Every weekend, I will be visiting the green market and buying fresh groceries. I will share my shopping list and the cost with my readers. I hope to promote eating locally and bring back the enthusiasm of hands-on cooking.

Vegetables:
1 Potato and 7 small (ping pong ball size) onions: $1.30
1 box of peas and salad mix: $6.50
2 hand-fulls of arugula: $3.50
1 box of sprout mixed green: $2.00
1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms: $2.00

Fruits:
7 apples of 3 different varieties: $5.00

Fish:
Monk fish (close to 1 lb): $7.30

Dairy:
Milk, butter*, and yogurt: $10.00
Ricotta cheese: $2.50
1 dozen eggs: $8.00

Bread, Flour, Grains:
1.5 lb. whole wheat flour: $2.50
1 loaf of sunflower seed and flax whole grain bread: $3.50

Total: $54.10

I will be cooking with these fresh market foods in the next week. I am pretty sure that I will be going back to the market to restock ingredients. I will keep you, my beloved readers, updated with my latest purchase in the next few days.

*Having doubts about cooking with butter? Please read on…

(Pictures of my fresh groceries will be updated soon.)

Every Wednesday, The Sweaty Guinea Pig will feature a fresh individual who will share his or her thoughts and experiences on fitness and healthy living.

Name: David Aubrey
Age: 22
Location: Edison, New Jersey
Occupation: Legal Assistant

What is your current routine? How many days do you dedicate to exercising every week?
Currently I work out about 4 days a week; this is mainly made up of weight training with cardio routine done twice week. It’s very hard to get motivated to run sometimes, but with warmer weather in spring, I’ll be able to get out more.

How did you come up with your current routine?
The current routine is a variation of an old Temple University Strength and Conditioning workout, which was used by their football team. My workout partners and I have tweaked a few exercises here and there to accommodate the equipment that are available. We have a pretty kick ass work out now.

What are your short term (within 6 weeks) and long term (3 months and beyond) goals?
Short term goal - summer’s coming up; no one wants to look like fat on the beach. I want to look good for the summer. In the long run, I want to get the PT award when I enter the police academy. I need to be the best in every aspect of physical training. I’ve got some work ahead of me, btu that’s my goal.

What are other types of training that you’d like to try?
At some point I would like to try some sort of Mixed Martial Arts training. Not just so that I can inflict pain on people in many ways, which is pretty cool, but because MMA fighters have such a great conditioning regimen as far as strength and conditioning.

What is your favorite post-workout meal?
Anything edible. When I come home from the gym I’m usually starving, so any kind of food is good food. I try to keep it healthy and I always have my protein shake. But to be honest, sometimes nothing hits the spot like a little Wendy’s…I never said I was a health freak.

What is your ideal “cheat” meal or favorite guilty indulgence?
Ice Cream, if its there…I eat it. I know I shouldn’t but I do because it’s just way too good to pass up. Especially if it’s in the form of some huge sundae, like a Reese’s peanut butter cup sundae from Friendly’s perhaps.

Any advice or words of encouragement for other Sweaty Guinea Pig readers?
Set goals and work towards them, and adjust things along the way to ensure that you reach your goals. Also, work out with some friends who can support you but also push you at the same time. I workout with a great group of friends. Working out with them gives me the incentive to keep going back week after week to better myself and challenge them. You could also take the personal trainer route…I hear this guy Reggie does a pretty good job. (And no he did not offer me any sort of payment to put that in, I did it entirely on my own.)

Push-up has been administered as the fitness barometer. Elderly can learn to fall safely and prevent muscle deterioration from practicing push-ups. Younger crowd can improve their overall fitness by doing this simple exercise without breaking their bank from joining expensive gym memberships. According to The New York Times, a 40-year old male averages 27 push-ups and a female has an average of 16( “the man push-ups”).

Females who struggle with push-ups can start by doing them on a 45-degree angle to build up upper body strength. As upper body gets stronger, lower the angle gradually and finally do push-ups with hands on the ground.

How fit are you?

I participated in a 9-mile Colon Cancer Charity Run this morning in Central Park. The condition was cold and windy. I was happy about my performance; I finished 818 out of 3280 in the overall ranking. My average pace was 7:50 a mile, which can be greatly improved. The rest of the breakdown of my result can be seen on New York Road Runner website.

My passion in healthy diet does not stop at eating whole grain, lean protein, and low-fat dairy. I have been doing research on the benefit of eating seasonal foods grown by local farms, within 500 miles radius. Here are ten reasons why we should check out our local farmer markets and eat fresh:

1. Local food tastes and looks better - crops sold near your home are picked at their peak and sold within 24 hours of harvesting
2. Local food is fresh - the shorter the distance between the farm and your dinner table, the less likely the nutrients of the foods would get lost during shipping
3. Local food is safe - with issues such as contaminated poultry from foreign countries, you would be assured to buy fresh and safe products directly from the owner of the farms
4. Local food supports local families - purchase foods directly from local farmers will help farmers get full retail price, which will support their great farming business
5. Local food creates community - knowing the farmers within your vicinity will help you get to know your surroudings and build relationships with growers
6. Local food keeps the environment green - the more you support and purchase local farm products, farmers will be able to sustain their business and not sell their lands for development
7. Local food keeps taxes down - buying food directly from local farmers will keep the cost of services down, which will help cut taxes imposed by the government.
8. Local food protects the wildlife - by practicing proper farming techniques, farms enrich the fields that provide essential habitat for wildlife
9. Local food is an investment for the future - buying locally grown food helps preserve the character of a community
10. Local food preserves genetic diversity - industrial agriculture leaves us with little diversity in food while smaller local farms provide us a wide array of seasonal products.

Every Wednesday, The Sweaty Guinea Pig will feature a fresh individual who will share his or her thoughts and experiences on fitness and healthy living.

Name: Cindy Hwang
Age: 28
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Advertising, Account Management

What is your current routine? How many days do you dedicate to exercising every week?
I run 4 to 5 miles 3 or 4 days a week. Then 2 or 3 days a week I take classes at the gym like spinning, fluidity, straight up strength or urban rebounding where they use mini trampolines for an aerobic workout combined with free weights. Sometimes I’ll kick start my morning with power yoga. I try to take only Sunday off of some kind of activity that gets my heart rate up.

How did you come up with your current routine?
Mostly trial and error. I really enjoy cardio so I started out running or doing the elliptical machine 5 or 6 days a week, but then realized that I should incorporate more strength training so my body doesn’t get bored.

What are your short term (within 6 weeks) and long term (3 months and beyond) goals?
My short term goals are just to continue working out with the same kind of frequency. My long term goals are to increase my strength and endurance. Maybe, possibly run a half marathon or something where there is a clear, tangible goal.

What are other types of training that you’d like to try?
I’m pretty open to any and all types of exercises. As I’ve incorporated new types into my workout, I’m realizing that there are so many different muscle groups - I find new sore areas each time that I didn’t even know existed. So any new exercise that will work out a new muscle group I would welcome!

What is your favorite post-workout meal?
Lately I’m really into salmon. So that might mean sushi, baked salmon with veggies or a little multi grain pita sandwich with grilled salmon, hummus, sprouts and greens.

What is your ideal “cheat” meal or favorite guilty indulgence?
Pizza. I have a huge weakness for a yummy regular slice!

Any advice or words of encouragement for other Sweaty Guinea Pig readers?
Even when you’re not in the mood to work out, just think about how good you’ll feel afterward. Always energized and proud!

I got bored with going from swimming to biking and to running on the treadmill (which I regret doing because running on treadmill has given me hip pain) . I set up 5 stations in my gym today and spent about 5 to 10 minutes at each station for two rounds. These are my stations:

1. Stationary bike
2. Stretch cord*
3. Elliptical machine
4. Shuttle sprints
5. Jump rope

* At stretch cord station, I spent 1 minute focusing on major upper body muscle groups - chest, shoulders, and back, each round. For chest, I did standing flies. Shoulders, I did standing shoulder press. And for back, I did three variations of swimmers.

Circuit training kept my workout interesting and intense at the same time. I was constantly challenging different parts of my body. I highly recommend you setting up your own stations in the gym and be a creative guinea pig for your workout.

I have decided to have two “Sweaty Guinea Pig Discovered” this week. I have a special guest - Connor Murphy. I met Connor in my sophomore year in college. He is the closest Olympic trainee whom I had trained with. His broad knowledge in strength training and conditioning has helped me create efficient, effective, and fun workouts for myself and my clients. Thanks to Connor’s mentoring, I have become the Sweaty Guinea Pig.

Name: Connor Murphy
Age: 24
Location: Staten Island, NY
Occupation: Trader; stocks, options and F/X

What is your current routine? How many days do you dedicate to exercising every week?
I currently work out between 5-7 days a week. I break that into 5 weight sessions. On weekends I will add more cardio and abs, depending on how much time I have. During the week, I workout everyday after work, ranging from 1-1/2 to 2 hours. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I warm up with a mile on treadmill, then I hit weights (pushing exercises) and finish with abs. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I do weights (pulling exercises) and finish with cardio and stretching.
Weekly split: chest/triceps/abs, legs/biceps/lower back, shoulders/abs, back/biceps, triceps/abs
(major muscles once a week and stabilizing muscles twice a week)

What are your short term (within 6 weeks) and long term (3 months and beyond) goals?
I do not have any short-term goals because I have been exercising for so long and I cannot function unless I stay active. Also, my job can be very stressful if I do not have a constructive outlet. My one goal is to never be out of shape. When I was graduating high school, I received a swimming scholarship and thought I was in a great shape. Therefore, I partied hard and slacked off from all athletic activities. I was overconfident and that resulted in gaining weight. I ended up being 215 lbs. and out of shape (I was 175 lbs. when I signed the NCAA letter) when arriving college. I have never been out of shape since and never want to have that feeling again.

What are other types of training that you’d like to try?
I try to throw in as many functional exercises as possible in every workout. I am always trying to become a better athlete even as I get older. I also add a new exercise when I find one. My current goal is to do “5 muscle ups” and keep the abs toned for summer.

What is your favorite post-workout meal?
Whey protein, Greek strained yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit, 100% fruit juice, a little bit of peanut butter, and some cinnamon all blended together. I have this whenever I can eat within 15 minutes after I workout.

What is your ideal “cheat” meal or favorite guilty indulgence?
I try to make sure at least 90% of my meals are as clean as they can be. If a birthday is around, I will have cake, I love cake! Otherwise I’d have some pizza or a burgher on Fridays. Also I have a soft spot for gin, so I will drink that once every two weeks.

Any advice or words of encouragement for other Sweaty Guinea Pig readers?
You have to find out what works best for you through different trials and errors. I have trained with Olympic coaches, Mr. Olympian finalists and other sport fanatics; from those experiences I have found what keeps my body guessing and my mind constantly entertained. The hardest part is establishing a routine; once you do that, you work around your schedule and get it done. Hard work does pay off and the best way to keep track is take pictures of your body.

Every Wednesday, The Sweaty Guinea Pig will feature a fresh individual who will share his or her thoughts and experiences on fitness and healthy living.

Name: Brian Radvansky
Age: 22
Location: Hoboken, NJ
Occupation: Sales

What is your current routine? How many days do you dedicate to exercising every week?
Recently, I’ve gotten into the habit of consistently running 3 days a week, about 30-40 minutes/day. I interject sets of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and sprints into the workout. I lift from 1-2 days a week to shake things up.

How did you come up with your current routine?
I think I actually saw this plan inside a Men’s Health. Doing the push-ups/sit-ups/pull-ups while out running is a pleasant break from going 30 straight minutes of jogging. I also don’t need to worry about being “too tired” to do them when I get back from the run, because by the time I’m home, the exercise is done.

What are your short term (within 6 weeks) and long term (3 months and beyond) goals?
During the next 6 weeks, I will be on a road trip around the country, so I’ll mainly be looking for maintenance of my current fitness level. I plan to do some running in fun exotic places around America. There are few things I love more than getting lost on a run or running somewhere I have never been before.
In the long term, I would like to continue to trim body fat with proper nutrition and exercise, and incorporate more weight training into my workouts for strength/muscle gains.

What are other types of training that you’d like to try?
I love bike riding, and think it would be awesome to get some long, 50+ mile rides incorporated into my training. But first I need a serious bike.

What is your favorite post-workout meal?
Lately I’ve been making a shake with skim milk, protein powder, and some frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, and peaches) for carbs, sweetness, and antioxidants. Sometimes I’ll add wheat germ, peanut butter, yogurt, or ice cream.

What is your ideal “cheat” meal or favorite guilty indulgence?
Eating out often sabotages my nutrition. I will eat a giant portion, or a bacon cheeseburger instead of a healthy delicious salad.

Any advice or words of encouragement for other Sweaty Guinea Pig readers?
Find fun ways to incorporate fitness into your schedule. Whether it be recreational climbing, biking, or tackle football, find some fun activity that you love that really allows you to cross train. Also, when running, concentrate on the enjoyable parts (being outside, fresh air, a good sweat) rather than looking at it as a chore or task. Lastly, remember you only get one body, and everything that you put in it and do to it has an effect on it. I’ve found that when I take care of my body and mind (through meditation and other relaxing activities), everything else in life falls into place.

I wanted something beefy last Saturday night to fulfill my appetite after an intense workout with my swim club. I seared an 8 oz. beef sirloin for the sandwich to go with steamed broccoli on the side. Searing the sirloin was simple; i seasoned the steak with salt and pepper, then I cooked the meat in high heat with fresh thyme in a hot pan for 5 minutes (two and half minutes each side for medium rare). For bread, I halved a portion (my palm size) of organic ciabatta bread and drizzled some extra virgin olive oil with fresh thyme sprinkled. I toasted the bread for 4 minutes in the oven with 375 degrees and rubbed fresh garlic on it for extra flavor. Easy beefy meal - total 15 minutes.