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For our second guest blog post, we asked Makenzie Lewendal, local health and wellness expert and rockstar athlete, what she eats to fuel and recover from her sweat sessions, since what you eat before and after your workout is just as important as the workout itself. Let her help you make the most of your Zephyr rides – we promise she’s got you covered. We’ll let her take it from here!

Cycling is no joke!! Am I right?! I know for me, cycling is one of the only cardio workouts where I am pushed beyond what I ever thought I was capable of. Between sprinting on the flats, the resistance of the climbs and the endless sweat dripping from every inch of my body…I surprisingly leave feeling more refreshed than when I arrived. But, to get the most out of every ride, it is critical to fuel your body. This leaves you ready to hop right back on the saddle the next day – pun intended!

So who am I? My name is Makenzie Lewendal. I like to say I have one of the best jobs around. I get to help people with two of their biggest investments – their health and their homes. My husband and I are Bozeman natives who own a local real estate company. While helping people buy and sell homes is a passion of mine, health and wellness are right up there, maybe even trumping real estate (shhhhh! Don’t tell anyone). I nerd out reading nutrition books, cookbooks, and experimenting how to take recipes I love and turn them into healthier versions.

But, that’s enough about me! I’m here to talk about what your body needs for a cardio based workout. Let’s start with how to fuel your body before you hit the bike.

How to fuel your body: To eat or not to eat before a workout?

This seems to be the million-dollar question.  My answer…you have to experiment with what works best for you! We are all different and our bodies respond in different ways. If you’re someone who needs to put a little gas in the tank before a sweat sesh, make sure you eat a small snack 30-45 minutes prior. Choose a snack that is composed of low glycemic index carbs and protein, such as half a banana with a tablespoon of almond butter or whole grain toast with a tablespoon of almond butter. The carbs provide energy and the protein protects your muscles. Lastly – hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Good hydration, good circulation, good performance

Now if 5:00 a.m. rolls around and you aren’t hungry…I feel ya!! Countless people have told me “You have to eat before a workout.” I’m here to tell you I have experimented with both and working out on an empty stomach is what works best for me – but I do have a little secret. Hello supplements. Having a good quality supplement before working out will aid in energy and help you maximize workouts without having to eat.  My go-to’s for a morning workout are branch chain amino acids (I take a product called Catalyst) which help put a “protective shield” over my muscles.  This helps use fat for fuel instead of grabbing muscle for fuel. And, beets! My other go-to. Beets have been proven to help relax blood vessels, which allows for better blood flow to working muscles. I take this in supplement form as well, because let’s get real, nobody wants to take a shot of beet juice in the morning…or ever.

Dripping sweat, out of breath, but on top of the world – now it’s time to recover.

Helping your body recover is just as important as fueling your body. You have four critical steps after a workout. Replenish, refuel, stretch and sleep. Sweating is your body’s built-in AC unit.  Very effective, but needs a little love. Make sure you rehydrate with water and electrolytes after a sweat sesh. Also, make sure you are eating a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein or 1:1 depending on your goals within 30 minutes after wrapping up a workout. This aids in fueling the muscles that just carried you through an intense workout.

Stretching and sleep are often put on the backburner when it comes to talking about recovery.  Muscle soreness is one of the top reasons people skip workouts…stretching and foam rolling help relieve pain and lengthen your muscles!! Win-win. And finally, sleep! Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep a night!  I typically take a supplement full of magnesium and a combo of adaptogens to assist my body in recovering while I sleep.

Sleep, recover, repair, crush tomorrow’s work out!

Phew…that was a lot of information! Thanks for hanging on and absorbing it all!  If this post stirred up any questions, please reach out to me! My email address is makenzie@lewendal.com.  I would love for you to follow along with my housing and nutrition journey on Instagram as well. You can find me under @makenzielewendal.

Want more advice from Makenzie?

Join her at one of our partner studios, Pure Barre Bozeman, on Saturday, November 18th at 11:30 a.m. to participate in an interactive workshop to help you learn how to live a balanced lifestyle and take the confusion out of a hotly debated food group – carbohydrates. This workshop will give you a hands on approach to learn how to balance proteins, carbs and fats to help you achieve your goals.

Chelsea Stewart, owner of Zuri Salon and founder of the blog Lipstick Lunges Life, has two early morning priorities: getting in a sweat-drenched workout and being able to get ready (read: look amazing!) quickly so that her time spent getting ready for work doesn’t cut into the time she spends working out. Turns out, she’s an expert at it! In our first guest blog post, Chelsea shares her top tips for going from sweaty to street-ready in a matter of minutes (yes, really!). Read on and check out her quick “how to” video at the bottom of her post!

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://zephyrcyclingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Screen-Shot-2017-09-01-at-6.43.42-PM.png[/author_image] [author_info]Chelsea Stewart lives with her amazing husband in beautiful Bozeman, Montana. She is inspired by kindness, a lover of fitness, believer in possibilities, motivated by love and driven by passion. She believes in following your passion, spreading your spark and leaving this world better then you found it. She is a hairstylist and certified personal trainer with an entrepreneurial spirit. She currently owns a salon and a wine and cheese tasting room with her husband in Bozeman. Her mission is to inspire women to be the best versions of themselves both mentally and physically.[/author_info] [/author]

As an avid fitness enthusiast and also a beauty professional I know that TIME plays a big factor when determining whether or not to workout. As women we think that to go to the gym, get a ‘sufficient’ workout and get ready for work, school, errands or a party will take us a minimum of 2 hours.

I used to be trapped in this mindset too. I would wake up extremely early just so I would have time to fit it all in before I went to work. I was sick of being a slave to my beauty routine and having it interfere with my workout or fitness class I wanted to attend so I made it my mission to find a better way and discover along the way that, ready for this? I LOVE MY HAIR DIRTY – especially from sweat. Think I’m nuts? Okay, but think about how much money we as women spend on texture sprays (many of them being sea salt texture sprays). Isn’t that what sweat is – a salty texture product?! If you learn how to work with sweat, it can be your best friend and help you achieve bangin’ hair in a fraction of the time. I love that I can workout, use the sweat in my hair to my advantage and still have it look “done.”

OK, so your ready to give this sweaty hair styling a try?

First things first: the less you wash your hair, the less oil your scalp will produce.

In my salon, women tell me all the time that they HAVE to wash their hair daily or it gets greasy. I get it – I’ve been there, but before you are stuck in that belief, just TRY two weeks of washing your hair every other day and substituting with dry shampoo on the no wash days. I bet you will surprise yourself. Here are my top 6 tips for using sweat as your best accessory:

Check out Chelsea in early morning action here!

Team Zephyr is growing and we are so excited to welcome two new ladies to the crew – Marge Ramsden (on the left) and Allie Haag. If they look familiar, that’s because they’ve been riding at the studio almost since it opened. Their knowledge of the Zephyr style, excellent taste in music, and genuine, bright energy make them fantastic additions to our team. Read on to learn a little bit more about them, then catch their rides at the studio this week and beyond!

What inspired you to become an instructor at Zephyr?

Marge Ramsden: Ever since I found spinning, I knew I wanted to teach it. A fantastic instructor can curate a playlist that makes you want to move and sweat and Zephyr has inspiring instructors. Once I saw what they were doing, I wanted to learn from them!

Allie Haag: I have played piano since I was 8 and music has always been a major part of my every day. I also grew up running, skiing, and playing sports throughout my whole childhood. When I came to college, I struggled to find a healthy relationship with exercise. I realized that I was missing the community aspect that I had gained through sports and skiing with my friends. When I walked into Zephyr, I knew that I had found a place that combined both the community and musical aspects of working out and I was hooked. The music motivates me to push myself further than I thought I could and the Zephyr community creates an energy like no other studio I have been to. I left my first few classes feeling renewed and wanted to spread that energy to others. Teaching at Zephyr allows me to guide people to a place of happy and calm that they may have not gotten anywhere else. I am so honored to be a part of that!

Where can we find you when you’re not at Zephyr?

AH: I am a senior engineering student at Montana State University, so you will currently find me at school majority of the time. When I am not at school, you can find me on any of the rivers in the area fly fishing or in Big Sky hiking and skiing. No matter what I am doing, you can usually find my dog, Sage, right along with me.

MR: During the day, I am a middle school teacher at the Children’s Museum. I teach classes in programming, electronics, robotics and 3D printing! When I am not teaching, you can find me playing outside with my 5 month old golden retriever Nellie, hiking, or skiing.

Music is an integral part of the Zephyr experience – what kinds will riders hear in your classes?

MR: I love 80s grooves, dance anthems and modern pop music.

AH: I remember my Dad playing everything from jazz to rap as a child. I grew up loving all types of music, so I try and incorporate many styles of music into each playlist. I am really drawn to alternative and rock music, but I do love a good country or pop song. I know that everyone in class is motivated by different types of music, so I try to hit on each throughout my ride.

Sprints, hills, runs, intervals – what are some of your favorite parts of a Zephyr ride and why?

AH: I am a cardio lover, so I love to sprint and run during my Zephyr ride. Going fast is so much fun, but it’s also an area that I am very comfortable with. I have a love/hate relationship with hills and intervals. They push me out of that comfort zone but when I do more of these exercises, I get stronger so much faster. I also leave the bike feeling so much more accomplished when I have pushed my body to a new limit on a hill. So, I guess a good balance of sprints, intervals, hills, and runs is what I love in a Zephyr ride.

MR: I love hills with well-chosen songs – I find that I push myself that much harder when I am trying to stay with a loud beat.

What would your advice be to someone who has never taken a Zephyr class before but is curious to try one?

MR: Don’t be nervous! The music is chosen to make you want to move and as you improve it will become easier to push yourself and learn the movements. Just come in and seek the joy in the music!

AH: Come in and try it at least one time. The group setting may seem intimidating but once you are in the class, it is truly an individual experience. So much of the work is controlled by the student, so no matter your physical level, everyone will leave sweaty and have gotten a good workout. The community at Zephyr makes sure each person feels at home and welcomed. Most importantly, I have always left with a smile and a refreshed, positive attitude towards the day (and who doesn’t want that!).

You can catch Marge on Wednesdays at 2 p.m., Thursdays at 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 7 a.m. Rock out to one of her recent playlists here. Allie teaches on Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m., Fridays at 5:30 a.m., and Saturdays at 10 a.m. We love this playlist of hers!