Bari Studio

There are countless reasons why we’re excited about our new, cutting-edge heart rate training system, iQniter, but at the top of the list is the fact that this technology will push us to become better athletes. We’re nerds, so talking about heart rates, training zones, aerobic versus anaerobic states and exercise “after burn” feels like our second language. Since we’re assuming most of you don’t speak workout-ese, we’re embarking on a series of blog posts that will bring you up to speed and coach you on your iQniter training journey.

You might buy an iQniter heart rate belt and watch your rate on the screen for fun. Or maybe you just like the rush of it. Or you’re a numbers geek, and you love putting a number to your workout. All of the above is okay with us.

But perhaps you also want to understand those numbers and how to improve them. If so, this blog series is for you. If you have a specific question, please email us so we can respond to you via our blog so everyone else can learn.

Today, let’s start at the beginning and dig into the basics.

What does exercise do to the heart and why should we monitor our heart rate?
Your heart is a muscle that pumps blood to the rest of your body. When you exercise, the muscles you are working throughout your body need more blood, and they call on the heart to meet their increased demand. Like any pump, there are two ways for the heart to send more blood: to pump faster or to increase the size of its pump. The more intensely your body exercises, the more blood your muscles need to function, and so your heart has to pump faster. That’s why your heart rate increases. Just like any muscle in your body, your heart conditions itself the more you use it – so with time it becomes more efficient at sending blood to the rest of your muscles, and that “pump” gets bigger so it doesn’t need to pump as fast.

The first time you did Bari you might have felt like you were running out of breath during the first or second song; now you likely don’t notice your breath as much and you feel like you have more endurance. That’s because you’ve created a healthier heart, which means you improved your fitness level.

RHR – Resting Heart Rate - is your heart rate while fully relaxed and sitting or laying down. RHR is a good indicator of changes in cardiovascular fitness level. If your RHR decreases over a period of time, that means your heart is functioning more efficiently and is healthier. Athletes’ RHR is between 40 and 60, while sedentary people’s RHR is usually between 60 – 80. However, other factors, like heredity, affect your heart health, so it’s not the only measurement you should look at for heart health. For example, Jim Ryun is said to have had an RHR in the low 70s even while he was one of the greatest milers in US history.

MHR – Maximum Heart Rate - is the highest number of beats per minute for your heart. MHR is specific to what sport you are practicing. If you are a triathlete, for example, your MHR while you’re running will be much higher than when you’re swimming, because MHR takes into account muscle mass being used in the movement you’re performing, horizontal and vertical body positions, as well as gravity and buoyancy. So your heart rate at Bari will be different than the one used when running or spinning because at Bari you’re employing multiple muscles at all times. You’re twisting and turning instead of going up a hill in forward motion. This is very important to understand so you can take full advantage of every workout. It will also be different between a DRIP, a BOUNCE, a MACRO or a MICRO. Your iQniter equipment will figure out your MHR for you, but a formula I like to use is MHR = 205.8 – 0.685 x age.

MHR is not correlated to your fitness level. The amount of work you can do in a specific heart rate is. In fact, it’s not recommended to work above 85% (give or take, depending on the person) of your MHR because the risk for injury greatly increases while the added benefit is really marginal.

RHRD – Recovery Heart Rate Differential - is the difference you get when you subtract your heart rate at 1 minute after you stopped exercising from your heart rate right when you stopped exerting yourself. RHRD increases as your fitness improves and may be a great indicator of cardiac health as well.

Why does your heart rate differ in class from one day to another? There are many factors that can affect your heart rate from one minute to the next:
- Cardiac drift
- Rest and diet
- Body temperature or dehydration
- Gravity (BariBOUNCE!) and altitude
- Body position; you’ll notice as soon as you do planks or lay on your back to do abs, your heart rate will lower.
- Heat, humidity
- Equipment or if you’re holding on to extra weight
- Caffeine, drugs and medications
- Emotion, anxiety or nervousness
- Age and gender differences
- Time of day

Heart rate from maximal to recovery is specific to each sport. You cannot expect to know your heart rate in one sport because you know it in another. And in Bari, it goes even further, because it differs by class. Next week we’ll look at Bari’s specific classes and what you should be looking for on the screen in each class.

Stuffed & Grilled Portobellos

‘Tis the season of grilling. We love taking our cooking outdoors because (1) New York kitchens are tiny… and hot (2) grilling is one of the healthiest ways to infuse foods with flavor without relying on fat and (3) grilled vegetables are delicious and should be their own essential food group. These stuffed, grilled portobellos are the perfect way to break in the grill and remind yourself why it will (and should) be your culinary crutch from now through September.

Hungry for more healthy grilling recipes? Come to our Bari Food Society grilling lesson with Chef Dave this Saturday, May 18th, at 3 p.m. To reserve your spot, sign up here!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped plum tomato
• 1/4 cup shredded gruyere
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. freshly chopped rosemary
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 4 medium-large portobello caps (with in-tact, firm rims)
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce, tamari or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. minced parsley

Directions:

1. Lightly oil and heat grill to medium. 
2. Combine tomato, gruyere, olive oil, rosemary and garlic in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Remove and discard mushroom stems. Combine lemon juice, soy sauce (or alternative option) and oil in a small bowl; brush over tops and bottoms of caps.
4. Place the caps, gill side down on the grill and grill for 5 minutes per side.
5. Spoon 1/4 of tomato mixture into each cap. Cover and grill for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Photo via Cooking Light

An edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, chia has more omega-3 fatty acids than the more well-known flax seeds. When added to water and allowed to sit for a few minutes, chia forms gel, which when consumed, slows the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar.

Both asparagus and arugula flood the farmer’s market stands come May. Take advantage of their fairly brief seasonal stints with this fresh and flavorful spring salad. To make it into a meal, consider adding garbanzos, quinoa, or a hard-boiled egg.

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus
⅓ cup pine nuts
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp. freshly squeeze lemon juice, divided
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tbsp. finely chopped basil
1 tsp. raw honey
1 avocado
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
4 cups arugula

Directions:

1. Clean asparagus and pat dry. Holding the tough end of one spear of asparagus, use a vegetable peeler to shave away from your hand toward the tip of the spear. Once you’re left with only the tough ends, you can discard these. Repeat with entire bunch of asparagus.

2. Place the pine nuts into a small skillet over medium heat and toast them for a few minutes till they turn golden brown and aromatic. Be careful not to burn them. Once they’ve turned golden, pour them into a small bowl and reserve.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, basil, honey and a pinch of salt. As you whisk the mixture rapidly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified with the juice mixture. Set aside.

4. Cut the avocado into small cubes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tbsp. lemon juice to keep it from turning brown.

5. In a large salad bowl, combine the arugula, roasted asparagus, toasted pine nuts, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes and dressing. Toss gently until the ingredients are well mixed and well coated. Season the salad with additional salt to taste, if desired.

Our PEELERS are heading into week three of our six-week PEEL to summer challenge. This week, we’re taking on a seven-day real food challenge! We’ve heard from a few of our non-PEELers that  you’d like to join in on the challenge, too. The more the merrier, Tribe.

For the next seven days, we are committed to experiencing an entirely ‘real foods’ diet, and wholly understanding the difference between ‘real’ and processed foods. Here’s our guideline of what fits the bill for real food, as well as what doesn’t.

 What you can eat:

1. Whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry

2. Lots of fruits and vegetables (we recommend that you shop for these at your local farmers’ market)

3. Dairy products like milk, unsweetened yogurt, eggs, and cheese

4. 100% whole-wheat and whole-grains (find a local bakery for approved sandwich bread or find a store-bought bread with fewer than five ingredients and no sugar)

5. Seafood (wild caught is the optimal choice over farm-raised)

6. Only locally raised meats such as pork, beef, and chicken (no more than once per day)

7. Beverages limited to water, milk, fresh-pressed juices, coffee & tea, and, wine and beer (no more than 4 servings throughout the week)

8. Snacks like dried fruit, seeds, nuts and freshly popped popcorn

9. All natural sweeteners including honey, 100% maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrates are acceptable in moderation

What you cannot eat:

1. No refined grains such as white flour or white rice (items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat, not just “wheat”)

2. No refined sweeteners such as sugar, any form of corn syrup, agave nectar, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda3. Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label

4. No deep fried foods

5. No “fast foods”

 A sample day of eating might look like:

Breakfast: Oatmeal topped with fresh berries, chia seeds and almond butter – or  – Two eggs scrambled or pan-fried with a slice of millet bread topped with ¼ avocado, mashed

Snack: Green juice

Lunch: Salad with beans, lots of raw/grilled vegetables, hard-boiled egg, seeds and olive oil and balsamic – or – BariBALANCER

Snack: Hummus and carrot sticks/celery – or – an apple with almond butter

Dinner: Grilled salmon with vegetables and a serving of whole grains; or sushi with brown rice and edamame

Dessert: Popcorn (air-popped) topped with sea salt and nutritional yeast; or a 4-6 oz. glass of wine (we know which option you’re choosing…)

Eat real, Tribe! Keep us posted.

Roasted Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 small onion, sliced
• 2 cups warm vegetable broth
• 1/2 ounce raw cashews (1 heaping tablespoon) or 1 tablespoon cashew butter
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• salt to taste
• grated peel of 1/2 lemon or orange

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Place the asparagus spears on a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Roast for 10 minutes. Turn asparagus and sprinkle the onion and garlic over it. Roast for about 10 more minutes, until asparagus is very tender. If anything looks like it’s browning too much, take it out. (Important Note: These directions are for thicker asparagus. Thin asparagus may take much less time so start with 6 minutes, turn and add onions and garlic, and check again in 5.)
2. While the asparagus is roasting, blend 1/2 cup of the broth with the cashews and pepper until smooth.
3. When the asparagus is done, cut the spears into pieces and put them, along with the onion and garlic into the pot, along with the remaining broth. Blend until smooth.
4. Heat until hot, stirring frequently. Add salt, if needed, to taste.
5. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with grated lemon or orange peel.

Photo via YumSugar