When Times Get Busy

Sometimes the start of school, or a new job, or even just a new season, can be overwhelming, creating an environment that encourages poor health choices. To help prevent this here are some good strategies.

To start off with, just because beach days are limited or over doesn't mean our beach body has to go too. You worked so hard all summer to have this body, don't let it go! Slim taylored fits are in this fall and the last thing you want is to have to wear a big baggy sweater.

1) Write down a schedule for your week that includes EVERYTHING, this means class times, work, when you are planning to go shopping, and workouts.

2) Set aside a block of time 1-2 times a week where you can make meals (such as stirfries, curry or even cook up meat) that you an pop in the freezer for when you have no time to cook.

3) Wake up early to workout if you have no time during the day. You will feel so much better after!

4) Flu season is around the corner, make sure you are getting adequate vitamins and minerals to keep your immune system up, the last thing you want is to spend a week in bed.

5)Walk more! Cherish the warm weather while it lasts. Try to walk everywhere you can. Not only will this add in a bit of exercise but it is also a great stress reliever :)

6) Commit to some sort of relaxation, whether that be a long warm shower with your favorite body wash or a yoga class. Try to incorporate this whenever you can.

And Lastly..BREATHE, it will all be okay, no matter how much homework, housework etc.you have.

Some Tasty Reasons To go Camping

So Camping can be lots of fun but all the beer and hot dogs can cause a fun trip to become a fat full festival. Here are some easy swaps to make so that you can have fun without worrying (and your friends won't even notice the difference).
So to Start off try to choose a camp site that allows for you to have daily fitness. Sites with Trails and Beaches are a great choices. Also for a little bit of extra activity offer to go get the firewood, the water and even accompany your friends for late night washroom visits (the great outdoors at night can be scary right?).
In the way of food, most food that people bring camping are non-perishable These tend to be high carb, high fat and high salt foods. So to avoid this try to bring fruits and veggies (think apples and bananas) that won't go bad if they aren't constantly refrigerated. Nuts and Seeds are also a great snack to bring along. Try to prepack them in portion controlled bags so you don't keep diving in for more.
For Protein think dried edamame (soy beans) and beef jerkey (try to go for the lower sodium type). If you have a cooler with you bring low fat hot dogs or turkey dogs that are not only yummy but are also fun to cook over the fire.
For a late night treat feel free to indulge in a couple of marshmallows, at only 25 calories each (for a large marshmallow) they won't do too much harm. Just leave the graham crackers and chocolate on the side.
Can't find time to go camping? Stick a couple turkey dogs on the BBQ and a marshmallow or two in the microwave and "VOILA!" a lovely at home camping meal...maybe add in a salad..or not ;)

Some cool (healthy) summer treats

Some bitchin' treats that won't ruin your killer bod...read on
TCBY nonfat sugar free frozen yogurt, 80 calories per half cup.
Today I experienced bliss..at only 80 calories per 125 mL the Flavour of Peanut Brittle was experienced...and was loved.
TCBY also has non-fat flavours, for those of you that don't like the taste of fake sugars..though I don't feel as though you can taste it in these treats. Just be careful, the frozen yogurt itself is healthy but the toppings can add empty calories quickly, so steer clear and enjoy the yogurt on its own.
Skinny Cow Caramel Vanilla Bars. Another fairly low cal treat (and for a good size portion at that) at 100 calories a pop, these are a satifying treat that provides good portion control. Just don't eat the whole box
Vitamuffins chocolate muffin. These are delightful frozen treats and are 100 calories each. You can find them in the frozen food section of your grocery store. there are a lot of different flavours if for some reason you aren't a huge chocolate fan...but who isn't?!? (also a small bonus, they pack in a ton of other vitamins and nutrients..dig in)

A List of Healthy Alternatives for meals out (canada style)

Joeys Restaurant:
This restaurant if a classic spot to go for young Vancouverites, Here are some dishes to steer clear Of and some to dig into:

1)Evil Jungle Noodle Salad (920 cals, 58g fat, 67g carbs)
Don’t be fooled by the word “salad” this dish id a fat BOMB, at 920 calories, 58g of fat and 67 grams of fiber, this is anything but a healthy choice.

Don’t worry though if you are in the mood for noodles and lettuce, there is an alternative!!!
Still not GREAT but the Chinatown Lettuce wraps are a much better choice. These have crispy noodles, peanuts and veggies tossed in a delish sauce and served with little lettuce leaves that you use to wrap up the mix.
Lettuce Wraps (660 calories, 42g of fat,77g carbs)
And to make this dish even better (I asked the nutritionist at Joeys) ask for it with half the sauce at noodles and twice the veggies and your meal will rack in at only 490 calories.

2)Cashew Chicken Stirfry (1060 cals, 52g of fat and 106g of carbohydrates)
If you thought stirfry was a Healthy choice, then you thought wrong, this dish racks in half a days worth of carbohydrates and ¾ of a days worth of calories. Though you could pack up half for later chances are, you will not be able to stop at half.
Instead, if you are craving chicken try the Chicken Ceasar, not only is it deliscious, it isn’t too bad for a restaurant ceasar.
Chicken Ceasar: (600 cals, 43f of fat and 11g of carbs)
Another good choice is the Half Rotissery chicken
Rotissery chicken: (355 cals,19g of fat,13g of carbs)

MILESTONES RESTAURANT

Portabello Mushroom Chicken 8oz.(cals,1270 fat, 71g of fat)
Chicken is Healthy right? And Mushrooms? Combine the two and Milestones has managed to spit out a fat filled calorie dense meal that will be sure to expand your waistline.
Chicken is Plentiful on the menu, so don’t fret there are many other healthy deals.
Try the...
spicy thai chicken drummets (660 cals, 44g of fat and 12g of carbs)
Or the Slow Roasted Quarter Chicken (430 cals, 20g of fat, 3g of carbs)

Some of the Meals come with the Roasted Cornbread Muffin, Don’t feel too guilty eating it, it only racks in 150 calries, 4grams of fat and 26 grams of carbs.

Starbucks
So you know where to find all the nutritional information on their drinks (if you don’t, right where you find your cream and sugar there should be pamphlets) but finding the nutritional information on the food is a little more difficult.
Here’s a littlee bit of help for next time you visit the coffee chain.

Starbucks Blueberry Scone (500 cals, 29g of fat and 56g of carbs)
All of the scones rack in about this many calories, except the pumpkin scone, which is a decent alternative at 360 calories, 18g of fat and 49g of carbs.
The Starbucks Blueberry Bran Muffin Looks Healthy but trust me, that muffin is cake in disguise, at 500 calories, 19f of fat and 75g of carbs, this muffin is not a healthy choice.
The Low Fat Blueberry muffin is a much better choice ( 280 calories, 1.5g of fat and 62g of carbs)
Just as a safeguard, stay away from all of the bars (oat fudge, oat, blueberry etc…) they all have over 400 calories.

Stay Tuned, the list will continue

When you are young, you never really think about anything. When you close your eyes the world stops, and starts again when you open them. You are allowed to be selfish in your actions, because no one expects you to know how to take care of another. As you grow older, you learn to share, the world starts to be more about others and less about you. You are expected to listen and learn at school, and at home you are expected to grasp the morals your parents display. When you get to be in your teens you start to gain more knowledge, whether it is correct or not, from friends over family. This stage of your life is usually one of rebellion and proof of self sustainability, without the aid of parents. Then you get to the stage in your life where I am at. This stage started for me on my 19Th Birthday. And it is a totally new feeling. Its when you finally realise you have so much you can do with your life, but yet you have so much you need to do first. You need to start eating healthy, because you have realised that vertical growth is no longer happening but yet horizontal growth, aided by late nights involving liquor and food you usually wouldnt dare touch, has become a problem. So you start eating healthy, and then you binge, and then you eat healthy again for a while and then binge again. Your weight fluctuates more than the price of gas and you start to feel worse than you did when you were 10 pounds overweight. You are at the stage of control. You want control over your life, but yet you still know in the back of your mind that you need help. Help with anything from understanding your visa bill, and income tax statements to reading and editing an English paper you wrote. Unfortunately subconsciously something causes you to hesitate from asking for help. You tell yourself its the fact you don't want to have to deal with your "annoying parents" lecturing you, yet really its more that you spent 5 years of your life rebelling and now have an ego that is fragile, and could be broken easily by not seeming independent. So you go on scrambling through life, you have a boyfriend, you fall in love you break up, you get sad, you binge, you get sadder and starve yourself for a while. All along you are thinking you probably could use some help, so you look to your friends. Yet sometimes after so long your friends don't match with you anymore. You've grown up, they haven't. You went away to school, and learned about something completely new, they didn't and well, you are independent right? And of course, they aren't. So you go and make new friends. For a while it might seem like you have no real friends. Just a few people you talk to once in a while. But no one to really share your secrets with. You make the most mistakes in this stage of your life. No parents, no friends, just magazines and your own thoughts to keep you on, or off-track. You start meeting new people, you make new friends who you think are amazing, they are a new crowd, they have money and expensive cars and things you have never experienced. Unfortunately you soon discover they also have less appealing, more illegal things that scare you enough to break off the friendship. So alone again, you start to look for comfort, maybe in food, maybe some other hobby. Soon enough you meet new friends. These friends are good friends. They don't want to go out and drink until they can't remember their own name. These friends have something to say. And guess what, they also want to their what you have to say. You may skip some classes to spend time with these people, or even just postpone some homework to talk, but these friends make it worth it. These friends become more like your family, and then you realise, maybe your family isn't that bad. Your parents did a pretty good job raising you, if you have such good friends, so they can't be that bad either. You give your parents a call, or actually hang out with them for an afternoon and realise you have been missing out all along. Which brings me to the present. I am here and now with my parents who care, with friends who I love, and who have taught me so much. And one thing I will never forget is what one of my friends told me the other day. He said, "the 5 closest people to you will determine where you go in life" that's it. That's all. And you know what it true. And when you have those 5 friends you'll know, because suddenly your life will come together. You eating will balance out, your brain will calm down and you may even catch yourself smiling when no one else is around.

http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/video.aspx?vid=ff167fb8-356d-44fc-a1ba-d3ef106aaafc%26tab=MSNBC.com

A Video That Supports Atkins!

Kick me in the butt please JTrigg

I must say I absolutely loved that last post. :) Cute because I wish everyday at 11:11 too.

This month has been hard on me too, my job at the golf course has picked up and I have been hitting 50 to 60 hours a week depending on what events I work. I am not complaining though; I LOVE IT there. It is the most fun I have had in a while and it is sadly becoming one of my more social things I do! (since any other time I am just trying to sleep or work out)

But I will admit one thing that is KILLING me is that I am gaining tons of weight. And I know some of that may account for eating a little more because I am awake for longer hours... But not 10lbs worth! WTF is this?

I have been doing reading on sleep deprivation in short term studies and they did say that subjects would gain around 1.31 kgs in 11 days. cool cool. but still thats no 10 lbs. I dont know what it is but it's very depressing and stressful.

So my thoughts on ways to fix this are possibly adjust my sleeping patterns closer to those that would compliment my 5 pm to 4 am shifts. and possibly eating less packaged foods in order to reduce toxins in the body. AND IM OPEN FOR SUGGESTIONS OR ADVICE :)

Tomorrow I'm hitting up Hot yoga for the first time in months. So I hope it will be a nice refreshing kick in the butt that I need.


And I can say that there will sadly be no glamour shots coming from me for a while ;) haha

until next time
xo xo gossip girl.

I need to get a life.

And I really do apologize for MIA-ness.