Boston Elite by Michelle Tacchi

May | 2016

38 T i t l e

EVERYONE IS INVITED BUT NOT EVERYONE WILL

SHOW UP

Boston

elite

President and Publisher Michelle Tacchi Editor Simeon Bergen Executive Editor Gwyneth Tacchi Managing Editor Kaitlyn Manlove Contributing Editors Austin Speer, Kathryn Coppolino, Clarissa Garfield, Daniel Sussman, Amos Bergen, Cassidy Johnson, Jack Tacchi Assistant to the Publisher/ Rights and Reprints Melissa Jesser Brittney Tacchi, Senior Accountant Noah Snyder, Office Manager Crystal Wegner, Staff Sales Representativeâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Book Publishing, Art, and Culture Lisa Finch Advertising Sales (508)838-6330; Fax: (212) 260-1096 Production & Advertising Services Manager Lydia Bergen Sales Representatives (Boston) MassArt Resources, Inc. (630) 858-1558; Fax: (630) 858-1510 Magazine Design Boston, MA

5.6.16 2015 | Volume 1 | No. 1

CONTENTS

The Harvard of Football April 16th, 2015 Harvard football has never had a season like this one. WSJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Matthew Futterman and Tanya Rivero discuss why and how Harvard University is now the Harvard of college football.

Drink Fit May 30th, 2015 We all know Boston has a bar scene like no other. This article features some of the top rated low-calorie drinks so you can enjoy your night out without destroying your workout.

Opening Day in Boston March 25th, 2015 We need to know that winter really is over. We need baseball. We need the Red Sox, even if they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have an ace and finished in last place in two of the last three seasons.

Boston

elite

May 2016

From the Publisher

Musings from the publisher

Kickboxing

Boston’s favorite hot spot

Contributors

This issue’s team of writers

Boston College An epic defeat

Top Tweets

Favorite tweets of the month

Triathalon

Celtics Autograph Bradley & Sullinger in Copley Square

Boston’s 20th annual race

28 Get in the Zone

CrossFit An interview with a Boston coach

Advice on how to focus in a workout

Workout Playlist

Pick Up Up-coming pick-up leagues you don’t want to miss

Favorite tweets of the month

Nike Town

The grand opening on Newbury St.

November Project Player Spotlight

Boston Elite

EDITOR’S LETTER

MIKI TACCHI

The idea for Boston Elite started when I was in a Walgreen’s in the middle of Boston. I was on my way to work, dressed in my running clothes with headphones in my ears. The only time I have to work out during the week is on my way to work- so yes, I run there. I was checking out a knee brace at the register (due to a recent injury) when the magazines caught my eye. Of the athletic magazines, there were Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health, and Shape Magazine; none of which appealed to me- a 22 year old female athlete who lives in Boston.

“There were Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health, and Shape Magazine; none of which appealed to me—a 22 year old female athlete who lives in Boston.” That’s when it hit me. Why not create a magazine with a young adult, athletic demographic. Even better, why not create a magazine that is specific to Boston, and appeals to both male and female? Would it be possible? Boston Elite is dedicated to accomplishing

these goals. Whether you want to read it fast and on the go, or cherish every word and caption, we promise you will appreciate what’s inside. We believe that it is time to recognize that no matter what gender you associate yourself with, if you are an athlete, you are an athlete. Boston Elite is a sports media franchise narrowing in specifically on sports teams in and around the Boston area. In addition to focusing on professional teams like the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots, Boston Elite also gives readers insight on college teams as well as athletic events for the general public happening in the area. The magazine is published monthly, printed in color, and distributed in the New England area. We are extremely excited to say that since our first publication, we have gained publicity and have been reached out to by other cities such as Chicago, Seattle, and San Diego. Currently, we are expanding to Chicago, IL and designing Chicago Elite. We are especially excited for what the future holds. Thanks so much for reading. Enjoy and stay fit!

There is group support, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free, there are positivity awards. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got everything a Millennial is looking for.

THE NOVEMBER PROJECT

By Christopher Muther

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Turn to the person next to you and give them a hug.â&#x20AC;? Members of the crowd, many sporting bed heads and unshaven faces, dutifully turn and hug their neighbors. Then they begin a grueling workout of running up and down scores of stadium steps for the next hour.

Boston Elite

This is where the story begins.. This is where the movement was born.

n the pre-dawn chill at Harvard Stadium, nearly 100 groggy fitness enthusiasts look up when a voice bellows: “Turn to the person next to you and give them a hug.”

Members of the crowd, many sporting bed heads and unshaven faces, dutifully turn and hug their neighbors. Then they begin a grueling workout of running up and down scores of stadium steps for the next hour.

Hundreds of locals are turning out three times a week at 6:30 a.m. to hug and socialize before running stadium steps, sprinting up hills, or knocking out a muscle-searing series of sit-ups and push-ups. The group is called the NovemberProject, and the organizers liken it a “grassroots morning workout tribe.” There’s no instructor, no pressure, and members heartily cheer each other on. It’s not about winning, it’s about participating. The fledgling fitness group is free and open to all ages, but most participants are in their 20s and early 30s, which is fitting, say experts who study the generation, known as Gen Y or Millennials. Could it be that the every-kid-gets-a-trophy ethos they grew up with is becoming part of adult culture? “This is so totally Millennial and so different from how every other generation dealt with exercise,” says Michael Hais, coauthor of the book “Millennial Momentum.” “There is group support, it’s free, there are positivity awards. It’s got everything a Millennial is looking for.”

The November Project

MONDAY #DestinationDeck @6:30am

WEDNESDAY Stadium @6:30am

FRIDAY Hills @6:30am

Athletes at Harvard Satdium

By MATTHEW FUTTERMAN Harvard football has never had a season like this one. WSJ's Matthew Futterman and Tanya Rivero discuss why and how Harvard University is now the Harvard of college football.

the

HARVARD of football

Boston Elite

The players lined up before the big game against Yale

“Harvard football has never had a season like this one.”

arvard quarterback, Conner Hempel, remembers what he was wearing the day in the spring of 2010 when an assistant football coach from Harvard showed up at his Kentucky High School offering to change his life.

“Jeans and a long-sleeve white T-shirt,” Hempel says. “If I’d known someone from Harvard was coming, I might have dressed up a little.” It was the spring of 2010 and Hempel, a 6-foot3, 210- pound prospect, was considering a collection of regional football programs: Miami (Ohio), Toledo, Bowling Green, Western Kentucky. He’d never thought about playing Ivy League football, or that one of the world’s most prestigious universities might have any interest in him. Like everyone he knew in Kentucky and the college-football-mad South, Hempel assumed Harvard was all about academics. With Harvard’s 2014 football team one win away from an undefeated season and its third Ivy League championship in four years, and a roster that includes several NFL prospects and hopefuls, Hempel now knows better.

The Harvard of Football

The Harvard football team defeated Brown, 22-14, Sept. 27.

“We’re all about athletics as well,” he says. Harvard football has never had a season like this one, as the college uses aggressive new financial-aid packages, generous donors and its hallowed reputation to tap into reservoirs of talent from all over. The roster includes 13 players from Texas, 13 from Georgia and even a freshman from the football powerhouse De La Salle High School of Concord, Calif. The Crimson are 9-0 overall, and 6-0 in the Ivy League. They dominated nonconference opponents Holy Cross, Georgetown and Lafayette. Harvard has outscored opponents 197-64 in the Ivy League and 296-99 overall. The team features the top-ranked defense, measured by points-allowed a game, in NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision, the second tier of major Divison I football, and the second-best rushing defense in the FCS. This is not the team Ted Kennedy played for. “It’s as legitimate a defense as I can remember in the Ivy League,” said Cornell coach David Archer, whose Big Red lost 24-7 to the Crimson in October. That result looks pretty good com-

By 1997, Harvard was the champion of the Ivies for the first time in a decade. The following year, the Minnesota Vikings selected offensive lineman Matt Birk in the sixth round of the NFL draft, the first Harvard player taken in the draft since 1989. Since Birk, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has started for five NFL teams since 2005. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk, a 2013 graduate, plays nearly half the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive snaps.

“National Championship,” something Harvard athletes regularly compete for in every sport from basketball and hockey to fencing.

Harvard Flag outside Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell Field

The Harvard of Football

Scott Hosch playing for the injured Hempel, scored 17 unanswered points to win 34-24. At the very least, while Ivy League football teams have always spurned postseason play because it could interfere with final exams, should its football teams now have the chance to compete in the FCS playoffs? The FCS, formerly known as Division I-AA, holds a postseason tournament among its top 24 teams, with the winner claiming a “national championship,” something Harvard athletes regularly compete for in every sport from basketball and hockey to fencing. “It’s a very interesting discussion, and a discussion that often comes up,” said Brian Hehir, chairman of the Friends of Harvard Football, an alumni fundraising group, and the captain of the 1974 team. Like head coach Tim Murphy and countless Harvard alums, Hehir views this year’s nationally televised season-ending game against a 140-year rival like Yale at a packed Harvard Stadium (capacity 30,000) as a unique capstone to a season, with the conference championship on the line. ESPN is even bringing its College GameDay show to the banks of the Charles this Saturday, giving the game a measure of big-time atmosphere that is often lacking on campus. Just once this season was Harvard Stadium even half-full for a game.

“Roughly 70% of students at Harvard receive aid, and 20% attend free.” pic coverage and an All-Ivy League defensive lineman for Harvard in 1988, said he often watches games and thinks he’d “probably get killed” if he tried to play today. Schools like Stanford and Notre Dame long ago proved that top-notch football can prosper in a prestigious academic institution. Likewise, the level of all Ivy League athletes has risen significantly the past 25 years, as the schools have begun to put more emphasis on producing elite teams to go along with world-class academics.

“They are bigger, faster, taller, stronger and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” Yet Hehir also can’t help but wonder how the Crimson would fare against the rest of college football now that the players are virtually unrecognizable from the teammates of his day. “They are bigger, faster, taller, stronger and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound,” he says. The offensive line, led by the 6-foot-7, 295-pound junior tackle Cole Toner, an NFL prospect, averages 6-foot-5 and 287 pounds. Jim Bell, the executive producer of NBC’s Olym-

Coach Tim Murphy “That is opening the doors for a lot of first-generation college students, including many students from all across the country, and some of those are also athletes,” said Robin Harris, executive director of the Ivy League.

Boston Elite

For years, the Ivy League appeared hamstrung because they don’t provide athletic scholarships, choosing to award financial aid based only on need.

“...if you’re not able to make the pros then you are going to be able to say, I have a degree from the greatest academic institution in the world.” During the past decade though, the eight historic universities —Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Penn— have drawn on their multibillion endowments and investment income to expand financial aid. “That is opening the doors for a lot of first-generation college students, including many

students from all across the country, and some of those are also athletes,” said Robin Harris, executive director of the Ivy League. At Harvard, the wealthiest of the Ivies, children from families with incomes under $65,000 pay nothing for tuition, room and board, while those from families with incomes of $65,000$150,000 can be asked to contribute 0-10% of their family’s income. That figure can drop further if a student has siblings in college or other extenuating circumstances. The university doesn’t factor in a family’s home equity or retirement assets in assessing need, an unusual practice. Roughly 70% of students at Harvard receive aid, and 20% attend free. The school does not break out the figures for its athletic teams. The generosity has allowed Harvard to turn what had historically been a disadvantage into an advantage when it comes to recruiting the small pool of terrific athletes who can also meet the academic standards of the Ivy League. Bob

Walking onto O’Donnell Field

Here’s where the value comes from: Athletes gain admission to a world-renowned university, and if they get injured or decide during their third day, their third week or their third year that they don’t feel like playing football or field hockey or tennis anymore, they don’t lose the financial commitment the university has made to them.“The chances of becoming a professional are so small,” Scalise said. “If it works out for you, then great, but if you’re not able to make the pros then you are going to be able to say, I have a degree from the greatest academic institution in the world.”

The Harvard of Football

Scalise insisted Harvard isn’t winning because it is raising and spending more money than its competitors, and it doesn’t feel the need to be a gridiron power like Stanford. “We probably could be, but I don’t know if we want to be,” he said.Perhaps more integral to the success than the financial aid and the recruiting efforts, however, is a clear decision on Harvard’s part the past two decades that it wants to be really good at sports, even in the ultracompetitive world of men’s football. The shift in thinking has its roots in the 1991 decision by the Ivy League presidents to eliminate freshman football. The Harvard football team defeated Brown, 22-14, Sept. 27

Scalise, Harvard’s athletic director, argues that Harvard’s aid packages are now more valuable than any Division I athletic scholarship, even though Harvard doesn’t yet have the record of producing pro athletes at the rate of some of its non-Ivy League peers. In addition, Hehir’s fundraising efforts have helped Harvard spare few expenses when it comes to spreading its message. The Friends of Harvard Football help cover significant costs for Harvard coaches to travel across the country to find and recruit good, smart players and pay for them to make official visits to the campus. Private colleges don’t generally report recruiting expenses for each sport. However, according to federal filings, Harvard spent $776,000 on recruiting for men’s sports, in 2013-14. Only Princeton, which has long striven to be the Ivy League’s athletic power, and Columbia, which is pursuing a major rebuilding effort, spent more among Ivy rivals.

Murphy said he wants to play more games in California and elsewhere in the country so Harvard football can begin to gain a national profile.

Boston Elite

“It’s always been a dream of mine,” Stanton said. “I don’t think you give that up just because you go to Harvard. I think it might even help you because these teams know how hard it is for us to balance football with school.” Stanton has plenty of company, including Hempel, who, for a third consecutive year was among about 50 players who remained on campus for the summer. Along with the rest of the summer holdovers, he began two hours of lifting and running around 6 a.m. He then spent the day doing an internship at asset-management firm Hellman, Jordan. In the evenings he returned to the athletic complex. NCAA rules limit football coaches’ involvement with summer practices. No matter—Hempel and his receivers handle it on their own. He plans to take off next semester to train full-time and give the NFL his best shot. Like nearly every one of his teammates, he says the only thing missing from his college career has been the chance to compete against the best, or at least being one of the 24 teams in the FCS postseason tournament. “It’s kind of unfortunate we don’t,” said Anthony Firkser, a sophomore tight end majoring in applied math and economics.

The Harvard of Football

Harvard defeats Yale 31-24

Boston Elite

BOSTON CROS FIT Head Coach Talks Heavy Deadlifts & Healthy Eats by CAROLINE EARLE

After my intense workouts it’s important that I provide my body the right micronutrients, vitamins and minerals to recover and be able to crush it the next day all over again.

fter competing this past weekend in the Kill Cliff East Coast Championships, Boston-bred athlete Austin Malleolo took a break from back squatting to chat with BostInno. After being the head coach at Reebok Crossfit One for several years, Austin is now the head coach and proud owner of a brand new facility Crossfit ONE Nation. This two-time CrossFit Games athlete is also currently working on the Crossfit HQ seminar staff as well.

Finishing in 7th place at the KCECC, Malleolo and his teammates competed alongside the legends of the sport two-time Games champion Annie Thorisdottir and four-time Games champion Rich Froning. So let’s get to know this local Bostonian who can do 65 pull ups in a row and deadlift 570 lb.

Caroline Earle:

How did you originally get involved in CrossFit? Austin Malleolo: I was a personal trainer at a ‘normal globo gym’ and I was told about CrossFit and that I had to try this workout, “Fran.” I did it, it destroyed me and I was hooked! CE: What is your favorite lift? What is your least favorite? AM: I love to deadlift. The power snatch is the bane of my existence. CE: How do you typically fuel post-workout? AM: I love eating real, whole foods if I can. And I always have a Kill Cliff Tasty — it is the best! When I’m on the road sometimes it’s just a Kill Cliff Recovery Drink. After my intense workouts it’s important that I provide my body the right micronutrients, vitamins and minerals to recover and be able to crush it the next day all over again. They [Kill Cliff] let us try the new flavor Berry Legit this past weekend — it tastes like lemonade mixed with blackberries — this might be my new favorite. CE: Aside from CrossFit, are there any cross-training workouts you

enjoy? AM: I swim and run, which is all part of what we do in CrossFit as well! CE: If you weren't involved in CrossFit, what would your profession be? AM: That’s a scary thing to think about, as all I do is CrossFit. I do what I love and [I’m] lucky to do it every day!

Boston Elite

Austin Malleolo

By SHIRLEY JU In a society where people assume the strongest athletes are men, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found this to be untrue. Here are five athletes we find insanely inspiring, who have worked their asses off to get to where they are now.

GIRL MEETS STRONG

Boston Elite

1 WILLIAMS SERENA

This should come as no surprise. One look at her physique and it’s pretty much self-explanatory as to why we look up to Serena. Serena Williams most recently earned Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year award. That achievement alone shows her outstanding success as an athlete. She is the true definition of “hard work pays off.” In fact, she is only the third female to obtain this honor.

2 MOORE MOORE MAYA MAYA

In today’s society, the WNBA is undoubtedly overshadowed by the NBA, but that doesn’t stop the players from pursuing their dreams, particularly Maya Moore. This 26 year old from Atlanta, Georgia attended University of Connecticut. There, she lead her team to win back to back national championships in 2009 and 2010. With Maya on their roster, the team set the NCAA record by winning 90 games in a row. 90! She was immediately drafted by the Minnesota Lynx and earned WNBA’s Rookie of the Year.

Girl Meets Strong

I just don’t have time to be brought down. I have too many things to do, you know. Serena Williams

3 ROUSEY

RONDA

Yeah yeah, we know Ronda Rousey lost to Holly Holm in one of the most shocking knockouts to this day. Seriously, one kick to the face, and Ronda’s career seems to have flashed before our eyes. However, prior to that fight, you wouldn’t have thought twice about where this female UFC fighter stands. In this past month, she was named UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. Earlier this year, she was ranked the most dominant active athlete by two magazines. Winning or losing, she’s still a powerhouse and a serious badass.

Boston Elite

ABBY 4

WAMBACH

Women’s professional soccer player Abby Wambach has had an amazing run. From playing on the field to coaching, Amy does it all. She was named FiFA’s World Cup champion, holding the record of most goals scored. This goes for men too. Take one look at her statistics, and it’s no wonder how she got there. Abby started playing at the age of 4, and never thought this would be her career.

We went back to the old school, old American way. Work ethic, work hard, defend together; and the attack just worked itself out. Abby Wambach

Girl Meets Strong

If I quit now, what does that say about me? I have to get back on track. I have to just toughen up and get my rythm back. Lolo Jones

5 JONES

LOLO

girlmeetsstrong.com

Track and field usually means endless hours of running and training, working each day to beat your own PR (personal record). Every day, you are your own competition. Lolo Jones is a pro at getting out there, day after day.

We need to know that winter really is over. We need baseball. We need the Red Sox. An article by DAN SHAUGHNESSY

Boston Elite

PHILADELPHIA — There are still mountains and molehills of crusty, dirty, chemically treated snow on sun-starved embankments and in dark driveway corners. Folks who fell off roofs trying to chisel ice dams are still hopping around on crutches. High school kids are taking grounders on gymnasium floors and some desperate homeowners have taken to planting plastic flowers just to make it look like a normal spring. This is why baseball and the Red Sox matter this year more than most. We have just endured the worst winter of our lives — a season of snow, wind, and cold that motivated many to make plans to flee to Florida next February — and there is unusual hunger for green grass, warm days, and the daily, sometimes wacky narrative of the Boston baseball team. “I don’t think the significance of Opening Day ever diminishes,’’ Red Sox manager John Farrell said Sunday as his team prepared to launch its 115th season on Monday at Citizens Bank Park at 3:05 p.m. “Hopefully it means the winter weather of Boston is gone.’’

This is why baseball and the Red Sox matter this year more than most. We have just endured the worst winter of our lives.

The fans enjoying opening day at Fenway Park

Opening Day

Big Papi reminds us all that this is our f**ing city

Through the decades, baseball scribes have celebrated the cycle of the sport, ever-insisting that America’s national pastime truly is a metaphor for life. The estimable Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post wrote a book entitled, “Why Time Begins on Opening Day.’’ And this year, it’s true. More than ever. New England needs the Red Sox. The wood bin for the hot stove is empty. We need to know that there will be lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer and hot August nights. There will be box scores in the paper (and online). We once again will hear Don Orsillo and the RemDawg getting silly in the booth, and the obvious disappointment in Joe Castiglione’s voice when he cuts. to com-

We need to know that there will be lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer and hot August nights. There will be box scores in the paper (and online). We once again will hear Don Orsillo and the RemDawg getting silly in the booth, and the obvious disappointment in Joe Castiglione’s voice when he cuts to commercial after David Ortiz has struck out with the bases loaded.

Boston Elite

No one knows quite what to make of this 2015 edition of the local nine. Prognostications are all over the map. The team payroll is more than $200 million, easily one of the top five in the game. The Sox went out and spent money on free agent hitters Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, but they stopped short when it came to pitching. They are intent on proving they can win without an ace, and the sudden softness of the American League East almost assures that they will be better than they were last year. They could contend. Sports Illustrated and USA Today are among the national publications that project the Sox to win the division, and Vegas sets them at 86.5 wins, best in the AL East. But they also have been picked as low as fourth by some experts, and it would be fair to say the Sox were not trending upward at the end of spring training. They open the season with their young catcher lost for the season (Christian Vazquez had Tommy John surgery last week) and their 40-year-old closer on the disabled list (Koji Uehara, hamstring). They have a raft of No. 3 starters, beginning with Clay Buchholz, who gets the ball in the opener only because he has been in Boston far longer than any other pitcher on the team. Buchholz is coming off a terrible season and never has started 30 games, but he sometimes has dazzling stuff and he did win 17 games back in 2010. There is symmetry and symbolism in the

Opening Day matchup of starting pitchers. While Buchholz, the anti-ace, gets the ball for Boston, the truly awful Phillies feature star lefty Cole Hamels, a former World Series MVP (2008) who makes a big bag of money and is viewed as the trading chip that may rescue the Phils from their march to the basement of the National League East. Hamels is exactly what the Red Sox ran from last year when they decided they were not going to compete for the services of their ace lefty, Jon Lester. The Sox’ owners and analytic masterminds believe pitchers older than 30 who make big money are to be avoided. That’s why Lester is in Chicago and that’s why Hamels is still in Philly despite months of talk radio babble that he was headed to Boston. Buchholz himself joined in the Hamels fun Sunday, referring to the southpaw as “somebody that was supposed to be with us at some point.’’ Hamels will face an invigorated Boston lineup that starts with dazzling young center fielder Mookie Betts. A year ago, Betts was a 21-year-old second baseman getting ready for the Double A season in Portland. Today he is the Red Sox’ starting center fielder and leadoff hitter, and is drawing outrageous comparisons with Derek Jeter and Andrew McCutchen. He is the Sox’ most celebrated new player since Xander Bogaerts, who disappointed last year. couldn’t hit .200 after getting the big billing in 2013.

Opening Day

Blue seats at Fenway

”The difference,, I would say,, between Boston and Philadelphia, is that I think that the Boston fans are a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball.”,Papelbon said after leaving Boston as a free agent..

”What is a Phillie?” Papelbon replied when asked to expound upon his comments that he identifes with the Red Sox more than the Phillies. ”A horse,?that’s what it is.?I feel like a horse.. I felt like a horse tonight.”

The Game Ball

Boston Elite

make sure to

DRINK FIT Enjoy your night out in Boston without destroying your workout. These are the drinks to remember when you talk to the bar tender. by NAOMI TUPPER

GINzero-calorie & TONIC tonic

WHISKEY

97 Calories

COSMO traditionally made

72 Calories

At just 97 calories, a gin and tonic is a relatively healthy option. Choose a zero-calorie diet tonic for extra diet-friendly points.

99 Calories It was her favorite drink in Sex and the City, and we can see why Carrie loved Cosmopolitans so much, as a traditionally made version comes in at just 99 calories.

with a low calorie mixer

Malt whiskey is one of the healthier spirits at just 72 calories for a single serving. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take it on the rocks, add a low-calorie diet mixer.

VODKA LIME keep it simple 76 Calories A real thirst-quencher, opt for a single vodka, lime and soda which comes in at a tasty 76 calories.

MARTINI only one olive 73 Calories A martini clocks in at only 73 calories! A perfect drink for a dieterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s night out.

Drink Fit

TEQUILA beware of mixers 65 Calories

RED WINE choose drier varieties

MOJITO skip the sugar

75 Calories

60 Calories

Not only is red wine is full of heart-healthy benefits and antioxidants, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also low in sugar in comparison to white or rose. A small glass has around 75 calories, depending on levels of sweetness.

When opting for a cocktail, a refreshing mojito is a diet- friendly choice (just make sure you skip on the sugar syrup!) Make your own at home using white rum, mint and a sprinkle of brown sugar, topped with lime juice and soda water.

BACARDI have it with coke 58 Calories At 58 calories for a single and diet coke, Bacardi is one of the best diet-friendly spirits by a mile!

A shot of tequila is only 65 calories, so try a tequila-based cocktail for a lower cal option. Stick to fruity variations (canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t knock a tequila and lime combo!) and steer well clear of sugar.

CHAMPAGNE the drier the better 84 Calories The best festive tipple? A glass of champers! The real deal will cost you just 84 cals.

Now that summer is finally here, free fitness in Boston is exploding once again. For those keeping track, theres another cost-free exercise opportunity to add to the to-do list... An article by JAMIE DUCHARME

Boston Elite

here’s no doubt about it: Boston is a runner’s city. But if pounding the pavement solo doesn’t appeal to you, think about joining one of the city’s numerous free running groups. It could be just the dose of motivation and camaraderie you need to take your workout to the next level. Coach Bennet, a coach at Nike Run Club is a dedicated athelete to never fails to motivate even the seemingly unmotivatable. He says, “Do you know what seperates people that look at themseleves as athletes and those who don’t? It’s the pursuit of better. Athletes wake up in the morning with the goal of going to sleep at the end of the day a better and more elite version of themselves. That means they’re constantly looking for ways- both big and small- to improve.”

Do you know what seperates people that look at themseleves as athletes and those who don’t? It’s the pursuit of better. Kathyasa a local Bostononian desxribes her experince with NRC as follows: “One of the best examples of Nike’s commitment to fitness as a lifestyle is the fact that select stores throughout the US offer free workout classes and host a free “Nike Running Club” as well. I had the pleasure of attending one of these running clubs in Nike Town Boston. The time has stayed consistent over the past two years that this store has been around, making it easy to plan around your schedule. It is Tuesdays and Thursdays around 6:30pm. When I attended the first time, I was not aware that you are supposed to “reserve” a spot online before you go to the class, my friend and I just showed up. When we got there, everyone was stretching in the main level of

the Nike store just chatting and waiting for the Nike staff to begin the run. It was really cool to see that when you do the Nike runs, they offer you the opportunity to try out new equipment. At this run, they allowed people to try out Nike Free Run sneakers and the Nike Fuelband during their run workout. The majority of the runners opted to wear the Fuelband to track their distance. I was apprehensive about doing the run, because I wasn’t sure if I would be at the same speed and level as everyone else. To my relief, the Nike staff separates everyone by their best guess of their current mile-time so I ran with the 9-minute group while my friend ran in the 11-minute group. We decided to only do a 3-mile run. The options are 3, 5 and

Nike Run Club

Club runners enjoying an evening jog

7 and there is a big screen in the main level that shows the trail. We ended up doing the 3-mile loop by running from the store to a trail along Rock Creek Park. The trail was easy to follow because the Nike staff is clad in highlight-yellow vests that are easy to spot and everyone starts out in the same place so it difficult to get lost. When the run ended, there were staff at the store with water bottles to help you stay hydrated and they were all extremely friendly, we even had a dog join us on our run! Overall, Nike Running Club was a great experience and an awesome way to stay fit, meet new people, and try out new Nike products. Highly highly recommend!

WEDNESDAY NTC Barre @7:04am

THURSDAY NRC Home Run @6:34pm

SATURDAY NRC Long Run @804am

It was really cool to see that when you do the Nike runs, they offer you the opportunity to try out new equipment. At this run, they allowed people to try out Nike Free Run sneakers and the Nike Fuelband during their run workout. The majority of the runners opted to wear the Fuelband to track their distance. I was apprehensive about doing the run, because I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure if I would be at the same speed and level as everyone else.