Southern Food Not Good For Six Pack Abs

Hello My Friends;

I apologize for being absent from the blogging world recently.

The picture is taken in Savannah, Georgia at this enormous candy store. Evan was in Heaven, I was sure I was in Hell!

I'm down here in the sunny (but chilly) south and thought I would share with you some of my thoughts on southern food. Well I don't have many thoughts, really. Just this one....IT"S TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been complaining about the food down here since David and I started spending time here two years ago. If it's not fried it's so loaded with salt you need to drink a gallon of water after your meal. I remember going to this one restaurant and when the waitress told me that the veg of the day was green beans and I asked her how they were prepared she looked at me like I had just spoken a language foreign to her. She told me they were boiled. What she didn't tell me that they were out of a can and boiled until they were not green anymore but some shade of gray and as mushy as your mind will let you imagine.

Then there's the grits. Can any of my southern friends (I'm sure I have a few out there) tell me exactly what are grits???? Planning on taking my Dad out for breakfast one morning so he can at least say he had grits.

Now don't get me wrong. Not all places that we have tried are bad. We have our favorite sushi restaurant (so far) called The Sushi House just up the street from us and then there is Pompeo's. The most authentic Italian restaurant I have experienced. We love it when Mario, the owner/chef comes to our table to check in with us and talks in his think Italian accent. Just look out when you decide to order your meal without pasta! David has tried this in the past only to have Mario come to the table with a steaming bowl of pasta and say "You musta eata the pasta" When David tries to explain that he is watching his carb intake Mario responds by telling him he is also watching his carb intake. He says this while he rubs in very round belly and says, " Butta you musta hava the pasta, justa little bit." How can you say no to that! We are planning to go to Pompeo's this Sunday and I'm already trying to figure out how I am going to order my meal without the pasta. Mario's son, Mario Jr. is the waiter and I'm hoping that between the two of us we can come up with a plan. Mario Jr. is not quite as "old school" as his father.

It is here in the south that I have seen some of the most obese people that I have ever laid eyes on. I want so badly to go to these men and women and talk to them. I want them to know that I see them and that I see their beauty in spite of their size. I watch them and I watch how other people avoid making eye contact with them. I make eye contact when appropriate and say hello. I want to tell them that they can make a different choice but if they are southern and the southern style of eating has been ingrained in them, that change will be difficult.

As for my six pack abs, I knew being here would be a challenge. I have been eating more carbs and more salt than I normally do but fortunately I have also been working out a fair amount. My Dad keeps telling people that he's at Ally's Bootcamp because I've been dragging him, willingly, to the gym with me. He's learning all about the Body Weight Workout and I'm am learning that my Dad is a pretty tough, stubborn guy. I'm pretty sure that he thought I was going to kill him on day one but he keeps asking for more!

So, to conclude, I'm still on my six pack journey. I'm not there yet, and maybe it will be a long time before I get there but I'm not giving up. NEVER GIVE UP!

I hope you all have a healthy and happy New Year!

Six Pack Abs - Still A Work In Progress

Hello Friends;

Well, my deadline for six pack abs has come and gone and those buggers still won't show themselves!!! It's not their fault, I know, its the fault of the owner of the six pack abs.

When I started this journey back in September I remember being SO pumped, SO motivated, SO ready to do this! I was off to a great start but allowed myself to become derailed in October when my Dad and his chocolate-toting girlfriend (love you Annette!) came for a visit. I just decided to let loose. I tried to get back on track and for a while I did but then our out of town family arrived for an early Thanksgiving. I have been struggling ever since!

Our last family member leaves today (We will miss you and your delicious crab rangoons, Tori!). It is time for me to recommit myself to this process. I have not given up on my goal. My next goal date is January 15th. Yes, I realize that Christmas and New Year's Eve fall in this time period but what I have learned is that there is always some event, holiday or chocolate-toting friend lurking around the corner. I need to learn how to navigate these "events" and not let any one of them derail my goal.

In the beginning of this journey I created some "rules". The only one that was easy for me not to break was no alcohol. I enjoyed a glass of wine at our Thanksgiving meal and have not had one since. I will continue with that rule as it is an easy one for me to adhere to but for now I'll loosen up on the others and see where this journey takes me.

I have included my "before and after" pictures. Not where I want to be but a definite improvement.

I hope this blog will inspire you to recommit to any of your goals that you are challenged by or to pick a new one to accomplish.

Hang in there, take it one day at a time and LOVE YOURSELF NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!!

Sixteen More Days to Six Pack Abs

Hello My Friends;

Yes, it's true. I have just 16 more days to go on this journey to six pack abs. Am I going to be where I had hoped to be? Probably not. I got a little sidetracked along the way but I have made progress. I am seeing a difference, not so much on the scale (which really doesn't matter much to me) but in the look of my abdominals. I still have that pesky layer of fat, but I think it's "thinning out". The Newman's Oreo that I just had to eat today to see if it was stale or not probably wasn't the best choice!

So here's where I am at with this process. Life gets in the way! Well, does it really? I suppose so or is just my inability or unwantingness to be disciplined, to say NO when someone brings me a treat? It goes back to that not wanting to offend people when they are kind enough to bring you a special treat. It means that they thought of you in that moment and don't we all love when someone thinks enough of us to do something special. I will continue to work on this.

My plan for the next 16 days includes more protein shakes, raw veggies, getting outdoors for a hike or walk at least once a week and stretching more. I may not have the six pack that I am looking for my November 26 so you might just have to keep journeying with me until Christmas!!

Where are you at with the goals you planned for yourself? Feel free to leave comments, thoughts or questions.

Six Pack Abs - Obstacles (Week 8)

Hello Everyone;

So, today marks the beginning of week 8 of my journey to achieve six-pack abs. I'm not there YET. Well, the abs are there, but they are still covered by a layer of stubborn adipose tissue (a.k.a. fat).

This week I wanted to talk about obstacles. They are EVERYWHERE!!! My Dad and his girlfriend arrived last Saturday which means that my normal routine has changed, including my nutrition plan. My Dad's girlfriend happens to work for a company that sells chocolate (in case you forgot, I decided to give up chocolate for the rest of this journey). Annette, being the sweet and generous person that I am learning she is, brought along a "few" samples of the chocolate she sells (now the picture makes sense). Here is where the obstacles begin. Not wanting my guest to feel slighted, I decide to sample some of the chocolate. I got to thinking about that. Did I really not want to offend my guest by not trying it, because I'm sure that she would have understood if I told her that, for right now, I had to pass on sampling the chocolate, or did I just want to eat the chocolate and using the "Don't want to offend" excuse worked really well to allow me to do just that?

YES, I really wanted to eat the chocolate, therefore, I used the "Don't want to offend" excuse to my advantage, or would that be to my disadvantage?? If Annette had brought Vegemite with her, would I have been so eager to "not offend"? Probably not.

So, I enjoyed (almost without guilt) a delicious dark chocolate bar infused with lemon bits over the course of two days. A few days later, when David opened up another bar in front of me (to my shock and horror) I decided to resist the temptation. The bar has been sitting there since, quietly calling out to me, but I have not answered it's call.

Yesterday, Annette showed me how to make cabbage rolls. I looked forward to eating them all day! They did not disappoint, nor did the apple crisp with vanilla ice cream that we enjoyed for dessert.

It's really hard (at least for me) to stick to eating perfectly clean when I have guests. Eating is such a social activity. It's fun to sit around enjoying a nice meal together, sharing time, stories and memories. You get caught up in that. On a positive note (because I am a positive person), it has not been a total disaster. When I know that I am going to eat a scruptuous meal, I am careful about my other food choices throughout the day. For instance, tonight we are going out to eat so I will keep it relatively light for the day and enjoy a great meal out with my family tonight. It's all about enjoying life!

I have four weeks left to go on this journey that I started in September. I am pretty sure that I won't be where I wanted to be, but I know that there will be a visible improvement. At this point, I intend to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, then get right back to it until Christmas. I WILL achieve my goal of a six-pack, it just might take me a little longer to get there.

What are you working on this week and what are the obstacles getting in your way?

Six Pack Abs - Half Way There

Well, I may be half way there in terms of time but I feel like I have gone backwards instead of forward! I have broken every "rule" that I established with the exception of no alcohol. That is very easy for me. Luckily, for me, I am not the type of person to get bogged down in negativity so onward and upward!

I have decided that I have to eliminate chocolate for now as I just don't seem to be willing to control my consumption of it. Sugar is definitely my Kryptonite for sure! Over the next six weeks I am going to work on eliminating it from my diet. That will surely help with achieving six pack abs but more than that, I think I will just generally feel better.

Over the next six weeks I plan on really refining my diet. I will keep it simple, sticking to lots of veggies, fresh fruit and the best sources of protein available to me. I hope to include a little more cardio in my fitness schedule and would love to try running again but am still working on rehabilitating my right ankle.

I am including a picture that I took a week ago. I see a slight difference but I am hoping for much better results in six weeks.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has been encouraging and supportive to me along this journey. I truly appreciate your kind words and thoughts. I hope that I have inspired you to work toward a goal that is important to you!

Six Pack Abs - Three Weeks In

Well, it’s been three weeks and I would like to say that I’m well on my way to a six-pack but that would be really stretching the truth.

I am certainly glad that I decided to give myself 12 weeks to accomplish this goal. The first three weeks have been a learning experience for me. Week two was probably the best so far. Week three was, unfortunately, disastrous. I spent the majority of week three in Fernandina Beach with my husband, David. The five days we spent there (alone in our new home for the first time) were glorious. The weather was pure perfection. We spent a couple of days soaking up the sun on Main Beach, a day trip to St. Augustine and watched the Patriots game at a local sports bar.

We arrived in Florida on Friday evening. For dinner we decided to go to our favorite (so far) sushi restaurant. My meal was consumed after 8pm. That’s where the rule breaking began. We ate out for most meals. As most of you know, eating out when you are following a specific nutrition plan is extremely challenging. I believe you can make choices that will support your nutrition plan but it’s not easy. I did poorly. I know that I ate food with a sugar content above 10 grams, I ate more carbs then I needed (and for those of you who don’t know, when you eat more carbs then your body needs your body stores the excess as fat) and consumed a few meals very close to or after 8 pm. The one rule of mine that I managed to stick to (easily) was no alcohol assumption. No problem there.

Okay, so what does this mean? Nothing really, except that I still have A LOT of work to do! Fortunately, I am not one to beat up on myself too badly. I believe that I will accomplish this goal and I’m enjoying the challenge (thus far).

This week I plan on ramping things up a bit. I’m going to tighten up my nutrition and add a little extra cardio a few days a week.

Eating undistracted or mindfully is still presenting a challenge. I found this blog entry at Zen Habits and am hoping to incorporate some of these examples into at least one meal per day.
http://zenhabits.net/mindful-eating/

Happy Goal Setting and Pursuing.

Week 1 - Six Pack Abs

Hello Fellow Goal-Seekers;

Well Week 1 of my Six Pack Abs journey is history. Here's what I have learned:

1.Weekends are challenging.

2. Evan and David will have to do without homemade oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies for a while.

3. I am not doing a good job of keeping track of four squares of chocolate a day.

4. Not eating past 8 pm is easy.

5. I was right about one of my biggest obstacles (eating while distracted).

6. This is going to get harder before it gets easier.

My workouts have been sporadic this week but I am back at the Y teaching H.I.T. so I'm guaranteed two decent workouts for the week.

I am doing my best to embrace this journey. Still feeling strong and committed and confident that by Thanksgiving I will have reached my goal.

Here's a picture of my Primal lunch today. Zucchinni with tuna, jack cheese and avocado.

Check out my Facebook page for a video I posted about Secrets to Achieving Six Pack Abs.

I hope that whatever goal you have chosen for yourself that you are enjoying the journey.

Stay strong.

Day 2 - Six Pack Abs

Well Folks, I am happy to report that Day 1 was a success. No major set backs or obstacles. That's not to say that it was a perfect day but it was close. Here's my list of rules (as requested by some of my "followers")

Rules for 6-Pack Abs

1. No Alcohol.
2. Eat breakfast and lunch “undistracted”.
3. Nothing to eat past 8. (If you are starving, a small piece of fruit is acceptable).
4. Nothing over 10 grams of sugar (with the exception of fruit, honey & maple syrup).
5. Good quality dark chocolate. (no more than 4 squares per day)
6. One treat meal per week.
7. Make up more rules if/when necessary :)

Rule # 2 will most likely be the most difficult one for me to follow. I have created the habit of sitting in front of my computer and "catching up" while eating. It's going to be a hard habit to break but one worth breaking!

Rule # 5 is my favorite :)

Have you come up with your goal and list of "rules" yet? What are you waiting for?

Quote for today: " Worthy goals don't have shortcuts".

On my way to a 6-pack!

I am going on a journey starting today. I have goal that I will accomplish by Thanksgiving Day 2010 (that’s American Thanksgiving by the way). It’s a goal that I have wanted to realize for quite some time but haven’t made the commitment to do it. That’s why I am going public with this goal. Some people might roll their eyes at my goal. They might think it’s ridiculous that I’m going about it in front of everyone. Others will surely cheer me on and will be impressed by my results by the time Thanksgiving rolls around. There are those of you that will be tempted to join me on my journey, but after a week will most likely throw in the towel (been there, done that). Then there are the ones who will jump on the band wagon and join me on my journey, although their goal may be entirely different from mine. Those of you joining me, I look forward to your company. Those of you who try but don’t quite make it this time around, I beg you try, try again. Those of you who cheer me on, Thank you! Your support will be crucial in my success. And last but not least, those of you that think my goal is not worth pursuing, please keep your thoughts to yourself. I don’t need them on my journey.
So what’s my goal you ask? I’m going after a six-pack. Abs that is. If I had a dime for every person that has asked me how to get a flatter stomach, I’d be rich! Well guess what? I am one of those people as well! Thing is, I know how to get awesome abs; I just haven’t bothered to REALLY try.

Why is this important to me? It’s the one body part I possess that I’m not proud of. Do I have a strong, fit body? Yes. Am I healthy and happy? Yes. Does my body do what I need it to do? Most of the time :) But……I want a set of abs that I’d be willing to lift my shirt up to show off! I’m not sure that I will be able to maintain them for long but that’s okay. That’s what cameras are for. Although, I suspect that I am going to work very hard to accomplish this goal so I may be willing to work equally as hard to maintain it.

I have a small list of rules that I intend to follow to help me achieve my six-pack. If you intend to join this journey, I strongly encourage you to come up with a list of your own.
This journey will take approximately 12 weeks and will, no doubt, be filled with ups, downs, twists, turns, the occasional hiccup(or burpee), and lots of discipline and hard work.

I once read a quote that said “A goal without a plan is just a wish”. Well folks, I’m done wishing. I have a plan. I have the support I need. I have the ability to obtain my long-desired goal. What’s your goal? Stop wishing it would happen. Make a plan; join me on this journey and LET’S DO THIS!

Test

Hi Everyone;

Getting ready for a short journey and plan on blogging about my experience. Haven't blogged in a while and wanted to make sure I still have the hang of it. Some of you have told me that you have tried to comment on past blogs, unsuccessfully. I'm hoping I can remedy that. Let me know if you still have trouble.

Stay tuned. My journey begins Wednesday, September 1st.

Quickie

Hello Friends;

I hope I didn't get you too excited with the title of this blog!


Have you ever said "I just don't have the time to exercise."? Probably, right? Well guess what? I'm here to tell you to stop using that as an excuse and to offer you this quick 10 minute workout that is guaranteed to get your heart pumping and muscles popping. This workout can be done indoors, outdoors, with dumbbells or without. It's flexible. However, before you begin any exercise program, please check with your doctor to make sure that it is safe for you to do so.

Now, on to the "Quickie"

10 minutes, 10 Reps, 10 second rest

Warm up:
10 Body Weight Squats - arms reaching out in front or resting at your hips, stick your butt out as you start to lower you body toward the ground. Knees should stay behind the toes and chest and shoulders are back, not leaning forward.
10 Pushups (preferably on your toes, but knees are acceptable if you are a beginner)

Do this Warm up for 2 minutes, resting for 10 seconds before starting the next set.

Strength:

Dumbbell Lunge - using a set of dumbbells that are manageable but challenging, step one foot back staying on the toes of that back foot. Chest and shoulders stay up and back. Begin to lower back knee to the ground, stopping before it touches the ground (if you have knee issues, shorten the range of motion).Repeat 10 times on the same leg before switching to the other side.
Dumbbell Chest Press - Using the same set of dumbbells, if manageable and challenging, lay on a flat surface. Press the weights straight up bringing them together at the top, then back to the starting position. Wrists should face out.

Do this strength portion for 3 minutes, taking a 10 second rest in between each set.

Cardio and Core:
Burpees - Standing tall, bend over placing hands on the floor, jump your feet out so that you are in a pushup position, jump your feet back in, stand up and if you are really up for a challenge jump your feet of the floor with hands in the air (plyometrics jump)
Plank with reach - Holding a prone plank position with hands on the floor, reach your right arm out in front of you while raising your left leg off the floor (very challenging). Alternate sides for a total of 10.

Do this cardio/core portion for 3 minutes.

Stretch:

Make sure to spend at least 2 minutes stretching quads, chest and shoulders.

There you have it my friends. As you are rushing around, preparing for a fun-filled Memorial Day weekend remember that Flexible Fitness took away your time excuse to not exercise. Hopefully you won't come up with any new excuses!

Sweat, smile, and shape up!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Hello Friends;

I made these delicious cupcakes the other day for four of my favorite women. They were a hit. They are super easy to make and even my 14 year old son, who is usually annoyed by my "organic" recipes, devoured them! The recipe comes from Elana's Pantry (elanaspantry.com). She has alot of fantastic recipes on her site. Check it out when you have a spare moment.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the fabulous women that I am blessed to know!



Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
¼ cup grapeseed oil
½ cup agave nectar

In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda
In a large bowl, blend together eggs, oil and agave
Blend dry ingredients into wet thoroughly
Line a cupcake tin with paper liners and scoop a scant 1/4 cup into each
Bake at 375° for 20-22 minutes
Cool and cover with vegan "buttercream" chocolate frosting
Serve
Makes 10 cupcakes

Vegan Chocolate Frosting
1 cup dark chocolate 73%
½ cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch celtic sea salt

In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and grapeseed oil
Stir in agave, vanilla and salt
Place frosting in freezer for 15 minutes to chill and thicken
Remove from freezer and whip frosting with a hand blender until it is thick and fluffy
Frost over cake, chocolate or vanilla cupcakes or between cookies

ENJOY

Are You Willing To Give This A Try?

Once again, my friend (well, he's not really my friend in the true sense of the word, but I wish he was) Leo Babauta has written another inspiring, thought-provoking blog. I hope that you will take a few minutes out of your hectic day to read it, ponder it, and give it a whirl.

Peace and blessings.


The Elements of Living Lightly



Breathe. Accept. Smile.
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.” ~Eckhart Tolle (via The Mindfulist)

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
Today I’m going to suggest a small change in mindset that could change your life.

I won’t keep you in suspense. Here it is: think of nothing that happens as either good or bad. Stop judging, and stop expecting.

It’s a tiny change — all you have to do is say, ‘That wasn’t good or bad, it just happened, it just is.’ It’s tiny, but it takes practice, and amazingly, it can knock you on your ass.

Why? Because with this little change, you will no longer be swayed up and down depending on whether good things or bad things happen to you, whether people (and their actions) are good or bad. You will learn to accept things as they are, and move within that landscape mindfully.

You will no longer expect good things to happen (or bad things), but will just take things as they come, and be content with whatever comes. This means you’ll no longer be disappointed, or unhappy.

“When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.”
~Lao Tzu


A Little Exercise
Think of something good that happened to you recently, and how it affected your mindset. Now think of something bad that happened, and what that did to your mindset.

Now imagine that neither event was good, and neither was bad. They simply happened, existed.

How does that change how you would have felt as a result of those events? How does it change your happiness, your mood? How does it change what you do in reaction?

When you stop judging things as good or bad, you are no longer

Nothing is good or bad
Hamlet said, ‘There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.’

He was right. Without the human mind, things just happen, and they are not good or bad. It’s only when we apply the filter of our judgment that they become good or bad, beautiful or ugly.

A weed is only a weed when we don’t like it. Children are only naughty if we don’t like their actions. Life only sucks if you judge it as bad.

But what about truly horrible tragedies, like a plague or tsunami or the Holocaust? Surely those are bad? Sure, through the lens of the judgment we’ve been raised to make, they are terrible. But then again, remove the judgment, and then … they simply happened. Death and cruelty will probably always make us sad, but they’ve always happened and always will, whether we like them or hate them.

Holocaust survivor and author Victor Frankl wrote of a rich woman who went through the Holocaust, and who was grateful for the experience, as much as she suffered, because it opened her eyes. It transformed her. I’m not saying the Holocaust was good, but perhaps we can say that it happened. It serves as a lesson — one we should heed, by the way, in these days of politically charged hatred, of blaming our ills on immigrants and minorities.

There are other tragedies that happen that aren’t necessarily bad. They’re devastating losses, without a doubt, but in life there are always losses, and people will always die. It’s how we judge them that determines our reaction, and determines whether we’re capable of dealing with it sanely.

Great Expectations
The second half of this change is just as small, but just as important: dropping expectations. Not lowering expectations, but eliminating them.

Think about it: when we have expectations, and things don’t go the way we expect (which happens quite often, as we’re not good prognosticators), we are disappointed, frustrated. It’s our expectations that force us to judge whether something is good or bad.

When you expect something of a friend, co-worker, family member, spouse, and they don’t live up to that expectation, then you are upset with them, or disappointed. It causes anger. But what if you had no expectations — then their actions would be neither good nor bad, just actions. You could accept them without frustration, anger, sadness.

What if you went on vacation, to a place you had high expectations of, and it wasn’t what you thought it’d be? You’d be bitterly disappointed, even though it’s not the fault of that place — that’s just how the place is. It’s your expectations that are at fault.

When people disappoint you, it’s not their fault. They’re just being who they are. Your expectations are at fault.

The Why
But why make this change? Why should we stop judging? Why should we stop expecting?

Because judgments stop us from understanding, and can ruin our happiness. When we judge, we don’t seek to understand — we’ve already come to a conclusion. If we stop judging, we allow ourselves to try to understand, and then we can take a much smarter course of action, because we’re better informed by our understanding.

Judging makes us unhappy. So do expectations.

When we leave judgment behind, we can live in the moment, taking what comes as neither good or bad, but simply what is. We can stop ruining our happiness with our thinking, and start living instead.

The How
So how do we start doing this? In small steps, as always.

1 First, start by being more aware. Throughout the course of the day today, note when you make judgments, note when you have expectations, and when things don’t live up to them. Over time, you’ll notice this more and more, and be much more conscious of these types of thoughts.

2 Next, pause each time you notice a judgment or expectation. Take a breath. Then tell yourself, “No expectations, no good or bad.” Repeat this, letting go of the judgment or expectation.

3 Third, seek to see things as they are, and to understand. Be curious as to why things are the way they are, why people act the way they act. Investigate, empathize, try to put yourself in people’s shoes. See the landscape of your life as it actually is, without the filter of judgments or expectations.

4 Next, take what comes. Experience it, in the moment. React appropriately, without overreacting because it isn’t as you hoped or wanted. You can’t
control life, or others, but you can control how you react.

5 Then, accept. When things happen, understand why they do, without judgment, and accept them as they are. Accept people for who they are. Accept yourself, without judgment, as you are. This takes practice.

6 Finally, know that the present moment, being as it is, also contains infinite possibilities. And those possibilities are opened up once you see things as they are, without judgment or expectations.

—

Unprofessionalism at it's Worst.

It's been a while, I know. I'm a slacker! Actually, I haven't had anything that inspired me enough to write about it, that is, until I went to the gym this week with my mother.

I am currently in Sydney, Nova Scotia visiting my family and have had the great pleasure to join my Mom at the gym. So, the first day I'm there with her we are on the treadmills. From my vantage point, I am able to see one of the personal trainers there working with a client. Naturally, as a personal trainer, I'm going to be watching what he is doing to see if I can pick up any new exercises to add to my own repertoire. This is what I saw..... a trainer that couldn't give a rat's a** what his client was doing! He was too busy running his mouth and checking his cell phone! I was APPALLED, to say the least. When I said something to my mother, she laughed and said that he's always like that. She also informed me that he likes to divulge the explicit details of his personal life to any client willing to listen. I can't believe this guy has any clients! At first my mother didn't see anything wrong with what he was doing but I explained to her that his clients are paying him for his undivided attention to their training session. After she thought about it, she realized that they were getting cheated out of what they paid for.

Anyway my friends, the moral of this story is GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! A good personal trainer should be have a planned workout, be punctual and be able to give you their undivided attention. The only reason a trainer should have a cell phone on him/her is for emergency purposes only! Don't be afraid to have a conversation with your trainer if he/she is not meeting your expectations. Okay, enough said.

Have a great weekend!

Ego

Have you ever met someone that always has to be right? How about someone who always has to have the upper hand or one-up you every time you share an accomplishment? We can all probably name one or two people whom we know that fill those shoes.

Well, guess what I learned today. It's all about our crazy ego. I recently came across a blog called Optimum Health for Body, Mind and Soul by Anne West. Check her out at annekwest.com. Read what she has to say about egos. Let me know what you think.

Have a wonderful day!

How Your Ego Deceives You
Since being released from much of my ego’s daily noise (meaning the constant chatter and stories I heard in my head that I assumed was the real “me”) a peace has been established though its balance is completely up to me. My ego used to be the one who spoke for me, defended me, and always tried to convince me that I was right and others were wrong. There were very few times my ego apologized, and when it did, I remember walking away thinking that I had somehow gained the upper hand, which is still the ego. But a small part of me was never comfortable with that way of being. There was a deep knowing, a tiny, tiny embryo of a voice that said I could be feeling better, I could have it better, and I was better than I believed. It was the voice I had heard more clearly as a child.

Our egos build our defenses and have a stance about everything; church, God, friends, family, country, politics, education, the weather. To the ego it’s all about separating us from others and convincing us that we are simply powerless humans. This has created a habitual pattern within our society of us focusing on and drawing to us that which we don’t want.

Great scientists have agreed that we live within an energy matrix where positive and negative charges are all there that exists. Our brains are conductors of energy and thoughts are either negative in charge or positive in charge. When we become angry in a situation, our ego goes into a defense mode and starts to launch negatively charged thoughts. If you are angry enough (which sends out some serious negative charges) you could end up with a consequence that reminds you every day of your actions from that situation. Perhaps the best way to sum that up would be to say your ego is your negatively charged thoughts and your essence is your positively charged thoughts.

The ego is not confident – you can build it up and tear it down in the same day. The ego is never satisfied with us, and for some people, their ego is constantly putting them down. When you hear, ” I am an idiot for doing that,” that voice is not you. But since it’s development at an early age the ego has convinced you that you are being represented fairly. The truth is that it is habitually keeping your confidence at a low vibration drawing to you more situations that reinforce low self-esteem. Your ego is not your friend – it is the great deceiver.

What does it feel like to not be attached to the ego? It’s really about a quieting of the mind, and the eventual loss of feelings of dread and disappointment. The more you allow yourself to just be, slowly dropping away everything you used to value thinking about, the more you will be in touch with your true self, and listening less to your ego. That means fewer labels, stories, pride, resistance, and no more negative thoughts. You will not disappear if you come to the conclusion that your ego is one sided and negative in charge. Instead you will begin to come back into awareness of your true self, which is positive, loving life, motivated, loving, kind, and compassionate.

Your ego is not your friend. Your ego wants to distract you from how things really are, which are eternal and filled with love. The ego wants you to stay in the past or concern yourself about the future. The ego is not comfortable in the here and now. If you have tried previously to ‘live in the moment’ but failed, it was your ego that caused you to fail. Recognizing the ego for what it is – a false, fear-based self, will allow you to pull your life back into the simplicity and serenity of the moment. Every spiritual and personal development leader that I know of uses daily meditation to maintain awareness of and control over the ego. Meditation as a practice of singular focus and training the mind to be quiet is the quickest way to gain control over your ego and allow peace and tranquility into your life.

Tosca's Chicken Picadillo

For those of you who don't know who Tosca Reno is let me just give you a quick bio.

Tosca is a fifty year old woman who lives in Toronto, Ontario. A little over ten years ago she weighed 200 lbs. She decided to take control of her life, eat a healthy diet and exercise. As a result, she is now one of the fittest fifty year olds I have seen! She looks great (in my opinion). You can check her out at toscareno.com

I recently purchased her latest cookbook and made this dish last night. It was delicious! Tosca's recipe calls for this recipe to be served over brown rice and black beans. I chose to make it Primal and left out the rice and beans. Also, I was out of chili powder so I substituted cajun spice instead and it worked quite nicely. Enjoy!

Chicken Picadillo
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 lg yellow onion, peeled, coarsely chopped
1 lg green pepper, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
2 cups fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sea salt
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1/2 cup raisins
black pepper
green onions and fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet on med-high.
2. Add onion and peppers and cook until onion is soft-approx 5 minutes
3. Add chili powder, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano, and sea salt. Cook for several minutes until mixture becomes fragrant.
4. Add chicken and raisins. Heat through for another 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Let me know how this dish turns out for you.

Happy Eating!

Gone Primal

Yes! David and I have gone primal!!

David just finished reading Mark Sissons book The Primal Blueprint and has kindly placed it on my nightstand.

David started his primal journey a few weeks ago and is already singing it's praises. He's so impressed with this style of eating that he purchased the book for his staff and his best friend. He cannot believe how easy it is to eat the Primal way. He has lost weight and has noticed a significant decline in his aches and pains. "It's effortless" he claims (easy to say when your wife is doing all the shopping and cooking).

I have had a slower start but would say that I have been Primal for about two weeks now. Sugar still remains an issue and I have been gorging on chocolate like it's going to be extinct soon! I did declare today a "no chocolate" day and so far have only resorted to smelling the chunk that David ate this afternoon.

I have decided to not sing the praises of going Primal too loudly until I have given it a very good test run. Ask me in six months how I am doing or perhaps how I look will be your answer.

For more information on The Primal Blueprint visit marksdailyapple.com

Pay Attention

Hello My Fitness Friends;

This blog comes from Leo Babauta. Check out is blog Zen Habits. He espouses a simpler lifestyle and I, for one, think simpler is better. Less is more my friends Thanks for the wise words, Leo!

How to Reclaim Your Attention
Focus your attention, and find peace.
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
Awhile back I (a bit ironically perhaps) tweeted this message:
Consider what you give your attention to each day. It’s a precious resource, & determines the shape of your life.
This seemed to strike a chord with many people, who I think are feeling overwhelmed these days. Our attention is being pulled in too many directions, leaving us feeling overloaded, distracted, chaotic, spread thinly, without focus.
There are a million blogs, people, services, media, competing for our attention. Our attention is limited, and valuable, making it one of the most precious resources we have.
The world wants that attention. Only you can decide where it goes.
And it does determine the shape of your life: what you pay attention to becomes your reality. If you watch and read the news all the time, you will become obsessed with the latest crises. If you watch and read about celebrities, your life will revolve around them. If you socialize on social networks all day long, this will become your world.
If instead, you choose to give your attention to work you’re passionate about, that you feel is important, that will change your life and the world in some small way … this will become your life.
If you choose to give your attention to your friends, family and other loved ones — really give your attention to them instead of only half-heartedly while also checking text messages and emails and other updates — your life will be rich in many ways.
And so I urge you to reclaim your attention.
Here’s how:
1. Limit your friends. Not real-life friends, but social network and blogging and forum friends. Not that these can’t be good relationships, but having too many makes them meaningless. And each friend will take up a little bit of your attention — when you read their updates, click on their links, reply to their messages, look at their photos, and so on. The more you have, the more attention they’ll require. Limit them to just the essential.2. Limit your feeds. Blog subscriptions, newsletters, other updates and news subscriptions and so on. Limit them to a handful of essentials, and let the rest go. The more you have, the more attention they require.3. Limit your communication time. Going into your email inbox? Just give yourself 10 minutes to read, reply, delete, and get out. Going to do Twitter? Give yourself 5 minutes. Seriously, set up a timer. Don’t let these things take up all your attention.4. Give up on news. It’s a never-ending cycle. And if you’ve paid attention to the news as long as I have (I’m a former journalist), you know it’s all the same, year after year. Unless your job depends on it, the news is usually a waste of your attention. Let go of the need to stay updated. Even if your job does depend on it, keep it limited.5. Be brief. Write brief emails, tweets, updates, blog posts. With some exceptions, of course. But make brief your de facto. Read more.6. Give your attention to the important. This is the crucial part: choose what you give your attention to, and do this choosing carefully. What is important to you? Writing? Photography? Design? Coding? Creating a new business that helps others? Your kids? Figure this out, and give this the majority of your attention.7. Become conscious of your distractions. Once you’ve decided to focus your attention on the important, become more aware of distractions as they come up. Make note of them, and as you get the urge to be distracted, learn to pause, breathe, and return to the important.8. Surround yourself with the positive. If you want your life to be positive, let the positive have your attention. This applies to blogs, people, projects, and more.
For more, read my new book, focus: a simplicity manifesto in the age of distraction.—

Food Obsessed

Hello Friends;

In case you didn't know, March is National Nutrition Month. What better time then for me to blog about my food obsession.

I'm pretty sure that I am not alone in this obsession. Just take a look around and you will see that I have lots of company. Fortunately, for me, I am obsessed with finding a way to eat a healthy, satisfying diet that keeps me lean, strong and happy.

Standing in line at the grocery store yesterday I saw bags of fried pork rinds and thought, "I'm really glad I'm not obsessed with those". Now, some organic dark chocolate or grain sweetened chocolate chips is definitely where my obsession starts to kick in!

Recently, I blogged about going Primal. You can find out more about The Primal Blueprint at marksdailyapple.com. I'm making my way there, slowly preparing by using up things that won't belong in my nutrition plan once I go Primal. David is currently reading The Primal Blueprint and is really liking it and becoming very motivated by it. I promise to continue to keep you posted on our progress.

Recently, I saw a commercial about constipation. Actually, let me correct myself. I saw a commercial about a remedy for constipation. The commercial didn't really talk about why a person might be constipated and how to make some dietary changes to alleviate that uncomfortable situation, it just encouraged it's viewers to take a pill or two every day and VOILA! promblem solved!! I see this so much in commercials. Nexium is another good example. For those of you suffering from heartburn, again, don't bother making dietary changes, just take a Nexium or Zantac a day and again VOILA!! no more heartburn.

There is no doubt that we are a nation that is food-obsessed, but we are also a nation obsessed with getting rid of the excess weight often caused by our unhealthy food-obsessed habits. It's a vicious cycle. Overindulge on the weekend, start your diet on Monday morning. Been there, done that and I am DONE WITH THAT!

I know that I am on a bit of a rollercoaster of a journey when it comes to my diet but I know it's a journey worth travelling. Problem is there is so much conflicting information out there that sometimes it's hard to know what's right, what works and what's just plain crazy. Okay, the plain crazy ie: The Cookie Diet, they are pretty easy to spot. But how much protein, carbs, fat to ingest in a day, how many hours in between meals, what foods to eat together for optimal fat burning, yadda, yadda, yadda, it just becomes overwhelming to me. As a personal trainer and someone who has done a fair amount of reading about nutrition, I have bought into the "Eat every four hours" theory and often encourage my clients to do the same. What I have found though, is that my day becomes driven around mealtimes. I MUST eat NOW! It's been 3 hours and 59 minutes since my last meal! I believe that this way of eating works for many people, especially those who are disciplined and are eating clean. But, if I am being honest, it's not really working for me. I am not achieving my goal of feeling comfortable in my skin and with my current body fat percentage. So from here on out my goal is to eat whole foods and eat when my body tells me I'm hungry, that's if my body remembers how to do that!

I encourage all my food-obsessed friends (you know who you are) to reevaluate what you have been doing nutritionally and see where some practical changes could be made. Please share your thoughts as they will be helpful to those of us in food-obsessed rehab :)

Happy Eating!

A New Baby, Airports and 8000 miles

Hello My Friends;





I am trying to get back into the swing of things since I returned home from Alberta, Canada on Saturday.


My brother and his fiance, Nathalie, welcomed their first child, Sydney William MacInnis on February 13th at 3:45 am, approximately 8 hours after Aunti Allyson arrived on their doorstep! Mom, Dad, Baby and Auntie are all doing well despite several sleepless nights. Fortunately, for me, my sleep schedule can resume to it's normal state. It will be a different story for Nathalie and Chris for a little while I'm sure.


I arrived home Saturday evening around 7 pm, went to bed around 10:30 and slept until 11:15 the next morning!!!!! I couldn't believe I slept that long. Obviously, my body had some catching up to do.


I'm wondering if other people struggle while on vacation as much as I do. I find it much harder to stay disciplined nutritionally. I made a decent attempt at drinking water, but as usual, sugar and carbs were screaming my name every day! Now home, I am working on getting back on track. Actually, I'm pretty sure I wasn't quite fully on the track before I left. Maybe that's why I became completely derailed on vacation. No sense in beating myself up over it as it won't negate what I ate. I'm on a journey, at least that's what I keep telling myself.


Now let's talk airports. I don't really know how to start this rant. I just get so sad and frustrated at all the overweight people in airports. Yes, I know, overweight people are everywhere, but it just seems that I take more notice in airports when all I have to do is sit and people watch. I saw this one obese man sitting on a bench drinking a bottle of coke. He took a can of chewing tobacco out of his pocket, unwrapped it and threw the wrapper on the floor. Of course, getting off the bench and walking to a garbage can would have been clearly too much effort for this man. I realize that I am probably sounding quite judgemental here but seriously it was just a sad sight to behold. And while we are on the topic of airports, how about all that lovely airport food. It's everywhere you turn. I do appreciates the Starbucks Chai latte and Cinnamon Dolce latte :) And who can afford it all?? This time I was smart and brought my own snacks so the only indulgence I enjoyed was Starbucks. Perhaps airports should consider putting workout areas throughout the space and see what happens. If you have a long layover why not get some exercise in while you wait for you next plane. I think I'm on to something.



Anway, I taught HIT last night and am feeling it this morning. Taking a break from exercise is good but oh so hard to jump back in. But I'm back and ready to take the next step on my journey to optimal fitness and health. I just started reading Primal Blueprint and what I am really excited about is that David wants to read it to!! If you haven't already, check out marksdailyapple.com. I look forward to keeping you posted on my progress. I hope you can keep this little secret....I'm going to gradually change Evan's (my 14 year old son) diet as well (at least at home). It will be interesting to see his reaction :)

As for the 8000 miles, that is roughly how far I travelled in 8 days to see my new nephew. I'm not sure if I'm feeling the effects of the long distance or could it be the lack of clean eating and exercise?

I hope all is well in your world and look forward to any comments you are willing to share.

Peace

No More Chronic Cardio!

What would you say if I told you it was okay to stop spending hours a week on a treadmill?

Every time I walk into my local gym and see the same people doing the same thing on the treadmill, elliptical or stepper day in and day out, I feel sad and a little bit frustrated. I have suggested to people in the past that they are doing too much cardio and they look at me like I have three heads! Yet, they rarely achieve the results they are looking for by doing the hours of cardio.

I don't think getting fit needs to be as complicated or time consuming as we make it. I'm here to tell you that 80% of your fitness success comes from your nutrition. That's right, 80%. The other 20% comes from the genes you inherited and exercise. So the adage "You are what you eat" is very accurate. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Check out what Mark Sisson, from Mark's Daily Apple has to say on the subject of long bouts of cardio.

"The fact is, our hunter-gatherer ancestors didn’t ramp up their heart rates significantly for over an hour every day, and I don’t think we should either. They walked at a very low level of exertion, burning almost entirely stored fats. Once you get into the zones where less fat is burned and where there’s a big dependency on glucose to fuel muscles, your body goes into a less efficient mode of fuel oxidation. There are biochemical costs associated with this shift. Your muscles and liver can only hold 500-600 grams of precious glycogen (stored glucose) at any one time, which means about 2 hours’ worth for the best trained individuals and less for most people. That means that to come back and work out hard the next day requires at least 600 more grams of carbs every day. That’s just too much glucose and insulin to deal with every day."

"This kind of training (and diet) raises cortisol levels, increases oxidative damage, systemic inflammation, depresses the immune system and decreases fat metabolism. About the only thing good it does is improve cardiac muscle strength – and even then you get too the point of diminishing returns fairly quickly."

Instead of spending hours in a gym, Mark suggests instead a few sessions of sprints and interval training along with lifting heavy things. He is also a firm believer in lots of play and spending some time in the sun every day (when the sun is available of course). I don't know about you, but I really like the sounds of that!

I'm heading out of town to spend time with family, but plan on starting the process of going primal when I return. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Be well :)

The Primal Blueprint - Paleolithic Diet

Good Morning My Friends;

Although I am sitting here nursing a nasty head cold, I feel peaceful. I did something to take care of me for a change. Feeling really lousy last evening, I made the decision to cancel all of my clients today. That gave me the opportunity to rest this morning and to research and blog.

I have been doing some research on the paleolithic diet. I'm intrigued. I think it makes sense. I think I'm going to try it. Being in the fitness profession, I do alot of reading on many schools of thought regarding nutrition. I recently came across a popular blog called Mark's Daily Apple. This guy is 55 years old and in incredible physical condition. His book, titled The Primal Blueprint, outlines 10 laws that Mark lives by. They are:

Law #1 - Eat Lots of Plants & Animals
Law #2 - Avoid Poisonous Things
Law # 3 - Move Frequently at a Slow Pace
Law # 4 - Lift Heavy Things
Law # 5 - Sprint Once in a While
Law # 6 - Get Adequate Sleep
Law # 7 - Play
Law # 8 - Get Adequate Sunlight
Law # 9 - Avoid Stupid Mistakes
Law # 10 - Use Your Brain

You can find this book on Amazon with several very good reviews.

With so many "newest and best" diets flooding the market today, it's hard know which is truly "the best". My advice is be willing to try different things. Listen to your body. Don't get stuck in a nutrition rut. Educate yourself. Eat foods in their natural form as often as possible. Avoid prepackaged food. Breathe. Forgive. Laugh. Love.Follow your Passion.

Have a wonderful day.

P.S. The next blog: No More Chronic Cardio!

Commit2Blog

Ugghh.....so this blogging deal isn't as easy as one would think. First of all, it's to find the time to sit down and do it. Second of all, it's to come up with something clever and interesting to blog about. Neither of which are easy tasks!

I have this fantasy that I am going to become famous by blogging. The things I blog about will be so inspiring and life changing that everyone will be checking my blog every day just to see what I have to say. But really, who am I kidding? I am just a simple girl who lives in Maine and helps people sweat and attempts to motivate people to take charge of their health and fitness. But hey, you never know, people become famous for the strangest things. William Hung comes to mind here or Larry the General with his catchy tune "Pants on the Ground". Let's not forget Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Rielle Hunter......the list goes on. So I guess it's possible that I could become famous for inspirational and motivational health and fitness blogging. I suppose I have to commit to blogging on a regular basis in order for that to happen.

So my promise to you, my loyal and dedicated followers, is to blog at least once a week. Oh sure I'll do it more often if I can make the time, but for now I won't put too much pressure on myself. I don't want to become famous too quickly :)

Have a great Saturday!

Decisions

I'm going to blog about decisions soon, I just have to decide when :)

Happy 2010

Yes it is here....a new decade awaits us. Imagine the possibilities! Let me share my New Year's Eve with you :)
The day started off uneventfully. I arose at 7:00 am and David said to me, "I thought you were going to sleep in." To which I replied, "I did." I had a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries, walnuts, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, some of Kimberly's delicious sugar-free banana bread, and some green tea. I ran some errands, called my uncle in Cape Breton, and waited for David to come home from work.

Our plan was to travel to Waterville to spend the evening with friends. We questioned the safety of driving to Waterville in the snow but decided to go anyway. Well, it almost didn't happen because David and I had a huge argument over the clothing choice of our 14 year old son. Let's just say the drive to Waterville was a quiet one.

Now if you recall from my last blog, these friends of ours live in the land of sugar. Yes, there is candy in virtually every corner of this home. There is an entire candy table downstairs in the family room. There was a gumball machine in our bedroom, get the picture. We had only been there about 20 minutes when Evan came to me with a chocolate in his hand demanding that I eat it because it was so delicious. I told him I would but I wanted to have something a little more substantial first. This appeased him and he went away. Well I am here to tell you people that I held on to that chocolate until 12:10 am!!! At one point, the hostess tried to throw it away but I rescued it! I ate that chocolate and some other chocolate and went to bed. I drank no alcohol, instead I enjoyed some pomegranate sparkling water and some seltzer. I dreamed of chocolate overnight and ate some on the drive home this morning. I have continued to consume chocolate periodically through out the day and will enjoy some wine given to me by my step-son for Christmas with dinner this evening. I will then taste some gingerbread that has been in my freezer for about three weeks and yes, I may even consume some more chocolate before all is said and done!

You see, I decided to give myself this day to indulge in some sugary delights but tomorrow it's back to business. I feel too good to let it all go by the wayside now. I had honey in my tea for the first time in a month and it was a little slice of heaven. I will most likely continue to have honey in my tea as honey has so many healthful properties. I haven't quite figured out how I will incorporate sugar into my diet from this point forward but I can tell you this, I have changed! I have discovered discipline where I thought there was none. I am stronger than the sugar that tempts me and my strong healthy body will be the proof.

I will leave you with this and my wish for you to find the discipline to do what you thought you could not do.

Allyson


There's No Challenge You Cannot Face
Challenges make us stronger.
They push us to try harder.
They allow us to be brave.
They offer us courage.
They engender hope in us.
And sometimes we go farther
than we ever dreamed possible.......
just by believing that we can.
~Ashley Rice