My Fiterazzi latest: Tights Review, HIITs & Tips for Staying Healthy this Holiday Season

Happy Friday! For some reason, weeks after holidays always feel the longest. It's not like anything bad has happened -- I love my job -- but something has had me looking forward to a low key weekend all week long.

I blame the grey winter weather that's rolled in. Anyway.

Over the past few weeks, I've been doing a lot of photography, writing and organizing for Fiterazzi Magazine, who I moonlight for when I'm not working for the USO.

Just before Thanksgiving, my article all about the latest and greatest in workout leggings hit the web and has been doing fabulous!

I've gotten a lot of great feedback from readers about this article, so that's super encouraging. I think next time I'll try to keep the prices of the products I sample in mind. Some of my readers pointed out that the options were a little out of thier price ranges. Woops.

Anywho. Here's a sneak peak for you to read :)

You can read the full piece here.

Oh, and if you're feeling like you want to get a workout in, I also whipped up a fun Pre-Turkey Day HIIT.

I also wrote a fun little piece about a few easy tips and tricks to staying healthy during the holidays.

I think people can get caught up in the business of holiday festivities and forget to take care of themselves, so I thought it would be helpful to write up a little guide of how to keep yourself on track no matter how festive you might get.

Here's a peak at that story.

You can read the full piece here.

Enjoy!

Behind the Shoot: Spooktacular-ly-awesome photos for Fiterazzi Magazine!

Happy almost Halloween! I hope you're as jazzed about the festivities tomorrow as I am!

This past weekend I hosted the fall shoot for Fiterazzi Magazine with a few of my fit-minded friends. the idea behind this shoot, in comparison to the summer shoot was to capture some fall foliage/scenes and showcase some new fitness moves in the cooler autumnal weather -- andd talk about autumnal weather, we scored the JACKPOT on Sunday. 60 degrees. Sunny. What's not to like?

My four lovely models and dear friends -- Alisha, Sarah, Autumn and Sara -- donated their smiling faces and strutted their stuff on camera for me about two hours total.

It's funny, before the shoot,  I don't think any of the girls new each other, but they all knew me, and by the end of the session, they were all laughing, smiling and getting along splendidly.

I met each of these ladies in a very different way and each at a different time in my life.

Autumn, the lovely African-American sporting the charcoal sweater, met me when I was 18 when we were both starting out playing on the GW softball team together

Alisha, who's gorgeous dark complexion makes her pink jacket just POP, I met earlier this year while playing dodge ball at a local social sports league, USS, here in the city.

 

Sara, the fierce gal rocking the short hair cut, has been my creative competitor and close friend for years, since we studied journalism and video production together at SMPA.

And the other Sarah, who's wearing my favorite pair of BODYPOP watercolor print leggings, was one of the first real-world friends I made when I was working with her at Post TV -- the video outlet of the Washington Post.

Each of these women has been a friend to me in her own special way -- which is why I was so glad they all got to meet each other and help represent Fiterazzi with me, looking fit and fabulous in on the streets of D.C. on that spectacular fall day.

Like fitness? Like empowerment? Love your ta-tas? Then read this NOW!

I don't want to steal the clicks, from Fiterazzi.com, but I had to share a couple of snippets from some of my recent articles that I've done for them that I'm super jazzed about!

I just loved working all all of these stories -- they're all very real and very personal for me. I think that's why I like writing for Fiterazzi so much.

Anyway, enough of my blabbering. Check out a few snippets from my Fiterazzi latests below & be sure to head to Fiterazzi.com for the full stories and more good healthy living reads!

Sports Bras 101: What Your Mom Never Told You

Boobs. Ta-tas. The girls. Breasts. Whatever you call them, if you’ve got two X chromosomes and survived puberty, then you’re familiar with the fabulous (and sometime annoying) experience that is having a pair of breasts to call your own.

While having breasts makes for a sexy silhouette, caring for them and keeping them under control can be a tricky task, especially for an active girl. Let’s be real — who ever invented tuck jumps didn’t do so with chesty girls in mind.

As fitness companies are evolving to cater more towards the needs of female athletes, so too are their sports bras technologies. Gone are the days of non-supportive and uncomfortable sports bras and in are the days of specially designed, high-impact sports bras tailored towards just about any cup size.

(Read more here!)

This 12-Year-Old Girl’s Letter Sparked a Big Conversation about Female Representation in Fitness

[...]

When I was growing up, I remember dealing with this constant dilemma when I was looking for new sporting gear to wear while playing softball. Did I want to wear boy’s gear that featured an annoying baggy crotch? Or did I prefer some awkwardly cut, high-waisted women’s gear that transformed me into a pre-teen soccer mom? Why wasn’t there anything made just for me?

Only I was a teenager, circa mid-2000s, did I start to see a wider-variety of products tailored toward the tastes and styles of female athletes and fitness fashionistas like myself. Brands like Lululemon and Athleta popped onto the market and major sporting companies like Nike, UnderArmour and Mizuno started to create special lines tailored towards the growing female demographic.

However, as much as I love seeing more and more female sporting good products in stores, it’s hard to deny that the large majority of sporting good apparel is still tailored towards men.

It’s 2014, not 1964. The Title XI ruling was in 1972.

(Read the full story here!)

Why I haven't posted all week: NYC and more

Those that know me well have probably heard my opinions about New York City. While the big apple is glamorous, bustling and full of life, I would never ever want to live there -- at least not for foreseeable future, that is.

I will, however, gladly visit and hop on the train for a work gig.

This past Tuesday -- after many Amtrak delays -- I headed up to NYC to film two different stories for the USO. While I just don't have the time and the energy to talk about one of the projects tonight, I will share the other project I did, which is already completed!

Ladies and gents, I give you my video about the USO center opening at JFK:



It's crazy to think that for over ten years there wasn't a USO presence at any NYC or New Jersey airport. Maybe its because I'm an employee, or just an observant person, but I've gotten quite accostumed to hearing the "The USO lounge..." announcements in most major airports.

It's kinda comforting isn't it?

My first HIIT graphic/workout is live!

Guys! Guys. Its up. Its live. Its a real thing.

The first ever fitness graphic I've made is up on the web for everyone to see, enjoy and use. How cool!

I don't mean to brag, but I'm really super proud about this. Graphics are something that I'm not naturally inclined to do, which is fun for a creative type like myself.

Not to mention, it's on Fiterazzi, which is an online magazine I totally LOVE writing for and sharing my skills with. I think its so important to support publications like this that are doing all they can to promote realistic healthy living -- not just the latest healthy crazes and quick weight loss programs. Amen.

I might be having too much fun on vacation: Is that even possible?

Yesterday I might have gotten a little out of hand taking selfies in my fantastic new workout gear from BODYPOP. This is what happens when a workout fashionista has too much time and a beautiful setting... oh well :)

I'm still totally in love with this collection of clothes, although I am finding that I prefer the pieces for less-intense workouts, like Pilates or yoga.

I'm also in the process of reviewing headbands and tennis shoes for some of my next Fiterazzi articles, so I've been busy running, biking, hiking and testing them all out. I can't wait until these articles come out -- I've had such fun trying all these new products!

Happy vacation!

Dabbling in Graphics: My First Printable HIIT Workout for Fiterazzi

In case you didn't know, when I'm not shooting or writing stories for the fantastic USO, chances are, I'm out and about finding a cool story to write for Fiterazzi, the only online Fitness magazine that keeps it REAL!

This past week, in addition to working on a few awesome product review stories, I had the chance to shoot photos for and edit together my first printable for the magazine, featuring the fabulous Sara Snyder as a model.

Now, I don't really consider myself a graphics artist at all, so I'm pretty proud of the final result I got after only a day of asking for feedback and advice.

Take a look and let me know what you think -- oh, and head over to Fiterazzi magazine for more amazing fitness workouts, recipes and amazing articles about healthy living!

Yup, I work for the USO.

Side note. Or main note.

I get a lot of questions about my 9 to 5 job, which, I'll admit, I'm slightly in love with.

Here's a few of the most common.

Where do I work?: The USO

What's that?: The USO is an organization that focuses on lifting the spirits of troops and their families.

But how do you do that?: Programs. Concerts. Airport centers. Food. All different things! It really depends on where you are and what you need. I'd say check out the website for more info, honestly.

Oh, so you mean Bob Hope's thing? That's still around?: You betcha. But not like you'd think. Its a way different organization than it was back in the 1940s.

Got it. So what do you do for them then?: Me? I'm a multimedia journalist for the USO. Meaning, I get to write, photograph and take video of the awesome work that we do around the world. Think of me as a traveling storyteller. Pretty cool, huh?

What have you been up to lately? This! I really do a whole bunch of things, but I've been writing a lot lately, especially for USO.org and the USO blog!