2015: a new year, a new you! or…not?

haaaaappy new year! we’re a week into 2015 & it’s time to take a quick survey: how many of your new year’s resolutions are still in tact?!

*cricket*cricket*

are you still there? don’t be afraid to be honest! if you’re right on track, good for you & keep it up! but don’t worry: if your resolutions for a “new you” have fallen to the waist side, you’re absolutely not alone. the thing with new year’s resolutions is that there’s this magical aura surrounding the fact that we now date our checks with 2015 instead of 2014 (or, we write 2014, only to angrily grumble to ourselves while we try to turn the 4 into a 5…). i'm sorry to burst your champagne-induced bubble, but a new year doesn’t automatically come with a 2.0 version of you. instead, it gives you a buzzfeed list completely annotated with animated GIFs depicting hopes, promises & expectations for the next 365 days that you didn’t really ask for, but were shoved into your face at 2am while you peruse all forms of social media. you're practically guilted into choosing a bad habit to try & get rid of, or you’ve reluctantly signed over your soul & first-born for a new gym membership because those emails promising a “reduced membership” kept flooding your inbox & wore you down. but worst of all, you’re predestined to believe that who you are right now is not good enough to carry over into the new year without some kind of makeover.

well nerds, i'm very happy to tell you that this last thought is most definitely not true.

the ugly truth is, january 1, 2015 was just another thirsty thursday, shadowed by the thought of going back to work the very next day. you didn’t wake up suddenly a 100% healthy person or with the work ethic of bill gates, ryan secrest or beyoncé (& definitely not with their bank accounts or personal assistants). instead, you woke up with a minor headache, slightly dehydrated & most likely with your makeup smudged from your midnight kiss the night before. the good news is that the hype from the new year was still present, so your resolutions were still squeaky clean & gleaming bright. but now as the christmas lights come down & the stores are already putting out valentine’s day candy (like, really?!) the “new you” resolutions are starting to lose their steam almost as quickly as your christmas trees are losing their needles. but lucky for you, i have some tips on how to make your resolutions last longer than that overpriced NYE open bar.

do you.

you need to be the person who comes up with your resolutions, no one else. you have to want it more than your sister, brother, parents, friends, roommates or cats. even if you join in on “group resolutions”, make sure it’s something you desire, or you’ll most likely be the first person to come up with an excuse. if it’s something you want, you’ll make it happen, no matter what other people say. you'll make the time & you’ll stick with it. but if it’s an idea someone else came up with, you lose ownership & you won’t bat an eyelash as soon as someone suggests returning your bag of resolutions for a glittery tote full of bad habits. so do you & you’ll be the one in control. it feels mighty nice, if i do say so myself.

baby steps.

rome wasn’t built in a day & quite frankly, neither was channing tatum’s super hot magic mike bod. don't kid yourself & think that you can suddenly eat a vegan diet, run a marathon & shake off all the haters before you even get dressed for work. the reality is, if you set tiny goals for yourself, they’ll build upon themselves, your confidence will grow & you’ll ultimately find your way down the yellow brick road. so start off with one change & as soon as that change turns into a habit, you’ll be ready for the next one, & so on & so forth & sofi shorts.

moderation.

along the same lines as taking baby steps, don’t forget to let yourself live. jesus may have said that man cannot live on bread alone (mmmm carbs…), but man also can’t live solely on overpriced green smoothies. we all need a little bit of the good stuff every now & then. & the best part is, if you make a choice to allow yourself a treat every week, or an extra rest day once in a while, you’re more likely to be less upset about it. you won’t think of it as a failure & a binge session of self-loathing is less likely to occur. so treat yourself to a girls’ (or guys’) night out after a week full of sweaty gym sessions & kale soups, because that one treat will be a mental refresher to jump start another week of commitment.

accountability.

fiiiinally we get to the part where i can talk about me ;) just kidding! kind of… but seriously, having people to help hold you accountable for your resolutions is a sure fire way to increase your odds of sticking to them. it's easy to wake up & say to yourself “i'm going to the gym after work today”, but sometimes a rough day at the office won’t put you in a treadmill-running mood. however, if you’ve promised to meet up with someone for a lifting session, it’s much harder to bow out & go straight home. even a quick text or desperate snapchat to your acountabilibuddy could be all the motivation you need for you to decide to change into your gym shorts instead of your PJs. so go out there & find a buddy with similar goals to harass on the daily. follow those motivational instagram & twitter accounts (cough* @TheFitnessNerds *cough) to give you a daily dose of inspiration. read this blog (yes, this ridiculously on-point blog you’re reading right now!) to not only laugh yourself into your very own 6-pack, but to also discover a few things you may not have known before. need more one-on-one help? TheFitnessNerds are just an email away (fitnessnerds@gmail.com)! we're always around for a swift kick of motivation right where you need it ;)

so extreeeemely long story short: you don’t need a life makeover to take part in 2015. you can continue being the amazing, life-living human you’ve always been. but if you do feel the need for slight alterations, i hope this post helped you see that resolutions are only as solid as your own drive & determination. resolutions aside, there’s no doubt that this year is going to be a great one. i can promise you that & we at TFNHQ hope you join us. let's run a lap around the sun, shall we?

lace up!

xx TFNHQ

common conundrum #1: localized fat loss.

bonjour pupils! how is everyone? things have been cray now that we're less than a month away from moving our headquarters to the hustle & bustle of NYC. but don't worry... we're still around! in fact, today we felt the need to take a break from all of our craziness in order to deliver a special PSA regarding a common misconception that we've been seeing lately on the interwebz:

localized fat loss.

you know you've seen the posts that promise you'll lose inches off of your hips if you wear a wrap for a few hours. or those ab workouts that'll have the fat melt off your waist, leaving behind those sought after washboard abs. well, i'm sorry to break it to you, but contrary to popular belief, you can't tell which fat to go first! if that were the case, i definitely wouldn't have had my boobs volunteer as tribute before my thighs…

everyone has different fat distribution. some people have fat deposited evenly throughout their body, while others seem to have more fat in some areas than in others. regardless, when you lose weight, fat is released uniformly throughout the body. if you have unevenly distributed fat, this fact might not seem to be true, but sadly this is where genetics come into play. now, this doesn't mean localized workouts don't do any good! au contraire, mes chéris. all of those core, thigh, butt, & arm workouts you found on pinterest will build muscles in those areas & thennnn with a nutritional diet & all of those guilty pleasures in moderation, the fat starts to peace out & your hard-earned muscles come out to play!

so in summary: without a proper diet & a scientifically based overall fitness program, you can perform all the ab exercises you wish & it will never result in localized fat loss in your waist. all that you'll accomplish is a well-developed & conditioned six pack hidden by the fat you haven't been able to lose because you've been eating poorly & drinking heavily! so to be brief, eat less more often & exercise more! it's as simple as that!

well now. it feels good to clear up at least one myth for the day! so go hide all of those leftover chocolate bars & marshmallows from your july 4th bonfires & rest up! because tomorrow is fit friday & you don't want to miss it ;)

until next class!
xx TFNHQ

the nerds have been schooled.

you heard right, kids! TheFitnessNerds hit the books over the last few months & i finally took the plunge! i am now a Certified Personal Trainer, thanks to the National Federation of Profession Trainers & i can't wait to take you all on this journey with me. this is a turning point at TFNHQ. if you know me, you'll know that i had been talking about becoming a certified trainer for a while. i loved giving advice to our followers, but i wanted to make sure i was posting real tips & legit facts instead of just going off of what is put out on the internet. so i took a step back from TFNHQ & lived up to the nerd reputation i've built up my whole life.

after spending months studying anatomy, physiology, fitness nutrition & all the legal information that comes with this position, i have to say that i'm even more excited about the role i've taken to help people like you (and me!) commit to a healthier lifestyle & make their dreams into a living & breathing reality.

no matter how much you talk about something, it doesn't become real until you actually make it happen yourself... much like this blog! it's all talk waiting to be put into action until you actually do it. so what was stopping me? um...nothing! & that's why i just went ahead & signed up, studied my booty off & kicked that exam's toned behind. & now, the same goes for all of you! with this newfound confidence & ever growing knowledge, i'm inviting you all to join me in deriving a plan of action to make those fitness dreams our own realities.

keep studying! & i will too ;)
xx TFNHQ

music monday #2: the medicine modifier.

goooooood afternoon, nerds! how were your weekends? we hope they were just as classy as you! i had a mini trip to salt lake city for the 27^th annual north american cystic fibrosis conference where i went wearing my super trendy microbiology researcher hat & presented my current research project on antimicrobial peptides. (i know… that makes most of you yawn…) so while most of the lectures i attended consisted of discussions about antibiotic resistance, gut/lung microbiome & pig/ferret models, i was actually able to make it to some nutrition seminars & roundtable discussions! while the diet required for a CF patient is much different than what’s recommended for a healthy person, it was crazy informative! your nutrition effects pretty much every aspect of your life, your quality of life & even how long you’ll be able to enjoy life. i met so many amazing people (nutritionists, dieticians & fellow researchers), which made me even more hyped up for TFN & i can’t wait to one day work in a clinical nutritional setting.

ANYWAY! enough of the tangents… you’re here for music, so let’s get cracking! to us, music evokes an emotion. a memory. a feeling. therefore, some songs we suggest may work for us, but not for you. a certain song may have been on repeat during a specific part of our lives, so it holds a much deeper & stronger meaning to us & in return, it pushes us to push ourselves to run that extra mile. today, we’re suggesting a remix of a song that our dance studio (Studio 19 Dance Complex) has used over the past year at competitions across the country. not only is the routine alone simply breathtaking, the song haunts you & the two of them together makes the hair on your arms stand on end (we DEFINITELY suggest you watch the dance here). we love the song alone, but it doesn’t really get your blood pumping to get those legs moving. but luckily, thanks to the chainsmokers, they’ve remixed the song & it’s now at the top of our “run like the wind” playlist. so, let’s take a listen & let it take you away!


keep studying, perky pupils!
xx TFNHQ

music monday, the first.

hello nerds & happy monday!! we know, we know... "happy" & "monday" usually aren't used in the same sentence, but we hope this post changes that at least for today!

we spent a majority of this weekend updating our running playlist & that means good news for you! growing up as dancers, we're pretty much obsessed with music. the fact that your mood can be instantly switched from bad to amazing or from bored to nostalgic by the first notes of a song is pretty powerful. with that being said, we thought it'd be a great idea to start up MusicMonday! every monday we'll post one of our fave songs that will get your booty shaking to help you get through that final mile. not a runner? don't worry...these songs will also work for that killer last rep or final stretch of lunges.

this week's inspiration comes from the amazing sister duo of tegan & sara with a little help from david guetta. with more of a club feel, "every chance we get, we run" will no doubt reach down deep inside you & give you that extra push! & if that doesn't work...just hearing them singing about running should get those legs moving ;)



now we know this song has been out for a while (our bad!) but we hope that doesn't deter you from adding it to your playlist & giving it a shot! we promise to give you a little taste of old, current & classic favorites as we move forward with our recommendations.

now, lace up & get out there!
xx TFNHQ

have a favorite song you love to workout to? feel like sharing? send your suggestions to us at fitnessnerds@gmail.com for the chance to be featured on MusicMonday! we always love discovering new music, so send away!!

2-ingredient pancakes.

french toast. waffles. pancakes. omelets. eggs. bagels. bacon. sausage. home fries. jelly. toast. blintzes.

mmmmmmmmm......

if your tummy just rumbled after reading those words, don't worry. you're not alone! all of these amazing foods are joined together by one word that excites every fiber of our beings & that word is: brekkie.

brekkie
Pronunciation: /ˈbrɛki/
(also brekky)
[noun]
breakfast.

okay, so maybe that was a little overkill, but we like to be thorough in our posts. anyway, the point is that TFN are obsessed with brekkie & absolutely love to start our days off right. we have limited time during the week, so we stick to our oats & fruits, but the weekends are our chances to take our time to splurge a bit & brekkie is our favorite chance to do that! while we love our occasional trips to our favorite pancake houses, we'd much rather be in charge of what goes on our plates. we've been seeing something called "2-ingredient pancakes" for a while now & we've never taken the plunge to try them out...until now. the verdict is in & we're saying...YUMMY! they've definitely lived up to the hype! while normal pancakes contain lots of "empty calories", these 2-ingredient pancakes satisfy your hunger & fill you up with a much smaller quantity! so...here you go!

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2-ingredient pancakes.
Ingredients:
- one ripe banana
- 2 eggs

if that isn't the easiest shopping list, then i don't know what is! all you do is mash up the ripe banana well & then whisk in the 2 eggs. spray a tiny bit of nonstick spray on your pan, throw on the pancakes & voilà! you're done!

but okay. we may have lied to you just a little....like, just the tiniest little bit. we actually use double the number of ingredients....oops! in our usual, old bisquick pancakes, we'd also throw in some cinnamon & vanilla (or almond) extract, so we continued this tradition in our two-ingredient pancakes! it adds a little bit of amazing flavor :) LASTLY...if you're feeling like you really wanna spice things up (like we were this morning),  throw in a little chocolate Shakeology  to make chocolate pancakes! not only does it add a bit of added superfood nutrients, it helps hold together the ingredients a little while you flip. we're thinking of trying vanilla Shakeo next time ;)

we always top our pancakes off with some fresh fruit & a little bit of pure honey. we promise they'll be a special treat & paired with your morning espresso, you're bound to have a good day :)

so...head on over to your local market for those truly free-range eggs, let those bananas go one day longer & happy brunching! let us know how they go or how you switch up the recipe!

keep studying!
xx TFNHQ

the nerds are getting schooled.

do you smell that?

***awkward silence***

anyway....what we're talking about is the scent of newly sharpened pencils & fresh paper. well, actually no one uses wooden pencils anymore, so it might just be our imaginations, but do you know what this means?! it's back-to-school-time, nerds! while the little kiddies are buying new plastic backpacks, picking out their favorite character's lunch boxes & convincing their parents that they just have to buy that 1-Direction glitter pencil case with matching eraser, TheFitnessNerds aren't just sitting back anymore. no no...it's quite the opposite! the nerds are getting schooled :)

it's finally official & while we can't quit our day job (just yet), we've decided to do what we can & take a course to help move our dreams along & in the meantime, it helps out all of our readers! (that's you!) we signed up for a human nutrition course & as we learn more about what we need to sustain a healthful living, we'll be helping you learn too! we know you all have busy lives & can't even imagine taking more time out of your schedules to learn the ins & outs of nutrition, so that's why we're here! we'll bring you some important (tofu) knuggets of knowledge (yes...knuggets) that will help you make more informed decisions about what fills your plates.

but don't worry! this class won't take away our special bonding time. in fact, we're so excited about this course that you can expect more frequent posts. i know...that makes you pretty darn excited ;)

thanks for joining us in our elation & we'll be posting soon! class started yesterday & we can't wait to share some of what we've learned so far! wish us luck :D

keep studying & we will too!
xx TFNHQ