Mastering the Morning Workout

I am no stranger to a 5:30am wake up. In fact it's pretty much the norm. However, as Fall approaches and the mornings cease to greet me with brilliant blue sky and a rising sun, it will take a new kind of willpower to get me out of my cozy bed on those early morning days.

Here are some tips on how to make it easier:

1- Put your alarm on the opposite side of the room so you actually have to get out of bed to turn it off. Once you're up...you're up.

2- Set your workout intentions for the week on Sunday night. Write down your plan for the week and tick it off as you go.

3- Make sure your playlist on your Pod is upbeat and ready to go. Download 1 new song at the beginning of the week that will inspire you.

4- Hold yourself accountable to someone else by making plans to meet in the morning. It feels even worse to let someone else down.

5- Prepare EVERYTHING the night before... Clothes, shoes, purse, water bottle and anything else that might delay you getting out of bed and out the door.

6- Reward yourself. Sometimes the Americano that I get from Starbucks after my morning class is enough to motivate me, but if you need a little more incentive than straight caffeine, treat yourself to a manicure at the end of the week if you follow through on your plan.

7- Be accountable to someone... whether it's the person who sleeps next to you, or a roommate down the hall, let them know you are waking up early for your workout and ask them to hold you to it.

8- Don't throw in the towel! If you sleep an extra 10 minutes and can only make a 45 minute session at the gym, DO IT! Push yourself harder in a shorter period of time. Learn to be efficient in the gym.

9- Hire a trainer... Nobody wants to pay the $80 cancel-charge to a trainer for sleeping in.

10- Get to bed earlier. Reap the benefits of a full night rest by tucking in early and aim for at least 6-8 hours.

How Bad Do You Want It?

"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe... then you'll be successful"

Lessons from Ironman 2011

Yesterday I attended my second Ironman to cheer on Troy, Greg and Tim while they competed in this year's event... (See Ironman2010 here). Just like last year, I came away from that experience with such a sense of pride for not only those guys, but for all of the competitors who put the training in and finish that race.

This year proved what we already knew: that weather is a factor, that heat makes anything more intense, and that the support of friends, family and even strangers, is just one more component which drives these athletes to the finish line- like Gatorade, water, Power Gels, and Cliff Blocks.

For what would Ironman be without the streets filled with words of love and encouragement? How could a runner withstand a marathon in the blistering sun after a 6-hour bike ride, if he didn’t know his family was waiting for him at the end? How do these people even find the strength to continue when their muscles are cramping and everything in their body is telling them to quit?

I know the answer.

Because when I see some of these people squishing into those wetsuits, gearing up for that 180km bike, or pounding the pavement slowly, but surely, one step at a time, I know that at some point in their life they set this goal, and allowed nothing to stand in their way. I am filled with awe when I yell “Great job!” from the sidelines and they smile back and say “thank you”. And in those moments I am even more intrigued with the power of the human spirit, and the might of the human body.

Although this event may not be on everybody’s bucket list, it certainly epitomizes the power of a goal. Whether you want to lose weight, eat healthier, or just live a more active life, you need to know that that is already in you. It is not out of your reach. Anything can be achieved. And when you give yourself space and time and you dedicate yourself to something, it will happen. It is the law of the universe, that what we think about, we bring about.

So plant that seed. Aim high. Create your own Ironman.

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro

If you are looking for a new restaurant to try in Vancouver I would love to suggest visiting The Oakwood in Kits ( 2471 West 4th Ave) ... Troy and I joined Jody and Tyson there last night for a late dinner and it was DELICIOUS! Boasting all local, all organic and all seasonal ingredients, Mike Shea and his team do it right... In a word: Perfection!

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Keen-Wah :)

Meet my new food Compadre: Quinoa.

Although a seed, quinoa is commonly mistaken as a grain because of its light and fluffy consistency when cooked. Being very high in protein, quinoa is an essential part of any healthy vegetarian's or vegan's diet (I am neither of these)... and more importantly is a complete protein, which means it includes all nine essential amino acids. Here are some other things its good for : Manganese and Copper (antioxidants), Magnesium (blood pressure), Fiber (digestion, linked to cancer prevention), and Riboflavin (AKA Vitamin B- AKA Energy!)... SOLD!

Right now I am doing the Wild Rose Cleanse and quinoa is up there on the list of recommended foods... so I am all over it.

Last night I made a really yummy Black Bean Salmon and Quinoa Salad and this morning I whipped up Quinoa with Berries and a splash of coconut milk. Both meals were totally filling, really healthy, and most importantly for me: SO easy to make.

Black Bean, Smoked Salmon and Quinoa Salad

Prepare Quinoa by boiling 1 1/4 Cups of water and adding 1 cup of quinoa- turn the heat down and cover for 12 minutes. Fluff up with a fork when done.

Add:

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

1 Cucumber (skin on)

4 stalks of green onions

Chopped Cilantro to taste

1 can of Organic Black Beans (rinsed)

1 Avocado

Cut up pieces of smoked Salmon

Quinoa and Berries

Prepare quinoa the same as above- once cooked add fresh or frozen berries and some coconut milk. Yum!!!

1 Minute Rounds!

Incorporate this 16 minute fitness complex into your workout, or run through it on its own for a quick blast of cardio anytime during your day. Simply set your timer for one minute and repeat the three exercises in order for the full 60 seconds with a 20 second rest in between each set.

READY.... GO!!!!

1 Minute: 10 High Knees/ 5 Squat Jumps/ 5 Push Ups

20 Seconds Rest

Repeat 3x

1 Minute: 6 Split Jumps/ 6 Low Jacks/ 6 Jump Ins

20 Seconds Rest

Repeat 3x

"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food"

The body is a seriously amazing organism.
Keeping us going on a daily basis through an endless number of chemical and neurological reactions that we never see or think about, we eat and the body garners and utilizes nutrients from our food resulting in better functioning and efficiency. However, the body is also a storage house, and has the ability to hold on to the things we actually don't want in our system...
While the market is teeming with a variety of cleanses and detox formulas to clear our systems of excess waste, one area that is rarely touched on is the storage of heavy metals such as mercury and aluminum in the body.

Some people spend thousands of dollars undergoing intravenous chelation therapy to rid their body of these metals, however, I recently stumbled across an article detailing the benefits of cilantro as a natural chelae. As metal substances in the body have been associated with autism, muscle pain, Alzheimer's and memory loss, it would be wise to consider doing this cleanse for 3 weeks at least once a year.

DETOX PESTO

Ingredients
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup Brazil nuts (selenium)
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds (cysteine)
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (zinc, magnesium)
• 2 cups packed fresh cilantro (vitamin A)
• 2/3 cup flax seed oil
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice (vitamin C)
• 2 tsp dulse seaweed powder
• Sea salt to taste

Process the coriander and flax seed oil in a blender until the coriander is chopped. Add the garlic, nuts and seeds, dulse and lemon juice and mix until the mixture is finely blended into a paste. Add a pinch to sea salt to taste and blend again. Store in dark glass jars if possible.

Combined with the benefits of the other ingredients, this recipe is a powerful tissue cleanser. The pesto is delicious on toast, baked potatoes, and pasta.

enjoy!