• 1 microwavable bowl (a 32-ounce measuring cup works well)
• 1 10-ounce package of frozen raspberries
• 1-2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 squeeze of lemon juice (not a necessity but does add a nice freshness)
• 1 pint of vanilla ice cream
• 2 Ghiradelli dark chocolate squares or your favorite dark chocolate
• A few fresh mint leaves (not a necessity but does add more freshness to the dish, as well as a nice contrast of colors for presentation purposes)

Put frozen raspberries into microwavable bowl. Add sugar and lemon juice and then microwave on high for 2 minutes. Take out and stir and then repeat microwaving for approximately 1½-2 minutes and stirring until raspberries are warm and sugar is dissolved.

Put 1-2 scoops of ice cream into a small bowl and spoon some of the raspberry sauce on top. Push dark chocolate square into the ice cream and then garnish with mint and you’re done.

It can’t get much easier than that. I hope you enjoy and happy Valentine’s Day!

Makes one generous size portion:

One of the cooking pans that is a little more rounded around the edges (like a saucepan rather than just a frying or sauté pan)

Enough water to cover about 2-3 inches of your saucepan

5-7 broccoli florets

6-8 green beans

Enough cooking oil to coat bottom of pan (preferably olive oil)

1 rounded spoonful of red onions (if they are not at the stir fry station, the salad station almost always has red onions; if there aren’t any, white onions are a perfectly good substitute)

1 rounded spoonful of peppers

1 rounded spoonful of mushrooms

1 rounded spoonful of shredded carrots (if carrots are cut into thicker pieces like a carrot stick for dipping, I would recommend boiling them with broccoli and green beans)

Half a spoonful of chopped garlic

Small pinches of the following spices: red pepper flakes, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, anise (if they don’t have the anise, it’s okay to leave it out)

10-12 pieces of tofu

Splash of teriyaki sauce

2 scoops of brown rice

Start by filling your saucepan with the water and place on the highest heat of the hotplate. Cover the pan with another frying pan and let the water boil (luckily these hotplates get very hot very quickly so the water boils within about 3-4 minutes). While the water is boiling, get the rest of your ingredients ready.

When the water is boiling, add the broccoli florets and green beans to the water, recover the pan with another to return the water to a boil, and cook for 2-3 minutes (you just want the vegetables to start getting tender). When the vegetables are done cooking, take them out of the water and then drain the water from the pan (I either pour it into 1 or 2 DC cups or into the sink where they wash all of the dishes).

Return the dry pan to the hotplate and heat the oil, then add red onions, peppers, mushrooms, and carrots. Turn the heat down to medium, medium-low (I think that’s 20-40 percent on the hot plates) and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the vegetables soften and give up their water. Then add the garlic and sauté for approximately 2 minutes.

Then, add back the broccoli and the green beans, as well as the red pepper flakes, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, anise, tofu, and teriyaki sauce to the pan. Let those ingredients cook for a minute or two and then add the brown rice. Let the brown rice get up to temperature, 2-3 minutes, and that’s it.

I hope you like this recipe as much as the first one, and once again, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or feedback, please let me know so I can make changes. Thanks so much and I hope you enjoy!

The first dish I tried making I would call spicy quinoa with a tofu peanut sauce; if you’re a fan of spicy pad thai I think you’ll like this dish very much. Kara introduced me to quinoa a few weeks ago and it’s becoming one of my favorite foods. It’s a grain that is similar in look and texture to couscous but it has a slightly nutty flavor so it is closer in flavor to brown rice. It’s incredibly nutritious as it is high in protein and fiber and low in fat; it’s also a great source of essential amino acids. I’ve noticed that it’s been available at the stir fry station this semester so if you see it, I would definitely recommend cooking with it. If you can’t find it or you’re not a fan of it, brown rice is always a good alternative. So here is the first of many healthy and delicious recipes you’ll see on VCfit this semester:

Enough cooking oil to coat bottom of pan (preferably olive oil)

Spoonful of mushrooms

Spoonful of zucchini or squash

A few pieces of shredded carrots

Half a spoonful of chopped garlic

1 Shake of ground ginger

1 Shake of ground cumin

Pinch of red pepper flakes

6-8 pieces of big tofu mashed up into crumbles, plus 10 more whole ones

Splash of soy sauce

1 heaping spoonful of peanut butter (the natural peanut butter provides a nice grainy texture and its consistency helps to thicken the sauce better than the regular creamy kind)

Splash of red wine vinegar

Enough water to cover a ¼ inch of the pan, probably about a cup of water or 8 oz.

2 rounded scoops of quinoa

Handful of chopped green onions

Put your pan on high heat and add the cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms, zucchini, squash carrots, and garlic to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium, medium-low (I think that’s 30-40 percent on the hot plates) and cook for approximately 5 minutes. You just want the vegetables to soften and give up their water.

Once the veggies are soft, add the ginger, cumin, and red pepper flakes, mashed up tofu, soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, and water. Let the sauce cook for approximately 6-8 minutes or until its thickened to the consistency of chili. Then add the quinoa and remaining whole pieces of tofu and let them cook until they are up to temperature, approximately 2-3 minutes. Garnish with the green onions and then it’s time to eat.

So in less than 20 minutes you can have a delicious and nutritious dinner. Apart from the peanut butter, every ingredient in this recipe you can get at the stir fry station; and the peanut butter is just over by the butter, jelly, and frozen yogurt machine.

I hope you like this recipe and if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or feedback on how it turns out, please don’t be afraid to comment on this post. Just remember to be creative in the DC. You can take ingredients from the salad bar or even from the pasta station if you want to doctor up one of their sauces. Thanks so much for reading and I can’t wait to hear your feedback!

Odd Days:

Do either supersets of pull ups, pushups, dips, and an abs exercise of your choice or a pyramid of just pull ups, pushups, and abs. A Superset is simply performing one set of each exercise (i.e. pull ups) then doing one set of another exercise, then another, and another until you’ve done one set of each exercise once. Then you repeat this several times. Pyramids are a similar concept but you are increasing the number of repetitions you are doing for each exercise and then decreasing your reps to the number you began with. This might seem a little confusing at first but you’ll get the hang out it once you start doing them.

Supersets (total of 10 sets):

-Pull Ups- Burnout (do as many as you possibly can)

-Pushups- 20

-Dips- 5-10

-Abs of choice- 30

Do not rest between each exercise. You can rest after each set, but keep it short. And these numbers for reps are more like guidelines; don’t feel bad if you can’t do as many as it tells you to do. Just concentrate on form.

Pyramids

-Pull Ups- 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

-Push Ups-2,4,6,8,10,12,14,12,10,8,6,4,2

-Abs of choice- 5,10,15,20,25,30,35,30,25,20,15,10,5

So the first set, you do one pull up, then immediately get down and do two push ups, and then do five crunches or whatever abs exercise you choose. Then you should take no rest and go right into doing two pull ups, four push ups, and ten abs, and then continue until you work up to seven pull ups, fourteen push ups, and thirty five abs, then work yourself all the way back down. If you’d like, you can start with a pyramid that doesn’t go quite so high up in repetitions; just do what you’re comfortable with.

Even Days:

This is much simpler than the odd days; just do between 25-50 pull ups throughout the course of the day or in a single workout if you’d like. If you can’t do more than five pull ups right now, start with twenty five pulls up. If you can do more than five, try getting up to fifty pull ups.

Like the push up workout, remember not to do this workout for more than the 2 week period; you could hurt yourself if you overdo it. For proper techniques on pull ups, pushups, and dips, just click each.

Freezing Local Produce
Among the presenters was Jim Hyland of Winter Sun Farms, who described how to preserve fresh produce by freezing.  People freeze food all the time to preserve it, but improper freezing can diminish the nutrients and quality of the food.  To freeze fresh vegetables, Jim says to cook them in boiling water for a few minutes to stop their ripening, then remove and immediately “shock” the vegetables by submerging them in ice water to stop cooking, a technique known as “blanching.” Drain/dry the veggies the best you can (the drier the better), then put them in plastic containers/plastic bags, trying to keep air and moisture out. Immediately freeze. For blanching times for individual fruits and vegetables, visit this website. Winter Sun Farms also provides its members with locally grown, frozen produce during the winter months. If you’re interested in a membership, check out their website; you can even pick up your frozen produce in the College Center so there’s no need to go to the supermarket!

Lacto-fermentation
Poughkeepsie Farm Project intern Aliyah Brandt discussed lacto-fermentation, a way of using salt to preserve foods.  Lacto-fermentation is a process in which salt and whey interact with the natural vegetable properties to create lactic acid, a natural preservative.  Amounts of salt and whey vary by process, but visit the websites below for proper ratios.  Aliyah stresses using only non-iodine salt, because iodized salt prevents the proper breakdown to create lactic acid, and thus, won’t preserve the vegetable.  Special health benefits: besides allowing you to eat your local produce longer through the year, the product and brine liquid that is created in this process helps with digestion; eating the foods you produce this way aid in the digestive processes and speed up your metabolism!

Here’s a great online PDF file explaining the health benefits and process of lacto-fermentation, and an easy how-to guide on the methodology.

Wild Hive Farm
Another guest at the workshop was Don Lewis of Wild Hive Farm.  Don runs a successful café, bakery, and market that produces and sells products made entirely of local ingredients all year round, even when the harvests are over.  Don’s business exemplifies the ways in which people in the Northeast can continue to eat locally throughout the year without sacrificing quality or taste. If you’re looking for a gourmet, local treat, this is a great place to visit! In the future, VC Fit will check out Don’s operation, and tell you more about his mission and design!

In the meantime, check out Wild Hive Farm’s website.

On Odd Days

Do 200 pushups in as few sets as you can at one point during the day. So you can do 8 sets of 25 repetitions, 10 sets of 20, whatever works best for you. And you can still do upper body lifting on these days if you’d like, however, it might make this program a little more difficult.

On Even Days
Do 200 pushups throughout the day. I like to wake up and do 2 sets of 25 in the morning, 2 sets of 25 in the afternoon and then 2 sets of 25 before I go to bed.

Repeat the ODD/EVEN routine for a total of 10 days. Then take three days off and do NO upper body exercises that work your chest, triceps, and shoulders. Then on the 14th day, see how many push ups you can do consecutively.

NOTE: Always remember to do a little warm up of your upper body before you perform any push ups. I like to do several arm circles and a few shoulder stretches beforehand. Also note that this workout should only be done once every few months because you can overexert your muscles if you are doing 2000 push ups every 10 days.
If you’d like to see proper push up technique, check out this video.

Now go get huge!

When I tell most of my friend’s that I’m taking a 7:30 a.m. Pilates class, I normally get the following responses: “Why are you awake at 7:30?”; “Are you the only guy in that class?”; “Dude! Pilates is easy; my mom does it.”

I love sleeping in, so waking up at 7 is not my favorite thing in the world to do. I’ll admit that being the only male in a class that is predominantly populated by older woman is a little embarrassing; even so, I give these ladies credit, since Pilates is far from easy. As someone who considers himself to be a pretty good athlete, I was amazed with the quality of workout you can get from just an hour a day.

In my first class, I was a little skeptical because I wasn’t finding the first few moves to be that challenging; but by the time it was 8 o’clock, I was pouring in sweat and my heart was pumping like crazy. The greatest thing about Pilates though, is the last 5-10 minutes; you stretch and lie on your back with your eyes shut and you simply let your throbbing muscles and mind leave your body for a few minutes. It is honestly one of the best parts of my day.

The class is also great because Theresa, the instructor, really knows Pilates well and she allows everyone to go at their own pace. The class consists of people who, like me, have never done Pilates before, as well as people who’ve been doing it for years; and everyone gets something out of it. If there’s a movement you can’t do, Theresa will demonstrate at least one modified version so you can still get a good workout.

So if you’re looking for something new, or you want to improve your core strength and flexibility, or if you don’t believe me about how great of a workout Pilates is, try it yourself. Contact Roman Czula for schedules and costs of classes (Classes are at most about $30 for the whole semester so it won’t bust your wallet).

Prentiss Running Track

For those of you who hate running on treadmills, there is a beautiful 1/4 mile, 8-lane track located at the Prentiss Sports Complex next to the Town Houses. It’s available for use by any Vassar student from 6am to 3pm Monday thru Friday. Barely two years old, the surface is nice and soft, so it’s very easy on your joints. The turf field inside of it is not open for use, though, so stay on the track. Also, to keep the track looking nice, you can wear only running sneakers; cleats are not allowed. The athletics department would also like me to emphasize that you should not spit gum or saliva on the turf field because it can ruin the playing surface (plus, that’s just gross.)

There are also the Josselyn Tennis Courts located behind Joss dorm. It has a total of 13 courts, 7 of which are open to Vassar students at all hours of the day; the remaining six are exclusive to the tennis teams.

I’m sure many of you have had a class in Kenyon Hall, but lo and behold…the majority of Kenyon is devoted to space for physical activity! Not surprising, considering Kenyon was originally built to replace Ely Hall as the college’s gymnasium! Though the pool, clay courts, and bowling alley are gone, there’s still lots of different athletic options in Kenyon.

There are the 9 squash courts located in the North Wing of the building that are available to all students. There’s also a varsity weight room located in the basement of Kenyon, which features more Olympic weight lifting equipment and fewer cardio and weight machines; however, it is only open to varsity athletes.

Kenyon Squash Courts

There are also three dance studios (1 on the first floor, 2 on the second floor) located in the South Wing of the building. Time in the dance studio can be reserved by students but only for the purpose of a dance event, however, tap dancing is not permitted. Beat feet and ballet slippers are allowed. Reservations can be made by contacting the Dance Department here.

Vassar also has its very own golf course! Located right next to the AFC, its home to a driving range, a 9-hole course, and a putting green. Vassar students can play just $2 a round and faculty and staff can play for $5.50. For the details, click here.

DISCLAIMER: As with the AFC and Walker, varsity sports teams, fitness classes, physical education courses, and other planned events take precedence over many of the following fitness spaces, so make sure you check the schedule for Kenyon, the Joss tennis courts, and the outdoor track located here. The schedule breaks down each day of every month so you can see what events will be going on throughout the course of the day.

Just wanted to say a big “I’m Sorry” to all of the VC Fit readers for our almost two-week hiatus…getting things up and running have been difficult, but we’re back on schedule!

And now on to my main point for today: a behind-the-scenes tour of Vassar’s Athletic and Fitness Center

I think it’s safe to assume that almost everyone is familiar with the Athletics and Fitness Center (AFC) weight room which is outfitted with plenty of cardio equipment, fitness machines, and free weights. But, I’m also willing to bet that more than three quarters of this campus is unaware that there is a Multi-Purpose Room located on the second floor of the Walker Field House outfitted with lots of boxing equipment such as heavy bags, speed bag, pull up bars, and more. Well if that came as a surprise to you then I’m sure by the end of this post you’ll be fully aware of all the resources that are at available to us in AFC and Walker.

Upon entering the AFC, one of the first fitness features you’ll encounter is the gymnasium which is open to anyone who’d like to play a pick up game of basketball, or for sprinting and agility drills (UCLAs/suicides, anyone?). There are also numerous tournaments and intramurals that you can play in throughout the year. The only real rule in the gym is that you have to wear white soled shoes, to make sure you don’t scuff up the floor in order to keep our gymnasium looking sharp.

AFC Indoor Track

During the winter months when it’s too cold to run outside, there is 1/12 mile, 4-lane indoor track located above the AFC gymnasium. It’s a sprung rubber surface, making it relatively easy on your joints. There are some stretching mats and free weights located around the edges of the track where you can stretch or do some core work, as well. The entrance to the track is on the second floor of the AFC (stairs are near the vending machines). It’s available from the opening of AFC until closing as long as there isn’t a varsity sporting event going on, like a basketball game or volleyball tournament.

AFC Multi-Purpose Room

Also located on the second floor of the AFC is the Multi-Purpose Room, home to many of the In-the-Pink classes. It is normally booked from 3pm until closing with fitness classes; however, there are some free hours in the morning. It has yoga mats, stability balls, free weights, and other accessories for doing core workouts. So if you need more room to stretch or work out your core, and don’t like the small space in the AFC weight room, then this is a great place to do it.

For those of you who have never crossed the long, glass corridor from the AFC to the Walker Field House, then you’re missing out on more than half the gym! Walker is home to men’s and women’s locker rooms, a six-lane pool, five tennis courts, as well as another Multi-Purpose Room.

The locker rooms are open to everyone. You choose any open locker for the day and store your things there while you work out. You can bring your own padlock as well if you’d like to keep your things safe, but you are not allowed to leave your things there overnight since there are not enough lockers for everyone to have. The locker rooms are complete with bathrooms and shower facilities.

Walker Pool

The pool is available for anyone who’d like to swim or do any sort of aquatic fitness exercise, as long as there is at least one lifeguard on duty. Right now the hours are varied because they have fewer lifeguards than in years past, so for anyone who has worked as a lifeguard before and is interested in getting a campus job for the semester, working at the pool is a great opportunity (I love using the pool, so please, help me out).

Then there are five tennis courts whose most obvious use are for playing tennis; however, there are many different ways you can utilize the space. You can set up a badminton court, volleyball nets, play ultimate Frisbee, basketball and fence in many of the bays. Once the weather gets cold, many varsity teams will move into the tennis bays for practice so the best time to use this area is now.

Walker MPR

In addition to the boxing equipment, the Walker Multi-Purpose Room has four ping pong tables that will be available for use during various times throughout the year. You can also reserve time to play on the tables by contacting either Roman Czula, Life Fitness Director or Bruce Gillman, Assistant Director of Athletics. Their contact information can be found here.

Also, be aware that the Multi-Purpose Room is normally locked so if you’d like to use the space, just contact Roman.

DISCLAIMER: Varsity sports teams, fitness classes, physical education courses, and other planned events have precedence over many of the following fitness spaces so make sure you check the schedule for AFC and Walker located here.

In addition there is a a full schedule of the availability of all the fitness facilities located here.
The schedule breaks down each day of every month so you can see what events will be going on throughout the course of the day.

If you have any more questions or if you want to reserve some time in the tennis bays or other fitness areas, please refer to Vassar’s athletic website on policies for reservations located here.

If you have any questions or would like to hear more about some of these fitness facilities, please let us know! You should also expect to learn more about the other resources here on campus for fitness in upcoming posts!

Here are some helpful tips that I’ve found very useful to stay hydrated throughout the day:

• Always carry a personal water bottle around with you. You can refill it at the DC or the Retreat and you won’t have to buy a bottle of water every time you want a cold drink
• Buy a water filtration system of some kind for your room.
• Make sure to drink water consistently throughout the day. Don’t go three hours without drinking anything and then chug 32 ounces of water in 5 minutes.
• Don’t go to sleep without feeling sufficiently hydrated. You’re likely to wake up in the middle of the night with an incredibly dry mouth and feel badly dehydrated. To prevent this, always drink a glass of water before you go to bed and then refill it so you have something in the morning to drink when you wake up.
• If you’re exercising, you want to make sure you are drinking water in 15 to 20 minute intervals. In a recent New York Times article, Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, was quoted saying, “How we drink can make a difference in how optimally we hydrate our body. A lot of people sip liquids, but gulping is better. Gulps of fluid leave the stomach more rapidly. It’s important to do this. It’s counterintuitive, since it seems like gulping would cause a cramp; in fact, people are more likely to have stomach cramps sipping because fluid stays in their gut too long.” I’ve found this to actually be true when I work out. I take about 3-4 oz. gulps of water every 15 minutes and my stomach does not get bloated nor does my mouth feel dry.

Its especially important to stay hydrated in the fall, as we’ll be experiencing days of scorching heat, but also early fall cold and dryness. Good luck with hydrating yourselves and remember that there is no substitute for good old-fashioned H₂O.