On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.....

the joy of the season!
Christmas is not my favourite holiday. People think this is strange, because I am generally known for my positive energy and optimism. Christmas is the kind of occasion that I should embrace.  But I can't for some reason, especially not this year.  It's not that I hate Christmas, I actually like many of the traditions that come with it. It's just that I feel like we as a society are setting ourselves up for failure.  Nothing ever seems like enough at Christmas - didn't get enough, didn't buy enough, didn't decorate enough, didn't drink enough. People are busily rushing around making sure this is right, and that is right.  Then Christmas day passes in a flurry of activity, food and festivity, then we are left with a Christmas hangover.  Too much debt, too much food, too much drinking.  Too much to do, too much to clean up.  Then catch the boxing day sales, in case we missed anything important before Christmas.  So much build up.  So much let down.  So little peace in between.
All I want for Christmas is for my friends and family to have a chance this Christmas to let go of the stuff (material and otherwise) that drags them down.  Be uplifted instead, by the joy of laughing with friends, listening to old stories, playing and having fun. Avoid the hangover by just keeping that grateful and happy feeling close at hand in 2011. Live in the moment, love wholeheartedly and laugh until your kegels can't save you any more.
Merry Christmas to all our CORE friends! May your days be merry and bright.
We thank you from the bottom of hearts for your support this fall as we started our new venture - and you have all made it a success!
Anne, Sean, David and Amy
The CORE family

ZUMBA Playlist 2010

Hey everybody!

  I know lots of you love the Zumba music so I will share the playlist from here on in!  I have a tonne of new choreo coming for the new year - but here are some of the songs that regularly make it into your weekly ZUMBA fitness party:

Fuego (Cumbia)
5 Letras (Reggaeton)
Mueve Le Booty (Merengue)
Que Te Meuve (Merengue)
Zumbalicious (Salsa/Reggaeton)
Zumbando Al Son (Salsa)
Baila Pa'Emociona (Calypso)
El Marciano (Merengue)
Sahara Oasis (Belly Dance)
Pa'La Diskoteka A Bailar (Cumbia/Techno)
Zorba (Greek)
Danca Da Maozhina (Axe)
Mueve la Cadera (Samba/Cumbia)
Djobi Djoba (Flamenco)

Also I haven't included all the rhythms - if I've missed a favourite of yours, please let me know!  Please remember though, I am sharing the song names so that you can search by original artist, or purhase directly through myself or zumba.com.  Please do not download from itunes or other file sharing system - only licensed ZIN and Zumba Fitness inc.  can distibute ZUMBA products. Thank you!

Find your CORE!

Some alarming statistics

I took the ZUMBATOMIC training course yesterday and it was fantastic. As usual, ZUMBA fitness has provided its instructors with a wealth of knowledge and understanding of how to safely teach, and how to inspire a lifetime of health and happiness.  Plus the ZUMBATOMIC songs - so much fun! I cannot wait to bring this amazing, play based, creativity filled, fitness class to the young people in Durham Region!
But the day left me feeling a little unsettled.  Here are some of the Canadian statistics that we reviewed:

- obesity rates have TRIPLED in the last three decades
- 26% of children under 18 are overweight
- in twenty years, 70% of adults aged 35-44 will be overweight/clinically obese

This is the first generation (our children/grandchildren) who are expected to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. This is a devasting fact.
So, this brings up some tough questions. And we, as a society, have to take a hard look at the culture we have created.  How do we reverse this cycle and make a better future for our children and grandchildren?  I honestly don't have these answers, but I do have hope.
I see people every day making simple and healthy choices. A group of joggers laughing together as they wait for a light to green.  A teenager cycling to school. A Mom coming to a ZUMBA class to burn off the stress of a tough week. Two friends taking a Pilates class to strengthen their body and improve their daily life.
People are making the choice to move - every day. Not because they have been told, or because they "have to", but because they are listening to their bodies tell them that this is what they need.
Each and every day our children get mixed messages from every direction:  schools preach healthy eating/ no junk food, but then shorten or take way daily gym time and load them up with homework.
Media speaks out against obesity, but then the next commercial cries out the virtues of the Xbox v.500 and how it will change your life!  Follow that up with an ecstatic child consuming the latest sugar laden confection, filled with "hidden" health benefits. How do we compete?  "Eat your broccoli. Get off the couch. Nag. Nag. Nag."  Any good we are trying to do gets lost.
I think we have to stop talking and start living.  We must model good health choices. And by good health choices, I mean a balanced and nutritious diet - that includes a sampling from the "junk food" food group.
Yes - I eat chocolate. And cake. And more. We treat every food the same, and try to live in balance.
Eat together whenever possible.  It normalizes the process of eating, and makes us conscious of choices we are making and takes the onus of what you are eating and makes it about who you are eating with.  We are more in tune with our bodies' signs of fullness and satiety when we are paying attention.
Move. Often. The bottom line is - if we are sitting on the couch, then so will our children be!  It does no good signing up our kids for every sport and activity in town, if we are constantly sitting on the sidelines. Get active yourself.  And no, I don't mean go out once a week with a frown on your face, complaining you have to go and work out. I mean getting up and moving around every day.  Find an activity you like and go and give it your best at least three times a week.  In the days between, forget signing up the kids for ice skating, go to a family skate at the local arena. Don your bike helmets and ride around the community together. Play a game of street hockey together. Or just take a walk, enjoy the sights, hold hands and breathe deeply. The possibilities are endless.
I firmly believe that given the choice, kids would much rather be up moving. So let's make sure the option is always there.

Let's party like Latinos this holiday season!

Take a "cue"  (ha - bad ZUMBA joke) from Latin America, where people and fun come first. At traditional holiday parties, for example, guests focus more on dancing than on feasting. If they eat too many heavy foods, then they won't have the energy to dance. So the party often features tamales and other finger foods that provide energy and don't leave guests feeling weighed down. As we face skyrocketing rates of diabetes, obesity and heart disease, it's time to put the focus on enjoying friends and family during the holidays. 

I will often feature recipes from Latin America in this spot because they tend to cook with wonderful ingredients like whole grains, quinoa and brown rice, and include lentils, beans and other forms of natural protein.  These foods satisfy us and give us both short bursts and prolonged energy for our daily activities.
Also, the focus is very much on flavour and enjoyment.  Healthy, enjoyable, unprocessed natural foods that are delicious!  I'm all over it!

With that in mind here is a holiday salsa to share with you all: (courtesy of ZIN Life Magazine)

Black Bean Salsa
2 cans (15 oz each) black beans (rinsed)
1 diced tomato
1 diced red pepper
1 diced green pepper
1 diced jalapeno pepper
3 scallions, chopped
3 TBSP cilantro
3 TBSP lime juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix ingredients in a bowl and stir until blended.

Experiment with other ingredients you may have on hand, frozen corn, minced garlic, chopped celery. You can also puree the beans before adding to the other ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Christmas Frustration!

We all feel it. Especially women, for whom this time of year can be more work than pleasure.  Little did I know that unless you are selling the "toy de jour" that nobody walks through your door in December! I understand totally that this is such a crazy time of year. Parties, shopping, more parties, preparations, insanity!  I do worry that we get too wrapped up in the craziness and forget to do things for ourselves. I know - I am just as guilty and should practise what I preach.  On that note - I am going to a Yoga class tomorrow to help get my own head on straight. 
All work and no play make us boring, people!  Play hard, and the result will be a happier, healthier you. And no need to make those drastic New Year's resolutions.  Don't "eat now" and "pay later". Eat well year round, love your body and treat it well with exercise, dancing, warm, soapy baths, Ki Drop massages, hot Latin hunks/babes fanning you with palm fronds..... Okay - I'm getting carried away, but you get the picture.  
Find something you love, something or someone that inspires you to get up and move. I guarantee you will feel great, look great and have the energy required to do all that is required of you and more! Now go and hang the garland on the tree, enjoy a warm egg nog, and plan to keep yourself a priority this Christmas.