Did you know?

(image from www.fraicheyogurt.com/ press/index.htm)

Stress-free Breakfast: Start your day with a breakfast which is low in fat (saturated fat may aggravate your digestive system), rich in complex carbs (which raise serotonin levels for a relaxed calming effect) and high in protein (which boosts brain chemicals that help you focus).  For example: plain oatmeal with low-fat milk and strawberries will help you off to a great start.


Or why not try combining the following ingredients for a delicious and nutritionally filling breakfast:
1 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp ground flaxseed (which I grind up and keep in the freezer)
1.5 cups water
1/2 grated apple
nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla essence
handful of raisins and chopped dates.


Bring to boil, then reduce heat low, cooking for about 20-30 mins.  I love to serve this with honey and toasted almond slivers.


YUMMY!!!
(info from Womens Health fitness journal)

The future of personal training

Bang Fitness in Downtown Toronto are offering an amazing new semi-private training membership for a trial offer of only $100.  This is a great facility to exercise in, they believe in training you as an athlete to become leaner, stronger and faster. They offer a number of services including personal training, group conditioning classes (inc. a kettlebell class) group strength classes and nutritional counseling.
Go down and check it out!!

Geoff, the Director at Bang, writes some pretty good articles that are worth checking out on their blog.  The most recent, first get fit, then run, is definitely worth reading.  So many newcomers to exercise believe that donning a pair of trainers sneakers, running shoes is the most effective form of exercise for results in fat loss.  They also undertake the activity unfit causing themselves injuries.  Geoff outlines here the best approach to exercise for results and the ranking of running within that structure.

Attitude is everything!

When Mary-Margaret approached me in January, she was already on a journey to become the healthy. She had dramatically looked at her nutrition and adopted a cleaner, more intelligent menu.  In addition to this, she started waking up at 5am to workout at the local gym, (I think literally knocking on the door to let her in).  My part in all this was to help her use her time effectively in the gym, to provide her with the tools to use functional movements in strength and high intensity cardio to see real changes in her body.

When we got together I knew she would succeed in this journey - she has an amazing attitude and a strong desire to win.  Read all about her inspiring story on her blog.  I know she is already motivating people to join her and I am sure after reading her article you will feel the same way.

When yoga and push ups unite!

there was a time that I could do this pose!!

I love trying new exercises and the push up is one of my all time favourites, so I am always on the look out for new variations.

Its been a while since I have been to a yoga class, but still remember my sun salutations with fondness, they are both therapeutic and challenging all at once.  This is why I just love the Hindu push up.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!!


(images from healthhabits.files.wordpress.com and cftampa.files.wordpress.com)

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..)

The weeks round-up: would you like roast tarantulas with that?

(image from www.financialpost.com)

How has your week been? I have been pretty busy juggling my graphic design work, looking after the kids and working-out, of course.  But it hasn't stopped me collecting a few gems for you to enjoy, so put the kettle on, grab a cuppa and read on.......

The tarantula header-line is not a joke, enjoy the World's most outrageous guest requests from hotels.

I have had some nice emails this week from people telling me how this blog is inspiring them to lead more healthier, active lives.  That was one of the main purposes of this blog, so that makes me happy!! Another inspiration at the moment must be the Olympics!! I just love the energy and excitement.  One of my readers, Cheryl found this link to be an inspiration for her and I can see why.

But it appears that not everybody is impressed with the Olympics!!  Moving on from speed sports on ice, how about speed-plating-dating?  is this just another fitness trend I wonder?  Meanwhile, the American College of Sports Medicine has released its survey of the Predicted 2010 Fitness Trends.

A fan of the Biggest Loser? Looks like Jillian Michaels has found herself in a spot of trouble.

And finally some food for thought - an interesting article about the diet from the rationing years of WW2 - it seems some basics principles from that time should still hold true today.

Right off to make my boys some good old-fashioned rice pud for dinner! Have a great weekend