Monthly Archives: May 2011

OptimusPrime you’re not…but you can be a Transformer!

Posted on May 31, 2011 | 2 Comments

Now that's a machine

The human body is an extra ordinary machine.  I mean, show me another machine that gets stronger the more you work it. The more you challenge it responsibly, the stronger it is, the more efficient it works and the better it responds.  Leave it alone and ignore it’s desire to work and it actually breaks down.

When it breaks down its through disease and obesity which are both offset and minimized through consistent effort and exertion.  When you don’t challenge your machine it deteriorates.  The tissues that keep it strong and fight obesity give up and the result is less muscle and bone mass.

Some people get to that point and decide they need to reduce the calories they take in and go on some sort of diet, or take a potion, pill or some other quick fix which only leads to greater problems.  Short term fixes for a long-term problem mean only one thing…bigger long term problems that become harder to fix.  Laziness may be what got you where you are…do you actually think being even lazier is going to help? Come on, give me a break!

If you are able to move, then move! Simple.  If your weight or mobility issues challenge that, then move!  Even simple arm raises in a chair or leg raises will start to get your body going again.  Little steps can lead to a long journey!

Your body is a gift…treat it like one. Take care of it and cherish it.  You only get one.

You want the secret to weight loss and good health?  It doesn’t come from a pill, or a well-crafted advertisement that makes unrealistic promises. It doesn’t come from a box of pre-packaged meals or a juice that magically cleans you out.  The secret comes from within you!

Set a goal, lay out how you will achieve that goal and anything that goes against your goal is not acceptable.

Remember these ten simple things about exercise:

  1. Exercise increases your metabolism.
  2. Exercise burns calories
  3. Exercise helps you sleep and manage stress better.
  4. Exercise (resistance training) maintains or builds muscle.
  5. Exercise increases bone density.
  6. Exercise helps prevent diabetes and assists in controlling blood sugar
  7. Exercise improves heart, circulation and lung health.
  8. Exercise improves mood, helps relieve depression and increases self-esteem
  9. Exercise increases mobility and quality of life as you get older
  10. Exercise helps you keep the weight off long-term.

Exercise makes this happen

Your body naturally slows down as you age.  Your metabolism decreases over time all on its own.  Exercise offsets that process and counteracts the effect of aging.

There is no secret anymore.  This is what the diet industry does not want you to know.  You can control your weight challenges without them.  You choose what to eat.  You choose how much you want to move and you don’t need them! You can do it!! I’ve done it.  Trust me, because your success is what matters to me.

You can do it!!

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Posted in Exercise, Inspiration

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IALAC Disease – I have it, you should too!

Posted on May 24, 2011 | 11 Comments

My Grade 3 teacher Mrs. Bailey taught us this acronym.

She had it plastered all over our classroom and she would remind us of it daily. We would repeat it every morning after the national anthem and the Lord’s prayer.

IALAC:

I AM LOVEABLE AND CAPABLE

Early on Mrs. Bailey instilled in us that we are worthy and anything is possible.  We can achieve anything that we want.

Over the years, I have never forgotten Mrs. Bailey or what IALAC stands for.  I think I went through a period when this life lesson wasn’t as important to keep it in the forefront of my mind.

When I started to gain weight as a kid and got heavier as a teen, I didn’t place the importance of IALAC. I didn’t feel that I was loveable and capable of anything. The extra weight put me in a place where I thought there was no way out.

It wasn’t until I made the changes needed in my life to get healthy that IALAC became my first thought of the day again.  Once I reminded myself daily of Mrs. Bailey’s simple lesson, positive changes occurred.

When I see and talk to people daily that go on and on about the decadent foods they eat and drink and wear those as a badge of honour, it actually makes me mad. When people joke that they will never be fit and healthy again and resign themselves to a life of mediocrity, it makes me mad.  When people, especially Mom’s just give up and settle for carrying that baby weight 10 years after the fact, that makes me mad.

Being healthy is a choice.

If you choose to eat Mac n’ Cheese with a milkshake chaser then you are choosing that your health is not important.  You are choosing to be unhappy when you put pants on that don’t fit. You are saying loud and clear that you are not worthy of a long, happy and healthy life.

IALAC people…IALAC!

What the heck has happened that food, (bad food) has taken over society and that people think that if they pass on the greasy fries that it is the end of their world??

When did we stop loving ourselves? When and why are you giving food the power over your life? What has happened that people have become so lazy that they are not capable of getting up and going for a walk?  Why is to that reality TV is more important than reality health?

The take away message is you are loveable and capable.  You deserve love, and no love is more important that the love for yourself.  You need to love yourself by being healthy and living a long life.  You are more than capable of making choices that will benefit your life not shorten it. You are capable of scheduling 30 minutes at minimum of exercise into your day.

I have to add this in because it is one of my biggest pet peeves; parents, you are doing nothing for your children by neglecting yourself.  If you ignore your health/fitness and excuse your way around eating healthy and exercising because you are over scheduled by taking your kids to practices, etc; you will not live long enough to see your kids grow up.

You will burden your kids by them having to take care of you because you are not capable of taking care of yourself.  Ignoring your health/fitness is not being a role model.  There is no honour in being martyr by saying you have no time for yourself because of your kids activities.  Kids learn what they live and you are teaching them that they are not loveable or capable— IALAC —- I will keep pushing this Grade 3 message until you all get it!!

Do whatever  it is you have to do to make a change starting today.

Sticky note IALAC to your fridge, your computer, your desk, wherever you need a reminder.

Special shout out to Mrs Bailey, wherever you are. Thanks for being a teacher who cared enough to make a difference. Thanks for helping me develop into a better/smarter adult. Thanks for teaching and not just showing up to collect a pay check!

Remember IALAC everyone… I AM LOVEABLE AND CAPABLE

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Posted in Inspiration

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Surprise!! This is not a health drink…

Posted on May 19, 2011 | 3 Comments

Juice is on my radar today.

Now I know all of you juice gang members will be all over me for this post. All I can say is, “Bring it on”. I’m doing this for your health.

This is what I hear all the time…and I do mean all of the time!

“Why can’t I drink juice?”

“My kids wont drink water they only drink juice.”

“Juice comes from fruit so it’s got to be healthy.”

Everyone, listen up…..especially any of you self-proclaimed health guru’s that are easily influenced by marketing or junk science.

I saw an online post the other day for a recipe that by a health professional who called it “sugar-free”.   It was loaded with juice, molasses and maple syrup!  Hello!?!  The sugar fairy called and wants her sugar back!

  • Juice = sugar
  • Molasses = sugar
  • Maple Syrup = sugar

Let me set the record straight. Juice is not a health food!

Juice is one of the contributing factors to the underlying causes of diabetes (along with a number of other things). The research shows that the number one pro diabetic sugar is fructose–fruit sugar.  You are consuming a boatload of fructose when you are drinking juice.

Juice is also void of the fiber along with many of the natural nutrients and some of the vitamins and minerals that the original fruit it comes from contained.  So how is that supposed to be healthy?? Answer:  Its not!

If I gave you 5 apples to eat could you eat them in less than 2 minutes?  No way you could.  But you can slurp back 5 apples in the form of a glass of juice that fast…again lacking the goodness of the original packaging (the fibre, nutrients, vitamins or minerals).

In the process of drinking that glass of concentrated sugar, you get to jack up your blood fructose.  Say hello to diabetes danger.

There is a really strong chance that you are also charting the course for your kids to be on the road to suffering.  Have you taken a look at the incredible increase in childhood diabetes rates in the last decade?

For those that think that the juice and smoothie places are the best things ever?? LOL…think again!

For you parents that are taking your kids to juice/smoothie shops in between hockey or swim practice you are not helping your athlete.  A rush of juice into their blood stream will only help them to have an energy crash shortly thereafter.

I am not a fan of juice for adults or kids.  Have you ever read the label on a juice box??? Take a look next time.  The grams of sugar are staggering.  Please don’t roll your eyes and respond with “its fruit sugar” re-read the above…about fructose (fruit) sugar being the number one contributing factor of diabetic sugar.

If you want to juice your own juice then have at it.  It is a better way but still, I think it is eye opener to see how many pieces of fruit you need to get a glass of juice.  Just eat the dang fruit.

So, to all you juice gang members; simmer down and go drink some water.  You are likely all fired up because your blood sugar is sky-high from your money juice!

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Posted in Uncategorized

Sugar free, really?

Posted on May 16, 2011 | 7 Comments

When we talk about sugar, the white crystals that are sweet and sticky are normally what comes to mind.  Most of the sugar we think of comes from either the cane or beet.  Those white crystals are the result of some pretty deep processing and ‘cleaning’.  Brown sugar crystals or “raw” sugar is what the white stuff looks like before it gets ‘cleaned’. Hmm how do they take the dark ‘dirty’ look out of that sugar.  I know what I use to get my families socks white…

Some of the other names that sugar goes by are:

  • Agave
  • Barley malt
  • Corn syrup
  • Dextran
  • Dextrose
  • Ethyl maltol
  • Fructose
  • Galactose
  • Glucose
  • High-fructose corn syrup
  • Honey
  • Lactose
  • Maltodextrin
  • Maltose
  • Maple syrup
  • Molasses
  • Panocha
  • Refiner’s syrup
  • Rice syrup
  • Sorbitol
  • Sorghum syrup
  • Sucrose

LOL

You probably recognize some of those.  They are usually plastered all over the labels of foods that say things like, “Sugar Free”, “Low in sugar”, “Now with less sugar.”

So, before you decide something is über healthy because it says sugar-free, give your head a shake and the label a look.

Sugar in its purest form is a carbohydrate.  A simple one, so too much of it in your body gets converted from energy to fat which is stored energy.  I remember when I was a “big girl” I had a lot of “stored energy”. Mostly because I loved anything that had sugar in it.  Sweets, candy, cakes, pop.  All contain lots of sugar which is great for sweetening foods, not so great for helping you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Another incredible source of sugar (and by incredible I mean incredibly bad)…alcohol!  In terms of simple…its pretty much the simplest sugar.  Your body breaks alcohol down with ease.  So much so, it shoves it immediately into the bloodstream and then into the cells for stored energy (aka FAT).

Be careful when you reach for the “sugar free”.  Most foods that you buy in a store that are pre packaged and processed will contain multiple layers of sugar.

Even recipes that are promoted as sugar-free will often have ingredients that replace the word sugar with some other form of sweetener.  Molasses, syrups, fruit juices and then all the words that end in ‘ose’.

So many foods that come to us naturally have sugar in them that nature put there.  Fruits and grains are pretty much the most common ones.  So, why not put fresh berries on the foods you want to sweeten up?

Finally, if there is one thing you take away from this, I want it to be this.  High fructose corn syrup…avoid this like the plague!! I know it is all around us and that it is present in so many foods, but, avoid it.  It’s cheap to make and does nothing good for you, in fact it does the exact opposite.

There is something else to watch for. Companies that have relied on cheaper chemical sweeteners to carry their bottom lines have been moving away from chemicals to all natural sugars…even they have realized health is more important than money.  Something all of maybe need to look at…go retro!

I personally believe this is one sucker that will be made illegal some day.  There is no physical goodness that comes from HFCS.

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Posted in Nutrition

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Spare tires are for your car

Posted on May 10, 2011 | 5 Comments

If you have it or had you, I am sure at some point you have hated it…..belly fat.  There are a lot of things that help decide how much belly fat you are going to carry.  Diet, activity, body type, your parents, hormones, etc.

Regardless of why you have it, it’s a pretty good clue that you may have other problems happening around your body.  Fat in the abdominal area is additionally a concern for individuals who may develop high blood pressure as well as an increased risk for type 2-diabetes and heart disease due to excess belly fat.

The ‘spare tire’, ‘muffin top’, ’jelly belly’ are more than looks; it can seriously challenge your health as well.  This is probably why people target it and work hard to get rid of it.

People will head to the gym trying to get enough exercise to get rid of belly fat.  They walk on the treadmill or wander around the weight room, pose in the mirror, suck it in and lay on the floor lifting parts of their body. Just because you have a gym membership and say that you go to the gym doesn’t exactly mean you are getting a good workout. PS: you cannot spot reduce your belly fat-so the gizmos and gadgets that claim to target your belly don’t work-they never have and they never will.  Total body training is what you need!

Belly fat is a fight with your nutrition – belly fat is best fought with your diet.

From a diet perspective, belly fat is often caused and supported by eating too may carbs. Bagels for breakfast, pasta for lunch and more bread and pasta for dinner…you enter the carb coma.  Therefore, you have to cut back and limit the number of carbohydrates you take in.  No don’t suddenly go on a “Carbs are the enemy” Jihad attack. They are not your enemy. You need them and they are an essential part of healthy eating.

Believe it or not, you don’t have to be very drastic with your carbohydrate limits.

You have to pay attention to the type of carbohydrates you’re taking in as well.  If you’re eating carbs that have high sugar amounts or processed foods, your insulin levels will spike which done too often results in belly fat.

Your carbs should always be low-glycemic level and complex carbohydrates.  Stick with fresh vegetables, whole grains, whole grain bread and whole grain rice.  These types of foods are broken down and get into your blood stream over a longer period of time.  Your body actually works to digest them.  By the way, when your body works at digestion, you are burning calories! (Bonus)

I guarantee junk food doesn't get in here

That means NO potato chips, pretzels, or foods that in general don’t look like  food at all.  Your new life rule is no processed carbs.  Cut them out.  You don’t need them and your body will thank you by shedding that fat.

So, are fighting the effects of junk food, processed foods, or just too many carbs at the wrong time?

Did you fix your spare tire? Let everyone know how you did it.

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Posted in Nutrition

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Suck it up…take your easy somewhere else, we like it hard!

Posted on May 6, 2011 | 7 Comments

There seems to always be two ways to people look at things:  Happy or sad, black and white, glass half full or half empty, two sides to every story, easy or hard, etc.
A lot of things, situations, challenges are what you make them.

Here’s what’s easy:

  • eating chips and dip
  • drinking that wine
  • avoiding challenges
  • making excuses
  • complaining
  • being lazy
  • eating cookies

Here’s what’s hard:

  • going against the grain
  • saying no to the crowd
  • committing to your goals
  • moving when you just want to rest
  • pushing yourself to get back up when life knocks you down
  • seeing the future when looking at the present

Exercise can be considered a metaphor for succeeding in life.
Discipline, willpower, determination, purpose, achievement.
The things that increase you potential in life share many of the same rules.

Accountability is key.

You are the 5 people you hang around with the most.  If you go to the gym and walk on the treadmill, look at the weights, treat it like a social event, chat with your friends you will go nowhere fast.  You want to stay in the security and comfort of like-minded thinking, enjoy yourself, that’s EASY but don’t expect results.

If you show up to boot camp you will be motivated, inspired and encouraged to be pushed to the next level.  That’s accountability and that can be hard.  But, everything I have found in life that has value doesn’t come easy.  It comes with commitment, desire, action.  But you will be expected to give it your all.  Want to turn it into a social event? Want to come late, interrupt, complain? Do it somewhere else…don’t try to drop  your pity party and woe is me problems  on others and try to influence them into your mentality.

We work hard to achieve results.

Change requires an effort.  If you want to look different and feel different it requires effort and at times it won’t be easy….and those are the times that you need to suck it up.

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Posted in General

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PERSEVERANCE…just get up and do it.

Posted on May 4, 2011 | 14 Comments

~PERSEVERANCE~

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”


At some point you will fall down.  We all do.

It’s inevitable.

The thing that will determine your outcome, is not how you fall…it is what you do when you get back up.

Heather Dorniden has the heart of a champion.

You can see what she did after she fell down;

  • She got up.
  • She didn’t complain.
  • She didn’t cry.
  • She didn’t scream about how unfair life is…
  • She ran after her dream.

She ran faster, harder then she ever had before.

When I hit a weight of 225lbs-I decided to “get up”.  I made a choice to never fall down again.  I made changes.  Sure, like everyone, I’ve tripped, I’ve stumbled and I’ve lost balance…but I’ve kept focused and kept going.

No matter where you are today, whatever obstacles you may face, I’m here to tell you that if you are willing to work hard and smart, to get back up when you fall and HUSTLE, and never, ever…ever…quit…there is NOTHING you can’t achieve.

The stories like Heather’s are everywhere.  They happen every day.  There’s absolutely

NO reason you can’t be next one with an inspirational story to help others!

So…are you ready to get up?

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Posted in Inspiration

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“I couldn’t freakin’ see!!!”

Posted on May 2, 2011 | 7 Comments

As many of you know, I had  eye surgery last week and there was a complication that developed after a few days.  So,  I had to have another procedure to correct it.  #Fun!!  (I refuse to call it a #fail…I mean we’re talking about my eyes!!)

Oy….I was just a little stressed out!  Hello…I couldn’t freakin see!!
The incident itself was eye opening….yeah, lame joke (pun intended)…sorry.
Something I want.  Something I need.  Something that was temporarily taken away….I had some time to sit and think.  Several hours of eyes closed, no lights, no computer, no reading. Just to sit and think.  One of the thoughts; How so many people take their health for granted (like I took my eye sight for granted).
Many of you reading this are taking your health for granted.  You think that an extra 20 or 30lbs isn’t really that big of a deal.  You’re ok with it…for now, outwardly anyway.  But do you realize you’re cutting your life short…taking it for granted?

Is it because you are comfortable?

I don’t mean are you sitting comfortably while reading this.
I mean are you comfortable with your life?
Have you become so comfortable with carrying around extra weight that you have just learned to accept it and live with it?
Have you become so comfortable with not eating properly that indigestion, bloat and cramping is something you just ‘live with’?
Here is a neat little thing that you might also take for granted,  ”Anything that you want to make happen in your life, you control”.  
Today is the perfect day to say “Dang it, things are going to be THIS WAY starting today!”  I’m going to make a difference.  Today, I won’t take my health for granted.  Today I will eat better.  Today I will exercise.
Today, I will stop taking my life, my health and my future for granted.

Monday is all about the REAL YOU.

  • The YOU that can do ANYTHING.
  • The YOU that CAN dream big and MAKE it happen.
  • The YOU that I totally BELIEVE in.
  • The YOU that is going to turn your body into AMAZING shape.

Yep, Monday is all about YOU.

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