JELOUSY

How is it that as soon as you start feeling good about your body, and yourdelf that people start to hate you. I was walking in safeway yesterday and some girls (that are quite overweight and are gym regulars) were staring at me and glaring me up and down. One of them looked at the other one and whispered (not very quietly) "she is at the gym, all the time" the other one looked at her and said, "i wonder why she is grocery shopping, i don't think she eats"
Hmmm yep I eat. I eat all the time. I just don't come to safeway after my workout to get chips and a frozen pizza ladies. I just smiled and walked away.
They may be insulting me but deep down they wish they could put down the pizza and pick up some celery.

AHA! Assholes! Straight from this month's WomensHealthMag.com

WHY YOU CAN'T STOP AT JUST ONE FRY:

"You'll be happy (or disgusted) to learn that your willpower never stood a chance against that gooey plateful of temptation. See, those nachos—and dozens of other sinful eats—have been scientifically engineered to make you want to eat more…and more, says former FDA commissioner David A. Kessler, M.D., in his new exposé, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite (Rodale, 2009)."

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/stop-cravings

Read on to get more info on this unfortunate reality.

Boost Your Metabolism - WH article

While Jtrigg's post may find that exercise is NOT the soul component responsible for revving up the METAB; Women's Health has some easy lifestyle changes that can slightly boost your metabolism over a day. Making these several small changes daily could significantly increase your weightloss over a long period of time. AND HEY! It's easy! And who doesn't like easy, plus since you are probably working hard on the exercise anyway, why not get the most out of your diet.

THE TIPS:

1. In the AM : start the day off with a hardy meal high in protein and complex carbs that will keep you full and your blood sugar levels constant. That way you won't be starving and in need of a snack by the time you get to work. Drink coffee! Caffine stokes your Central Nervous System (explaining why you may get shaky when you have had too much; exam time - studying? anyone ? anyone?) which results in increased heart rate and breathing; two functions that fire your metabolism. Drink your H2O cold; apparently it takes MORE energy to raise the temperature of cold water to your core temperature than room temperature water.

2. At Work: Everyone knows work can suck when it's so beautiful out. Especially if you are stuck sitting down practically burning nothing all day. Packing a lunch high in protein will keep you full and keep your lean muscle mass up. It also will not spike your Blood sugar levels, a constant problem that high carb/ high in sugar foods pose. Brew green tea. EW honestly it tastes like dirt, but it has a metabolism boosting component in it that legit revs you up. So looks like I'm going to have to start sipping the stuff. yuck. Go DAIRY! (who doesnt love this stuff? - oh ya lactose ppl. sorry !) apparently calcium increases fat metabolism as it increases the rate of fat as waste. ahhhh yeaaaa.

3. Grocery Shopping: Things to buy: chili peppers! there is lots of other stuff in the article but I thought this was a cool one. (put in stir fries) the heat from the peppers stimulates a temporary spike in metabolism of ~ 23%. cool!

4. Workout: INTERVALS! oh my gosh; that is all I can say. Because recently I am not going to lie I have been hating hard core on my eating habits, maybe it's fatigue, maybe stress, maybe a combo. Nevertheless - let's just say the svelte 6 pack i was working towards had been put on hold. That is until my fab trainer suggested Intervals. I pouted at the idea, but they are actually really awesome! I did hills just yesterday with a friend and tredmill sprints today. Combining about 30 min of intervals ( with active rest) into a workout and you will feel the results. Jello - Legs. ( more to come on interval training... I'll have to let you know how things pan out)

and i know everyone hates lifting weights, it is actually THE WORST thing ever almost. I nearly cry everytime Ryan tells me to do DeadLifts. Nevertheless do the workout right! don't rush through them. Counting to 3 and controlling your body will help your technique and increase the amount of "damage" that your body has to repair (= metabolism boost)

5. When you get home: This is THE HARDEST part of the day for me. Usually because I am exhausted. (so pay attention!) Eat FISH! (yes, i know you know who you are, try it at least) apparently their omega 3 fatty acids SQUASH, yep, hunger.

Skip the drinks when possible; too much alcohol slows the fat break down process. why? I am assuming because you are kicking your liver into over time to break alcohol down instead of fat.

Get enough sleep. I cannot emphasize this enough. HOLY COW not only do I turn into the grinch when I haven't had enough sleep but I turn into a carb craving monster. BAD IDEA. So save yourself the extra workouts to burn those treats you didnt really need, but in your state of exhaustion DEFINATELY thought you needed.


here is the legit article if you want the sources and the numbers for the facts yo!
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/boost-your-metabolism?page=3

Anyway sorry for not posting and then posting this big post. I have been MIA and regrettfully struggling with the healthiness. Hence not feeling right about giving advice. BUT got my head back on so yay. Garburator get ready to get blown up.

Exercise not likely to rev up your metabolism

This is brand new research. It was belived before that excersise and muscle mass helped burn up those extra calories even when you weren't performing excersise. Well guess what? The lastest research has proved that wrong.
My reaction, "Thank goodness, I never liked doing weights..here is one more reason for me to not start doing them"
Extra muscle mass has no significant effect on weight loss and metabolism.
“Bottom line is that we once thought that exercise would burn calories, especially fat calories, for a long period after a bout of exercise,” says exercise physiologist Gerald Endress, fitness director for the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center who was not involved in the research. “This does not seem to be the case.”
Of course cardio still helps burn fat, as well as weights, Just the afterburn isn't as sweet as I always thought...
For more info (from originial article): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30826120/wid/11915773//

Be Frugal

Be Fit, Be Fabulous and Of course, be frugal. Not cheap, no fabulous ladies are never cheap, but they are frugal. Splurge on things you really want, I'm still saving up for that Burburry Purse..sigh*. But, there are many ways we can save money and save a TON.

I've started printing off Nutrition and Fitness articles from online websites and clollecting them in duotangs (3 hole punched). When I go to the gym I like to read a magazine while I'm sweating away solo. So, To save myself about 5$ a magazine I just print articles right off the internet. Often magazines such as women's health will actually post their articles online anyways, so Why not save money and print off your own? Another benefit, no ads, and you pick and choose what you want. Enjoy!

If Hunger is Not the Problem Then food is NOT the solution.

This is something I have realised over the past few months. and even more so over the past few weeks, food only solves one problem, hunger. Try to use it to solve another problem and it usually ends up making things worse. Yeah Ice cream, cookies and chocolate will taste good for a bit, give me a high, but after, i feel even worse. I not only am STILL depressed about whatever else is bothering me but now I am also left in a situation where I feel out of control and gross. So far here is a list of things I've found to distract me...

Write down how I'm feeling in my journal, and try to see what is causing me to want to eat when not hungry

Do a craft, I have started painting again, also beading, and collaging pages in my journal

Call a friend, or write a message (facebook OBVIOUSLY) to someone I havent talked to in a while.

Go for a walk, run, or just sit on my patio and soak up the sun...

....Last week I even vaccumed, washed all the floors by hand, dusted, washed the cars and windows in my house to distract myself, and it worked :)

Tips From The Westcoast
As you get further and further into a new fitness and diet regime it become easier and easier to go back to old habits. That extra bite of cake doesn't seem to be as forbidden anymore, and measuring foods starts to get tedious. A couple weeks ago I found myself at this point in my diet. In my lifestyle. I needed some revamping. Recently many studies about milk have come up linking milk to weight loss. Studies have suggested that even if you consume more calories each day (from milk and milk proiducts) you will not gain weight. Milk has also been linked to being great for wiltling wasitlines, as it helps melt down abdominal fat. So seeing as I like to think of my body as a science expirement I have started substituting milk for half of the amount of egg whites I would have in the morning. Not only does this lower the overall caloric total off my eggs (from 120 to 100) but it also incorperates some more milk into my diet. I must say I have already noticed a difference, My waist has gone down an inch already (where I didn't even think I had fat to lose) and I feel just as energized. The only problem for me is that my body doesn't usually like milk products, as rejects them, but, i have found that mixing them in with other foods has helped me tolerate them more as well as kept me from feeling too ill.
Swaps to Try:
>1/2 cup of skim milk+1/2 cup eggs whites instead of 1 cup of egg whites
>boiling 1/2 cup of milk with 1/2 cup of tomatoe sauce (gives sauce a creamy taste without all the calories) Intead of 1 cup tomatoe sauce or one cup creamy sauce.
>Venti Non-Fat Sugar Free Latte (flavour of your choice) for less than 100 calories rather than a Frapp of approx. equal calories.
Seeing results again helps keep me motivated to stay on track. And there's nothing wrong with getting a little more calcium in my diet :)
To read up on milk follow the link below
http://www.dairygoodness.ca/en/health-professionals/healthy-weight/healthy-weight-and-milk-products-results.htm

Flavour of the week

Work out : ABS! The "tea-pot" move (as I like to call it) with whatever weight suits you best; I use 25 lbs for a guideline. And combine that with the Plank and your waist will shrink away. The key to remember here is: these exercises do NOT blast the fat off, but instead work to tighten the core so that the muscles hold themselves in more. Thus less relaxed core muscles hanging over your waist-line.

Suggested Workout - 3 sets of 15 "tea-pots" on each side. Rest between sets. Followed by 2 sets of the Plank; hold for minimum of 1 minute, up until as long as you can. Rest = to time in plank position.


Workout/ Health Tip: For Dieters it can often be difficult to remain motivated. My two tips combined into one today are: #1 Write EVERYTHING down. When I say EVERYTHING I mean it! You start allowing yourself to skip writing down the spoonful of ice cream you had, the bite of a cookie you shared with a friend, and in no time you will find yourself eating the entire thing. Now there is nothing "wrong" with cookies per se, but sneaky cookies can add up. As my dear friends at work always joke " A moment on the lips, forever on the hips." (another addition to this tip; if you already have a food journal and you find its getting sloppy, get a new one. Starting fresh you can re-set goals and get back on track if you have strayed... This is what I have found very helpful in the past couple weeks. I mean, who wants to dirty a perfect, crisp, new food journal with sugary treats?)

Tip # 2 MEASURE as often as possible. By counting and measuring your food it is easier to quantify. Keep on track of what you are consuming by being aware of how much a serving of each type of food is. It is all too easy to take more than you actually need.

Recipe: Any type of grilled or pan fried meat/ seafood in lettuce wraps.

Frozen chicken strips/ grilled shrimp/ BBQ pork or beef - grill them up and add some garlic, roasted red peppers, and any poultry seasoning or other seasonings you enjoy. (Just try to stay away from the high calorie rubs). Then wrap the pieces in ice burg lettuce leaves. It is a great crunch and almost as good as a tortilla, but with essentially no calories or carbs. It is a great alternative when you feel like having "mexican-like" dinners.

Snack: Nuts!!!! Add about 15 to 23 almonds (that's 100 to 160 calories) to a mix of splenda and cinnamon. If possible spritz the mixture with about 1 spray of water; if you can't spritz then you can add around 2 to 3 drops of water into a little microwave safe dish. The dish should be tiny. Microwave on high for about a minute and the splenda and cinnamon caramelize on the almonds. SO DELICIOUS.

If you don't have time for all that, plain almonds are great for you too! 15 to 23 is about a serving and acts as a great on-the-go snack.

Power Song: This week I have developed an infatuation with the song " I Love The Bloody Beetroots" by none other than The Bloody Beetroots themselves. I found it super motivational for any hill climbing type workouts.


Again because I have yet to learn to add music directly, I urge you to check it out via YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZDjlcCY90c&feature=related

Focus on the Positive

Getting back on track can be one of the hardest things to do when you find yourself focussing on the bad. My trainer advised me to stop thinking of the things that were bringing me away from my goals and instead focus on what makes me feel good and helps me to reach my goals. Inevitably whatever you find yourself focussing on is what you will steer yourself towards regardless of whether or not you are aware of this.

So stop thinking about that delicious hot chocolate powder ( Seriously, its not THAT good) and start thinking about how good you feel when you treat your body right!

Baking Treats Can be self Sabbotage...some tricks I have learned

So your girlfriend calls you to come to her BBQ tonight, and asks you to bring dessert. You being Miss creative, and also a perfectionist..you decide to bake your own goodies, store bought is for lazy people.
So you brainstorm as to what you should make. Now as you do this do you ever notice that all of the desserts you like come to your mind, for example, when i think about making a dessert I think..
Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, macadamia nut blondies, caramel pecan squares, apple cream cheese bars, cheesecake, and maybe a chocolate cake with every topping out there...
The problem is there is a good chance, no matter how much gum you shove into your mouth, and mash on vigorously, that you are going to pick at the dough.
So I came up with a good idea. Either make something you don't like, and therefore won't be tempted to pick at or eat later at the party) or make something that tastes pretty bad unbaked.
For me this means mint chocolate brownies, nanaimo bars, lemon or lime ANYTHING, and pies (have you ever tried the crust dough? it tastes like when i tried to eat "play dough" in preschool)
So far this has worked for me.
O and no matter how hard your friends try, don't bring home the leftovers...

Expensive but pretty cool

Check out this site for some sweet T's:

http://www.edhardyshop.com/Womens-T-Shirts-s/330.htm

They are expensive but really really cool. I haven't seen anything like this around Londontown.

Discussion: BOREDOM

Summer is upon us and with endless possibilities and loads of free time can come indecision and boredom. Routines out the window, I find myself with hours upon hours to myself. And when friends aren't available to chill, passing the time can be quite the challenge. Just check your FaceBook for proof. I guarantee you will find at least one person with a status updated to " SOOO BORED". Well I have come up with a list of suggestions to keep oneself busy during the day/ whenever; based on energy level:

LOW to VERY LOW

1. Tan with ipod (weather permitting) - read a couple magazines/ a book.

2. Movie marathon; pop some light popcorn and prepare yourself for a day of LOTR, Harry Potter or even Disney.

3. Make a summer playlist to enjoy when you are feeling more energetic.

4. Bubble bath, paint toenails

5. VEG... on the computer ( online shop, or even dare to play a computer game)

MODERATE

1. grab that summer playlist and head outside to catch some rays on a walk. (explore a park or head to a coffee shop)

2. Throw on a pilates DVD - why not?

3. Grab basketball and shoot some hoops - when is the last time you have done that? seriously.

4. Schedule or go through with a phone date to a long distance friend you haven't seen in a while.

5. Do housework; it may not seem ideal, but that load of laundry you have been avoiding and those shelves that have to be re-organized will make you feel somewhat useful.

HIGH

1. Hit the gym, Bike around town, Go for a run... burn off some of that excess energy

2. Rainy day? Craft it up; draw, paint, bead, or refurbish some old furniture for your student digs.

3. Go for a lengthy walk to a shopping centre/ downtown. There are tons of cool shops I bet you have never even been in.

4. Say YES to plans you may be avoiding, why stay in? if you have the energy; GO OUT, it could be really good for you.

5. Pretend to be chef Bobbly Flay from the Food Network and cook a meal for your family/ significant other... what have you. Hit up the grocery store and get the fresh ingredients you need. This guarantees up to 3 hours of boredom you will burn right up.

Keeping busy while everyone is gone can be hard. Avoid summer blues by making yourself a TO-DO list that doesnt require a lot of help from outside sources. Use it to feel productive! :)

This week's top picks

Here are some of my best tips/ favourite things this week:

************** **************
Workout – why not kill two birds with one stone ? Next time the sun’s up and you feel like catching some rays get out ur towel and ur dumbbells and head out to pump some iron in your bathing suit. Combine squats and shoulder press for an entire body work out. Try plank and sit ups to get both sides bronzed and target that core.

Weightloss Tip - Get those ZZZ’s. My trainer made the comment that a main reason why people gain weight in university or when they frequently party is that they do not get enough sleep. What does sleep have to do with anything ? Well that is the rest time your body needs to produce GH (growth hormone) and recover. A big part of getting fit is adequate rest, where your body repairs itself by rebuilding muscles and burning that fat.

“Growth hormone (GH), a microscopic protein substance, is produced in the anterior section of the pituitary gland deep in the brain. It is a tissue-building hormone that causes growth, enacts repairs, mobilizes fat stores, and shifts the metabolism into high gear in the presence of amino acids. Chemically, it is somewhat similar to insulin, and is secreted in short pulses during the first hours of sleep and after exercise, but it remains in circulation for only a few minutes. The body binds most of the GH in the liver and converts some of it into another protein hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Although IGF-1 is not insulin, it acts like insulin as it promotes glucose transfer through cell membranes into the cell. More important, IGF-1 elicits most of the effects associated with GH.
GH is responsible for the development of lean body mass, bone density, and an efficient metabolism that diminishes the body's fat-storing capacity. During deep sleep, there is an increased secretion of GH. This is necessary for repairing and rebuilding body tissues such as muscle and bone. It also helps combat the negative effects of cortisol. Losing sleep, especially deep sleep, decreases GH levels. Since GH helps regulate the body's proportions of fat and muscle, less GH reduces our ability to lose fat and develop muscle. Muscle development is important for weight loss in that it is responsible for burning more calories, even at a resting heart rate. (Be aware that if a woman is testosterone-deficient, she will not be able to build muscle mass no matter how much she works out. Testosterone production relies on adequate levels of the hormone progesterone, as well as of cholesterol.)"**

** from: http://www.enotalone.com/article/18630.html

Snack - This week I have been a big fan of berries ; black, raspberries, blueberries… they are a quick low carb/ low cal snack when you are in need of something sweet to kick that craving. I prefer blackberries because they are the sweetest. Also try blending up a berry- protein shake :

Use 1/2 cup egg whites, 1 cup frozen berries, 1/3 cup water, and if you like to add a smoother/ richer flavour add in a 100 g cup of source yogurt and blend. Total calories : 170.

Recipe - Best of the week so far is my morning omelet.
1 cup Egg Sensations cheese and chives egg whites
1/3 cup Kraft Shredded Cheese Mozza-Cheddar
3 slices Pillars lean bacon

Total calories : 260.
The trick is to cook the bacon (which you have to cut up into squares) first, then the cheese till it bubbles. Turn down the heat to med and add in your egg whites. YUM !


Best Song of the Week - by far is Montanita – by Ratatat ; it is excellence and summer wrapped into 5 minutes of awesome.

I don’t know how to add music to the blog as of right now. BUT here is the link :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DxTtJ0jM5s

I urge you to add it to your summer playlist.

So I'm officially on Day THREE of the sugar cleanse. My friday night binge last week was so disgusting and I need to never do that again. Ive gona back to my old healthy habits and have come up with some super tasty new recipes that are helping me lots. Thank goodness for getting back on track. I kept the wrappers from fridays binge as a reminder of how gross I can be sometimes. I look at them and cringe. I also put up some new posters and pictures in my room to motivate me to remain svelte.
One thing that has helped a lot is seeing old friends and hearing positive feedback from them, that helps me a lot. When people notice then I know all the hard work has paid off, and it is allllll worth it. :)