Happy Friday!
One of the most rewarding things about blogging for me is interacting with readers. I can’t tell you how much I love receiving your emails, tweets and facebook posts about all of the incredible things you guys are out there doing. I am continually inspired by your dedication to making your life healthier and happier.
I also receive a lot of questions about everything about running, eating, yoga, gear, strength training, etc. I thought it would be beneficial to have a little “FAQ Friday” here on Peanut Butter Runner so that I could address some of the questions that I receive most frequently.
The #1 Most Frequently Asked Question… “I don’t have access to a yoga studio/time to get there/finances to pay for it, can you recommend a good yoga DVD for a home practice?”
Believe it or not, I don’t own a yoga DVD. When I practice at home I usually do ashtanga, my own sequence or a podcast but obviously that doesn’t work for everyone. I know that having that visual element is helpful to most people. So while I can’t recommend a DVD, I can recommend Yoga Download. It’s an online site that offers a ton of yoga classes to download or stream. You can do a monthly membership (as low as $9.95 a month) or pay by the class.
The benefit of Yoga Download is that they offer SO many styles of classes – everything from power to deep stretch! I think it’s so much better to use a service like Yoga Download rather than buy a DVD because you have so many more options and you don’t get sick of doing the same thing over and over again.
“I want to run a 5K but I don’t even know where to start. Running for even five minutes at a time is so hard. Does it get easier?”
I can totally relate! I still remember when I started running…getting past the hump of being able to run a couple miles without feeling fairly miserable was the toughest part. But it DOES get easier and becomes enjoyable and slightly addictive! The key is to slowly work your way into it so you don’t end up injured, frustrated or burnt out. I recommend following a program like Couch to 5K. This training plan will have you crossing the finish line of your first 5K in just nine weeks!
“What goes into a green monster? Can you taste the spinach? I’m scared to try it.”
I know many of you are on the green smoothie train already but if you’re not, it’s time to try! First and foremost, you cannot taste the spinach – cross my heart! The addition of the spinach is an easy way to get a serving of veggies in and it’s rich in nutrients and antioxidants!
Here’s a general guideline to making a green smoothie:
BASE RECIPE
1 small banana or 1/2 large banana (frozen for better texture)
1-2 cups spinach (fresh, not frozen)
1 cup milk (regular, soy or almond)
3-4 ice cubes
OPTIONAL ADD-INS
A scoop of protein powder
1/4 to 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
Chia seeds or ground flax
Other fruit like blueberries, raspberries, peaches, etc.
A tablespoon of nut butter
“What kind of protein powder do you use?”
There’s an easy answer to this…whatever Brandon buys! He handles the ordering of all of our supplements from bodybuilding.com (they have the best prices and give you all kinds of free samples!). I would say that 90% of the time we use Optimum Gold Whey Protein and I prefer to keep it simple with vanilla or chocolate. Honestly, I know that I could use a better/more natural protein powder but it’s so much easier to use what he orders.
“How do I tone/sculpt my arms?”
I think the highlight of my year came when Skinny Runner commented that my arms should be a national monument. 😀 Silliness aside, I get a lot of questions about whether my toned arms come from yoga or weight lifting. Though I’m sure that the million chaturangas that I do in yoga certainly help, I credit strength training for the shape of my arms. I have said this many times and I will continue saying it forever more but strength training changes the shape of your body like nothing else can.
That said, I think I’ve been promising you guys a “toned arms 101” video post for…um…about three months now and I vow right now that I will make it happen. I’m thinking this is going to be in two parts – biceps/triceps and shoulders. Please feel free to hound me daily until I get these videos done and posted! 😉
Okay, I think that’s enough for today. Do you have a question that you would like me to address? Leave a comment or shoot me an email – peanutbutterrunner (at) gmail (dot) com.
Have a FABULOUS weekend!
