Bella Hadid celebrates the Nike Cortez 45th Anniversary with new campaign

The Nike Cortez, officially released in 1972, is many things: a shining example of Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman’s drive to better equipment for runners, the first Nike to offer visible technology and an endearing pop culture icon.

Over the years the shoe has propelled champion runners, graced silver screens (in a 1994 best picture winner, no less) as well as televisions and become a staple of west coast hip-hop street style.

“The Cortez is an iconic shoe that harkens back to my earliest days in the sport. The shoe allowed me the confidence and support to explore my fullest potential as a young aspiring athlete,” recalls Joan Benoit Samuelson, gold medalist of the first Olympic women’s marathon at the 1984 Los Anglenes games.

 

The first true women’s version of the shoe, the Senorita Cortez, hit market two years later in 1974. The aesthetic and performance retained the hallmarks of the original, and throughout the ’70s enjoyed status as Nike’s best-selling shoe. In 1977, Nike Cortez hit living rooms across the United States via the small screen, helping to solidify icon status among women across the U.S. and beyond.

The Cortez has mixed well with high and low fashion and blended with diverse trends. As evidence, and in celebration of the Cortez’s 45th anniversary, three enthusiasts share their take on the icon.

Andrea Lieberman, Creative Director and Founder A.L.C.

The Cortez is my earliest memory of a sneaker — the classic white with red Swoosh.  It all started when I was coming of age in ’80s New York, becoming obsessed with music, street style and fashion. The obsession became my work, and the Cortez my stylist go-to. It reps NY hip-hop while being Cali at the core, this speaks to the DNA of ALC and is why I’ve chosen to style the Cortez season after season with all our collections. 

Aleali May, Stylist

My dad got me my first pair of Cortez at the Slauson Swap Meet, around when I was 7 or 8, the all black with a white Swoosh. They were super fire though, because I had to wear uniforms at elementary school back in the day. The only way you got to flex was with your shoes.

I was always into sportswear because my family always bought me sneakers. I was so obsessed with ’80’s and ’90’s hip-hop culture. In the ’90s, I was watching films set in L.A. that brought our culture to the wider world. It was all in my neighborhood, too, so I felt like I had a foundation with it.

I’m from South Central L.A., so all I remember is everybody in the hood wearing Cortez. Cortez is just a really L.A. thing for me. Everyone in L.A. who rapped was in the Cortez. That just started a whole movement, obviously.  So that’s what kids saw. They wanted to be cool.

Madeline Poole, Nail Artist and Designer

I got into wearing Cortez after I moved to LA and went to the swap meet with stylist Camille Garmendia. They were her signature shoes. She broke down the history of them to me, and all the colors she had collected. I wonder, how did I get dressed without them before? My favorite pair is the Nai Ke China theme red, white and blue that I’ve worn into the ground, completely destroyed, but I still wear them. I love when something classic is remixed in a way that’s not immediately apparent but just feels slightly special. My style can sway from classic to very eccentric and the things I wear can span many decades of influence. The Cortez is one of the only shoes that can feel simultaneously ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and current. 

The post Bella Hadid celebrates the Nike Cortez 45th Anniversary with new campaign appeared first on Fitness In The City.

source http://fitnessinthecity.com.au/fashion/bella-hadid-celebrates-the-nike-cortez-45th-anniversary-with-new-campaign

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia meets Sporteluxe athleisure

When you hear the words Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia its typically followed by images of slightly emaciated models wearing threads that cost more than a month’s rent… but my friends, this year things played out a little differently.

Ok sure, there were still plenty of lustful clothes from local brands we adore (here’s looking at you Sass & Bide) but what got our attention was the new kids in town, or shall we say, catwalk…

Enter Sporteluxe athleisure and a lot of #fitspo

We’re not talking your everyday tights and sneakers combo; think bold colours, crops with leather jackets and sandals, tracksuits with heels (yes really), layers and neoprene bags – everything you to complete the studio to street look.

Labels incuded Huntrlnd, Tully Lou, Tone Fitness, L’urv, Nimble and Seafolly

And we want it all.

Nimble Activewear

Vera Yan and Katia Santilli founded Nimble Activewear three years ago out of Bondi, and we may have done a little fist pump when we heard of their fashion week debut, where they partnered with Teva sandals to complete the looks.

Driven by the philosophy that truly functional activewear should never come at the expense of style, each Nimble Activewear collection is dedicated to both function and aesthetic. A continued focus on fabric development, garment construction and superior fit ensure a luxuriously smooth hand-feel and garments that move with you through the toughest of workouts. The brand’s signature edgy & feminine aesthetic with sleek designs and innovative prints have also earned it a place as one of Australia’s go-to athleisure choices. The brand has also expanded to incorporate a growing lifestyle range for transitioning from workout to everyday including sweats and outerwear.

Website  + Instagram 

Tully Lou

Tully Lou is a modern day sportluxe activewear brand born in Australia that merges the boundaries between high quality performance activewear with standout, fashion forward streetwear design. The innovative, inspirational and modern designs are the creative dreams of Tully Lou’s designer and creative director, Tully Humphrey who created the label in 2013 as a way to motivate and empower woman to get up and live healthier, happier lives after overcoming an eating disorder herself. When you look good you feel good.

Anything that Tully releases automatically goes into our lust list, and we know you will love their signature pieces too!

Be sure to follow Tully on Insta for daily motivation minus the bulls*hit.

Website + Instagram 

Tone Fitness Apparel

Tone Fitness Apparel was established by Elise, a design styling student from Sydney, with a dream to create activewear for women worldwide. After completing studies in Interior & Styling, she ventured into fashion after her designs were said to be ‘too bright & vibrant for modern day interior spaces.’ After having a design printed onto a pair of leggings, her career was born. She started this brand at just 18 years of age in 2014 and it continues to grow. With international travel, a passion filled studio and an expanding team, our collections have been carefully designed by our colour consultant and fashion design creatives, whose mission is to give the confidence, comfort and versatility needed to reach goals that may have been seen to not be possible. We create looks without limitations. Tone Fitness Apparel fits into all areas of life, from gym to street.

Website + Instagram

Huntrlnd

HUNTRLND is a luxe-wellness brand that specialises in women’s luxury sports & leisure apparel. each collection is designed from start to finish. beginning with a mood concept, this is fleshed out with sketches, colours, and prints to present a beautifully curated collection that converts effortlessly into a stunning store display. emily highfield, HUNTRLND’s co-founder/director, has been a designer in the fashion industry since 2006. during this time she worked for several prominent australian fashion brands, including yeojin bae, white suede and witchery. in 2007, HUNTRLND united with australia’s number 1 ballet company, the australian ballet. drawing on her 18 years of ballet training, highfield designed a capsule collection of luxe activewear specifically tailored to the australian ballet company dancers and their community. the HUNTRLND brand ethos is about continually reinventing yourself; learning and growing each day; living consciously; living with purpose and living with positivity and love.

Website + Instagram

L’urv

L’urv is a boutique sportswear and swimwear label designed for unique and active individuals. Inspired by nature and colour, L’urv is for vitality, creativity and positive living. Based in Melbourne, L’urv was established in 2012 by designer and former athlete Libby Pettit . Identifying the growing demand for original and luxurious sportswear, the collections feature high quality performance fabrications, directional pieces and exclusive prints. The label is stylish and comfortable, extending yoga, fitness as well as dance to your everyday wardrobe. L’urv’s limited edition designs and contemporary colours will make you standout in the fitness crowd – whether you’re at the gym or on the street.

Website + Instagram 

 

Seafolly 

SEAFOLLY’s vision is to become the world’s most iconic swimwear and beach lifestyle brand. Founded in 1975, SEAFOLLY has become synonymous with Australian beach lifestyle – spirited, aspirational and naturally beautiful. There’s no place like the Australian beach and SEAFOLLY has helped shape unforgettable summer moments since its inception. Known for its dedication to fashionability and superior fit, SEAFOLLY continues to set the standard for continuous originality of on-trend swimwear, cover ups, active swim, activewear, accessories and girls’ swimwear. Bold statement prints and colors, flattering specialty fits, fashion-forward fabrications, and thoughtful design details all encapsulate and reflect SEAFOLLY’s love of innovation, quality and authenticity. SEAFOLLY is desirable to women of all ages and sizes, which makes it well known and frequently stocked around the world. The brand’s seasonal marketing campaigns are infamous, featuring world recognisable talent such as Gigi Hadid, Miranda Kerr, Jessica Hart and Shanina Shaik.

Website

*banner image from Tully Lou UPSTATE campaign shop the look here 

The post Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia meets Sporteluxe athleisure appeared first on Fitness In The City.

source http://fitnessinthecity.com.au/fashion/mercedes-benz-fashion-week-australia-meets-sporteluxe-athleisure

What’s the best way to prepare yourself nutritionally before a big race?

With the running season now upon us, accredited sports nutritionist, dietitian and Saucony Australia spokesperson, Pip Taylor, has stopped by to share her insights in nutritional preparation for a long distance run, as well as how applying the concept of mindful eating can help runners reach their PB.

What’s the best way to prepare yourself nutritionally before a big race?

When preparing for a marathon, half-marathon or other long distance run, it is vital to consider the foods you are consuming before and during the training period.

Mindful eating is a concept that echoes aspects of life to encourage self-reflection and self-awareness. This concept promotes greater food freedom, less strict eating rules that are often wrapped with guilt and the notion of foods from a positive or negative outlook, in conjunction with the counting of calories.

It is extremely important to see food as a contributor to your overall wellbeing regarding its effects and how they make you feel. For example, the impact of a sugar filled donut in comparison to a leafy green salad is vastly identifiable. How the sugar-filled donut will affect energy levels and your mood in the long-run, will in turn impact your health.

Being mindful asks that you listen to hunger cues and can effectively distinguish hunger from boredom and stress. Distractions such as eating at your work desk or in front of the TV are not encouraged when being mindful about what you’re eating.

Watch out for “runner’s guts” (the feeling of urgency that hits during exercise) by avoiding the major culprits – fructose, lactose and caffeine. Too much fat and fibre can also rush your gut. If your body is vibrating too much when you are running, this can also cause you to shake your gut, so be sure to choose a good quality running shoe made specifically for runners!

Prior to the race, the mindful approach helps determine when it is necessary to override hunger and meet fuelling or recovery priorities. By recognising cues for overeating or underrating you are developing a healthy relationship with what you are putting into your body.

Mindful eating encourages learning on how to be critical and analytical of external marketing messages on nutrition and fuelling that can lead to uncertainty, doubt and confusion. Overall mindful eating helps balance nutritional requirements for training with an overall satisfaction and enjoyment for food!

Being deliberate and mindful about food and eating allows for a greater consciousness and awareness allowing you to excel in your training and ultimately improve performance.

 

Pip Taylor is an accredited sports nutritionist and dietitian, professional triathlete, author, mother of two and ambassador for Saucony Australia.

Her sporting career spans over 15 years and includes multiple appearances at World Championships representing Australia, multiple World Cup and 70.3 wins, and podium places and victories in other major international triathlon races.

In 2015, Pip published her first book, The Athlete’s Fix: a program for finding your best foods for health and performance. Pip has contributed to countless international publications and websites and provided nutrition communications and consult to companies within the nutrition, health and fitness industries.

 

The post What’s the best way to prepare yourself nutritionally before a big race? appeared first on Fitness In The City.

source http://fitnessinthecity.com.au/nourish/whats-the-best-way-to-prepare-yourself-nutritionally-before-a-big-race

10 crucial tips to prepare you for a half marathon

That Time I Worked For the Sugar Industry…

Hey, I was young. I didn’t know any better!

And the money was good. So, how could I turn it down? As a high school kid, you make money any way you can, even if it’s something you’re not thrilled about.

And that’s how I ended up spending two summers with my older brother Jack working for Coca-Cola, which I talked about on Steve’s Instagram:

That’s right, your boy Steve – a guy who once wrote an article explaining why Sugar is Worse than Jar Jar Binks – used to work for the enemy!

For two summers, my brother and I would wake up at 5AM, put on the sweet Coke polo shirts pictured above, hop into our Coca-Cola cars (old station wagons with Coca-Cola logos on the side), and stock shelves full of Coke products for 50-60+ hours a week on Cape Cod.

Now, hopefully you know that the above “enemy” comment is in jest.

If you happen to be currently employed by Coca-Cola or a company that sells products or services that are unhealthy, I don’t mean to pick on you or your employer…kind of. After all, Coca-Cola is a company that aims to make a profit by selling products that are delicious. I get it. Give me an ice-cold Mexican Coke made with real sugar in a glass bottle on a hot day, and it’s heaven. I also know they donate lots of money to charity, employ thousands, and do plenty of good things, and blah blah blah.

Okay! Now that that’s out of the way…

Twelve years after working indirectly for Big Sugar and seven years after starting Nerd Fitness, I now know just how detrimental sugar can be to our health, and it brings me to the point of today’s article!

We know sugar is bad for us (right? I hope?), but I wasn’t aware just how insidious this stuff has become in society and until I learned the history behind sugar’s rise in our day-to-day lives – and the rise in our obesity rates.

The History of Sugar

The history of sugar is both fascinating and pretty messed up. For starters, in the 1960’s the sugar industry actually paid scientists to downplay the connection between sugar and heart disease and instead promote saturated fat as the culprit.

Screw facts and data; there’s money to be made!

This is how we ended up with hilariously depressing ads like the one below from the 1970’s, touting sugar as a great path to weight loss and healthy living:

If you know anything about sugar, you can’t help but look at that ad and start laughing. “Use sugar to help you BUILD willpower? And NOT overeat.” Seriously!?

Fortunately, these days we’re MUCH better off and way smarter, and silly tricks like that can’t work anymore.

Right?

Wrong! As pointed out in “The Case Against Sugar” by Gary Taubes: “Academic researchers in 2015 were doing the bidding of Coca-Cola by taking its money to fund a Global Energy Balance Network and ‘shift blame for obesity away from bad diets, and instead only focus on not enough exercise.’”

We know here at NF that you can’t outrun your fork (it’s one of our Rules of the Rebellion), and you can’t out-train a bad diet, so telling people to ONLY focus on exercising more without worrying about what you put in your bodies is horrible advice.

Luckily, this group was shut down amidst widespread scrutiny and pressure by the public!

Also, pesky things like “facts” and “experimentation” kept getting in the way.

With all of the information coming out about how unhealthy soda can be in recent years, soda sales have steadily dropped to 30 year lows. This is AWESOME news, but don’t expect Coke and Pepsi to go quietly into the night.

Like any animal or company that’s been cornered or attacked, they’re adapting and fighting to stay relevant.

Thus, the strategy they’ve adopted is marketing “healthy” soda alternatives to find another pathway to connect their sugar water with our bloodstreams.

If you’ve picked up a Vitamin Water, a Naked Juice: Green Machine, or a Smoothie King fruit smoothie lately, and patted yourself on the back for making the healthy choice, your head is in the right place…but your blood sugar level will say otherwise!

These beverages, despite everything you’re told on their labels and what they advertise, are as bad for you (or worse) than drinking a soda:

• 20 oz Vitaminwater Power-C: 120 calories and 31 grams of sugar
• 20 oz Smoothie King “Pure Recharge” Mango Strawberry: 210 calories and 50g of sugar
• 20 oz Naked Juice Green Machine (100% real juice, no sugar added): 270 calories and 53 grams of sugar

At least when you drink a soda you know you’re making an unhealthy choice!

Shame on these other companies for convincing you their products are pure and healthy when they often have as much or more sugar as a can of Coke.

If you’re currently pissed off that you’ve been dutifully chugging Vitaminwater for the past few months instead of soda, assuming it’s healthier, I don’t blame you! The marketing and packaging leave you no choice BUT to assume it’s healthy and good for you.

What’s as funny as it is depressing is that even Coca-Cola executives themselves know their “healthy” marketing of these beverages is horseshit.

In 2015, when taken to court over the unsubstantiated health claims of Vitaminwater, Coca-Cola actually used the following defense (seriously): “No consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking Vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.”

I read that quote and my eyeballs almost fell out of my head. Are you furious yet? I am. Let’s fix it.

How to Not Let Sugar Run Your Life

I get it. Sugar is awesome. It’s delicious and makes us happy…temporarily.

It also makes us fat.

And holy **** is it addicting. It targets the pleasure centers in our brains, and is more available now than it has ever been in the history of our species. Unfortunately, our lizard brains have not adapted to its widespread availability instead of scarcity, which means our bodies can’t say “no” or “just a little.” This means we can ACTUALLY get hooked on the stuff. There are even studies that claim sugar can be as addicting as cocaine.

So the solution is simple: do more cocaine, less sugar!

Hahahaha, kidding. I’m not a doctor, and I don’t currently have pants on as I type this, but my advice would be to probably avoid both sugar and cocaine as much as possible.

Unfortunately, avoiding sugar is more than just giving up soda (though that’s a DAMN good start!). Other problems arise because sugar is in EVERYTHING and often hidden.

Why can’t we just tell the truth, people?

We talk a lot about a nefarious shadow organization making us fatter and lazier in our monthly story-driven adventure, Rising Heroes.

I thought it would be fun to create a dragon to slay. However, when you read that stuff above about:

• scientists being paid off
• calorie sugar bombs being marketed as healthy
• companies claiming “there’s no way anybody could consider these drinks healthy,”

It’s like there really is a conglomeration of bad guys aiming to make us unhealthy.

Here’s how you can fight back. Follow these 4 quick rules to keep sugar from ruining your life:

1) Whenever possible, minimize liquid calories. This includes frappucinos and sodas, but also “real fruit smoothies” and “healthy” Naked Juice drinks, Gatorade, and even things like apple juice, orange juice, grape juice, cranberry juice, etc. Every once in a while? Sure. Just make it a rare treat (“treat yo’ self!”) – you’ll actually enjoy it more and be healthier!

I personally prescribe to the “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy because I have the willpower and restraint of a 5-year kid in a candy store. I don’t keep sugary beverages in my house so I’m not tempted and have to waste willpower trying not to drink them.

I’ve found that drinking sparkling water like LaCroix can really help me THINK I’m drinking soda, and provide me with the same level of happiness and fizzy satisfaction – without the sugar.

To answer your next question: here’s a whole article on “Is Diet Soda bad for me?” High five!

Still here? Good. Here’s a picture of a puppy:

Okay, back to business.

2) Don’t trust the front of the label, and learn to recognize sugar’s aliases. A label is required to list ingredients by amount, so by adding multiple types of sugar with weird names, a company can get away with moving sugar down the list.

Look for the following names: Agave nectar, Brown sugar, Cane crystals, Cane sugar, Corn sweetener, Corn syrup, Crystalline fructose, Dextrose, Evaporated cane juice, Organic evaporated cane juice, Fructose, Fruit juice concentrate, Glucose, High-fructose corn syrup, Honey, Invert sugar, Lactose, Maltose, Malt syrup, Molasses, Raw sugar, Sucrose, Sugar Syrup.

If you only look at two numbers on the back of a box, look at grams of sugar and total calories. You want minimal sugar and fewer calories. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Do the best you can!

Oh, and if a product says “no sugar added” on the front of it, you can bet your life savings on it having a RIDICULOUS amount of sugar.

Note: please don’t bet your life savings on this.

3) Be skeptical, because sugar is in practically everything. When in doubt, eat things with fewer ingredients. We consume 130 pounds of sugar per year on average (holy crap), which means the white stuff in in way more foods than we realize. Not just candy and soda, but practically everything.

Nature Valley Granola Bars? Plenty of sugar. In fact, most “protein bars” have tons of sugar. And, until outraged customers complained, “Nature Valley” Granola Bars were made with high fructose corn syrup. Mmmm, nature.

Pasta sauce? Should just be tomatoes right? Nope. Add in heaping tablespoons of high fructose corn syrup too and you’re getting closer.

Wheat bread? That’s gotta be healthy, right? Check the ingredients. I bet one of the top 5 is “high fructose corn syrup” too.

Hell, look at what’s advertised as a “balanced breakfast” these days on TV! Cereal and skim milk, fruit, a glass of orange juice, and toast. Or, in other words: sugar and sugar water, sugar, sugar water, and pile-o-carbs.

4) Track your sugar intake, and minimize it over time. As I cover in “Star Wars Explains Why We’re Fat,” everybody has a different amount of “gimme gimme gimme” in our brains that craves instant gratification.

This means we all have different abilities to get addicted to things, including sugar. Some people can eat sugar (or have one drink, or try drugs) and not get hooked, while others struggle with addiction instantly – once is enough to get hooked for life.

This comic explains human behavior and addiction quite well…with dinosaurs.

If you are somebody who is actually hooked on sugar, start by tracking your sugar intake each day (actually look up the sugar content of everything you consume!), and see how many grams you’re eating every day. Don’t worry about total numbers, just focus on eating less sugar than the day before. Repeat.

Michael Pollan, author of the Omnivore’s Dilemma said it succinctly: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” Eat real food (meat, vegetables, unprocessed stuff), keep your calorie total down, and stick to mostly plants along with healthy protein. Done!

We’ll continue digging into this battle against Big Sugar, shadow organizations, and false advertising in future posts. It’s amazing how heavily the deck is stacked against us when we try to be healthy, and how tough it is to find the actual truth!

I have no problem with sugar and people making choices that don’t line up with their health goals occasionally.

What really grinds my gears is when sugar is snuck into products and falsely marketed as healthy. We’re going to fight, and it starts by educating ourselves on how much sugar we’re actually eating.

Over the next week, your mission is to read the labels on the food and beverages you’re consuming. Specifically keep an eye on how many grams of sugar you’re consuming. Then over the next few weeks, try to drop that amount down by 10% each week. And then let me know how you did!

I want to hear from you: did you find this post useful? Hit reply and let me know if this article is actually gonna help you start to remove more sugar from your life!

-Steve

PS: We’ve recently overhauled our monthly story-driven experience, Rising Heroes. We’ll be opening doors for it next Monday, a few weeks later than normal – if you were waiting to get in, sorry for the delay. I promise it’ll be worth it – we’ve unrolled some big updates! 🙂

PPS: If you want to learn about the history of sugar and a contrarian viewpoint to “calories in, calories out no matter what they are,” check out Taube’s book “The Case Against Sugar.” It’s thought provoking and entertaining.

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photo credit: Julien.Belli: Always Coca-Cola, wuestenigel: Macro of Decoration Crystals

source https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/sugar-industry/