Week Day Schedule

Sorry it has been a while since I've last posted. I've had some family emergencies come up, but everything seems to be alright now:)

I was asked by a friend here on the blog to describe what a typical week looks like for me. Well during the winter its not nearly the same as the summer...I'm not as active, but I still try to get exercise in as often as I can. Here is a daily break down:

Wake up at 7:50am:
-Have breakfast I never ever skip out on having breakfast). I usually have a banana and some cottage cheese. I want my vitamins and protein to begin my day. I then have my 2 second commute to my home office (I work for Direct Energy from home).

Snack at 10am:
-My snack is usually some cantaloupe or a yogurt (no fat, no sugar or aspartame)

Lunch break 12pm-2pm
-I have lunch, usually a toasted tomato sandwich (whole wheat bread, tomato, lettuce..and yes cheese, but only small amounts of cheese as its high in saturated fat). I also accompany it with a cup of grapes.

Back to work 2pm-5pm
-Snack at 3:30pm. My snack varies at this time, I don't have fruit any more after 2pm as fruit does contain a lot of sugars. I usually have a couple of crackers (4-5).

Done work at 5pm
-Make dinner for 6pm
-A typical dinner for me is stir fries. I use lean skinless boneless chicken breasts or I use salmon.
-I use tons of veggies: green and red peppers, green onions, fresh garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, and spices.
-I don't tend to use a sauce as the amount of vegetables coats the wild grain rice perfectly, no need for sauce, lots of flavour and spice.
-I mix the stir fries flavours, sometimes I had spinach, sometimes I make a sweet taste stir fry by using some honey, sometimes I make it bold and spicy with cayenne peppers, or I make a dill stir fry etc....

8pm-9pm
-I work out. I split up my work routines. For instance today is my arms. I will be working my arms and back today.

9pm
-Always finish with a protein shake. No more snacking after 9pm, that it my cut off point.

*This is a typical week-day for me. It does vary slightly on some days. My summer days are drastically different. Evening are spent either biking or hiking for hours at a time...but right now with the weather being -30 degrees Celsius...and foots of snow we don't get out as often as we like.

*I never drink juice, pop (doesn't matter if its diet or not...if pop can rust a nail within 48 hours, I don't want it in my body), and rarely alcohol as its high in sugar. I tend to only drink water 6-8 glasses. I have a glass of milk with my protein shake.

*I always eat 3 meals a day with 3 snack times. It keep my energy levels up and my metabolism higher.

*So for the most part, I try to limit my carb intake to just 3-4 servings, I try to get at least 3-4 servings of fruit and 3-4 servings of vegetables. I always make sure to get 3 servings of dairy (woman tend to be more at risk for osteoporosis). I always make sure to get at least 3 servings of protein as I'm strength training. I work out 3 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on, 1 day off etc. Therefore I work out 6 times a week.

My Love

I have many loves, God, my husband, my best-friend, family, food, fitness, and hiking. I cannot think of any better way to enjoy a warm Saturday / Sunday afternoon then grabbing some food and hiking up some trails. Hiking is fantastic because your really using your legs. Its a fantastic work out and is actually considered one of the best exercises in toning your legs....and trust me I need it, lol!

The benefits of hiking seem endless. For women, hiking can actually help prevent osteoporosis. This is accomplished because while we hike we work against the force of gravity, which in return helps increase our bone density and can actually slow down any calcium loss. Therefore, our bones can become stronger and are then less likely to break. Hiking also can improve our balance.

Our balance is improved through walking the different terrains. You never know when your going to encounter a hill, rocky areas, stream crossings or other different terrains, therefore you will actually begin to develop better balance and coordination.

Hiking can also help prevent heart, lower your cholesterol, and decrease hypertension by dilating your blood vessels. There are so many health benefits to hiking, but scenery is also remarkable and cannot go unnoticed.

There is nothing better then walking in the middle of a forest and having nothing but nature around you. I love hearing the birds sing, the leaves blowing in the wind, the sun rays shining through the trees, and the warmth of the sun. I can easily spend hours and not even notice. It rarely feels like a work out even though I have burned 1000's of calories. Did you know, that a person who weighs 135 lbs carrying their back pack (say containing approx 20lbs) walking at just 3.5mph can burn 1358 calories over the course of 4 hours! 4 hours may seem like a long time to exercise, but when it doesn't feel like exercise...time will just fly on by. Most of my fondest memories are spent hiking with my husband.

Going For Bananas

Wow, bananas are like the power fruit. I grew up knowing that bananas offered potassium, which was essential for our muscles, but did you know that they also have high amounts of vitamins A, C and fiber. These elements help several aspects of our body, for instance they aid in healthy bowels, reduce blood pressure, helps reduce water retention, protection from strokes, and is a natural sleeping pill to name just a few.

They help in bowel movements because one medium size banana has 16% of our daily need for fiber! Fiber aids our bowel movements.

Bananas also help reduce high blood pressure because of the potassium. Potassium is great for proper muscle contraction, but it is also linked to assisting in lowering blood pressure. Studies show that people with low potassium levels are more likely to have higher blood pressure and are at more risk for a stroke.

Water retention can also be reduced through eating bananas. The high potassium in bananas helps reduce water retention, which is awesome for us women who may feel slightly bloated during certain times of the month.

Well, I've heard warm milk can make you sleep at night, but not bananas...well not until recently. My husband has difficulty sleeping at night and I thought there has to be a natural way for him to sleep, rather then sleeping pills. Well, many websites came up with different food items, but one item that was consistent was bananas. I've never heard of that...so, I did some further investigation and it appears that bananas contain tryptophan. Tryptophan helps produce serotonin, serotonin causes a calming effect on the brain; and therefore, acts as a sedative.

Bananas are awesome. They have so many benefits and taste fantastic! They are beautifully yellow, bright and can be used in a variety of foods. Bananas are awesome in banana bread, cereal, yogurt, or even by themselves. So the next time you feel bloated, high blood pressure, or have difficulty sleeping...may I suggest grabbing a banana.

Leg Work Out

Now I love working out my legs, my husband on the other hand runs for the hills. He would much rather work out his arms (my least favourite by far) then his abs and with much arguing and prompting he will work out his legs. But in all fairness I should say that he works all day on his legs moving things around and is piratically working out his legs all day long; therefore another huge dose of strength training for his legs is not his idea of a good time. I on the other hand love working out my legs...but that's because 5 years ago I had the oh so wonderful cottage cheese bum. The beautiful ripples and dimples graced my buttocks abundantly. Quite embarrassing really. I use to wear skirt bikini's all the time to cover my bottom. Now; however, my bottom isn't that bad. I didn't invent the miracle cure for cellulite or remove all of it, I WISH! But, I can now wear shorts and a bikini without the skirt...first time this year! Most of the ripples and dimples are gone, and I owe it all to exercise.

For my leg routines I have about 3. This is an example of one of my leg routines: Firstly, I warm up for 5-10 (running, dancing, jump jacks), then I do 45 lunges per leg. I then do 60 squats (I try to get the more difficult exercises out of the way so that I have the energy to do them still). I then proceed with the hamstring curl. I place weights on my legs and lay on my stomach. Curling my legs to my bottom. I do 60-75 (depending on the day). I then proceed with the next exercise which is my calve raise. I do 50 per leg and place 5 lbs weights on my legs. After wards, I stretch then I grab my mat. I strap on 5 lbs on my left leg, grab my 8 lb dumbbell and then do 100 leg lifts. I then use the same leg and pull it towards my chest while laying on my side and my other leg remains straight (I do 75). I then extend my leg in the air (about 45 degree angle) and have the other leg (with no weights on it) reach up and touch it (50 times). I then roll over onto my other side so that my left leg is now the leg I'm laying on. I now lift it up 100 times to work on my inner thighs.

I then take kneel on all 4 and lift my left leg 50 times off the floor. I then extend the same left leg to the side 50 times. I repeat the same exercises with my right leg attaching on weights to the right leg. This whole exercise takes me approximately 1 hour.

I found that by working on my legs I was able to tone my thighs and buttocks to an extent that visible reduced my cellulite and reduce the size of my thighs. Now, there is no such thing as spot reduction; however, you can tone certain muscles that will help tone certain areas of your body. For my I concentrate mostly on my stomach and legs as I am a pear shape and tend to carry my weight on my bottom half. Plus, lol...I'm very weak in my arms and hate pushing myself in that area...even though I know I really should. So, I still work out my arms twice a week, but I'm the one now arguing and whining to my husband, lol :) Happy exercising everyone!

Abs Work Out

I love working out, especially my abs. I'm always trying to achieve a 6 pack. Its important to maintain a strong core to eliminate any back pains, helps you perform better in sports, helps avoid injuries, and can also improve your balance.

For my general ab work out I have a few different routines. Its important to mix it up so that your body doesn't plateau. This is #1 of my routine for my abs. I tend to warm up for 5-10 minutes (either with running, jumping jacks, or dancing). I then proceed with 3 (1 minute interval) planks. If your not use to doing the plank, then try 30 seconds and try to do as many intervals as possible. Very important to keep your back straight during the plank. After the 3 minute plank, I stretch, then proceed with standard sit-ups. I tend to do 100 sit ups with 16 lbs. Then I do a reverse crunch (weights on my ankles) and do a 100. Afterwards I tend to do the bicycle crunch for 3 (1 minute intervals). After this I then do a leg lift...this is where I have weights on my ankles and left my legs up, my partner then tries to push my legs down with force, and I have to prevent my legs from hitting the floor and raise them again. I do 75 of these. I then proceed with the vertical leg crunch. I have my legs up in the air and I lift my upper body off the floor to try and hit my feet with my hands. I actually find these more difficult (lol, that could be because I'm tired at this point) so I do only about 50. I then proceed with 50 crunches on the exercise ball. Last but not least I do a 100 dumbbell side bends per side holding onto 12 lbs.

This is an example of one of my routines. I do not use this routine every time I work out my abs because that would not be very effective. Its always best to mix things up and not allow your body to adapt to your work out regimes.

How I Lost Weight

Everyone loses weight differently, but one thing is certain...eating well and exercise will certainly help you lose weight. I was very heavy at one point in my life...I was the cute bubbly chubby girl. Not exactly who I wanted to be or thought I was until one of my friends told me flat out that it was time I lost some weight. After going through several fitness tests I realized how true that really was. For me, losing weight wasn't that difficult. It was changing my lifestyle that was the hardest. I knew that I had to make huge life changes in order to lose the weight and keep it off. I was you typical burger and hot dog lover. I often said I didn't have a sweet tooth, but I have a grease tooth. Lovely picture, isn't it?

To give up eating hamburgers, hot dog, deep fried french fries, pop, spaghetti, lasagna, bacon etc...was difficult, but I knew that I could replace them with other foods. For instance, I have spaghetti a few times a month, load it with vegetables and use chicken instead of ground beef, same with my lasagna, I use chicken for that too. Soon, I realized I didn't have to give up any of the foods I really loved, I just had to tweak them a little.

So, with eating more lean chicken, fish, fruit, vegetables, and YES carbs...I was able to have the motivation, energy and will power to exercise. I know many people see carbs as the ultimate evil, that I will never understand. Carbs are great for you and very much essential and are an important tool in losing weight. We use carbs to stimulate the production of serotonin that causes us to feel more full then we actually are...thus losing weight because we tend to eat less. So, for me...carbs were very much involved in losing weight.

I also, worked out 5 times a week. I used either the elliptical or the stationary bike for 60 minutes of cardio and then I did a full body circuit. I now separate my muscles as I'm more focusing on toning and strengthening, but when I first began I did full body work outs to burn more calories.

Losing weight is a life goal. Every pound should be celebrated as it is a significant reminder of the wonderful changes we are making in our lives to become healthier. For those days that we may slip up and eat a little more or skip the work out, it happens..we are human, but the important thing is, we continue the next day with creating a better and healthier life for ourselves.

Bike Riding...More Then Just Cardio

I think everyone favours a certain exercise for a cardiovascular workout. For me, I love obtaining more cardio workouts through a variety of methods. My favourite method would have to be bike riding. The reasons are many. Mainly, because it tones my legs (which is where I tend to put on weight) and burns a lot of calories. Secondly, it doesn't feel like working out, and thirdly its cheap.

It is such a great cardio work out, for instance, a person of my stature, can burn 396 calories in just 1 hour biking 12-14 mph. Which is an awesome calorie burn. Now for someone who is 180 lbs that same person could have the potential to burn 712.5 calories in 1 hour.

I never feel like I'm working out when I go bike riding. Its so peaceful. You get the opportunity to escape the busy lifestyle and get some fresh air. I tend to go with my husband for 2-3 hours about 3 times a week during the spring, summer, and fall seasons. We have explored so many trails, have witness so much beauty. We also, take a little break normally and have a small picnic. Its a great way to spend some quality time with someone your close to, or a great time to get that much needed "me time".

Biking is so cheap. No need to pay for a gym. You can usually find a decent bike for $99.00 (Canadian) and your good to go. Bikes should last you for quite a few years with proper care. So for all of those that are not in a winter season right now and have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, I suggest grabbing your helmet and bike...go for a ride, enjoy the breeze, fresh air, nature sounds, and fun during your next cardio session.

To find out more on how many calories you burn during your favourite exercises, please check out this website for free: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc