3 Ways Snacks Can Help You Lose Weight

by Philip on February 18, 2012

Source:  3 Ways Snacks Can Help You Lose Weight

You might think snack time is just for preschoolers, but everyone can benefit from eating a few bites between meals. Aside from filling nutritional holes in your diet, snacking can also help you on your road to weight loss. If the numbers on the scale are on your mind, here are three ways snacking can help you lose weight.

Snacks Keep Blood Sugar Levels Steady
If you’ve ever gone too long between meals and have gotten a headache, the shakes, and a loss of concentration, then you’ve felt firsthand what it’s like to have low blood sugar. Snacking between meals keeps blood sugar levels steady, which can help prevent you from grabbing the first (unhealthy) thing you can get your hands on and overindulging.

Fiber Fills You Up
Choosing snacks that are full of water and belly-filling fiber will help keep you full longer, so you actually eat less in the long run. Fruits, veggies, and whole-grain breads are great options, and if you need more ideas, here are 10 high-fiber snacks under 150 calories.

No More Overeating
You eat lunch around noon and dinner isn’t until 6 p.m. or later. No wonder you hit the dinner table feeling so ravenous that you stuff yourself silly. Now if you enjoyed a pear with some almonds around 3 p.m., you’d avoid that famished feeling and have the patience to prepare a healthy, sensibly sized meal. It works the other way, too. If you’re eating a meal and you know you’ll be enjoying a snack in two hours or so, you won’t feel the need to overeat at mealtime.

Source Flickr: Mike Bailey-Gates

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11 Random Things About Philip Ciccarello

by Philip on February 4, 2012

Marathon Brian or Brian Adkins (pictured below), a Chicago-bases road racer, marathoner, endurance athlete, writer,  and independed scholar, “tagged” me and 10 others with a series of questions and a mandate to do the same with 11 others.

The Rules:

1)  Post these rules.
2)  You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3)  Answer the questions set for you in their post.
4)  Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5)  Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.
6)  No stuff in the tagging section about “you are tagged if you are reading this.” You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

11 Random Things about Philip Ciccarello:

  1. I was born in Charlottesville, Virginia
  2. Ran my first race at the age of 12 (Virginia 10 Miler)
  3. Avid Snowboarder
  4. Dislike Mayonnaise
  5. Avoid running on treadmills
  6. Narrowly avoided dying in a car crash at the age of 15 (was not driving)
  7. Home-schooled for just the 7th grade
  8. Grew up on an Apple Orchard Farm
  9. Met my wife at Sweet Briar College (all girls school)
  10. Gave up running with music in 2006
  11. Built a working telephone at the age of 10

Marathon Brian’s Questions to Philip Ciccarello

  1. Favorite event? Our 2009 Wedding in Bermuda
  2. What’s your favorite Ryan Gosling movie? Drive 2011 
  3. What’s your favorite post-race celebration food? Protein shake or a big juicy turkey burger with fries
  4. Who manufactures your favorite race day shirt or singlet? Rarely wear a shirt on race day – when I do it’s random
  5. What’s your second favorite Ryan Gosling movie? Fracture 2007
  6. Gatorade or Powerade? Gatorade..preferably, water
  7. Favorite newspaper? Financial Times
  8. You’ve just won a race/event, what’s your initial action or reaction? Smile for the camera…turn around and cheer for 2nd and 3rd place
  9. Would you rather be taller or smarter? Smarter; you could design a formula to enhance your height
  10. Which historical figure would you like to have a 2-hour dinner with? Thomas Jefferson
  11. Favorite holiday? The first day of Spring (not a holiday)

 

Philip’s Questions to the Tagged:

  1. Preferred running shoes?
  2. Ranch or blue cheese?
  3. What’s your favorite Samuel L. Jackson movie?
  4. Would you rather be able to fly or breath under water?
  5. Favorite fruit?
  6. If you could change one world problem, what would it be?
  7. If you had 10 hours to live, what would you do?
  8. Seafood or land meat?
  9. Best thing about living in the United States?
  10. What gets you of of bed in the morning (not the alarm)?
  11. Favorite Superhero?

 

Philip’s Tagged People:

Ward – Twitter

Lyndsay – Twitter

Pat – Twitter

Jordan – Twitter

Thad (Runner Dude) - Twitter

Jay – Twitter

Kelly – Twitter

Caitlin – Twitter

Daniel – Twitter

Genevieve - Twitter

Sarah – Twitter

 

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Stay Fit Through the Holidays!

by Philip on December 24, 2011

Christmas is a challenging time of the year for physical activity. Not only is the cold weather a motivation killer, parties, food, fellowship and shopping deflate any extra free time. Should we put our feet up until New Years, or try to maintain a base through the holidays?

Don’t be lazy, here are a couple tips to help you maintain a base-

1. Partner in crime
Schedule a morning workout, afternoon run, or mid-day walk with a friend. Don’t break the commitment, rely on one another to get some physical activity in together.

2. Pack the right gear
Traveling for the holidays? Pack running/athletic shoes and proper exercise clothing. It’s hard to exercise without the right attire.

3. Be realistic
Instead of setting a certain number of miles, try to run twice a week. Gym closed for the holidays? Use YouTube to find some at home exercises, you may even learn something new…

4. Offer to be the DD (Designated Driver)
How great does it feel to wake up refreshed and hydrated? Instead of boozing, offer to drive someone else, this guarantees a good night sleep and a fresh start.

When the going gets though, think about the edge you will have on the competition come January 1st!

Photo credit: hvhe1

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Feetures socks review

by Philip on November 2, 2011

Feetures! Elite Ultra-Light Low Cut

Feetures! Elite Ultra-Light Low Cut

Feetures! Performance Socks- have you heard of this brand? Well, I had the opportunity to demo a few pairs and want to give you the skinny. Before the details, I would like to thank @Feetures for the socks and @NathanRichie for the connection.

Fit: Snug -  bands of Lycra® hug your entire foot for maximum support. Supportive fit eliminates movement to prevent blisters, they are very snug! Take ample time to adjust the sock to contour your foot, again they are snug.

Moisture: Dry – these socks have something called iWick; synthetic moisture managing fibers that remove moisture up to 4X faster than traditional performance polyester fibers. My last few test runs have been dry…it will be interesting to see how these work during brutal summer runs.

Feel: Dense – there is a high number of stitches per square inch, the result is a strong cushion under your feet. Natural fibers include Merino wool and rayon from Bamboo- the fiber combination helps regulate body temp, while preventing odors and removing moisture. There was a slickness feel to these socks…not against the foot, but against the shoe. I expect this feeling to subside after a few washes.

Toes: Comfortable – “Perfect Toe” technology was developed by Feetures to create a seam-free toe closure. This gives you a smooth interior and exterior stitching around the toe area. Most socks with a seam will add an extra layer of material, resulting in blisters or discomfort depending on toe structure.

It will take more than a few runs to understand how well these socks are working. So far, they have been a great fit and I look forward to continued enjoyment.

 

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New River Trail 50K Race Report

by Philip on October 13, 2011

50K (31.1 miles) – not a race for the average runner. Over the years, I have always admired Ultra Runners, vowing to one day run more than just a marathon (26.2 miles). On October 8th, 2011 I completed the New River Trail 50K (Ultra-Marathon) in Fries, Virginia…AMAZING EXPERIENCE!

Over the last few months, my training consisted of a loose schedule of weekly runs, always ending with a long run either Saturday or Sunday. Balking many ultra training programs, I averaged 35 miles a week, focusing on quality over quantity. Additionally, I spent time in the gym working out with free weights three days a week. My longest run was only 18 miles; my ‘loose’ schedule included three 20+ long runs, though schedule and injury inhibited execution.

During race week, I took the taper seriously; consumed plenty of water and ate like a King. Friday afternoon, we (my friend and training partner Rasmus Eger Pedersen) departed for Galax, Viginia where we would spend the night before the early morning race start. When traveling to a new destination, you are always rolling the dice on a good meal the night before the race. During the drive up, we choose Ciro’s Pizza & Subs (Friday Night Pizza Buffet) in the beautiful town of Independence, Virginia. What a great decision! Not only was the staff friendly, but the homemade pizza was perfect. Following dinner we arrived at hotel in Galax, and were asleep by 9pm.

2011 New River 50K Pre-Race

2011 New River 50K Pre-Race, Rasmus on the left, Philip on the right

The morning came fast, and before we knew it, we were standing behind a chalk starting line with 122 other runners. Everyone was friendly and ready to start, especially those with minimal clothing. I don’t remember a gun going off, just 3, 2, 1, GO! As we took off, I ensured my watch started correctly, and settled into a comfortable pace. Before starting the race there were two goals; finish and stay under 4 hours, if 4 hours was not attainable due to other circumstances, just focus on finishing.

Packs began to form depending on pace. In our group there was myself, Rasmus, Brad Belfiore, and Matthew Cared. We chatted for a few miles, holding our pace consistently with what we were targeting. At mile 7, we all discussed stopping to take a quick urination break, as sticking together was important to us all. We all stopped…Matt kept going; we were down to a pack of three.

We continued together, refilling our water bottles at the mile 10 aid station…next aid station was the 15 mile turnaround, a place where we could recover what we placed in the bag drop. As we approached the turning point, leaders passed us in the opposite direction…we began to count others in front to gauge position. After a brief count, our pack of three was in position 10, 11, and 12. Mile 15 aid station was a quick stop; I exchanged water bottles and kept moving, there was no stopping as we had a goal to meet.

After the aid station, our pace varied, mostly in the sub 7:40 range due to adrenaline, and the notion we were headed back toward the finish..15 miles to go. As we passed other runners coming towards the turn, we congratulated them and said some words of encouragement. Around mile 20 our pack got quiet, each personally battling the beginnings of fatigue. Focusing on the beautiful scenery, and making small talk passed the time until mile 24 where we would stop for another urination break.

The last few miles were blurry and painful. Somehow, we managed to slightly pick up the pace (this was the only way to push through the burning sensation coming from our calves) and pass a few other runners that had slowed down. At mile 28 we secured positions 6, 7 and 8; JUST HOLD IT! Every step hurt, and the focus was solely on finishing and not stopping. About a ¼ mile from the finish our pack split up upon consensus; Rasmus kicked hard finishing 6th with a time of 3:55:29, myself 7th 3:55:39, and Bradley 8th 3:55:42…crossing the finish line never felt so good!

 

New River Trail 50K - post race "ice bath" in the New River...yes it was cold!

New River Trail 50K - post race "ice bath" in the New River...yes it was cold!

Ten minutes post race, we hobbled down to the river for an ice bath (speeds muscle and joint recovery), which did wonders. After drying up, we walked down to the Fries Community Hall and enjoyed homemade soup, bread, cookies and fruit; there is nothing like a home cooked meal after running a 50K!

Soup Line

Soup Line

The entire experience was truly memorable, and I would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to Annette Bednosky; New River 50K race director, Montrail UltraRunning team member and school counselor. Please check out her blog and/or drop her an email annettebednosky [at] gmail dot com.

Cheers

2011 New River Trail 50K Results

Garmin GPS Watch Data

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