYS down to try a new group fitness class, so Casey and I volunteered!

The equipment required was very simple: a towel, a mat, and a 10-lb plate. The 25-minute class was extremely efficient and consisted of 5 songs. They were pretty good, not the best I’ve heard, but I did like that Britney’s “Circus” was on there!

This class really did work the entire lower body, even legs. Lots of dynamic movements while holding the towel (never tried that before) like lunges with an oblique twist, and squats with arm raises. We also did squats followed by simultaneously raising the 10-lb plate to one side and our leg on the other, which challenged my balance, something I can always improve on.

The ab work was very tough. I sometimes find myself unchallenged by abs, but this class actually had me having to take breaks during the last song. The entire thing was planks and oblique crunches, without much rest at all. I totally felt the burn!

If your gym has Body Training Systems classes, I highly recommend finding out if Group Core is on the schedule or if the gym is considering getting it. If they aren’t, why not try to change their minds? It really is great to get in a good lower body workout in just 25 minutes!

I have some exciting plans tonight – a friend I met through Twitter, Olivia, is meeting me for dinner tonight at one of my favorite local spots!

Chef Corey Wry is a local celeb in my area. He first opened up a delicious, low-key breakfast and sandwich place in Manchester, CT called Pastrami on Wry in 2005 (the Elvis pancakes are the stuff of dreams). His most recent (third) restaurant, Chops ‘n Catch, serves fancier steak and seafood fare, with an emphasis on local ingredients. The fish is excellent and the baked potatoes are giants, just the way I like ’em.

The man himself, courtesy of chopsncatch.com.

His second restaurant is like the filling of a PB sandwich (no, I don’t like jelly) or an Oreo – you know, the best. And it’s where Olivia and I are going tonight!

Catsup & Mustard lives true to its motto of “eat, drink, laugh”. As you can imagine from the title, an emphasis is placed on burgers and fries, though there are plenty of other options for all kinds of diners, from the picky child to the healthy living blogger to the unique-burger-obsessed foodie (and I am very aware that those last two can be found in the same person). Catsup & Mustard was even featured on an episode of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives! You can find a recipe submitted by Corey himself for Catsup’s Buried-Under Cheeseburger Salad on FoodNetwork.com.

Image courtesy of catsupandmustard.com.

But if you’re going to go to Catsup & Mustard, please don’t order that. Go home and make it yourself! Instead, I’d recommend the quesadillas from their Appetizers section. Or one of their amazing turkey burgers (yes, a restaurant that makes a good turkey burger exists). Or a burger with pastrami layered on top. Perhaps a spinach salad with salmon strikes your fancy? How about grilled cheese and tomato soup? Those are just some of my favorites, and all can be paired with their many varieties of fabulous fries.

One order is more than enough for two or three people. Make sure you ask for the dipping sauces – the Kicked-Up Catsup is delicious and unique.

The first time I met my new “blend” (blog friend), Bethany of More Fruit Please, we met at Catsup & Mustard for dinner. Guess it’s my go-to spot for meeting new friends! She hadn’t been since moving to the area, and I wanted to show her a nearby go-to spot.  I chose the Garlic-Parmesan fries, my favorite flavor (obviously, I’m Miss Garlic), for us to share.

Bethany was torn between the Pretzel Grilled Chicken and the Turkey California. I immediately advised her to go with the turkey burger – I’d had the grilled chicken sandwich before, and it wasn’t anything special, even with a pretzel bun, which was actually too overpowering for the meat. The Turkey California is a turkey burger on a golden roll topped with chardonnay onions, turkey bacon, avocado, and a spinach-tomato-bleu cheese salad. It’s one of my dad’s favorite things he’s ever ordered there (and mine too).

All sandwiches come with a side of coleslaw and a famous Corey half-sour pickle.

I wanted to try something I hadn’t ordered before, and I was craving greens since I’d been wining earlier that day, so I got the Teriyaki Salmon salad on baby spinach, with cucumber, carrot, roasted red pepper, and a tasty sesame vinaigrette. The salmon was cooked to perfection and the combination of the dressing and teriyaki gave it an Asian flare.

All salads come garnished with crunchy and satisfying potato "whistle stix".

I cleaned my plate, and had a hard time not finishing more than half of the fries!

Of course, I asked for, received, and consumed three half-sour pickles on the side. I also brought three more home – jackpot!

I had a great time meeting Bethany and am already excited to go back tonight with Olivia. Thanks to Corey for providing local, fresh, unique food to Connecticut!

Have you had any good (or bad) experiences with restaurant turkey burgers? I’m wondering because I rarely have good experiences, except for at Catsup or another local favorite, Max Burger. I eat my dad’s at home all the time though!

Have you ever tried Group Core or something similar?

Today, We Visit Bouchon Bakery and the Europa Cafe

Don’t forget, you have until this Friday at 11:59PM EST to enter my Anytime Fitness giveaway for the CEO’s new book, “Working Out Sucks! (And Why It Doesn’t Have To)”. Check out my review on the giveaway page as well! Thanks to all who joined in our awesome #WorkingOutSucks Twitter chat last night – there will be another one on 1/30!

Now let me continue to recap things that I am ridiculously behind on. I haven’t even gotten to Christmas Day yet! Let’s go back to Christmas Eve…

Our traditional NYC trip always includes a visit to the Today Show on Christmas Eve morning. Unfortunately, this year that morning coincided with a Saturday, so the show was being done to a much-lower scale than usual. A lot of the segments being run were repeats from during the week. However, no crowd = easy for us to get on TV!

I made sure to get my daily cup of joe from a place I can’t normally visit, as I often try to do on trips/vacations. I took to Twitter to ask my always-dependable blends/friends for recommendations near Rockefeller Center!

Sounded good to me, and due to the weekend/holiday making the Today Show low-key, there actually was no insanity that Britt warned me about!

I loved the look of Bouchon Bakery from the start! I was in awe of the pastry case inside. We always eat breakfast after the show, so I didn’t order any food, but of course took plenty of photos.

Color settings a bit off to start…

Look at those macaroons!

I adore chalkboard menus.

I ordered my usual nonfat cafe au lait, and was so enamored by the bakery’s interior that I forgot to sprinkle my usual cinnamon on top!

My sister, dad, and I staked out our spot and got ready for the cameras to come outside so we could have our latest brush with fame.

Why no, I did not brush my hair, thanks for asking.

It was pretty cold out (though our coldest trip, in 2009, has yet to be matched), but we stuck it out. Eventually we caught a glimpse of good old Lester Holt and Amy Robach. She looked absolutely adorable in the cutest coat and shoes. I was hoping to meet Lester (love his hip glasses), but the two of them just waved to the crowd, did their segment, and ran right back inside!

Coat and shoe envy!!

Then a weatherman came out – and we got our moment of fame!

Weather guy chatting with some Giants fans in the crowd.

Can you catch us?! I apologize for the crappy video, but I was filming my TV (we DVR-ed the show) with my iPhone. The voices you may hear in the background are my dad and brother watching the video with me. Footage copyright NBC Today Show.

My Nana Connie also took this picture of her TV with her BlackBerry:

I can’t believe I didn’t think to make a CaitPlusAte.com poster – d’oh!

After our “appearance”, it was breakfast time for Dad and I (Hannah had a Starbucks breakfast at the hotel). We strolled around a bit, heading back in the general direction of the Marriott, and spotted a Europa Cafe. We decided to duck in there and grab a bite. Not exactly a unique NYC foodie spot, but I still can’t get it at home, so good enough for me.

I immediately drifted toward the omelet bar. It had been awhile since I’d had an omelet and those veggies looked so good! For you oatmeal lovers out there, Europa Cafe also had a pretty well-stocked oatmeal bar. Unlike every other blogger out there, I rarely ever eat oatmeal!

I gave the chefs my order – an egg white omelet with veggies and dry wheat toast – and watched them work.

My dad got an omelet too, but he also got homefries. His omelet used whole eggs and had cheese, bacon, and veggies. My daddio loves a good, hearty omelet!

Thanks for displaying, Dad!

My breakfast came out perfect. Again, not the most special or unique of places, but it did the job.

I added some ketchup to my eggs and ate the omelet in pieces atop my toast.

Does anyone else eat their eggs and toast like this?

Have you ever gotten coffee and/or breakfast from anywhere particularly remarkable in NYC?

Have you ever gone to watch a taping of any show, live or not?

Anytime Fitness Review and Giveaway: Working Out Sucks!

You’re probably confused by this post’s title, right? Read on!

There are plenty of reasons why being a FitFluential Ambassador is awesome. A supportive community, plenty of health advice, blogging tips…I could go on forever. Another perk is getting the chance to interact and work with fitness and nutrition-related brands, which just so happens to be my passion and dream career. Thanks to FitFluential, my dreams are coming together already!

There’s a new gym in town, literally. Anytime Fitness, a 24/7 health club, just opened a new location in my hometown of Glastonbury, CT. In fact, my friend Kelly, a fellow social media enthusiast, just joined with her mom! I haven’t had a chance to check out the facility, but she had nothing but good things to share. With her membership she received three personal training sessions, two of which she has used already. She adored her trainer! Her mom (they joined together and got couple’s pricing – how cool is that?) did not have as good of a personal training experience – her assigned trainer seemed less personable and a bit too “hard-core” in her attitude. However, Kelly and her mom both love the look and feel of the gym so far. She even told me about a virtual classroom in which members can select classes anytime (even spin classes – a bike can be wheeled into the room) so that group-fitness lovers, like me, can do a variety of instructed workouts on their own schedules!

The owner of the Glastonbury facility, Andrew Breton, is also a fellow UConn alum (and a CPT himself)! If you live in the area,  you can sign up for a free 7-day pass online.

Now I’ll explain the post’s title. The CEO of Anytime Fitness, Chuck Runyon, has written a sassy, tell-it-like-it-is book called “Working Out Sucks!“ This 224-page paperback also has an important tagline on the cover – “(and why it doesn’t have to)”. The book is about the reasons why working out sucks, the excuses we all make for not taking care of our own health, why those excuses don’t matter, and ways to start changing your lifestyle that are simple and small. Runyon is also joined by Brian Zehetner (MS, RD, CSCS), who offers nutrition and fitness plan advice, and Rebecca Derossett (MSW), who offers advice on beating the psychological challenges that stop so many from adding movement and nutrition into their lives.

Chuck Runyon and co-founder Dave Mortenson, courtesy of FranchiseChatter.com.

Chuck Runyon starts by naming pretty much every excuse one could come up with for not working out, and then shooting it down in anywhere from one to three pages. No long, scientific explanations, just simple a simple “these are the facts” mentality. He does a very good job poking holes in the excuses, including some holes that I had never thought of myself. I recognized many of the reasons I used to cite for skipping a workout when I had just started my fitness journey and was going to the gym regularly for the first time in my life. Sometimes he sounds downright harsh – after all, we are all human, and I think that if a few of these excuses “win” and serve as the justification for a missed workout every so often, it’s really not a big deal in the overall scheme of things. However, the book is targeted to those who are just starting a fitness routine, so their “bigger picture” probably doesn’t contain an overall already-active lifestyle. If excuses are your problem (even if only occasionally for the already-active readers out there), this section is worth a read for some good mental tools you can store away to fight those excuses when they start creeping into your mind.

Rebecca Derossett’s psychology-focused section, which comes next, is also helpful in regards to the mental roadblocks that may get in the way of living a healthy lifestyle. She certainly has the education and expertise to back up her advice and tips. However, her section is not quite as relate-able (and not nearly as sassy!) as Runyon’s. Those who do not enjoy his tell-it-like-it-is writing style may enjoy Derossett’s writing more, though it is not gentle by any means! Her section also contains a lot of very inspiring success stories from a variety of Anytime Fitness members. That variety is key, because the number of readers who can relate will increase.

I consider myself a foodie first, so I was really interested in what Brian Zehetner had to say about nutrition and how those without much knowledge of or experience with it could make beneficial changes. He addresses important subjects like the carb debate, fiber’s benefits, protein needs, healthy fats, water intake, and supplements. Zehetner breaks down each subject and gives a very clear-cut bottom line. I think that’s what’s missing in a lot of nutrition advice, so I was impressed by that.

He also authors the next section, about what kinds of fitness (and how much of it) readers should be doing. The message is simple: movement is beneficial. It doesn’t have to be your typical exercise. Getting up and walking is a start for some, and that’s perfectly fine. I like that this book didn’t focus on just a “workout plan”. The message was really to just move – there are a whole lot more ways to do that than there are on a list of what you can do at a gym! That fact makes the message more attainable, something that could reassure those that were put off by Runyon’s feisty start to the book. Zehetner stresses the importance of stretching, something I know that many of us, no matter how active we already are, can do more of. I know I could! It’s nice to see that the typical “calorie-scorcher” areas of fitness aren’t the only one being promoted here.

The final portion of “Working Out Sucks!” contains a very useful, realistic 21-day fitness and nutrition plan – essentially, it’s a collection of “sample days” that gives great ideas for workouts and options for each kind of meal or snack. Someone new to fitness could simply find a day with a cardio plan, and follow it. A ravenous snacker could keep to book by his or her side and refer to the last section for endless healthy snack alternatives. Those who have been working out for awhile could even refer to the workouts as a source of a new routine (always good to change it up!), and healthy eaters who are getting bored of their go-to meals can use the back pages for new food ideas. I really like that rest days are incorporated into the plan. This serves as a reminder to dedicated fitness buffs that rest is OK – I know I need that reminder a lot (not saying I’m a buff or anything ;-))

Overall, I found this book to be a useful, to-the-point tool for relatively inexperienced readers who are looking for solid advice on how to eat well and work out. A lot of confusion that’s probably out there regarding “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” is cleared up. The tone may not be for everyone, but can definitely be used as effective motivational self-talk against those pesky excuses!

Lucky for you guys, I have three copies of “Working Out Sucks!” to give away! Entering is easy – just comment and tell me an excuse you’ve used in the past to get out of working out (mandatory). For an additional entry, you may tweet “I entered to win the @AnytimeFitness book #WorkingOutSucks from @CaitPlusAte! http://wp.me/p1SfTW-nR” and leave a separate comment saying you did so or the second entry won’t count! US readers only please. Giveaway will be open until this Friday 1/6/12 at 11:59PM EST. GOOD LUCK!

Also, please join in a Twitter chat tonight at 9PM EST to discuss the book further – just use the hashtag #WorkingOutSucks!

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English

Continuing my ridiculously behind-schedule series of recaps of my holiday season, enjoy this restaurant recap from dinner on 12/23!

I am always in charge of  choosing restaurants on family trips, and our annual Christmas Eve trip to NYC is no different. I went to Twitter and Yelp to seek out a dinner destination, and found great success on the latter when I stumbled upon the menu for The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English. You guessed it, it’s located at the famous Plaza Hotel, and the huge menu told me two things:

  1. My dad, sister, and I were each sure to find something we’d like.
  2. I would NEVER be able to decide what to order.

I was torn between so many options!! And what is pictured above was only one side of the menu. I asked the waitress for some advice, but finally just went with my gut last-minute and decided literally right before I opened my mouth to tell my waitress my order.

The restaurant is set up with “bar-style” seats at various stations (one for each section of the menu). We were seated at the flatbreads station – appropriate since that’s what I ended up ordering!

We also were seated right by what I can only guess was the “grilling station”, which was cool because whenever I turned around, a new tasty order was up on the counter waiting to be picked up by a waiter – and waiting to be photographed by me!

A couple tasty taco options.

To start, I ordered a cocktail called the Green Agave: Patron, agave nectar, fresh lime juice, and basil/mint. It was fantastic – the right amount of tequila (AKA nice and strong), and nice and light.

Even their sodas were served in a fancy manner – check out Hannah’s Diet Coke!

The flatbread chef was kind enough to take a photo of the three of us.

Service was a bit slow, but we were in no real rush. By the time our food came, I was definitely ready to dive in. I ended up going with a flatbread topped with Brussels sprouts, caramelized onions, tomatoes, gorgonzola, and prosciutto. I asked for light cheese, and did not really get it, but I picked some off and still enjoyed my meal!

Hannah selected the hamburger with classic french fries. I had a bite of her burger and it was cooked very well. The fries looked great!

My dad went all out and started with the special soup of the day: mushroom bisque. Two thumbs up from him on this!

For the main course, he ordered the Kobe Pastrami Burger with the special side of the night, Fried Risotto Tots. Unfortunately, the tots didn’t come til the end of the meal, when we were all quite full. I tried to convince my dad to send them back, but he doesn’t like to do that kind of thing. We all agreed that they also weren’t all that great – a yummy crispy fried shell for sure, but the risotto insides were pretty tasteless. The burger and pastrami, however, were both out of this world.

Nice, right? Yes, I got to eat those pickles the burger was topped with.

After we paid the bill, we stopped by the dessert station on the way out and got a piece of chocolate cake to-go. The three of us split it back at the hotel room – it was pretty good, not amazing, but still a tasty end to the night.

Overall, I really loved The Plaza Food Hall. Despite not having one type of food it specializes in, the restaurant produces high-quality dishes almost all across the board. In a crowded NYC dinner spot, service can’t be expected to be perfect, but it could have been a little speedier. Still, we were chillin’, and didn’t mind waiting too much (except for the tots that came at the end of the meal). I definitely would recommend this place to NYC visitors and locals alike. There was simply so much to choose from – I’d be glad to go back!

Take a look at the menu – what would you order? Can you even choose?

NYC Traditions

I’m currently blogging from the Tampa Bay International Airport, waiting for my connecting flight to take my siblings and I back to CT. Not pleased about going back, but I am pleased that I can continue to relive this wonderful holiday season through all my recap blog posts – enjoy this latest one, about our trip to NYC 12/23-12/24!

Every year, my dad takes my sister and I to NYC on the 23rd. We shop, go out to eat, and stay overnight. Then on the morning of the 24th, we wake up and go to the Today Show to get on TV! We are successful each year, and after we get on TV, we have breakfast, shop if we still need to make some stops, and then go home. It is really one of our most beloved family traditions, and I look forward to our NYC excursion each and every holiday season.

The coldest year we ever went, in 2009.

Last year's trip in 2010! Sis is behind the camera.

This year was wonderful, as usual.

Traditional photo prior to departure.

We stayed at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, which was very ritzy and super convenient.

Loved the glass elevators!

Elevators were supposedly super efficient (and were…at times). You typed in the number of your desired floor on a keypad, and the screen displayed which elevator you were supposed to go to.

We were all the way up on the 38th floor! What a view, and a nice room too.

Hannah and I prepared for our shopping with a Starbucks pit-stop for nonfat mistos.

She and I had some fun with the Forever 21 billboard in Times Square that shows its audience with a new character every couple of minutes. Can you spot us? Probably not, I barely can. If you could I actually might be a little freaked out.

Halfway through shopping I got a hankering for a unique NYC snack. I found it at Nuchas, a little stand in the heart of Times Square that sold empanadas. I chose a grilled chicken variety that was delicious. I didn’t take a photo because it did look quite plain, but trust me, this was better than a street vendor hot dog.

I had some success shopping! I found a sweatshirt and new jeggings at American Eagle, and a ton of jewelry and a shirt at Forever 21.

And then came our traditional trip to Rockefeller Center to see the tree at night!

Then it was time to go back to the hotel to get ready for what turned out to be a wonderful dinner – still to come!

What’s your most treasured holiday family tradition?

A Long Overdue Reunion

I’m still enjoying my Florida vacation, but unfortunately today is our last day here! I’ll eventually be sharing my Florida food adventures with you guys, but for now I still need to share my holiday adventures too! This is definitely a good problem to have 🙂 too many good times!

Back when us “kids” were younger, my family and two other families we are close with, the Andersons and the Gerbers (they hosted us for Thanksgiving), used to get together for what we called Gerber-Anderson-Croswell parties.

Clearly a good time (see my mom at left).

After we started going off to college, these gatherings became sparse. The Andersons decided to take advantage of everyone being home for the holidays and host a long overdue reunion. Good times, food, and wine were aplenty!

The oldest Croswell, Anderson, and Gerber girls.

I honestly have no idea what kind of wine I was drinking. It was red and it was delicious! I had one glass before I got hungry.

My favorite wine partner, the mom.

 My family jokingly calls Mrs. Anderson “Monica Stewart” (her first name is Monica) because no one can keep a home, cook, and host a party like she can! Even as I was walking up the driveway (this shindig also conveniently took place down the street from me), I was greeted by quaint holiday pine, holly, and pine cones arranged in the flower box.

The inside of the house was no less well-decorated.

Molly actually is responsible for this arrangement (props, Molly).

I used to be notorious for going over to the Andersons’ and eating them out of house and home in middle/high school. But really, how could I not when they are always providing so much wonderful food?

Not exactly sure what that dip was, but it was so good. Went to town on those cucumbers.

Swedish meatballs, these were fantastic.

I pretty much died when I saw this cheese spread! And check out the dried fruit!

Amazing sweet and savory flatbread.

We didn’t make Mrs. Anderson do all the cooking, don’t worry! My mom contributed a delicious layered Mexican dip of fat-free refried black beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo, paired with Stop n Shop’s blue corn tortilla chips.

Managed to take this shot before people dug in!

Megan gives us an action shot.

Mrs. Gerber brought what I can only say is the best buffalo chicken dip I’ve ever had. There was so much chunky, fresh pulled chicken in this dip and the sauce was not overwhelming at all. A dip that doesn’t skip on the meat is my kind of dip. I would eat this with a spoon, all day.

We chatted, caught up, and joked as if no time at all had passed.  I love nights like this!

The boys were a little less chatty.

No one could wait very long to dive into dessert. Everyone contributed to an amazing spread.

Hershey Kiss PB cookies, chocolate chip cookie squares, and ginger snaps.

I had one of each of the first two cookies, and then half of a ginger snap. Mrs. Anderson’s cookie squares are a classic. I have been known to eat up to ten at family fiestas back in the day. This time I was able to reel it back a bit, but they were just as good as usual. The Hershey Kiss PB cookies are also one of my favorite cookies of all time!

For the sweet n' salty lovers!

Sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles.

Peppermint bark!

The chocolate covered saltines pictured on top of the photo above were OUT OF THIS WORLD. I nearly died after the first bite –  so so good for a salty n’ sweet junkie like me. I’m honestly not sure what those candies are at the bottom of the photo!

What a fantastic night. I had a great time! I had to pack for my various trips (recaps to come, I swear…) and go to work the next morning, so I headed home around 10 (past my bed time!) But I had a great time and loved reuniting with my old friends. It all felt so cozy and familiar!

Which of the featured foods in this post would you most want to try?

Vinifera Imports: Italian Wine Tasting

My go-to spot for fantastic wine, Sonoma Wines & Spirits of Glastonbury, held three tastings the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before Christmas. Joe and I attended the grand finale on Saturday (Christmas Eve) with Jeff of Vinifera Imports, a provider of wonderful Italian wines. I enjoyed each wine that I tried, but there was a favorite white and a favorite red, as there usually is.

Both whites were poured chilled, which of course really added to their flavors. The Pra Soave was my favorite white. It was nice and light, and so very refreshing. A fun fact – this wine was in “Romeo and Juliet”! I did like the second white, the Sant’ Elena Sauvignon, as well. It’s actually a Sauvignon Blanc, but due to labeling restrictions, cannot be called what it is! It had a fuller body, making it not quite as refreshing as the Pra Soave.

The next wine was the Pelissero Dolcetto d’Alba, a tasty, lighter-bodied red from last year.

I really liked it, and could tell it was a real Italian red, but the next wine completely overshadowed it with its…well…wonder. And at $40/bottle, I would say it should!

The Sapaio Volpolo was an experience in itself. The scent alone gave off the strong aroma of fine oak barrels. The taste was a whole other story – never before have I been able to see the process that a wine goes through, from vine to bottle, just from its flavor. That’s probably the reason why the only word I can think of to describe this pour is “sensational”.

The label is very fitting – this wine was crowned king of the tasting by me, and I’m sure by many others who participated. I’m not sure if the cheapskate in me could ever spend $40 on a bottle of wine, but I do understand that there is definitely a long, extensive process that goes into making those bottles. You may not be able to see it, but you can certainly taste it.

Have you ever spent money on an expensive bottle of wine? Was it worth it?

Meet Caitlin

I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!

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