FitIslandGirl - Fitness & Nutrition Blog

Week 3

2010-08-31T21:22:00.001-03:00

As promised, here is my workout log for the end of Week 2 and the beginning of Week 3! Feeling great! :)

Saturday

Cardio: 5 km outdoor run (Lots of hills. Beautiful weather. Loved it!) Great prep for the upcoming Terry Fox run. :)

Sunday

OFF

Monday

Cardio: None

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Shoulder Press	10 lbs x 12	12 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12
Side Raises	5 lbs x 12	8 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12	12 lbs x 12
Front Raises	5 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12
Shrugs	25 lbs x 12	30 lbs x 12	30 lbs x 12	30 lbs x 12
Hanging Knee Raises	20 reps	20 reps
Weighted Side Bends	15 lbs x 20	15 lbs x 20
Crunches	20	20

** This workout was done at home. Heaviest weight I had at home for dumbbell shrugs was 30 lbs.

Tuesday

Cardio: 20 minutes elliptical

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Leg Extension	30 lbs x 12	40 lbs x 12	50 lbs x 12	50 lbs x 12
Leg Curls	30 lbs x 12	40 lbs x 12	50 lbs x 12	60 lbs x 7 and 50 lbs x 5
Leg Press	173 lbs x 12	190 lbs x 12	210 lbs x 12	230 lbs x 12
Deadlifts	Olympic bar x 15 reps	Olympic bar x 15 reps	Olympic bar x 20 reps
Seated Calf Raises	60 lbs x 12	80 lbs x 12
Calf Press	130 lbs x 12	150 lbs x 12
Standing Calf Raises	80 lbs x 12	90 lbs x 12

Week 2 Exercises Continued

2010-08-27T19:08:00.001-03:00

As promised. Here are the logs from my exercises on Wednesday and today. I can definitely feel my strength improving. I love it! Here is an update of my progress pics. Most recent is on the left from this morning. Can definitely see where my arms and back are getting stronger. :) I love a great sweat! ;)

Wednesday – August 25th

Cardio: 20 minutes on the elliptical

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Incline Dumbbell Press	8 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12	12 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12
Incline Dumbbell Flyes	5 lbs x 12	8 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12	12 lbs x 12
Decline Bench Press (Dumbbells)	10 lbs x 12	12 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12
Dumbbell Pullovers	15 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12
Tricep Rope Pushdowns	30 lbs x 12	40 lbs x 12	50 lbs x 12
Tricep Overhead Rope Extension	30 lbs x 12	40 lbs x 12	40 lbs x 12
Dips	10	10	10

Friday – August 27th

Cardio: 30 minutes spin bike

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns	40 lbs x 12	40 lbs x 12	50 lbs x 8 and 40 lbs x 4	50 lbs x 12
Close Grip Lat Pulldowns	30 lbs x 12	40 lbs x 12	50 lbs x 12	50 lbs x 12
Standing Cable Rows	40 lbs x 12	50 lbs x 12	60 lbs x 12	70 lbs x 12
Swiss Ball Hyperextensions	12	12	12
Dumbbell Curls	10 lbs x 12	12 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12
Dumbbell Hammer Curls	12 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 12
Concentration Curls	10 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12

Back at the Gym!

2010-08-26T17:51:00.001-03:00

I started back at the gym this week – I’m in LOVE! I started doing a routine I had from last fall. I had great results with it so I’m giving it another try. I’m going to post my workouts, weights and results on my blog to keep myself accountable. :) I did the first week at home. Week 2 has been at the AFC in Charlottetown! Here are the details of my training for this week!

Week 2

Monday - Shoulders & Abs

Cardio – 20 minutes on the elliptical trainer before weight training

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Shoulder Press	10 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12	12 lbs x 12	15 lbs x 6 and 12 lbs by 6
Side Raises	5 lbs x 12	8 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 9 and 8 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12
Front Raises	5 lbs x 12	8 lbs x 12	8 lbs x 12	10 lbs x 12
Shrugs	30 lbs x 12	30 lbs x 12	35 lbs x 12	35 lbs x 12
Hanging Knee Raises	20 reps	20 reps
Weighted Side Bends	12 lbs x 20	15 lbs x 20

Tuesday – Legs

Cardio – 20 minutes on the elliptical after weight training (Morning)

5 km run in the evening after work

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Leg Extension	30 lbs x 12	40 lbs x 12	40 lbs x 12	50 lbs x 12
Leg Press	150 lbs x 12	170 lbs x 12	190 lbs x 12	210 lbs x 12
Leg Curls	30 lbs x 12	40 lbs x 12	50 lbs x 8 and 40 lbs x 4	50 lbs x 12 (these were tough!)
Deadlifts	Olympic bar x 15 reps	Olympic bar x 15 reps	Olympic bar x 20 reps
Seated Calf Raises	40 lbs x 12	60 lbs x 12
Standing Calf Raises	60 lbs x 12	80 lbs x 12
Calf Press	110 lbs x 12	130 lbs x 12

New site is now up!

2010-04-22T14:18:00.002-03:00

My new site is live so blog posts will no longer be appearing here. :) Please be sure to bookmark the new address!

http://www.shapeyourweigh.ca

Hope everyone will keep following and stay in touch!

Kimmy

30 Day Primal Results

2010-04-20T19:03:00.001-03:00

Well the 30 days are over and it's time for my Primal review!

The Good:

I lost 2.5 inches from my waist, and another 2 inches from my hips.
The scale weight dropped by 10 lbs (I went up a bit from the original 13 I lost)
Skinny jeans - almost able to button

I'm very happy with the results I got from the Primal BluePrint - yet AGAIN! :)

In a nutshell, the Primal BluePrint definitely works - you WILL get results. The big problem I experienced the second time around was the same as the first. A bit of boredom eating the same foods. I notice Mark's cookbook is due to come out soon. I can't wait to review it and see what kind of yummy ideas I can find from it. :)

I’m going to take the next few days to decide where I want to go from here. I have 41 days to go until my double jaw surgery so I want to keep experimenting with different diet and workouts. My plan is to enjoy life and just be healthy and happy. :)

I'm grateful to everyone who followed me during my journey! I will continue to post more Nutrition and Fitness articles that I find interesting, along with recipes. :)

Day 26

2010-04-15T16:26:00.000-03:00

I can't believe I only have 4 days left on the 30 day Primal challenge. Time surely does fly! Holy cow!!

I have been really strict with my meals and fasting between meals here and there. I started to get really tired and bored with the meals yesterday. I actually told Roy that I was fed up with eating meat and salads and needed a change! Then it dawned on me that I haven't allowed myself any room for the 80/20 rule lately. Sooo...I decided to treat with some nachos. Talk about a big mistake! I was really excited about eating something new and found myself completely turned off. After cutting sugary foods for the last 3 weeks eating chicken strips with BBQ sauce literally tasted like candy to me. I didn't want it! I guess it's a good thing but I had my hopes up for a new tasty meal. :). I know I am to blame in this area. I have been so busy studying and working that I haven't tried any new recipes. I need to fix that!

My big test is this upcoming Saturday. I'm so nervous yet anxious at the same time. I hope to stop by the MEC when I go over and find some Vibram Five Fingers too. :)

Body wise I can't get over the inches I have lost. It's incredible. A pair of tiny jeans I could barely get past my thighs 26 days ago are almost ready to button. Perhaps another 30 day challenge is in order. ;)

I hope everyone is doing well. Sorry I have been quiet the last few days it's just been extremely busy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 24

2010-04-12T20:58:00.001-03:00

Only 6 more days to go in the Primal challenge. I can barely believe it! I’m so happy with my results. I can’t wait to do the after pictures to show everyone, along with the measurements. :)

I had a rough afternoon today. I went to see my oral surgeon to prep for my jaw surgery on the 1st. We had to take new impressions of my teeth so Dr. Mitton can determine where to break my jaws (I know, sounds great huh?) Anyhow…the special material they use to take the impression got stuck in my upper appliance and took a lot of force to get off. Lots of pain, gagging and a bit of blood later and you have a sore Kimmy. Had to get two sets of x-rays taken after that. Long story short, I have a rip roaring headache and just want to lay down and get some sleep. Advil is helping but my stomach is kind of turning. I just need a long rest. Oh I also had a chuckle when the nurse told me I should start splurging on food now and try gaining 15 lbs before surgery. “You are going to lose a lot of weight – now is the time to start enjoying McDonalds.” LOL. Enjoy McDonalds? Sounds like an oxymoron to me. ;)

Speaking of which, I think I’m going to make this blog post very short and go practice some more meditation before bed. I’m really enjoying it so far. :) I read a section on food meditation which was REALLY interesting. The exercise involves eating a raisin. I will post more and share on that later!

I hope everyone is doing well!

Day 24

2010-04-12T20:56:00.001-03:00

Only 6 more days to go in the Primal challenge. I can barely believe it! I’m so happy with my results. I can’t wait to do the after pictures to show everyone, along with the measurements. :)

Day 22

2010-04-10T20:14:00.001-03:00

I can’t believe it’s been over 3 weeks of following the Primal BluePrint diet. I love it and feel amazing! :) My weight is down 13 lbs and I have another 8 days to go in my challenge. The weight has fluctuated up and down on the scale which is okay. I know it’s more about inches, strength and energy levels. I’m happy to report there has been progress in all of these areas. I’m down an inch and a half on my waist and nearly 2 inches on my hips. :) I will have a full report with pictures at the end of day 30!

In studying for my Nutrition and Wellness course I have become more intrigued with wanting to learn more about Yoga, meditation and various relaxation techniques. My life has been very chaotic with work, taking care of the family, and studying that lately I have been feeling a little stressed out. I also realize that I tend to focus more on the future instead of being present in the “now”. I tend to drift to the past and beat myself up over past mistakes. I’m reading two books at the moment which are helping me out a great deal. The first one is Eckhart Tolle’s – The Power of Now. The second book is “The Mindfulness Solution. Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems” by Ronald D. Siegel. I’m fresh into these books but they are already presenting me with ideas and techniques to help lower my stress levels and appreciate the “now”. No more “I will be happy when I get, x, y or z” or “I will be happy when I do x, y and z.” Appreciate today for what it is and live like there is no tomorrow. In terms of weight loss I think this is a very critical message. I know for myself I used to think and believe that I wouldn’t be happy or appreciate my body until I saw a certain number on the scale or could fit into a certain size. I wouldn’t buy nice clothing until I hit that spot. Why should we put off feeling our best NOW? We are alive today and we should appreciate what we have today. We should love and care for ourselves every day! Don’t put things off until tomorrow that you can accomplish today. Love yourself today. :)

Anyhow, I will be blogging more about this on a regular basis and hope everyone will enjoy following my progress. I don’t want to sound preachy as I know it’s not for everyone. I just find it’s already helping me out a great deal and I’m a happier person because of it.

I hope everyone is doing well. I promise to blog more later!

Early morning post

2010-04-09T07:40:00.000-03:00

Doing my blog post for yesterday a little late. I was really tired last night and got to bed early. It's been a short week with the holiday but at the same time very long and busy. Today is going to be a bit shorter as I have to leave work at 2 to pick up the kids by 3. There's no school today but before and after care is having a special pizza, pajama movie day with the kids. I wish I could go too! LOL

I continue to feel amazed with the Primal way of eating. I'm full, satisfied with my meals and Never have cravings anymore. The old me would crave cheesecake and run to the store to get some. Now I can write all about my former affair with cheesecake and it doesn't tempt me a bit. I love it!

As I've mentioned a few times on here before I have also struggled with acne since my early teens. I'm very happy to report that there have been no new breakouts. That's incredible considering I just went through my monthly cycle. No pills or cream or crap just natural foods and water. Love it!

I feel it's only fair to touch base on brain fog as it's been reported to be a problem for people who go on low carb diets. I was a bit concerned on this one given I'm a parent and have a senior role at work. I'm happy to report that my productivity in that area has actually exceled. I go to work full days, haven't missed any time, study at night and still find time to train myself and clients. It gets really busy but I get it done. I don't think someone with brain fog could accomplish all these tasks. I've been through what I would label brain fog before. I'm nowhere near that right now!

Anyhow that's my scoop for yesterday and this morning. I'm really looking forward to picking the kids up early and starting our weekend. I have to work early Sunday for a code migration so time to have fun tonight!

I hope everyone has a great day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 20 – Peace of Mind

2010-04-07T20:06:00.001-03:00

I want to share an exercise I learned during my Nutrition & Wellness studies for my Day 20 post. It has nothing to do with being Primal, but I believe it can help a number of us who have a hard time dealing with stress and trying to relax and focus. I have a number of people who are emailing me directly asking for advice on how to find time to exercise, or how to get “x, y and z” done and still be fit. I’m hoping this article can help you the way it has helped me. :)

Lesson

We can shut off that internal chatter, the dialogue that runs around in our heads all day and, for some, all night. It is simply a matter of being willing to do so. Try this simple consciousness-arising exercise to evaluate your current level of peace of mind.

Exercise

Write down these thoughts. Ponder them for a moment, then rate them on a scale from 1 to 10 (with 1 being the lowest priority and 10 the highest). Now ask yourself, “Can I do anything about each item?” If you can, write down your solutions. If you cannot, brainstorm. Write down whatever possible solution might come to mind. Do not worry about whether it is feasible. Just be creative.

Now, honestly assess each item and ask yourself, “Am I worrying about things that I can change?” If you cannot have an impact on the problem, you are just worrying and acting like a hamster running circles around its wheel. In this state, you are not going anywhere, only wasting your precious energy and peace of mind. Once you accept this concept, you have power. Change or interrupt your present thought pattern.

You might have to do this several times before you begin to understand that only you have the power to change yourself. You cannot change others. Once you have given yourself this power, decide what you can change – then go ahead and change it. You can always make another choice if that first one does not work out. Ultimately with this action approach, you will find that your mind will fill up with less chatter and more peace.

CanFitPro – Nutrition & Wellness HandBook

Day 19 – No Cardio Setbacks Here!

2010-04-06T21:49:00.001-03:00

Today was a busy day! Work flew by which was awesome. I started my morning off with a weigh in and I was up 2 lbs. Not a big deal as I drank a lot of water the night before and my cycle is here. I'm confident it will all even out in the end. :)

Tonight was my evening to run with the girls so I met with them at 5. We did sprints which was A LOT of fun. To quote Mary "I am beating you this time Kim!" It was a friendly challenge to push ourselves harder and I enjoyed every minute of it. Crystal and Mary gave me some great competition but I still managed to come out slightly ahead. Barely at the end. These girls are STRONG and I love them for pushing me. :)

I confirmed from tonight’s run that I still "got it" when it comes to my cardio. I can still hold my own with the running group to keep up, sprint ahead and all of this on top of going through my monthly cycle. The Primal diet and lifestyle change hasn’t set me back at all! What a fantastic feeling and relief! :)

Speaking of periods (sorry guys I know this has been a trending topic here)…I read that the best time to push yourself exercise wise is immediately after your period. This comes from Rachel Cosgrove's book The Female Body Breakthrough. I can't wait to test this theory in a few days. :). I think it's fitting that the timing works out to almost the end of my 30 day challenge as well! You would almost think I planned this. ;)

That's my scoop for today. I still have to prep lunch for tomorrow then get some sleep!

Until tomorrow.

Day 19 – No Cardio Setbacks Here!

2010-04-06T21:47:00.001-03:00

That's my scoop for today. I still have to prep lunch for tomorrow then get some sleep!

Until tomorrow.

Day 18 – Easter Monday!

2010-04-05T21:00:00.001-03:00

I can’t believe the long weekend is over. :( We had such beautiful weather on PEI over the weekend and I sadly didn’t get to enjoy much of it except for my outdoor run on Saturday. Roy and I spent the weekend preparing for Easter and cleaning up the house. We have purged A LOT of junk and things are getting nicely organized. It’s just tiring!

I did a weigh in this morning and was quite surprised. I expected the scale to be up after the Easter dinner yesterday but I was actually down 0.6 of a pound. I know it could easily be water but I was expecting a 3 lb gain so was shocked to see a loss. Gotta love that. :)

On account of the big Easter meal yesterday and the insanely busy work schedule today I didn’t eat a whole lot. I skipped breakfast and morning snack and had a quick lunch. Lunch was two slices of Meatza with lots of veggies! So yummy! The afternoon was spent finalizing business and personal taxes then more clean up around the house. I trained 2 clients in the basement, ate a quick supper around 7 pm and now I’m finally relaxing for the day! I have to be up tomorrow for 5 am so it will be bed time soon. Supper was pan fried scallops with bacon. So yummy! :) I also had a nice glass of Tropicana 100% Orange Juice and a few pieces of dark chocolate. Decadence hehe.

That’s my scoop for today. I hope everyone is doing well! I have a new website which I will be launching later this week. It’s nothing too intense but I like it a lot. Keep an eye out for it. :)

Until tomorrow!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T20:50:00.001-03:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful Easter day. My children had a great time searching for eggs the Easter bunny left. So much fun. :) The sun was bright and shining all day on PEI which was fantastic. Tank top weather 2 days in a row. :) We had a quiet morning in Montague. I enjoyed some Primal Pancakes for breakfast then had a quick iFast through lunch in preparation for Easter dinner at mom’s.

As I mentioned in last night’s blog post the meals weren’t entirely Primal but Mark allows for this in his book. My family and I enjoyed turkey, potato, carrots, turnip, homemade dressing (made with bread), canned cranberries (not Primal) and then strawberry shortcake for dessert. I enjoyed the meal immensely and have zero regrets. :) It was delicious!

We got home around 5 pm and I snacked on some dark chocolate the Easter bunny left me. No other treats. The kids have all kinds of sugary treats in the house which would ordinarily drive me insane to “snack” but I have zero interest in them. The Easter dinner at mom’s was a PLANNED meal and I enjoyed it fully. Now that it’s done, I’m quite pleased to be back to my Primal eating pattern for the remainder of the 30 day challenge. No problems whatsoever. :)

I was studying for my Nutrition and Wellness course during the drive to Ch’town and I hit the chapter on Aura’s and the 7 Chakras and found myself completely fascinated. I know some people may scoff when I say this, but I think I have been seeing auras for quite some time and never realized it. I remember when I was younger I could see a glowing light from people around me or even people on tv. I remember asking someone about it and was told “It’s just your eyes” and was told to think nothing more of it. Since then I just assumed it was something everyone could see from time to time or simply nothing at all. I’ve had my eyes tested many times and have 20/20 vision. Anyhow, I got to reading this chapter in my Nutrition and Wellness book and got to thinking “I wonder if an Aura is the same glow I have been seeing since I was younger?” I honestly have no idea. It doesn’t happen all the time and for the most part I only see white light. In the little research I’ve done so far some Aura readers begin by only seeing white light and the more you focus you can start seeing color. Very neat! To make a very long story short, I find myself fascinated and wanting to learn more. :) Maybe it’s nothing…maybe it’s something. Who knows? I just know I’m intrigued to learn more. :) I know I have encountered some people that have given off amazing glows and other people with barely anything at all. I used to make up stories in my head that I was seeing their spirit trying to escape their body.” Sounds weird but that’s what I figured the glow was. Kinda neat to know it actually has a name now. :) If this is a skill I have without even realizing it I want to educate myself further about it!

Anyhow that’s my long winded scoop from today. I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! I look forward to spending another day at home with my family tomorrow and getting more studying and cleaning done.

Nite nite!

Day 16 – Running Review

2010-04-03T21:30:00.001-03:00

I had a rough night with my sleep last night. I was woken from my sleep at 2 am with horrible stomach upset and gas pains. I’m not sure what caused them but I was awake for a good hour and a half. I watched a bit of tv and went back to bed at 3:30. When I went back to bed I had horrible nightmares so it wasn’t a very restful sleep for me last night. :(

I got up this morning at around 9 a.m. and had a quick breakfast. I had 3 slices of back bacon along with 2 eggs fried in butter. Mmmm. I met up with Jo and Crystal in lower Montague and we did an 8 k run. I felt exhausted after only 10 minutes and thought “Crap, there’s no way I’m going to get through this.” I decided to keep going though and slowed myself down when needed. The weather was beautiful for the run today – 15 degrees Celsius! I thought “Suck it up Kimmers, you know you can do this.” After about 15 minutes of running things got better and I can definitely say there was an improvement from Thursday night’s run. My cardio definitely isn’t as great as it was when I started the Primal program 16 days ago. In all fairness though I haven’t been running as much as I used to though. The plan is to get back to running 3 times a week and get prepped to run two 5 km races in May before my jaw surgery. Jo is going to have us try some electrolyte drinks next week so we can get of fee of what works best for us during the run. We were pretty dry by the end of our 8k run without water but I LOVED the warm weather! Gotta love ditching the winter jacket and running in just a tank top and light pants. Next goal is running skirt! :)

Today was extremely productive. After the run I made a trip to town and finished up my Easter shopping. Roy and I came back home and did some more major cleaning and purging around the house. I’m very pleased with the amount of junk we are throwing out and donating. It’s wonderful being able to see my son’s floor again. ;) I bought some clear plastic containers at the SuperStore tonight for organizing his toys. Instead of everything going into one big toy box I have them separated. Toy cars in one see through container with a lid, plastic play men in another, etc. The boxes are stacked in his closet so he can easily identify the toys he wants to play with and put them back when he’s done. I’m really hoping this organized system will work. I know it’s going to take effort but if everyone follows along I think things will work out much better.

With everything being so busy today I missed lunch but had bbq steak for supper when we got back. It was so yummy. I’m hoping the weather will be nice for the next few days so we can bbq some more. :) No sugary sauces just plain meat fired on the bbq. It was great!

My family and I will be having dinner at Mom’s tomorrow so I will be enjoying the holiday and allowing for a few non Primal additions. I know this fits in with Mark’s 80/20 rule so I’m not stressed about it in the least. Like we’ve said before it’s all about vitality and making the best choices 80% of the time and enjoying special events and treats the other 20% of the time. I’m not really keen on having dressing and dessert but I think a little bit will be okay. My mom plans on making strawberry shortcake for dessert which I know will be yummy. :)

I hope everyone else is doing well! My weight is still holding strong at the same spot due to water retention. I’m expecting this to drop in the next 5 days. I will be sure to keep everyone posted. :)

I hope everyone has a lovely Easter! Take care.

Day 15 – Halfway there!

2010-04-02T22:42:00.001-03:00

Today marks the halfway point of my 30 day challenge and I’m feeling okay. Still going through the hormonal cranky spells but that’s nothing unusual for me during my cycle.

We had a pretty quiet Good Friday but it was quite busy. Did a major clean up in the basement, drove Allison to town to spend some time with her Nanny, trained two clients, then back to get Allison. I made another Meatza to pick at over the weekend. Breakfast was some Coconut Primal Pancakes with pure maple syrup. Very yummy! I still have to meet my goal of eating fish twice a week so I will buy some haddock and scallops tomorrow when the stores are open. Mmm bacon wrapped scallops. :)

I’m doing an 8 km run with the girls tomorrow morning andd I’m really curious to see what my energy levels are like after 2 weeks of being Primal. I feel energetic but at the same time I’m not confident it’s going to be the same to sustain long distance running. I tried running with Crystal last night and she commented that my “pep” just wasn’t there like it usually is. Instead of running ahead I’m kind of trailing behind and winded. This may just be because I’m tired after a long work week or perhaps it’s a result of the diet? I’m not sure but we’ll see. I’m going to give the run a fair assessment tomorrow morning and I will be sure to blog all about it with an honest review. :) I know there is a book for Paleo Athletes and how you can tweak your meals for training. Do any Primal folks have any feedback on this? If so, is it worth the purchase?

One of my goals is to complete a 5K run before my jaw surgery June 1st and to beat my original time. There’s a number of runs coming up in May so I’m really looking forward to it!

Anyhow that’s the scoop for now. I apologize for this post being late. I had some fun making Easter crafts and lost track of time. :)

Nite nite!

Day 14 – Hormone Hell

2010-04-01T21:16:00.001-03:00

I am completely worn out after a short but long week at work. I’m retaining water and feeling very blah. This is typically the time of the month where I would go running for sugary sweets. Instead I have been enjoying the orange loaf and avocado chocolate pudding. I washed it down with 2 large glasses of orange juice. I know it’s higher in carb count than usual but it’s better than eating half a cheese cake. It also fits in to Mark’s 80/20 rule. Behave 80% of the time – enjoy life 20% of the time. It’s all about vitality. Enjoy life!

I’m officially off work for the Easter holidays. I’m really looking forward to spending some time with the kids, relaxing and studying. I’m meeting with two clients tomorrow afternoon but that’s all I have scheduled. I can’t wait! Definitely catching up on my sleep in the morning. :)

Thank you to everyone who sent emails of encouragement. Getting through my period will be the hardest part of this challenge but I know I can do it. It just sucks to go through it!

Anyhow, that’s enough whining from me. I promised to be completely honest so there we have it.

My friend Mario was kind enough to share some links with me tonight that look Primal and tasty. I don’t want to give away the surprise but let’s just say I will be doing some baking this weekend and will be sharing the recipes if they turn out. One is for brownies!! Thanks Mario!

Anyhow that’s about it. I will blog more tomorrow!

Day 13 – Primal Challenge

2010-03-31T21:32:00.001-03:00

No diet soda and all Primal meals since getting back from Halifax. I feel fantastic! :) I have zero cravings, I eat until I’m full and I love the food. My carbohydrate intake is below 150 grams per day. I eat fresh fruit and veggies every day and love it. I should also add that when I say “I eat until I feel full” that it actually takes very little. Eating big salads fills you up quickly so there’s no room for anything else. Besides bacon. :)

This week has been busy at work with everyone getting ready for the Easter holidays. I’ve also been spending a lot of time studying for the Nutrition and Wellness course. I can’t wait to go back to Dartmouth on the 17th to write the test and do the practical. It’s going to be so much fun. :)

I got the paperwork in the mail yesterday to prep for my jaw surgery on June 1st. My orthodontist is going to put wire brackets on each tooth. From there I will have about half a dozen consults and tests before the official surgery date. I’m hoping the surgery goes smoothly and that I won’t have to be wired shut. If things goes well I can get by with just elastics. Fingers crossed. :) At any rate it will be 3 weeks off work and at least a month of liquid dieting. Not fun but the results will be worth it!

One more day to go at work and then the long weekend is here. I can’t wait!

Coconut-Orange Pound Cake Recipe

2010-03-30T21:33:00.001-03:00

First of all I would like to thank Shelley for sharing this yummy recipe on her blog “This Primal Life”. I came across her blog while doing a search on Google for some Primal recipes. I tried this over the weekend and it turned out fantastic. As an interesting note…it’s also a delicious cake if you top it with the chocolate avocado pudding I mentioned in my post over the weekend. Just saying. ;) The Primal women out there will understand this monthly need!


Plain Loaf Out of the Oven YUMMY by Itself :)	Loaf with Avocado Pudding and Coconut! EXTRA YUMMY! :)

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients

5 eggs
1 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup good quality orange juice
zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
2 tbs honey
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with butter or coconut oil and line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients (coconut flour, baking powder, salt) in a bowl, set aside. Add wet ingredients to a separate bowl and use an electric hand mixer (if you have one) to thoroughly combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until you get a smooth batter.
Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert cake onto rack and allow to cool.

Yield: 1 loaf/8 servings

Day 11 – Busy Monday

2010-03-29T21:35:00.001-03:00

Today was an insanely busy day at work. I lot of calls and requests but it at least made the day go by faster. I had my meals all planned from cooking on the weekend so meals weren’t a problem!

As of today my weight is down 11.2 lbs since starting Primal. Pretty impressive considering I’m eating until I feel full and having delicious food. I could see tonight where my body is getting leaner and I can notice more tone in my muscles. I love it! Considering this is only day 11 things can only get better from here. :)

I met with my friend Tiffany this evening and we had a blast training to get her ready for her big wedding in October! Tiffany has also graciously accepted to be my test client for my Nutrition & Wellness course in Dartmouth next month. I can’t wait!! I have a lot of fun ideas in place. I’m confident everything will go well. :)

I will post the recipes for the Meatza and Orange loaf tomorrow. I planned on doing that this evening but ran out of time.

I hope everyone is doing well. Living Primal rocks!

Day 10 – Sunday Baking and Easter Prep

2010-03-28T21:00:00.001-03:00

Hi everyone!

I had a great day of Primal rest to mark my Sunday. Yesterday was really busy so I used today to relax and prep meals for the week. My activities for yesterday were a 9 km run outside in the morning and then hours of walking around town doing Easter and grocery shopping. I was never so happy to see the day end and get home. :) My legs are certainly feeling it today!

Speaking of Easter…I can’t get over the amount of candy crap the stores sell! My kids aren’t big on chocolate so it was pretty easy for us. A few eggs to hide and the rest are actual presents, not candy. Allison is a little princess so we got her some little girl makeup from Claire’s along with nail polish, hair bands and hair clips. We also got her a skipping rope for playing outside. I know she will love them. :) Alex will be getting some little race cars, outdoor spring toys, etc. Nothing crazy. Easter isn’t about gifts and I find it sad that parents feel the need to spend, spend, spend. I know I can get that way at Christmas which I know is terrible. For Easter I’m taking a stronger stance to make it more about family and appreciating our day together. We don’t need to ruin it with sugary treats and expensive toys. :)

I tested two new recipes today and really enjoyed both. One was for a Meatza and the other a Primal Orange Loaf. Both were extremely tasty. :) I decided to get creative and topped the orange loaf with the avocado chocolate pudding from last night and sprinkled it with a bit more unsweetened shredded coconut. The result was delicious!! I will post the recipes and pictures later. :)

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Back to work tomorrow so I better get some rest. I just spent the last 2 hours studying for my Nutrition and Wellness exam so my eyes could use the break. :)

Goodnight everyone!

Day 9 – A Primal Dessert – Avocado Pudding

2010-03-27T21:37:00.001-03:00

Thanks to the PrimalChat folks for introducing me Taryn at TabataThis and her yummy dessert. It’s Avocado pudding and very tasty! My batch is chilling in the fridge but I can already tell it will be a nice replacement for the sugary crap pudding they sell in stores. :)

Ingredients

1 very ripe avocado
1 ripe banana
1/2 – 1 tsp of raw honey
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Unsweetened coconut flakes **

Directions

Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the good stuff. Add to bowl.
Peel banana and cut into small pieces. Add to bowl.
Add cocoa powder and honey
Blend (I used a handheld blender)
Taste test. You may like it this way. I decided to add some vanilla extract and some unsweetened coconut and blended some more.
Chill in the fridge

Overall I’m impressed with the texture. It’s just like real pudding from the store! It’s not as sweet as chocolate pudding (obviously) but I think it will taste even better once it’s cold. I found adding the coconut really helped. :)

Let me know what you think!

Day 8 of 30 – Primal Challenge

2010-03-26T22:00:00.001-03:00

I am so happy that today is Friday!! It’s been an extremely busy and long week catching up from the trip to Halifax last week. I feel like I need a day to catch up on my rest but I feel great. The eating has gotten much easier. :) My meals this week were *ALL* Primal and I am on day 4 of NO diet pop. I’m drinking lots of water and feeling fantastic. No cravings, no hunger, I feel like a million dollars. The scale is down in weight and I’m losing inches. It’s all win, win. :)

In happy news (non diet related) Roy and I are going to go look for a new car tomorrow! Hillside Motors has an amazing deal on right now for Pontiac G3s. Time to kiss our 2003 KIA Rio goodbye. It’s been a money pit. :P

I had an amazing evening training with Jo and Tiffany tonight. I’m so proud of both of them. They are doing an amazing job. :) I’m getting up early tomorrow to go running with the girls. I can’t wait! I’m looking forward to sleeping in a little bit though. ;)

I had quite a few people whom I know in person ask me “What’s up with the crazy diet you are on?” I know it’s not following Canada’s Food Guide which is the test I’m studying to pass. “Why would you blatantly advertise and blog about something that is so against Canada’s Food Guide?” Being who I am, all I can say is “How can I not?” I like to try new things and this is my own personal journey. Anyone that consults with me once I’m certified as a Nutrition and Wellness specialist will be taught proper eating principles in relation to Canada’s Food Guide. The Food Guide works – I lost 125 lbs that way. I want to be knowledgeable in all areas of diet and fitness. Call it part of my uber computer geekness but I’m always out to test things and see how they work. Fitness and diet are no exception.

The Primal BluePrint works and I find it easy. At the same time the restrictions aren’t easy. I think the key is for people to find what works for them, what they can “maintain” as their lifestyle and to follow that through. I will always be someone to test different diets and exercise so I can prove / disprove their worth and advise my clients on whether they work. I won’t be able to prescribe any diets outside of the Canada Food Guide, but I am proud to say I have first hand experience with Atkins, Weight Watchers, Calorie King, South Beach, etc. I want to be knowledgeable in all the diets that are out there and be able to support my clients in whatever eating program they select.

Anyhow that’s my scoop for now. I hope everyone is doing well!

Week 1 – Primal Challenge

2010-03-25T20:05:00.001-03:00

It’s the end of week 1 for the 30 day Primal Challenge and I’m quite pleased with my results thus far! I am down 5 lbs and loving the food! I woke up this morning with a burst of energy and actually complete some weight training before work. I was giggly and happy! I love it. :)

This afternoon I started to crash hard. My stomach was upset and I have a horrible headache. Now to be fair, there are a few things going on:

I had an orthodontic adjustment done which ALWAYS causes me pain inducing headaches and stomach upset
Third day without caffeine would enhance said headache problems

So in all fairness I think things are going well. I was supposed to run this evening but felt far too sick. I think it’s a combination of the things I mentioned above. It could also be a result of some almonds I ate at work. They have been sitting in my desk for a while so perhaps they were bed. I don’t know.

In other exciting but probably too much information news – I’m seeing the results of drinking MORE water and ridding myself of the diet pop. My urine has gone from a bright yellow to clear. My Nutrition and Wellness books have taught me that diet pop messes with your potassium and sodium levels leading to dehydration. I’m very proud that I have been able to turn things around in that department in only 3 days. I’m drinking a lot of water and the benefits are showing!

Anyhow that’s the scoop for this evening. I have some studying to do for my Nutrition and Wellness course then I have to head off to bed. Another early day tomorrow!

I found a recipe for a Primal Coconut-Orange Pound Cake Loaf that I would like to try. It sounds delicious. :)

Until tomorrow!

Day 6 – Boy have things CHANGED

2010-03-24T19:06:00.001-03:00

I know this is 2 blog posts in 1 day but I can’t help it. When I blogged my last entry from the iPhone on the way to work I was exhausted and felt blah. I didn’t have breakfast and wasn’t looking forward to my day at all.

I decided to do a mini iFast since I missed breakfast but things got insane at work and I ended up missing morning snack. By the time noon hit I was without food for 17 hours. I kept filling up on water though because I just didn’t have the time to eat with all the chaos. Well guess what?? I felt FANTASTIC! My thoughts were clear and I suddenly had a burst of energy. I enjoyed a “Big ass salad” for lunch with chicken, then treated myself with 3 small squares of dark chocolate in the afternoon, along with an orange. On the way home I ate a banana. I haven’t felt this good in a long time!

I got home this evening and met with my client to do her training session. I ate a banana pretty quick as I didn’t have much time. After she left I ate some leftover sausage along with 2 eggs cooked in olive oil. I feel GREAT!!

I’m so happy!! I hope these great energy feelings continue. My brains feels like it’s on fire and alert for any challenge thrown my way. I hope this continues!

Mark Sisson wrote a great article on his site today talking about the importance of sleep – The Definitive Guide to Sleep. If you haven’t read it you should definitely check it out whether you are a Primal follower or not. I have been bad about sacrificing my sleep to get other things done or to simply enjoy some “me” time after the kids go to sleep. With the way I workout and train it’s no wonder I find myself worn and burning myself out 8-12 weeks into a program. It’s time to GIVE BACK to my body and allow it the proper rest it deserves. As my Nutrition & Wellness instructor told our class over the weekend “Give an hour of your time and get 9 years back.” I believe adequate rest is also an essential part of that equation!

That’s my post for now. Thank you again to everyone who has been leaving comments. I feel fantastic! :)

Oh so tired!

2010-03-24T07:42:00.001-03:00

Quick post this morning while on the way to work. Yesterday marked my first day without any diet pop / caffeine. As expected I felt pretty drug out and exhausted. I was in bed before 830 and it was a struggle to get out of bed at 530 am. I know this is temporary but I hope it passes SOON!

Overslept so missing breakfast. I'm going to call this my first ifast. I did fasts the last time I did Primal and did great. I'm going to start small and just skip breakfast. I will try a full day fast later in the journey.

Please note I am NOT encouraging people to starve themselves or cut their grains. This is my own special journey in trying the Primal BluePrint. I am a certified personal trainer and I have done a lot of research on this. My doctor is aware of what I try and everything is fine. I don't recommend any radical diet changes unless you have discussed them with a professional.

Hope everyone is doing well! Time to login at work. Hope drinking a lot of water will energize me!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 6 – Caffeine Withdrawal

2010-03-23T17:18:00.001-03:00

First of all I would like to say thank you to all the wonderful people who have been emailing me your stories and commenting! I can't get over the support I'm receiving online. I really, really appreciate it!! The first time I did Primal was shortly after Mark launched his book. There were a few of us in contact over Twitter but nothing like this! I'm so happy :)

My meals today have been great. All Primal with no diet pop! A craving hit me at 1030 but I calmed it down with a cup of tea (green type).

Breakfast was 2 eggs, 2 pieces of sausage and 2 small pieces of back bacon. All raised and cared for here on PEI and bought from the Riverside Market. They don't use antibiotics or other crap when it comes to their meat. Very yummy!

Morning snack was an orange.

Lunch was a large chicken breast salad with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, spinach, feta cheese and some Kraft Sundried tomato dressing. Also very yummy! I know the dressing isn’t Primal but I’m using it as part of my 80/20 rule.

Afternoon snack was an apple with some almonds. Drinking plenty of water.

On the way home now so I'm blogging once again from my iPhone. I love it. :)

I would like to reassure everyone that the Primal diet isn't about eliminating carbohydrates. The focus is on selecting carbohydrates from whole food sources such as fruits and vegetables. The biggest difference for me is that I'm cutting out grains like bread and oatmeal and substituting them for veggies and fruit along with some higher fat meats. I'm not one to crave or enjoy high fat meats so my meat selections are still lean. The only exception would be the sausage I buy from the local market.

I gave up grains completely (without choice) when I had my upper jaw broken back in 2008. I was on a liquid protein, veggie, fat, fruit diet. Whatever I could blend and drink. There was no room for grains except for the occasional watered down oatmeal or crackers in soup. It was just too difficult to eat grains when I couldn't chew. However, I still had a lot of energy and felt great during those 14 weeks AND I didn't die. :) I will be going through the same process June 1st when I have my second round of surgery to have my upper and lower jaw broken.

My plan when I get home is to train with weights. Last night was back, biceps, triceps and abs. Tonight I'm going to do some chest, shoulders and legs.

Still craving diet Pepsi. I know it will take my body a while to adjust to the lack of caffeine but it will be worth it. I know too many wonderful people that have battled cancer at a young age. Whether there is a link to cancer and diet pop I'm not sure but I shouldn't be risking my life to find out!! We have to take responsibility for the things we eat. So many people fall victim to label reading not understanding the marketing tricks involved by certain companies to get your money.

For example, we discussed a chocolate bar company during our nutrition course in Dartmouth that markets to consumers saying their product is "light". If you can read and understand nutrition labels though the product is not light. It's full of sugar and chemicals. The company is allowed to use "light" though because in comparison to it's competition the product has a lighter weight. It has nothing to do with being better for you nutritionally it just weighs less. How fair is that?? It really stinks!! People need to educate themselves on this trickery. This is why whole, natural food selections are better.

Anyhow I have rambled on for far too long. I will post again tomorrow! :)

Day 5 – Primal Lifestyle Challenge

2010-03-22T17:53:00.001-03:00

Today is Day 5 of my Primal Lifestyle Challenge. I'm ashamed to say it but I didn't stick to the plan on day 3 and 4. I was taking a Nutrition and Wellness course in Dartmouth where we talked about the food guide. We discussed the dangers of missing essential vitamins and minerals when you stop eating certain foods like grains. Long story short I panicked and ate carbs.

There was more to it then that. The hotel I stayed at didn't have a microwave so cooking meat and eggs was out. I managed to make All of my lunches primal though so I did the best I could.

I have been on track all day today. I'm going to carry on for the next 25 days and see what results I get. I may go past the 30 days as well.

Cutting out diet pop has been rough. I don't drink coffee so the diet soda has been my boost. I know there is zero nutritional value in that crap whether it's primal or not so I'm cutting it out. I only drank one this morning to hopefully curb any headaches. I won't be drinking any tomorrow!

I'm not sure where other primal followers stand on dark chocolate, Greek yogurt and fruits but they were staples in my diet the last time I did this with great success. I plan on enjoying them in moderation again. I will also be having cheese. I can't wait to make primal pizza again!!

I'm blogging this from my iPhone during the commute home. I'm meeting with a client at 6pm and then I will be doing my workout. I bought some fresh local meat from the market on the way home which will be great for making meals this week. Back bacon, sausage, fresh eggs, avocado, tomatoes, lemon, and chicken. I also spotted a new to me fruit there called a cactus pear. I look forward to giving it a try. :)

During the Nutrition and Wellness course in Dartmouth I realized I don't eat enough fish. My goal is to eat fish at least 2 times a week now. I also plan on trying new fruits and veggies to allow for variety in my diet and to keep things interesting.

Another goal is to find a Yoga class I can start taking. I had an intro to it over the weekend and think I could really benefit from learning more to help relax. I would also like to look into Reiki. If anyone has any opinions on these please let me know.

That's all for now. Just got home and have to get ready to workout. :)

Thank you to everyone who left comments!! I appreciate the support. Please share any and all recipe ideas you have. :)

30 Day Challenge

2010-03-18T20:26:00.001-03:00

I’ve decided to start a new 30 day challenge following The Primal BluePrint diet. Mark Sisson has gained a lot of popularity with his book hitting #1 on Amazon for Weight Maintenance and #1 in Exercise and Fitness. I have a lot of people who have asked me “Have you tried it? Is it crap? Does it work? What do you think?” My answer to this question is yes it does work. When I followed the program I ate as much as I wanted (primal) and did very little cardio. I did a lot of weight training and lost a ton of inches placing 3rd for the Atlantic Fitness Center Inch by Inch Challenge. So the next question is always “If it worked so great why did you give it up?” This question has a long answer. For starters, I started studying for my Personal Trainer certification through CanFitPro and learned about how the body needs carbohydrates and the Food Pyramid. I got to thinking about the damage I could potentially be doing to my body, got freaked out and gave it up. I also missed my bread and pastas so I started re-introducing them. I gained some inches and lost the slimmer figure I worked hard to achieve.

Let’s fast forward things ahead a bit. My good friend Aaron started the Primal BluePrint last summer and has been going strong ever since. He has gotten shredded and his blood work has come back with improvements in terms of his before and after. These were his results in less than a year:

Triglycerides went from .88 to .56 (Fats that circulate in the bloodstream. High levels may be a risk factor for heart disease)
HDL went from .84 to 1.23 (This is the good cholesterol)
LDL went from 2.96 to 3.46 (LDL is the bad cholesterol so the higher level is a bit concerning but there is good and bad LDL. Aaron’s doctor wasn’t concerned at all about this so everything is being taken as a positive.)

To quote Aaron “bacon is my friend.” :) His pictures are below! Thank you for letting me share these Aaron! I am SOOO proud of you. :) Check out his ripped back and arms!!!

As with ANY diet it is ESSENTIAL that you speak with your doctor first. I have spoken with my family doctor and am in perfect health with the exception of low iron. Please always speak to your doctor before trying something new.

So yes, the program does work but you may find it difficult to stick to long term. Mark allows for some treating with his 80/20 rule so it’s not an all or nothing thing. I have noticed in the last few months that the fitness industry is quickly starting to change it’s mind on things. For instance, magazines such as Oxygen and Men’s Health are advising people that it’s GOOD to cook with coconut oil and butter. We should go for the higher fat yogurts over the Fat Free, low calorie ones because the fat free stuff is loaded with sugar to make up for the flavor lost due to missing fat. What I’m seeing here coincides with what I read last year in Mark’s book. Fat is NOT the enemy. Sugar is. The fat free products are not our friends people. You have to be wise when making your choices. I read earlier this week that Subway puts High Fructose Corn Syrup in their bread. We all know how bad that stuff is! We all need to be more mindful of what we eat. :)

So here we go – I’m going to give the Primal BluePrint another shot. I finished reading Rachel Cosgrove’s book “The Female Body Breakthrough” as well and it involves carb cycling and shares some of the same principles as Mark. I’m thinking I can tie the two nicely together. I will be blogging my progress over the next 30 days along with all the ups and downs. I hope everyone will enjoy the journey!

I took some “before” pictures which I posted below. As you can see, I have put on some weight since giving up my Figure Competitor training at Christmas. I was working out pretty hardcore and had amazing results. The stress of Christmas, interviewing for a new job, and a number of other priorities took over my attention so I slacked off. I’m no longer a member of the AFC in Montague so that’s been tough as well. Working out at home is great, but I miss the energy and joy I got from working out around other people. But my basement gym is bitching if I do say so myself. ;)

You don’t have to do cardio with Primal but I will continue to run 3 days a week with Jo and the girls. We have formed a strong friendship over the last few months and love getting out with them! Last weekend we did 9 kms and it felt amazing. We hope to hit 10 kms soon and have plans to do a 30 km run in Burlington next March! Big plans!

I will be taking the Nutrition and Wellness course in Dartmouth this upcoming weekend. I’m really hoping I can discuss the Primal Blueprint with the instructor. I know it goes against Canada’s Food Guide but I’ve seen it work for myself and good friends. Fitness magazines and books are changing their opinions in terms of butter and other fats now being “good” that used to be “bad”. I’m curious to see what the teacher says. :) I will be sure to share the knowledge I gain over the course with all of my loyal readers. :)

It’s Not About Food

2010-03-06T22:04:00.001-04:00

A lot of people have asked me over the last few years of maintaining my weight loss “How were you ever 265.5 lbs? Was it a medical condition? Did you just not know how to eat properly? What’s the secret Kim?”

I have always been open with people in admitting that I was and still AM an emotional eater. When I get stressed out, my initial reaction for coping is to turn to “forbidden” foods – sweets. I crave brownies, cakes, cupcakes, bars, pop. Anything SWEET. I love the high feeling I get from the sugar rush and it gives me a calm, soothing feeling. It’s something I have had to work on in maintaining my weight loss, and it’s still something I work on every day. I STILL have days where I give in to stress and eat junk food. They are just fewer and far between (thankfully).

I came across this book today at Indigo and the title immediately caught my attention. I haven’t been able to put it down all night. I’m only halfway through the book and have already discovered so many truths about myself and the way that I eat. This book has opened my eyes to a number of different topics. I’m not a feminist so I will admit, the opening chapter had me going “OH God I grabbed a feminist book and didn’t even realize it! SHIT!” BUT, I agree with everything the authors are talking about in the book.

For instance, why do women constantly believe that their bodies have to look like a model in order to feel good about themselves? Why are women ashamed of their bellies, breasts, thighs and curves that allow us the miracle of being able to give birth? Why do we aim to have a flat stomach, with no chest and the body of a child? Why do so many women rush out to have plastic surgery and gastric bypass in attempt to “fit in” and feel accepted? Why do women constantly compare themselves to other women, even ones they pass on the street, and constantly judge and compare themselves? The book is simply amazing. If you struggle with overeating or under eating then this book is definitely something you should pick up. I have bookmarked multiple pages throughout the book that I would love to share and discuss on my blog but I fear I would be typing out the entire book. It’s much easier to just BUY the entire book. That’s how strongly I believe in it.

I’m going to share one excerpt from the novel that I think fits me to a T.

Emotions

Try to become aware of your emotions associated with eating. If there's a single important principle to keep in mind here, it is this. The issue of food and weight is serving an important function in your life and you have no chance of letting it go until you understand what that function is. This does not mean that you have to understand every emotional reason why you are over or undereating. But it does mean that you need to realize you've been trying to help yourself the only way you know how.
For example, Caryn discovered that if something was bothering her, many times she would turn to food. Food was always immediate, easy, dependable, and safe. She started to notice that she could count on food. She observed that food would numb her when she needed a break; it would help speed her up when she was tired; it would fill up a hole when she was feeling alone; and it would separate her from other people when she felt she needed protection.
She started to notice that even the binge cycle was aimed at taking care of her emotions. She became aware that many times as she swallowed her last bite of food, her utter self-hatred would set in. She could depend on that. As soon as these feelings of disgust set in, other feelings she wanted to escape from would disappear and she would know that the end of this binge was near. This was, in a strange way, the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a necessary part of the whole episode of overeating. It is important to understand this; the pain of hating herself and beating herself up was easier to withstand than the emotional pain that she was trying to get away from in the first place. Her self-hatred was familiar. She knew how to deal with it. This part of the dynamic of her eating disorder was very tenacious. It had been there a long time and had kept her safe from her feelings. It was not only the hardest to understand, but also the hardest to let go of.
In her recovery, Caryn started to see that each and every part of the eating disorder was her way of taking care of herself--the only way she knew at that moment. She feared that if she gave up her eating problem, her feelings would overwhelm her. If food was what worked, even only sometimes, what would she do without it? She had to find out that she could and would live through her own feelings.
She started to notice that when she took care of herself in ways other than with food she was answering her own call for help. Soon she was building self-trust. She started to trust that she would give herself what she needed most in the moment, such as support, love, and compassion. Once she knew that she could depend on herself to take care of herself, she no longer needed such drastic measures to get her own attention. She would acknowledge her feelings long before she was facedown in the pudding bowl.
Over time as she cultivated a strong observer self she gently and naturally started to change. This came later as her recovery unfolded. Until then she only made the agreement that she would notice when she was upset and then, as much as possible, feel her feelings. She didn't have to change anything; for now it was enough just to notice.

I can identify a lot with Caryn in this story. In particular the part about drowning out an emotion I just couldn’t deal with by using food. When something stressed me out, I typically turned to sugary foods. Food was easily accessible, I enjoyed the taste and the comfort it provided. Whatever was stressing me out was temporarily forgotten and I calmed down. Immediately following this though, I always ended up feeling disgusting, fat and horrible. As the authors mention though, perhaps I did this because the “horrible” feeling was familiar and I knew how to deal with that. It allowed me to ignore the original problem I was trying to deal with. I.E. – The stress of a job interview or any other stressful event that life held. When I was 265.5 lbs I was EATING to cope with stress and the hatred I had for my body. I was never satisfied with how I looked. I hated that I was shy. I hated that I had acne. I hated that I had crooked teeth. I HATED ME! I honestly don’t think there was ONE nice thing I would have said to myself back then. I know I possessed great qualities back then but I would never open my eyes to see them. I was constantly mean to myself and struggled because I didn’t look like the “ideal” thin female should (or as magazines would have us believe). It’s a sad truth that many women in this world feel this exact hatred and shame about their bodies. A research poll is quoted in the book where a group of teenage girls said they would be more horrified of living a life “fat” than losing both of their parents. How sad is that??? How can the women of 2010 be advancing so much career wise for equality and gaining power, yet still hate themselves so much? Where are we going wrong?

The authors asks you to “observe” how you treat and talk to yourself and think of someone talking that way to your child or any child. Would you put up with it? Why do we do it to ourselves? I know at 265.5 lbs I had a lot of things I didn’t like about my body, but there were still good things about it. When I started learning how to deal with stress and accept my body, I got healthier. I’m not “cured” by any means, but I have found alternative methods for coping. The methods given in this book are ones I have used myself. If you struggle with overeating I strongly suggest you get this book. It will change your life.

PEI Humane Society Needs Our Help!

2010-03-04T13:31:00.001-04:00

I just received this message on Facebook from the PEI Humane Society. They are in need of canned cat food at the shelter. Anyone that can help out PLEASE do so! Please share this with anyone you know that can help. :)

Subject: Canned Cat Food Help..
Hello all members! Hope all is well with everyone and their furry friends! We currently have a shortage of Cat Can Food and would appreciate any assistance that the general public can provide.

Canned food is given to picky eaters, it helps give extra calories to thinner cats, it really helps with administering medication for sick cats and we also like to give it sometimes as a special treat.

As a side note, we are extremely fortunate to receive all our dry cat and dog food donated by Royal Canin. If you have any extras to give, please let us know. I will even come by to pick it up if you're around the Charlottetown area (you can contact me at lencurrie@gmail.com). That goes for donations as well!

Thanks very much! Hopefully Spring will be here soon!!

Len Currie

Winter Storm Day

2010-02-17T20:40:00.001-04:00

We had a storm day on PEI today. All schools and government offices were closed for the day. Woo hoo! I spent the majority of my time working on some documentation for work, knitting and designing a new blog for this site. I will share the new look with everyone once I have it ready. :)

I know I have been slack with posting my workouts or posting ANYTHING for that matter. Work has been really busy and I’m trying to keep up with things to get ahead there. I wrote my first certification in 8 years last week and I’m happy to say I passed! I now have my MCTS in configuring Microsoft Windows Vista. My passing score was 92.5%. The next step is to move on to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. :)

I did an interview last week with the province for a permanent senior team lead position. I also interviewed for a couple of End User Support positions. I’m hoping one of those will come through. I would love to have the permanent full time job with benefits. An announce will be made later this week. :)

Fitness wise I have been keeping busy running with a wonderful group of ladies here in Montague. We meet three times a week and run 5 kms. Jo Wells is the instructor and she’s absolutely fabulous. She has years of experience running marathons and has been very kind to share her knowledge and skill set with us. I have no doubts I will be able to beat my 5 km running time with this kind of practice. :) My problem area is improving my endurance. I have trained myself to always do intervals so slowing my pace and going for distance has been a bit of a challenge. For instance, I’m use to running hard for 1-2 minutes then slowing down for a walk. The goal now is to keep a steady run pace and go longer without having to stop and walk. My brain still wants to haul ass when I get started running but I’m trying to hold back. I want to be able to go the distance. ;)

I’ve been keeping track of my runs with a great little iPhone app called RunKeeper. It uses the built in iPhone GPS to keep track of your distance and time. It will also map out your run online so you can publish and share it on Twitter or Facebook. Pretty cool! :) The developers are really nice too. I had a few questions about the application which I posted on Twitter. Their support team responded within MINUTES! Definitely worth the $9.99 it cost for the app. :)

That’s the scoop for now. Hope everyone is doing well!

I Was a Ninety-pound Weakling

2010-02-16T20:03:00.001-04:00

I came across this video on my iPhone courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada. If you have 25 minutes to spare – I HIGHLY recommend watching it. The video was recorded in 1960 and it’s scary how accurate the predictions made back then have come true. People doing less work, the invention of robotic devices like the remote control for televisions, automatic washers and dryers and floor polishers making humans more sedentary. It’s all TRUE and has only gotten WORSE!

In the video you will see how women in the 1960s were rushing out to fitness clubs that specialized in “Passive Exercise.” Passive exercise being machines that do the work TO you or FOR you. Much like our T-Zone vibe machines today. I can’t help but giggle but it’s the truth. We have gotten lazier and we all want the quick fix without having to work for it.

Please watch the video and let me know what you think. :)

P.S. I love how all the men wear tights at the gym and that the high end equipment is BARBELLS. :) “Every home should have a set of barbells. Men, women and children are encouraged to use them.” You mean to tell me people got in shape back then without a Polar Heart Rate monitor and all those fancy bells and whistles? DANG!

P.P.S. Would you agree that some of the people in the video that were considered overweight in 1960 would most likely be labeled “average” or “skinny” now?

I welcome your comments!

One Bowl = 2 Servings. F.D.A. May Fix That

2010-02-09T18:29:00.001-04:00

A loyal reader sent this to my Inbox the other day and I have to share it. The FDA is looking to push front-of-package nutrition labeling with REALISTIC serving sizes. For instance, a bag of chips may read only 120 calories per serving, but when you read the fine print a single serving is only 8 chips! How many people realistically sit down and eat only 8 chips and stop? Certainly not me! As someone who was completely ignorant about proper eating in the past, I think this is a good thing. I’m sure if a product read “500 calories per serving” on front of the box, I would think twice about eating it. Wouldn’t you?

As adults, we all have to accept responsibility for the choices we make an the food we eat. I think it’s only fair that the food products we buy should straight up and honest/realistic with their labels. I’m tired of seeing FAT FREE products advertised all over the supermarket, and unaware customers buying them up thinking they are healthy. When you read the label – these products are typically loaded with SUGAR and SODIUM to compensate for the fat. Is that really better?? I don’t think so.

It’s still our responsibility to eat properly and learn how to make the right choices. I hope to see this change take place though. I think it’s a step in the right direction.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/business/06portion.html

Oxygen Magazine 17 Minute At Home Workout

2010-01-25T22:14:00.001-04:00

I decided to give this workout a try this evening and boy oh boy, talk about fun! It’s quick, easy and really gets your heart rate accelerated. I think I’m going to have a lot of fun following this program for the next 2 weeks just to mix things up a bit.

Here’s how the workout rolls!

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
17 min. home workout + 30 minutes cardio	OFF	17-minute home workout	30 minutes cardio	17 min. home workout + 30 minutes cardio	OFF	30 minutes cardio

Do these exercises in order, one after the other, with little to no rest in between. Complete the first circuit without rest, then rest for one minute and perform another circuit. Repeat the sequence twice more. Do this workout three days a week to get lean in short order. To accelerate weight loss, do an additional 30 minutes of cardio three to five days a week.

Exercise	Reps
1. Plie Squat	10
2. Biceps Curl to Shoulder Press	8-10
3. Walking Lunge	12 each leg
4. Two-arm Dumbbell Row	8-10
5. Romanian Deadlift	8-10
6. Bridge and Crunch	10-12
7. Push-Up	6-12

I had all the equipment I needed at home to get it done so it was a lot of fun! I felt completely worn out by the end so I KNOW I got a good workout. :) It’s fun to mix things up a bit!

I know a lot of people are wondering where I stand with the plan to Figure Compete in April. I have decided not to proceed with that. The program was giving me amazing results but I just don’t have the time to dedicate an hour plus each day, 6 days a week to get there. I’m trying to further advance my career in IT and gain a senior position that’s advertised at work. Doing so means I have a lot of studying to do and extra work to get accomplished. The interview is coming up in February so I want to be fully prepared for then! I have been spending the last few weeks since Christmas studying my butt off. I’m hoping it will pay off!

I want to thank Gineen for providing me with an amazing program to follow. All the Fitness Femmes I met during my training have been amazing as well! I know I will continue to meet up with everyone and continue to do some workouts together. For now I want to step things back a bit with my training and just find happiness in eating healthy and working out. I was reaching a point where all I thought about 24/7 was working out, eating clean and spending zero time on anything else. After a lot of reflection over the New Year I realize I want to be healthy and happy and not stress so much over being “slim”. Working out should be fun, and I want an equal happy home life balance to follow along with that. :) My goal for 2010 is to follow a fitness program that fits into my family life, but one that also provides me with free time after work to read, knit, play with my kids, indulge my inner geek with studying, take care of the house, etc. I hope that makes sense. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to explain this to friends in person and for the most part everyone gets it. :)

Anyhow that’s the scoop from me! I hope everyone is doing well. :) Let me know if you decide to give the workout a try!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-01-24T20:57:00.002-04:00

January 23rd passes and I'm now another year older. For the first year ever, I actually feel old. I remember when birthday parties used to be an exciting time. You would plan your guest list for weeks, talk about all the girlfriends who would be sleeping over and what you would do. Now it's like "Hmm...how about a quiet supper somewhere nice and then be back home before 11pm?" No more staying up all night drinking, dancing and partying. I'm all about wanting to relax and enjoy the quieter times. :) That's not to say I didn't spend an amazing evening with friends. :)

Jedidja turned 31 on January 21st and my birthday was on the 23rd. Instead of planning two separate parties we decided to hold a joint get together on Friday since we share the same group of friends. We started off with dinner at Pat & Willly's then went to Doolys to play some pool in the private room. It was a lot of fun and we had a great turnout. Roughly 20 people. :) I got to catch up with a lot of great friends that I haven't talked to in ages. It was particularly great getting to sit back and chat with my friend Angie. We were best friends years ago and unfortunately lost touch. Angie is the godmother of my daughter Allison and has always been an amazing friend. It was nice getting to sit back at Doolys and just fill her in with what's been going on in my life. She helped me out a great deal and I always hold her opinion in very high regard. I'm hoping in 2010 we can spend more time together and rekindle our old friendship. :) As always, Justin and Adam were on cue for livening things up with funny jokes and stories. It wouldn't be a party without them there. :) It was a great evening of old stories, laughter and catching up. :)

The kids and I spent a quiet morning at home on Saturday then went to visit my mom and brother in the afternoon. I scored big with some nice presents! I got two bouquets of flowers, a necklace, a handmade paper journal and beautiful tea light set and some gift cards. :) I also received a double chocolate cake with pink frosting saying "Happy Birthday Mommy" (calories don't count on your birthday!). Thank you everyone. :)

I did a bit of shopping after leaving mom's house and decided to stop by Cash Converters. I bought a second hand mp3 player for Allison and a copy of Lego Indiana Jones for the XBox 360 for Alex. The kids have been going non-stop playing games and singing mini pop songs all weekend lol. It's so cute. :) I love seeing my kids happy and having fun.

I picked up this month's issue of Clean Eating and Oxygen magazine to read over the weekend. There's a few interesting recipes and workouts that I want to try. I will post more about those later, along with a review of anything I try. :)

Anyhow I better get to bed. I have to work early in the morning and I want to get my cardio done beforehand!

I hope everyone is doing well. :)

Orthodontic Update

2010-01-20T18:55:00.001-04:00

I met with Dr. Mitton yesterday afternoon to discuss my upcoming double jaw surgery in June. I had 2 sets of x-rays done and a consult afterwards which ran about an hour. To make a long story short, my progress is going _very_ well. My teeth are moving quickly and everything should be in place for June 1st. I can’t wait!! After YEARS of hating my teeth I finally feel confident in smiling and don’t care that my mouth is full of metal. Dr. Mitton was really pleased with how everything is looking. He even promised that when the surgery is done and the braces come off he will do some laser surgery on my gums. :) I had NO idea why until he explained that I have a lot of extra gum covering my upper teeth due to them being out of place for years. Using a laser he can fix it up within 15 minutes. “I know things look and feel weird now but TRUST me you are going to be REALLY happy when we are done.” I can’t wait!!! :)

I have been doing a lot of research on the Internet about the surgery. I ran across a video diary on YouTube for a guy that was wired shut for 55 days! Eep!! I asked Dr. Mitton if I should expect the same thing and I’m relieved to say that he’s 95% certain I won’t *crosses fingers*. He can’t promise it because he won’t know for sure until after the surgery is done but he’s confident I won’t. The recovery time is 3 weeks at home and after that I should be good to go back to work and have no trouble at all with talking! I’m really surprised to hear this since it’s different from what I read online but I’m SO RELIEVED! Have I mentioned yet that I CAN’T WAIT? ;)

Time to start experimenting with tasty soups and shakes for the upcoming liquid diet! I think I will lay off the protein powder for a while so I don’t get sick of it before June. :) Soup, pudding, protein powder and shakes will be my survival for a few weeks, along with pureed veggies and meats. :)

Anyhow, that’s enough rambling from me. I hope everyone is doing well!

Primal Cabbage Rolls (Made with Cauliflower)

2010-01-13T19:32:00.001-04:00

A co-worker brought up the topic of cabbage rolls yesterday at work which triggered instant fond memories for me. When I had my jaw broken almost 2 years ago, cabbage rolls were one of the FEW things I could blend and eat with somewhat ease. I haven’t had them in AGES but I really enjoyed them. I completely forgot about them until Teresa started talking about making them at work yesterday. My instant reaction was “Oh my goodness I have to make those when I get home!” I’m trying to keep things low carb so my second reaction was “Hmm how can I do these low carb without the rice?"” My immediate response was “CAULIFLOWER!” It worked for primal pizza so why not cabbage rolls?!?” I did some searching on RecipeZaar and AllRecipes for basic cabbage roll recipes. I got the basic idea of what needed to be done with the exception of rice. :)

Without further ado, here is my recipe for primal cabbage rolls done in a slow cooker. They turned out kind of soupy (I should have added more cauliflower) but they are VERY tasty. :)

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (I used lean)
Cabbage
Cauliflower (3 cups shredded – maybe more)
Onion (1 or 2 – depends on how much you like)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Seasonings (I like spicy so I added crushed red peppers, paprika and oregano)
Salt/Pepper

Instructions for Sauce

Brown your ground beef in a pot with onion, garlic and olive oil.
Add stewed tomatoes and tomato paste
Add your desired spices
Let simmer

While the sauce is simmering you can work on the Cauliflower:

Instructions for Cauliflower

Add cauliflower to a microwaveable dish adding a bit of water. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
Remove cauliflower from microwave and shred into a bowl. Texture should look similar to shredded rice.
Add shredded cauliflower to above Sauce and let simmer.

Crockpot Instructions

Cover bottom layer of crockpot with broken pieces of cabbage.
Pour a layer of sauce on top of the cabbage
Add another layer of cabbage
Pour another layer of sauce
Turn crockpot on low and let cook for 6-8 hours

In the morning you will have yummy cabbage roll casserole! This was so easy and a quick grab for work this morning and an after supper meal. I will definitely be doing it again. :) Definitely low-carb, Primal/Paleo and FILLING!

Let me know what you think! :)

The Days to Come

2010-01-12T07:16:00.001-04:00

Live fully today, while also looking beyond it. For where you finish today is your starting point for tomorrow.

With effort and commitment, there is much you can bring to life this very moment. With vision and a solid sense of purpose, there is even more value that you can bring about in the days to come.

Treasure and enjoy today, while paving the way toward a bright tomorrow. Give your energy both to being and to becoming.

Right now, there is much beauty and richness to be found. Extend and expand that beauty into the moments that are to follow.

Accept, appreciate and make the most of the reality that is. As you do so, you are creating an even greater reality that will soon be.

On this day, you are setting a direction for the days to come. By giving your best to life today, you're making that direction a positive and fulfilling one.

-- Ralph Marston

Primal Pancakes via CastleGrok

2010-01-11T21:05:00.001-04:00

Made these yummy Primal pancakes over the weekend courtesy of CastleGrok. They are SOOO good! Mmmm :) For anyone following the Primal BluePrint it fits in perfectly. If you aren’t then it’s a nice treat. :) If you feel adventurous and in the mood for something really tasty, give these a shot. :)

Ingredients

2 healthy Tbsp almond butter
2 large eggs
¼ cup shredded coconut
Butter for frying pan

Instructions

Melt/Heat butter in cast iron frying pan.
Add pancake mixture to pan (mix should make 4).
Wait for pancake to set and flip.
These pancakes flip, feel, cut & dip just like those pancakes you grew up on, yet are completely Paleo/Primal!

Suggestions for Toppings:

Frozen blueberries heated to a boil & mashed
Frozen raspberries, strawberries, butter heated & mashed
Pure maple syrup

Enjoy! Let me know what you think :)

Tuesday’s Leg Workout

2010-01-05T20:47:00.001-04:00

Leg Extensions - 30lbsx20, 40lbsx20, 50lbsx10 and 60lbsx10
Squats - 20lbsx12, 30lbsx12, 30lbsx20
Lying Leg Curls - 50lbsx15, 40lbsx20
Stiff Legged Dead Lifts - 25lbsx12, 30lbsx20

Cardio: 25 minute run

Monday’s Bicep Workout

2010-01-04T21:25:00.001-04:00

Dumbell Curls - 15lbsx12, 15lbsx12, 22.5lbsx10 30lbsx15
Hammer Curls - 15lbsx12, 15lbsx12, 15lbsx12
Bicep Rope Pulley Curls - 30lbsx12, 40lbsx10, 50lbsx10
Skull Crushers - 10lbsx12, 12lbsx10, 10lbsx12
Tricep Extension - 15lbsx12, 15lbsx10, 15lbsx12
Pushdowns with rope - 25lbsx12, 30lbsx12, 20lbsx15

Cardio – 20 minutes on the elliptical

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2010-01-03T18:10:00.001-04:00

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dill Seasoning
Salt/Pepper/Desired Spices

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Celsius
Wash and peel sweet potatoes and slice into cubes
Chop onion and garlic and set aside.
Place sliced sweet potatoes in a large bowl and add extra virgin olive oil to give them a light coating.
Add onion, garlic and desired spices. Toss in a bowl until sweet potatoes are nicely covered.
Bake in oven for 60 minutes or until cooked
Enjoy!

How to Stop Binge Eating

2009-12-30T20:06:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! I recently received an e-mail from a follower in the UK who kindly offered to share her article on how to stop binge eating. I have posted the article below. Please let me know what you think. Depending on feedback I may start opening my blog to sharing more articles like this. :) As I have shared with all of you before, emotional and binge eating is something I struggled with for years. I believe this article contains some very helpful tips and I hope you will enjoy it.

How to Stop Binge Eating

You’re not alone when you indulge in your secret habit, many people do it. But when it becomes time to stop binge eating, can you learn how? There are millions of people out there who used to do exactly as you do but they learned how to stop binge eating because over a long period of time you will cause damage to your body. Binge eating is usually a reaction to an emotion you are going through and when you reach for the ice cream spoon you’re simply acting on an emotion. Comfort food is called that for a reason!

Binge eating is a cycle that usually goes something like this: You have had a particularly upsetting day. Your boss has spent all day blaming you for something that isn’t your fault, you have just received a whopping bank charge, your partner just left and the kids are sick. Tired and emotionally drained you leave work, go home and dig the ice cream tub out of the freezer. This has happened to us all but you can stop binge eating by following our seven hints on the cheat sheet to stop for good.

Stop binge eating cheat #1: Weight loss is hard, get used to this reality for better success.

We’ve all seen adverts along the lines of ‘I lost 3 **stones in 2 weeks, it was so easy with x pills’ but if that was the case we would be a population sporting slim, supermodel figures. If we could all stop binge eating just like that, you wouldn’t be reading this article. Set realistic goals and you will be on your way.

Stop binge eating cheat #2: Let go of the guilt when you make a mistake.

There will be occasional days where you succumb to binge eating. Learn to forgive yourself and let it go. Nobody is perfect and you will make mistakes, just keep going and maybe just resolve to do better next time.

Stop binge eating cheat #3: Just wait 15 minutes!

I know this sounds like a strange one but think of yourself as an addict. People have quit smoking by telling themselves every time a craving hits that they will have one in 15 minutes. Just 15 minutes gives you time to get control of your cravings and distract yourself. The same principle applies to binge eating – try it for yourself!

Stop binge eating cheat #4: Slowly but surely...

There is no such thing as a weight loss diet that fits all people’s lifestyles. Instead of trying to follow a harsh diet just gradually make changes to your eating habits. Instead of eating greasy junk food for lunch 7 days a week bring it down to five. Gradual changes are what win the binge eating war.

Stop binge eating cheat #5: Smaller portion please!

When you go on a diet you are cheating your body out of the foods you like to eat and eventually it will rebel. Instead of trying to cut these foods out reduce your portion sizes. Instead of having a massive portion of lamb casserole, just reduce your bowl size.

Stop binge eating cheat #6: Face up to your problems.

A trigger in binge eating habits can be emotional changes and problems. Instead of running away from your emotions, face up to what you’re feeling and don’t try to resolve it with food. Find another way to cheer yourself up by maybe going out with a friend or to the gym. They say that exercise makes you happy!

Stop binge eating cheat #7: Your friends are everything.

Nothing is more lousy than suffering alone. Talk to your friends and get moral support. Your friends will make things feel better when times are tough.

By Lisa Roberts, co-writer for SlimmingResources.com

** Note 1 stone = 14 lbs

Wednesday’s Back & Oblique Workout

2009-12-30T19:58:00.001-04:00

Lat pull down: 40lbsx12, 50lbsx12, 60lbsx12, 60lbsx12
Bent over Barbell Rows - 30lbsx12, 30lbsx12, 40lbsx5 and 30lbsx5, 30lbsx12
Seated Cable Row - 40lbsx12, 40lbsx10, 30lbsx15
Deadlifts - 40lbsx12, 60lbsx10,60lbsx10
Cable Pulley Wood chops - 25lbs x 200 (yes 200!)

Cardio: 30 minute run on the treadmill!

Tuesday’s Chest & Ab Workout

2009-12-29T20:13:00.001-04:00

Inc Db Press: 10lbsx12, 15lbsx12, 15lbsx12, 20lbsx12
Inc Db. Flys: 12lbsx12, 12lbsx12, 10lbsx12
Bench Press: 30lbsx12, 40lbsx8, 40lbsx6 and 30lbsx6
Push Ups: 12, 10, 15
Weighted Cable Crunches - 30lbsx20, 50lbsx20, 50lbsx20
Swiss Ball Jack Knifes - 20, 20, 20

Detoxing from the the few treats I had over Christmas is rough. I find myself craving sugar in a bad way. The last 3 days have been challenging but I have been writing everything down and keeping accountable. There have been _ZERO_ treats. I know the days will get better as I keep pushing forward so that helps keep me pushing. It just sucks to go through sugar withdrawal. Your body doesn’t go through this battle when you give up clean food. ;)

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. Hard to believe 2010 is only a few days away!

Monday’s Leg Workout

2009-12-28T21:36:00.001-04:00

Leg Extension - 20 lbs x 20, 30 lbs x 20, 40 lbs x 20
Squats - 20 lbs x 20, 30 lbs x 12, 40 lbs x 12
Lying Leg Curls - 40 lbs x 15, 40 lbs x 20
Stiff Legged Deadlifts - 25 lbs x 12, 35 lbs x 20

Cardio - 45 minute walk with my dog Sarah :)

Shoulder Workout

2009-12-27T13:36:00.001-04:00

Tough getting back at it after the holidays but here we go! First workout at home too so it will take some adjusting. I really need to set up my mirror so I can watch my form.

Dumbbell Press - 8lbsx12, 10lbsx12, 12lbsx12, 15lbsx12
Side Raises - 8lbsx12, 10lbsx10, 12lbsx10
Bentover Rear Delt Raises - 8lbsx12, 10lbsx10, 10lbsx10
Front Raises with Dumbbells - 8lbsx12, 10lbsx10, 12lbsx10
Dumbbell Shrugs - 30lbsx12, 40lbsx12, 40lbsx12

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T11:42:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! It has been a long time since I posted anything. Sorry for being so slack. My world has been quite busy with work and preparing for Santa. Now that it’s Boxing Day I can finally relax and catch up with the online world. :)

I’m happy to report that my holiday eating habits were good this year. I indulged in a few treats and enjoyed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but nothing too crazy. I met up with some terrific friends who were home visiting from Ottawa and had a great time enjoying a few drinks and playing XBox 360. We also went to see the new Avatar film which was excellent. The festivities weren’t completely devoid of exercise. I got to challenge my friend Nick in a game of DDR at the theatre after the movie. Great times! :) I haven’t played DDR since my friend Ryan moved away so it was great giving it another try. I scored an A and a B for my sessions so I’m quite happy about that! :)

Roy, the kids and I spent Christmas Eve visiting my father in law at Perrins here in Montague then went to Mt. Stewart to have Christmas dinner with Roy’s family. The kids had a great time running around the house and recording videos with the Flip Ultra HD video recorder. I’m sure some kitties were terrified in the process and I hope they are feeling less traumatized today! The adults got to enjoy Boyde’s delicious lasagna along with a yummy salad and decadent home made chocolate cheesecake made with Baileys for dessert. Mmmm! :) The evening was spent back in Montague at the house with my mom and brother who spent the night. :) Everyone got up at around 7:30 to open their presents and then we had another yummy Christmas dinner at noon which was turkey with all the trimmings. Very delicious! Mom and Charlie went home in the afternoon and the rest of the day was spent playing with toys, reading and knitting.

I have taken on some renovations to the basement here at the house so I can start doing my workouts from home. Given my busy schedule and the winter weather approaching I feel this will work out better for me. Last weekend was spent painting the basement from a dull white to a bright yellow. The toys and furniture that were taking up one half of the room have been moved to the old office downstairs. I bought an Inspire M4 gym from Spartan in Ch’town which I love! It’s a beast for space but the mechanics are smooth and I feel like I’m working out with quality equipment. Nothing at all like the old York gym I bought from Walmart back in 2000 for $200 LOL. I know it won’t replace the atmosphere and high I get from working out at the local gym but I’m hoping the benefits of having something right in my basement will work out better for me. I still plan to do some workouts at the AFC in Ch’town and do some running at the Stratford Town Hall gym. :) I will post some pictures later!

Speaking of the Stratford Town Hall – I want to thank them immensely for donating their gym space to us back on December 13th and the 20th. Using their facility we were able to raise $70 for the PEI Lions Club Christmas Toy drive. :) Thank you to all of the PEI Fitness Femmes for helping to make this happen and to everyone who took part in the classes! I also want to send a big thank you to Tiffany, Crystal and Hailey for meeting with me to do personal training! Your sessions and monetary donations were also used for this Christmas fundraiser. I have posted a picture of the toys below. I’m sure they made some kids very happy yesterday. :)

I have been working on a goal list for 2010 which I hope to share with everyone soon. 2009 was a busy year for me where a lot got accomplished. I received a temporary promotion at work as a training lead. I passed the certified personal trainer course with CanFitPro. I held my first walking classes in the summer which were a lot of fun! I took my first plane trip to the Dominican Republic in January. I completed my first 5K run in the summer! A lot of great memories for 2009. I know 2010 will be another amazing year and to help make sure that happens I’m working on a list of goals I want to get accomplished. Come June 6th my life will be put on hold while I undergo my final upper and lower jaw surgeries. There will be no exercise for months when this happens so I want to continue with getting in the best shape of my life. I have a million ideas of what I want to accomplish floating around in my head but realize there is a limited amount of time to get every one of them done. I’m going to go through my list and pick the ones that mean the most to me and share them with everyone later. :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I want to wish you all the best in the New Year! I will be posting again before January 1st. One of my goals this year is to blog _more_ :)

Take care!

Getting Fat on a Dime

2009-12-13T19:15:00.001-04:00

Anyone living on PEI right now will agree with me when I say the weather has been REALLY cold these past few days. After the Charity boot camp this morning in Stratford I decided I wanted to make a warm chicken soup to keep on hand for the week. In order to do so I realized I would need a few groceries. I already had the chicken at home so I only had to get a few veggies like celery and carrots. Not a big deal right? Wrong!!

I got to the grocery store and couldn’t believe the price of celery. I know it’s out of season but $2.49?? Check out the picture below:

Again, I repeat…I know it’s out of season and came shipped from the US. That’s bad enough because I’m a believer in the 100 mile diet but I wanted celery for my soup! I bought it anyhow but not without muttering a few words to myself over and over again about the price. While I was doing this I was on the look out for other products I could buy in the store for the price of $2.49 or cheaper. I wonder if some of you will be as shocked as I was. Check out the pictures.

1st on the List - Tart Turtle Cheesecake - $2.49

I’m sure this doesn’t taste as good as celery ;)

Item #2 - Bagels - $1.50 for 6 or 2 for $3.00

I can see where many people/parents would go for 2 packs of bagels at $3 over a single bunch of celery for $2.49

Item #3 – Mint Chocolates - $1.29 a box

Item #4 – A box of Candy Canes - $1.99

Item #5 – Triscuits - $1.99

Item #6 – Chips (Plain) 3 for $5.00 or Corn Chips 3 for $6.00

Item #7 – Kraft Dinner - $1.59

I remember when this stuff was 50 cents a box. Times have changed but it’s STILL cheaper than celery!

Item #8 – Chef Boyardee – 4 for $5.00

Any kind of Chef Boyardee pasta you want. Mix and match!

Item #9 – Rosette Chocolates
– 4 boxes for $5.00

Item #10 – McCain Pizza - $3.99 for a 12”.

Only $1.50 more than the cost of celery gets you an entire pizza!

Item #11 – A box of ice cream cones for $1.19

Item #12 – McCain Cakes - $2.49

Item #13 – Pillsbury Toaster Strudels – 6 for $2.49

Item #14 – Swanson & Hungry Man Dinners - $1.99 & $2.49

Item #15 – Smart One TV Dinners - $2.49

I’m sure many of you have by now grasped the point I am going to make. Attempts to eat healthy are indeed expensive. When you have a family to feed or a tight budget to follow, most people are going to try to get the best bang for their buck. They will go for the 2 packs of bagels because it will feed their family for a week. The Hungry Man dinner tastes better than celery. The mint chocolates and strudels taste better than celery. When going dollar for dollar I think a lot of people would walk by the celery to get something else. I think this has a lot to do with supply and demand. We want the cheap/sugary food so the prices are lower. We need to start demanding lower prices on our fruits and vegetables so the producers will respond.

When you take into account the amount of advertising, packaging and energy involved in making these pre-packaged dinners and desserts, there’s no way it can cost less than it does to grow/ship/sell celery to residents of PEI. I think it’s horrible that people wanting to eat healthy vegetables and fruits are forced to pay a higher price or worse yet, not get them at all because they are just too expensive!

What does everyone else think?

Christmas Fundraiser and Christmas Shred Update!

2009-12-10T18:30:00.001-04:00

Workouts from Tuesday & Wednesday

2009-12-09T18:17:00.001-04:00

Legs - Tuesdays

Leg Extensions – 12x40lbs and 8x35lbs, 20x30lbs, 10x35lbs and 10x30lbs
Squats – 20x30lbs, 20x40lbs, 20x50lbs
Lying Leg Curls – 20x40lbs, 20x40lbs, 20x40lbs
Stiff-legged Deadlifts – 20x20lbs, 20x30lbs, 20x30lbs

Chest – Wednesday

Inc Db Press: 12lbsx12, 15lbsx12, 20lbsx12, 15lbsx14
Inc Db. Flys: 12lbsx12, 12lbsx12, 10lbsx15
Bench Press: 40lbsx12, 50lbsx10, 50xlbs15
Decline Bench: 40lbsx12, 60lbsx10, 40lbsx15
Weighted Situps: 8lbsx20, 8lbsx20, 8lbsx20
Leg Raises: 20, 13, 15

I thought my quads were going to BURST doing 20 reps on Tuesday. It’s a huge shift going from 12 reps up to 20. Not something I’m used to at all. I can’t wait to see what kind of results I have at the end of 4 weeks. :)

My weight was down another 1.5 lbs this morning so I’m down to 153.5 lbs. My goal is to be at or below 150 by Christmas. I certainly feel that’s achievable with how things are going right now. :) I think the drop has a lot to do with cycling off creatine and cutting back on my carbohydrates.

Speaking of diet…I’m having bad cravings today. I think my body is adjusting to the cutback in carbohydrates because I’m craving sweets and bread BIG time. It also doesn’t help that there are tons of Christmas sweets circulating around the office. MUST STAY STRONG! The kids had some yummy looking chocolate chip cookies after school and it was tempting to eat just ‘one’. I know the ‘one’ would lead to 5 or 6 though so I didn’t. I keep reminding myself about how good it feels to be closer to my goal weight and to have my clothes fitting nicely. I don’t want to go back to feeling uncomfortable. As I tell my clients “Before eating anything ask yourself will this bring you closer or further away from your goal?” It’s absolutely true and it’s been helping me stay on track. It also helps that I have a killer support group behind me. :) Gineen helping me mix things up when I feel like I’m confused or struggling! Roy for helping me prep my meals and watching the kids. :) Jedidja for pushing/spotting me at the gym and recording my weights. Zoe and Sarah for messaging me every day on MSN to check in. I couldn’t ask for more help. :) You all rock! :) xoxo

That’s all for now folks. I will write more later. :)

Weight Loss Plateau is OVER!!

2009-12-08T07:22:00.001-04:00

Three days off creatine, a change in diet and my weight has dropped 2.5 lbs. This morning I was 155. I’m sure a lot of this was water but still!! I am only 5 lbs away from my Christmas goal of being 150!! I KNOW I can do it!! I’m so excited and thrilled!! I’m well on track to be at my goal weight of 135-140 by April! :)

Monday’s Workout – Phase 2

2009-12-07T21:20:00.001-04:00

Shoulders

Barbell Shoulder Press (to front) – 12x20lbs, 12x30lbs, 12x40lbs, 12x30lbs
Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 12x8lbs, 12x10lbs, 6x12lbs and 6x10lbs
Bent Over Rear Deltoid Raises – 12x5lbs, 12x8lbs, 12x12lbs **
Dumbbell Front Raises – 10x12lbs, 12x12lbs, 8x12lbs, 4x10lbs
Shoulder Shrugs – 12x25lbs, 10x40 lbs, 8x40lbs and 4x30 lbs

** Never tried these before. Wasn’t 100% sure if my form was perfect so I kept it light. I will build it up :) **

I could have went heavier on the shoulder shrugs but the weights were ripping at my palms. I think I need to start wearing gloves. :) Overall a solid workout.

Cardio

Only managed to get 20 minutes in today. Need to make more time for that tomorrow!

Diet

The new Rapid Fat Loss eating plan is going great. Very much like the Primal BluePrint but it allows for some carbohydrates. Breakfast this morning was 2 slices of toasted Ezekiel bread with a mango protein smoothie (mixed with water). The rest of my carb intake came from an apple at snack time and then vegetables. Keeping it clean!! I will go back to my carb cycling plan at the end of Phase 2 in another 4 weeks.

I will keep everyone posted on my progress. :) Thanks so much for all the e-mails and comments so far!

Progress Pictures – Start to Week 4

2009-12-06T16:29:00.001-04:00

I took some progress pictures today to mark the end of Phase 1. I will be beginning the Phase 2 exercise plan tomorrow. :) The new diet plan started today. It’s the Rapid Fat Loss Plan from Dr. Clay. Very similar to the Primal Blueprint but allows for some carbs on resistance training days. I can’t wait to see what results I will achieve in the next 4 weeks! :) Thanks to everyone for their support along the way. :)

** I’m very pleased with how much my posture has improved. :)

Lessons Learned Over the Last 4 Weeks

Carbs are not the devil’s work. It’s all about timing _when_ you eat them and which ones you eat.
I am _A LOT_ stronger than I thought I was. No more fooling around with light weights.
I enjoy cardio!!! Not really but I have been doing it faithfully like I’m supposed to and can already see where my endurance has improved leaps and bounds. :)
Eating every 3-4 hours KEEPS me from binge eating and cravings! I used to crave sweets by early afternoon every day at work. I haven’t had a single craving since following this new routine. I love it! If anything, I am TOO full from all the eating.
I can eat out and still stay in shape! I enjoyed a nice meal at Pat & Willy’s last Sunday and even had a piece of cheesecake! I also enjoyed my staff Christmas party this past Friday at the Rodd Royalty Inn where there was _more_ cheesecake. I didn’t beat myself up, I simply got my BUTT at the gym first thing Saturday morning. I love being in control!

Saturday's Back Workout!

2009-12-05T21:12:00.000-04:00

I am really proud of the results of my workout this morning!!! All time highs and I didn't have my creatine or growth factor with me. Woohoo! :) Last night was my staff Christmas party as well so I enjoyed a good meal along with dessert. Chocolate cheesecake - mmmm!! All foods allowed in moderation! I was right back at the gym this morning. :)

I met with Gineen this morning at Naturally Fit and had a great chat. We've come up with a new eating plan for the next 4 weeks to begin Phase 2 of our workout plan. This should hopefully result in continued, kick ass progress. :) I'm going to cycle off my creatine for the next two weeks to see if the puffiness I feel goes away. I can't wait to see what kind of results I get! I will post before and after pictures later tonight. :) Overall I am EXTREMELY happy with the results from Phase 1! I am lifting heavier than ever and I can see where my body has slimmed down in the waist. :) Pictures later I promise!

Back

Lat Pulldown: 50x12, 60x12, 60x6/50x6, 60x6/50x6
Counter-weighted Chinups: 110x12, 90x12, 80x12, 70x4/90x8
Seated Row: 50x12, 60x6/50x6, 70x2/50x10, 50x12 (The 70s were REALLY tough!)
Back Extensions: 12, 12, 5x10, 10x10

Biceps

Barbell Curls: 25x12, 35x12, 45x12
Hammer Curls: 15x12, 12x12, 12x10
Preacher Curl: 15x12, 25x10, 25x10

Thursday’s Workout

2009-12-03T21:15:00.000-04:00

Chest

Inc. Db Press: 15x12, 15x12, 20x6/15x6, 20x6/15x6
Flat Db. Flyes: 10x12, 15x12, 20x12, 20x12
Decline Bench Press: 50x12, 60x12, 70x4/60x8, 60x12
Db Pullovers: 20x12, 25x12, 25x12, 30x6, 25x6

Triceps

Tricep Pushdowns: 40x12, 40x12, 40x12
Overhead Rope Extensions: 20x12, 30x12, 40x12
Dips: 8, 7, 10

Tuesday’s Leg Workout

2009-12-02T07:38:00.001-04:00

My legs were really feeling it yesterday. The leg extensions were really tough starting out but things got better once they were done. Results below:

Leg Extension: 60x12, 60x8/45x4, 60x12
Leg Press: 170x12, 200x12, 225x12
Leg Curl: 75x12, 90x8/75x4, 75x12
Deadlifts: 30x15, 40x15, 50x20
Seated Calf Raise: 50x12, 60x12
Standing Calf Raise: 80x12, 90x12
Calf Raises in Leg Press Machine: 130x15, 140x15/130x6

I’m happy with how my weights are increasing. The _one_ semi-complaint I have right now is the weight I seem to be retaining. The scale was up 2 lbs this week and I’m feeling a bit puffy. I’m sure this is due to taking creatine as part of my recovery with lifting heavier. At least that seems to be the case from what I’m reading online. I can’t really complain though. I haven’t felt sore after any of my workouts and I’m pushing myself really hard lifting heavier than ever. I only have 1 more week to go with the creatine then I will be cycling off of it. I will let everyone know the progress I make. :) For now I’m IGNORING the scale which is what I would advise all of my clients to do as well!

Hope everyone is doing well! Only 22 more days until Santa comes!! Hard to believe. :)

Monday’s Workout – Shoulders & Abs

2009-12-01T12:34:00.001-04:00

Shoulders

Db Presses: 12x12, 15x12, 20x7/15x5, 20x6/15x6
Db Side Raises: 8x12, 10x12, 12x12, 12x12Db
Front Raises: 8x12, 10x12, 12x6/10x6, 12x4/10x8
Db Shrugs: 25x12, 30x12, 35x10, 40x10

Abs

Oblique Crunches: 20, 20
Hanging Leg Raise: 20, 3x10/10
Weighted Situps: 8x25, 8x35!!

Feeling great!! :) Definitely getting stronger! I love it!!

Friday’s Workout – Back & Biceps

2009-11-27T20:31:00.001-04:00

Tough workout this afternoon! My triceps were sore from yesterday’s workout so I found the lat pulldowns and chin ups tough today! I got through it though and continued to make progress with increasing my weights from last week. :) Only 1 more week to go until I move on to Phase 2 of the training. I can’t wait! :)

Back & Biceps

Lat pulldown: 30x12, 50x12, 60x6/50x6, 60x6/50x6
Counter-weighted chinups: 110x12, 100x12, 90x6/100x6, 90x12
Seated row: 40x12, 50x12, 50x12, 50x12
Back hyperextension: 12, 5x12, 10x10, 10x10
Db curls: 15x12, 15x12, 15x12
Hammer curl: 12x12, 15x12, 15x9/12x3
Preacher curl: 12x12, 20x12, 20x12

Some friends and I will be holding a bootcamp at the Stratford Town Hall gym on Sunday December 13th and 20th from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. The fee to take part is $5. All money collected will be going to charity for Christmas! If you wish to attend please RSVP via the Facebook group here:

PEI Fitness Bootcamp - Charity Event!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Wednesday’s Workout

2009-11-26T20:57:00.001-04:00

As promised – here are the results of my workout at the gym today! My chest and triceps are feeling it tonight but in a good way! I slept in this morning so I did my cardio this afternoon immediately after lifting weights. I was really tired but I got through it! So glad tomorrow is Friday! :)

Chest & Triceps

Incline Db. Press: 10x12, 12x12, 15x6/10x6, 15x7/10x5
Flat Db. Flyes: 8x12, 12x12, 15x12, 20x12
Decline Bench Press: 40x12, 50x12, 60x12, 70x4/60x2/50x6
Dumbbell Pullovers: 20x12, 20x12, 25x10, 25x10
Tricep pushdowns: 40x12, 50x12, 40x12
Overheard rope extensions: 20x12, 30x12, 40x12
Bench Dips: 12, 10, 10

Cardio was a 30 minute mix of the versa climber, stepper and the elliptical. :)

I want to share a touching story that happened to me yesterday. I got home from work early to spend some time with the kids. I had an hour of cardio to do downstairs in the basement and DIDN’T feel like doing it. I was tired and I just wanted to veg and relax. Truth be told I was also feeling sorry for myself. Yes sorry! Let me explain….

The fitness program I’m following right now is one that my idol Gineen Nicholls is following to get in shape for her next figure competition. I would LOVE to get in the same shape as other figure competitor women do when they go on stage. I want the defined arms and the tight abs. I want to be able to wear a bikini (I’m sorry that probably sounds shallow but it was always a goal of mine). I have lost over 125 lbs but I would never wear a two piece. I have stretch marks on my stomach and a little pouch from where I carried the kids. I’m proud of my body but at the same time I want to hide it.

From what I’m reading online that most likely won’t happen due to the large amount of weight I carried for so long. My stomach can be corrected with surgery but I don’t want to do that. I want it to happen naturally. It’s possible it MAY happen but most people are saying “No”. It’s been four years now and I’m thinking it may not. Long story short, I had a small pity party for myself thinking “I will never have abs and look like these beautiful women no matter how hard I work myself. I’m just going to sit here and mope.” Terrible huh?

As I kept sitting and moping in the livingroom I had an epiphany and thought “No way! This could STILL happen for me. I have never trained this hard before, who’s to say it can’t happen?” PLUS – Even if it didn’t happen – does that mean I should give up on training to be STRONG and FIT? GOSH DON’T BE SO FOOLISH KIMMY!! I decided to GET OVER IT and head down to the basement to do my workout. “This isn’t over!” I went down to the basement and as I approached the treadmill to plug it in, I found this fridge magnet on the floor directly beside it.

The message on the magnet struck me in such a powerful way and I knew right away I was in the right spot. The touching story about this magnet is not only in the message but also in the sender. You see, this magnet has NO place being in my basement. This magnet belonged to Roy’s mother who sadly passed away back in May. I like to think of it as a message from her. Seems more than coincidental that it would be laying beside my treadmill at a time when I was feeling down.

I’m keeping the magnet on my fridge now to help keep me motivated and pushing forward. I know this workout routine is beyond anything I have ever done before. I’m feeling scared and nervous as heck but I’m EXCITED at the same time!

I hope everyone will continue to follow me on my progress and remember that no matter WHAT other people say – you CAN do it! Never EVER give up!

Tuesday’s Leg Workout

2009-11-25T19:14:00.001-04:00

I’ve decided to start blogging my workouts along with my weight so I can keep track of how I’m progressing. :) Check it out!

Cardio

45 minute spin class at 6 am – AFC Ch’town

Legs

Done at the AFC in Ch’town after work

Leg Extension: 30x12, 30x12, 45x12
Leg Press: 150x12, 170x10/190x2, 190x12
Leg Curl: 40x2/50x10, 60x8/50x4, 60x12
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts: 30x15, 40x15, 40x20
Seated Calf Raises: 60x12, 90x12
Standing Calf Raises: 50x12, 60x12
Calf Raises in Leg Press Machine: 150x5/130x10, 130x20

Overall I’m happy with my progress. I’m really looking forward to seeing how much stronger I get over the upcoming weeks and how my body will change. Next set of progress pics coming soon! :)

Homemade Protein Bars

2009-11-25T07:29:00.004-04:00

I made these no-bake protein bars over the weekend and they are yummy!! Recipe taken from Oxygen magazine. :)
Ready in 45 minutes. Makes 8 Servings
Ingredients

2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
4 scoops protein powder (vanilla or cookies 'n' cream flavors work best) ** I used vanilla
1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
1/2 cup water

Directions:

Knead all ingredients in a large bowl
Line square baking pan with wax paper. Spread dough into pan using a spatula. Optional: Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on top.
Freeze for 30 minutes
Remove from freezer. Cut into bars.

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 230, Total Fats: 10 g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat 0, Cholesterol: 15 mg, Sodium: 20 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 21 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 15 g, Iron 2 mg.

Personal Training Fundraiser!!

2009-11-21T20:14:00.001-04:00

Want to do something good for a child this Christmas on PEI? Want to get in SHAPE at the same time? Take me up on my personal training offer below! :) Spread the word! Free personal training for the month of December in exchange for a Christmas toy donation (value of at least $10/session). Money donation accepted as well. I will be collecting the gifts and money to donate to charity. I will NOT be keeping any of the toys or money – EVERYTHING goes to charity. My time is being volunteered because I strongly believe Christmas should come to all children this year, not just those with families who can afford it.

Please watch my video above for all the details. Remember you MUST leave a comment telling me why you want to do this. I will be picking names and contacting people by e-mail to start our training.

Let’s make a difference in our health and in the lives of Island families this Christmas!!!

The Secret to Staying Motivated!

2009-11-20T22:18:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned in my last video, the holidays can be a struggle when trying to stay on program with exercise and healthy eating. There are the Christmas parties to attend, the holiday dinners with drinks and lots of treats. Who has time to hit the gym with all the Christmas shopping and work to get done. Oh and let’s not forget about the snow!! Winter just isn’t cut out for staying in shape. Or is it?

I bought a copy of this month’s Oxygen magazine and I’m loving the short letter from Robert Kennedy. Robert has been receiving a number of e-mails from women asking how to stay on program over the winter and get through the holidays without caving into temptation. His no nonsense answer was simple “You have to want it!”

I read the line over a few times and thought “Where are the tips and secrets?” But honestly folks, you can have all the tips and secrets in the world but if you don’t truly WANT to change then it’s never going to happen.

This morning was a prime example for me. The alarm went off at 4:30 and I didn’t want to get out of bed. I was feeling the after affects of yesterday’s workout and the last thing I wanted to do was go downstairs and get on my elliptical or treadmill. “I just want to sleep. I deserve a break. This one day won’t hurt.” I pulled the covers up over my shoulders and made a decision to stay in bed. As I snuggled into my pillow I got to thinking “Is this decision getting me closer or further away from my goals?” I know the difference between being REALLY tired and just feeling lazy. I had the energy to do a workout, I just didn’t want to. I was being lazy. The decision was clear. I got out of bed, changed into my workout clothes and got my cardio done before going to work. I felt a million times better and I’m proud to say I haven’t missed a workout in 3 weeks since following my new program. :)

How about you? Do you really want to change? Are you determined to not let anything stand in your way? If you are thinking “I want to lose weight but I dunno…” then I think you need to get clear with your goals. Figure out what you want to accomplish and HOW you plan on doing it. Create an action plan and follow it through no matter what. It CAN be done! You just need to WANT it like Robert said.

For anyone looking for a fun way to stay on program over the holidays I’m still doing the Christmas Shred Challenge I mentioned in my last video. I love tearing the links down every day I’m on program and it’s really helping me to stay on track! Anyone else who would like to join please leave a comment letting me know. I would like to post pictures/write ups of our progress. :)

Take care everyone!

Tropical Blend Protein Yogurt

2009-11-18T11:44:00.001-04:00

Ingredients

200 grams Fat Free Pineapple Coconut Yogurt
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I use Perfect Whey)
2 oz Strawberries

Mix together in a bowl and enjoy. Simply delicious!

Calories 218
Protein 36 grams
Carbs 16 grams
Fat 2 grams

Christmas Shred Challenge!

2009-11-16T19:10:00.001-04:00

Anyone who wants to take part please leave a comment below! :)

Rachelle Wood

2009-11-15T17:52:00.001-04:00

“Health is contagious, when you’ve got it others want it.” Rachelle Wood

As I mentioned in my last video update, I had the great pleasure of meeting with Rachelle Wood last Wednesday in Charlottetown. Rachelle is a registered holistic nutritionist and owner of Rachelle Wood Nutrition (formerly known as Positive Change Nutrition and Lifestyle Consulting). A few of you may wonder why I went to visit her. There are a few reasons. :)

I met Rachelle during a workout class in Montague back in September. Rachelle was kind enough to be a guest speaker at the end of our class to share her own weight loss story and success tips on losing weight. I felt an instant connection with her. Rachelle, like myself, used to weigh 250 lbs and struggled with emotional eating. She grew up on a farm here on Prince Edward Island, and worked a fast food job at McDonalds. Living on a farm she was used to having the big “farm” meals at home. Her job as manager at McDonalds in the evenings had her eating a lot of fast food late at night. As Rachelle said, she had an unhealthy, emotional relationship with food and she knew it had to change. This is exactly how I felt at 265.5 lbs back in 2002.

In 2001 Rachelle decided to be proactive about her weight and enrolled at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, Halifax campus. She graduated from the program with honors and was granted the title Registered Holistic Nutrionist. Since then there has been NO holding this girl back!

In the past 8 years she has worked many jobs in the health and wellness industry throughout the Maritimes. She helped develop the Blue Menu Line products at the Atlantic SuperStore which many of us are probably familiar with. She started her own business in 2005 and since then has helped Islanders lose close to 50,000 lbs! On top of that, she has maintained her own weight loss of over 100 lbs! Can you see now why I find this girl impressive? ;) Not only has she lost 100 lbs on her own, but she is reaching out to fellow Islanders and helping them lose weight as well. Over 50,000 lbs!!!

Rachelle’s favorite exercises include lifting weights at home, spin cycling and attending UFit! Her home gym includes a set of dumbells, resistance bands, and weighted balls. Being a business woman doesn’t hold her back. Despite her busy 80hr/week work schedule she still finds time to workout 3-4 days a week! She does all her cooking on Sundays to be ready for the week. No more excuses everyone!

One thing I really loved is that Rachelle keeps a copy of her McDonalds Employee Awards on her office wall. She uses them as a reminder of where she has come from and how she won’t go back there. I think this is an amazing idea and something everyone should follow. It’s easy to forget where we have come from and slide back into old habits. This woman is all about positive change and helping others. She is the real deal and genuinely wants to help people make a difference in their lives.

So why did I go see Rachelle? For those of you that know me I have suffered with acne since I was a teenager. My dermatologist had me on a number of medications which never worked. Birth control was also a failure and just made me a nut case with my hormones. I would go from being super happy to completely depressed. I wanted to find a NATURAL cure to beat this problem.

I e-mailed Rachelle on Facebook to see if she could help me out. I was amazed at how quickly she got back to me and offered to sit down and have a chat. We went over my current food list and crossed out a few things. There was no pushiness or crazy “You need to buy this product that will cost X number of dollars.” The treatment is all natural, just a simple diet change. I’m really excited to put her advice into practice and will be sure to give everyone an update on how it goes. :)

Thank you so much Rachelle for all of your help. You are a truly inspiring woman. I am so glad to have met you and look forward to following your continued success. :)

Please be sure to check out Rachelle’s website for some healthy, yummy recipes!

Also be on the look out for Rachelle’s online Client Nutrition program which will be launching soon! The online tool will allow nutritionists to track their clients' food intake and overall progress easily and thoroughly through the privacy of being online. Can’t wait to see it!

P.S. I also understand you can purchase gift certificates. Great gift idea with Christmas just around the corner! :)

Week 1 Results

2009-11-12T20:50:00.001-04:00

Panini Sandwich

2009-11-10T23:21:00.002-04:00

Ingredients:

2 oz Grilled Chicken Breast
2 slices Ezekiel Bread
Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Salsa

This was leftover grilled chicken from supper last night. I added 15 grams of Kraft Partly Skimmed Mozzarella cheese along with some salsa. Nuked it in the microwave for 45 seconds to melt the cheese and warm the chicken. Turned out really yummy! Spread on 2 slices of Ezekiel bread and enjoy. :)

Let me know what you think!

Calories: 299
Fat: 6 grams
Carbohydrates: 31 grams
Protein: 30 grams
Fiber: 6

Prepping for New Training!

2009-11-05T20:06:00.001-04:00

The Beginning of a New Program!

2009-11-02T20:32:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone!

Time for a quick update. I had a great week last week! My eating was all on program and went great. I survived the Halloween holidays without going *too* overboard. I did allow myself to have a few treats but I proudly got rid of the rest of the candy this morning at work. Yay me!

I made it to the gym 3 times last week which was my goal for weight training. I even made sure to get back there today to kick my butt which is what I did! I LOVE lifting weights. It’s wonderful to be feeling better and up to pumping iron and even doing cardio! You know I gotta be feeling better when I do cardio as well. :) That’s COMMITMENT from me!

I received an amazing e-mail offer from my friend Gineen Nicholls at Naturally Fit this morning over Facebook. Gineen is a Personal Trainer and the owner of Naturally Fit PEI. She is known for getting women into killer shape (including herself) to compete in body competitions. Check out their page for yourself! I had the pleasure of getting to know Gineen during the Inch by Inch Challenge this past summer with the Atlantic Fitness Center. She has been a source of inspiration and I just can’t say enough good things about her! When I came in third for the Inch by Inch Challenge my prize was 3 Free Personal Training sessions with Gineen which was awesome! She helped me get prepared for the Personal Trainer exam with CanFitPro and we did some killer workouts too! :) Anyhow, to make a very long story short – I wanted to train with Gineen really bad to see what I could do with my body. Being a busy business owner though and training herself Gineen unfortunately wasn’t taking on any new clients. Sad Kimmy but I completely understood. ANYHOW! My e-mail from Gineen this morning was an offer to shadow her on her training in preparation for her competition in April! Gineen is going to give me a copy of her workouts along with a diet plan. I can’t wait!! I’m so excited to follow her program and see what kind of results we can get. :) I feel confident in creating exercise routines to lose weight and get in shape – but I have never traveled the path of fitness training for a body competition. This should be a lot of fun and a great adventure! My goal is to get in amazing shape before my surgery and feel happy and confident knowing I’m in the best shape of my life! I will _not_ be competing – this is for my own personal gain. It will be a lot of fun working in partnership with Gineen though to see what kind of results we get. I can’t wait!!!

I took my Before pictures this evening. I will post them a bit later. I hope everyone will follow me on my progress and help keep me accountable. :) Anyone interested in more information please drop me a line!

Take care,

Kimmy

Days Until Surgery: 154

Mission Muscle!

2009-10-26T20:32:00.001-03:00

Zuchinni Lasagna

2009-10-25T20:49:00.000-03:00

Serves: 6
Hands on time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 24-oz jar low-fat, low-sodium tomato sauce
1 lb extra-lean ground chicken or turkey
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 egg
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1 tsp whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup skimm mozarella cheese, shredded, divided
2 1/2 cups zuchinni (about 2 medium), sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces, divided

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
In a large nonstick frying pan, saute onion and garlic over medium heat until tender. Add tomato sauce and ground meat, and bring all ingredients to consistent heat for 10 minutes (until browned). Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, slightly beat the egg. Stir in cottage cheese, flour and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
Pour 1/2 of meat-tomato sauce mixture into a 1 and 1/2-quart roasting pan. Top with 1 and 1/4 cups zucchini slices and cottage cheese mixture. Then cover with remaining meat-tomato sauce mixture and zucchini.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake 10 minutes longer.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrients per 1 and 2/3-cup serving: Calories: 240, Total Fat: 3.5g, Sat. Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 19g, Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 10g, Protein: 32g, Sodium: 530mg, Cholesterol: 45mg

Fast Food Inc.

2009-10-13T20:23:00.001-03:00

I was sitting around the house feeling worn out from this cold. Major headache and still coughing. I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive Kickboxing class so I decided to watch Food Inc. while snuggling up on my couch. Talk about an EYE opener!

If you haven’t seen this movie you really need to rent or borrow a copy. It will open your eyes to the way our food supply is met. The film is based in America but I’m sure some of the ideas follow suit in Canada as well. Everything from mass production of chickens in horrible conditions, using unnatural practices just to make them grow bigger faster. A chick used to take 80 days to mature before it reached the point of being ready for slaughter. They are now able to make a chicken reach maturation in 36 days. Check out this excerpt…is it really worth it? Is this humane? Can you consciously eat your food knowing you support this?

Today's "broiler" (meat) chickens have been genetically altered to grow twice as fast and twice as large as their ancestors. Pushed beyond their biological limits, hundreds of millions of chickens die every year before reaching slaughter weight at 6 weeks of age. An industry journal explains that "broilers [chickens] now grow so rapidly that the heart and lungs are not developed well enough to support the remainder of the body, resulting in congestive heart failure and tremendous death losses." Modern broiler chickens also experience crippling leg disorders, as their legs are not capable of supporting their abnormally heavy bodies. Confined in unsanitary, disease-ridden factory farms, the birds also frequently succumb to heat prostration, infectious diseases, and cancer.

http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/poultry/

You may also find this link interesting – it shows the differences between chicken farming then and now.

http://www.foodmuseum.com/exchickenfarmingthenandnow.html

The movie then goes on to explain how corn is found in literally EVERYTHING we eat. Ketchup, BBQ sauce, cereals, etc. It’s CHEAP and because it’s cheap companies are able to sell us cheap products in the super market. Why buy fresh fruit at $1.99 a pound when you can get an entire box of sugary cereal for $2?? It’s cheaper for a family of 4 to eat fast food then it is to buy veggies. Something definitely isn’t right here!!

You will learn the sad story of Kevin Kowalcyk who died in 2001 after eating a hamburger contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. He was only 2 years old. The plant responsible for producing the meat came back with positive testings for E-coli but was still allowed to run. I can’t believe it!! You can read more about the story here. Thousands of pounds of meat being re-called. Hamburgers being made from a huge pile of cattle that is all piled together in one “bunch” to make our food. It’s disgusting! Who is keeping us safe? Who can you trust?

I am determined now more than ever to be mindful of my food labels and watch everything that I eat and buy. I will continue to shop at the Farmers Market and from local farmers who I know follow best practices (No corn or antibiotic fed animals for me please!)

What will you do?

My Sweet Indulgence

2009-10-07T09:19:00.001-03:00

I have been feeling really sick for the last week and haven’t had much of an appetite. My posts have been minimal as a result as well. Sorry everyone. :(

I thought I would share my morning indulgence for breakfast. It’s great when you have a sore throat (like I do right now) or when you are simply craving a chocolate shake drink.

Ingredients:

1 cup Skim Milk
1 Scoop Protein Powder (I use Perfect Whey)
1 tbsp Kraft All Natural Peanut Butter
Fat Free Chocolate Pudding Mix (to add chocolate flavour)

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 336
Fat: 10 grams
Carbs: 23 grams
Protein: 41 grams

If you decide to give it a try – let me know what you think! I used to live off these drinks when I had my jaw broken last summer so got away from them for a while. I haven’t had one in ages so I’m enjoying them again. :)

Be careful in picking out your protein powder. I tried quite a few before I found one I liked. There are quite a few out there that are chalky and gross. The Perfect Whey isn’t like that at all! I got mine at Naturally Fit and a container lasts for months. You can use whatever protein powder you like though. :)

Enjoy!

Kimmy

Wednesday's Cardio Session

2009-09-23T22:11:00.002-03:00

I have been really busy working on a project for work so my blog posting and videos have been slack. Sorry everyone! I have been keeping up with my workouts and promise to post more often. Thanks to everyone for their e-mails. :) A video update is coming soon!

Cardio session for today was 25 minutes worth of intervals on a bike at the gym, then another 10 minutes on the elliptical. Felt great. :) I really need to come up with some new music for my mp3 player. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know. :)

Tuesday's Workout

2009-09-22T22:08:00.002-03:00

10 minute warm up on the elliptical

DB Chest Press - 12 x 12 lbs, 12 x 15 lbs, 10 x 20 lbs
Chest Flyes - 12 x 20 lbs, 8 x 30 lbs, 10 x 30 lbs
Close Grip BB press - 12 x 30 lbs, 12 x 40 lbs, 12 x 50 lbs

Leg Press - 12 x 130 lbs, 12 x 150 ls, 12 x 170 lbs
Leg Curls - 12 x 40 lbs, 12 x 50 lbs, 12 x 50 lbs
Leg Extensions - 12 x 30 lbs, 12 x 40 lbs, 10 x 50 lbs

Bicep Curls - 12 x 12 lbs, 12 x 15 lbs, 8 x 20 lbs
Hammer Curls - 12 x 12 lbs, 12 x 12 lbs, 10 x 15 lbs

Crunches
Medicine ball twists on Roman Chair

Too fat to be a model?

2009-09-08T20:49:00.001-03:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/02/lizzie-miller-model-fat

I received this article through e-mail this morning and I have some VERY strong opinions about it which I would like to share with everyone. First and foremost, if you haven’t read the article – go now and come back to my blog later! :)

I feel very passionate about helping people lose weight. I know what it was like to be nearly 300 pounds and hate the way you look. Being 155 pounds now I am actually quite proud of my current shape and take pride in the few curves I have. Yes I have a small baby pouch like the lady in the picture but that comes with being a mother. The woman in this picture is REAL yet too fat to be a plus sized model? Since when is size 12 to 14 Fat let alone plus sized?? Did I miss something here? I range from a size 8 to 10 NOW. Does that mean I need to starve myself to size a 6 in order to meet some standard of beauty? What kind of message are we sending to our teenage children?

My daughter is beautiful and at this point in her life very tiny (she is only 7). She is blessed with her father's genes and a passion for an active lifestyle. Maybe she will always stay slim, maybe she won’t. I am terrified to think that one day my beautiful little girl will fall victim to these phony magazine models and be made to feel fat or horrible about her body if she doesn't fit into a size 6. I sure as hell wouldn't have considered the woman in this article to have been plus sized when I was 265 pounds, nor do I consider her plus sized now. In fact, I would have killed to look like her when I was 265 lbs. There are many features of this woman now that I would LOVE to have. Flawless skin, beautiful smile, and hair….a complete air of confidence. She is an image of self confidence and power as far as I’m concerned we need to see MORE women like her in magazines.

When I look at this woman now I see a real woman who is healthy, confident and beautiful. What does everyone else think? Do we really want to continue seeing airbrushed, tiny, fake women on magazines? Or do we want to see real people?

I vote for REAL people!

EA Active Sports Review – Wii Console

2009-09-02T07:27:00.005-03:00

I had a chance to try out EA Active Sports for the last few days so I want to post a quick review. I have owned Wii Fit for over a year and find it to be a lot of fun. I heard a lot of great things about EA Active Sports from my friend Christine so thought I should give it a shot.

The program is quite a bit different from Wii Fit. The biggest problem I have with Wii Fit is that the exercises are short and you can't make them continuous. For instance, the little soccer game only goes for 30 seconds to a minute and then you have to re-load that exercise or another one to keep going. Doing this makes it difficult to get your heart rate elevated to a constant level due to the need to stop/start a new program each time.

The nice thing about EA Active Sports is that it comes with pre-programmed routines. You can select a 15 minute routine or a 30 minute routine and at various levels. The exercises are continuous so you can get your heart rate going and there’s no real fussing with loading a new “workout” each time.

I did Day 1 and 2 of the 30 day challenge using the “Moderate” workout mode and found it to be fun and somewhat challenging. I think for someone new to fitness or just looking for something interesting to throw in the mix you would enjoy it. It's not a serious exercise program that will get you ripped but there are some nice bodyweight workouts that you can do. The game comes with a thigh band which you strap around your leg to hold the Wii nunchuck. This acts as a sensor to let you know if you are going low enough with your squats, lunges etc. The biggest problem I see here is that there is no way to correct/spot for proper form and I can see where a new exerciser could get injured. Depending on the type of gym apparel you wear you may also experience problems with the strap falling down your leg. This has happened to me quite a few times and was quite annoying!

The resistance band that comes with the game is a joke. It gives little to no resistance at all so I have been using my own resistance band to make the workouts more challenging. The game is compatible with the Wii fit board which is awesome! The kickboxing workout is my favorite. :)

Each workout starts with a small warm up which involves walking for 10 seconds. After that the game gets you to run laps. The warm up session doesn't seem nearly long enough and no matter how "fast" you move your legs and run, the character on screen seems to keep a constant pace unless you completely stop. Kind of odd and again annoying.

I know I'm giving a lot of "complaints" about the game but I really *DO* enjoy it and would love to add it to my collection. If you are new to exercise and own a Wii then it's a great game to get started with moving in the privacy of your home. Before you begin though, PLEASE read up on how to do proper squats and lunges. The video tutorials are somewhat lacking in terms of proper instruction. When performing lunges and squats it's very important to keep the knee from going over your toes. The video tutorials don't go over this very well. I found there were a few times when the sensor on screen told me I should go lower but doing so would have brought my knee over the safety zone. It also failed to stress the importance of safe range of motion when it comes to doing shoulder raises and proper core engagement for kicks and punches. It can be deceiving to hear "Great job!" when in fact you are risking an injury to your body. If you are already comfortable with doing lunges, squats and exercising at the gym then I think you will enjoy adding this game to your collection for some "fun" workouts to do at home. :)

Rating

Fun: 4/5
Price: 4/5
Safety: 2/5

Officially a Personal Trainer!!

2009-08-30T17:46:00.006-03:00

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the delay in updates! I had my final assessment with CanFit Pro over the weekend in Dartmouth and I passed!!! I got 93% on the practical portion of the exam, and 92% on the written! I'm so happy and proud of my results! I can't wait to start working with other people looking to lose weight and get in shape. :) I had a lot of great help along the way! Thank you so much to Jedidja for being my client and all the practice! A big thank you to Wendy and Gineen for all the cross training and shadowing advice they gave. :) Also a big thank you to Roy for supporting me in making this happen and taking care of the kids while I was away. It was a lot of work but I made it!!

I was really nervous for the practical portion of the test. Nikki followed us through the gym while I took my client through their program - warm up, cardio, resistance training, flexibility then assessment. I got a little mixed up on my wording a few times and thought I would choke but I decided to ignore/forget Nikki was even there and just kept going at my own pace. When the session was finally over I took a deep breath and said "Man that was tough! I was so nervous" Nikki just laughed and said "Nervous? You didn't look nervous at all! You did great!" We went over my score immediately after the test then I went upstairs to take the written portion of the exam. The written test took over 3 hours - it was 100 multiple choice followed by another client case study. The multiple choice was a breeze but the client study took more work. I wanted to make sure I did well so I took my time. 92% in the end so I'm very happy. :) It's still hard to believe that I'm now officially a personal trainer. I have been studying for months waiting for this day to come. Now it's here and I don't believe it. :) I'm so happy! I can't wait to start working and help people lose weight! Wendy and I are working on putting some things together so stay tuned! ;)

I plan to continue with my studies and learn as much as I can. I registered for another online course through Human Kinetics this morning. The course is Muscular Fitness Assessment & Prescription. I can do the entire program online so I'm really excited! I should have my key code in the next few days. :) I will post more about that later!

I meet with Gineen this Wednesday to get her recommendations on a fitness program. I'm really excited to see what she prescribes! I can't wait. :)

I hope everyone is doing well! I will keep you all posted on how things progress!

Haddock Pizzaiola

2009-08-19T19:36:00.001-03:00

In an attempt to use what’s in my freezer before doing more groceries on the weekend, I present you with a second seafood dish :) You could use any sort of white fish; I just happened to have three frozen haddock fillets weighing just over a pound.

A little research on pizzaiola shows that there are many ways to make it; this is quite straightforward and simple and leaves the fish juicy and tender. Feel free to experiment with whatever fresh or dried herbs you have! This is a summer recipe and the more you can take fresh from the garden, the better :) I didn’t find the tarragon added much flavour; perhaps next time I would use basil or even fresh cilantro.

Ingredients

1 lb haddock fillets
2 medium tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp dried mint
2.5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F
Place fish in (greased) baking dish.
Mix together all the other ingredients in a bowl and pour over fish.
Bake for 25 minutes

Flour-Free Crab Cakes

2009-08-19T10:46:00.001-03:00

As part of the 30-day Primal Blueprint Health Challenge, Mark’s Daily Apple has been posting some very tasty recipes. Yesterday I tried making the crab cakes and was extremely pleased with the results. It is definitely possible to make yummy crab cakes without flour or breadcrumbs.

Ingredients

1 lb crab meat
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped celery
2 tbsp chopped dill
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1/4 tsp paprika
1/3 cup olive oil (for frying)

Instructions

Squeeze out the excess water from the crab meat. You can use a thin dishtowel, cheesecloth, or the can it came in.
Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl
Add the onion, celery, dill, lemon zest, hot sauce, and paprika to the yolks and mix well.
Add the crab meat to the egg yolk mixture.
Spoon 2 tbsp (or however much you like) into a cookie cutter and press down hard to make the cakes. You can get anywhere between 6 and 12 cakes from this mixture.
Chill in fridge for one hour. Very important!
Preheat oven to 375F.
Heat oil in pan and fry cakes for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Place cakes in oven for 6 minutes until they are warmed through.

Enjoy with some extra dill on top and a squeeze of lemon :)

Video Diary Update

2009-08-16T20:58:00.002-03:00

Sorry I have been slack with my video updates! Recovering from strep throat and playing catch up with work and studying has kept me really busy. I plan on doing regular video updates from now on. :)

I’m scheduled to do the practical portion of my PTS course on August 27th at 4:00 p.m. I write the test on the same day at 6:30 p.m. It’s going to be a lot of work but I’m doing everything I can to get ready! I did some kettlebell class shadowing with Wendy and Susan which was a great learning experience! I tried something completely new and went belly dancing last week! Fun/embarrassing pictures are posted on Wendy’s site. :) It was a blast! I have been doing practice sessions at the gym with Jedidja. Add on top of this the regular chores of taking care of the kids, getting back to school shopping done and family visits it’s been insane. To make a long story short I’ve been a very busy girl!

I hope everyone is doing well! I promise to keep everyone updated more often. :)

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

2009-08-12T07:48:00.000-03:00

Anyone for Breakfast?

2009-08-02T13:31:00.000-03:00

I received this e-mail a few days ago and simply had to post it to my blog. I remember back when I weighed over 200 lbs I used to think getting huge portions of food for cheap was great! More value for your money right? Wrong! These huge portion, low cost meals come with a price - your health!

Think about it for a minute. If these restaurants are able to serve you meat, veggies, eggs and toast for cheap then someone must be supplying it to them at a lower cost in order to turn a profit. Do you think an organic farmer raising healthy, free range chickens or pork is doing this? Possibly, but not likely. I've learned a lot in the last year about just how badly some animals are treated thanks to Jedidja. Look at the diseases we are battling right now. H1N1, and MRSA. It is REALLY scary times right now and we have brought this upon ourselves!

I'm trying to be more mindful about where I buy my food now. It may cost more but at least I know the quality of the food I'm getting. No antibiotic or hormone fed animals for me - at least when I can help it! I do my best to buy local even if it costs more.

Do you really want to skimp when it comes to where you buy your food?

Anyhow, read the article and let me what you think!

Mario's Cafe in Warren Street, London, do a big breakfast for £10. Eat it all in 20 mins with no drink to wash it down with and you get it free.

It's 10 eggs, 10 bacon, 10 sausage, 10 toast, 5 black puddings, tomatoes, beans and mushrooms.
No Chips

Before

20 Minutes later

The breakfast packs in 5,000 calories - nearly twice the recommended daily intake for an average man. A spokesman for the British Heart Foundation said: "Eating this amount in one sitting is not a good idea.".

Standard Care First Aid

2009-08-01T22:06:00.001-03:00

I had the great privilege of being selected to take the Standard Care First Aid and Basic Life Support C.P.R. course delivered to select government employees by Blythe Murray this past week. Blythe has been teaching First Aid for over 30 years and his experience definitely showed. I remember First Aid and CPR being very boring when it was delivered back in junior high and high school. This course was a lot of fun and extremely informative! Everyone in class had their own adult/child doll, along with an infant doll to practice chest compressions and mouth to mouth. It was a HUGE wake up call realizing that I should have refreshed myself on this material years ago when the kids were first born. Thankfully I have never had a need for it yet. I feel much more prepared now if an event like that ever arises. I hope and pray that I never need to use it – but feel very empowered knowing I have the knowledge that could help save someone’s life.

This also means I have another pre-requisite course out of the way for my Personal Trainer certification. Woohoo! Very happy about that! :)

This past week has been really tough. I’m still recovering from a very bad throat infection so I haven’t been able to exercise. My eating has been poor due to the sore throat. Not eating enough. Planning and hoping to get back on track tomorrow and do a small workout at the gym. Nothing too crazy. I have to ease myself back into a routine!

My beautiful daughter Allison turned 7 on the 30th. I can’t get over how quickly time has gone by! Hard to believe she will in grade 2 this fall. :) We had her birthday party this afternoon at the pool and had a blast.

Hope everyone is doing well – I will post more later!

Case Study Homework

2009-07-28T15:51:00.002-03:00

Sorry I have been missing in action for so long. It was a long week studying for the CanFit Pro course, working and traveling back to Halifax. Where to begin....I started feeling ill on Thursday afternoon at work and things got progressively worse. By the time Roy, the kids and I got to Halifax my throat was killing me, I had bad chills and I thought I was going to die. To make a very long story short, I survived getting through the course thanks to Advil Cold and Sinus. I got back on Sunday and went to the emergency room in Montague to find out I have a really bad throat infection. I haven't eaten much of anything since Thursday and I feel completely worn out. The antibiotics are finally starting to kick in so I'm going to attempt eating real food this evening. Living off frozen yogurt and water is no fun! I go back to Halifax on August 27th to write my final exam and do my practical. I can't wait! I really need to get feeling better though so I can study and practice!

I know I'm really behind on my e-mails. Thank you to everyone for contacting me! I promise I will catch up once I'm feeling better. :)

We were given a practice case study to go over in class and I must say it was pretty interesting and has me guessing. No two personal trainers will give the same program and I think it would be interesting to hear what other people have to say. So I’m kindly asking for some helpful tips and feedback from trainers out there on what YOU would recommend for the following case study:

Eric is a 35 year old investment adviser who wants to increase his lean muscle mass as well as drop the 10 pounds he has gained from too many executive lunches. He is active with football and golf in the summer and plays no contact hockey 2 nights a week in the winter. His resting Heart Rate is 70 bpm and his resting blood pressure is 125 / 82. His current body weight is 205 pounds and he is 5 feet 11 inches tall.

This is what I know so far from doing some work on the case study:

BMI = 28.6. We know nothing about his lean body mass but given that his goal is to drop 10 lbs I’m guessing he is not a bodybuilder but he plays sports so he must be in relatively good shape!

Body Composition: “Too many executive lunches”. I would advise to keep an eye on this and make recommendations based on Canada’s Food Guide.

Resting pulse: Good. Less than 100 bpm.

Blood pressure: Good. Does not exceed 140 mmHG / 90 mmHG.

Cardiovascular Exercise: Here’s where I’m getting stuck. We know he’s already active when it comes to cardiovascular activities. He plays football and golf in the summer and no contact hockey 2 nights a week in the winter. I’m going to say we wouldn’t put him on a “beginner” cardiovascular program. His sports of choice are an interesting combination of football – which can be quite demanding of the ATP-CP and glycolytic systems when it comes to needing energy for sprints. The oxidative system is probably getting hit as well. Golfing would be an aerobic oxygen burning workout since I’m assuming it would be fairly light.

In discussing this with a few people in class it was mentioned that “You wouldn’t get him running because that would give him lean legs and muscle loss.” But I’m thinking if the the guy runs and plays sports we definitely want him running and doing sprints. I’m going to go with HIIT training. Thoughts on this from anyone else?

Strength Training:

We are given no background on his strength training routine but given again that he is fairly active with sports and in reasonable shape, he’s probably no stranger to pumping some iron. The end result of the lesson – everyone came up with their own program. Some said “Full body” others said “No – split. If he works his legs the same day he does his sports he will be wiped out.” It all makes sense and it’s all confusing as hell at the same time. :)

There really is a beautiful balance and necessary science and art when trying to come up with the right program for someone. I remember thinking it would be easy but it’s definitely not. You need to know the science behind what’s happening with the body while you work it. Otherwise your hard work could be done in complete vain which is a real shame. I know I’ve worked myself to exhaustion a few times and after taking the course I realize there was no point to it at all. My life will forever be changed from taking this program and I’m so grateful I got to be a part of it!

It was really sad working the floor as a team and getting to view all the people working out and doing things wrong. We saw a group of young men doing power lifting with the WORST form ever. Spines completely misaligned and slamming the weight plates down. When Nikki approached the group to be careful she was told to fuck off and get out of their face. Where’s the respect? I would like to say this was the ONLY incident but there was more. A very overweight individual decided it would be wise to do a jog on the treadmill wearing a full plastic wetsuit (pants and jacket) with no water. He was approached on the dangers and again we were pretty much told to “Fuck off. I know what I’m doing – I just want to sweat.” People have no idea of the danger they put themselves in with doing stuff like this. It blows my mind that when Nikki and Paul approached them to help they were treated so poorly. I don’t get it.

Anyhow, I really want to excel and succeed with this so I can help other people. I keep remembering what Nikki preached in class – knowledge is responsibility. If I see something being doing wrong in the gym – I’m going to let people know it. I would hate to have their injury or death on my conscious. What they decide to do with the information is up to them!

Week 1 – CanFit Pro PTS Course

2009-07-21T22:01:00.001-03:00

Weekend Course

2009-07-19T20:39:00.004-03:00

The weekend flew by and I’m extremely tired. I wanted to post a quick update and let everyone know how the first weekend of the PTS course through CanFitPro went in Dartmouth. :)

For starters the teacher Nikki Peck is amazing! She has been teaching and training for a number of years and definitely knows her stuff! She shared with the class that her goal in life is to help more Canadians get in shape. Today’s statistics show that 91% of Canadian children and youth are not meeting the guidelines of Canada’s Physical Activity Guides for Children and Youth. How sad and scary is that? Nikki has been training people for a number of years through CanFitPro and will continue to do so but realizes she can create a larger impact and get more help out there by teaching at a university level. Her goal is to become a university professor so she can train more people. How admirable is that? She is definitely genuine and I feel very lucky to be taking part in her class.

Friday night started off with some introductions and ice breaker games. We were given a quick outline of how the course would progress and what to expect for the weekend. One of the first things Nikki mentioned was “If any of you have plans to go out this evening and party – don’t. You will need gym clothes, a towel and shampoo for tomorrow’s class and LOTS of rest tonight. Tomorrow I’m going to take you guy’s back to what it felt like to be new to the gym, confused and tired. We are going to make your muscles choke.” This of course terrified me so I did exactly what she said and went to sleep early Friday night LOL. :) The next morning we all got back to class for 8 am and did more studying. We took a break around 10:15 then went to the cardio room for our workout with Nikki. All I can say is “Owwww”. My body sweated, ached, hurt like hell but it was GOOD. I was taken out of my comfort zone a number of times…felt like a complete newbie and klutz with some of the moves, but got through it. My muscles definitely did choke a few times and I remember what it’s like to be a newbie just starting out. It was a great lesson!

The remainder of Saturday was spent with more studies, group exercises and games. I have homework and study material to go over from home this week before I go back on Friday. I’m really looking forward to it! The one drawback is that I’m the only person in class from PEI. A few people taking part in the course are forming study groups which I would love to be a part of but can’t. Nikki recommended contacting other personal trainers in the industry to ask about shadowing and taking in group sessions from the back of the room, making notes, etc. to learn. Long story short, I have a lot of studying to do in preparation for the test in August. :)

Anyhow I should wrap this up. I just noticed the time is 8:30 and I have to be up early for work tomorrow. I want to study and go over the Energy systems a bit before bed as well. :)

Hope everyone is doing well!

Chicken Salad with lots of Veggies

2009-07-16T23:25:00.001-03:00

Ingredients

Salad Greens
Chicken Breast
Onion
Green Pepper
Carrots
Tomato
Cucumber
Radishes

This salad was very yummy and quick to make! I enjoyed a bit of Poppy Seed Dressing from Sobeys to go with it which was delicious! Not as tasty as the Poppy Seed Dressing at St. James Gate – but still very good. If anyone has the actual recipe they use at the restaurant please let me know! I was told by the waitress that they use one similar to this one on Epicurious.com. I tried making it but it was NOTHING like the dressing at the restaurant. I’m open to suggestions. :)

Enjoy!

How much Sugar do you eat?

2009-07-15T21:01:00.001-03:00

I wanted to do a fun video diary on sugar to tie in with the label reading class of my GetFit Walking Club. I hope everyone enjoys it. :) I know it was a real eye opener for me learning just how much sugar is in a Reese Peanut Butter bar and a Pepsi. Scary stuff! I will think twice about letting my kids have Smarties again! No wonder some kids are so hyper and out of control. :)

Tell me what you think!

Playground Workout!

2009-07-12T14:41:00.003-03:00

A true test of upper body strength. :) I know I look like hell in the video. It's been a long week! :( Poor Allison has been sick with a fever since Friday. I'm just getting around to posting this video now. I hope everyone enjoys it!

Rainbow Trout Kabobs

2009-07-12T11:38:00.005-03:00

Ingredients

Rainbow Trout
Onion
Green Pepper
Red Pepper
Mushroom
Garlic
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Tomatoes

Instructions

Enjoy!

Hungry Girl 200 Under 200

2009-07-12T11:22:00.008-03:00

I have been hearing a lot of good things (both online and offline) about Hungry Girl 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories. I made a quick trip to Indigo the other day to check it out. There were 3 copies on the shelf when I got to the store and 2 women picked up copies as I stood there. Impressive. The book seems to be insanely popular - even the grocery stores on PEI are selling it for 25% off. In reviewing the recipes I can see why. A lot of them look VERY tasty. Quite a few desserts. I didn't buy the book (yet) but did find that their website has quite a few free ones to offer. You can check it out here. :)

If anyone has tried any of the recipes please let me know what you think! I may be tempted to buy a copy!

The Results are In!!!

2009-07-08T20:45:00.001-03:00

My Breakfast Omelet from this morning!

2009-07-06T20:22:00.024-03:00

Ingredients

Eggs (2)
Chopped Onion
Broccoli (I cooked mine for 2 mins in the microwave beforehand)
Pepperoncini Peppers
Banana Peppers
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

2. Crack eggs into a bowl and gently beat them.

3. Add chopped onion and broccoli mixing everything together.

4. Once the frying pan is hot, slowly add the egg mixture above. Lightly cook until solid (no longer runny) then flip.

5. Add banana peppers and pepperoncini peppers to the side.Note: My pan is really poor so the omelet unfortunately burned a bit. Still tasted great though!

Enjoy!

The Abs Challenge - Week 1 - Workout 1

2009-07-05T20:45:00.003-03:00

I completed the first workout of the Abs Challenge this morning. I did the advanced level which is 30 seconds of work followed by 25 seconds of rest. The workout felt intense a couple of times. Trying to do pull ups after push ups was tough. I can't do any unassisted pull up yet but I didn't want to use weight plates either. I opted to use a chair for leverage and a single leg to assist with pulling my body above the bar. Felt good and arms were very tired afterwards. The transition to a lunge immediately after in the supreset was a welcome blessing. :)

I changed the hamstring curl for a lying leg curl with weights. Aside from that everything was done as outlined. I did a brief cardio session at the end then went home. I am really happy that push ups and pull ups are part of the routine. I notice huge improvements in my back and arms since doing them in the last challenge.

The mountain climbers and planks at the end were great but tough as my core was still recovering from yesterdays spinning class with ab work. My arms felt weak by the second superset trying to hold myself up. I will take that as a good sign. :)

Anyhow that's the scoop! I will post more later. :)

Time for a New Challenge - The Abs Challenge!

2009-07-04T20:39:00.006-03:00

Hi everyone!!

Sorry I have been missing in action for the last few days. I have been a busy girl working with my GetFit Walking Group, my full time job, studying for my PTS certification and tending to the kiddies! Rest assured I'm alive and kicking. Just very, very busy!

Quite a few people have been asking for an update on the Summer Fitness Challenge. Gineen sent an e-mail on Canada Day saying the results should be out next week. The gym staff have a lot of paperwork to process (over 70 participants) so it will take a some time. In the meantime, I'm trying to be patient. I can't wait to find out the results! I will let everyone know as soon as I do. :)

I have decided to incorporate more cardio sessions into my fitness routine since completing the 5 km race last weekend. I'm happy with my muscular strength and endurance but my cardiovascular endurance needs some work. I have been biking the trails in an effort to meet my goal of biking half the island this summer! I also took a spinning class this morning in Montague which was a lot of fun. I'm basically mixing things up and trying to have fun in the process. I also get my walking in with the girls twice a week in Charlottetown and Montague. :)

I have decided to join Jedidja and Mario in a new fitness challenge called The Abs Challenge. This is a friendly challenge we will be doing to keep ourselves accountable and motivated. Anyone wanting to join in please leave a comment on here or Twitter. :) I will continue with my video diaries and will be posting them here like I did for the Summer Fitness Challenge! The official start date is tomorrow. :)

Anyhow that's the scoop! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!