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Thursday 29 November 2012

Some Friendly Competition

I am a competitive person. It took me about 24 years to figure that out but now that I've pinpointed this characteristic in my personality, I see how obvious it has been all of the years. I remain a closet competitor. It's like that whole unspoken rule about running on a treadmill next to someone. If I'm running on a treadmill and you're next to me, you bet we're secretly racing.



That's how my 24 years of my life were spent. I may not have told people we were competing but you better believe that we were. The whole competitive streak in me is a hard pill to swallow especially because I lost almost all of these secret competitions I was having with other people lol. 

Back in 2009 when TJ (my husband) and I were overweight from my pregnancy (he gained sympathy pounds lol), I read about a weight loss competition happening in our town. Even though it scared me to join a contest like this without really having actually worked out before (aside from lazily doing cardio and lifting light weights incorrectly), TJ and I attended the meeting for this competition and both ended up signing up. It was so exciting that we made the decision to lose the weight, get healthy and do it together!

Fast forward three months, TJs in the best shape of his life (he was seriously ripped!) and although my results weren't as amazing, I still lost inches, 15 lbs and gained a ton of fitness knowledge and know how. It was exhilarating to be in competition with other people and TJ and I were amazing at motivating one another to eat right and workout! We finished the competition with high hopes for competing again the next year. Unfortunately my hubby was in a car accident later that year (can't believe it's been nearly three years..) that left him paralyzed so he was not able to do the weight loss competition as a participant the next year. Since his accident, fitness and health have kind of sat on the back burner for him since its so much harder for him to get cardiovascular exercise in (he loved running when we were in that weight loss competition)! Although...I have to brag here...with my aggressive persuasion, he entered a full marathon (42.2km) handcycle divison this last September and had an amazing finishing time of 2 hours 29 minutes. I was sooo proud!








But recently we both decided that things needed to change in our household. We both have a few lbs we can stand to lose. I'm more interested in just tightening everything up and seeing the inches go down every time we do measurements.

So, being that we're both competitive people, we decided to have a friendly competition between the two of us. We sat down together mid-October and set out some guidelines for our competition which we decided would last 12 weeks.

1. One "cheat" meal per week.
2. Sundays are to be used as meal planning days for the rest of the week.
3. $1 to go into a communal jar for every pound and inch lost.
4. $1 to go into aforementioned jar for every workout completed
5. $5 to go into jar for every week of perfect nutrition (aka only one cheat meal taken)
6. Weigh-ins and measurements weekly on Wednesdays
7. Must use MyFitnessPal app for our phones to log exercise and food daily

And the "unspoken" rule that we both will follow is NO SABOTAGING! We are in this together, the addition of the competitive side of things is just because we both hating losing and it is more motivating for both of us to have someone to compete against. I'm constantly checking TJs profile on the MyFitnessPal app to see if he's logging his food while I'm at work and making sure he's on track. I want us both to succeed!

Now, the prize. We have been talking about where our next family vacation is going to be next year. We went on our first family vacation this past summer to Banff and Calgary, Alberta and it was amazing! We want to go somewhere farther and hotter next time. I, personally, am aiming for Disneyworld while TJ wants to go to the Dominican Republic. The winner of our challenge will receive the communal money jar (which, by then, will hopefully be very full!) which they will use towards their dream vacation! I'm very much looking forward to our trip to Disneyworld! ;)

 We have now been doing this competition since Oct. 17, so just under a month and a half. In that month and I have, I have lost 7.2 lbs and 9.5 inches and TJ is down 5.25 inches and 7 lbs. We're giving each other a run for the money.

Speaking of money, check out our communal money jar! It's starting to get nice and full:













Would your significant other do a challenge like this with you? It's an amazing way to stay motivated and get yourselves (and your family, if you have one) healthy! The key to sticking with it is keeping your end goal in mind. I just keep thinking about how hard I'm going to cry (from happiness) when Melina sees her favorite Disney princesses in real life at Disney! But, you know what? If TJ does win, the Dominican Republic wouldn't be a terrible vacation either! It's a win-win for both of us because no matter who wins, we will have managed to save some cash to go towards an amazing vacation where we will make priceless memories! We are both very excited about this.

Tuesday 20 November 2012

10 Tips For Staying Healthy Over The Holidays



It's that time of the year, where our mailboxes are inundated with invite after invite for family get togethers, corporate parties and dinners out with friends. It's also that time of the year where our nutrition and fitness plans tend to sit on the back burner due to the busyness of the season. Between shopping and all those aforementioned holiday gathering, it can be hard to find time to fit in exercise and even harder to think about eating right. But it doesn't have to be hard, you don't have to undo your months of hard work in just a few short weeks. I have gathered a number of holiday survival tips to help you make this your healthiest holiday season ever.

1) PLAN AHEAD
You typically know well in advance when you have a holiday party to attend. If you are going to an evening get together where you know dinner will be served, make sure you eat a snack an hour or two beforehand. This snack should have some type of tummy-filling protein in it, like a protein shake or an apple or celery with natural peanut butter. If you have a protein-fueled snack prior to a get together, you will be less likely to splurge at dinner because your stomach will still be full from your protein snack.

2) LIMIT BOOZE
Tis' the season for plentiful servings of alcohol but it's important to realize that alcohol has absolutely zero nutritional content at all. While a glass of wine is okay, it's not okay to drink the whole bottle (or two or three). Alcohol lowers your inhibitions and also tends to make the drinker think they're hungrier than they are which can lead to binge eating and poor food choices.

3) DRINK WATER
This goes hand-in-hand with #2, but it's important to note, regardless. You need to continue to drink your water throughout the holidays. If you know you're going to be out of the house shopping all day, takke a refillable water bottle with you and make sure you rink and refill it. You should be aiming for at least eight 8oz glasses of water a day to stave off dehydration and control hunger.
(source: GamerFitNation)


4) SHIFT FOCUS FROM FOOD
Many holiday parties tend to revolve around food. Or the main part of the socializing revolves around a buffet table or in the kitchen where devilicious little dainties and sinful sweets are displayed. Instead of focusing on these areas of the party and lingering near the food tables, try to shift your focus away from these areas of the party. If there are children at the party, start a game or craft with them or walk around and visit with those people you haven't seen or spoken to in a while. Holiday parties don't have to revolve around food but, all too often, they do.

5) CHOOSE ONE TREAT
If you have a sweet tooth like me and must have a portion of sweets at a holiday party, limit yourself to onne small serving of dessert or dainty and don't have ny more after that serving. OioThis way, you can enjoy your splurge without feeling guilty because it was just one small serving. If you do this at every holiday party you attend, you'll be able to sample one sweet from each gathering without risking weight gain from overdoing it. The key, however, is in the portion size.

6) DON'T SKIP MEALS
I am guilty of this but I'm going to work at not doing this this year. Sometimes when we know we have a big dinner coming up in the evening, we will skip our other meals of the day to "make up" for the calories we'll be consuming in the evening. This is asking for a binge to occur. Keep eating your normal meals and refer to tip #1 (stock up on protein before the big gathering) to help keep binges at bay. Eat as you normally would during the day and then stick to normal portion sizes during the big dinner.

7) DON'T STOP EXERCISING.
If you currently are in the middle of a fitness regimen (like my Insanity Challenge Groups!), keep on keeping on with the program. Yes, it might be hard to get your workout in during the busy holiday season but the more you stick to the program, the more successful you'll be and the less likely you'll fall off the wagon. Is your schedule just so jampacked that you don't think you can fit in a workout? Commit yourself to just ten minutes a few times a day. Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer is a great DVD set to have in times like this. All it takes is ten minutes 3-4 x a day to get in a great workout. Fit in 10 mis before the kids get up, 10 mins after they've gone to bed, 10 minutes before your favorite TV show starts and 10 minutes while supper cook and you're well on your way to maintaining (or even gaining, if you're folllowing my other tips) fitness during the holidys.

8) BRING FOOD TO GATHERINGS
No host will turn down your offer to bring a tray of goodies to a holiday party. Except make your tray of goodies contain food that are nutritionally good for you instead of treats that'll blow your nutrition. Buy (or make) a fruit tray. Or, better yet, bring a vegetable tray with homemade greek yogurt dip. Stock up your appetizier plate with fruit and vegetables and you'll be set to avoid those tempting treats come dessert time because you'll be so full of veggies and fiber!
(source: QuickenLoans)


9) KEEP TO YOUR REGULAR FOOD SCHEDULE
This one goes hand-in-hand with #6 but it's really important so I'll reiterate it. When you know you have an evening gathering to attend, keep eating breakfast, lunch and your snacks at regular times throughout the day. Dont starve all day thinking you'll "save" your calories for later because, if you're anything like me, you'll allow yourselves more treats that evening than you usually would because you allowed yourself to skip the other meals of your day. Skipping breakfast, lunch and snacks doesn't allow you a "free pass" to eat everything in site!

10) ALLOW AND PREPARE FOR MISTAKES
We aren't perfect. I'm far from perfect. I've allowed my sweet tooth to take over during the holidays year after year (NOT THIS YEAR, THOUGH). You may indulge a little too much in alcohol or sweets at one or two parties this holiday season but don't let it get you down. One bad day of eating is not going to ruin your progress. One week of bad eating will, though. So accept that the bad day of eating not-so-nutritionally-sound meals happened and move on. Spend the next day eating properly and getting in your workout.



Equipped with these ten tips, your holiday season is sure to be a happy, fun and healthy one. Don't let your months of hard work be undone (or partially undone) by a few weeks of holiday parties. Stay on track and see continued success through the new year!

Monday 19 November 2012

The Importance of Breakfast

Breakfast is by far the most important meal of the day. You've likely heard this statement hundreds of time in your life, from teachers, coaches and your parents. But why is it that so many of us still choose to skip breakfast? Mornings are too rushed? Its a hassle to cook something when we are busy getting ready for work and the kids ready for school? All legitimate excuses but after you read this blog, they will be invalid. You will be versed on the importance of breakfast and given simple, fast and convenient meal ides to add to your breakfast go-to meal plans.

First of all, we must touch on the exact reasons why breakfast is just so important. One of the many answers to this question is in the name of the meal - BREAK FAST. Breakfast is your first meal of the day, the one that should be used to break the fast your body endured while you slept. If you're getting a good solid nights rest, you'll be sleeping at least eight hours. That's a long time to go without fueling you body. You'd never (hopefully) go eight waking hours without eating a meal. When you wake up in the morning, you need to break that fast and give your body the fuel it needs to get ready for the day ahead of it.

Countless studies have shown that breakfast eaters are typically thinner than their breakfast-skipping counterparts. This could be because eating a meal in the morning helps to kickstart your metabolism as well.

Eating breakfast has been proven to help aid your concentration for those early morning meetings at work or early classes at school.

Eating a healthy, well-rounded breakfast can also help to reduce your hunger throughout the rest of the day. Those who eat breakfast tend to eat less at other meals than they would have if they had skipped their morning meal. They also tend to make smarter and healthier food decisions later in the day as well.

Convinced yet?

So now comes the great debate, what to eat for breakfast. It's important that you have a nutritionally well-rounded meal that contains carbohydrates (to help fuel your body) and protein (to help fill you up). A great breakfast could look something like this:

- a vegetable omelet made with whatever veggies you have in the fridge (peppers, onions, broccoli all work really well) and a piece of whole wheat toast

- a whole wheat english muffin with one scrambeled egg on top

(source: 123RF)


- oatmeal (not the packaged - flavored - kind but the kind you make yourself from oats) and 1/2 cup of frozen berries mixed in (my personal favorite)

- a serving of greek yogurt and a piece of whole wheat toast

- 1 egg, 2 servings of egg whites scrambled together with one piece of whole wheat toast

- a hardboiled egg, toast and a banana

- a protein shake made with water or skim milk, a scoop of protein powder and add-ins of your choosing (banana and peanut butter go really well with chocolate protein powder and frozen fruit goes really well with vanilla or strawberry powder). You could add a bit of oats into your shakes as well for more energy-giving carbohydrates.

 
(recipe: here)


The possibilities are endless. The shake is a great choice for people who feel they have to eat on the run while the other choices are great for those of us who find ourselves with a few extra minutes in the morning to cook a hearty meal. It doesn't take long to scramble some eggs. You'd only need to get up 20 minutes earlier in the morning to cook and enjoy a healthy meal that'll help you reach your weight loss and fitness goals. It's worth it, don't you think?

Saturday 10 November 2012

You. Are. Beautiful.

(sidenote: I am reposting this from an older blog entry I write for a different blog. It's relevant, though, so give it a read through). 


You are a beautiful human being.

How often do any of us hear that phrase? Honestly? When was the last time someone said that to you? Sure, there may be some of us who hear it from our husbands or boyfriends or when we were out at the bar last weekend. But when those people say it are they referring to your inner beauty or your appearance on the outside?
Beauty is not how much you weigh, your pant size, how long your hair is, your eye colour, the brand of clothing that you adorn your body with. Beauty isn’t measured by the number on the scale or the inches around your waist. True beauty isn’t any of these things. It makes me so mad and is such a shame that the media and society has conditioned us to view beauty in this way.














When was the first time you thought yourself imperfect? Think hard. Do you want your children to think that way about themselves at that age? For me, I started obsessing over my appearance very early on in elementary school. The thought of Melina being like that makes me sick to my stomach. I love the age she is at now. She is so happy with everything. She doesn’t look in the mirror and feel self-conscious or worry about the way she looks. I wish it could stay like this forever. I tell Melina every chance I get how beautiful I think she is. Not only that, but I compliment her personality too, which I think is MORE important than just telling her that she’s beautiful. Yes, it’s important for every little girl to hear she’s beautiful. But I think telling her she’s smart is even more important. We’re always commenting on Melina’s intelligence around her because she IS smart and she always impresses us. Even though she may not fully understand what “being smart” means, you can bet that she’s making note of it.

I left a note in the hotel room our family stayed in this weekend for the maid. I love leaving notes for the maids and have done it on quite a few occasions. This note, I stuck on the mirror in the bathroom and wrote “You are beautiful. Do not forget it.” I hope I made her day. People need to be reminded of this more often. You don’t have to be a size 0 or be the owner of luscious locks to be beautiful. Being beautiful is being YOU. It is a shame that some people spend their whole lives trying to fit the conventional standards of beauty in order to impress someone, when the true beauty of their being lies in their minds, in their personalities, not in their appearance.





I do not fit the conventional standards of beauty in ANY sense. I’m short. I have love handles. I wear my glasses even though I really don’t need to. My hair is constantly pulled back in a headband or ponytail (when it’s long enough). My skin decided to channel it’s inner teenager in my 20’s because I had awesome skin in high school but now I’m constantly breaking out. I’m so imperfect but that is what makes me, me! I am proud of my sense of humour. My awkward dorky sort of humour. I like my strength in the face of adversity! I am a video game nerd and bookworm and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I I am proud of my awkwardness in many social situations because I think it’s endearing. I often don’t know the right things to say, but dammit, I try! And if it comes out sounding weird and awkward, then so be it. That’s just part of who I am. It has taken me all of my life to be happy with who I am but I think I am finally getting there. I can look past my imperfect appearance and see the pretty awesome person who is inside. I’m not saying I don’t have annoying personality traits because, let’s be honest, we all do. But I think my positive traits far outweigh the negative.

I may not fit the 6’0”, 115 lbs, long luscious locks and bright blue eyes standard of beauty, but I’ll be damned if I’m not beautiful.

Monday 5 November 2012

Chocolate Peanut Butter Coffee Supreme

I love my daily Shakeology meal. It's something I look forward to everyday. I also love playing around with the add-ins to make a different and unique shake when I feel it's time for a change.

This is my current addiction.

1 scoop chocolate Shakeology
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
4 ice cubes
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tsp instant coffee granules (I used French vanilla flavored)
1 tsp whipped topping (optional)

Put all ingredients in the blender and mix for 30-60 seconds. The longer you blend it, the thicker it gets.

Friday 2 November 2012

The "Holy Trifecta" of A Weight Loss or Fitness Journey





 Many times when weight loss programs are introduced, they only emphasize the diet and exercise portion of the process. The truth is that in order to achieve long-lasting results with a weight loss program or to reach a whole new level of fitness, the holy trifecta of true and total health must be tapped into: (1) nutrition, (2) diet and (3) your mind.



(source: HealthSentral)

To achieve success in any facet of your life (work, home, and, yes, weight loss and fitness), it's important to do this one seemingly simple thing: THINK POSITIVELY.

                                                            (source: Positive thinking blog)


 Perpetual negative thoughts feed self-hate as well as behaviors that don't promote your goals, such as overeating or skipping your workout. Berating yourself if you have a slip-up in your nutrition or skip one too many workouts is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. If you indulged a bit too much at a party or over the holidays, don't give up. Wake up and start the next day with an "Okay, I had an off day yesterday. Back on track today!" attitude. Often times one binge leads to another because we tend to adopt an "I screwed up my eating plan now, may as well have another drink or piece of pizza!" attitude. Refrain from doing this! One "bad" (off-plan) meal doesn't have to lead to more off-plan meals or into days of unhealthy eating but it will if you let it. That's the key right there. You need to let one bad meal be just that - ONE bad meal. Next time you have an unhealthy meal or treat yourself a little too much, accept that the meal or treats happened and move on. Don't dwell on it. One bad meal won't derail your progress but a week of them will.


A weight loss and fitness journey often require some behavior modification. We became unfit or added a few extra pounds because of bad habits like lounging on the couch instead of going to workout or opening a bag of chips instead of eating a healthy apple. We all know that in order to succeed on our journeys these behaviors need to be changed. But just as important as changing our physical behaviors, we need to change our thought patterns as well. Go forward from here on out with an "I WILL SUCCEED" attitude. Show the old negative version of you that they were wrong, that you can and WILL succeed.