I HAVE A CONFESSION

I have a confession to make!  I knew this week was going to be tough, starting a new job and all, getting used to the hours, new environment and learning the ropes as I go and oh yah, standing all day! This old body just does not like standing all day!!!

Oh right, the confession.........

I wrote the last few posts ahead of time as I knew I just would not have the time this week to do them.  Is that bad?  I was right though, it has been a tough and busy week and two more days to go before I can relax????  Not only do I have this new job as Manager of a gym and my own Personal Training business but my sister and I have another business.  

Yup, call me crazy!  In my spare time.....oh wait......what spare time?  I design and hand make Industrial Vintage Lighting for peoples homes, cafes, businesses etc.  In fact, one was just purchased by a local Wedding Planner and it will be featured in a wedding this weekend.  How cool is that?  I also rescue Vintage furniture and repurpose and restyle to fit into todays modern lifestyle.  And this week has seen some big changes in that department.

Yesterday I discovered through my PR person ( my sister) that a reporter wants to come to my house next week and interview me!  Turns out he has a thing for lighting......lol.  Plus I have been featured on a Canada wide Facebook site show casing Canadian Artisans, I have an upcoming Open House on October 20th that I am getting ready for and I just took down a month long Widow Display that I did for a local business.

So when do I have time to also fit in my workouts?  I've been waking up a little earlier this week and hitting the gym before I go to work.  Just like any other busy person, sometimes this is the only time you can find those "extra hours in the day" to workout!  

Yes, it is hard getting up earlier but the good side is you get it done, have energy for the rest of the day and the evenings to relax, spend time with family or get the grocery shopping done.

SO NO EXCUSES!

live life and laugh

TOTALLY CLEAN LABOUR DAY FEAST

I have been a "clean" eater most of my adult life. 

Roasted Beets with Raspberries and mint and Balsamic glaze

Grilled prawns in curry, lime and cilantro 

Grilled Corn on the Cob with no butter!

So when I invited a girlfriend for a BBQ Labour Day weekend, she informed me that she was doing Tosca Reno's "stripped clean" diet for the month of September! I said 'no problem'. You do not have to sacrifice flavour for an incredible meal. 

Avocado Chocolate Mousse 

I told her there would be a surprise at the end with NO guilt!!

Confused?

Confused?  I bet you are!  

I've been getting a lot of people asking me what I do for my meal planning day by day. And by what some of you have told me, you are a bit confused about Carbs and Protein.  For some of us, it's hard to know what type of food is a Carb and what is a Protein........although I think that most of us can figure the protein thing out but some things might surprise you!

Most people think of Carbs as potatoes, rice, wheat (bread, pasta) etc.......while this is true and it is also these carbs (the simple carbs) that I want you to stay away from during this   challenge and always actually!  You will be surprised how much better you will feel.

Now, i'm not one for a no Carb diet......that is just silly cause I don't know about you but I do not want to end up in the hospital from too many fainting spells or going into Ketosis or have low mood swings!  I do this to feel better about my self and damn it.........just plain feel good!  You've all heard the the key to losing weight is cutting out the bad carbs, the white carbs.......well it's true.

Bad Carb (but really yummy!)

Good Carbs (and still yummy!)

So I want you to get your carbs from vegetables (and some fruit, just remember that fruit is also very high in sugar!) and lots of them!  Veggies that are green, yellow, red or purple are very high in the good carbs.

The great thing about eating clean is the combining lean protein and complex carbs at each of the small meals eaten over the course of the day.  Together they normalize insulin levels and slow the release of glucose which in turns slows the carb-to-fat conversion cause it takes more work to digest these foods.  It will rev up your metabolism, so you burn more fat!  How simple is that?

The Guidelines for this Challenge

So now for those Guidelines.  Take the time to review them all.  And don't forget to contact me if you have any questions along the way by either leaving a comment on this blog or contacting me directly through email at robyn@zhooshfitness.com

•               eat 5-6 small meals every day

•               eat every 2-3 hours

•               make sure you have lean protein and complex carbs at every meal

•               drinks lots of water~8 cups a day ( i drink way more than this when i'm working out)

•               never ever miss a meal~especially breakfast

•               pack your food for the day~i use one of those soft insulated lunch boxes

•               no processed foods! especially white flour and sugar!

•               avoid all saturated and trans fats

•               no colas, juices or fizzy drinks

•               consume healthy fats (EFAs) every day~more on this later

•               avoid alcohol! ( LOL!  Isn't that what got us into this challenge in the first place?)

•               lots of fresh fruit and veggies for fiber and vitamins

•               proper portion sizes (more on this one later)

Okay, this should be enough to get you started!  Don't be overwhelmed.....if this sounds like too much, start small, pick out a few things, make some small changes.  

Keeping a food journal is an excellent idea!  Write down everything you eat over a 3-5 day period........and I mean EVERYTHING!!!  You will start to see where a little extra treat here and there really adds up.  In just a few months last year, my sister dropped 20 lbs  by cutting out snacking in the evening and going for daily walks with her dog.

The number one rule in my book is if you eat small meals every 2-3 hours, you don't get hungry so you don't snack and ruin all your hard work!

So for breakfast this morning, this is what i am having to start my day off right!

Quinoa with Oats

1 cup quinoa, soaked for 2 hours

1 cup steel cut oats (my fav)

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 cups water

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup raisins (i'm using blueberries today)

In a medium saucepan with lid, place soaked quinoa, steel cut oats, sea salt and water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon, vanilla and raisins.  Let sit for several minutes.

This makes 4 one-cup servings.  Only eat one cup!  The rest can be reheated the following day for breakfast or take it with you to work and heat up a serving in the microwave and this could also double as one of your meals later.

Don't forget to check out my FB Page www.facebook.com/ZhooshFitnessByDesign

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TOO MANY COCKTAILS ON THE PATIO CHALLENGE (or how to fit into that little Black Dress by Christmas)

I always knew I would start another blog, but I never ever thought it would be like this. Yes, it would be about food, great food, gourmet food, entertaining, wine, recipes! You see, I LOVE food. Come on.......a blog about fitness, Personal Training, nutrition and eating clean.....get real!  Well, I guess I did  get real! 

As some of you know, I quit Dentistry last August after 28 years!  I went back to school to do something I felt very passionate about........I became a Personal Trainer.  When one door closes, another opens or should I say many doors are opening!  Tomorrow I start as Manager and Personal Trainer at FITXPRESS......a gym in Burnaby.

My last post was a picture of me at the end of August and how I felt when I saw it.  Please read it.  It was this picture that made me decide to create this CHALLENGE for you all.

Why the title? 

It was a beautiful summer and i'm sure most of you, like me, had way too many cocktails (in my case, wine!) on the patio with all those BBQ's.  Not to mention ice cold beer and nachos.  All my hard work in school, learning and training about fitness and nutrition went out the door.  I saw that picture and the next day I tweaked my diet (cutting out all alcohol) eating 4-5 small, well balanced meals a day and getting back into my fitness routine.  I dropped 9 lbs in just 3 weeks!

I  have a lot of knowledge and background on eating clean and nutrition (food allergies have taught me all that).  Coupled with my fitness background, I feel I am more than qualified to lead you towards the BEST YOU EVER.

A PHOTO, ALL IT TOOK WAS A PHOTO

This picture was taken on the last day of my teaching Boot Camp this summer and I was not happy with myself when I saw it!  See that red arrow?  Yes, it is pointing to.....yes, Robyn has a Muffin Top!  I know it might not be significant to others, in fact a few people have made comments in that direction but to me and my health it is.

Did you know that if your waist-to-hip-ratio or Girth as it is called is > than, you are considered prone to Heart Disease? 

And I call myself a Personal Trainer? The very next day, I tweaked my diet and exercise and in just 3 short weeks I was able to dropped 9 lbs and tone up. I must practice what I teach! So follow along with me as I give practical advise on nutrition and exercise to achieve your goals! 

What will it be to get you to change?  A photo of yourself?  Difficulty going up and down the stairs or walking a hill?  How about wanting to keep up with your children or Grandkids?  Living a dream of doing a Walking Tour in Europe next year?

Tell me your goals and what it took to motivate you to follow me along on this journey?  

Who's up for the Challenge?

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The Personal Stuff! (or the boring stuff) Part 2

Ok, I'm ready to finish this story!  Coffee is at hand!

Fast forward 4 years and i'm single again.  I mentioned earlier that as kids we used to ice skate all the time and I missed it!  So I decided to take up Adult Figure Skating!!  I was loving it and learning all sorts of new tricks.  One day I was practising over and over again my spin.......you know, the one legged kind where your body is parallel to the ground.  I was getting good and I guess I got too cocky and tried it again.........not a good idea!

You guessed it!  I broke my leg in the most Canadian way possible.........ice skating!  And this was no simple break but a spiral fracture in 3 places.  Basically I was f***ed!  Surgery and 8 months off work before I could walk properly again.....and that was with a limp :-(

The doctors were concerned with how easily I broke my leg, so I had a bone scan and at the early age of 34 I had the beginnings of Osteoporosis! All those years of no weight bearing exercises  and the lack of dairy, because I was allergic to it, caught up with me.

The Personal Stuff! (or the boring stuff) Part 1

When i was first asked if I was going to do a blog to go along with my Personal Training business, I said yes, I was thinking about it.  

You see, I wondered if I would have the time to contribute on a regular basis to a blog.  I mean, I was already maintaining 2 Facebook Pages, trying to get Zhoosh fitness by design off the ground and I had already started a new venture with my sister back in the spring.  Something completely different than a career in the Fitness Industry.  Added to all this, I have just started a new job as Manager and Personal Trainer of a fitness gym in Burnaby.  I am still in training and will take over as Manager of this gym on the 24th of this month!

Then it was suggested that I add a personal touch to start off this blog, something that would engage it's readers, a background on my own struggle to become the person that I am today.  To reach out and inspire the "normal" people, the every day people who struggle along with the rest of us, trying to balance life, work, children, relationships and anything else that falls in our way to lead a healthy, productive lifestyle!

So here goes the boring back ground......