A glimpse into the Secret Life of Here Comes Gina: I’m an active member of The Junior League of Philadelphia, a 100-year-old charitable volunteer organization of 900+ women in the Philadelphia area. I know, it’s shocking to learn that I actually like helping people other than myself. The JLP has a serious history of making a difference in the Philadelphia community, and I’m all over that and not just because celebrities make volunteering seem trendy (okay maybe a little). And FYI – the Junior League (at least in Philadelphia) really isn’t at all like it was depicted in “The Help”, I swear.

HCG friend and dedicated reader HAF and I are co-chairing a 5k run/1-mile walk this Sunday, October 2 in Ardmore, PA to raise money for some of the Junior League’s projects, and it’s going to be the biggest thing to hit suburban Philadelphia in years. Fortunately for you, HCG is extending to you a personal invitation to register before the race sells out. You can thank me later.

Headquartered at Suburban Square, this race scene will boast bumping tunes from my parents’ beloved radio station B101, a Lily Pulitzer hospitality tent, post-race snacks from Fill-a-Bagel, a ridiculous balloon arch and so much more. I know, it already sounds like a crazy good time, there couldn’t possibly be more – but there is. In addition to having a fabulous name and boasting all the glitz and glamour of any brilliantly organized race, the Harvest Hustle is going to be like a Here Comes Gina community event: everyone from CF to MR to T Fuzz to JMJR to MJG to possibly even CDW will be there. Not a runner? Enough excuses, already. There’s a 1-mile walk which will include my B101-loving parents. Don’t be lazy. Be awesome.

Speaking of awesome, HCG reader and JLP member Olivia is bringing her poodle. So take note: poodles (and other types of dogs but especially poodles) are very welcome. So are strollers, husbands, kids, parents, turtles and hamsters. What more convincing do you need?

BONUS: Registrants will receive an incredible Harvest Hustle t-shirt sporting the HCG logo (along with the logos of our other generous sponsors) packed into an adorable reusable shopping bag containing coupons and goodies. You don’t want to miss out on scoring HCG’s first-ever t-shirt appearance, do you? That thing will surely sell for $2,000 on eBay in a few years. I may have to frame it in the HCG office just like small businesses frame the first dollar bill they receive.

If you’re still undecided, you should take note that hustling is cheap. The registration cost is only $25 in advance and $30 the day of the race (if there are any spots left). You’d be crazy not to participate.

Click HERE to register for the Harvest Hustle!

We are proud to state that we (barely) made it through last week’s 3-day Catalyst juice cleanse without dying! We waited a few days to post about our experience to make sure we clearly state our feelings on the subject matter and the results; had we posted the morning after we finished the cleanse, the post would’ve included lots of curse words. Had we posted during the cleanse, the post would’ve included lots of typos and been relatively incomprehensible. But now we present a full breakdown of our first successful cleanse – the good, the bad, the pathetic.

What we learned during our 3-day juice cleanse:

1. The juices tasted far worse than we imagined. Having attempted the Master Cleanse before, we knew what we were in for regarding the nasty level of the spicy lemonade, but we had no idea the other juices would be so hard to swallow. Perhaps Ski and I have more delicate palates than most people, but we could barely stomach the tastes of the juices on day 1. After each sip, I would shudder and get chills over my entire body. Drinking lots of water in between each sip helped, but I still felt nauseous and dizzy after each juice. The feeling subsided as more time elapsed after each juice, but it always returned when I drank another one.
2. It’s key to drink all the juices. If not, you may die in your workout class. Although there’s no restriction on working out during a juice cleanse, we had a very hard time keeping up with our normal intense workout regimen on days 1 and 2. Because I drank only 4 of the 6 juices on day 1, I almost blacked out and started dry heaving in my 6 a.m. Lithe Method class the morning of day 2 (special thanks to my Lithe buddy Nicole who checked on me in the bathroom that day). That said, my evening workout on day 3 was one of the best I’ve had in a while.
3. We slept a lot. Ski, stumbling around in a deep haze of caffeine withdraw, slept about 12 hours a night, and I, too, found I was significantly more tired than usual. Plus, I just wanted to go to sleep so each hellish day would end more quickly. This explains our rationale for #4 below.
4. Do it on a weekend. We chose to cleanse during the week mostly because we have too many plans on weekends to avoid social eating. Plus, we didn’t want to ruin a weekend with a juice cleanse. Now, with the wisdom of experience, we would recommend cleansing on a weekend. It was simply too difficult to concentrate at work – the place where you’re supposed to concentrate – and having an office job where the juice can just sit on your stupid desk and torture you makes the whole thing even sadder than it already is. Working prevents us from sleeping as much as we like, and the cleanse made us a little testy among our co-workers.
5. Herbal tea and gum help. But not that much because you still have to drink the next juice after. Even though some people say chewing gum is prohibited, I wouldn’t have made it through the cleanse without it (I’m also really into Orbit sweet mint gum even when I’m eating). On day 1, I even had to chew gum in between sips of the first few juices because my mouth couldn’t handle the gross taste.
6. A juice cleanse will make you realize how pathetic you can be. In the evening on day 2, I just couldn’t take the taste of all the juices and was going crazy. I broke down and allowed myself one chilled Andes mint, and it was incredible. When I disclosed my slip up to Ski the next day, she confessed that as she was watching her man eat a hoagie and potato chips, she grabbed his hand and licked the salt off his fingers. I told her she won.
7. Not eating is very sad. We really want to stress this point if you’re considering doing a juice cleanse. Even though we weren’t hungry, we felt very sad to not eat for 3 days. Overall, the 3-day experience was extremely depressing and pretty miserable.
8. The results were worth it (kind of). Ski and I both dropped weight as a result of our juice cleanse; I lost 5 pounds, and Ski lost 4. On the evening of day 3 I started to feel like myself again, and the morning after the cleanse was over, I felt light and skinny (the best feeling in the world). What pleased us the most is that the cleanse did exactly what we hoped it would: it kick started us back into healthy eating and smarter food decisions. Almost a week later, we’ve both maintained the weight loss and don’t have the old desire to eat unhealthy food.
9. We’ll do it again. Yes, despite how much we suffered during our first juice cleanse, we’re going to give it another shot in the future (explanation below). Our significant others are not happy.

Unbelievably, Catalyst Cleanse is 50% off on today’s Rue La La Philadelphia deal. While we grimaced a bit at this timing, we were pleased to know that round two will be half as cheap. It looks like this promotion requires you cleanse on a weekend, so take that into account if you consider purchasing it. And if you do a juice cleanse and hate it, don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Today begins HCG’s first official juice cleanse! That is, if you don’t count the two times I’ve tried The Master Cleanse (also known as the lemonade diet) and failed miserably – but I did lose seven pounds in one day. Then I ate pizza.

I’ve long mulled over doing the Blueprint Cleanse, but the cost ($85/day) was a little more than I wanted to spend for only the possibility of getting a little bit skinnier. Fortunately, Ski – via HCG reader and friend Olivia – discovered Catalyst Cleanse, a local juice operation in Philly. The best part about Catalyst? It’s only $60/day. We know, this is a complete steal.

We’re doing a three-day cleanse which requires we drink the six juices pictured above each day. No food, caffeine, alcohol or drugs are permitted during the cleanse, and Ski is struggling with the caffeine part. So far I’m having a hard time with the no food part. Even though I don’t generally drink caffeine, but I feel dizzy and am having difficulty focusing. We’re both battling the taste of the first green juice. The taste was far from pleasant, and it took each of us an hour to drink while holding our noses and taking huge gulps of water in between. Next up: spicy lemonade. I’m shuddering just looking at the bottle and getting flashbacks of my 48-hour Master Cleanse nightmare.

Will we get (and stay) crazy skinny? Hopefully, but likely not. Will this juice cleanse propel us into a spring of healthier eating and better choices? That’s the intent. If any HCG readers have successfully completed juice cleanses before, we could use some encouragement!

If you have an excellent long-term memory, you may recall that Team HCG trained for the Broad Street Run which took place on Sunday, May 2 in everyone’s favorite city.  Was the race everything we’d hoped it be?  Did we win?  No and no.

The Broad Street Run is America’s biggest 10-mile race, and this year marked the most participants in the race’s 31-year history.  Registration for the BSR was capped at 30,000 people, and 26,265 runners actually finished the race.  As you can tell from the photo above, I wasn’t feeling too good about the race at the start.  The weather that weekend was incredibly hot and humid, and our AC went bust the night before the race.  I awoke at 3:00 a.m. to a stifling 84 degrees indoors and spent the next three hours asking Joe if he was sleeping and wishing I owned a fan.  My brother Johnny and Trang spent the entire night wishing they hadn’t slept over our place.

Despite this setback, Team HCG managed to board the subway, which we use only for the BSR and Phillies games, by 7:00 a.m. and make it to the start with plenty of time to wait in line for the bathroom three times (I drank too much water in my state of nervousness).  When our corral of runners finally made it to the official starting line, the butterflies in my stomach settled when the race speakers started blaring the theme song from “Rocky” (which yes, is a little cheesy, but which is also pretty fun when you’re about to run through Philadelphia with tens of thousands of people).The first few miles of the race were relatively enjoyable.  Fire hydrants along the race course were opened to allow runners to dash through the water and cool themselves off, and I ran full speed through those babies just like Jane Ferry dove into her first birthday cake this weekend.  I felt great through mile five and heartily congratulated the couple running next to me who got engaged while we rounded City Hall (they didn’t stop running).  But at mile six, my mind started to wander, and I just wanted to get this race over with.  I stared longingly at the volunteers cheering along the race course and handing out cups of water wishing I could trade places with them.  After training for 10 weeks in cool weather, running on such a stifling hot day was downright unpleasant.  At one point, I felt like I was going to collapse on the pavement outside of Ristorante Pesto in South Philadelphia.

But I, along with the rest of Team HCG, made it through the finish line.  Pictured below from left to right: Trang, Gina, Helen, Olivia, Ski. Everyone looks deservedly exhausted with the exception of Trang who looks like she just got a massage and drank a few mimosas.  Trang was the fastest of our group, and I credit some of her speed to her magical custom Nike Shox iD.
Many thanks are owed to the supporters of Team HCG who escorted us on the subway, accompanied us to the start, carried our stuff in backpacks and cheered us on at the finish line.  Pictured below: Rusty (Ski’s life partner), Joe and Johnny (a.k.a. JMJR – my brother and Trang’s baby girl).Until next year… I think.

]]> http://herecomesgina.com/index.php/2010/05/26/hcg-bsr/feed/ 4 http://herecomesgina.com/index.php/2010/04/15/back-to-skinny-via-the-belly-bandit/ http://herecomesgina.com/index.php/2010/04/15/back-to-skinny-via-the-belly-bandit/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 03:31:40 +0000 gina http://herecomesgina.com/?p=2798

HCG is not pregnant. But we have a lot of friends who are.

When hanging out with pregnant chicks, one learns a good deal about the experience of pregnancy and its ups and downs (from what I know, the downs are outweighed by only one significant up: getting a baby out of the deal).  My sister CF is the mother of two girls and my #1 source for all things baby.  CF is prone to randomness, so I wasn’t surprised when she told me she was dropping nearly $50 on some contraption to wear around her belly after having a baby.  But I was surprised when it worked.

The apparatus pictured above is not a mini yoga mat – it’s the Belly Bandit.  The official product description is “abdominal compression binder” but we prefer “large piece of stretchy rubber.”  In simple terms, the Belly Bandit is a piece of polyester/lycra that you wear around your midsection immediately after giving birth to help your body return to its pre-pregnancy shape.  Sounds like a gimmick, right?  Wrong.

CF didn’t wear the Bandit after her first baby, but she did with her second, and she found that she regained her pre-baby shape incredibly quicker the second time around – thanks to the Bandit.  Today, we share her wisdom with you.

HCG’s tips for making the most out of your Belly Bandit:

1. Put on the Bandit as soon after you have the baby as possible. CF started wearing her Bandit in the hospital 12 hours after she gave birth.  If you decide to give the BB a try, remember to pack it in your hospital bag.
2. For maximum results, wear the Bandit constantly for 6-8 straight weeks (even while sleeping and working out). Remove the Bandit only when showering.  Warning: this thing isn’t exactly flexible, so sleeping while wearing it takes some getting used to.  However, the site claims that it helps mothers who are breastfeeding maintain good posture.
3. Size Down.  Check out these sizing tips to figure out what size you’ll need.  CF recommends measuring yourself at the 7th or 8th month of pregnancy.  She waited to measure herself until her 9th month and had to downsize to a smaller Bandit only 2 weeks after her baby arrived.  Note that the Bandit is made with lycra and closes with velcro – it will stretch out.
4. Go Nude.  CF opted for a flesh-colored Bandit since it could be worn under both light and dark clothing.  If you buy one of those lame print versions, you’re officially crazy.  Despite the claim on the BB site that they “actually think it’s kinda cute”, it’s not.  Its purpose is solely functional.
5. Buy Two. Since you have to wear the Bandit constantly, you don’t have time to wash it and allow it to air dry.  If you’re dedicated to using the Bandit as recommended, buy an extra one so you can wear it while your other one is being laundered.
6. Expect Some Discomfort. Who is comfortable right after having a baby, anyway?  (Look at me acting like I know.)  Despite the stiffness of the BB, CF found that wearing the Bandit actually made her feel better.  In her words, “After you have a baby and you look down at your belly, you feel sad because it looks like a water balloon that was left outside for a week.  Being strapped into that thing actually felt good.”

Maybe we should send that quote to the BB people so they can use it on their site right under testimonials from celebrities.

Training with a partner really does make a difference.  There are only 25 days until the Broad Street Run, and my Broad Street buddy Jen (a.k.a. Ski) and I are deep in our final weeks of prep before the big race.

Each Saturday, we’ve met up to go on long runs together down Kelly Drive, and these longs runs have become my favorite training days.  Long runs can be relaxing, but they can also be a little lonely.  Ski and I chat our way through our runs for as long as we can manage (we’re almost always silent near the end), and the time flies by.  To reward ourselves our hard work, Ski spots me $1.00 and we enjoy bottles of room temperature water from a guy selling it out of his van (you thought I was going to say that we go out for a huge breakfast, didn’t you?  Nope, we’re pretty lame.  But twice Ski has cut up some oranges when we returned to her house).

Last weekend, Ski was out of town, and I wasn’t looking forward to running alone.  I even delayed my run from Saturday to Sunday, and on Saturday night, I was in serious danger of skipping it altogether.  Then, I encountered fate in the tiny form of Trang Le.  Trang is also training for the BSR, and her running buddy was out of town as well.  We met up at Kelly Drive the next morning and had a great run.  When we reached the water guy in his van, I bought a bottle and poured it out on the sidewalk in honor of Ski.

I must pay homage to my original workout buddy Little B (f.k.a. Becky Miller).  I credit Little B with converting me into a gym rat in college and for helping me realize freshman year that my jeans no longer fitting may have had something to do with my tri-weekly meals of Stouffer’s mac and cheese, a liter of regular Pepsi and a few packs of M&Ms.  Once I got my ass in gear, Little B + Gina + the gym were inseparable.  Sadly, Little B and I settled in cities 500 miles apart after graduation, but we make it a point to workout together whenever we visit one another.  During these too infrequent workouts, we almost always recount our wonderfully long college gym sessions with nostalgia.

Over the years, I’ve grown accustomed to solo workouts combined with group classes, and I didn’t give a second thought to having a partner.  But Ski, Trang and my most handsome workout companion Joe have shown me that training with a friend is not only motivating and refreshing, it’s just more fun.

If you ever find yourself in a workout rut, think about finding a buddy.  If you live anywhere near Perrysburg, Ohio, I can give you Little B’s number.

Have you ever felt so fed up with one facet of your life you’ve been compelled to make an extreme change?  Like, “I hate all of my black heels, they’re gross, I’m throwing them out.”  Or, “This car is a piece of crap hooptie.  I’m going to drive it into a wooded area, set it on fire and tell my insurance company it was stolen.”

I know exactly how you feel.  Ever since I began my Broad Street Run training a few weeks ago, my eating habits have spun out of control.  It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a cookie fanatic, but I generally moderate my addiction pretty well. Or at least I used to.  Vacation didn’t help, either; I ate so much sugar one day in the Bahamas that, after washing my candy down with a regular Diet Coke (I rarely drink caffeine), I had a splitting headache that refused to go away.  When we returned a few days ago, I decided “I’m gonna make a change, for once in my life.”  The solution: an elimination diet.

Most people try elimination diets to identify certain foods that cause adverse effects (i.e., allergic reactions, sleep problems, skin disorders, digestive dysfunction, etc.).  Team HCG (I’m not alone – Joe is voluntarily on board, too) decided to give this a shot as a form of detox to get our lives back on track.  Our jail sentence adventure will last approximately two weeks.

What’s Out

• Gluten (includes all refined grains)
• Processed Foods
• Dairy (not eggs – someone please tell me I’m not the only one who thought eggs were dairy.  A message to American grocery stores: when you stock eggs under a sign that reads “Dairy”, people are bound to get confused)
• Sugar
• Alcohol
• Caffeine (and non-caffeinated soda)

What’s In

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Organic Meat and Fish
• Brown Rice
• Water (!)

After two full days eating clean, I’m happy to report that the ED is going pretty well.  I definitely feel a million times better (far less sluggish) and my workouts have been more enjoyable.  Joe is having no problems; it’s like he was born for this damn thing (oh, and he lost 3 pounds in one day).  Breakfast is by far the easiest and most delicious meal of the day.  I’m a longtime smoothie lover, so these babies are a welcome addition to my daily diet:

I always made smoothies with skim milk, but it turns out they’re just as delicious when made with only blended fruit and ice.  If nothing else, this ED has at least taught me that.

We recognize that our plan is very restrictive – hence the limited time frame – and roadblocks are sure to arise.  We have a few social events over the next few weeks, and we intend to do our best but still enjoy ourselves (if you see me at the Jamaican Jerk Hut or Buddakan over the weekend, BACK OFF).

For now I’m diving back into that pile of produce pictured above.  Those old bananas in the top right corner are calling my name.

]]> http://herecomesgina.com/index.php/2010/03/18/elimination-salvation/feed/ 5 http://herecomesgina.com/index.php/2010/02/22/training-day/ http://herecomesgina.com/index.php/2010/02/22/training-day/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:33:11 +0000 gina http://herecomesgina.com/?p=2267

Heads up, Philadelphia runners!  If you’re planning on doing the 2010 Broad Street Run, it’s time to get moving – today is the first day of a 10-week training program.

The Broad Street Run is a legendary 10-mile race straight through the middle of Philadelphia and has been held on the first Sunday in May since 1980. Because the course is almost entirely flat with only two turns, it’s known as one of the fastest (and largest) 10-mile races in the country.  The race starts at Central High School in North Philadelphia and ends inside the Naval Yard in South Philadelphia.  In 2009, over 23,000 runners finished the race.

My friend Jen (a.k.a. Ski) and I ran our first Broad Street Run together last year, and we almost won it but this Kenyan chick busted through the finish line before us and took the crown.  To make up for that, we’re intensifying our training this year.  We rely on the training programs created by my boy Hal Higdon (for any new runners, the HH programs are clutch).  Last year we didn’t feel like trying that hard, so we followed the novice program, but this year we’re doing the intermediate program.  A word to the wise: don’t skip days if you’re following one of these programs.  That turns into skipping weeks, and the next thing you know you’re about ready to die during the last two miles of the race (not that I’m speaking from experience).

The Broad Street Run will take place on Sunday, May 2, 2010.  Click here to learn more about the race and register online.  Watch out – this is the first year the race is being capped at 30,000 runners.  Let’s hope Ski gets her ass in gear and registers ASAP!

We know lots of HCG readers are working hard on fitness resolutions this month.  To help you reach these goals, HCG is sharing a treadmill workout that has helped us burn fat and spice things up in the gym.

Let’s be honest: running on a treadmill isn’t an exciting workout.  But for many women, it’s a necessary evil – especially in the cold weather months.  In order to get the most of your time on the treadmill and not waste your life logging hour-long cardio sessions, give interval workouts a shot.  Interval workouts are known to burn calories more effectively than ordinary workouts, and the workout we’ve provided below is intense yet manageable.  If you can walk and jog, you can do this workout.

Full disclosure: we found this workout on E! personality Giuliana Rancic’s blog after MR happened upon her Twitter feed a few months ago.  We know it’s a pretty random discovery, but girlfriend is crazy skinny so we thought she might know what she’s doing in the workout department.

The Workout (modify speeds and inclines as necessary)
- Begin with a 5 minute warm up by walking briskly at 4.0 or 4.5 on a 2 or 3 incline.
- Increase the speed to 6.5 and increase the incline to 2.  Run for 2 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to 4.0 or 4.5 and increase the incline to 4 or 5.  Walk for 2 minutes.
- Repeat these run/walk intervals for 30-45 minutes.

Believe me, you will be amazed at how satisfying this treadmill workout is.  When I’m crunched for time and really want to get a good cardio session in, I’ll do 30 minutes of this workout (plus warm up) and walk away feeling great.  Don’t be intimidated if you’re not a runner – you run for only 2 minutes at a time and can start at an easy speed.  For the gym rats in the house, this is a lot more challenging than it sounds.  I actually look forward to the running portions because walking at a high incline on a quick speed is not at all easy.

Finally, a word of encouragement to the HCG readers at Bywood Elementary School who are killing it in the school-wide Biggest Loser competition: stay focused and keep up the hard work!

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite vegetable recipes:  Barefoot Contessa’s Parmesan Roasted Asparagus, which hails from the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook.  This recipe is incredibly simple and incredibly delicious.  I make it at home at least once a week, and I even brought it to a super fancy christening this weekend (as expected, it was a hit).

I’ve provided the official version and the HCG version below.  Get roasting!

The Barefoot Contessa version –

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (about 30 large)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 lemons cut in wedges, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

If the stalks of the asparagus are thick, peel the bottom 1/2 of each.  Lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan and return to the oven for another minute.  Serve with lemon wedges.

I just realized while typing this that you aren’t supposed to put the Parmesan on until the very end.  As you’ll see below, I put it on at the very beginning, which explains the need for covering your cookie sheet with foil.

The HCG version –

Ingredients
One bunch of asparagus
However much good olive oil you feel like drizzling over the asparagus
Some salt (kosher salt is more delicious, but I often forget and just use regular salt)
Some pepper
As much freshly grated Parmesan as you like
Screw the lemons

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the bottoms of the asparagus like everyone does before cooking it.  Cover a cookie sheet with foil.  Lay the asparagus in a single layer on the cookie sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover the asparagus in grated Parmesan until you can see only the tips and until it looks as though someone has covered the vegetable in fake snow.  Roast for 15 minutes.