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

Even though the media is constantly berating us with information to the contrary, carbohydrates are not only good for us, they are essential to our well-being.  Carbohydrates are foods that are typically starch rich and high in sugar and are our body’s main source of energy.  With that being said there are carbs that are good for us and those that we should avoid when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Here’s a brief list of examples:

GOOD CARBS:

-vegetables

-fruit

-brown rice

-nuts

-seeds

-legumes

-whole cereal grains

-kamut pasta

BAD CARBS:

-white breads and white rice

-candies

-soda pop

-chips

-processed oatmeal

-white sugar

The reason why some carbs are listed as ‘bad’ is because they are foods that have been processed to the point that they have been stripped of all of their mineral and nutritional value.  Our bodies were not made to digest overly processed food. When we consume bad carbs they are turned into sugar and stored as fat.  Healthy carbs are full of fiber and nutrients and take the body time to digest, leaving you satisfied for longer and your insides happier.  Good carbohydrates are necessary for brain and organ function and give our bodies the fuel that we need for physical activity.

My suggestion when removing ‘bad carbs’ from your diet is to make little changes.  I switched my regular oatmeal to Creamy Brown Rice (because Lyzabeth suggested it) and I’m in love with it!  I added Quinoa and Chickpeas to my daily salads at lunch time and it leaves me feeling full and satisfied.  Also, I switched my bf from white pasta to multigrain and although it was a struggle at first, he recently commented that he know loves it so much, he’ll never go back!  Now if only I could get him into Kamut….

The thing with making any sustainable change in life, is that it has to be realistic and you have to remember that it takes time.  Giving up carbs forever is not only unsustainable, you will be robbing your body of essential nutrients necessary to function.  Changing your eating habits and veering away from overly processed food can prove to be very challenging but once you give ‘good carbs’ a chance you will start to realize how yummy they can be.

Here are some examples of carbs that I love:

creamy brown rice

Quinoa

chickpeas

for when i need a lil something crunchy!

Check out these sites for more info:

www.lyzabethlopez.com

www.robynbaldwin.com

www.goodcarbs.org

I’ve been on a diet since I was in grade 5. I was dealt a melodramatic devastating blow when my pediatrician told me I was over weight for my height and age when I was 10.  To add insult to injury my brother caught wind  of this little tidbit and was absolutely elated to finally have something to torture his ‘goodie two shoes’ sister with.  LOL!  He called me fat I called him dumb…  Oh brotherly sisterly love!  By the time grade 6 rolled around I was a card carrying member of the Weight Watchers chapter located at the local strip mall in our little suburb.  I became avidly involved in school sports and swore to myself that ‘fatness’ was something I totally could control and control it I would!  Every year it was something new, some different diet/workout regimen that would get me to the ultimate goal of supermodel skinniness.  I’ve tried it all!  Starvation, anorexia, bulimia -although I never could quite commit to the whole ‘fingers down the throat thing’ -diet pills etc, etc.

It’s taken me around 20 years to get it.  With the goal of supermodel skinny waaay out of my mind I’ve finally found a way to stay healthy and fit with a realistic understanding of body image.  With the New Year here with us I thought I would share some of my tried, tested and true methods to staying healthy and happy.

1. Don’t Diet. Losing weight is awesome, but to loose weight on some ‘get slim quick’ scheme can prove nightmare-ish if you gain it all back.  The only way to possibly keep weight off is to make lifestyle changes that you are willing to live with FOREVER.  uggh, I know, sounds so scary, but in the end you will be happy to never have to pull out those ‘fat jeans’ again.

2. Have A Realistic Goal: Humans love achievement – why do you think we have so many institutions set up with the sole purpose of judging us?  Hello, Oscars, Olympics, Scholarships the list goes on… So since we can’t all be on ‘The Biggest Loser” or don’t all have a gala to look good for in a month, we have to set up our own sensible set of goals that are tough but realistic.  If you start out saying you want to loose 15 pounds in a month and you’re going to do it by doing 3 workouts a day and only eating grapefruit and All Bran, you’re setting yourself up for disaster.  If you haven’t worked out in a while (or ever) start with 3 days a week and if your diet is unhealthy start cutting out the things you know your body doesn’t need.  Which brings us to number 3…

3. Pick Your Moments and Get Over It: I say pick your moments and get over it because everyone’s going to have a friend, colleague, or family member who can ‘eat whatever they want’ but the reality is most people can’t.  Food is fantastic!  But food shouldn’t be an obsession or  something that satisfies an emotion.  In reality food is supposed to nourish and fuel our body, not make us happy, solve our problems or help us get over a break-up.  Yes it sucks that not all of us can eat 3 meals a day of whatever we want when we want, but if you start to figure out what works best for your body your insides will be so much better off and thank you with amazing things like better skin and not so much muffin top.  Also, if you eat healthy the majority of the time, every now and again you can have a little of what you love and feel satisfied.

4. Educate Yourself:  Knowledge is key to everything you do.  There is so much diet and health information out there that it can seem overwhelming.  Start by getting a general understanding of what is in the food that you are eating.  There are really cool websites like caloriecount.about.com that you can use to search the nutritional information of your favorite foods.  It might make you realize a few things, for example, today I learned that my favorite drink at Starbucks (tall soy Americano Misto) has 70 calories 2.5 grams of fat and 4 grams of sugar…  I really didn’t think it had more that 50 calories and totally didn’t realize that it has sugar in it…  Maybe I will just opt for the regular Americano (15 calories) because not only is it cheaper, I can use those calories elsewhere, in something I actually really like!

nutrition facts for a tall americano misto at Starbucks

5. Know Your Body: I hear many of my friends complain about bloating, constipation and stomach pains.  They never understand why they are having these issues and at the same time never do much about it… In talking to my doctor about my own issues and discussing them further with Lyzabeth (a registered Nutritionalist) I discovered that it is estimated that 75% of the worlds population is lactose intolerant  (the inability to metabolize lactose) and 1 in 133 Americans have gluten intolerance or Celiac Disease -a sensitivity to gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye.  Gluten and dairy are in so much of what we ingest on a daily basis and sometimes the simple removal of some foods from our diet are the ticket to getting our bodies back on track.  Knowing your body and more importantly, your bodies sensitivities are paramount for healthy living.

6. Weigh Yourself Once A Week: I know most of you will hate this one, and trust me at first I did too.  But if there is one thing that I have done that has helped me take off 40 pounds and keep it off, it has been a weekly weigh in.  Weighing yourself once a week is the best way for you to measure your success or figure out where you’re going wrong.  It holds you accountable and lets you know when the pounds start creeping back instead of waking up one day and not being able to fit into your clothes.  Plus the sense of achievement you feel after being on track for a whole week and seeing positive results is amazing!

There is one stipulation that is a MUST when implementing a scale and the only way you will be able to stop yourself from becoming a weight maniac:

Weigh yourself once a week at the same time on the same day on the same scale.  If you start weighing yourself more than once a week you might be heavier one day or lighter the other and start fretting unnecessarily about it.  Weigh yourself at the same time of the day (I do it first thing Monday morning) because if you weigh yourself one day on an empty stomach at 7 am and then another day at 9pm right after dinner you’re obviously going to be heavier. Some scales are different than others, so pick one, whether it be at home or at the gym and only use it to weigh yourself.

7. Weight Training Is Just As Important As Cardio: Lifting weights doesn’t make you bulky.  As a matter of fact, weight training is one of the best ways to help you shed weight.  Muscle burns fat even when you’re not working out, so having more muscle on your body is a bonus.  One of the biggest misconceptions women have is that if you lift weights you will instantly start to resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The truth is, it takes a ridiculous amount of weight training and specific dieting to gain major muscle for women.  The best way to work out and get great results is a cardio/weight training interval workout.  My favorite is 2mins runs on the treadmill with a weight training exercise in between.  Here’s an example:

2 min run

15 squats with 15 pound free weights (repeat 4 times with runs between set)

30 alternating lunges with 15 pound free weights (repeat 4 times with runs between each set)

15 split squats per leg with 12 pound free weights (repeat 4 times with runs between each set)

30 bootie raises on bosu ball (repeat 4 times with runs between each set)

The intervals make the workout fly by and keep your mind from wandering.

8. Switch It Up: I get sick of cardio quickly.  One of the reasons I joined The Hourglass Workout was because I was so sick of my routine.  Every now and again spruce up your routine by doing something different.  Add a random spin, boxing or dance class.  Go indoor rock climbing, trampolining, or take your run outside.  There are so many ways to get your body moving that actually help increase your quality of life.  Every time I walk out of Boot Camp or Spin class I’m absolutely beaming!

spin class

hourglass outdoors!

9. Take The Temptation Out Of Your Home:  Throw out and stop buying junk.  If it’s in your pantry chances are your going to get weak at some point and the first place your going to go is to the junk.  If there’s no junk, there’s no chance in you eating it.  The harder it is to access, the easier it is to stay on track.

10. Know What You’re Going To Eat and When: Planning what you’re going to eat (or having a rough idea) takes the guess work out of a healthy lifestyle.  Life is hectic and forgetting to eat can be as damaging as over eating.  So whether its pre-cooking a bunch of chicken breasts (which can help your pocketbook as well) or just pre-planning the times you’re going to eat and where, you’ll be ahead of the game. Remember that what you eat effects 70-80% of your results leaving only 20-30% up to your workouts.  You can be in the best cardiovascular shape ever but if your diet isn’t right, the extra pounds will still be hanging around….

11. If You Fall Off, Get Back On STAT!: You’ve been excellent all week, it’s Friday and you’re getting together with a bunch of your friends.  One drink turns to four and four turns into dancing and dancing turns into 3am at the Chinese restaurant….  You wake up the next morning feeling like crap, sad you ruined all of your hard work and want to just throw in the towel.  NEGATIVE!  Get your booty out of bed and start back on your healthy eating/workout plan.  Don’t wallow in despair, give yourself forty lashes for bad behavior, just get back to it!  Forget about cheat days and cheat meals, taking weekends off, just eat as well as you can as often as you can and you’ll be good.

10. Do It For You!: I know it’s awesome to have a partner, someone to go through the journey with, but unfortunately the only people we can depend on is ourselves.  If our health depends on the fortitude of another then we won’t get anywhere.  It’s cool to workout with other people, make plans to meet at a class, but don’t make the reason you’re going or the only way you’ll go be dependent on the other person.  Chances are the other person is going to bail, so make a promise to yourself that you’re going to reach your goal no matter what and if someone wants to come along for the ride, amazing!  I joined Hourglass thinking all of my friends were going to join, none of them did.  I went anyways and have made so many great friends and haven’t stopped going since!

xoxo,

coco

p.s. sorry this was so long.  apparently i like talking about this stuff!  this year i make more of an effort to  share more health tips from my friends Mark and Lyzabeth.

My Poppa was highly encouraged to get a flu shot this year (as he is every year) because he’s an oral surgeon and front line workers are always pressured to get shots because they are in constant contact with sick people.  I usually don’t follow my Daddy’s advice about the  flu shot but this year something seems a little different.  It may be the fact that it has such a sexy new name ‘Swine Flu’…  Or that it has been in the news for what seems like forever.  But the thing that really made me start to reconsider was the quote I read in The Globe And Mail from David Suzuki when asked if he’s going to get the shot

“Yes.  I’m astounded at people.  Do they think doctors, scientists and government are out to poison them or something?”

hmmm, now that you put it that way David, no…..  Although according to the twitter poll I did last week, I think a lot of people might beg to differ.

Poll Time!

What do you guys think?  Are you going to take the plunge and get the shot?

Sweat Everyday!

As seen on a Lululemon water bottle.

I used to hate this phrase but since I’ve started to ‘sweat everyday’ (literally) I find it is the thing that keeps me totally balanced.  Sweating helps you release toxins, clear your mind and sometimes (if you work hard enough) gives you an endorphin rush that is satisfaction like no other! 

Sweat Everyday!

I love working out the results I get from working out with resistance bands and when I found this TRX Suspension Training kit I swooned.  I love the fact that its super compact and you can set it up almost anywhere. Plus there are a million different exercises that you can do with it so its hard to get bored. yay! Check out the video to see how it works

Have any of you tried TRX?

xoxo,

coco