Connect Fitness

Healthy Body = Healthy Mind

2011-10-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I worked a Mental Health fair, and was sharing with corporate workers the benefits of practicing Pilates when it comes to keeping a healthy mind. Even just combining a good deep breathe with some movement is a great way to relieve stress and tension from the mind and body.

Today, in our busy lives, breathing is a way to renovate the balance of our body and nourish our minds. Deep breathing is used to aid control panic, anxiety attacks, and mental stress. It is been found that there is a relationship between breathing and mental health.

Pilates, Yoga, and cardiovascular exercisefacilitates deep breathing so you can get out of your head and into your body.

Try the Pilates Breathe to relieve stress, anxiety, and fatigue:

Sit or lay so your spine is long and straight.

Inhale: Place your hands on your rib cage to feel it expand as you stretch the muscles between the ribs, the diaphragm, and the muscles across the upper and mid back. Imagine your lungs are balloons and you are blowing them up to full capacity.

Exhale: Now that all of your breathing muscles are stretched, contract them as you push all the air out. Think of squeezing every last drop of air out of your body while drawing your belly button to your back. Creating an negative space in your chest and abdominal cavity contracts all of your deep core muscles that support the spine.

Pilates incorporates breathe with movement to connect the mind to the body. The relaxing breath allows tension to be released from the body and movement to happen freely.

Super Breakfast Shake

2011-09-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

I’ve discovered a smoothie that has revolutionized my perspective about breakfast. I’ve always valued breakfast as the most important meal of the day, but this nutrient packed protein shake has given me more energy, more endurance, and vigor than I’ve ever had. I didn’t realize the powerful influence of the shake until one day I switched it up and had a breakfast that consisted of eggs, hash browns, muffin, and fruit. My body and my mind felt like useless rubber by mid morning. If you are looking for a new, revitalizing breakfast you may want to give this shake a try, I’m completely addicted to the increased metabolic rate and mental alertness I receive from it.

Combine:

½ banana

¼ cup of each: Goji berries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds

1/3 cup of blueberries (I prefer frozen- could be any type of berries depending on preference)

2 TBSP of flax meal

1 scoop of protein powder (I use Vega berry flavour brand)

½ cup of almond milk.

½ cup of water

Blend and Drink.

Train For Life

2011-09-14T22:35:00.001-07:00

On my trip to Saskatchewan I was really fortunate to get an exclusive tour of the new Train for Life studio. Check out this sweet workout I got from personal trainer and owner Andrea Doepker.

Sleeveless Dress Party Success

2011-08-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who attended the Sleeveless Dress Party.
The North Shore Women's Centre was truly blessed with several bags of non- perishable food items which they were in desperate need of at this time of year. Thanks to lululemon, l'Occitane, and Milestones for thier donations to the raffle draw.
I certainly had a lot of fun connecting with all the ladies who attened, and loved seeing you all in your eautiful garb.I wish I had taken more photos but here's a few of the ones I did capture.

Tone Up For Your Sleeveless Dress

2011-08-15T14:02:00.001-07:00

The swan dive is a great exercise to tone the backs of the arms. I created this video with all of you in mind who are attending my The Sleeveless Dress Party to Support the North Shore Women's Centre. All ladies are invited, please view party details below.

You are invited to the Summer Sleeveless Dress Party

Hosted by Connect Fitness

When: August 22, 7:30 pm

Where: Milestones, Park Royal

Who: Ladies everywhere!

How: Put on a sleeveless dress and come out for a fun ladies night out with a purpose.

Connect Fitness wants to encourage North Vancouver women to come together, bear all arms and embrace our beauty in sleeveless dresses. Connect Fitness cares for the women in the community, and we want every woman to feel beautiful and valued in her own skin. To support the women in our community, we also want to take this opportunity to help North Shore Women Centre, which aids so many women. The centre is currently in need of supplies, and Connect Fitness wants to help them stock up!

Join us at Milestones, on the patio, for their featured Monday night special: A Night for the Girls. Bring your girlfriends with you and treat yourselves to 440: four bellinis and four appetizers for $40.

We will be hosting a raffle draw with some exciting prizes. And all donations for these tickets will go towards the North Shore Women Centre. Raffle tickets are $10 each, or two donated toiletry items for one ticket. With your tickets, you can win personal training packages and group fitness packages from Connect Fitness, as well as more prizes that will be donated by other local business.

North Shore Women Centre provides women with access to resources to assist them with life choices, supplies for those in need, and counselling. They address violence against women in the community, challenge discrimination against women, and work towards ending situations of poverty for women. As well as this, the centre does much more for women in the community. We at Connect Fitness are happy to help support the centre, to help them continue to make a positive difference in women's lives.

I'm Taking Requests

2011-07-22T12:59:00.001-07:00

Do you have any requests? If so I'm taking them. This video demonstrates exercises you can to do to tone your backside, as was requested by a loyal reader. If you have any questions or areas you would like to work on let me know, and I'll put together a mini workout for you.

Leave a comment below to let me know what you'd like to see.

Advanced Hundreds

2011-07-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

Last month I put together workout videos demonstrating the Hundreds exercise and how to stabilize the lower spine with the deep core muscles. This week I'm sending you a video that combines both of those exercises to take your core workout to the next level. Give it a try and you'll feel the fire on the inside radiate through your whole body!

The Power of the Pelvis

2011-06-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

The Pelvic Floor muscle has been a hot topic lately. Both Dr. Oz and the Vancouver Sun have brought up the importance of exercising the pelvic floor for women to prevent prolapsed pelvis's and incontinence. Dr. Oz claims every woman should do Pilates, as it strengthens the muscles of the deep core, including the pelvic floor.

I've put together a little video to help strengthen your plevic floor.

You can watch Dr. Oz's segment on Prolapsed pelvis here:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/truth-about-pelvic-prolapse-pt-3

The Vancouver Sun addresses incontinence and the importance of pelvic floor strength here:

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/bladder+problem+secret/5011961/story.html

Accomplishing New Goals with Pesto Spinach Salad

2011-06-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

I’ve been reading Sammie Kennedy’s new book, It’s More than Just Movement, with my June Booty Camp Fitness ladies, and I’ve been inspired to set new goals in my life.

My 4 week goal:

To publish 4 mini workout videos on you tube.

Reward: An afternoon at the beach to play.

My 8 week goal:

To always have a fresh salad in my fridge.

Reward: A foot massage

My long term goal:

To go surfing before May 2012.

Reward: If the goal isn't enough of a reward, the destination will be.

For me, setting goals is always the easy part; actually doing the work to accomplish them is where I lose my steam. To keep me moving forward, I’d like to share my progress with you, tell you about my obstacles, how I overcome them, and hopefully inspire you on your journey of accomplishing goals.

I set these goals 2 weeks ago, and so far I’ve made one video, which you can view in the post below.

I’ve prepared a pesto spinach salad and have the ingredients in the fridge for my cabbage and kidney bean salad.

Pesto Spinach Salad:

1 red bell pepper chopped

¾ cup of mushrooms chopped

½ zucchini chopped

3 cups of fresh spinach

1/8 cup of feta or cheddar cheese

1 TBSP Greek salad dressing

½ TBSP Pesto Sauce

Add a cooked chicken breast for protein, or fillet of fish for Omega 3’s.

Sauté pepper, mushrooms, and zucchini in the Greek salad dressing.

Serve on a bed of spinach and cheese and a protein of your choice. Toss together with the pesto as dressing.

The sautéed veggies and pesto make this spinach salad an exciting variety of flavor, and it takes 2 minutes to make. I usually sauté a couple servings worth of veggies and then have them ready to go in the fridge to toss together when I need a quick meal.

Pilates Exercise: Hundreds

2011-06-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

Making the Best of Burnt Buns Pilates Workout

2011-06-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

Food Journal Day 6

2011-05-24T22:18:00.001-07:00

Breakfast:

1 granola bar, ¾ cup of fruit, 1 cup of yogurt

Activity: Taught 3 Pilates classes

Lunch:

The remainder of the chicken breasts, a plate full of cabbage and bean salad

Snack:

2 peanut butter granola bars

Activity:

Taught Booty Camp Fitness

Dinner:

Spinach Salad: Spinach, sautéd mushrooms and salmon fillet, goat cheese, pecans, all drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

1 glass of Chardonnay

Food Journal Day 5: A summery evening treat

2011-05-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Breakfast:

2 peanut butter Granola bars

Activity: Taught 2 Pilates classes

Lunch:

Baked 2 chicken breast and cut ¾ of one up and had it on a large serving of the cabbage and bean salad

Afternoon Snack:

1 peanut butter granola bar

Activity: Attended a Pilates class

Tea with a friend.

Dinner:

Stopped off at the shops on my way home to pick up a bottle of Chardonnay, some goats cheese, pecans, and strawberries.

I made a spinach salad with strawberries, pecans, goats cheese, and ½ a chicken breast, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Enjoyed it with a glass of Chardonnay, and had more strawberries for dessert.

Food Journal Day 4

2011-05-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

Breakfast:

Peanut butter granola bar and cup of earl grey tea

Lunch at Earls:

Half Ceasar salad with dressing on the side

Half toffee cake and 1 scoop of ice cream

Afternoon Snack/ Dinner:

3 peanut butter granola bars

Activity:1.5 hour evening walk on the Sea Wall.

Food Journal Day 3 /Peanut Butter Granola Bar recipe

2011-05-21T23:17:00.000-07:00

Breakfast:

1.5 cups of Yogurt, ¾ cup of granola. (ran out of fruit, picked some up at the shop later in the day)

Activity: Taught Pilates and walked around Stanley Park (10 km).

Lunch:

Bowl of cabbage and bean salad.

Dinner:

Early (4:00 pm) due to small lunch. Went to Burgoo with my mom and had the Curried Red Lentil Soup with the Spinach Salad, a glass of red wine, and half of the Hot Chocolate Chile Pot dessert.

Evening snack:

Baked granola bars and sampled a few in the process.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

1 cup natural peanut butter

1/3 cup of brown sugar

½ cup of honey

½ non-hydrogenated margarine

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups of slow cook oats

½ cup of coconut

½ sunflower seeds

½ cup of craisins

¼ chia seeds

½ cup of sliced almonds

½ cup of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F
Cream peanut butter, brown sugar, honey, margarine and vanilla together until smooth.
Add oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, craisins, chia, almonds and chocolate chips. Mix well. Pat into oiled 13 x 9 baking dish.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool on a rack. Cut when cool.

Food Journal Day 2

2011-05-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

Breakfast:

1.5 cups of Yogurt, ¾ cup of granola, 1 cup of berries.

Activity: taught 2 Pilates classes

Lunch:

½ a salmon fillet sauted with diced mushrooms and half a bell pepper on a bed of spinach, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Afternoon snack: Iced tea on a sunny patio with a friend J

Dinner:

2 sushi rolls- BC roll and Rainbow roll

Activity:

Walk in English Bay

Food Journal Day 1

2011-05-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Breakfast:

1.25 cups of yogurt

¾ cup of granola

1 cup of frozen berries thawed.

1.5 cups of earl grey tea

Activity: Pilates Class

Snack:

2 handfuls of Craisins

Activity:

30 min Body pump class

40 min cardio/ muscle interval class

Lunch:

½ cup of whole grain pasta cooked.

Eggplant parmesan: ½ eggplant sliced and placed in a casserole dish, covered with red pasta sauce and diced bell peppers, shredded mozza cheese to cover the top. Baked at 375 till cheese is melted and eggplant is softened. Served over pasta.

While that was all cooking I made the Cabbage and Bean Salad:

In a big bowl combine 1 can of kidney beans, half a bag of shredded cabbage, I diced bell pepper, and cubed feta cheese and cilantro to flavour.

The salad went in the fridge along with a chicken breast and a salmon fillet from the freezer to thaw for future meals.

Evening activity: Instruct Booty Camp Fitness

Dinner: Quick bowl of white bean soup that was in the fridge, and 2 scoops of Gelato while watching the sunset and walking in English Bay with a friend.

Disclaimer: I’ve put my portion sizes to keep me honest, however I believe that portion sizes are specific to an individual caloric needs. I don’t normally measure my food as I choose foods that are nutrient dense and eat as much as I need to feel satiated in order to meet my caloric needs. This method works for me to maintain my weight, but may not be the best method for everyone.

Return to Healthy Eating Step 1: Stock the Kitchen

2011-05-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

On my run today I felt sluggish and bloated. With my Hawaiian vacation just around the corner I decided to the bloat and drag by shaping up my eating habits. The best way to get into a healthy eating groove is to keep a food journal, and have a coach look over it. So that’s what I will do, with you, my readers as my coaches.

Today, day one of my food journal, I got organized. I created a shopping list by choosing 3 recipes I wanted to make for the week.
Cabbage and Bean Salad
Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan
Peanut butter granola bars
Then I composed a grocery list off all the ingredients I would need for these recipes:
Cabbage Salad:
2 cans of Kidney Beas
1 bag of chopped cabbage
2 red bell peppers
Cilantro
Feta Cheese
Lemon Juice
Flaxseed oil
Garlic cloves
Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan:
2 chicken breasts
1 eggplant
Red pasta sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Whole grain pasta
Peanut Butter Granola Bars:
Natural Peanut butter
Brown sugar
Honey
Butter
Vanilla
3 cups of slow cook oats
Shredded coconut
½ cup of sunflower seeds
½ crasins
¼ ground flaxseed
½ sliced almonds
½ cup chocolate chips
Other items:
Granola
Yogurt
Frozen berries
Salmon fillet
Spinach
Milk
Mushrooms
Yellow bell pepper

When I got home I chopped my peppers and washed the spinach. I also made my cabbage and bean salad dressing by combining 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of flaxseed oil, 2 cloves of garlic minced, and 1 tsp of basil (optional).

With my pantry and fridge stocked with easy and healthy options I’m all set and organized for a week of healthy eating.

Brother's Boot Camp

2011-04-06T21:47:00.001-07:00

Since fitness is what the Ramstead kids do for fun, a weekend of sibling bonding might be considered a bit of a boot camp. My visit with my brother this past weekend was an example how a little family competition gave me a workout I couldn’t have done on my own. Day 1: Run up Mt Tzhouhalem On the outskirts of Duncan, BC this trail run had 295 meter altitude gain with gradients as steep as 10 %. The first 5 minutes of the climb was daunting, to say the least. I was gasping for air trying to fuel my burning glutes as they pushed me up the steep climb. I managed to sputter out bits of conversation to my brother, while he trotted next to me barely breaking a sweat. I wondered how far it was to the top and if I would be able to make it up at my 8 km/hr pace. Just when I thought my left hamstring was about to snap we peaked the top, and our reward was breathe taking views of the Cowichan bay.

The descent was the easy part of the run, and at the bottom we felt well worked but rejuvenated. To make sure the workout was total body we moved a giant pile of wood outside his house when we returned. It felt good to use my body in new ways and challenge my fitness level. Day 2: CrossFit: My brother has been raving about his CrossFit workouts for months, so I wanted to try it out with him. CrossFit is an athletic workout that uses little equipment. The high repetition, explosive exercises fatigue the body quickly, giving it a very intense workout in a short amount of time. All the CrossFit workouts are posted online so Cory chose one for us to do that had 4 exercises: Squats, burpees (a jump into a plank with chest onto the floor back into a vertical jump) pushups, and sit-ups. We did 4 rounds with decreasing amounts of each exercise. Cory’s rounds were 40, 30, 20, and 10 reps and mine were 30, 20, 10, and 5 reps of the exercises.

The first round was the hardest, but I did it and I grunted my way through the rest of the sets. When I reached the last round my competitiveness with my brother set in and I wanted to do as many reps as he had, so I added a 5th round of 35 of each exercise. The workout only took a total of 18 minutes but it definitely challenged my body and I’ll be recovering for several days post workout.

Having a workout partner got me to push to my limits which gave me a sense of accomplishment. I survived my brother’s weekend boot camp and discovered new strength in my body and my mind. I’m ready to conquer the mountains of the week ahead of me.

Apres Ski Stretches

2011-03-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

Sitting around a cozy fire, laughing with friends while reminiscing about the adventures of the day on the slopes is what Après Ski means to me. While there is usually a comforting beverage in hand that makes the laughs a little jollier and helps ease the muscle fatigue, I enjoy stretching to ensure the hours of deep knee bends and a few tumbles won’t be remembered by my body in the morning. These are a few of the stretches I did when I spent the day up Mount Washington with my brother a few weeks ago.

Downward Facing Dog:

With tail in the air and arms stretched out in front this stretch releases the back of my legs and the front of the shoulders. I stretch deeper into my calf muscles by “walking” my feet, or alternately pressing one heel to the ground.

Quad Stretch:

After a day of boarding I can’t be bothered to try standing on one leg and hold my foot to stretch my quads, so I just fold my legs underneath me and lean back. It’s nice because this also targets my tight hip flexors and iliotibial band, or IT band. If I’m really tight or my knees don’t like this position I’ll put some pillows under my back or do one leg at a time while propping myself up with my arms (pictured below). After holding the stretch for a few minutes the muscles start to give in and it’s more comfortable to relax into the full posture.

Booty Camp Diva's on the Run

2011-03-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

The thought of my Booty Camp Fitness recruits excitedly waiting for me at the start line of the Diva on the Run race is what got me out of bed at 7 am on Sunday morning. Crystal, a fellow elite drill instructor, along with my recruits Lynne, Megan, Moniera, and Michelle giggled with me as we posed for photos in our pink camouflage garb. Giggles became roars of laughter when the race organizer “over glittered” Crystal’s neck and I excitedly broke out into the Booty Camp theme song at the beginning of the race. Time spent with these ladies is always fun and inspiring.

I was inspired by the ladies as we joyfully tromped along Vancouver’s beautiful beaches together. Megan, who trained for the race by jog/ walk intervals, exceeded her goal of crossing the finish line when she consistently jogged the whole 8 km nonstop. Lynne also impressed herself by beating her time goal by 10 min. Michelle’s strength and endurance is what kept us all moving and Moniera’s positive attitude encouraged others around her the whole race. It’s a good thing the firefighters were waiting for us at the finish line because these ladies were on FIRE!!!

I’m thankful to have shared the experience of racing with these fabulous women; their perseverance and determination reminded me to try new things and challenge my limits. They also reminded me of the importance of team work and community. Together we pushed forward and discovered new strength and confidence.

I look forward to proudly sporting my pink camo again with this inspiring crew at the Vancouver Sun Run, and July's Diva on the Run series. I hope all the ladies in my life will one day come out and catch dreams while playing with us.

Breakfast Fit for a Peppy Princess

2011-03-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

Being a morning person, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. Each morning is a fresh start; by having a delicious, healthy, and easy to make breakfast I celebrate the beginning of my new day.

Eating a well balanced breakfast is critical for me to keep my energy up until lunch, and prevent me from reaching for sugary mid morning snacks that go straight to the flesh above my hips, also known as my beloved muffin top. Breakfast shocks my metabolism out of its slumber, and provides me with mental alertness, and what I like to call my “peppy-ness”.

My latest breakfast is inspired by Clean Eating Magazine, a food publication that is jam packed with delicious, healthy recipes that any princess can make. The banana oat pancakes with pomegranate syrup are made of all whole natural ingredients that I can actually find in my local grocery store. By making a double batch and freezing half it, I have enough pancakes to last me for a week’s worth of breakfast. In the morning, all I do is pop two pancakes in the toaster oven, add a dollop of Krema Yogurt, and some berries, topped them with the pomegranate syrup and I’ve got a breakfast that’s worth a celebration.

Oatmeal & Banana Pancakes with Pomegranate Syrup (Clean Eating May/June 2009)
Ingredients:
Pomegranate Syrup
1 cup of pomegranate juice
2 tbsp honey
Pancakes
3 medium bananas, plus 1 sliced banana for garnish
½ cup of low fat milk
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats, to a coarse flour in a food processor (3/4 cup of rolled oats)
¼ rolled oats
½ cup whole-wheat flour
¼ tsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks
Olive oil cooking spray

Instructions:
Pomegranate syrup: Whisk juice and honey together in a small non-reactive saucepot. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer and reduce to syrup, about 15 min. Let cool before serving.
Pancakes: Add bananas, milk, and vanilla to a blender and puree until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ground oats, rolled oats, flour, salt and baking powder. Fold banana puree into dry ingredients to form a thick batter, taking care not to overwork it. Gently fold whipped egg whites into batter. Heat a large nonstick griddle coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add about 2 tbsp of batter and cook until lightly browned.

Getting Surf Ready

2011-02-27T05:39:00.000-08:00

“Stick to waves that break on sand, be informed about rips, and strengthen your upper body” are the tips my surfer friend gave me as a first time surfer. Although I snowboard once a week, my riding skills will be useless if I can’t catch a wave. My workouts off the mountain are designed to give me the strength and endurance to paddle, and push myself up on the board.
In this video I demonstrate the exercises I am doing to prepare for my surf vacation.

Tahitian Beach Body Workout

2011-02-27T04:45:00.000-08:00

Renewing my passport, booking plane tickets, and getting my body bikini ready are all things on my “to do” list as I prepare for my Hawaiian vacation. The Tahitian cardio workout DVD is a workout I’ve discovered that tones the core, bum, and thighs, which is perfect as I gear up to spend a week on Hawaii’s sandy beaches. The Island Girls Dance and Fitness workout melts fat off the waistline, by combining cardio with movements that isolate the midsection and thighs. After 15 minutes of the workout I was sweating buckets and definitely feeling my abs. I love the workout so much that I’ve adopted some of the exercises to do regularly in my workouts. Not only do I feel more confident about bearing all in my bathers, I’m excited to try my new moves at a real Hawaiian Luau.

Love the Body to Health

2011-02-13T20:53:00.000-08:00

Continually falling in love with my body is the central component of my health journey. Being an athlete since childhood, my body has always appeared strong and somewhat thin; from the outside one might assume I’ve always been healthy. However a book must never be judged by it’s cover, insecurities about body image led me to develope unhealthy behaviours such as obsessive calorie counting, starvation, and an addiction to exercise. My fear of becoming “fat” was a consuming trap that held my body and mind captive.

Love freed me from my unhealthy behaviours by teaching me to accept my body for exactly how it was, not how I thought it should be. The revelation that my body is an expression of the true essence of who I am, given to me to enjoy life, has made me want to care for it as the precious gift it is. Just as love grows in a romantic relationship, love for my body deepens with appreciation and nurturing. I don’t always love everything about my body but I’d like to share the things I do that have helped me find a love that inspires me to be as healthy as I can be.

1. Affirm:
Positive self talk is a powerful tool that was the first step to opening my heart to love my body. Everyday I look in the mirror and focus on the things I love about my body; I don’t even pay attention to the things I don’t like. I might say “I have a nice collar bone”, or “my feet are cute”. Another way to affirm my body is to be thankful for it’s function. When I go for a run or a walk by the ocean, I appreciate that I have healthy legs and feet that can carry me through such a beautiful experience.
At first affirmations seemed silly, and in the beginning I found it challenging to find things I loved. I just made up phrases and said the things I wanted to feel and believe about my body. Soon enough I started to believe these phrases and how I felt about my body began to change. When my feelings about my body changed, how I treated it changed as well.

2. Tune in:
Now that I appreciate my body I desire to nuture it with things that are good for it, like regular sleep and nutritious food. I’ve found that eating healthy is not about deprivation, but tuning into to what the body needs to function at it’s best. If I am craving a food I know is not good for my body I consider why and do my best to remedy the craving in the healthiest way. For example, if I am craving sugar I ask myself if it is because I’m low in energy. I know that sugar will give me energy for 5 minutes and provide no nutritional value for my body, therefore leaving me hungry and craving more very shortly. Being low in energy might mean I’m tired and need a nap, or that I’m dehydrated, or that I’m lacking an essential vitamin or mineral. Tuning in to what my body needs, over what it wants, leads me to make the wisest food choices I can with the resources available to me at that time.

3. Move:
I believe the body is designed to move. Activities like snowboarding, skiing, skating, hiking, running, and snorkeling are all things that I enjoy doing and keep my mind and spirit healthy. I keep my body moving well by practicing Pilates regularly. Pilates brings my body to balance, gives it stability, and freedom in movement by training it from the core.

Imagine you were given one car to drive your entire life, what kind of car would you want, and how would you treat it?
I would want the sleekest sports car I could afford, and I would fill it with the best quality fuel, keep it polished on the outside, and clean on the inside. I would maintain the engine regularly to avoid breakdowns and I would drive it as fast as I could to maximize the potential of its powerful engine, always obeying the speed limit of course. How I would treat my one car is the same as how I would like to treat my body; the one vehicle that carries me around my whole life.

Having Fun with Goals Takes the Edge off a Tough Workout

2011-01-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

Learning to surf is a desire I’ve had my whole life. This desire will soon become a reality as I have recieved an early Birthday card from my Dad. With the card came an airline credit to use for a ticket to Hawaii. After screaming with excitement, then bawling tears of joy, I realized I’ve got some work to do to get into surf ready shape.
I don’t consider myself someone who is out of shape, but I do know that when doing a new activity there are new demands on the body. I want to make sure my health and strength is in tip top form so I can get as much surf time as my body can handle in one week. This chance to fulfill my dreams has given me a goal that inspires me to push my limits during my workouts.
On top of having a fresh goal, my trip to Hawaii inspires me to enjoy working out. Most months I have a theme session with my Boot Camp ladies. A mid-winter Luau was in order to shake the January blues and remember that getting healthy is fun. My ladies joined me in celebrating vacation fitness goals by working out in their beach gear and leis. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to instruct an amazing group of supportive ladies who are positive and willing to have fun. The energy of the group is fun and encouraging, a safe environment for any lady to work out in, regardless of her goals or fitness level.
Thanks to Dad, and my Booty Camp crew to helping me accomplish all my dreams.

Stretch for New Strength

2011-01-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling the muscle pain that comes with comes with new strength. My new schedule of fitness classes full of eager exercisers is great for business, but has challenged my body body leaving it feeling stiff, sore and tired. I know that the first week of any new exercise regime is the hardest and soon my body will be used to this schedule and ready to take on more challenges.
Until then, to get through the week smiling these are the stretches and exercises I'm doing to release the new stresses from my body:

1.Split Stretch:

Start: Front foot is in between hands, knee is at a 90 degree angle. Back knee is behind hip to stretch hip flexor (1st photo). To get in this position start with back leg straight and wiggle foot back as far as it goes(2nd photo) then drop the knee down to the mat.

Movement: Draw front hip back over your foot to stretch the back of the front leg, shift forwards to stretch the front of back leg (3rd photo). Continue shifting forward and back deepening the stretch each time.

Intensify: Keep hands on the floor on either side of your foot as you move back, and think of reaching the sit bone of the straight leg behind you.

Bonus: This exercise is great for anyone who spends a lot of time in a seated position, so pretty much every human being. It stretches out the muscles that become shortened while seated, giving the body more freedom of movement and prevent injury.

2. Foam Roller Leg Massage:

Start: Lay on side with the foam roller underneath hip, top leg crossed in front of knee for support and balance ( as in photo).

Movement: Pull body over foam roller to roll it down the length of the leg. Roll as fast or as slow as needed to release tension out of muscles of the outer leg.

Intensify: Do you really want to know?: Roll slower and put more weight on the roller.

Bonus: Try rolling the front of the legs to release hip flexors and the shins to ease the symptoms of shin splints.

The stick can also be useful for massaging the muscle away muscle soreness. By running the stick along my sore areas it increased the blood flow and broke up the tightness in my muscles.

When starting a new exercise program, strengthening muscles can be painful. Massaging the sore muscles, and keeping them moving, will ease the pain. After 1-2 weeks the muscles will adjust as the body adapts to the demands of exercise, giving it more energy and endurance.

The musclular pain and fatigue I am expereincing is temporary. I know that if I stick with my new schedule, soon I will be reaping the benefits of a stonger, leaner, and more energetic body.

Reduce Neck Pain with Pilates

2011-01-15T13:39:00.000-08:00

This week I tackled my extensive administrative "to do" list. As good as it felt to knock a few things off the list, sitting for hours on my couch with my laptop gave me a kink in my neck. When this pain prevented me from sleeping at night, I knew I needed Pilates to help me reverse my couch potatoe posture.
These are the Pilates exercises I did to unlock my shoulders and release the tension from my neck:

1. Cactus Arms on the Foam Roller

Start: Lay on the foam roller so it runs the length of the spine and head. Arms are out to the sides with elbows bent 90 degrees. Arms and hands are on the same horizontal plane.

Movement: Pull elbows together to meet above the sternum. Pull elbows apart as close to the floor as range of motion allows.

Intensify:
1. Put your feet and knees together to challenge core strength and balance.
2. Pretend elbows are tied to the floor to add resistance when pulled together. When pulling elbows apart, imagine they are tied together by a resistance band.
Bonus: With deep breathing, this exercise is absolutely euphoric. It releases tension from the chest to increase lung capacity and reduce stress.

2. Tricep Dips on Toning Balls:

Start: Sit with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and hands on balls behind hips. Fingers are pointed towards the body, elbows slightly bent, and shoulders rolled back.

Movement: Slightly bend elbows straight back to a range of motion in which they remain shoulder distance apart. Spine remains neutral and tips back slightly with the elbow bend. Return to start position and repeat.

Intensify: Maintain a straight and neutral spine throughout the movement. Lift the sternum to create a slight extension of the upper spine.

Bonus: This exercise tones the triceps, aka "bingo wings", as well as strengthens the hands and wrists.

3. Plank with Shoulder Pulls:

Start: Elbows underneath shoulders, hands in line with elbows. Balancing on toes, head and hips are on the same horizontal plane, gaze in between hands (not pictured).

Movement: Increase flexion, or bend of the elbows to pull shoulders forward, and balance on to tippy toes(first photo). Press shoulders behind elbows and increase flexion of the ankle (second photo).

Intensify: Keep hips and shoulders on the same plane in space, as though the body is moving through a tube.

Bonus: This exercise tones the upper 4 muscles of the "6 pack", as well as, balances the muscles of the feet and lower leg.

These 3 exercises helped me to relieve my neck pain. Now that my business is requiring more time behind the computer, I make sure I do these exercises as often as I can, to prevent neck and shoulder tension.

Post Holiday Detox

2011-01-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

The holidays have left me feeling lethargic and puffy. Desperate to fit into my jeans again, I’m tempted to do something drastic. From past experiences, I know that an extreme lifestyle makeover will last for about a day and half before I retreat to my old habits. This year I’ve decided to make small changes to cleanse the holidays out of my system and get back on track with my journey to better health.

Here are a few tips I am doing, to shake off those few extra pounds gained during the Christmas festivities:

1. Drink Lots of Water
Consuming copious amounts of sugar and alcohol has left my body dehydrated. An intravenous drip would be nice, but I’ll settle for gulping water at every chance I get. Increasing H20 intake by a couple of glasses, or bottles, a day will flush all the goodies out of the system and I can expect my energy levels will raise.

2. Consume Vegetables and Fruit
The turkey, gravy, and potatoes were yummy, but I think it feel they've left me feeling bloated. To deflate the bloat, and keep the digestive system moving I'll be eating fiber, fiber, and more fiber. Vegetables are the best source of fiber. I build my meals around the veggies to ensure I'm getting lots of them. a typical meal has ¾ of a plate of veggies, protein on top, and a whole grain carbohydrate at breakfast and lunch.

3. Avoid Alcohol and Sugar
As much fun as I had indulging during the festivities, I'm over the wine headaches and sugar crashes. For at least a few days (maybe a week) I'll be giving them up completely, so my body can get back to metabolizing fat instead of storing it.

4. Sweat
There is nothing like a good sweat to release toxins built up from stress and partying during the holidays. My favourite way to work up a sweat is running. Beyond increasing blood flow to release the toxic waste that drags me down, running takes me to my favourite place; nature where I can destress and let my creative juice start flowing. If I feel like an extra treat I'll take a hot bath after a run, to soothe any tired muscles.

5. Nutrient Boost
My post holiday, energy revival supplement cocktail includes OPC3, a quality antioxidant, vitamin B- complex, and vitamin D. Antioxidants remove free radicals, or cells destroyed from metabolizing, renewing the body’s cells to restore youth and vitality. To maintain my energy and mental clarity I take vitamin b-complex and I take vitamin D simply because I live above the 49th parallel. Supplements are necessary to help improve the health of the body by ensuring it has all the resources needed to run well.

6. Detox Tea
To confirm I’ve wiped holiday remnants completely out my system I’ll be adding a few cups of detox tea to my usual 2-3 daily cups of herbal. I'll be enjoying my tea in my new Bodum travel tea press and mug I got for Christmas. My cupboards are now stocked with a variety of loose leaf teas, to keep me sipping all day long. I love tea because of its comforting warmth, fun flavours, and health infusion.

I consider detoxing like cleaning house: After the holidays I'll do a big sweep to get rid of all the Holiday clutter. However, I also like to keep a clean house so I sweep daily, or at least most days. My house functions better as a home when its clean just as my body functions better when its clean. The tips above are all things I do as regularly as I can, and the more I do them the better I feel.

A Healthy body starts with Healthy thoughts

2011-01-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

This entry is inspired by a couple of genius quotes, that with trial I have proven true in my life, as well as seen true with my clients.
First of all, "never say anything about yourself you don't want to be true" Brian Tracey
and "you can never be bigger than your dreams" JR Ridinger

The mind works in an interesting way; we become what we think about. For many years, I criticized my body every morning as I was getting dressed. I would poke and prod at all the areas I wanted to go away, or "tighten". I thought that if I wasn't aware of every imperfection I wouldn't be able to solve them. Boy was I wrong. Back in those days, I would run and run and run. Every day, I ran, swam, skiied; you name it, I did every thing I could to burn the calories I needed to achieve the body I wanted.
Did I ever get what I was working for? No, because I continued to poke and prod and think poorly of my shape. So much that I even verbalized these thoughts to those around me.

When I heard Brian Tracey's quote, I didn't quite believe it but I thought I'd just test it out. So I woke up in the morning, looked in the mirror, squinted my eyes so I couldn't see my lumps and bumps and said "You are beautiful." it felt kind of good, so I went on. "You are hot" not quite convinced I continued anyway "your body is hot" I really wanted to believe it so I said "other people think your body is hot". This was a completely foreign thought to me, whether it was true or not.
Something switched in me that day, and since then I've had the "perfect body". I don't know if I've actually lost weight or even if anything has physically changed (others have commented it has) but is doesn't matter, because as soon as I released myself of thinking I was "fat" my body let go of that image.
I share only my personal testimonial because I'm not an expert on the mind and how it works, but I'm sure my friend, Janice Manson a hypnotherapist would agree, the mind is very powerful. It has the ability to materialize our thoughts. Even little thoughts that we think are private and confined to inside of our skull can still become a self fulfilled prophesy.

So never think anything you don't want to be true.

Now that you've erased all of your negative thoughts, go ahead and dream big. Imagine, picture, visualize, and write out goals, of what a healthy body is to you. If it's playing with your grandkids, or running a marathon, or just getting through the day without pain, start to create what that means in your mind. Create an identity of the healthy you, and start acting like that. For instance, if you think you are overweight, (I only use overweight as my examples because most of my clients relate however you can insert any health issue in this spot), and you've put yourself on a diet in order to try to lose weight. You'll always be overweight and on a diet trying to lose weight. However, if you adopt the image of a healthy person who is living a healthy lifestyle and therefore easily sheds excess weight, this is what you'll become.

Don't be afraid to set your goals or your image of yourself beyond what you can imagine, because if you set big goals and you achieve half of them you can still look back to where you came from. It's true that you'll never be bigger, or thinner, than your dreams.

My Challenge to you is to create an image, whether it's in writing or pictures of what you as a healthy person looks like, what it feels like, and what you do. Make sure it is in present tense and read it out loud, or look at it everyday and truly live in that image. I want to hear your testimonials of how by changing your mind about something you've made a physical shift in your body, or your life.

The "Secret" to Achieving your Ideal Body

2011-01-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

Have you ever said to someone "wow you've lost weight, you've GOT to tell me your secret"? And reguardless of the response the person gives it's usually not too much of a secret or a surprise of how they did it. The reality is there's no secret; the concept of weight loss is simple, and we all know it, so why do we continue to ask? It's because losing weight isn't easy; it requires commitment, education, and motivation. Whether you're motivated to lose 50 lbs or 5 lbs, I'm going to tell you 3 simple things you need to know about your metabolism that will give you a boost to get the extra body fat off; and all you need to do is make the commitment to work towards feeling great in your skin.

1. Change your body composition

Your body is comprised of metabolically active tissues (lean body tissue), metabolically inactive tissue (fat tissue), and water. If your goal is to decrease your fat tissue you need to increase your lean body tissue. The easiest way to do this is by building muscle. Our muscles dictates our metabolism. By increasing muscle mass you are helping your body burn through the energy that is consumed and hopefully a little extra (if fat loss is the goal).

Go to your bathroom right now and throw away your scale, because you will no longer be focusing on how much you weigh but rather your percent of body fat compared to lean body tissue. This is because muscle weighs more than fat and it takes up less space. Exchanging 10 lbs of fat for 10 lbs of muscle may be the difference of 1 or 2 pants sizes, and your weight hasn't even changed!

Don't worry about becoming "bigger" by adding muscle to your bones. If you are increasing your daily activity level; you will be losing fat while you build your muscle, soon you'll need suspenders to keep your pants up.

2. Eat fat burning foods

You can control whether or not your body is going to use the food you consume as fuel or store it as fat. Depending on the types of food you eat, you can switch your metabolism into fat burning mode or fat storage mode.
Eating foods that rank high on the glycemic index, foods that are overly processed or refined, cause the body to release a hormone called insulin, to nuetralize the glucose levels in our blood stream and save the excess as fat. This is fat storage mode.

You can flip this metabolic switch to fat burning mode by eating foods that are low glycemic index, and slowly release glucose into our blood stream. Your bodies cells are able to gobble up the glucose as it comes to them and also use it to break into the extra energy that you have stored in fat cells.

Wondering what these magical foods are? I'll tell you the "secret": Vegetables, fruits, lean meats, beans, lentils, and legumes, and whole grains. Shocker I know.

So stay away from all those low fat, low calorie, low carb, no carb foods, packaged processed and refined foods you are doing your metabolism more harm than

Relax

Stress could very well be the reason you are having trouble losing those last 5-10 lbs.

Stress has negative affects on your metabolism: when you are stressed about something, your body releases cortisol, the fight or flight hormone. This hormone was built into the body to get us out of life threatening situations and therefore signals the body to hang on to as much energy as possible so we can be strong whether we are "fighting" or "flighting". However your body doesn't know that what is actually causing stress is a meeting with the boss, or a traffic jam, and it still holds on to the energy, via the cortisol, particularly around the vital organs, or your mid section.

Choosing to incorporate one of these three points will not give you the super metabolism you need to burn through extra body fat. In order to be successful you must combine stress reducing activities with low glycemic index foods and exercise. By doing this you have the power to manage your metabolism to create the body you really want.

My Vision of Health

2011-01-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

My mission is to empower people with the tools required to live an abundant and healthy life. In order to accomplish this task I must first look at what exactly a healthy life is. Some may percieve health as simply the absense of disease, however my vision goes beyond physical health.

I'd like to create an illustration about what a "healthy life" is to me. Say life is a journey, picture a road of sorts, and moving down the road is a wheel, I'm going to call it the "wheel of health". In this wheel are 5 spokes each representing a different area of our health; physical, mental, social, spiritual, and financial. The strength of each of the spokes effects the efficiency and the movement of the wheel, if one spoke is broken the entire wheel can collapse. Good health could be defined as a balance between the 5 spokes.

Taking the analogy a step further, we can actually increase our health, by growing longer, stronger spokes, therefore expanding our wheel. A larger wheel means we can cover more ground on the road we are traveling.

Depending on our situation we tend to focus on strengthening different spokes of our wheel at different places on our journey. That's life; if you've got a flat tire you've got to pump it up.

How many of us feel like we are traveling down the road with an oval wheel, or worse a flat tire? Whatever your motivation is to become more healthy I encourage you to seek out the resources to do so.

Having expertise in the physcial aspect of health I aim to be a resource to people seeking strength in thier physical "spoke". Not blind to the fact that all the spokes play a role in our physical health, I will challenge you in all areas.

I see an opportunity for others who are more versed in other areas to help me out; I am looking to connect with other "health experts" in order to offer a wealth of resources to my readers and clients.

I Challenge you to create your own vision of health. What does being "healthy" mean to you? What does it look like? Share your thougths and ideas, we can all be inspired by each others goals and creativity.