"Excuse Me, Mister"

A few months ago the above picture was causing an uproar. The subject of the picture posted this as an inspirational advertisement for her fitpro business. People called it "fat-shaming" and called her "entitled" and "judgemental". Online, people called her out for child abuse and other heinous acts, based on the fact that she has the time to shape her body in that way?!?!? I'm prepared for a stoning for my next statement.

I liked it.

It wouldn't inspire me to get my workout on, because I don't aspire to have a body like hers (which, BTW, is gorgeous). My body is the by-product of the workouts and activities I love, and I'm good with that. But, I can see how it could be an inspiration to some looking to get back into movement and working out post baby.

As for the fat-shaming. Well, no one can make you ashamed of you, fat or no, without your permission. Perhaps if you are uncomfortable with her message you need to look further than faulting her for her achievements, and look inside to see what drives your own feelings of defensiveness and inadequacy.

I stated above that this image doesn't inspire me in particular to get off the couch. But in my work day I come across so many awe-inspiring, determined and beyond incredible individuals I couldn't begin to share them all with you. People who achieve beyond the point of reason. People who keep going when most of us (including myself somedays) have already given up.
I want to share a few of them, in the hopes that they will inspire you to a "no excuses" lifestyle. Inspire you to get up and make choices based on how you will feel in the future. Not how you feel right now. Inspire you to be your best, so that you never, ever miss a thing.

Jo:
Mom of four, owner and sole employee of a busy and thriving home jewelry business, part time hairdresser plus, you know, all the things that come with being a Mom of four. Cleaning, cooking, driving taxi for kids, putting nutritious food on the table for her family and so very much more. She has realized that she has put herself way down on her list of priorities, behind all of the above, and hubby and dogs and, well, you get the picture.
In October she made a change and has stuck to and is rocking out an intense workout regime, making healthy choices and LOVING IT. She works out 4 x at the gym and on her own at home.
Jo shares her successes with her friends encourages others to get moving and helps empower them to make it happen.
She is getting results! Less pain, loose pants, more energy and much more.
Way to go Jo! You inspire me to adopt a "No Excuses" lifestyle.

Denise & Gabe
I have been working with this couple in their home, with their three girls, aged 4,2 and under a year. This busy family makes nutritious, fresh meals a priority and do their best to fit in movement into their hectic days. Our sessions are often the most wonderful form of chaos possible. Filled with crawling babies, pile on Daddy pushups, Frozen musical parades, whole family jumping jacks and airplanes.
I have never seen two parents take the beautiful creativity and joyfulness that encompasses their beautiful little girls in stride like they do. Never missing a beat, needy babies are picked up and incorporated in to the workout. The older girls take part and are encouraged to explore moving and have fun. Everybody (especially me) has a great time. And Mom and Dad? Work their butts off. Guarantee those girls will be doing the same with their children in the future.
Incredible work Denise & Gabe! You inspire me to adopt a "No Excuses" lifestyle.

Girl MD
I have a girl in a group fitness class who comes to the same class each and every week. She often struggles for balance, has difficulty getting co-ordinated, and often is a little (sometimes a lot) behind the rest of the class. I approached her after the first couple of times I taught her to inquire if she was comfortable and enjoying the class. She replied that yes, she loves it. She apologised for not being able to use the step, which we had used in class that day, because she has muscular dystrophy and cannot react quickly enough to use it safely. She laughingly told me that she had signed up for a step class, not realizing how difficult it would be for her, but how she had finished the whole session doing everything off the step instead, because she didn't want to give up. She also goes to Zumba classes, and I see her each and every week at my conditioning class.
She was diagnosed about 4 yrs ago at age 40 and has rapidly lost motor function. She was a teacher, a runner, a soccer player and an all around active person. Now she struggles to keep the pace with people twice her age. She told me once, after struggling with an exercise, that she was doing the same thing as everybody else, just the version of it that works for her. I thanked her. We all need that reminder sometime.
You amaze me Girl MD. You inspire me to adopt a "No Excuses" lifestyle.

Of course I could go on. For days. About the people who inspire me to put away my small troubles and difficulties and get myself moving forward. If anyone has ever inspired you to adopt a "No Excuses" lifestyle - please tell us about them so we can be inspired!

The Ultimate "NO EXCUSES" Inspirational Picture - Denise with 2 of her 3 girls joining in the fun

Find your CORE

"Sane is just crazy without the balls to own it"

Depression a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts,behavior,feelings and sense of well-being.People with depressed mood can feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, ashamed or restless. They may lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions, and may contemplate, attempt or commit suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, aches, pains, digestive problems or reduced energy may also be present.
Depressed mood is a feature of some psychiatric syndromes such as major depressive disorder,but it may also be a normal reaction to life events such as bereavement, a symptom of some bodily ailments or a side effect of some drugs and medical treatments.

So I was thinking about depression today. And I was chatting about it to some clients. Many of the people I come across are feeling "down in the mouth" right now. Long, cold winter. Lack of Vitamin D from little sunshine. Many, many contributing factors can come together to make an individual suffer.

So when I was chatting with my clients, I mentioned that,to me, depression was the complete lack of hope.
When you are sad, it is easy to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Sad people say, "I'm having a rough time. But there are things to look forward to.These will help me feel better."
Depressed people say, "I've caused this rough time. Nothing is worth looking forward to. I don't deserve to feel better"

So when I googled the definition of Depression - I expected to see words like loss of hope, no future etc.... more that fit along with depression as I know it. The wikipedia definition above is a pretty good indicator of clinically what depression and depression disorders are all about.
But it lacked the nuances I was hoping for.

As I looked closely in the top corner was this line:
"Despair" redirects here. For other uses of despair, see Despair (disambiguation).

In other words, if you Wiki "despair" it will take you to depression.
See below the thesaurus meaning of despair:

de·spair
dəˈsper/
noun
1.
the complete loss or absence of hope.
"driven to despair, he throws himself under a train"
synonyms: hopelessness, disheartenment, discouragement, desperation, distress, anguish, unhappiness; More
antonyms: hope, joy
verb
verb: despair; 3rd person present: despairs; past tense: despaired; past participle: despaired; gerund or present participle: despairing
1.
lose or be without hope.
"we should not despair"
synonyms: lose hope, abandon hope, give up, lose heart, lose faith, be discouraged, be despondent, be demoralized, resign oneself; be pessimistic

We got there. It was a little bit roundabout, but the ending was the same. The complete loss or absence of hope.

So.Very.Painful. Especially for those of us who have everything to hope for.If you are a normally exhuberant, joyful, and inherently hopeful person, depression is the ultimate kick in the gut. Because we know, rationally, there is nothing to be depressed about. But the hope is gone, nonetheless. And we feel like a failure. And unworthy. And hopeless.

I have somewhat regular "down" days with my chronic depression disorder. But although I battle to keep my mood even or even strive for good, these days are minor blips on my radar. You would probably never notice, even if you lived with me. I'm a pretty happy gal,all round.

But right now, and for a little bit now, I have been without hope. Working hard to keep my head above water at all times. But drowning in thick despair nonetheless.

So, I'm sharing because I know a lot of people are going through similar right now. And I am challenging you all to get on board with healthy choices to make you feel better. Nothing will bring back the hope until your mind and body begin to repair. But you yourself can light the flickers that show the light at the end of the tunnel. The beginnings of hope.


Below are a list of things that always work for me to help me through a rough patch of depression (or, well, any rough patch, big or small)

1. Surround yourself with people who understand. Not people who want to change you, and make it better. But who can accept the truth of what you are going through and walk beside you with love.
2. Eat to fuel your body and brain. Eat enough food, and stick to tasty, simple and healthful NATURAL foods. Avoid adding any chemicals to your body where ever possible.
3. Exercise. Exercise. Exercise. Best reason to exercise EVER. Do it in your home, go for a walk, do a dvd, drag yourself to a class, jump on your bike, dance. Whatever. Move and move as often as you can. Movement is a reminder of life. And to live, is to hope.
4. Put on music. Play music. Sing a song. Whatever your musical tastes and talents, turn on a beat that makes your heart sing. It's not going to cure anything, but it will take you into the moment. And music is life giving.
5. Find an animal. Grab your neighbours hedgehog if you must. Cuddle and stroke it for all it's worth. Time with animals is restoring and their eyes always tell you the truth.
6. Write about it. Ahem. My blog is usually the result of my needing to pour something out.
7. Ignore the voices. The ones that say you can't you shouldn't you're not good enough. They lie to you. Fear, doubt and depression are liars.
8. Seek help. Through a counsellor, trauma line, hospital, 911, call friends, don't be alone. You are worthy of being helped. And although you have lost all hope, those who love you have not.


Durham Mental Health Services
Phone (905) 666-0831
Toll Free: 1-855-888-DMHS (3647)

Distress Centre Durham
24 HR HelpLine
905-430-2522
1-888-452-0688

or contact 911 immediately if your safety is in jeopardy.

Find Your CORE!

"Take your protein pills and put your helmet on"

I walked down the Health and Nutrition aisle at a large box store the other day. This store will be known hereafter as "the store that will not be named". If you know me well, you know how I feel about large chain box stores. If you would like to know my views on this matter, ask me in person, but bring two coffees and dress comfy. You'll be listening a while.
So, I'm wandering through this aisle at the store that will not be named, and looking for something that in ANY way shape or form relates to "Health" and "Nutrition".

Pills for:
Weight Loss
Rapid Metabolism Boosting
Fat Burning

Bars/chews etc for:
Recovery
Energy
Muscle Building
(Note: first ingredient in all but one brand of these bars = SUGAR. In case you were wondering)

Powders, shakes and additives for healing/growing/fixing pretty much every single thing that ails you.

Now let's be clear, I am well aware that not all of us can get every nutrient we need through food. Allergies, etc can make this challenging. So there are some lovely supplements located in the vitamin/mineral aisle for that. For the most part, we can access all the things we need to live healthily from the REAL Health and Nutrition Aisle located at your grocery store, box store, farmers market etc.
It's the one with FOOD in it.
Usually located around the perimeter of a store, or pretty much anywhere at your farmers market.
Fruits
Vegetables
Fresh meats
Eggs
Dairy and cheeses
Whole grains

All mostly one ingredient items, nothing or little added, as little chemicals involved as possible. These foods will not outlive you. Your first grader knows what they are. And they taste great.

I know that unwrapping a bar is super easy preparation. So is washing an apple.

At $2.50-$4.00/bar or $20-$30 powdered additives, $3.50 for a half dozen navel oranges and $1.99 for a bag of carrots is a steal.

So if has to advertise itself as "Health" and "Nutrition" take a moment to think it out. True quality always speaks for itself.

Find Your CORE