O Canada!

Today is a pretty momentous occasion for me and my family.  We came to Canada 7 years ago and have fallen in love with the country and its people.

My family currently consists of:
1 Scot
1 English
1 American and
1 true Canadian

By lunchtime tomorrow we will all have taken the oath and will become Canadians.  Its a pretty exciting time for us all (plus when I get my passport I can go shopping in Target at Buffalo!)

From that time forward I will have to start being extra nice to people and ending all sentences with the word 'eh!'.

Here are some interesting facts about Canada:

• The Ice Hotel in Quebec, known as Hotel de Glace is created every year using 400 tons of ice and 12,000 tons of snow. It melts away every summer and is recreated every winter.
• Canada is the world's second largest country area wise (including its waters), and fourth largest in land area.
• It also has the longest coastline in the world, about 243,000 kms in length.
• Canada is also the largest producer of a refreshingly sweet dessert wine called Icewine.
• Canada's city of Montreal, sometimes called The City of Churches, is that it has more churches than houses!
• Canada is also home to the world's smallest jail, located in Ontario. It is only 270 square feet. (I've been to it and unsuccessfully tried to lock the kids in it)
• Toronto dwellers hold more university degrees than any other big city in the world.
• it has the fourth lowest population density in the world, with only three people living per square kilometer! Almost half of the population in Canada were born in other countries. 
• Alert, in Nunavut territory, is the northernmost permanent settlement in the world
• Canadians consume more macaroni and cheese than any other nation on earth!
• Canadian James Naismith invented basketball to give his physical education students at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, an indoor team sport to play during the long winters.

(these facts are randomly grabbed from the internet, so I won't stand by any of these claims!)

Todays Inspiration - age is just a number

How many times to you hear people complaining that they are too old to start exercising? 

People my age complain that things don't work right and they don't have the energy to eat well and exercise consistently. 

Well take just one minute to check out this AMAZING lady.

Erestine Shepherd decided when she was in her 50's, trying on a swim-suit and not being happy with the image she saw in the mirror, to do something about it.

Twenty years later at the age of 74, YES I SAID 74!! Ernestine has ran 8 marathons, can bench press 150 lbs and has become the oldest every competitor to win a body-building competition! Read all about it here.

WOW!! - take that smack of inspiration and do some POSITIVE!

Women and Blogs

Since I started blogging I have found so many useful sites dedicated to women, their lifestyles, careers, family life, health and well-being and so much more.

Knowing where to look for the best blogs is a challenge - I often link to my favorites, but more often than not these are fitness related sites.  The financial post has done the donkey work for us, posting their Top 100 websites for women (I am not sure why I am not on this list.....) but check it out and see if anything peaks your interest.

5 Ways To Boost Your Brainpower

Since having both kids my ability to retain any information has disappeared. I think I would struggle to keep up with the memory capabilities of a goldfish.

I know there are a few different ways of keeping the old gray matter buzzing, by doing puzzles (I like sudoku),  reading and getting enough sleep (this I find easy) but none seem to really make me any sharper!!

Womens Health have recommended 5 ways get you smart - check it out!

Have a great weekend.

What personality type are you?

I love this personality test from the LA times.  Its fun to do because it is all visual.  Rather than answer questions with words, you select an image that most suits you.  According to this I am a Hot Shot!

You're quite a traditionalist at heart. You're ambitious and confident and you want it all- a brilliantly successful career, a fabulously varied social life and a happy home buzzing with energy and warmth. And why not? You have the drive and determination to achieve your goals as well as having lots of fun along the way. It's all about achieving the perfect life-work balance. Vacations are definitely a top priority and you love experiencing new destinations that offer the perfect combo of pampering and discovery.

You tend to display extrovert characteristics and thrive in big social settings. You're a bit of a bookworm at heart. You probably have a good pile of books by the bed and maybe even a few on-the-go at once! However hectic life seems, you always manage to find a window in your schedule for some quality downtime. You're a bit of a romantic at heart. Fun for you tends to have a traditional flavor. It's about those special moments when you feel like you've traveled back in time. Hot Shot I'm quite a traditionalist at heart. I'm ambitious and confident and want it all - a brilliantly successful career, a fabulously varied social life and a happy home buzzing with energy and warmth.

Epic journeys

Well thats me well and truly back from my trip to the UK. As usual it seemed like a whirlwind trip fitting in all the family and catching up with old friends.  We split the trip into two halves this time, spending half with my family in the North East of England, the second half of the holiday with my husbands family in the Lake District.  

If you have never been to the Lakes, then you should! Its a beautiful part of the country with so much to do and see.  We took the kids on hikes, on a steam train, a cruise across Lake Windermere, which is 11 miles in length and is Englands biggest natural lake - this should make all you Canadians chuckle, thats almost like a paddling pool for you.

Englands highest mountain is also in the Lakes, Scafell Pike which is 3200 feet. I have climbed it a few times now, the most memorable being at 5am in the morning, during my 3 Peaks Challenge. Here you climb all of the biggest peaks in the UK, which are; Ben Nevis (Scotland), Scafell Pike (England) and finally Mount Snowdon (Wales). The aim is to do this in 24 hours, we did it in 21 hours being the 3rd team home. 

The reason for mentioning this is because I love the idea of climbing one of the Worlds biggest peaks. Aconcagua in Argentina is the largest peak outside of Asia, measuring nearly 7,000 metres.  When I was in the UK I watched a documentary called 'Cycling the Americas'. And this is the epic journey I am referring to - Mark Beaumont from Scotland, cycled the whole length of North and South America, in addition to this he climbed the two highest peaks Mount McKinley and Aconcagua - basically without any rest!  Its an amazing documentary, and I am watching like a hawk for it to come to Canada so I can indulge myself again.

(image from www.peakware.com)

Back to the Motherland

the full English complete with black pudding.

farewell peameal - hello rashers
farewell ketchup - hello red sauce (and brown!)
farewell freshly brewed java - hello freeze dried instant (urgh)
farewell lipton - hello yorkshire tea you can stand a spoon up in
farewell brunch - hello afternoon tea
farewell hersheys - hello galaxy
farewell niceness - hello sarcasm
farewell double cheek kisses - hello to a nod of the head and an 'alright'
farewell poutine - hello fish and chips

If you hadn't worked it out, I am exiting Canada in a few hours and going back to England for 10 days.  Keep moving, keep healthy and be strong.

See you when I get back!!

I'm Listening..... I'm Listening....

(image from creativebits.org)

What tunes are in your iPod?  What type of music motivates you in your workouts?

I thought I would list the tracks I am currently listening to, then realised I have way too many, so here are some of my favourites (in alphabetical order).

Woke Up This Morning by A3 - if its good enough for Tony Soprano, its good enough for me.

Paranoid by Black Sabbath - the rock chick in me still hasn't died.

Ever Fallen In Love by the Buzzcocks - a classic!

Not Nineteen Forever by The Courteneers - an indie band from Manchester. I really like them.

Ain't That A Kick In The Head by Dean Martin - this is 'our' song, gotta love Deano.

Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors by The Editors - I like dark, dingy music and this band from Birmingham fits into that mould.

A Little Less Conversation by Elvis - THE KING!

Daddy's Gone by Glasvegas - pure genius! 

Down In The Tubestation At Midnight by The Jam - Paul Weller is still the Modfather.

Canned Heat by Jamiroquai - happy memories of fun times in London, UK.

The Age Of The Understatement by The Last of The Shadow Puppets - for those who loved The Artic Monkeys you will love this band.

Time Is Running Out by Muse - a newly found favourite for me, in fact I went last night to see them in concert.  Brilliant!!

Rat Race by The Specials - rude boys at their best.

Space and Time by The Verve - this is most definitely not a workout out track, in fact the whole album hasn't got the right beat BUT Urban Hymns one of my all time favs.

Tell me what you workout to - I am always looking for new tunes!

my chocolate challenge?

so I am 20 days, halfway, through my 'Lent' challenge - where I decided to give up chocolate, cakes and biscuits (cookies), but continue to torture myself by baking with my kids.

I love cooking and baking, plus its something the kids enjoy too.  Today I made chocolate chip cookies,  just the standard Hersheys recipe, but its a favourite in our house because they always turn out so chewy and chocolately (just shame I couldn't eat one though).

How are you doing on your lent challenge, I know a few of you decided to join me?

I'm not just all about fitness.....

Guess what? I do have another life outside of the gym!! ha ha
My main source of work is graphic design, which keeps me fairly busy, but in addition to that I am hoping to make some moves into the voiceover world.  Thought you might like to listen to my demo reel and please if any Hollywood producers out there want me..........speak to my agent!! :)




(image from dcprosportsreport.com)

FAT is not a swear word!!

(image from wikipedia.org)

It always makes me laugh how people are scared to say the word 'FAT' in case they may offend somebody.  Regardless of whether it is offensive or not, fat exists and in some cases we have maybe a little more of it than we really want!

I personally think its all about putting things into perspective, there is no ideal body shape or size, we are all unique, but knowing whether you are considered to be in the healthy fat range I think is important.

There are a number of ways of measuring your bodyfat, here are a few sites to help you out:

Body Fat Calculator calculates your body fat % using calipers or tape measure.
BMI Calculator which is a measurement of body fat against your height and weight.
Here's one thats new to me, the US Navy Circumference method.

here is a guide to your ideal %

A living persons body fat % cannot be exactly determined, but there are other techniques which can be used to estimate it accurately which include near-infrared interactance, dual energy x-ray absorptiomerty and expansions!!! 
(YES I KNOW, ITS CRAZY STUFF..)

Pancake Tuesday

(image from winosandfoodies.typepad.com)

Probably most of my British readers will relate to the tradition of Pankcake (Shrove) Tuesday.  Every year on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, you will find most households tossing up pancakes in the air, trying to make them land back in the frying pan, rather than on the floor or in their hair.


Its loads of fun and I didn't want to stop the tradition just because I wasn't living in the UK anymore. I especially love doing it with the kids.  The pancakes tend to be more like crepes, rather than the North American variety and are served with lemon and sugar (and sometimes golden syrup - yummy)


What is Shrove Tuesday?
Well the word ‘Shrove' comes from the old English word ‘shrive' which means to confess ones sins. The tradition of Shrove Tuesday began when Christians had to clear out their pantry before Ash Wednesday which marks the start of Lent. Today many people give up just one thing for Lent, however hundreds of years ago all meats, eggs, milk and other rich foods were given up for 40 days to remember when Jesus went into the desert and fasted  for 40 days and 40 nights. The idea was that instead of throwing out the fats and eggs; they should be used to make pancakes as a final feast before the fasting period began.

Each year I always give up something for Lent (its nearly always chocolate).  And I do this for 2 reasons;

1. its a test of my will power and determination, 40 days seems like a long time.
2. My Mam always buys me a chocolate Galaxy Ripple Easter Egg as a reward!! :)

This year I am giving up sweet stuff, and I have categorised this as, chocolate, biscuits (cookies) and cakes!! Wish me luck.  Are you giving up anything this year? Why not try, we can do the challenge together!!

What it means in modern times?
Most people I know, regardless or not of religion celebrate Pancake Tuesday.  It is really just another fun day that everybody seems to enjoy.  There are even pancake races!! Apparently this tradition is thought to have began in Olney, Buckinghamshire in 1445 when a woman was making pancakes and she forgot the time. Suddenly she heard the church bells ringing to signal the start of the service and in her haste she ran out of the house and to the church still holding the frying pan with the pancake inside.  Its really fun to see all the crazy stories of people running up and down their local villages with a frying pan, tossing pancakes like it is a very normal thing to do! 


If you want to try this tradition tonight, see recipe after the jump.

(image from www.tedbakerblog.com)

Happy Valentines Day

(image from http://naturesway.com)

Stinky Socks

I was recently given a sample of Purex Complete 3-in-1 to try.  Its a pretty cool concept. You throw the sheet into your washing machine where is acts as a detergent and softener, then after your put your clothes in the tumble-dryer the sheet is then your anti-static solution.

I was surprised how well they worked and they smelled pretty good too.

It looks like my friends South of the border can try a free sample by going to the Purex website - maybe this is Purex's way of getting Americans to smell sweeter :)

This same friend also shared a mother-in-law secret for keeping gym-bags odour-free: stick a laundry sheet in the bottom of your bag, or locker and the pong will just disappear - TA DAH!!!

Is it time to throw out your Louboutins?

OK so I don't own a pair of Louboutins or Jimmy Choos! BUT maybe thats not such a bad thing.  It seems that in the name of fashion, we have stopped respecting our feet and are now having to deal with the return of 'bunions!".

I think I might wear stillettos about 3 x per year, I find it difficult to stop my knees involuntarily buckling and after one or two wines, I just lose the ability to walk at all. Think it might be a good idea after reading this article to stick to my flip-flops!

see the full article here in The Times.

(photo courtesy of trueslant.com)

Taking the focus off the scale

So here's my story.  After my second boy was born I still had about 5 lbs baby weight to lose.  I wasn't too hung up about it but I wanted to regain my body back and my focus was on that 5 lbs.

Over the last year and half, I have been doing some awesome workouts. I have taken my focus away from slow steady-state cardio switching to weight training programs that incorporate HiiTs,  cardio strength training (metabolic workouts like tabata).  Also moving the focus of these weight training exercises from isolation to compound functional exercises.  For example instead of doing a basic bicep curl which only works the bicep, I have incorporated chin-ups into my workout, which pretty much work every upper body muscle and gives the core a thrashing too.

So where did that leave me on the scales.  Well my nutrition is pretty good anyway, but the 5 lbs were still there, so I honed in on my eating towards the end of last year and finally got rid of the last few stubborn ones.  But really the ground work had already been done by incorporating these changes into my workouts and building up my lean muscle tissue.

I have just recently glanced at my starting measurements and body fat %, and thought why not redo them and see where I am.  And this is where my good news comes in, I have dropped 5% in body fat percentage down to 15%,  3 inches from my belly area, 2 inches from my hips and an inch from each of my thighs.

This to me is a much better way of gaging my progress. Of course its nice when the scales show a pleasing number, but when you can physically see changes in your body - whip out the tape measure instead, its a much more satisfying feeling!!!

Share you stories - anybody else had a similar experience?

Overcoming obstacles

I was asked recently by my friend Helen Tansey, if I would pose for some photos for her website Sundari Photography.  She has a series of photos for women 40 and over (and I almost fall into that category by a few months) embracing wrinkles, grey hairs and all that jazz!

I was honoured that she asked me but I was also overwhelmed with a sense of panic.  We all have our insecurities and obstacles we need work on. One of mine is to try and embrace who I am and except everything about myself.  I was asked to pose for this shoot in just a tank-top and undies and thought I was going to be sick with fear.

During the shoot Helen took the time to make me feel at ease, constantly telling me to breath and relax, the two things that you don't do when you are nervous. And I am very happy with the results of the session.

This week I am going to post an article about Judy, who is a friend of mine trying to lose the last of her baby weight. And talk about overcoming fear and obstacles, Judy poses for before photos and provides all her measurements and weight!  I think thats a pretty brave thing to do - so watch this space.

It made me wonder though, what challenges other people face and try to overcome,  I would love to hear your stories.

are you a proud housewife?

there are so many more women staying at home these days after having children and for most of us its fun, but it can also be a full-time job.

My friend Natasha makes it looks so easy! She is a freelance writer and editor (she is the contributor on this blog) she bakes the best cakes I have ever eaten - SERIOUSLY! And I don't even have a sweet tooth. She also has an eye for beautiful interior design and in addition to that she is also a fellow gym-rat!

She has started her new blog and I just love it. Its the perfect compliment to this one - with wonderful recipe ideas (not always super heathly, but always super tasty). Make sure to bookmark the page and visit it regularly.