Category Archives: Exercise

6 Fitness Fails…and the fixes

We have made it over a month into the New year.  Did you make resolutions? Are you staying on track?

Losing weight and keeping it off has become a bit of a rarity. We all know people who lose weight and keep it off for a little while and then go back to their old ways and regain the weight. If you’re lucky you only gain it back…many go beyond!

Understanding the problem better helps lead you to real solutions. Time to get off the weight loss / weight gain roller coaster.

Instead of you trying the latest diet fad, I’ve put together a few things that will help you stay on track.

6 reasons why you fall off the wagon

1. No focus: you didn’t set goals, you didn’t put your goals
in writing, and or you didn’t keep your goals in mind daily

2. No priorities:  you may have set a goal, but you didn’t
put it on or near the top of your priorities list. For
example, your goal is six-pack abs, but drinking wine and
eating fast food on the weekend is higher on your priorities
list than having a flat/fit stomach.

3. No support system: you tried to go at it alone; no buddy
system, training partners, family, spouse, friends, mentors
or coaches to turn to for information and emotional support
when the going got tough.

4. No Accountability: you didn’t keep score for your own
accountability – with a progress chart, weight record,
measurements, food journal, training journal, and you didn’t
set up external accountability (ie, report to someone else
or show your results to someone else)

5. No patience: you were only thinking short-term and had
unrealistic expectations.  You expected 10 pounds a week or
5 pounds a week or 3 pounds a week, so the first week you
lost “only” 1 or 2 pounds or hit a plateau, you gave up.

6. No planning: you winged it.  You got the idea that you need to exercise and get healthy so you hit the gym. No plan, no schedule, no direction.  How do you get somewhere when you don’t know where you going? So then, you lose interest and excuses become easier than reasons.

6 mistakes that cause most people to fall off the wagon. Are you guilty of any of these?  If so, the solutions are clear and simple:

  • Focus
  • Prioritize
  • Get support
  • Be accountable
  • Be patient
  • Plan.

 

Super Bowl Belly Hangover

If you’re like a lot of people, you may have over-indulged last night while watching the Super Bowl.

This morning you might even have a food hangover. Part of the food hangover is the actual hangover of pudge. Your pants are tighter, you feel icky, you have LOTS of regret.  Thoughts like, “Why you ate that 4th piece of pizza?” might even come to mind.

If you are one of those scale jumpers, you know who you are, you might even be cursing yourself this morning!!  The ones that get on the scale a few times a day may be having a fit today trying to figure out where the extra weight came from this weekend.  You will notice that your weight is up after the weekend festivities if you decided to indulge, (over-indulge).  For those of you professional dieters, you are likely trying to do some kind of math to figure out how in the world you are up 3 -5 lbs in one day. Pizza x beer + nachos – water / chicken wings + chips (insert a lot of math lingo here) = WEIGHT GAIN!!

For those that have been at this weight loss game for a while you will know that a pound of fat is about 3500 calories and with your rough estimate there was no way that you scarfed down that many calories this weekend.  (Oh, for you points people, just hush….I will deal with you and your points in another blog post.)

Maybe you didn’t and I really hope you didn’t eat over 3500 calories yesterday. So, why the weight gain???

Drum roll please…………

SODIUM

All of that party food tends to be loaded with sodium.
Women have a terrible time with hormones and water weight.
Men will be feeling the super bowl belly this morning as well!

Don’t stress, I have your post super bowl binge recover plan.

How to overcome this….well, boot camp of course.  You need to move your body! Oh and don’t use excuses like super events to sacrifice sound nutrition in the first place!

I am not a fan of Madonna but I will give her props for looking great at 53yrs old and poppin’ and lockin’ like a 25 year old.  Who doesn’t want to be in fab shape at 53??  I can guarantee you that she doesn’t take her fitness lightly and she sure doesn’t eat like a lumberjack, “just because”.

Don’t just talk about how you want to be fit.  Become fit.  Show up and do what has to be done!

Here are some other steps to take to get back to your pre-super-bowl weight:

Action Step #1:  Water, water and more water.  That is your drink of choice. You need at least 3-4 litres to flush that sodium out.

Action Step #2:  Add 2-3 cups of dark leafy greens to your food intake today (spinach, kale, etc)

Action Step #3: Show up to boot camp and we will do the super bowl shuffle and sweat out the bloat!!

Action Step #4: Have a post boot camp recovery protein shake (add in some spinach).  Feed your muscles the nutrition they need.

Action Step #5: REPEAT tomorrow and the next day!!

Boot Camp is BETTER!

Boot Camp IS better!!

A bold statement.  A true statement.  Don’t worry I can back up those statements too.   For those of you know that know me, I am not the wishy-washy type. So, when I say boot camp is better, I mean it, I believe it and I can prove it.  Here’s why.

At boot camp we move from our feet to fingers.  By move, I mean we MOVE our ENTIRE bodies, every single muscle. We push, we pull, we lift, we get up, we bend/stretch, we run stairs.

What kind of moves are those? ALL FUNCTIONAL REAL LIFE MOVEMENTS.  They are the moves that mimic real life activities.  Things you actually do!  We make those movements more challenging with the use of body weight and resistance.

Boot camp better because we have accountability.  You don’t show up, you get an email from yours truly!  You have group support.  Other boot campers support and encourage you…we’re a team, a kind of family.
(The gym knows and actually hopes you don’t show up.  I want you to show up.  We want you to show up.  I make sure that you do! )

Simmer down all of you yogi’s and gym goers.   Sitting on a bike peddling away, going nowhere fast doesn’t do it for me.  To each their own.

An ABC news report revealed that standard cardio equipment caloric readings are not accurate.  “Liar, liar elliptical on fire” was the biggest offender with a false reading of 42%.  42% over-estimate of calories burned!  Yikes!! You just got burned! Your calories, not so much.

So you think that you just burned 500 calories pushing away on that elliptical, bike or treadmill and you really didn’t #fail.

We burn 800-1000 calories at boot camp.  We move feet to fingers!

I am proud of you boot campers.  I am proud of how hard you work.  This blog post is to give you a virtual hi-5!!!  I am proud of your dedication, commitment and energy!

Here is a shout out to some of our 7 Day Slim *stars*.  These are INCREDIBLE 7 DAY results! 7 DAYS people.  Who else wants results like this?

  • Kelly  8 3/4 inches lost
  • Rhoda 5 inches lost
  • Lori 9 inches lost
  • Bridie 5.5 inches lost
  • Sara 10 inches lost
  • Maureen 9 inches lost
  • Lisa 4.5 inches lost
  • Diane 7 inches lost
  • Jess 5.5 inches lost

So proud of everyone that shows up to boot camp each and every night!!!  You are awesome!

Cut the Waist

I remember watching an interview with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford when he was running for office and thinking to myself, “He’s going to explode!”

His face was flushed, he was sweating and he was breathing very heavy.  For those of you who don’t know him, he had called himself 300 pounds of fun.  I thought to myself the first time I heard that, 350 maybe.

On Monday, Mayor Ford and his brother Doug kicked off a weight loss program and a very special challenge.  “Cut The Waist Toronto”.  This cut has nothing to do with the budget, over spending or the gravy train.  It has to do with challenging themselves, the Ford Brothers and Toronto, to lose weight and promote a healthier lifestyle.

The Mayor weighed in at 330 pounds and his Councillor brother tipped the Toledo at 275 pounds.  Between them, they account for more than a quarter tonne of fun!  Not to mention several thousands of dollars of future medical expenses.

What was even better about the announcement was that the Mayor during the press conference issued a challenge to all of Canada by throwing down the gauntlet and saying Toronto would lose more weight than anywhere else!

Congratulations to Mayor and Councilor Ford for your commitment.

Besides the fact they have committed to losing weight, I applaud them for how they are intending to do it:

  • They set their goals
  • They put a date on that goals
  • They have a support buddy
  • They announced their plans public
  • They have established accountability to their goals

All Carrie approved.

Both men have indicated that healthy eating and increased physical activity are in their plans.  Did you hear that?

Healthy eating

Physical Activity

No fad diets.  No gimmicky programs.  No diet centres.  No surgery, potions pills or lotions.

They are right in issuing the challenge to get Toronto healthy and to encourage everyone, everywhere else to do the same.  Obesity is an epidemic.  It is costing this country millions of dollars in related medical expenses.  It is shortening the lives of people in an age when we can live longer, healthier and more vibrant than ever before!

Diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, chronic pain and many other problems are preventable and treatable through proper diet and exercise.

But here is my caution…remember losing the weight is one challenge.   Keeping it off is a completely different challenge.  You need to educate yourself through the process to learn how to keep weight off.  You need to understand how and why you gained the weight in the first place.

I can’t wait to find out who will be the biggest loser. (No pun intended).

I wonder if we can get them to come out to Georgetown to get their butts kicked by Boot Camp?

 

 

Challenge creates change

Results ALWAYS happen 1 step / 1 lap / 1 lunge past where most people give up so they never get to see the results they are looking for as fast as they want them.

I know how it feels when you just want to give up. When you are too tired to try.  When you are too busy to make the time.

BUT, I also know how amazing it feels to pull it together and push past those feelings.  To give it your all with exercise and proper nutrition.

You know what I’m talking about.  When you come to boot camp and you push beyond the tired and give me, “Three more, two more, one more. You did it!!”

You feel strong and proud!!

How do you feel when you stop halfway thru an exercise?  When you walk when you know you can run?  When you give into those cravings when you think you are hungry?

We all need to be reminded that the MAGIC doesn’t happen on the 1st mile, it happens when you go the EXTRA mile for yourself and for others.

Anybody who knows anything about weight training or dieting will tell you that you get most of your results from those last 2-3 reps you don’t want to do, or from those last few weeks that you really don’t want to diet.

But here’s the catch.

Most people quit on themselves and their goals and dreams, right when it gets tough.

Unfortunately, they then never get to experience the MAGIC that would have taken place for them. That same magic that could have transformed them from ordinary to extraordinary.

I’ve said it over and over again, but I’ll repeat it here one more time…you don’t have to be 50% or 100% better than everyone else when you diet or exercise.

You only need to be 5% better.  5% is it. 5% is all it takes to be extraordinary.  To be better than the average.  To accomplish more than the norm.

That’s it.

  • Push past your desire to stop.  Do a little bit more today.
  • Do one more rep. Run a bit faster on that lap.
  • Drink one more glass of water.
  • Eat that salad
  • Show up to boot camp even on those days you are tired (I promise you will leave feeling more energetic).
  • Motivate one more person to exercise with you.

Are YOU ready to give 5% more today?

I saw this the other day:

I exercise because I can. When I get tired, I remember those that can’t exercise and what they would give to have this simple gift that I take for granted, and I work harder for them.

Powerful.

Focus on that when you think you can’t do one more rep or go the distance.

I know you can tough it out; CHALLENGE CREATES CHANGE.  Make that your mantra when you want to give up.

8 Reasons Why You Should Just Do It!

You hear it alot….find your “why”   Find your passion, your reason for doing things.

I see so many people who start strong on the road to their improved health and fitness journey and then fizzle out.

Why bother exercising?? 

The first answer of course you will say, is for your health.  Newsflash; Sitting on a bike while surfing Facebook is not really exercise. Neither is walking at a snail’s pace on a treadmill.  It is ok but you know you can do better. So why do you do it? Why not give it your all and be effective?

We all have our own reasons for sweating it out.  I never want to be 225lbs again–NEVER.  Some people do it to lose weight, some do it to fit into their Christmas party dress, some do it because they have had a medical scare and decide to take control (diabetes, high blood pressure).  These are great whys.

Everyone can come up with reasons on why to be fit and just as many excuses on why they can’t.

Here is what I don’t get.  I see so many of you that work so hard at boot camp and then blow it with crappy food.  You sweat your guts out with me and then tell me you had wings, beer, cake, etc.  WHY??

  • Why are you sabotaging yourself?
  • Why don’t you want to see the results?
  • Why are you letting junk food win?
  • Why do you want to look bad?
  • Why do you want to feel lousy?

Many of you will be saying “I know, I have to pull it together”
If you want to see the results and changes in your body you have to do the work, all of the work.  Just showing up doesn’t do it.

You know you need to eat 5x a day.  You know that you must have healthy snacks.  You know that you NEED to drink water.  So why aren’t you?

Boring, lazy, busy, forgot, my back hurts, I don’t like to get sweaty.  The list of excuses can go on and on.

Be a finisher.  Not a ‘half-asser’ (Sorry, not a word but I’m trying to stress a point and maybe my creative word use might get you fired up!)

So why do this?  All of this proper eating and exercise. We all have our own “why’s” but here are a few you might not have thought about:
Do it for the stares.  Yes, we all like to be noticed (in a good way).

  1. Do it for the compliments.  It is nice to be acknowledged for hard, noticeable achievements.
  2. Do it for the shape and definition in your muscles (hello tank tops!)
  3. Do it for the ability to fit into the clothes you want
  4. Do it for the swimsuit.  We all want to be able to rock the swimsuit
  5. Do it so you can be off the gaining weight / losing weight roller coaster!!
  6. Do it so you can be proud of your effort and how you look.
  7. Do it for your health
  8. Do it for your family

Nike has made billions off of the saying “Just do it”.  It really is that simple; Just do it….already

Find you WHY.  Set your goal, focus on it and don’t do anything that isn’t in line with your goal.

Here are some healthy snacks to incorporate into your day:

- hard boiled egg with cubed cantaloupe
- snow peas or sugar snap peas with humus
- greek yogurt with blueberries
- turkey pepperettes with an apple
- lettuce leaf with avocado and chicken or turkey-roll it up

Bonus snack!!
- greek yogurt, pb or almond butter and boot camp chocolate protein

Have a great day…Why? Because you deserve it.

Getting ready for Christmas!

It used to be that the real indication that Christmas was just around the corner was the day after Hallowe’en when you walked into your favourite store and all the candy was on sale to make room for the massive displays of Santa Clause and all the fixins’.

In the States, it was two days after Thanksgiving (2 because they needed one day to do massive post Turkey Day sales).

Now, it seems the day after Labour Day we start to see the signs of the season that is coming.

I love the holiday season.  I hate what it represents to so many people; Eating Season has begun!  Weight gain season is upon us.  For the next two months we will be bombarded with cakes, cookies, sauces and booze.  Candy, treats, loafs and all sorts of food that normally we would never eat, but for some reason, we celebrate the season with an over indulgence.

So lets prepare properly for what we about to be bombarded with.  We all work so hard to maintain our weight or in the best goal centred situation, lose weight all year long, that a little pre-planning can go a long way to remain in control.

Nutrition

Food is meant to be energy for the body.  The better the food we choose, the better the energy production is.  Garbage in, garbage out.  Eat sensibly and responsibly.  It’s just food! No matter how good it tastes, it doesn’t look good on your hips and thighs.

Tips:

Self control: Eat how you normally would.  Don’t over-eat and don’t use the season as an excuse to sneak the extra treats or sample every offering that is available.

Buffets and pot lucks: Go for the good stuff first. Have a plate of veggies, greens, healthy salads, light dressings.  Clean your plate, wait 10 to 15 minutes before going for the second plate full.  You might find that you’re satisfied with that and not need to eat more than you should.  Even better…one plate that includes your greens, veggies, lean protein and other healthy choices.  Unless you are a power athlete, you don’t need more than that so stop! Don’t just eat it because it’s available.

Drinks: Water it up! The more the merrier.  Enjoy nature’s goodness.  The seasonal specialties are calorie and fat monsters! Green tea, clear liquids are good choices.  If egg nog was really that good, wouldn’t it be available all year long? –

Treats: They are everywhere and they look so good.  But most taste the same year to year.  So is there a need to try them all? NO!  How about commit to a one-treat budget. Try one treat that you’ve never had before or enjoy your absolute favourite and savour it.  Then you can say…been there, done that.

Exercise

Don’t use the season as an excuse to let go of your good exercise efforts.  Yes, it’s a busy time of the year.  But everyday still includes 24 hours. Its how you spend, budget and allocate your 24 hours.  Block off time on your calendar everyday to commit to your health.  It’s more important now than ever.  You want to keep your immune system at its peak, which is helped with regular exercise.

Make sure you continue to commit to your Boot Camp, personal training or personal exercise time.  We’re all busy; at least we can be together and maximize our time.

Walk: Make sure that you don’t take short cuts.  Use the stairs, or the elevators or escalators. Voluntarily look for the parking spots far from entrances to where you are going.  Its faster and better for your health.

Sleep: Make sure you are getting enough rest.  This is when your body repairs itself, rejuvenates and protects you, so include adequate sleep to maintain great health throughout the season.

The hoiday season does not have to be a time to gain weight or sabotage your efforts from the rest of the year.  Wouldn’t it be great on January 1st, 2012 to not include “Lose Wieght” as your resolution?

Some good planning and common sense can have you losing weight this season.  Do it!

The Halloween Hangover

So…….how’d ya do???

Did you stay strong and resist the urge to tear into those bite size candies? Or did you buckle and eat your body weight in “fun” size candy??

Did you wake up this morning and while getting dressed start saying (or screaming) WHY…WHY DID I EAT ALL OF THAT CANDY??

If you are suffering a chocolate hangover you need to re-group; dump the candy and say no to your candy pushing co-workers who are trying to unload their candy.

Did you read my last email?  3 fun size pieces of candy will cost you 20 minutes of jogging!  Do the math: You had a couple before trick or treating + a couple during trick or treating + a few more during the sorting process x the number of kids you have equals…A LOT OF BOOT CAMP TO BURN THAT CHOCOLATE OFF

I know the internal conversation you had with yourself….”oooohhh that kind is my favourite” or “I will just have this one!” Bet you said this “Well, I have had so many what’s one more?!”

I see so many of you that work soooo hard at boot camp but then you tell me that you had wings, wine, candy, (or insert whatever bad food here) and you wonder why you are not losing weight.  The reason is simple!  You keep sabotaging yourself!!!! When you come to boot camp and bring your A game, give it your all, you are burning the crap that you ate that day.  You never get to that stored fat.  Think about that!  All your work is to just maintain.

So if you start your day with a latte, then have a muffin add a bagel and some pasta for dinner, you come to boot camp and you might burn through half of those calories.  You don’t burn the stuff you want to get rid of off of your thighs, tummy or backside, BUT you keep doing it.  Why?? You are choosing food, junk food, you are letting the food control you.

IT ALL STOPS TODAY………..

Make the commitment to change your eating habits, dump the junk, drink the water that you need and exercise!!!!

Halloween is over and it likely was a scary night with all of the reckless eating but onwards my friends……

Candy is not your friend.  I am…so start listening to me!!!

Halloween Hangover remedy:

LOTS of water–eat real food, (lean protein, veggies) and get moving (show up to boot camp).

We have 7 weeks until Christmas…..that means a lot of parties, dinners, get-together, cakes, cookies, drinks, it means you need to pull it together!!  No maintaining through that! That is the recipe for waistline disaster.

Starting NOW it’s game on.  No more fooling around.  No more making excuses why you can’t.  No more giving in to food weaknesses.  No more nonsense.

What would you choose??

Four weeks ago a group of boot campers decided to challenge themselves and commit to their health by taking the “Boot Camp Challenge”.  Four weeks later and I am so happy to report that their results were FANTASTIC!

I am going to reveal a few of the secrets that helped them and all you have to do is read on to find out those secrets.

But before we move on, I just want to make sure we are all on the same page:

  • Fad diets don’t work!  Just because your co-workers aunt lost 15lbs on some crazy diet doesn’t mean it’s legit
  • Diet centres are staffed by people who have little idea about how your metabolism works, but are experts at marketing their product to you and grabbing your money.
  • Not eating will ruin your metabolism
  • Doing endless amounts of boring cardio will not get you to your goal and in fact may cause you to move away from your goal.
  • Excuses are excuses. They are not reasons. We are all busy

Here are some of the SECRETS that helped your fellow boot campers lose all of those inches.

  • They made an actual commitment
  • They listened to me, not their aunt, sister, mom, gabby neighbour
  • They showed up to boot camp–they turned any “excuses” of why they couldn’t into reasons of why they could
  • They asked questions-they interacted on our forum-they supported each other
  • They listened….did I mention that?!
  • They followed the plan
  • They did their food journals and took the feedback I gave them and applied it.
  • They leaned on the group for support and encouragement.

Choose to be healthy.

Choose to be fit.

Choose to have energy.

OR choose to stay and feel exactly where you are now. How’s that workin’ for ‘ya so far???

  •  When you can’t…I say CAN
  • When you say won’t…I say WILL
  • When you say it’s too hard…I say GOOD
  • When you say I quit…I say NO YOU DON’T
  • When you say no more…I say 50 MORE

It’s all about Determination, dedication and desire.

Determination, Dedication, Desire and Disney

Last week I got to experience the thrill of going to Florida to enjoy one of my passions…running.  Yes, I know, running for some people is a four letter word, but to me it’s relaxing, mind clearing and great for your body in so many ways.

Sure, Florida seems like a long way to go for a run, but this wasn’t your normal running adventure.  I went to Walt Disney World to take part in the runDisney Wine and Dine Half Marathon!  That’s right, 13.1 miles or 21 kilometres of pure fun and excitement!

Sounds kind of funny to describe running the equivalent of the length of Manhattan Island as fun and exciting, but we are talking the magic of Disney and the experience of runDisney.

This is not the first time I have ventured to WDW to take part in a runDisney event and I can say each time has been better than the one before.  Even with a rough start to this weekend, I had a great time!

Did I mention I dropped  vacuum on my foot a few days before leaving? Yup, two broken toes and I was planning in running a half marathon.  I went to see my Chiropractor for a little TLC who suggested that my plantar fasciitis was really bad and I shouldn’t be running around the block, let alone around WDW.

Friday afternoon I went to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for the fan expo and to register.  The set-up is great.  Product demo’s, training, seminars and experts at every turn to help everyone from the novice to the advanced runners, the weekend warriors to the hard-core roadrunners.

As I was leaving the expo, I started to feel a little queasy…which was quickly replaced by really queasy followed full blown, from the toes puking!  Yay, only 12 hours to go and I was worshiping at the porcelain altar.

By 7pm on Saturday night, I was on my way back to ESPN to line up for the 10pm start.  A little weaker, a little lighter, a little sore and a lot excited!

You see, there really is a magic feeling I get when I run.  It’s hard to explain, but I think back to when I was well over 200 pounds and I couldn’t run more than a few feet.  I couldn’t have dreamed of being able to run half a marathon.  I was a prisoner to my weight and my lack of health and fitness.  It seems like a lifetime ago but a day doesn’t go by when I don’t relish the joy and freedom that I have not being tied down by obesity.

So you can understand that not much would stop me from running…not broken toes, sore feet or food poisoning.

And Disney and runDisney put on a great show.  When you think you are a little tired, you see the Tree of Life.  When you’re legs are heavy, you see the Tower of Terror where gravity seems to disappear for a little while.  When your lungs are burning, you see the place where the magic of Fantasmic takes place.  Every step, there are voluntEARS clapping and shouting support and along the route your favourite Disney Characters are cheering you on.  Minnie, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Donald and of course Mickey!

The finish line was just outside Epcot and the cooling off walkway was into the park where I saw the best characters waiting for me…the 3 Bs and big Daddy!

How could I run with the triple play of toes, feet and vomit?  Determination, desire, dedication and Disney.

  • Determination to achieve a goal
  • Desire to finish what I started
  • Dedication to a lifestyle of health and fitness

Disney…there really is magic there.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give big congrats to some very special people:

To my fellow boot campers, Janice and Nikki and to my fellow WDW Moms Panelist, Mo. Congratulations for doing what you put your minds to.  I’m so proud of you!!