Alicia graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science in journalism with a minor in film and media studies. Prior to joining SparkPeople, she worked in marketing and public relations and once left it all behind to backpack through South America. Alicia enjoys practicing yoga outside on sunny days, farmers markets, planning trips to practically every country and cheering aggressively for her beloved Cincinnati Reds and New Orleans Saints. She can also make a mean guacamole on toast.
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Puppies: The Ultimate Workout Motivation
While I've been aggressively avoiding eye contact with the back-to-school displays at Target, otherwise known as the international sign of the end of summer, I've had a lot of time to ponder why these three months are so precious. Is it the vitamin D overload? Do sandals make people happier? Is it the increased chance of seeing fireworks on a Tuesday? Vacation planning got you smiling through every emergency 9 a.m. meeting? Is it the s'mores?
For me, it's that last one, plus the opportunity to do basically everything outside. Reading nooks are great, but reading under a tree is better. Spin class is high energy, but a ride on a scenic bike trail takes the cake any day. The smell of a bonfire trumps a crackling fireplace fire every time. I don't even mind sweating through hotter-than-Bikram yoga classes in the park if it means I get to gaze up at a blue sky during triangle pose.
As we creep towards cozy fall sweaters and cooler weather, make it a point to get outside as often as you can. Make your next brainstorming meeting a walking meeting around the building, go to the pool with your kid and get your hair wet, take your treadmill run to the sidewalk along the river, play fetch with your puppy until the sun goes down, chase down the ice cream truck because those things never seem to come by as often as they used to and you deserve a Firecracker Pop. Don't complain about the heat. Embrace it, get your glisten on and sing "Summer of '69" at the top of your lungs.
Posted 8/5/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 2 comments 27,009 views
Monkey Around & Get Fit With This Playground Workout
The playground is to children as the bar is to adults--a communal space where gossip is exchanged, friendships are cemented and good times are had by all. The big difference between the two, though, is the level of activity. Kids hit the playground like it's their job, running from slide to slide, pushing themselves to finally make it across the monkey bars, pumping their legs furiously to prove to their friends that it is possible to flip over the swing bar and racing one another from one activity to the next. It's almost exhausting to watch how hard they play.
But just because we've graduated from the fourth grade doesn't mean we should let the kids have all the fun, does it? Isn't it time we took back the playground?
Posted 7/14/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 30 comments 39,206 views
The Queen of Cheese: On Slowing Down and Avocados
June's over? Julyin'. Welcome to my new favorite dad joke and this month's blog. As a kid, I don't know that I really, truly appreciated the glory that is the three-day weekend. Sure, I threw caution to the wind by putting off all my reading homework until the night before school started again and I made sure to cram in as many sleepovers and holiday foods as possible, but now, as a (mostly) fully functioning adult, the three-day weekend is something to be cherished and adored. Having an extra day to frolic outside and spend time with family and friends without a bedtime looming is great for resetting your brain, taking a deep breath and just being.
Growing up, my mother would occasionally let us have "mental health days" (usually after a particularly torturous orthodontist appointment) to leave the stress of school or the "Peter told me that he heard from Jason that you told Brad that I totally like him," drama behind and just enjoy an ice cream cone on the curb. Replace "school" with "work" and the Peter drama with email chains, and the three-day weekend is basically the mental health days of the working world. Getting to Sunday and realizing, "Hey, wait a second. I don't have to do 15 tons of laundry tonight and meal prep—I still have a whole other day! Monday Alicia can worry about that outrageously large amount of laundry," has got to be right up there with the joy of having a child or being the Duchess of Cambridge.
Posted 7/1/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 14 comments 25,086 views
What You Can Learn From a Trainer Who Is Always Traveling
Half of Deazie Gibson's life is lived in the skies. As a flight attendant, she is constantly on the go, flying three days at a time and answering wake-up calls that come as early as 2 a.m. To say that she is flexible with her exercise and nutrition routine is an understatement.
"Because my job is in the airline industry, I have to be creative, think on the fly (no pun intended) and work with what I've got," she says. "All I know is, not working out just because I'm traveling is not an option. No matter what, I make it happen!"
Posted 6/23/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 19 comments 45,396 views
'Stronger Than I Have Ever Been': Abby's CrossFit Conversion
There was a time, not so long ago, when you couldn't go a week without hearing something about CrossFit. As terms like WOD, AMRAP and box infiltrated the lexicon, so too did the CrossFit stereotype: Men with large biceps and six-pack abs lifting outrageous amounts of weight over their head in between sips of protein shakes. The "cult of CrossFit" intrigues some, while intimidating others. Abby Maley (VEG_GIRL04) fell into the latter group—that is, until she talked to an unexpected CrossFit enthusiast.
Posted 6/20/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 23 comments 41,441 views
The Go Get It Guide for A Joyful June
Welcome to our brand-spanking-new blog, a place for me to ramble on (and now's the time, the time is now), share some amazing products and gear I actually use and love, laugh about the internet and maybe, just maybe, inspire a few people to get active, get healthy and get at it along the way.
To begin, a few of my favorite things about June: Rooftop bars, baseball with my brothers, the lady at the farmers market who always inspires me to believe that I really can learn how to use radishes, June Cleaver and June Carter Cash, sundresses, brainstorming outdoor things to do with an extra hour of sun on the summer solstice, and the lyric "She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey" because, gosh, it's poetic and pretty, isn't it?
Posted 6/3/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 17 comments 20,176 views
6 Snack Recommendations for 3 Popular Social Spots
Tuesday: Meet mom for coffee. Thursday: Birthday happy hour for Carol at that killer place down the street, you know, the one with the perfect jukebox? Friday: Date night at the movies.
Sound familiar? Unless you're The Bachelor being whisked away by a private jet for dates to hike in Montana or jet ski in Tahiti, chances are the majority of your social outings revolve around the food and drink scene. Whether it's a date night or a friend night penciled in on your social calendar, the opportunities for an outing to throw off your carefully planned nutrition are plentiful for the average person. No one wants to be a hermit, after all.
Posted 5/27/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 37 comments 52,319 views
Smoothies: Skip Them or Sip Them?
Blend up some fruits, veggies, maybe a dash of yogurt, some honey and you're in healthy heaven, right? Not exactly. Like energy bars and other "health" foods, not all smoothies are created equal, either, and hidden sugar is the culprit ruining this drink's potential.
The truth is that while a homemade smoothie made with the right ingredients and the correct proportions packs a powerful punch, many store-bought smoothies or those available at restaurants are simply masquerading as "healthy" without actually offering any nutritional benefit. Pull the mask off, and you'll discover smoothies such as the 20-ounce The Hulk Strawberry from Smoothie King, which clocks in at 964 calories with a whopping 125 grams of sugar. By comparison, a Snickers bar contains a seemingly tiny 27 grams of sugar.
Experts agree that, when done right, smoothies are a great meal alternative for those constantly on the go, and stress the importance of focusing on your greens, rather than sweet fruits. Our friends at Angeles Health International thought it was high time to unveil the secret to healthier, low-sugar smoothies. Their handy graphic breaks down the ingredients and portions you should consider for your next smoothie, plus five of their favorite recipes.
Posted 5/24/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 84 comments 75,537 views
6 Killer Tank-Top Arm Workouts for Every Level
Sleeveless dresses, tank tops, a defined bicep, hauling the week's groceries inside with just one trip—there are a lot of great reasons to work to have strong arms. Working some weights and upper body exercises in to your routine reaps a world of benefits, so why not get started today?
Posted 5/17/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 47 comments 200,952 views
A 9-Minute Core Workout You Can Do Anywhere
Whether she's cracking us up with a flashback to the workout gear of yesteryears or making us reconsider the public opinion of the "perfect body," Blogilates creator Cassey Ho regularly grabs headlines and new fans for her straightforward and approachable fitness style. Her exercise videos combine dynamic and unique moves that will get you sweating and feeling great with her signature upbeat attitude, making at-home workouts even more enjoyable.
With PIIT28, her newest creation, she's answering the age-old issues of not having the time to exercise and getting bored with the same workout day after day. PIIT28 refers to pilates intense interval training program and the 28 minutes and 40 seconds required for your workout each day.
Grab your yoga mat and get a taste of her latest program with this nine-minute, seven-move routine that your core is going to absolutely love to hate.
Posted 5/6/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 29 comments 88,084 views
Keep Calm and Don't Burn the Kitchen Down
Within one minute of the first cooking assignment for this blog series, the grater was taken out of my hand to show me a technique that actually yielded grated ginger, not ginger mush. Technique—not my strong suit. I could go on and on about my years of missteps in the kitchen—slicing my hand trying to do the avocado pit trick, bruising my hand trying to open wine with a shoe, ruining a perfectly good head of lettuce by using my hand to kung fu chop it for a salad—so mastering a few basic skills was pretty high on my priority list.
With so much to learn between the stovetop, cutting board, oven and tools, though, what's an intimidated, impatient girl to do? Thankfully, I didn't have to look far for people, websites and services willing to teach me a thing or two.
Posted 5/4/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 44 comments 39,834 views
Meal Planning, A Love/Hate Roller Coaster
Salads stacked in hip mason jars or a sea of matching Tupperware—it's the stuff of Instagram dreams and has the added benefit of ensuring you never having to stare into the depths of the frozen food freezer at your local 7-Eleven. To a novice, though, meal planning is terrifying. Not only do you want me to do math to double a recipe, but you expect me to organize my chaotic cooking thoughts and then spend hours in the grocery and kitchen prepping to feed myself for the week ahead? Like I'm some kind of Barefoot Contessa magician? Why don't I plan on prepping meals for my unicorn while I'm at it?
Much as it intimidated me to my very core, meal planning is one of those things that you can't avoid hearing about in this healthy living industry. Whether it's thanks to the rise in DIY everything or a really brilliant marketing scheme by the mason jar industry, you can't get through a two-minute scroll on Pinterest without running into at least one hot tip about planning your meals for the week.
Posted 4/27/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 54 comments 115,400 views
Sweat in Style with These 10 Fit Apparel Brands
With everyone from Carrie Underwood to Beyoncé entering the workout wear space and the term "athleisure" now firmly implanted in the lexicon, it's now more acceptable than ever to rock your fitness wear to the gym, the grocery and nearly everywhere in between. The influx of fitness apparel hitting the market also means there are more options than ever before, which is great news for anyone who doesn't fit into a cookie-cutter ideal of what a runner, yogi or athlete looks like.
Whether you're in the 5'2" and under club, have a personality as large as an Olympic-size pool or live for a great deal, there's a brand out there that has your back. Discover your fitness soulmate and hit your next workout with a renewed sense of confidence. Just be prepared to answer the, "Oh my gosh, where did you get that?" questions as you make your way from the parking lot to the treadmill.
Posted 4/25/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 32 comments 72,164 views
Flawlessly Add Fitness to Lunch Hour With This Definitive Guide
Endless meetings fill your calendar, that research project that was estimated to require just a week of your attention has now stretched into week three, you're stalking the IT desk hoping to get someone to finally swing by to fix your ongoing Excel issue and you can't remember the last time a conversation wasn't interrupted by the sound of your incoming email ding. We get it--you're busy. As workday schedules get more and more crowded, though, the carefree lunch hour suffers, slowly slipping into oblivion. While it might seem like pushing through and grabbing a granola bar on your way to your 2:00 is your best bet for your career, you're likely doing more harm than good.
Posted 4/20/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 76 comments 106,798 views
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Acquainting Myself With the Kitchen After Years of Neglect
"Hello, kitchen, such a pleasure to meet you. My name is Alicia." So began week two of the grand delivery detox experiment. The kitchen, to this point, has been a kind of love-hate relationship. I love it for its potential: Brownies and roast turkeys both come out of those swinging doors. On the other hand, I hate the impending dangers lurking around every corner. Burns from the stove, dropping a knife on my toe, accidentally getting a jalapeno pepper seed in my eye are all things I have worried about happening on my few run-ins with this room.
That said, with a few recipes under my belt and not a singed eyebrow in sight, I was feeling almost confident. Meaning it was time for a facelift and some serious grocery shopping.
Posted 4/20/2016 12:00:00 AM By: : 40 comments 84,599 views
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