"I'm Talking To the Man in the Mirror"

Thin-Spiration. The online phenomenon of ogling bone thin women with the intent of depriving yourself to look like this. Using these images as inspiration and motivation to lose weight, to make yourself "better".
Now I am all for finding ways to keep yourself on track for a healthy and happy life, but this is a trend that disturbs me.
Not that it's new - we have been staring at images of pin-thin cover girls for decades, longing to be just like them. Our modern day role models are less people who change the world and more people who change their bodies to fit the ideal of a modern day woman. We care less about what people have done and more about what they look like. And, most disturbingly, this is how we now judge ourselves.
Thus begins the cycle of inadequacy that leads us to continue to push ourselves to be better. And when we find we cannot reach that impossible ideal, we sink into self-loathing and self-defeating behaviors.
I don't know how we stop this, short of tuning out of media altogether, but I know that we can seek healthy living role models to emulate that boost us up, inspire us and make us want to work hard to be our best.
Bottom line is - when we look in the mirror we need to turn off the voice that compares us to others and tune into the voice that sees the truth of what is in front of us. The voice that confirms the truly valuable parts about us that define us more than what a number on the scale could ever do.
Find Your CORE!

"Taking Care Of Business"

Your "Ask Annie" Q & A for the week!
"Anne - how on earth am I going to keep motivated while you are away? I am used to our schedule and am worried that I will fall off track when you leave"
Thank you for that question! Having you ask it shows me how much you desire to stay on the right track. I will share my tricks for keeping active on my own.
i) schedule in your workouts: put them in your calendar, just like you would if you were coming out to a class. Plan when/what/where you will workout and include that in your calendar entry. Fitness video, walk with friends, no matter what you plan, write it down and follow through. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail"
ii) get together with friends: include workout buddies in your plans - having someone else to work out with will both motivate you to follow through with your workout, but also will make the time pass more quickly and be more fun!
iii) listen objectively to your body: if you are not currently training for a goal (ie/weight loss, etc) then maybe your body could use a little break. Check in with yourself, and see if that body could use a little rest. Enjoy a few recovery days and then get back on track with your scheduled workouts.
iv) try something new: grab a different style of workout video or try a new form of fitness/sport. Sometimes a change is as good as a rest. Try yoga, play baseball with friends, go swimming....switch it up! Our bodies like surprises and it's good for our minds too!
v) get out to Zumba!: our Zumba classes are still running! Getting out and staying in routine will help keep you going the other days of the week.

Remember - no matter what methods you use, you can totally stay on track while I am on vacation. And it will be worth the effort.

Find Your CORE!

Baby,Baby, Baby...OOOOHHHHH!

My son David wants you to know he disagrees with the title of this blog because the Bieber is "uncool". So now that we have kept David's cool factor intact, let's move on.

                                                          Annie & David with new baby Bowen

I.BAKED.BREAD.
And it tasted...like bread. Actual delicious, crusty on the outside, warm and airy on the inside, melt in your mouth awesomeness. Bread. From NOTHING! No box, no breadmaker, no nothing - just a bowl, flour, water, yeast and my hands.
It was incredible. One of my proudest moments. Now I understand that this may sound like I am exaggerating or making too much of this, after all I am known for hyperbole, BUT I swear to you this was special. Something from nothing.A miracle.
This has been an interesting week in history. The birth of the future King of England. A media campout waited outside a set of doors at a nondescript London hospital, reporting on every shadow, every curtain movement. It was monotony at it's best. But the world tuned in. And never left. A collective "aaaawwwww" was heard around the world as the Royal couple exited those doors and showed the watching throngs their new baby boy.
On the same day, with less media and paparazzi (though with no less drama I suspect) a baby boy was born here in Oshawa. Born at 11:56pm (cutting it pretty close!), Bowen Raif Davies was born to my friend (and CORE member) Bex. I sat on the couch the day after these birthdays and fretted - first that the Royal couple hadn't shown me their child yet, second that I hadn't seen Bex and her baby yet. What is it about babies that they cause in us these visceral, raw emotional reactions? Why do we care SO much about this daily occuring, completely natural and truly, for the most part, pretty disgusting process?
It's a miracle.
From the second of conception to the hold of new life in your hands, it is a miracle. Something from nothing. In a world where we have forgotten how to create, have outsourced every mundane chore, and are too busy to take 1/2 hour to workout, babies take their time. They can't be multitasked, hurried along or processed. We have no control over what, who, when they become. Babies force us to be present. To be alive. To wonder again.
This is what the baking process was like for me - a conception, a process of growth and development, followed by the triumphant removal from the oven. The conception in this case, was short and sweet (much like the conception....oh, never mind ;) ) flour, add water and yeast, stir. Then wait. At this point you must stay present - not allow yourself to get caught up in a thousand other things. Breathe. Knead. Flour. Turn. Shape. Rest. Wait.  Pop into oven. Patience. Wait. Smell. Breathe. Ahhhh...it's time.
A miracle. Something from nothing. This will nourish my children, and represents more to me than just a loaf of bread. Patience. Presence. Important lessons.
Miracles occur everyday. How many do you take note of? Babies and bread - they insist on our attention, but other things go quietly unnoticed.
Have Patience. Be Present. And you won't miss a thing.

Find your CORE!

                                                             In the beginning...

                                        how all good things in my home start - with a grope!

the bun is out of the oven!

Food Glorious Food!

Disclaimer** Do NOT read this post while hungry, waiting for dinner or warm, yeasty delicious fresh out of the oven delicious bread.

I love food. I love eating. And I HATE.LOATHE.ABHOR.DETEST. cooking. Get the picture? There is something about splitting open a bag off something, pouring it into a vessel and heating in some form of human conducted box that bores me to tears. Because let's face it, this is what passes for "home cooked food" in today's day and age.
I have been reading the book "Cooked" by Michael Pollan, who is my favourite common sense food writer. The book chronicles his decision to take an active role in the art of cooking. After all, cooking, as Pollan describes it, is the one thing that sets us apart fundamentally from all other species. No other mammal, reptile or bird breaks out a Zippo to light up the barbie and throw on a slab of meat. We cook, because with the advent of fire, many things became digestable to us that were not before (ie/pork) also because using the energy from the fire (cooking) to kick start the digestion and allow us to use less energy than we would to process raw meat. This freed up our genetic ancestors to consume this extra energy to evolve our brains, and less time chewing made for a more civilized society - community building, inventions etc...... So, inventing fire and figuring out how to cook actually played a role in our evolutionary process.
Pollan is revisiting 4 popular methods of cooking: grilling, boiling, baking bread and fermenting. He takes the reader through the history of each, how to, and more. Well worth the read, as are all his books. Get them on your summer reading lists!
It got me thinking about how little we actually do for ourselves in the kitchen. So many of our foods are processed, manufactured, bagged, shipped and slung into our grocery carts without a second thought. I pride myself on avoiding much processed food, but realized that the meatballs I had for dinner came from a box, the sauce from a tin and the pasta from a bag. Hmmmmm.
So this weekend the Tiffin girls are embarking on Operation Bake The Bread. Yes - Amy and I are going to bake bread. We are going to mix, roll, knead, rise and bake bread.Together. Without killing each other - but that is a whole other blog. I'll keep you posted.
Find Your CORE!