I don’t know about you, but the last few months myself and several friends have been very lethargic lately. And given Austin is one of the top cities in the nation for allergies and drowsiness is a main symptom of allergies, it’s no wonder we were all feeling down in the dumps. Feeling this sleepy also takes a hit on your workout routine, which has resulted in an unpleasant weight gain for myself, and I suspect several others too.

To combat this, here are some quick tips to help you get the energy you need when you need it the most (work and working out!):

• Green tea: I know Ashley has cut coffee from her diet, which is wonderful for her, but it can make the days drag. A happy alternative? Green tea. With only 55 milligrams of caffeine, it will give you the jolt you need without the jittery side effects. My favorite brand? Yogi Tea. And I love their fasting tea to stave off the munchies around 10:30 a.m.
• Protein: Start your day and meals with an adequate amount of protein (like egg whites) and avoid processed carbs when possible – they trigger an insulin reaction that turns carbs into fat. Yuck.
• Go for a mid-day walk: Apparently, your body’s core temperature drops around 1-3 p.m., which can make you tired, and you suffer from that, “Good grief, is this day ever going to end!?” effect. You can combat this with a 10-15 minute walk around the block, which stops this process.
• Pep up with peppermints: Did you know that peppermints (which, have you tried the Altoid’s gum yet? AWESOME) stimulate the part of the brain that helps you feel awake? Yeah, I didn’t either. So now you can clear out the sinuses and wake up with the same swoop.
• Sleep: I get so mad when people tell me how tired they are and how they’ve tried everything and it turns out that they only got five hours of sleep the past three or four nights. Duh. I don’t even need to explain this one. Get 7-8 hours or sleep, or you get no sympathy from me.

I purposely avoided putting exercise on this list for a reason. The fact is, some people are worn out after they work out. And others get a jolt of energy from it. You know who you are – so keep it up. (By the way, these tips were taken from the March 2010 InStyle issue… they really had some gems in this issue!)

Each week, I’ll be bringing you my favorite move at the gym that is guaranteed to make you sore the next day. Because let’s face it, if you aren’t sore 24-48 hours after a good workout, you weren’t pushing yourself enough. A few overall items to note that I have learned via my trainer and attending bootcamps over the years:

• Strategize your plan of attack before you step foot into the gym. There are a few reasons for this, including the hot guy that you’re trying to get the attention of.  People – you are at the gym to get fit and look ugly doing it (because you best be sweating your ars off), and you’re there not to be that bitch who stands there in her designer outfit not breaking a sweat. No distractions. That means figuring out your game plan before you even pick up a weight. This also prevents you from doing the same boring routine every time you get into the gym. I think we all know by now (thanks P90X) that muscle confusion is key to getting a cut, lean body. So each week, make sure that you are doing a different routine. Your hot arms will thank me later.
• Don’t skimp out on your warm-up. Have you noticed that your weight routine is a lot more difficult to do after you’ve run for 20 minutes on the treadmill? It’s because your heart rate is already elevated! And that’s a good thing. I’ve found that 10 minutes isn’t enough of a warm-up for me anymore, so I make sure that I get a good 2-mile run in before getting started on weights. And as a result, I’m sweating for my entire weight routine. (Sidebar, make sure you’re cleaning off whatever weights your using… it’s gross when people don’t do that)
• Start with your biggest muscles first, then isolate. That means work on your chest and back first before doing any biceps or triceps. For example, if you are doing a chest press, you’re working out your chest muscles, but you’re indirectly working out your biceps too. So, if you wear out your biceps by doing curls at the beginning of your workout, you won’t be able to manage as much weight when you get to your chest. Your biceps/triceps should be getting an indirect workout throughout your entire sequence of weights and exercises (even if you are doing push-ups or planks), so you don’t need to worry about those guys near as much!
• Group “team” muscles together. When developing a weight room strategy, I try and group my muscle groups together. So, chest and back sets go together. Bicep and tricep workouts are paired up into a grouping, etc.
• Keep that heart rate up. If you’ve been reading the blog for awhile, you know how much I adore my Polar Heart Rate Monitor. They come in at a variety of different price-points (from $50 to more than $200), but really, I use mine to track my calorie exertion (great for determining how much food you need to consume to make-up for your workout) and to make sure my heart rate is at an elevated place for the majority of my workout. If you aren’t willing to spend the money on a monitor, try not to take more than 30 seconds between your sets unless you really need to catch your breath.
• Always try and workout more than one muscle. For example, I do my chest presses on an exercise ball while doing a bridge. Or I do my shoulder raises while lunging. Or I ride the stationary bike while doing a bicep curl. I’ll even do a squat while holding a medicine ball and turning to each side to work out my love handles You’ll get a more efficient workout this way (while keeping that heart rate up), and maybe save yourself a couple of minutes in the process..

Need an example plan of attack? Check out some of our suggestions here, here and here. You’ll notice, for the most part, we keep our heart rate up by injecting stairs, squats, lunges, sprints and jump roping between sets. In my workout this week, I’m doing two sets of five flights of stairs (skipping a step) between my ab group routine. It’s horrible but really keeps my heart rate up while I’m doing my crunches.

Image from healthwellness.info

Anyways, now to the point of this blog…  I’ve been back into my regular workout routine now for about a week and a half. And while I’m sore, I’m not terribly sore, which sucks. Remembering the dead lift routine the girls and I would do at Pilates, I did 2 sets of the following sequence with two 15 lb. dumbbells: 10 reps of dead lifts with my feet aligned with my shoulders; 10 reps of dead lifts with my feet touching; and 10 reps of dead lifts with my toes touching and my heels slightly apart (like a diet cheesecake slice…). Today I hurt. And it’s awesome. Each stance works out a slightly different part of your butt, stomach, legs and back.

BUT a word of warning: If you do not keep your back straight, you are going to hurt yourself. So, I encourage you to ask a trainer at your local gym to make sure you’re using proper form. OR if you work out at home, you MUST watch yourself in a mirror. Make sure you keep the back straight and the weights close to your legs when you are bending. And go on YouTube, because there are tons of videos there to help you out.

 Good luck!

Wow.  Last week I  ate so much incredibly unhealthy food that I find myself craving fruits and veggies.  And I’m not talkin’ fruits and veggies cooked in oil and then doused in some creamy sauce.  I actually want RAW produce.

After going so long without really eating fried foods or consuming alcohol before SXSW, I’m hurting…and I don’t even want to know what kind of judgment the scale will impose upon me.  The bright light at the end of the tunnel is that I am now super inspired to get back on track and kick my butt back into gear.

I have been exiled from working out for the past month because of a lower back pull and a sinus infection that laid me up for 3 weeks.  Yeah, 3 weeks…FAIL!  This is not good for me physically or mentally.  I find myself moodier and I feel gross.  Considering that before this month of nothingness I was working out 5 days a week, this has been hard for me to take lying down…literally.  Ugh!

So here I go again.  Time to start fresh and get ready for our bikini picture that is less than two and a half months away.  That’s enough to scare anyone into healthy eating and obsessive working out!

If you find yourself in this end-of-Winter rut too, feel free to comment.  I would love to hear how you’re pulling yourself out of it.

Chicken n’ Waffles via @michaelcummings

I didn’t eat this, but the pic gives you an idea of what we were choosing from…

I don’t particularly like admitting this, but the blog is all about transparency and accountability, so here I go.

Maybe it’s stress and a combination of utter laziness but I have completely stopped watching what I eat, haven’t worked out regularly in more than two months (current three times a week versus the five-to-six I was doing in Round 1) and I seemingly don’t care.

Until today. Amazing how all it takes is that previously perfect-fitting pair of jeans to show signs of trouble that knock you out of your funk. That and my Super Bowl gut bomb of cake, hamburgers and chicken wings resulted in a very upset stomach the following morning.

So, meet a newly energized Jenni — who is currently stuffed into a pair of too-tight jeans. After laying in bed this morning after snoozing through my morning workout, I came up with a plan. Starting TODAY (no, not the “Oh, I’ll start tomorrow”):

• No more soda. Ironic, given Ashley posted her thoughts on giving up soda this morning.
• No more sweets until final weigh-in come June. UNLESS I am celebrating someone’s birthday or for my wedding anniversary coming up in March. That means no more cupcakes or Gourdough’s.
• No overdosing on meat. Maybe I was inspired by the Man vs. Food Super Bowl episode, but celebrating the Saints’ win Sunday, I have never eaten so much meat. From now on, less carbs, more veggies — and no ODing on protein. It gives me the sweats, and kills my tummy.
• Back to working out five days a week. Ugh. My couch and bed are so comfy when I get home from work that I don’t want to get back out and run, go to the gym, hit the pool. No more excuses. I don’t want a @fatroll again. Yuck.

So, to help keep me accountable, I’m going to post my food intake and workouts over at my personal blog — jennijewel.blogspot.com. No reason to clutter up this site with that stuff. And if I don’t post one day, I honestly expect you guys to call me out on it.

I will look good in that bikini, dangit.

Yesterday, the four of us had a great @fatroll meeting over Pad Thai at Thai Passion (obviously, we were still rockin’ the fail after a football- and food-filled weekend) and the topic of the UT/Nebraska game came up in conversation (we all graduated from UT, and we love our Burnt Orange).

Kristine and I didn’t hit up the game Saturday, but learned from Ash and Mere that Nebraska fans were a pretty classy bunch (like, shaking people’s hands to congratulate them on the game) — somewhat shocking considering how the game was won (and as much as I love my ‘Horns, we, the fans, usually don’t show THAT kind of class).

So in honor of the Huskers — who put up quite the fight on Saturday — I bring to you a pretty funny article in the Lincoln, Nebraska, newspaper about Sit and Be Fit. Apparently an intern came into a room while two co-workers were talking about Pilates moves while sitting down. And the intern asked if they were doing “Sit and Be Fit” — this senior citizen exercise show (syndicated through PBS).

So as I was reading this article, I decided to go check out the Sit and Be Fit Web site — see if there were any good ideas we could take away while sitting in our desks 8-hours a day working.

Granted, I’m only 28, but I do like how their site is set up by issue. For example, if I have arthritis issues (I don’t, but it does run in my family, so I probably will) — they have a workout DVD designed for that. Or if I have falling issues (don’t laugh… I can think of one @fatroller who does… cough… Ashley… cough), they have a video that can help you with that too.

Point being, next time you see this on TV — grab an exercise ball (to make it age appropriate and for additional challenge) and maybe heavier weights than what they use and give it a try. Heck, next time I visit my grandmother, I may do some of the exercises with her. She’s 91 and still bikes an hour a day on her stationary bike. I bow down to her dedication.

So thanks, Huskers — I found your article both funny and useful.

Have you found yourself getting up earlier than you have say, in the last seven months? It’s not your body deciding to be a jerk; no, it’s a little thing called a time change.

And you know why I’ve decided to like the fall time change? It’s not because of the extra hour of sleep, but it’s because I finally have the time and energy to get up and workout in the mornings! 7 a.m. is the new 6 a.m.!

During the summer, because it is so dark outside, my workouts primarily were in the evening. It was still light outside and I could get in a workout with friends at work  and still be back before the sun set.

Now, I’m lucky if I leave the office before full on darkness happens. And when it’s that dark, the last thing you want to do is drag your butt to the gym. And if you run, doing it in the dark is borderline stupid. Dark = scary. Or maybe I’m just destined to have the mind of a 10-year-old when it comes to the dark.

But before the time change, I could not force myself to get out of bed before 7 a.m. – and by that time, I need to really sprint to get ready for work and out the door.

And now, the several workdays (I did want to enjoy at least ONE day of sleeping in) I have been able to get up right before 6 a.m. and get my run on – sometimes with a Pilates tape to spare!

So, why wait until New Year’s to make your resolution to work out more – celebrate the end of Daylight Savings Time with a morning workout! And then enjoy your evenings of bumming on the couch because you got your workout in the bag!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a new gadget and this was too funny not to blog about. So OoCFR readers, I give you the dumbbell phone. That’s right – you can tone your arms during phone calls at the office!   

I’m not sure these are/were actually ever for sale. From the looks of this picture, it seems as though they likely went out of production around 1989.

This awesome gadget comes to you from the world of Chindogu, a term for useless Japanese inventions. It was the first I’ve heard of it, but moving forward, you better believe I’ll be on the lookout for weight loss/diet tips in this realm.

I’m feeling some major anxiety with this marathon relay coming up. It seemed like such a good idea back in June (I had months to prepare!) but I did a trial run around Town Lake yesterday with Sarah and running 3 miles straight is a lot tougher than I anticipated. We did a little over two miles (with a water break) and I thought I was going to die. Some form of training probably would have helped me out here. How is it already the end of September?!

For disclosure purposes: I hate running. I can walk for miles, do the elliptical for hours, pilates, boot camp, you name it, but I despise every minute of running (especially when it’s 90+ degrees outside). Needless to say I’m not the ideal anchor for the last 5k part of the marathon rely on Sunday. To make matters worse, Kristine, Jenni and I have a wedding to go to the night before.

 Let’s just say my goal is simply to finish.

 Any tips or tricks I should try to ignore the fact that I’m running?

Okay, not really. BUT we are participants in this year’s Silicon Labs Austin Marathon Relay, which benefits Junior Achievement of Central Texas (full disclosure, me and Meredith’s agency is doing the PR for this event).

So what better way to support a good cause (and a client) then unite the @fatroll girls (again) for a good cause and some calorie burning!

Learn more on our event page at Facebook (and become a member of Out of Control Fat Roll if you haven’t had a chance yet) here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=138075733892&index=1. Hope you can come run the relay, or at least come cheer us on! Lord knows we need it!

Phase I of the Fat Roll competition is winding down and things are not looking good for me. I was doing pretty well bouncing between 2 and 3rd place in the beginning but ever since Kristine’s crazy trip to Peru, I’ve been dead last.

I’m feeling a little frustrated at the moment. I didn’t have as much weight to lose as some of the other girls when we started, but I also didn’t work out much and wasn’t very good about eating right. I’ve made a lot of changes  with upping my workouts to 3-4 times a week and making smarter choices about the food I eat, but it doesn’t seem to be helping the numbers on the scale. I guess I just expected more thanks to all the fitness magazines and TV shows that make you think “little changes will go a long way” = immediate changes. I just thought I’d be further along by now.

The thought of posing in a bikini is beyond frightening. This was not the way I intended the Fat Roll competition to go for me. Instead I was envisioning a Marissa Miller like figure come October 8 — perfect timing for my trip to Turks and Caicos at the end of the month.

Here’s to the last three weeks of Phase I and hopefully, better luck during Phase II (stay tuned for details).