A Peek at the Fitness and Skin-Care Routines of Flyers Host Andrea Helfrich
When she's not working as the in-arena host for the Philadelphia Flyers, Helfrich is doing Zoom workouts, recording her podcast, and relaxing with an impressive array of candles.
Andrea Helfrich stretches out on the floor after a tough Zoom workout with her trainer. | Photo courtesy of Andrea Helfrich
Welcome to Sweat Diaries, Be Well Philly’s look at the time, energy and money people invest in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle in Philly. For each Sweat Diary, we ask one Philadelphian to spend a week tracking everything he or she eats, all the exercise he or she gets, and the money he or she spends on both. Want to submit a Sweat Diary? Email gtomaine@phillymag.com.
Who I am: Andrea Helfrich (@andreahelfrichofficial)
What I do: I’m the in-arena host for the Philadelphia Flyers, but I’m also an editor and a producer and host a podcast called Everything But Hockey. Pre-COVID, that meant I filmed and edited content during the day and hosted games at Wells Fargo Center at night. I’m still filming and editing during the day, but now it’s from home, so my backdrop looks a little different — lighting, tripods, and other production equipment have become part of my decor. I’m hosting events and games socially distanced or virtually and so excited about the Flyers’ 2021 season.
View this post on Instagram
What role healthy living plays in my life: Now that we’ve been working from home for so long, it’s never been more important to me to stay active. Pre-COVID, on a game day I’d be moving from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and get about 15,000 steps in. Now I film, edit and host my podcast from my home office, and my daily steps are lucky to be in the hundreds. I found happiness and strength in Zoom workouts using five-pound weights — at one point, it was wine bottles or detergent — resistance bands, and manila folders as sliders.
Health memberships: Zoom workout classes with my favorite trainer, Malia Makaila. Her workouts are high-intensity and low-impact. It’s not a set rate, but I pay about $100 to $150 per month.
Andrea Helfrich makes a smoothie with frozen banana, protein powder and milk. | Photo courtesy of Andrea Helfrich
Monday
7:30 a.m. — My alarm goes off. I’m not a morning person, but I force myself out of bed and into my closet. I immediately put on a pair of Lululemon leggings and a workout bra so I don’t go back to bed, and I power on my laptop for a morning Zoom workout.
8 a.m. — For the next 50 minutes, I get a great sweat in. It’s a group class today. We start off with some light stretching that turns into a SolidCore-inspired workout.
9 a.m. — Jello legs and all, I walk into my home office to check my emails and start the workday. First, I light a candle — this has become part of my workday morning routine. I have a ton of candles, and I like to light one for my mood. Today, I chose the candle I picked up at the 1 Hotel in Miami. It’s called “Kindling” and makes me feel fancy and relaxed at the same time. It’s a blend of sandalwood, cedar and iris.
9:30 a.m. — After I cool down, I make a smoothie with a frozen banana, protein powder and milk. I fill up my water bottle — the water bottle is another part of my routine. The bottle I use is 32 ounces, and I try to fill it four times a day.
7 p.m. — My fiancé is the chef in the house, and tonight he made turbot over a bed of spinach and cherry tomatoes. YUM.
9 p.m. — I was craving something sweet for a snack and grabbed some peanut butter protein power balls that I’d picked up over the weekend.
Andrea Helfrich enjoys oatmeal with toppings like blueberries for a hearty and filling breakfast. | Photo courtesy of Andrea Helfrich
Tuesday
8:30 a.m. — I slept in today because my muscles were feeling super-sore before bed last night. My body needed the day to recover from yesterday’s workout.
8:45 a.m. — Favorite part of my morning right here! Making an Instagram-worthy coffee that tastes like it cost $5. During quarantine, I became obsessed with making my own coffee. (Nespresso machine plus frother for the win!) After months of perfecting coffee at home, I’ve learned my favorite is the Nespresso Vertuo Solelio coffee pods. They’re a smooth medium roast. But the game changer is the frothed milk! For a delicious latte, I add Horizon Organic fat-free milk and Oat Yeah’s Oat Milk Creamer called “Froth Like a Boss.” It’s super-sweet, so I like to add just a tiny bit.
9 a.m. — I light my candle. I was dragging this morning, and I needed a little pick-me-up. The scent I choose today is a medley of grapefruit, cardamom and vetiver.
10:30 a.m. — After a few morning meetings, I go back into the kitchen to make one of my breakfast staples, oatmeal. I measure out half a cup of steel-cut oats and mix it with three quarters of a cup of milk. After heating that up, I add cinnamon, a little agave and some blueberries and sprinkle granola on top. I take this back to my desk with my refilled 32 ounces of water and am ready to go.
3 p.m. — Working from home is funny. I get caught up in work, look up from editing a project, and realize it’s late afternoon. I head back downstairs and make a simple salad with arugula, avocado and clementines, with sesame seeds sprinkled on top. But the homemade dressing is the tastiest part. For my dressing, I mix olive oil, three tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, two tablespoons of toasted sesame oil, one tablespoon of soy sauce and one teaspoon of agave.
8 p.m. — For dinner, my fiancé and I have lamb with truffle parmesan-roasted potatoes and a medley of spinach, bell peppers and onions. He cooked again, obviously.
Andrea Helfrich opts for burgers at home with waffle fries prepared in the air fryer. | Photo courtesy of Andrea Helfrich
Wednesday
7:30 a.m. — The alarm goes off, and it’s time for another workout via Zoom. I get up, brush my teeth, wash my face, throw myself into something stretchy, and head downstairs.
8 a.m. — Workout over Zoom. Today is hard. Lots of plank series — I’m beat.
8:50 a.m. — I take the world’s quickest body shower (who has time to wash their hair?) and throw on a classic work-from-home outfit: a matching sweatsuit set.
9 a.m. — Today’s candle is a combo of bergamot, jasmine and vanilla. My office already smells soothing.
12 noon — This morning was full of meetings and editing, so I didn’t have a chance to get breakfast in, but I’m still craving it. I make a scrambled egg sandwich on a focaccia bun with American cheese and prosciutto.
7:30 p.m. — Tonight, we feel like grilling and make burgers. Nothing fancy here, just some Bubba burgers from Costco, plus lettuce, tomato, bacon, and of course a combo of ketchup and mayo. We also pull the air fryer out and whip up some frozen waffle fries, which are my guilty pleasure.
Every workday, Andrea Helfrich lights a different candle to set the mood for the day. | Photo courtesy of Andrea Helfrich
Thursday
8 a.m. — After I wake up this morning, I decide to do some stretching. I like to search for different 10-to-15-minute stretch routines on YouTube, so I pull up one of those and get my zen on. I do this one today. Many are shot in scenic locations, which is a fun mini escape.
8:30 a.m. — I wash my hair and give myself a blowout. I don’t dye my hair, and it’s really soft and needs help taking any form or shape. I’ve stopped using conditioner altogether and have become obsessed with R + Co Rodeo Star mousse. I run that through my roots when my hair is still damp and then section it off with a clip for a proper blowout. Pro tip for others with fine or soft hair: I add a little dry shampoo to the roots. This keeps my scalp from getting oily overnight and keeps my blowout looking fresh for an extra two days.
9 a.m. — I’m in the the home office, ready to start my day. I light a candle I was gifted after our engagement. It’s from Venus et Fleur, and the scent is called Roses. It smells incredible.
10 a.m. — I make a fancy coffee in my kitchen and blend together the same smoothie from the other day, consisting of a frozen banana, protein powder and milk.
12 noon — For lunch, I make what I can find in the fridge, which ends up being a salad: clementines, carrots, cherry tomatoes and sesame seeds over some lettuce. I pour over the same dressing I made earlier in the week.
3 p.m. — I spend the afternoon recording a podcast, and my throat is feeling it afterward. I make some Throat Coat tea by Traditional Medicinals. This tea, combined with lemon and honey, is my go-to when my vocal cords need a reboot.
5 p.m. — Tonight, we order sushi from one of our favorite spots. I’m a big yellowtail, baked salmon and spicy tuna roll kinda girl.
Andrea Helfrich enjoys a salad with cherry tomatoes while her pup Benji looks on. | Photo courtesy of Andrea Helfrich
Friday
8 a.m. —After I wake up today, I feel like doing some self-care. I have this device my facialist sold me on a while back called NuFace. It uses micro-currents to tighten and lift your face. They say it’s best to use it in the morning, so I spend about 15 minutes swiping it over my face and remember why I don’t use it too much anymore — it’s time-consuming, and I get bored sitting there swiping my face, but it does make a difference with consistent use. I was more consistent with it when quarantine first started and the days felt like weeks.
8:30 a.m. — I make my coffee and toast an everything bagel, adding cream cheese and avocado. I like to sprinkle Everything but the Bagel seasoning over top for some extra flavor.
9 a.m. —I’m opening emails, and I light a candle. It’s freezing today, so I choose one of the best winter scents, Pine, by Nest Candles. It makes the whole room smell like a Christmas tree farm.
2 p.m. — Realizing I haven’t stood up from my desk in five hours, I decide to take my dog Benji on a walk around our neighborhood. He’s a mini Aussie and has a ton of energy, so he was pumped to get outside.
6 p.m. — I finish my workday and continue the self-care I started this morning. Over the weekend, I’m filming content for the Flyers, and my face is in need of some love, so it’s time to strip away the dead skin. I apply Drunk Elephant’s Baby Facial mask, which is a great exfoliant, and then use Dr. Dennis Gross’s Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel. After that, I load up on my serums and moisturizers, and my skin feels brand-new.
7 p.m. — It’s the end of the week, and I really want a glass of wine. But I had this fabulous idea of starting dry January after Christmas, and here we are. So I grab a kombucha. I like Health-Ade’s brand because they have fancy flavors like Bubbly Rose, which I love to pour into a wineglass. Really elevates the whole experience!
Andrea Helfrich enjoys preparing coffee and smoothie drinks at home. | Photo courtesy of Andrea Helfrich
WEEKLY TOTALS:
Candles lit: 5
Workouts and stretch sessions done: 3
Condiments on her burger: All of them!
Let’s get social! Join Be Well Philly at:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER
