Beautiful, Not Broken

Everyday on my way to work I walk by a large photo of Marilyn Monroe hanging in the window of a hair salon. The other day, as I noticed how beautiful this Hollywood icon appeared in her photo, I couldn’t help but remember that she was evidently far from happy. Of course, I am no expert on the life of Marilyn Monroe, but that doesn’t really matter. My point is that, although this woman was a superstar and has remained an icon in the psyche of popular culture she appears to have been a terribly unhappy person who had a number of broken marriages, no children and a dependency on prescription drugs. I think her life provides a clear illustration: your character and your relationships are what really matter. No matter how beautiful you are it isn’t your appearance that will make you happy.

I know we all hear it, but you really wont find your life’s satisfaction in perfecting your body. As you work to improve anything in life, you need to do it from a place where you know you are just as valuable today as you will be when you have lost 10 pounds or gained some muscle or run a marathon. Losing weight or accomplishing a goal is important but it cannot be the source of your happiness. So as you move into the new year and you potentially think about setting some goals for yourself, be reminded that you want to be beautiful not broken – set your sights on creating a character that is as beautiful as you are on the outside. Use your nutrition and exercise goals to support healthy relationships and a lifestyle that inspires other to create a better life for themselves.  

Oatmeal to Go Breakfast Cookies

These are my favourite thing in the world to make. I love this recipe so much that I have had to limit my making them, or as in the case of this weekend, plan on giving most of them away. I am bringing these to work on Monday (yep, back to work after a whole year off on maternity leave). I tend to eat them for two or three meals a day when I have them on hand, which isn't the most balanced approach to life so I will pawn off the delicious healthy 'cookies' on others. These cookies freeze really well so whip up a batch, throw 'em in the freezer, and you will be ready to grab one when you need a healthier snack on the go instead of some sugar and saturated fat filled store bought bar (yuck).

The recipe is modified from one in Tosca Reno's 'Eat Clean Diet Recharged' book (if you haven't figured it out yet, I love Tosca!).


EC Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

1 1/3 Cup Safflower Oil or Light Olive Oil (or any 'healthier' oil, buy organic cold pressed if you can)
1 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1.5 cups Sucanat, Palm Sugar or other healthy sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 ½ tsp salt
8 cups rolled oats
2 cups whole wheat or 12-grain flour
1 cup wheat germ or flax or a combination of both (if you don't have wheat germ or flax just use flour)
1 cup plain whey protein powder (if you don't have protein powder just use flour)
8 oz raisins (optional)
8 oz chopped walnuts (optional)

* If you really want to get crazy, add 8 oz of smashed up 80% cocoa dark chocolate - this will be the addition for my coworkers*

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream the oil, applesauce and sugar together in large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs, vanilla and sea salt. Use a large wooden spoon or clean hands to work in flour and oats. Add raisins and walnuts (or chocolate) if desired and mix until evenly distributed. Shape the dough into large 3-inch balls and press into 5 or 6 inch flat cookies on baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes or until as brown as you desire. Cool on wire racks.
Makes 24 very large cookies.

Five Things

Today I thought I would share a random assortment of information and tips with you, just things I think everyone should know:

1. Crunches - You would have to do about 250,000 crunches to lose 1 pound of fat. You will never have ab definition by relying on crunches. The key to abs surrounds is your diet. You need to eat clean – for more info on this check out Tosca Reno’s books if you haven’t already.
2. Fitness Models - Also related to those coveted abs (particularly for women) 99.9% of fitness models on magazine covers diets down before a shoot.That fabulous body does not look like that 365 days a year. Although, I am no fitness model, I will use myself as an example here. I intentionally gained about 8 pounds after my fitness show earlier this month. Why? It wouldn’t be healthy for me to maintain a body fat percentage that low AND I was water depleted the day of the competition. I was down about 3-4 pounds of water weight! I am learning to be happy without the level of muscle definition I had a few weeks ago and recognize that magazines are not a reflection of reality (which I can forget sometimes).
3. Lifting weights – if you are female, under no circumstances will you look like a body builder if you lift weights. You do not have the testosterone required to build bulky muscle. Muscle on women only makes them ‘tighter’ and ‘leaner’. Also, as a bonus, resting muscle burns more calories than resting fat which means you get to eat more. I don’t know about you but I would like to be able to eat extra food every day. I like food. I eat six meals a day and I love it!
4. The scale – The scale can be evil. Do not rely on your weight to tell you what you look like. Have you ever walked up to someone on the street and said “Excuse me, what do you weigh?”. A number means very little, especially if you have a significant amount of muscle. For instance I know a woman who is almost 4 inches shorter than I am and weighs the same as I do (140 pounds – yep I just revealed my weight – shock and big gasp haha). Guess who looks “better”? She does - She has a lot of lean muscle and a lower body fat percentage. Instead of relying on the scale, take before and after pictures, measurements, body fat percentage, the fit of your clothes, and most importantly how you feel as an indication of your progress.
5. Planning and Preparation - These are the keys to almost all success in life, and particularly in terms of health and fitness. If you want to succeed you need to plan your meals and your workouts. Prepare healthy food on the weekends so you have something nutritious to grab when things are going crazy. I like to throw a bunch of chicken breasts on the foreman grill so I can chop and add them to any meal. Get your workout clothes out the night before so all you can do when you roll out of bed is put them on. My running shoes are literally beside my bed when I go to sleep at night. My morning routine looks like this: Get up; make coffee and grab a quinoa pancake from the freezer; drink coffee and eat pancake; work out. Make exercising a non-negotiable habit and healthy food all that is easy to grab in your house.

Ok, I think that sums up my little rant of the day. Big hugs and support to everyone keeping it healthy through the holiday season.

No More Excuses

Ok, so we all like to pretend that we are some special case, like we have a really legit reason for not getting in shape, eating healthy or losing some weight. Here is the thing, if you even know me, you should realize by now that you have absolutely no excuse – zero - none. You can take whatever situation you are in and work with it to create the body and the life you have always wanted.

However, if you haven’t clued in and still want to make the excuses I am going to bust through those right now.

1.     “I don’t have time”

Umm, yes you do. You only need about 20 minutes per day to get in a workout.  I get up at 5 am every day of the week to make sure I get in at least 45 minutes of exercise on 6 of those days.

2.     “My partner/spouse/family isn’t supportive so I can’t fit exercise in or eat clean”

So what? I don’t even have a partner and I make time. I have no one to watch the kids while I take time out for me. Again, I get up at 5 am to fit in a solid workout before my children wake up. AND you can make your own food if your partner still wants to eat garbage. Live by example and forge a path instead of following their bad example.

3.     “I don’t have the money for a gym membership”

I am a sole-support parent without the babysitting or the extra cash at present for a gym membership. I got that body you see on Facebook solely training at home with almost no equipment.

4.     “I don’t know what I am doing”

Exercise: Number 1, you have GOOGLE! Seriously! You also have YOUTUBE! However, if that doesn’t work for you buy yourself a $10 Jillian Micheals DVD or a subscription to Oxygen Magazine. Both are inexpensive ways to figure it out.

Eating Habits: Buy ‘The Eat Clean Diet” by Tosca Reno. This book, or any book in her series, is literally all you need to change your eating habits and it is only $15.85! If you don’t have $15 as for it for Christmas. Here is a link on Amazon to buy it http://www.amazon.ca/Eat-Clean-Diet-Recharged-Tosca-Reno/dp/1552100677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321109880&sr=8-1

5.     “I can’t afford healthy food”

Actually, you can. Here are some tips: Stay out of the centre aisles of the grocery store; Eggs are cheap and a great source of protein; Organic Tofu is another inexpensive protein option; Watch for sales on things like chicken breast; Buy frozen fruit and veggies to supplement the fresh fruits and veggies; and STOP buying coffee and meals out - make your own. Again, I am a sole-support parent here without a ton of cash and I make it happen.

6.     “I have health problems”

You can work around literally any health or physical problem. Talk to your doctor or physiotherapist to help you come up with a plan.

7.     “I don’t want to look stupid”

No one is going to laugh at you. All those really ripped people out there will be silently cheering you on for changing your life – that is why they may look at you, not because they are laughing at you.

8.     “I don’t like to work out”

Then you haven’t looked hard enough for something you like to do. Also, just change your attitude! Decide you are going to enjoy your workouts instead of griping about them. Furthermore, you are an adult and we have to do things we don’t like sometimes.

9.     “It hurts to work out”

DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is normal. This is just because you are not accustomed to the exercise.  This will decrease over time and when I am sore, I just like to think of it as my workout having been effective.

10. “It’s my genetics – I am destined to be fat/skinny because my whole family is fat/skinny”

This is a giant lie! In the words of Tosca Reno (and a lot of other experts) your genes make up only about 10% of what your physical body looks like. It is your eating and exercise habits that shape your body for the most part. I never want to hear this out of anyone’s mouth again.

11. “I have no energy to exercise”

This is a chicken vs. egg argument. You have no energy because you don’t exercise and you don’t exercise because you have no energy. Change your habits today. Get enough rest, cut out the refined and processed foods and decide you are going to start an exercise regime. You will have more energy than you ever dreamed possible.

Post Competition

In case you missed the BIG news, I placed 2^nd in the Bikini Tall category at the OPA Ottawa Championships. I am still a little in shock but sooo pleased with the results. This also means that I qualify for provincials in the spring and I am beyond excited about that.

Now, it is 4 days after my first competition and I feel HUGE.  As many of you are aware, fitness competitors and fitness models lean out significantly to get that great muscle definition in the couple of weeks prior to a show or a photo shoot.  However, I have found regaining those last few pounds – a totally healthy and normal thing – to be really hard psychologically. I know in my head that maintaining such a low body fat percentage is not healthy or reasonable but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish I could have six-pack abs every day of the year!!!

My other struggle has been food and by food I mean eating too much of it and not the right balance. After being on such a regimented diet leading up to the show, the idea of being able to eat whatever I want has been a little overwhelming! Tonight for instance, I ate about half a pint of ice cream… and I feel really sick. Sigh!!! However, to combat this cycle, I have created a detailed meal plan for myself for tomorrow. It is posted on my fridge and I can check the meals and snacks off as I go. I like to check things – it fills my heart with joy.

On a more positive note, my workouts this week have been amazing!!! Having more carbs in my diet has made such a difference in both my strength training and cardiovascular workouts. I feel like superwoman -- I am killing the intervals on the treadmill and pushups are my friend again. May God bless rolled oats and Ezekiel wraps for making my life such a happy place once more.

Just for your entertainment, here is the aforementioned meal plan for tomorrow:

Breakfast: ¼ cup quinoa, ¼ cup steel cut oats, 2 egg whites, ½ cup cranberries plus black coffee

Snack: 1 cup Greek Yogurt, 1 cup mixed berries, 1 T flax, 1 T hulled hemp hearts plus black coffee

Lunch: mango-chicken Ezekiel wrap, asparagus

Snack: 2 hard-boiled eggs, ½ cucumber sliced

Dinner: whole wheat chicken, spinach no-cheese Pizza (home-made), mixed salad greens with Balsamic Vinegar

Snack (If Hungry): 1 scoop protein, 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling), and cinnamon to taste

3 L of water throughout the day plus extra during cardio training

Strapped for Time but want a workout?

Strapped for Time but want a workout? Here is a quick plyometric circuit for you.

This workout will get you results in all areas – cardio capacity, strength and power – and all you need for equipment is a way to time yourself.

Instructions:

Complete each movement for one minute, doing as many repetitions as you can within that minute then move onto the next move.  

Take breaks when you need to between exercises. For instance, you could complete two exercises then rest for one minute, complete two more then rest for one minute.

If you have more time, you can repeat the circuit.

Monday Morning Plyo Routine

1.     Skipping (faux skip if you don’t have a rope)

2.     Jumping Jacks

3.     Mountain Climbers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyeZM-_VnRc

4.     Butt Kicks

5.     One Leg Quarter Turn Jumps (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ3elB616wA)

6.     Burpees (ya know you love ‘em and if you don’t love ‘em learn to xoxo)

7.     Knees Up

8.     Plank Jacks (instructions here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm7asV_h-Mw)

9.     Jump Squats (instructions here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utQShuge6Vk&feature=related)

10. Speed Skaters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpnT1XrdhBU)

Freedom: It's what drives success.

Diet and Exercise. Those two words are enough to make about 50% of the population cringe. Lets use a timeless example, how often have you (or someone you know if we don't wanna make this personal) gotten on a treadmill to run off those cookies or that piece of chocolate cake?

Is the run any fun? No.

Do you feel better about yourself after? No.

Why is that? Because we diet and exercise from a place of legalism and punishment for not being good enough.  We say things like ‘I am not allowed to eat those cookies’ or ‘I have to work out for exactly 1.5 hours, 6 days per week or my body will never change’. If that sounds like your approach to fitness, take an imaginary eraser and erase everything in your brain that told you what eating and fitness were supposed to look like. It doesn’t have to be like that.

If you are reading this blog you probably know that I have lost 30 pounds since February of 2011. How did I do it? Diet and Exercise BUT here is the real key, I have learned not to punish myself but instead to enjoy the journey. Now when I run I enjoy the freedom of movement, the chill of the fall air, and the changing colour of the leaves. I am even enjoying the extremely limited nutrition plan I am on now as preparation for my first fitness show. 

How did I get here? It has been a slow process of revelation centred around the fact I want to enjoy every single minute of my life and I want to be able to live life as big as I can. I want to know that my time spent on earth was not only spent wisely but also in giving my all to every moment. I cannot give my all if my body is unhealthy. As I move myself to a place of being a better me, I can enjoy what previously seemed like discomfort because it is making me a better me. No one is forcing me to go through this process, I am FREE to choose and I am FREE to enjoy my life.

Where do you start in getting free? Today, I want you to find 6 things about yourself that you really like - 3 physical attributes and 3 character traits. Anytime you hear a negative voice telling you that you eat too much, you don't weigh what you should, or that you don't have enough discipline I want you remind yourself about those 6 things. Start rejoicing in who you are and where you are on this journey so that you can move forward from a place of completion instead of from a place of not enough.

Lighten-Up Pumpkin Pie from Clean Eating Magazine

Still on the theme of Thanksgiving, I am sharing a recipe from the folks at Clean Eating Magazine (www.cleaneatingmag.com) for an easy to make healthier and lighter but oh-so-tasty pumpkin pie. I don't know about you, but seriously Thanksgiving would not be complete in my mind without pumpkin pie. Yumm! I can't wait to make (and eat) this pie!

Lighten-Up Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups crushed ginger snaps or graham crackers

1 ½ tbsp safflower oil

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

1 scant cup loosely packed organic brown sugar

1 tsp finely grated orange or lemon peel

1 tsp each of ground ginger, cinnamon, ground cardamom and sea salt

1/8 tsp each ground allspice and mace

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk, preferable skim

1 (14 oz) can organic pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

Instructions:

1)   Place crumbs in a deep-dish (9 or 10 inch pie plate). Drizzle with oil. Using a fork, stir to moisten. Using your hands press crumbs against the bottom and up the sides of the pan – the crust should look crumbly. Refrigerate while making the filling, allowing the crust to set a little.

2)   Lightly beat egg whites and whole egg. Whisk in brown sugar, grated peel, spices and seal salt. Whisk in milk and pumpkin puree. Pour over crust. Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake in centre of preheated 300 F oven until centre is almost set when pan is jiggled, 60 to 75 minutes.

Timesaving Tip: Pie tastes best the same day it’s made. However, it will keep well if covered and refrigerated overnight. The flavors blend as it sits, so a good alternative is to make the pie filling and crust the day before. Wrap and refrigerate each separately. Fill crust and bake on serving day.

Thanksgiving so Have Some Giving

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I am feeling pretty grateful for all of the wonderful people/places/things in my life. Sooo I thought I would do some giving. This post is a full body at home workout that you can do with just your body weight - no materials required. I have provided youtube links demonstrating proper form and technique for each movement.


*** Remember you should always consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program. ***

This program is designed as a circuit - I love circuits - circuits make me happy.

Start with the warm-up movement (your choice of either inchworms of squats depending on your level of fitness) then complete exercises 1 through 6. Take a two minute break. Repeat the circuit two more times, for a total of three times through the circuit. Beginners: do the circuit twice through and work up to three times through.

The number of repetitions are outline for you. For instance, for side-step lunges you are doing twelve lunges on each side. The number of repetitions are a guideline. If you cannot make it to the number stated just go until exhaustion. Alternatively, if you can do more (with proper form) go for it. Also, begin the push-ups aiming for one full military style push-up before modifying and work your way up to the whole set. Remember to stretch at the end.

The Thanksgiving - Giving Workout  - Complete 3 days per week

Exercise	Reps	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3
Warm – Up: Inch Worms	10		N/A	N/A
1.  Side Step Lunges	3 X 12 (each side)
2. Push-Ups	3 X 12
3. Supermans	3 X 10
4. * Band Bicep Curl -  Wall	3 X 12
5. Tricep Dips (Chair)	3 X 10
6. Plank Shoulder Taps	3 X 12 (each side)

*If you don't have a band or weights and cannot buy either, get a two small bags, fill them with some stuff to make them heavier and lift it like weights.

Youtube Links

Warm-Up:

a) 10 inch worms (stand in between each rep)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWytglYN8HI&feature=related

OR

b) 15 Squats

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDdSZmWNYQI&feature=related

* Don’t do full speed, keep it slow and controlled

1) Legs – Side Step Lunges

Proper Lunge Form

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egITs8S5R8c

2) Chest/Shoulders – Push-ups

Proper Military Push-up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5ewKCtUGgk

Proper Modified Push-up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilKBvS91MEA

3) Back – Supermans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8szJuzPt-sg

4) Triceps – Chair Tricep Dips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKjcgfu44sI

5) Biceps – Band Curl Against Wall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqRCwG1z1CU

(Don’t squat if using band, just keep back against the wall)

6) Core - Plank Shoulder Taps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_pk0vEOIFY

* These can be modified from knees like a push-up

Self-Discipline

I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking about self-discipline. Why? Because I don't have much of it and I NEED it. I need self-discipline for this fitness competition (ahem eating habits i.e. eating 12 cookies = bad idea); for my career (think about how well I could do if I didn't procrastinate ever); and for my family (I hate it when I get impatient and take over a task for Nia).

Anyway, eventually I decided to look to Google because as we all know, if Google can't answer my question there is little hope that an answer exists ;) I came across a blog post with a list of questions to help evaluate self-discipline in various areas of life. I really liked the questions because I found they had a dual purpose in giving me a direction for improvement as well as a reminder that I do have some strengths. For instance, I am not so great with a strict diet but I am fantastic at sticking with an intense exercise program. I am not so great at staying on top of mopping my floors but my children always have weather-appropriate clean clothes to wear and healthy food to eat.

I have posted the questions below and provided a link to the article. Once the questions are answered, and the areas you want to work on identified, the next step is to design a progressive overload program (like weight training) for yourself. Start small and work your way up. I would like my house to be ready for company 24/7. If people drop by I don't want them to find chaos. However, with small children this is a task and a half so in order to keep things simple I am creating a weekly cleaning list to follow. For instance, Thursdays will be bathrooms (this is where I regret all the bathrooms in my house lol) and Fridays will be floors (on the upside here I have a steam mop that I am in love with). Ok, so maybe my house wont look like it came out of a magazine all the time but I can do the best with what I've got.You will probably still find Thomas the Tank Engine sitting in front of my dish washer and craft supplies all over the dining room table BUT my floors and my bathrooms will be shiny.

Anyway, here are the questions:

• Do you get up at the same time every morning? Including weekends?
• Are you overweight?
• Do you have any addictions (caffeine, nicotine, sugar, etc.) you’d like to break but haven’t?
• Is your email inbox empty right now?
• Is your office neat and well organized?
• Is your home neat and well organized?
• How much time do you waste in a typical day? On a weekend?
• If you make a promise to someone, what’s the percentage chance you’ll keep it?
• If you make a promise to yourself, what’s the percentage chance you’ll keep it?
• Could you fast for one day?
• How well organized is your computer’s hard drive?
• How often do you exercise?
• What’s the greatest physical challenge you’ve ever faced, and how long ago was it?
• How many hours of focused work do you complete in a typical workday?
• How many items on your to do list are older than 90 days?
• Do you have clear, written goals? Do you have written plans to achieve them?
• If you lost your job, how much time would you spend each day looking for a new one, and how long would you maintain that level of effort?
• How much TV do you currently watch? Could you give up TV for 30 days?
• How do you look right now? What does your appearance say about your level of discipline (clothes, grooming, etc)?
• Do you primarily select foods to eat based on health considerations or on taste/satiety?
• When was the last time you consciously adopted a positive new habit? Discontinued a bad habit?
• Are you in debt? Do you consider this debt an investment or a mistake?
• Did you decide in advance to be reading this blog right now, or did it just happen?
• Can you tell me what you’ll be doing tomorrow? Next weekend?
• On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your overall level of self-discipline?
• What more could you accomplish if you could answer that last question with a 9 or 10?

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/06/self-discipline-acceptance/

Doing Something That Scares You

Today I did something terrifying. My trainer recommended taking a one-hour introductory posing seminar. If you aren’t familiar with posing for a physique competition, just youtube IFBB Figure or IFBB Bikini Competition The walking and posing you see is a little trickier than it looks so coaching is a must. Anyway, this seminar was not a lecture style. It was a participatory instructional class, which meant I had to don my figure suit and heels to prance about in front of perfect strangers.

As, I drove up to the gym where the seminar was being held, I actually felt sick to my stomach and I was literally shaking. I seriously considered turning around, getting back in my car, and driving away… far, far away. I was the first to arrive so as I put on my figure suit in the change room I was terrified that I was going to look like the frumpy ugly duckling next to all these amazingly fit women.  Now, before anyone wants to reach through the screen to slap me, let me explain that last statement. Don’t misunderstand, on any given day I am very happy with my body BUT this is not your average day. I was about to walk into a room in a teeny-weeny bikini (which fyi I don’t even wear those to the beach) filled with women who look like they could be in a fitness magazine AND people are intentionally comparing/judging you.  Furthermore, I still have 7 weeks of hard training and clean eating to get my body competition ready.

As it turns out, although a few of the women looked jaw-dropping amazing (one woman had the most beautiful abs I have ever seen) most of the women there were in the same boat as me – still 7 weeks of clean eating and hard training needed. In fact, there were a few women that I was probably ahead of in terms of my physique. That totally shocked me. As if that weren’t shock enough, as we got started I found myself actually having fun! I loved playing pretend as a child, and that is exactly what this felt like. I felt like I was playing dress-up and walking around in my mom’s heels. So, as it turned out, I had nothing to be afraid of. Doing it afraid was worth it!

I, also, got an illustration of a life lesson. While on stage you have to keep smiling the whole time… the whole time while the posing hurts (think arch your back and flex your muscles) AND you are wearing giant pinchy stilettos AND you could possibly be doing this for a long, long time. However, if you look like you are in pain you will probably lose. Where is the life lesson in this? It is in the smiling. Being miserable when things aren’t going your way does nothing for you, but smiling through your trials can actually he

Tuesday Nights and C.S. Lewis

Tuesday nights in my world have become my night out. I hire a babysitter and I am out on the town. Where you may ask? Church. Yes, I said church. This church is particularly awesome, but my extremely exciting nightlife as a suburban mom is not what this post is about. (Side note though, you can check out the church at http://www.newrenaissance.ca/index.php)

What I am trying to talk about is some inspiration that came out of a combination of last night and C.S. Lewis. In full disclosure, my favorite author is C.S. Lewis. I can read and re-read everything he has written, getting something new out of it every time. If there were one person I could be like, it would be him. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be able to leave such a brilliant legacy. I mean seriously the man invented Narnia… umm awesome!

Anyway, on to the quote that sets my thought up for today. It is the opening from his book ‘Paved with Good Intentions’: ‘It does not matter how small the sins are provided their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.’

Although this quote is referencing a demon’s perspective on separating man and God, it is also relevant to any of our goals in life. In fitness or nutrition, how frequently have we all let ice cream, cheesecake or a hamburger separate us from our goal of looking and feeling our best? How many times have we hit the snooze button in the morning when we were supposed to be getting up to go to the gym or go for a run? How many excuses of “I’m too busy to work out or eat healthy’ have we made when we still make time to check Facebook one hundred times a day? There are no signposts to tell us we are off track when we make these decisions. It is a slow, gradual, cumulative slope into ill health with every ‘just this once’ or ‘I deserve a treat after my day’. 

My suggestion? Let’s all get really intentional about our goals, not only in fitness or nutrition but in every area of life.  I don’t want to look back and think I allowed ‘cards’ to amount to ‘murder’ or in this case have junk food amount to a miserable overweight self just because I wasn’t focused. I want to feel great and look great. I want to accomplish everything I set out to do AND I think you do too. I also truly believe that it is possible for everyone to make the necessary changes in life to be satisfied with their health and appearance.  Make today the day you move forward. Pick a goal – even if it isn’t fitness related – and decide that you are going to get there.  You can do it!

Friday is Tip Day - Bracing

I think we have all heard someone at one time or another say ‘engage your core’ or ‘make sure you brace yourself for this exercise’. Sooo what exactly does that mean, why does it matter, and how do you do it properly? Keep reading for a way to make every exercise more effective.

1)   What is bracing or engaging your core?  Bracing is a combination of breathing and tension. You are creating tension in your muscles, particularly in your abdominal area, while continuing to breath through your exercise. You want to do this in every exercise from pushups to squats to crunches.

2)   Why does it matter? Keeping your muscles engaged is important because it ensures proper form, therefore decreasing your chance of injury and it makes your exercises more effective. We all want more effective. I can tell you I didn’t get up at 5:15 am this morning to waste my time. I want every second of every movement to count!

3)   How do you brace? I want you to imagine you are a 15-year-old boy at your high school locker. You see your friend coming down the hall and in true 15-year old fashion, you know he will shove you as he walks by. What do you do with your muscles when you know someone is about to push you? You ‘brace for impact’. Try it… Voila, bracing. You should notice all your muscles tighten – remember that feeling and before you start any exercise remember to ‘brace for impact’.

Have a happy weekend folks!

8 weeks

8 Weeks... 8 weeks... 8 weeks.... There are only 8 weeks until National Capital Fit Day. For some reason I got it into my head that a brilliant thing to accomplish while on maternity leave would be to enter a fitness competition.Yes, I know that sounds insane... it probably is insane, but apparently that isn't stopping me. I have paid my fees, hired a trainer, bought my suit and I am in preparation mode to drop the last few pounds and gain some muscle.

This brings us to today - 8 weeks away from competition. I am terrified - terrified that I don't have the self-control to stick with the meal plan or the ability to transform my body into something reminiscent of a fitness magazine. In the last two days, I have certainly strayed far from the straight and narrow of my eating plan of 7 meals a day of perfectly balanced protein and complex carbohydrates. I have consumed Greek Yogurt and All Natural Peanut Butter in quantities that would horrify my trainer and I have also come to the conclusion that what has been getting in the way of self-control is mostly fear.

Part of my aim for putting myself through this whole process was to develop a better sense of self-control. I have noticed, at least in myself, that living in a 'microwave generation' has done nothing to help me gain self-control. But I don't want to be a product of my generation - I want to shape a generation. What does this have to do with a fitness competition? A whole lot... it means deciding my mind, my will, and my emotions are in submission to a plan bigger than just this moment. It means giving up my temporary sense of control or satisfaction in a cinnabon and a latte for an accomplishment that will give me greater strength for the future.

Tonight that just means forgiving myself for the peanut butter.