EMILY SUSEN

Really digging this style, esp the Mother Teresa one. Very cool/kinda creepy. More here

Okay, I never do this, post a rant or anything personal, so apologies in advance to any readers who are here for their usual dose of Emblog-ness, but I’ve been stewing lately at the gym over this things that tick me off, and I hope my fellow work-out buds can relate. I’ve been gymming it since I was 14 and have belonged to a dozen different gyms, and these are my ultimate pet peeves. So if you ever see me at one, please refrain from doing anything on this list, or I might implode.

1.) Excessive Grunting and Wincing.
I KNOW everyone has witnessed someone doing this- the exaggerated facial expressions and weird grunting noises coming from some meathead who clearly spent more time in the tanning booth than he did in school. “OMG IS EVERYONE NOTICING HOW STRONG I AM AND HOW HEAVY THESE WEIGHTS ARE THAT I’M LIFTING?? RAWWWRRR!!” No dude, everyone is just noticing that you are a huge JACKASS and should probably lower the weights so you don’t hurt yourself (not that anyone would care if you did). I’m all for pushing yourself at the gym, but if you’re struggling THAT much, just go down 10 lbs. Duh.

2.) Weighing yourself after EVERY set.
No joke, I’ve seen multiple people do this. Crank out a few heavy reps and then go over and weigh themselves. They can’t even see the numbers on the scale because their muscles have INSTANTLY bulged out everywhere! It’s like magic!

3.) Flexing in the mirror after every set.
If anyone knows of an ab workout that immediately gives you a 6 pack 30 seconds after you finish the workout, please feel free to share. Otherwise, please pull your shirt back down and refrain from doing the Arnold poses in the mirror. You look like a tool.

4.) Women who wear lifting belts/gloves when lifting 5 lb weights.
I’m pretty sure it goes without saying that men don’t want to see a chick strutting around the gym wearing a big lifting belt (I could be wrong though?) Especially when YOU ARE ONLY LIFTING 10 POUNDS. I hate when I see women strutting around, looking all MACHO wearing one, and then get all excessive with the grunts and winces as they do 10 lb. curls. Also, if you think you’re that tough, take off your gloves and get some calluses on those manicured hands.

5.) Dancing/Swaying on the Elliptical.
It’s a MACHINE, not a GD Zumba class. Please stop dancing and bopping around singing to yourself.

6.) Wearing a winter hat and a Mank Top.
BTW, “Mank Top” is my expression for a man wearing a tank top (two things that just shouldn’t go together in my opinion). If you’re trying to sweat it out and lose weight by wearing a winter hat, great, but DON’T WEAR A MANK TOP WITH THE WINTER HAT. Isn’t that counter productive?! Wear a huge sweatshirt and sweatpants if you really want to sweat it out and lose weight. What’s the point of wearing the hat if you have on shorts and a mank?? You don’t look edgy at all, and no one is impressed by your flabby arms and tribal tattoo  you got in the 90′s.

7.) Bringing workout DVD’s to the GYM.
Ummmm… isn’t the whole point of a workout DVD the convenience of being able to DO IT AT HOME? For the days you DON’T GO TO THE GYM? Omg. This might be my biggest pet peeve of them all. People literally bring their laptops to the gym, occupy an entire studio, and do their P90X routines for all the world to see. WTF? Just roll out of bed and do it at home! That’s the whole point!!

8.) Excessive Socializing.
“Dooood I was at the gym or like 3 hour last night, brah. I was absolutely CRUSHING it”. Ummm no, you were doing the gorilla walk with your juicehead friends, comparing biceps and bench press abilities, while trying to talk to girls who wanted nothing to do with you. Nice try, brah. If you’re going to the gym, go and do what you’re supposed to do at the gym, WORK OUT.

Okay, sorry, I’m done. Just had to get that out there. When I open my own gym, I’m posting this list and allowing members to make kick anyone doing any of these things.

via Sell! Sell! Blog

More here

It’s probably very clear to everyone that I love the 80′s, and I have no shame about it. Go ahead and judge me for listening to “I Ran” by Flock of Seagulls on repeat. Do it.

Let’s make it happen, Snoop. What would the show be called? Martha Stewizzle? Stewartizzle and Snoop? Munchies with Stew and Snoop?

Just stop what you’re doing RIGHT NOW and go look through Vivian Maier’s work. Ready? Ok, go

Discovered some awesome new music this week and was probably too excited about my playlists. Check ‘em out!

My two favorites from this week were most definitely Yarbrough & Peoples and Coolio. You need to listen to them, right now.

Awwww yeaaah. Don’t stop the music.

Gotta gotta get up to GET DOWN. You know I will be listening to these songs on repeat for the rest of the day. And they will be making more appearances in upcoming playlists. You’re welcome.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

-Emily

I used to hate Tuesdays. They’re pretty dreary days. You get over the shock of Monday, and being back at work and getting into the swing of things. At the end of the day on Monday, you think to yourself “okay, that wasn’t so bad, I can get through this” only to wake up the next day and find out that it’s Tuesday, not Friday. Womp womp. Such a tease. Wednesdays are like “okay, halfway there”, Thursdays are like “tomorrow is Friday!!” and Friday is like “OH HELL YES”. I don’t even need to describe the joys of Saturdays and Sundays. But Tuesdays? So pointless.

However, my outlook on Tuesdays totally changed since I started teaching a Tuesday morning class. There’s always a great crowd there who seem to hate Tuesdays as much as me, because they’re always gearing up like beasts and kicking ass. Needless to say, these classes have been making me warm up to the idea of Tuesday. It really is crazy how a good workout first thing in the morning can alter your energy and mood throughout the entire day.

Another reason I’m warming up to Tuesday: Wednesday morning. I wake up at 5 on Wednesdays to do the sign in at the studio and take class, which means homegirl needs to be in bed by 10 on Tuesday night. As a result, Tuesday night has kind of become my “me” night. I know that sounds really lame- whatevaaah. I devote Tuesday nights to cooking up a bunch of food for the rest of the week, and last night I was feeling a liitttlleee crazy, so I “whipped up” some banana cashew butter. Yes, you read that right. Banana. Cashew. Butter

I was inspired by PaleOMGs’ banana bread recipe. I made it about 5 times last month (no I don’t wanna talk about it) and always ended up licking my food processor clean because the cashew banana combo tasted so good. I’m trying to avoid paleo baked goods for a little while (bikini season, anyone?) but had 2 ripe bananas that were going to go to waste, so I got a little crazy and modified the recipe to make a spreadable butter.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup of cashews
• 1 tablespoon coconut butter
• 2 teaspoons almond extract

And then you just mix it all together in your food processor. And consume. And be happy. Great by the spoonful or as a spread on fruit. I enjoyed some with some dates (the food, not men) while indulging in my new favorite Tuesday night “me time” guilty pleasure- Real Housewives of OC. OMG do you guys watch this show?! It’s so horrible yet so addicting. I’m a huge fan of the new girl, Heather, because she speaks her mind and basically makes fun of every other girl on the show. Oh and because she has a marble seating area in her BATHROOM with her initials monogrammed on the floor and offers her friends champagne as she finishes her hair. Insane. Yes, Heather and Tamra are my favorites, I can’t stand Alexis and Vicki, and Gretchen’s cool. Slade’s a loser. When is that girl gonna wake up?!

Anyways. Make the nut butter. Warm up to Tuesdays. Be happy.

-Emily

A little inspiration to get you through the rest of the week. Oh, and listen to this while you get inspired. As my teacher this morning put it this morning, “Sledgehammers are hard, tough, and strong” So go on and be a…… SLEDGEHAMMER. Why don’t you call my name? Singing at your desk is encouraged.

-Emily

all images via Pinterest

Hi! How was everyone’s weekend? Yes, I know it’s Tuesday, but Monday was such a blur, I’m counting today as the beginning of the week. 4 day week! Woo! (Not really).

We finally had some gorgeous weather here in Boston. I spent most of my day on Saturday rotating between laying out on my deck and the beach. It was the perfect opportunity to finally dive into The Paleo Diet for Athletes, which has been sitting on my nightstand for the past 4 months. Life has been so busy lately! I hate when I don’t have time to read. I try to read at night before going to bed, but the combination of Kava tea and physical exhaustion make keeping my eyes open a struggle.

So far, I’m pretty fascinated by everything I’m reading. I feel like I’ve been semi-slacking on eating clean lately, and reading stuff like this is always a good motivation to get back on track. What I like most about this book is that it is specifically geared towards athletes, and explains exactly why your body performs at its peak when eating a primal diet.

I won’t get into the super science-y stuff here (mostly because I have to read it over and over again before I actually understand it) but wanted to share the most interesting points I’ve come across so far. Dr. Cordain has a great breakdown of what you should eat before, during, and after your workouts to achieve prime performance. Thought this would be good incentive for everyone heading into the week! I’m going to go ahead and copy and paste directly from a more knowledgeable source, because if I tried to paraphrase, it would end up in doodles.

Stage I: Eating Before Exercise

In brief, we recommend that athletes eat low to moderate glycemic index carbohydrates at least two hours prior to a hard or long workout or race. There may also be some fat and protein in this meal. All foods should be low in fiber. Take in 200 to 300 calories for every hour remaining until exercise begins. If eating two hours prior is not possible, then take in 200 or so calories 10 minutes before the workout or race begins.

Stage II: Eating During Exercise

During long or hard workouts and races you will need to take in high glycemic index carbohydrates mostly in the form of fluids. Sports drinks are fine for this. Find one that you like the taste of and will drink willingly. Realize that events lasting less than about an hour (including warmup) don’t require any carbohydrate. Water will suffice for these. A starting point for deciding how much to take in is 200 to 400 calories per hour modified according to body size, experience and the nature of the exercise (longer events require more calories than short).

Stage III: Eating Immediately After

In the first 30 minutes postworkout (but only after long and/or highly intense exercise) and postrace use a recovery drink that contains both carbohydrate and protein in a 4-5:1 ratio. You can buy a commercial product such as Ultrafit Recovery™ (www.ultrafit.com) for this. Or you can make your own by blending 16 ounces of fruit juice with a banana, 3 to 5 tablespoons of glucose (such as CarboPro) depending on body size, about 3 tablespoons of protein powder, especially from egg or whey sources and two pinches of salt. This 30minute window is critical for recovery. It should be your highest priority after a hard workout or race.

Stage IV: Eating for Extended Recovery

For the next few hours (as long as the preceding challenging exercise lasted) continue to focus your diet on carbohydrates, especially moderate to high glycemic load carbohydrates along with protein at a 4-5:1 carbprotein ratio. Now is the time to eat nonoptimal foods such as pasta, bread, bagels, rice, corn and other foods rich in glucose as they contribute to the necessary carbohydrate recovery process. Perhaps the perfect Stage IV foods are raisins, potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.

Stage V: Eating for LongTerm

Recovery For the remainder of your day, or until your next Stage I, return to eating a Paleo Diet by focusing on optimal foods. For more information on the Paleo Diet go to www.thepaleodiet.com or read The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D.

via Training Peaks

What I found most interesting is that he recommends eating non-Paleo foods such as pasta, bread, or bagels immediately after working out. But only during that specific time period. Say whaaat?!

I’m going to continue to avoid doing that just because of my gluten sensitivity, but found it interesting nonetheless. Also- he recommends having sports drinks during extra long workouts. I also disagree with that, just because I find drinks like Gatorade and Powerade make my stomach cramp up, and I prefer sticking to just H2O when exercising.

How do you guys feel about that? Does anyone else stick to a primal diet but carb load after an intense workout? Any Gatorade fiends? Is this information as shocking to you as it is to me?! Spill the beans!

-Emily

As you know, I think working out with a friend is the best way to git ‘er done. My friendship with Erica grew from hanging out a gym together all the time. Friday night? Meet at the gym? Double session? Perfect. When you’re meeting a friend at the gym, you’re more accountable for your actions. AKA- you better show up and not leave your friend hanging. You can commiserate post workout, but the bottom line is that you made the commitment to yourself AND someone else to be there.

Another advantage to working out with buds is that you can spend some QT together. I’ve mentioned before that after college, my best friend, Victoria, and I would go months without seeing each other due to our busy schedules. It sucked. That all changed when she joined Recycle, the spin studio where I teach. Even before I was an instructor, we would schedule the same class once a week and go out for dinner or drinks after. Since I’ve started teaching, we’ve made it a point to always go out after my class on Thursdays. It rules.

Okay, enough gushing about my girl crush. I teach Thursday nights at 6PM. As some of you cool kids might now, Thursdays are commonly referred to as “Thirsty Thursday”. AKA- go out and get hammered after work and pretend that it’s Friday. There are a few things wrong with this mentality. When you go out drinking on a Thursday, you will most likely forget that the next day is Friday. Which means you have to go to work. Which means you will be a hungover, miserable SOB at work. Not fun. ”Thirsty Thursdays” were acceptable in college, along with “Wasted Wednesdays” and “Sunday Fundays”, but if you’re still using these alliterations in your weekly vocabulary, you might want to reassess your priorities. And your life.

Luckily, there is a solution to this predicament of being unusually thirsty on a Thursday. May I introduce a new alliteration for your vocabulary? Presenting: Social Sweat AKA The New Happy Hour. What this means is you grab some friends, hit the gym, get your sweat on, drink some water to satisfy that “thirstiness”, and then go out and reward yourself with a nice meal and perhaps a beverage that isn’t just H20. “Ohh, but I don’t have time to shower before going out! I look so gross after I leave the gym!” Don’t you worry friends, I got you covered. Check out this easy step-by-step tutorial in how to go from “sweaty gross” to “sexy glam”. Please set your standards for “sexy glam” very low. Lowered? K great, let’s go. (Sorry all these pics are blurry.. we were a bit shaky after class..)

Sweaty Gross.

Yep. So here I am, in all my sweaty stinky glory immediately after teaching. Sadly, that shirt is not originally multicolored. WTF is going on with the two random sweat marks on my thighs? Do I have super wide balls? WHAT IS GOING ON?

The Necessities.

Cleansing wipes (for face and body), extra headband, deodorant (for the love of God, if you only remember one thing, remember the DEODORANT!) lip gloss, and Tommy Girl perfume. Because it’s fun to pretend you’re in 7th grade. (sidestory- I actually do not wear Tommy Girl on the reg. My mom bought it for me as a joke since my boyfriend’s name is Tommy. Get it?!) But for real it’s key to have some kind of fragrance spray in your gym bag.

Or, you could wear an actual cute headband, like Victoria. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing. That whole “looking presentable” thing.

SEXY GLAM!……..?

So, essentially my “sexy glam” look is exactly like my “sweaty gross” look.. gray shirt, leggings, and a fresh headband. BUT, when going out post workout, it’s easier to wear something comfy and loose, and spruce it up with some accessories, like a pashmina, headband, or jewels. You don’t want to look like you were TRYING to actually look good, because then everyone would know that you failed. Miserably.

Success. 

Had so much fun with these ladies! Great workout, great food, great drinks (we earned ‘em!!) and great company. We will definitely be making a habit of hitting up the New Happy Hour every week.

Anyone else out there digging the Social Sweat? Do you work out with friends? Spill the deetz!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

-Emily

I went to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert the other night in Boston. It was incredible. They put on an amazing show, filled with songs from way back when and their current stuff. It was a perfect mix. I’ve been a fan of them for years, so it was awesome to see them live.

What struck me during the concert was how similar teaching is to performing on stage. It hit me during one particular song- RHCP had just been jamming for awhile, playing at the same level, the same thing over and over, but Anthony and Flea were going absolutely CRAZY towards the end. Dancing around stage, doing exaggerated motions, fist pumping, etc. And the crowd was going nuts.  Absolutely eating it up. The energy levels and noise in the Garden were crazy. But  I noticed- they weren’t doing anything different on their instruments. They weren’t in the middle of doing epic guitar solos or hitting major chords with their vocals. But the energy that they were exuding immediately transmitted into the crowd.

The same thing happens when you’re up at the front of a class, teaching. Whether it be spin, bootcamp, CrossFit, barre- all eyes are on you. Not only did your students come to get a sweat on, but they came to learn from YOU. It’s up to you to make the experience as memorable and effective as possible. You really are performing when you’re up at the front of a class. If you’re not really into your music or routine, or are feeling sluggish or uninterested, that will come across to your students. There’s nothing better than being in class and seeing the instructor really feeling what they are doing. Sure, out of context you would maybe feel self conscious about head bopping or fist pumping or giving a whole lotta “woot woot!”s, but YOUR energy will transmit into your students as well.

When I make my playlists and plan out sequences for my classes, I really try to choose songs that get me super pumped up. Like, goosebumps on my arms when I’m sweating my balls off pumped up. If I don’t care about the music, it will most likely come across in my attitude and demeanor, and why would I want to waste my students time and energy? Even if you’re playing a song that’s silly, or it might just be your own personal taste (Larger than Life, BSB anyone?) just OWN IT. I’m going to have that image of Flea and Anthony going apeshit on stage before every class. Transmit your energy and excitement into your “performance” and your students will respond. And, I have to say, there is NOTHING better than watching your class get super in the zone.

So next time you go to get up on “stage”, channel your inner rock star and just let it all out.

Happy Thursday,

-Emily

I’ve been feelin’ the funk lately, in a good way. I’ve always been a fan of funk music, but was hesitant to incorporate it into my spin playlists. I generally play a solid mix of stuff, but primarily stick to electronic upbeat dance shiz. However, now that I’m more confident on the bike and don’t feel like I’m going to pass out while sprinting and instructing at the same time, I’ve been adding new genres into my repertoire- classic rock, boy bands (yup) pop, 70′s, disco, you name it. Definitely letting my true colors and eclectic taste in music coming through. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes it’s a very, very bad thing (“Macho Man” came on my shuffle the other day and I seriously debating playing it in class…)

Anyhoo. Funk. Bringin’ it. Funk tunes are awesome for booty tappin’ and jumps because the beats are so strong and fun to move around to. I encourage everyone to have a dance party on the bike. It usually results in me dancing and head bobbing by myself, but that’s besides the point. Here are a few gems that I used the past week.

Kiel- Project Blue Book- I have the pleasure of being friends with these awesome dudes. Do yourself a favor and buy their cd (shameless promotion right here) but you won’t regret it. This is the first song off their new cd, and the energy is ridiculous. I used it as a warmup on Sunday morning- alternated between sprints, jump sets of 4′s, and some gearing up in position 3. Everyone was definitely awake after that one.

Call Me Up- Chromeo- Chromeo makes many appearances in my rides. This song is made for arm pumps and pushups. So good.

Move On Up- Lettuce- This one gets ya movin’. Perfect for a flat road with sprint intervals. I probably threw some crunches and chest presses in there too because I can’t do the same thing for more than 30 seconds.

I Need More Love- Robert Randolph- Holy crap. I LOVE Robert Randolph. I’ve seen him a few times live and he and his band are so f-ing amazing. If you ever get a chance to go see him, do it. Make sure you wear comfy shoes and minimal clothing because you will be dancing your ass off and the funk will melt your skin off. This particular song was perfect for fast jumps.

Cosmic Slop- Funkadelic- I’ve had a weird obsession with this song for awhile. Like I’ll listen to it 8 times in a row and pretend that I play bass and walk around going “ba dum, da dum dum dum dum” and look really cool. I used this for a warmup the other day with a little climb and some jumps. Some serious head bopping and bumpin’ around occured. How can you not?!

Give Up The Funk- Parliament- Classic jam. Perfect tempo for arm weights at the end of a ride. 5:45 of nonstop weights. Owwwwww indeed!

If anyone has some other good funk jams, please share! What are your favorite songs to ride to?

-Emily

After being Paleo for almost a year, I thought I knew the diet fairly well. I mean, it’s a pretty simple concept; only eat what you can hunt or gather. Are berries Paleo? Yes.  Are cookies Paleo? No. However, last weekend I attended a Paleo seminar that absolutely blew my mind.  he presenter, Diane Rogers, was amazing and really knew her shit. For more information on Diane, check out her website here.  Anyways, I thought I’d share some of the things I learned with you guys!

Veggies:

• The human body cannot naturally digest many raw vegetables. To get the most nutritional value out of veggies, cook them first. Even better, cook them with fat (coconut oil, lard etc)
• Since your body can’t digest these raw veggies, it’s better to have lettuce salads instead of spinach or kale salads.
• The focus of your diet should be on cooked, leafy greens (spinach, kale etc).

Root Veggies:

• Peel all potatoes and other root vegetables before consuming. Don’t eat the peel.
• If you have trouble sleeping at night, trying adding a starchy vegetable to your dinner.  iane said sweet potatoes are the best to help you sleep.
• Root veggies should be consumed after a cardio intensive workout. Some examples include, peeled sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, squash etc.

Protein:

• Every meal should include a protein source.
• All beef should be grass fed AND finished. Make sure the cow has been grass fed for its entire life. Some farmers will switch a cow from a grass fed diet to a grain diet near the end of its life to “fatten it up”. If you haven’t seen pictures of what a feedlot looks like, google it, it’s gross. Even better, look into buying a ½ or ¼ of a cow from a local, grass-fed farm. This way, you know exactly where your meat is coming from. And, it ends up being a lot cheaper.
• Try to get the majority of your protein from eggs, grass fed beef, lamb, pork and wild fish. Try to limit the amount of chicken you consume throughout the week.
• Organ meats have a ton of nutrients and should be included in your diet if possible (this is something that I’m going to try to work on).
• For maximum benefit, slow cook/roast your meat.
• Reuse excess bacon fat for cooking.

Healthy Fats:

• Cooking oils should include coconut oil, butter (grass fed), ghee, bacon fat and olive oil.
• Get rid of all canola, soy or corn oil in your diet. That shit is bad for you.
• Every meal should include a fat source. This can include avocados, egg yolks, meat etc.

Fruit/Nuts:

• Both of these food groups should be limited (especially if you want to lose weight).  If you look at the Paleo food pyramid, both categories are near top. 
• If you are to have fruit, choose one that has a low glycemic index such as berries.
• Try to stay away from dried fruit; there is nothing nutritional about it.

Miscellaneous:

• Remove all soy from your diet.  Soy is awful for children.
• Before consuming  Paleo-fied foods (Paleo pancakes), eat some protein and fat first. 
• If you must take a vitamin, make sure it’s a capsule instead of the traditional “horse pill” vitamin (i.e One a Days). This allows for easier absorption.
• If you must have a cheat, something non-glutinous is better (ice cream – score!)
• All packaged salads dressings suck. In order for it to be Paleo, make it yourself. 
• After a weight lifting WOD, recover with approximately 30g. of lean protein. After a cardio intensive WOD, recover with 100g. of carbs

I know there is more, but my brain is still half asleep. All I want right now is Paleo pancakes. However, my sausage and veggie frittata was amaazzzingballs this morning.   I will post the recipe once I remember to take a picture of it before I eat it.

Was there something you learned about the Paleo diet that shocked you? Is there something you still can’t wrap your mind around? For me, it was accepting the whole “use your excess bacon fat to cook with”.  It just sounds wrong … and delicious.  Anyways, we’d love to hear from you!

-Erica

LOVE this. Who’s off to a fresh start this week?

-Emily

Posters and a website for Slumpbusters.com.  For those unfamiliar with the term, a “slumpbuster” is someone who breaks your slump or dry spell, and is usually not the most attractive woman (see more eloquent,  Urban Dictionary definition here) The posters explain the various states of a slump, and the process of how to “bust it”, while encouraging men to join the website to share their experiences with busting a slump. The site is a social networking site, and also offers support and encouragement for men to bust their slumps, while also suggesting the best bars to pick up busters, and a chance to be in the Slump Hall of Fame.

UPDATE: Slumpbusters won a Bronze Award at the Hatch Awards in Boston!

Print campaign for Zildjian- a high quality cymbal manufacturer. The ads highlight the best drummers from different generations, including Buddy Rich, Keith Moon ofThe Who, and Lars Ulrich of Metallica. Zildjian cymbals have been in production since 1623, and the top drummers in the industry have and will continue to use Zildjian.

(please click images to enlarge)

An iPhone application and microsite for Posh Hostels, luxury hostels for college students who are “backpacking” through Europe (and when they say “backpacking”, they mean jetsetting all over Europe with Louis Vuitton luggage on their parents’ dime) The iPhone app helps Posh Hostel guests remember their nights with a GPS locator, bank statements, and a list of top tourist attractions they can tell their parents they went to see. The microsite allows guests to connect with other guests and  find the best clubs and restaurants to check out.

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Print ads for Nutella, “White Bread’s New Mistress”, which suggest that White Bread is cheating on Peanut Butter, and having a racy affair with irresistibly tempting Nutella.

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Seventh Generation are eco friendly cleaning products designed to keep the environment and your family safe by using natural, non toxic materials. The goal of this campaign was to get consumers to “Make the Switch” to 7th Generation products by providing easy and fun ways to dispose of their old cleaning products. The microsite hosts contests for consumers to come up with the most creative and effective uses for their old plastic bottles, and the iPhone application is a GPS locator for the nearest Hazardous Waste Facility. The print ads would be placed next to existing advertisements that highlight the negative effects of toxic cleaning supplies.

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360 degree campaign for Percept Sunglasses- sunglasses that have camera ability.  Our target audience was for people who are always on the go, particularly those who engage in activities such as bike riding, skiing, mountain climbing, skateboarding, etc. These people see a lot of amazing things, but have missed opportunities to capture their experiences because of the hassle of having to dig for their camera.  Percept Sunglasses allow them to “Live Without Stopping”. Campaign included teaser print ads, product design, logo design, reveal campaign, website, and viral video.

(please click on images to enlarge.. actually, no “please” on these ones..you sort of just really need to click the images to enlarge)

Print Campaign for Naked Juice. Concept is showing that unlike many other things in life, such as boobs, nails, or handbags, Naked Juice is 100% real.

A visual map portraying the pyschopath in Stanley Kubrick’s films. While the pyschopath appears to be a normal, functioning member of society (i.e Jack Nicholson in The Shining, or Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide Shut) they are obsessed with thoughts of violence, sexual dominance, and control.

Cover concept for “Too Much Technology” article for Wired Magazine.