My friend and fellow book club member Robyn Baldwin started these inspiring workout vids last month and they are the perfect thing to keep you pulling through when most of us want to give up -mid-week or mid-month.
Click on the READ MORE tab below to watch July’s Mid-Month Motivation video
At first when I joined The Hourglass workout with Lyzabeth Lopez I just wanted to add something new to my workout schedule. I didn’t really follow the meal plan that she provided and didn’t really see any crazy changes to my body. It wasn’t until a few of the girls encouraged me to take the 3 Month Challenge that things really started to change. I’ve always been a quiet competitor, but to avoid failure I had been avoiding challenges…. After checking out the amazing success that the girls had on Lyzabeth’s facebook page I got up enough courage to brave the ‘before’ shot taken in the girls change room after class.
Two months into the challenge I was so amped! I had heard girls raving over the meal plan and how once you got it right, the weight just melted off and now I was starting to see the results. The food and workout schedule was grueling but it also became a routine -almost a normal way of life- and though I missed champagne and pizza, the challenge was only 3 months and the way I was feeling was helping me to stay motivated. Lyzabeth and the girls were also such an awesome inspiration. They are not shy to compliment you and at the same time try to push you just that little bit farther to help you reach your goal. I didn’t end up winning the challenge (my new friend Chynna took the prize, love her!) but I actually really believe I won in so many other ways.
1. I got myself back into a healthy routine that I plan on keeping for the rest of my life
2. I remembered what it feels like to really accomplish something tangible
3. I tested my limits and realized how much further I can push myself
So although I still cringe at these photos, a new girl in class told me that I inspired her to join and I was super flattered. It got me thinking that if my embarrassing photos can inspire one person to get healthy, then maybe they can inspire two?
ignore the awful hiked up thong… lol
In the 3 months I lost 16 pounds. I still have more to go but the main thing about this challenge is that it taught me the importance of having a goal and sticking, fighting, kicking your way to it.
The next Hourglass Workout 3 Month Challenge Starts in July. Sign up soon to ensure your spot. Click HERE for more info
xoxo,
coco
When watching what you eat it can get increasingly difficult to find something that satisfies ‘The Crunch Factor’. Most crunchy things are laden with preservatives, gluten and fat, full with empty calories and little to no ‘goodness’. On a recent trip to Whole Foods I came across a feature section that had products from a company called Live. Lyzabeth Lopez, the leader of my fave Hour Glass Workout and nutritionist swears by Live restaurant but what I didn’t realize was that they also sold some of their products in stores.
The crackers looked good so I grabbed them and a bag of Kale Chips. I have to be honest, I’m not a fan of the Kale Chips (because they taste like seaweed) but I’m a picky eater, so don’t not try them because of me (Lyzabeth loves them). On the other hand the Rosemary and Onion crackers are killer! They are crunchy and amazing with Humus or even alone. The crackers are also gluten and dairy free and are organic. If you’re looking for a little healthy crunch I totally recommend the Rosemary and Onion Crackers from Live!
I would love to share a pic of them but regrettably I ate them all and through out the bag before I could blog about them… LOL! Apparently I’m a fan…
Click HERE for more info on Live
xoxo,
coco
p.s. I’m so going to check out Live for dinner soon and will report back.
Reflexology is a form of massage and pressure application to feet, hands and ears, which correspond to, related areas, glands and organs, that when massaged, release tension and encourage circulation.
Foot Chart
Hand Chart
Ear Chart
With a woman’s love for sky-high heels and addiction to the crackberry, reflexology is a great way to release stress, stimulate energy flow and be pampered all at the same time! I have turned to reflexology many times and it’s fascinating to know that every party of your nervous system is connected!
Most spas offer reflexology and I highly recommend you try it. If you’re ticklish though, you may squirm for the first little bit.
Have you ever tried Reflexology?
xoxo,
Lowe
A couple of weeks ago I checked out Cykl – the first indoor cycling studio in Toronto that uses RealRyder bikes. Although it was one of the toughest workouts that I’ve had in a while, I am totally hooked! RealRyder bikes are the only stationary bikes in the world that allow riders to lean left and right into turns. When you first get on it’s the strangest sensation, you’re core is instantly engaged as you try to stabilize yourself and keep the bike centered. Although it’s impossible to fall off once you’re strapped in, it kind of feels like you just might. The best part about the bike and the reason why it’s such a great workout is because it actually mimics the feeling of riding on the open road. Unlike regular stationary Spin bikes, RealRyder’s give you more range of motion therefore working more muscle groups.
Cykl is new, fresh, clean and bright. The owners and teachers are super amped and are extremely helpful to newbies. I’ve been with Lowe and another friend and have sent two of my other girls – all at different fitness levels- and they were all able to keep up and wholeheartedly agreed that it was a kick ass workout.
I highly recommend going to check out Cykl! They are offering free classes for first timers!
Go to www.cykl.ca for more info
xoxo,
coco
No this isn’t a post about the short lived MTV series that I was one summer shamefully addicted to, but rather a post on why I work out twice a day. Someone recently said to me “you’re going to workout again?! You’re insane!” Although working out twice a day may seem over the top, let me explain why and then make your judgments. I, like most people in North America spend 90% of my workday sitting down. I have the luxury of having a car, so in the winter I don’t walk for long distances outside and the most physical exertion that I do (outside of the gym) is typing – not exactly sweat-inducing activity.
If you’re like me and you sit in an office all day only to pop in your car to get home and then jump on your couch to eat dinner, you’re probably not getting enough physical activity. A friend suggested adding early morning cardio sessions to help stimulate my metabolism and get me moving. I was so resistant at first, but after actually getting up to do it, I started to find that it was in those cardio sessions that I was able to come up with some of the best ideas. It was my own private brain storming session that really got my day going in the right direction. On days that I just cannot force myself into spandex that early I do a Spin class over lunch, which leaves me equally refreshed to attack the rest of the day.
If you’re like the millions of people in North America and around the world that spend way too much time sitting, it’s time to get up and get moving. Think about it, when we were kids we couldn’t wait to get outside and tear it up at recess! If the gym isn’t your thing, get walking or skipping or swimming or jogging! Just get active. Working out twice a day shouldn’t be such a cause for alarm, the lack of movement in our society should be!
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I read a really interesting article in The Star the other day and it was about “Adrenal Fatigue” a term coined by a chiropractor and naturopath in Fergus, Ontario named James Wilson, who believes this to be a syndrome people are developing in the 21st century based on the higher levels of stress due to technology, work load and society’s faster pace.
Excerpt from the article:
“They had trouble waking up in the morning, needed caffeine to get through the day, and felt a drop in energy mid-afternoon. Their second wind came at 11 p.m., revving them up for three hours. Their deepest sleep, work permitting, was between 7 and 9 in the morning. They felt tired and unable to concentrate. Their condition improved, Wilson says, when he treated their adrenal glands, boosting the hormones involved in regulating the body’s daily rhythms and dealing with stress.”
Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I can basically check off 7/7 of these symptoms! Eeeek!
FYI: Adrenal glands which are located on the top of one’s kidneys are an integral part of the endocrine system which are glands that secrete hormones throughout your body. In the world of energy each of the seven endocrine glands are associated with the seven ‘chakras’.
The natural stress response your body sends when dealing with acute physical threats such as an attack or the need to run from danger is the release of adrenaline. At this point having your life threatened is just as worrisome as the various other things that add up such as relationship issues, work problems, money and responsibilities.
Although this hasn’t been recognized as a diagnosable disease, ways to decrease adrenal fatigue include meditation, simplifying your life, exercise, acupuncture, upping potassium and decreasing sodium intake, among other things. It basically boils down to the idea that life is only stressful if you let it be.
*turns off blackberry ringer, sips on a tea and takes a deep breathe*
Do you agree that this could be a syndrome that affects our stress levels?
For the full article, CLICK HERE
Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!
xoxo,
Lowe
