"School's Out For Summer"

This week's Ask Annie question! Please forward any fitness/wellness related questions you have to me and I'll endeavor to answer them with great accuracy and a maximum of witticisms.

"I have been working out and eating healthy - but I struggle on weekends when my kids are around. More food lying around, less opportunity to exercise and so much more stress and demands. In short - I forget about taking care of me, and slip back into old habits. How do I survive a whole summer and stay on track?"

Great question! Congratulations on those great lifestyle changes - and you CAN keep them up - no matter what the summer throws at you! This is something that I struggle with as well, so here are some tips that I put into action to help keep myself in line.

Schedule, schedule, schedule! Have a plan - on paper if necessary - of what, when, where you will be eating each day. Don't get caught out at the park with no snack, leaving you hungry and more likely to grab an unhealthy choice when you get home. If you plan the day around your meals, both you and the children will welcome the familiar routine and it will make it easier to relax and enjoy the day.
Think fruit and veggie trays, not Goldfish and potato chips. If you put it out, they will eat it. Trust me. Put out a platter of fruits/veggies - make a healthy dip (hummus, yogourt etc...) and it will get eaten if they are hungry and expect it. If it helps, leave processed food at the grocery store. If the kids ask for it, tell them that you will need to drive to the store with them. Often this is enough to discourage them, no one hates shopping more than kids in the summertime. In that vein, other foods (such as baked goods, fries, etc..) if you want them - make them at home, as a family! Then the children get an idea of what goes into their food, you get a nice activity to kill some time in the a/c during a hot afternoon, plus - nobody will want to do this every day, so they will remain as fun treats.
Get moving - together! Walk, cycle, skateboard, rollerblade - power yourself to as many destinations as possible - try new parks that are just out of your normal zone, walk to the grocery store, library, etc... Don't just watch your children play, let yourself play! Street hockey, running through the sprinkler, the possibilities are endless. Make a day trip to a local conservation area and explore.
Schedule in some "me" time! An absolute must to keep you all sane. Put aside some time during your day to just be you and not be in "super Mummy" mode. Before or after the kids go to bed, or if you have kids that will allow it, during the day. Read, do your hair, watch a show, surf the new, do a short yoga video, anything that helps you unwind.
Live in the moment. Try to experience every minute, the good and the bad. Then let it go and don;t let it derail your day.

Most of all - remember that YOU are your child's biggest role model. Use that as motivation to make healthy, balanced choices this summer. Live your life as you wish for them to lead theirs. They'll thank you for it. One day. 

Find Your CORE!

"Here for a Good Time"

This week's Ask Annie question! Please forward any fitness/wellness related questions you have to me and I'll endeavor to answer them with great accuracy and a maximum of witticisms.

"Uggghh, I like to work out and eat healthy, but it's not a huge priority for me. I want to feel great and have energy, but honestly at the end of the day, I am simply too tired to prepare home cooked meals or workout. How do I change this?"

Thanks for your question - it's a doozy! I believe that the best way to correct bad habits is to incorporate good habits, so instead of trying to STOP doing something cold turkey, try adding healthy things into your day to replace them.

Unfortunately, a tough love answer is coming. 

i) You have to DO it! You'll make time now or be forced to make it later when your health is in crisis. Statistics state that the average Canadian spends their last ten years under constant medical care - and this can be prevented. One way or another, your health is going to consume your time. Take control and make it on your terms.

ii)Plan your week: make a food plan/shopping list and exercise schedule. After all, in the time it takes to order a pizza or go through the drive in you can prepare a simple, healthful meal at home, for less money and  countless more health benefits.

iii) Be Accountable!: tell a friend who will support you and encourage you to make these healthy additions stick in your life. 

iv) Document the process: write down how the changes are going - good days and bad. Use the evidence to inspire you to keep up the good work. For example:

"Strength training 1/2 hour tonight. Feel so strong after. Enjoyed a nice hot bath and had the best night sleep! Energized in the morning"

When feeling unmotivated - reread your entries and remind yourself of the benefits you have already reaped from making these positive changes.

In short - no magic bullet to make this happen. You MUST make these changes yourself. Better now than later, trust me!

Good luck! We're here to motivate and inspire you any time you need :)

Find Your CORE!

" I Like Big Butts and I Cannot Lie"

This is the first of the "Ask Annie" blog responses! Send in your burning fitness questions and I will dig through my brain files to get you my expert answer. Thanks for those who have submitted already. This week's question:

"It doesn't matter how much I work out or what I weigh I am always rocking my thighs and butt. What are some good exercises I can do to tone them up and maybe shrink them a bit? Well not the butt just the legs."

Great question!! We often have areas of our body that we want to shape or reduce. Everybody stores fat in different places - some in the lower abdomen (tummy), some in the arms, and many (especially North Americans) store it in the thighs and buttocks. It is common to work hard to target a specific area and become frustrated that we don't get the results we want.
The answer? Unfortunately, just as we cannot command our body to divert our fat stores to aesthetically pleasing parts of the body, we also cannot tell the body where to trim the fat when we exercise. The good news is that there are some ways to enhance the muscle tone in those areas.
Try as you might, you won't be able to burn fat from a specific area on the body. If you run 5K a day, attend Zumba class with regularity, and suffer through tabata intervals 3x a week in an attempt to reduce fat from your legs, you may end up losing a half-inch off your waist instead. This is just the way it is - so when exercising to burn fat, aim for overall calorie burn, regardless of where it happens.
If your goal is to burn fat: According to the Mayo Clinic. one pound of fat is equal to 3.500 calories, which means that you have to burn 3,500 more calories than you eat before you can drop just one pound. Use an online calculator to track how many calories you burn during your daily exercise, then compare that to your approximate daily caloric intake.
Keys to fat loss? Eat clean and follow the food guide for good balanced eating. Get moving, get the heart rate up, make cardio your friend. Stay motivated and don't give up!
You can, however, target these areas and tone and strengthen them, although as mentioned above, they may not get "smaller". They will however get STRONGER, which in the end is better - you can kick any hater's butts!
Try my favourite moves for butt/thigh strengthening :

Good Mornings: emphasizes the gluteals and hamstrings. Hold a barbell on the shoulders in the squat position  Bend forward with back straight and feel the hamstrings and butt stretch. Legs bent or straight (but softened) according to trunk flexibility.
Travelling Squats w/Resistance Band.: To tone your outer thighs, you need to move laterally. Stand with feet hip-width apart and a band tied around your anklies. Step out to the left as far as you can, working against the resistance of the band. Bring right foot to me, than lift left leg out to side as far as you can, keeping torso upright and toes pointed slightly downward.
Repeat above 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps.

Remember, above all, to accept that certain parts of us are just a part of our charm! Exercise, eat well and be happy - cheers to good health!

Find Your CORE!

            

"Courage, it couldn't come at a worse time"

Someone told me last week that I was fearless and crazy. Crazy? Yep! I'll take it. But fearless - far from it.
I fear tonnes, I mean TONNES of things!
For example (things that I fear):
i) bathrooms where the toilet is out of arms reach of the door.
ii) failure. Failure scares me. I'm actually anxious just typing it.
iii) pigeons. Don't ask - they just peck too much.
iv) commitment - I am always terrified I can't follow through and will disappoint. It takes me a long time to trust a friendship/partner etc.. to love me despite my flaws.
v) food group mix ups. I like my vegetables/starches and proteins to remain in their own corner of the plate, no socializing please.
vi) my daughter never knowing how beautiful inside and out she truly is
vii) financial ruin - is money ever not terrifying?
viii) people finding out that I am not what I seem - that this is not my natural hair colour, not my real name, not my...oh no! - I guess the cat's out of the bag :)

But you know, "courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it". So don't let your fear stop you from loving every second of this crazy existence!

Find Your CORE!

"When DOVE Cries"

So, this is going to be unpopular. I don't like the Dove Beauty Campaign video going around the internet right now. Where women are asked to describe themselves, and then people are asked to describe them, and we see that other's perceptions are different than our own, and that we fail to see the good things,etc...insert teary response here. It's a beautiful video - I get it and I get the point...to a point.

Now, don't get me wrong - much of what Dove has done, exposing photo shop truths, featuring absolutely stunning woman of all sizes, shapes, colours and ages, flaws and all, and opening many women's eyes (for the first time) to the possibility that fitting into the "norm" set by the tabloids and fashion industry isn't necessarily the most realistic or attractive way to look. But. And it's a big one. I think they have missed the mark on this one.

We must stop fixating on the outer person, and while it is nice to be told we are beautiful, tall, shapely, have nice eyes, etc,etc, etc.... we are STILL MISSING THE POINT!!! We fail to remember that true self esteem is built from what we do, how we do it, and how that is appreciated by our community. Self esteem derived from pretty compliments and physical comparisons fail to make a lasting impression on us in a positive way.

 Think back to the things you have been accomplished over the years - what do you remember? 

The first time you got the job? The goal you scored at the championship game? Your improved mark in Math after struggling, studying, and working your butt off to improve? The time you helped someone in need? I'm betting you have a huge file of "self esteem builders" like this stored away up in that head of yours. Now weigh the times the people recognized these traits/accomplishments against the time someone told you, "your hair looks nice today" or "those jeans make your bum look great!". Now these are nice temporary fixes to boost us up on a crappy day, but apart from Sean reminding me that he said them, I never think to pull them out when I'm feeling low.

On a related note, I can remember almost EVERY negative thing anyone has EVER said about my appearance, and taken each piece of criticism directly to heart. So why do we file all the bad - and tune out the good? I think it's because we would rather dwell on the negative comments about the things we can't really change, than work on the real things we need to address in our lives.

We convince ourselves that what we are isn't really good enough, and file out the things we hear to the contrary. We take on the weight of achieving perfection, to dull the pain of the truth we all know - perfection is impossible. 

So - I would have preferred to have seen the women in the Dove video have their negative body image rebuked by people who saw WHO and WHAT these women are - not comment on what they look like. We have proof above (and in our own heads) that deeds and actions speak louder than words, even well meaning ones.

So next time you are faced with anyone dealing with body image/self esteem issues: give them a hug. Point out the great things that you love about them best. Remind them that they are worthy.

It may or may not surprise you that I suffered from body image and self esteem issues and related, so badly that not that long ago I could barely work up the courage to walk out the front door. This Sunday will be no different. I will stand in front of my front door and the familiar fluttering of anxiety will hit me. Not because I am scheduled to run a half-marathon, but because I fear what people will think of me. Will I fit in? Am I too big/too small/too anything to be a part of something like this? Even worse, am I not enough? 

I am planning on grabbing my protein carby toast, a banana, and the slew of evidence that I am everything I need and more. I will store away each voice that has ever spoken the truth to me, and listen to their words from every step of the 13.1 miles. I will step out the door and run, even if my spandex run pants DON'T make my bum look good ;)

I will run for all the people who suffer from mental illness, anxiety, depression, panic and eating disorders. I will run for my family and friends, those here and those gone, that they know I will always choose to run towards health - towards them. I will run because I am good enough , and because I am.

Build your house with deeds and words, and leave the physical behind. After all, He who made you is the only one who matters, and He thinks you look perfect - just the way you are.

But They Ain't Got A Thing Of Me. I'm Running Wild I'm Running Free.

This past Sunday morning my alarm went off at 6am. 6 AM! On a Sunday morning that I don't have to work. I dragged my butt out of bed, and threw on some clothes. I think I brushed my teeth and applied deoderant. I know no hair brushing took place.
I was up that early for one reason. To go for a run. For some reason, my intrepid runbuddy and I decided that this was a good idea. A final long slow distance 2 weeks out from our half marathon. But right in the moment, setting out at 7am for a run just didn't seem like the greatest plan.
Actually I am putting a positive light on things. It seemed like an AWFUL idea - like, what were we thinking?  My lack of enthusiasm for the task ahead was compounded when I came downstairs to observe my kids, bundled up in pj's and blankies, curled up on the couch and enjoying ICarly. Surely this was a better use of my time - quality family cuddle time?
I am known for being energetic, but you'll be glad to know that I am human and sometimes lack motivation as much as the next person. It took everything I had to step out that door to meet my runbuddy, plaster a smile on my face and convince my leaden legs that running for several hours was a good plan.
We set out on our run, a crisp, dark, wet morning. It was hard enough to get our legs (and brains) wrapped around the task ahead, but to top it off the route I had chosen was ALL. UPHILL.
We plodded onward, often in silence brought on by the effort of cresting hill after hill.It was hard. And painful. In our chosen state of rungrumps, we didn't notice too much of our surroundings. Then - the icing on the cake. Rain. Cold, dark, pouring rain. About 5 minutes from our turnaround halfway point. Rain.
When we got to the turnaround we stopped for a stretch and strip. Imagine it - two ladies, in the middle of the country, at a crossroads, stretching and stripping off layers of clothing. EPIC (re;crazy!)
So we started back towards home, an unspoken agreement lay between us to make the best of this. I saw that we had two choices: to continue to feel the shackles of a tough run that we had put on ourselves OR to look at the greatness of what we are doing and enjoy it with a heart and mind open to the joy and beauty of being on a quiet country road, first thing in the morning before the human (sane) world wakes up.
We chose wisely.
With rain pouring down on us we lifted up our head and our hearts and plowed on. And we started to notice things:
(a) that the way back - slightly (and sometimes steeply) mostly downhill. Awesome.
(b) the rain stopped, and in it's absence, revealed that its drops were actually cleansing and welcomed
(c) the birds started chirping
(d) as we ran along, we heard a rustle in the bush beside us. Without warning, a huge bird of prey took off about 50ft in front of us. Its huge wings flapped to takeoff, soaring through the sky. We were so close to this magnificence that we could feel the air rustle, and see the beautiful, unique details of the bird's feathers.
Awesome. We were also blessed later in the run, to see another smaller bird of prey, sitting regally in a tree.
(e) foals were frolicking and playing in their field, nipping and rearing and bucking with the joy of life in their steps. Plus the wise old pony that eyed every step of our progress with a look that clearly said , "stupid humans" :)
(f) that we were enjoying ourselves

So there are two great reminders to be found in the tale of two reluctant morning runners:
First: that the hardest steps you take in your fitness journey are ALWAYS the ones you take to get out the door (thanks LH)
Second: that once you make the commitment and go for it - WONDERFUL things do happen.

Find Your CORE!

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, 

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, 

When the funds are low and the debts are high, 

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, 

When care is pressing you down a bit, 

Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns, 

As every one of us sometimes learns, 

And many a failure turns about, 

When he might have won had he stuck it out; 

Don't give up though the pace seems slow-- 

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than, 

It seems to a faint and faltering man, 

Often the struggler has given up, 

When he might have captured the victor's cup, 

And he learned too late when the night slipped down, 

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out-- 

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, 

And you never can tell how close you are, 

It may be near when it seems so far, 

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-- 

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

"That's What Friends Are For"

friend

 [frend] 

noun

1.

a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

2.

a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter

3.

a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile: 

4.

a member of the same nation, party, etc.

5.

( initial capital letter  ) a member of the Religious Society of Friends

verb (used with object)

7.

Rare. to befriend.

8.

to add (a person) to one's list of contacts on a social-networking Web site

I love having friends. I love making new friends. Like a crack whore 

hungry for my fix, the comraderie and love shared between two people in

a relationship is something I seek. 

I didn't cultivate long lasting friendships growing up due to my own inability 

to stick out rough patches for fear that they were my fault. Safer to walk

 away than to face failure. Now, though, I admit to seeking out people to befriend,

 interact with and learn from. 

I have not always been a good friend, and still often fall down on the job, but

I have been blessed in my "adulthood" to have friends who love me just the same. 

Sometimes I am not the easiest person to keep in contact with, get together with 

and sometimes I am impossible to be around (yep - I admit it!) But friends make it 

through these waves to the other side.The ones who stop surfing?

 I love the time I had with them, and wish them well and hope we meet again :)

I have people in my life who know who I am, fully and completely, and they like me 

despite this. I pray each night that the people who I befriend know how much I 

appreciate their presence in my life whether I saw them last night, last week, 

last year or last decade.

So it got me thinking about how much happier and whole I am with the peace of 

knowing so many wonderful people, and of course, I wondered if there were health 

benefits to having good friendships!

I loved this blog post: 

http://smartliving365.com/five-big-benefits-from-having-keeping-friends/

So hug your friends, laugh, cry and love this February - after all - it's good for 

your health!

Find your CORE.

This post is dedicated to all those who I plan on rocking on a front porch, or 

sitting on a park bench  with when I'm old and grumpy.