If you are a yoga expert or just want something a little different, fit and fun to do on Wednesday night, join Work It at Lululemon Athletica’s free Weird Wednesday Yoga classes. The classes will be held on the second floor courtyard of Whole Foods at 6th and Congress in downtown Austin. The first class will be hip hop yoga on October 7th from 6:30pm-7:30pm. Visit the Work It blog for pictures and updates!
A friend invited me out to lunch at Borboleta a new vegetarian, gluten-free raw food restaurant in downtown Austin. I eat healthy but I don’t have a lot of experience with dining the raw food way. That being said, here is my review of Borboleta.
The restaurant itself is pretty small, located right next to Bella Salon on West Sixth Street. I think there were less than 10 tables and about half were two-tops. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. The food prep area was open and in the middle of the restaurant so that you could see your dish being prepared. You place your order at the cash register and you then choose your own seat.
Since the chef tries to prepare dishes with locally available produce the menu changes daily. There were three entrée items available for lunch: spaghetti and meatballs (zucchini curls with nut meatballs in marinara), lasagna and cabbage leaf fajitas (peppers and mushrooms in red cabbage leaves). I chose the lasagna ($11) and my friend chose the fajitas ($10). The lasagna was made with thin, long sliced zucchini as “noodles” and was layered along with marinated mushrooms and eggplant (I think), a nutty basil pesto, ricotta cheese and a fresh tomato marinara.
The taste of the lasagna was great for raw vegetables but I must say the portion was fairly small. I love vegetables but I need a lot of them to sustain me as a meal. I am very active and exercise a lot. So, I was disappointed an hour or so later when I was hungry again and wanting something more substantial. At $11 I expected a larger portion.
Overall I liked the concept of the restaurant and my entrée was tasty. While I don’t think I will be adopting the raw food diet as a lifestyle for myself, I think it is an excellent choice if someone is trying to make a healthy dining out choice.
Next healthy restaurant review… Beets.
Borboleta
1221 West Sixth Street
Austin, TX
512.828.7404
Open daily for lunch & dinner (closed Sunday)
www.borboletagourmet.com
By kyle ( June 28, 2009 at 5:51 am) · Filed under People, Places
Yesterday a group of Course participants were out on Lady Bird Lake to get a morning nature workout in via kayak. We were on the water at 8:30am and were out for about an hour. It was nice to have the lake mostly to ourselves early before the temperature was too hot.
I highly recommend the Rowing Dock for recreational water equipment rental. They had plenty of quality equipment and the staff was very friendly and efficient.
By kyle ( June 26, 2009 at 1:50 pm) · Filed under People, Places
Work It client Holly Berry kept up her routine at the Institute for Healthy Living while visiting family in Longview, TX. The facility is new, the staff was great and she really enjoyed taking a circuit class with trainer Jackie Bull. Way to Work It, Holly!
David Kessler, M.D. and former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration examines the reasons Americans are addicted to food and what the food industry knows that most of us don’t. How do our bodies react to sugar, fat and salt? What is the correlation to them and why is it so addictive? Take a look at the video below featuring Dr. Kessler’s book “The End of Overeating.”
I was at the Active Texas Summit in January this year and had the opportunity to talk with Jen Ohlson, the author of “Every Town Needs A Trail.” Jen’s book is all about the history and beauty of Lady Bird Lake Trail (formerly the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail) told through stories of those who love the Trail. She interviewed celebrities like Shawn Colvin, Lance Armstrong, Willie Nelson, and Matthew McConaughey, getting each of their unique perspectives on the Trail. Jen also interviewed Austinites who you may not recognize unless you frequent the Trail, like Bassett and Marge Maguire whose touching tale of walking the Trail dates back to 1965.
The art and photography in this book are awesome! Personally, I was most taken back by the before and after pictures of the Trail during the renovation in the 1960’s. The inside cover is a copy of the original 1964 Town Lake Trail Master Plan designed with the great influence of the late Lady Bird Johnson. The brilliant photos really capture the beauty of this Austin gem.
Pick up a copy at your local independent bookstore or online at Amazon.
Park: Barton Creek Greenbelt (West) on 2/3/2009
Location: 1710 Camp Craft Road, close to Barton Creek Mall near Loop 360 and Mopac
Area: 1,770 acres in total
Call 472-1267 for info on the Barton Creek Greenbelt
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Now that cedar-fever is effecting me less I ventured out to cover my first park for the year. I picked an awesome day to hike the trail. The sky was clear and the temp was in the 60s I believe. You can access the Barton Creek Greenbelt from different points but I chose the entrance off Camp Craft Road. As you enter you have to walk down a very rocky trail of steps. I highly recommend great hiking boots or shoes with good tread. It’s easy to twist an ankle. I took the first left I could when I came to a fork in the trail. This trail was cut into the side of the hill well above the creek.
There were the typical central Texas foliage of mountain juniper, live oaks, grasses and succulents. I recommend wearing long pants because the trail was very narrow and I was frequently brushed by the foliage. The trail was not friendly for running; it was quite rocky most of the time with a few sections of smooth dirt. It was VERY clean, I didn’t see any evidence of trash or vandalism (YAY!). Personally, I am not a skilled enough mountain biker for the trail I chose, but if you do bike it please take a buddy, this trail was rough, very narrow, and there were plenty of points where you could fall right of the side of the hill to the creek area. I did see bike tread imprints along the way so bikers ride it.
There were a couple of sections where the trees cleared and I could see awesome, sweeping views of the hills and the creek. See some of my pictures below. I hiked until the trail segment ended at a street backing to an apartment complex. I then turned around and headed back. I tracked my path using Trailguru on my iPhone and in all I hiked almost 3 kilometers in 40 minutes and burned 330 calories according to my Polar monitor.
I had a great time out at the greenbelt and there are plenty of other trails within, so I will definitely return to report on another trail in the Barton Creek Greenbelt.
Muscle cramps in general are a common acute condition and are usually described as a muscle that tenses up, will not relax, and is painful. A muscle cramp can be caused from any number of reasons including: muscle fatigue, poor muscle flexibility, performing an unfamiliar movement, exercising in extreme temperatures, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance. These are not all potential causes of muscle cramps and spasms, just a few of the more common.
When you experience a muscle cramp or spasm stop performing the movement or exercise that caused the problem. Do not try to force a muscle to stretch. Gently massage and stretch the cramping muscle. Try to the hold stretch of the cramping muscle until it relaxes.
To help prevent muscle cramps it is important to make sure you improve your overall fitness level. Work your way up to exercises and motions that you are unfamiliar with. If you have not been running or swimming in a while, gradually work your way back into the routine. Remember to warm-up before exercising and to cool-down and fully stretch after exercising. Pay close attention to making sure the legs are fully stretched after each workout; cramps in the legs are the most common. Also make sure you are well hydrated (before, during and after exercising) and avoid exercising in extreme conditions if possible.
While you shouldn’t be alarmed with the occasional muscle cramp, you should seek advice from your health care provider if they occur frequently and especially if they continually interfere with sleep. Your doctor will be better able to diagnose your specific cramping issue (electrolyte imbalance, possible medication causes, etc.) and provide a plan for managing them.
(Please consider this post as general information and not medical advice; always follow the advice of your health care provider.)
Today clients, friends and I joined Mayor Will Wynn and about 100 other runners for the annual Resolution Run. This run kickstarts the Mayor’s initiative to make Texas the fittest state by the year 2020. We started at Austin City Hall and Lady Bird Lake Trail across the street. It was a fun-run, so everyone ran their own pace and distance. Thank you to the Work It supporters who came out!
