sit-ups

well .. yesterday at the gym I did a song's worth of sit-ups .. with breaks of course .. and I did it to Rascal Flatt's life is a highway- went to their concert last night and it was amazing FYI!

The best advice I can give about sit-ups was given by my friend Mark (the personal trainer), he told me to find a spot on the ceiling and watch it while you're doing sit-ups as this will avoid your neck and back muscles doing the lifting and will put more emphasis on the abs doing the lifting. He has also said to use flat hands up towards your knees as in the animation because this puts less strain on your neck/back.  He also told me the importance of doing sit-ups to the side as well as straight on because really we want to lose the fat in all aspects of our wasit not just around the belly button (at least I do!!) If you're looking for a great song to do sit-ups to the pace and energy of "Life is a Highway" is perfect!! Hope this tidbit of info was helpful!

great news day!

Well today is weigh in day for Burlington Girl's Biggest Loser and I'm happy to say in the two weeks I am down 3.8 ... so my total loss is 12 pounds since I started on January 2nd!  WOOO HOOO!!!! These happy faces mimic my excitement!

As much as I'm excited I want to mention that it's not about the numbers.. I have never felt so strong and healthy. In fact I started week 3 of the couch to 5K challenge and it's intense however I pushed up the treadmill to 5.2 and 3.2 on the walking and did it confidently with NO PAIN! I'm really celebrating this because it's the first time I have started running where I didn't feel pain in my legs or even get out of breath. I guess a month of exercise has finally felt normal for my poor body!

I have also decided that including exercise as part of my everyday life is more doable for me then not having the chance to indulge. I went to all you can eat sushi buffet for my birthday and ate ... A LOT (probably more than i should have) however instead of making myself feel guilty I did extra time at the gym. Exercise this month has really been my lifesaver and I think the routine of 4 days of week fo exercise was what was missing in my past weight loss effort.

Laura, Corrie and I are talking about joining the running room in prep for our 5k. I realized how much more difficult it is to run outside than on the treadmill so I think this structured time would be good for me to ease myself into running outdoors for the Rankin Run. We're all on the same page and are considering doing another 5k a few months after the Rankin Run. NEVER FELT BETTER :)

weekend reflection ....

Alright not going to say I did well this weekend, but it could have been worse. My reflection in a nutshell..

booze...jello shooters.... ice cream cake ... candy....mom homemade cake ....creme brulee ...perogies .... dips ...homefries and eggs... basically everything that isn't good for you. I enclosed the picture as a visual reminder how disgusting it is to eat that way .. and I definitely did feel nasty after the weekend. However  I was generally aware of what I was eating/drinking - I even took VERY small pieces of cake and ordered salad on our dinner out Friday night AND had bud light lime at my party- a great 2 point beer. However my moment of weakness was after drinking when the craving for a second piece of ice cream cake happened. I got the box of cake and started eating right from the box (oh dear - NEVER good!) ate way more cake than I should have. However I am moving on realizing that it was a difficult weekend and consider it a good learning lesson.

Despite feeling awful, full and exhausted I said screw it I have to keep with routine and I exercised today. Because the weather was so nice I decided to jog outside. I was only going to jog to the gym but I had a Forrest Gump moment and couldn't stop running. I ended up doing my Week 2 program of the walk/run combo all the way to my parents which is 4.3km. I managed to get there in 45 minutes so I was very pleased. It is MUCH harder to jog outside than on the treadmill for sure. I had a true Biggest Loser experience when I came back home and went to the bathroom and started to dry heave. It was not pleasent and I think I was pretty hard on my poor body but now I feel great and feel like I partly made up for my awful weekend. I think the heaving was a result of not being hydrated enough. I need to make sure to drink more water - especially after a night of drinking... eek!

All that remains for birthday celebrations is another cake at school and all you can eat sushi on my actual birthday (tomorrow). So far despite the difficulty of this weekend I feel healthier turning 25 than I have since first year university at 18. Bring it on 5k!

Week 2 - Couch to 5 k complete!

So everybody I've made it through Week 2 in the couch to 5k challenge. I can't say how much I have appreciated the support from everybody. I think my new running shoes have really helped reduce my shin splints which has in turn allowed me to last longer on the treadmill. Nick has made it to half an hour of running without stopping- very proud of him and I'm about half way there doing 15 minutes at a decent speed with a 5 minute walk cool-down. It's great to be preparing for this 5k challenge together. He told me today he wanted me to show him the free weights and how I use them because he wasn't quite sure, which made me feel really important and that we were a team. It was a nice feeling.

Today I did 45 minutes of cardio and feel like I'm on cloud number 9. It feels so great to work out. I must admit today though I pulled out an old pair of gym shorts and they barely fit- this was very discouraging and made me realize how much I have gained within the last few years. However it was all I had in my gym bag so I sucked it up and felt the tighty whities as I ran on that treadmill! See example tight nike shorts...they even had the built in underwear ---> eek !

I'm fully prepared for this upcoming weekend of my MANY birthday celebrations to be a difficult one, however I have been saving my points and have realized that this is a lifestyle not a diet and I need to learn to just control the portions rather than deprive myself. So I'm fully ready to have a Mom homemade cake on Friday, Nick specially selected dairy queen ice cream cake on Saturday and a light angel food cake that my staff is making me on my actual birthday the Monday. Bring it on and I will definitely be aware of my portion control- hopefully? I will let you know. Keep up the good wishes because on days when I feel down it really motivates me!

Delicious Soup!

Big thank you to Aunt Shari for this soup recipe. It's low in fat, filling and has a great kick to it. For more info you can see it at: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=783925

Roz's Easy African Peanut Soup
A relatively healthy and very tasty soup that has a surprise ingredient ( peanut butter). People find it hard to guess the 'secret ingredient' until they know what it is...and then....the flavour becomes very apparent once they have been made aware.
20 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients
1 package dry onion soup ( + 3 cups water)
1 can chick peas
1-2 inches of fresh ginger root
4 tbsp. chunky peanut butter
Curry powder, cumin, cayenne pepper (or) Pataks hot curry paste ( to taste).
1 can diced tomatoes

Directions
Drain then rinse chick peas. Blend all ingredients ( except diced tomatoes) until creamy.( 1-2 tbsp. of Pataks hot curry paste can be used in lieu of spices).
Transfer to a pot on the stove and add the diced tomatoes. Cook until very hot.
Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream ( not in calculation) and pita chips.

Number of Servings: 10

wow 2 weeks down!

Well it's been over 2 weeks of a new lifestyle and in the first 2 weeks I lost 3.44% of my body weight .. the body weight percentage is how we're doing our Burlington Biggest Loser challenge.

On Saturday night I had another moment of weakness ... weekends are difficult. I was at a party that was suppose to be a potluck so I proudly brought a delicious salad. It was a party for a friend that just came back from Australia after being there a year. I ate a lot of salad but everybody else basically brought chips leaving me with limited choices for the meal ... so I ended up having THREE pieces of pizza (eek!).I must say I was still proud I brought the salad. I was doing well until all of a sudden I saw it ... the most delicious Aussie cookie that is not easy to buy in Canada ... there they were ..TIM TAMS!!! I had FOUR *glup* ... AND chips ... (not too many though). To put it lightly Saturday night was a tough night and I felt so sick to my stomach afterwards. It wasn't that I over ate (cuz I truly don't think I did) but it was that sick feeling of being filled with unhealthy high fat food. I had not had that feeling in a long time. I think my body was rejecting the food saying ***** you Emily for putting that CRAP into me. It made me wonder if this is how my body was reacting all along and I just didn't notice it before I started actually paying attention to what I put into my mouth. CRAZY realization for me and really turned me off the chocolate, chips, pizza combo!

In other news it was grad school this weekend and I was more exhausted than words can express today (Sunday). I tried to find every excuse in the book not to go to the gym and then I said screw it I have to go and I went!! I'm so happy I did I feel unbelievably energized now. The latest thing I have to report is that I noticed myself looking in the mirror as I was lifting the weights even though I have mocked the mirrors that are all over the walls. I found msyelf today looking into the mirror and feeling happy and proud of what I saw. It was an awesome feeling (however it could have just been the fact I was wearing a black tank top and we know black slims down everybody..haha). I thinkg it's just a feeling of being re-energized and healthy. I hope this high stays because I feel good. :)

to eat before bed or to not eat before bed...

so today due to a late night at work, booking flights and wanting to work-out before relaxing for the night at home.... I ended up eating dinner late at 8pm. I thought back to all the people that say you shouldn't eat after 7 etc. and was soon defeated. However I then came across this which I found interesting .. it's the myths of dieting and eating healthy and here's what the experts say ..(for more myths check it out here...)
http://students.sfu.ca/health/pdf/debunking%20diet%20myths.pdf

MYTH #5: EATING BEFORE GOING TO BED CAUSES WEIGHT GAIN
FACT: A common belief is that eating in the evening before going to sleep results in fat storage and weight gain because metabolism is lowered. There is no evidence to support this belief. It is the total energy intake that impacts weight, not the timing. Food consumed in the evening does not have any more influence on weight than food consumed during the day. The energy from food consumed in the evening will be used for energy needs during the day and overnight. Your body does not stop digesting food according to the time. While we sleep, our bodies require energy for repair, maintenance of tissues and removal of wastes. Enjoy a snack before bedtime, it may even help you sleep better!

Jillian Michaels and is the cookie worth it?

I sit here while the twin boys I do respite for are in bed. I'm watching the biggest loser and have never been more motivated to share my feelings and thoughts until I heard the wise words of Jillian Michaels.

The 500 some odd pound contestant wanted to give up as he lifted weights then Jillian with her words of wisdom came through.

She said ... anything you want you can have ... anything you dream you can reach .. all you have do is believe and look within. I want to believe it's possible .. I want to believe I can do it. I'm almost there but I sure a pep talk with Jillian would help. I don't want to be one of those repeat customers at weight watchers that has lost and gained and lost and gained all their life (not that I'm against those people because I have left and re-joined). But I'm still young and I want to be a healthy weight and STAY a healthy weight.

Temptations- why must the teaching world be filled with so many snacks? I was happy that I went for the tangerines at the staff meeting instead of the delicious cookies. It's these little changes that I have to make because I will always be surrounded by temptations. My E.A made a comment about how the cookie is definitely not worth half an hour of running on the treadmill. When I looked at the cookie and thought of the treadmill it was my 'ah -ha' moment and I was like you're damn right it's not worth it and I took a seat. Take that 200 calorie, chewy, chips ahoy chocolate chip cookie! You are NOT worth half an hour on the treadmill...no way!!! Feeling proud as I made it through a monthly staff meetinga nd yet another Tuesday pizza day!

did it - great start

So I completed week 1 of the couch to 5k challenge and it feels great!!!
I am considering doing week 1 again just to feel even more prepared and because I'm not used to being a runner I got shin splints- tender muscles in the shin- so I wasn't able to give as much as I would have liked.

On the plus said I'm happy to announce that I'm down 8 pounds since I weighed in last Sunday. So in one week due to all my healthy eating and exercise I lost 8 pounds. That's basically Christmas weight lol so hopefully next week can be similiarly successful.

Thanks everybody for your kind words and support. Although it's only been a week I feel better than I have physically and emotionally in a long time. Bring it on 2010!!!!

the weekend and food

Well .. first weekend having to face unhealthy food and it was not easy.
I went for Indian on friday, however was VERY happy with myself because although I did get the butter chicken I ate slowly and realized I was actually filling up. I put my fork down between bites and actually listened to my stomach (highly recommend this technique). When I did this I realized I was full where as in the past I would never let restaurant food go to waste. I gave my leftovers to Corrie because I wasn't going to take them home, but she wanted them so again I was proud of this decision. I also realized that this is a life style not a diet, so I would feel I was depriving myself if I didn't get the butter chicken and I just had to modify how much I ate of it.

I went to my friend Mark and Ashley's on Saturday night and Mark who is a personal trainer did some fitness tests on me. I wasn't even able to do a full proper push up .. eek. He analyzed things I would have to work on to become more fit. Did you know a healthy fit person can do 30 proper push-ups a minute (eek!).

I learned something very interesting ... he explained that I should still be focusing on building muscle as well. He said it will take about a month to gain 1 pound of muscle (I was shocked it took that long) .. but once I have that one pound of muscle I will burn more fat by doing nothing. In other words he basically said you could eat whole wack more calories a day (if chosen) by just having this extra pound of muslce .. thus having muscle does not make you "heavier'' because it in turn allows you to burn more fat (weight).

He explained that at the gym I should try as much as possible to use the free weights vs. the weight machines to see more results. I stated well ... I find the machines easier.. and he responded with "well since when did something easy get the best results" .. and I thought about it and it's very true. University and teacher's college weren't easy .. but it got me my job .... relationships aren't easy .. but the result is a lifelong partner and love .... working-out and eating healthy isn't easy .. but it gets you a longer and healthier life.

Moral of the story ... the harder you work (at anything) the better the results. This simple advice from Mark really opened my eyes.

movie theatre alternatives

so .. went to the movie theatre tonight and instead of the greasy popcorn I opted for the Beriyo Berrilicious Smoothie at TCBY.

I found out that an untopped large popcorn at the movie theatres is a whooping 1120 calories with 530mg of sodium. The average person is suppose to eat a little under 2000 calories a day .. so one trip to the movies is over half of your daily calorie intake. On top of that .. is the added butter .. because really who gets movie popcorn without the butter .. .that's another 320 calories with 20g of saturated fat. When you put it like that it just sounds nasty!

I was very pleased with my smoothie which had 260 calories, 1.5g of fat and 4 g of fibre. The real berries mixed together with non-fat yogurt in a large cup which was equivalent size to a large theatre pop made the smoothie filling and satisfying. Proud of the choice I made.

Update on the couch to 5k .. went to the gym again today, however was very sore in the calves. I still tried a bit of the treadmill but then opted for the elliptical which was not as hard on my legs. Nonetheless it was exercise and I still felt great afterwards!

take that treadmill!

I DID IT!! Completed week 1 of the couch to 5k challenge. You were suppose to do 3 days of the running/walking combo... and I did so on Sunday, Monday and today- Wednesday. Those 3 days were full of an amazing rush. I came home from work today exhausted ... ready to jump into bed (in fact i was lying in bed). Then Nicholas arrived all ready to go to the gym so it perked me up and wow I'm glad I went. It feels so good that I did that even when deep down I didn't want to.

A major thing I wanted to celebrate today was that I ran and walked the whole 30 minutes on the treadmill without holding on to the sides or grabbing the front. My friend Mark who is a personal trainer told me that no matter what cardio machine you use it's good to keep your arms moving. Good tip for you all!! So there I was .. at the gym ... pumping my arms back and forth even though I felt like at some point I was going to collapse. The last few walks/runs I must admit I have tried to hold myself up by the side handles and front handles. Today was different and it felt great!!

I worked my muscles today with the machines and am loving the circuit in the women's gym. I remember days at other gyms I would sit down at a machine and have to change the weights from 100 pounds to my max lifting of 50 pounds. The great thing about the women's gym is that I'm actually normally making the weight heavier. :) woo hoo!

This is a great thing .. .now if only Good Life would not cover their walls with mirross because let me tell you when I was looking at myself lift those weights .... it was not a pretty picture .. in fact this is one thing I still don't understand why do people want to look at themselves sweaty and disgusting while they lift weights?....I think maybe it's a male ego thing? or I'm sure there's some fitness benefit that I just don't understand.

3 days in

So it's been 3 days of a new lifestyle and I feel GREAT!!!!

I must admit my legs are killing me and my muscles ache. I really should have listened to the running into shape program when they suggested a day break in between work-outs. As I'm working out I thought what would Jillian say ... something along the lines of suck it up princess and beauty is pain. The hard love to myself worked and I made it through.

I do have another rant to all fast food places and restaurants out there ... for giving Canadians that are trying ot eat healthy zero choices. I thought I was making a wise choice by doing subway for dinner on the way to my respite care I do on Tuesday nights. However it's only healthy if you go 6 inch with nothing good on it .. veggies ... that's all. So I went with a 12 inch turkey .. with cheese and light mayo as well as lots of veggies of course .. I could have given up the cheeese or mayo .. but I thought I was sacrificing enough by getting the turkey instead of the higher calorie saucey chicken that I would have gotten in the past... so alas .. 22 points later and 600 some odd calories ... I'm feeling somewhat okay with my decision because it was a full meal. I just wish subway could have a light cheese .. even the flat bread subs are a joke because you can only get them in 6 inch subs and they actually have more calories than the 12 grain buns.... oooh how the false advertising aggrevates me. I guess the people who lost all that weight on subway just ate veggies subs with no mayo or cheese. Maybe next time I'll try to give up one or the other (cheese or mayo) ... on the bright side I did say "light on the mayo please".

Jillian Michaels says it all....

TIP: I did a song's worth of sit ups today with about a 10 second break between sets of 10. My great friend Mark who is a personal trainer at the good life in Hamilton gave me great advice a few years ago. He suggested that when you are doing sit up you should find a spot on the ceiling and focus on that while moving your hands up your thigh to your knee. This will ensure you are actually using your stomach muscles rather than back muscles to do the sit ups. I do it and it works great!!

Also another quote to ponder at the new year is upon us: "who has a WHY to live for can bear almost any HOW" --Nietzsche.
Jillian Michael sresponds perfectly ....
So true. Weight loss is hard. So how do you tolerate the "HOW" of it? The answer, "WHY" is weight loss worth it. Example: are skinny jeans worth passing on donuts? Is avoiding heart disease worth 30 min of exercise? With the new year upon us mediate on your "WHY". Then begin educating yourself and acting on the "HOW".

Day 1 at the Gym of following the couch to 5k journey

So I'm back from the gym and it feels great!!!
I did the day 1 week 1 program podcast of the couch to 5k and it did a great job at pushing me but still making it an attainable beginning. The focus was on brisk walking with rotating with 90 seconds on jogging .. totaling 30 minutes of cardio. In this time I was able to complete about 2.5 km so on day 1 I'm able to complete half of my race. However let me tell you it was NOT easy and was a harsh reminder how out of shape Iam, but I am so I'm happy I made the step to go to the gym.

I really loved the women's club section of the Good Life, felt really comfortable and there is even a weights circuit of 9 machines that takes 20 minutes but works a lot of different muscles. This was a great thing for me as I know I cannot dedicate hours and hours to the gym even if I tried, it's not a realistic. So this 30 minutes of cardio and 20 minute weight circuit is something that could be maintained 3 times a week. I'm happy to say exercise is included into my life and it is going to STAY that way!

Before picture and this is my goal!

I think everybody has a "I look awful this is my motivation to lose weight picture". This is that picture for me. This picture was only taken a month ago at the end of November and can be constant motivation to lose weight. This will be my "before" picture.

Here is another motivating picture. This is where I want to be. This is me 4 years ago in Jasper, Alberta. I am 40 pounds lighter, more confident and most importantly a healthier me. I have been here before which means I know I can be there again.

Couch to 5K

As part of our Burlington Biggest Loser Group .... we are hoping to run the Rankin Run 5km race on Sat. May 29th. This is a special day to all of us because it the birthday of my dear friend Corrie's brother Jeff. Jeff passed away at the tender age of 22 from bone cancer and his family and friends have been doing the Rankin Run race in his honour for the last few years. This year it is even more special as it falls on what would have been his 26th birthday. The thing I appreciate about the Rankin Run (vs. other cancer fundraisers) is that it specifically outlines where every penny goes. You can click on: www.rankincancerrun.com/where_the_money_goes.php to see exactly where the money raised at last years run went to. It specifically reaches out to the Niagara region which is an important area to the Huntingdon family as it is where Corrie and her brother grew up due to their cottage being in that region. Every penny goes to the

We are following the couch to 5k program which is a 9 week program that appropriately prepares you to run a 5k race at the end of the 9 weeks. It is a program that has a lot of structure by outlining how much running and walking you should do during each week to prepare you. Full details can be found at: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

This is the program I will be following throughout my blog and I would encourage you to follow it with me if you would like the feeling of accomplishment of running a 5k race.

Day 1- bring it on!

Every new year people have new years resolutions and they try to reach them. I am reaching out to all of you because every year I make the same resolution and things change, but they don't change for the long haul. I have decided that this is my year. This is the year I change things, but I will maintain those healthy changes. I have a wonderful group of motivators behind me as we are doing the Burlington Girls Biggest Loser until March 12th. This will continue again until our friends Tim and Lyndsey's wedding in July. These are a group of ladies that all have the same goal- lose weight, but maintain the weight loss and change our lifestyle to be a healthy one. I want to change my lifestyle into a healthy one so I will not have trouble getting pregnant when the time comes (yes I know it's a long term goal, but children are very important to me and the minute I'm 'overweight' puts me in a higher risk category). I finally want to change my lifestyle for me .. not for Nick .. not for my parents or my doctor ... for ME. This has been the piece of the puzzle I have been missing and I'm excited to start the journey. Thank you for your continued support and I hope my blog can be somewhat entertaining at times as well as motivating.