Contest Now, Contest Later

I promised you all a contest at the beginning of June, to be announced today, on the first day of summer! Well, there's a bigger project in the works so you'll have to wait a wee bit longer for the big contest .

But, not to disappoint, Fitness Freaks is STILL issuing a Summer Challenge and mini contest!

How to enter (and yes, you can get multiple entries!)

1. 'Like' Fitness Freaks on Facebook AND post a review if you are a past or current client or participant. Simply click on "reviews" on the left side of the page

2. Email tracy@fitnessfreaks.ca with a picture of you doing your favourite exercise. please include what you call it, why you love it, and how you do it

3. Post your results to the "exercise of the week" challenge on the Fitness Freaks Facebook Page. You get an entry every time you post!

4. Bonus entry: Post a healthy summer recipe on the Fitness Freaks Facebook Page under the discussion topic started just for this!

The prize you ask?

All entries will be entered into a draw to win a "fitness prize pack" that includes:

* $25 Gift Certificate to Lululemon

* SIGG waterbottle

* Ripcords Red Exercise Band COMPLETE with workout designed by Tracy!

Total Prize Value is ~$100!!!

How easy is that? So get "liking", get "posting" and get "exercising"

** Exercise of the week will be posted on the Facebook page and here on the Blog on Sundays beginning June 26th, 2011.

Contest Closes July 29th, 2011 :)

21 Days Later

so here we are! The summer solstice occurred this morning and WOW, what a glorious day to mark the first day of summer. As promised, I"m back to report on my progress restoring my "good habit" of drinking green tea without a bunch of treats at night.

It wasn't easy and I definitely am not 100% there, but I"m back to 4 out of 5 nights just having my tea. I still am enjoying the occasional tea biscuit or piece of dark chocolate, but I think I'm back under control - thanks in part to being so busy at night I almost don't have time to sit down.

With summer here and the temps warming up, I wanted to share some tips for exercising in the summer

1. Stay cool by stripping down. Just like in cold weather, layering is important for summer workouts outdoors. It doesn't take long to get warm so make sure layers are thin and easily carried if you are on the go. Also, the layer closest to your skin is a 'wicking' material that can pull sweat away from your body to the outside of the fabric, to evaporate.

2. Beat the heat. As hard as it is, try to get up and do your workout first thing in the morning. With the sun rising before 5am, it just may be the only time of day that is cool enough to actually enjoy your workout. Often it doesn't cool off in the evening and can actually get warmer in the last few hours of the daylight, so don't count on evening time to be the coolest time to workout.

3. Hydrate! 2 litres per day on average just to get you through the day. But be sure to add 1 cup of water for every 15-30 minutes of exercise during your workout. If it's windy out, your sweat can be evaporating off of you before you realize that you are dehydrating. Did you know that yawning is one of the first signs of dehydration?

4. Protect your skin, especially the top of your head. Whether or not you're a believer in sunscreen or prefer to use protective clothing, the top of the head and tips of the ears are very susceptible to burning. Throw on a light weight hat (like the kind you buy at the running store) and keep a bucket with some cold water nearby if you are just working out at home outdoors. Squeeze some cool water over your hat to keep your temp down and protect that "part" at the same time!. Throw on some wraparound sunglasses to make sure those nasty UV rays aren't sneaking in to the corners of your eyes

5. Don't be tempted to skip your athletic shoes. Though the feet get hot hot hot, it's so important to keep that base of support protected. Find ways to keep cool by loosening your shoes slightly, switching to extra thin, or no socks at all, but please don't workout in flip flops or sandals!

I hope the tips above are not just wishful thinking and we actually do get a chance to use them this summer! Here's hoping for sunny days and warm weather!

21 Days

They Say it takes 21 days to make a good habit, and less than 7 to break one. Here we are on the last day of May, and I'm here to challenge you to take the 21 day habit forming challenge. Why now? Why, summer of course! 21 Days from now, on June 21, the summer solstice arrives.

I only insert this very "textbooky" picture here because I think it's a great reminder that we are just about HALF WAY through 2011! That's right. The summer solstice also marks the half way point of 2011. How are you doing on your plans, your revolutions you made in January with me, with your hopes for summer racing, summer swimwear, summer hiking etc etc.

We have slogged through one of the coldest, wettest Winter and Spring in our history and many of us have taken comfort in staying home, sitting on our couches (watching great hockey of course) and possibly forming some not so great habits.

I for one, can count myself in that boat. My nightly "green tea" routine of making a huge pot of aromatic tea and sipping on cup after cup before bed, has slowly morphed into green tea and blueberries, to green tea and dark chocolate, to green tea and a cookie, and lately, to green tea and anything sweet!

I am taking the next 21 days to get BACK to a great habit. Back to the plain ol' Green tea. Will you join me in forming ONE new habit over the next 21 days that will benefit your health? Having trouble choosing? Email me for a fantastic tool that can help you narrow your focus and find the perfect goal. It could be nutrition related, fitness related, stress related, sleep related. Anything. Pick something and commit to the next 21 days.

Here's a few tips to help you along the way:

1. Tell someone, anyone, everyone! The more people you tell, the more likely you are to succeed
2. Keep it simple. This is not about giant goals. This is about ONE habit you want in place before that summer solstic hits
3. Write it down and post it somewhere where you will be reminded to focus on it. better yet, post it somewhere that you are likely to BREAK the habit. You might think twice
4. Buddy up and get someone to work on the same habit with you. Report to each other daily
5. Be positive. State your intentions in a positive way and do not beat yourself up if you slip up. Affirm for yourself why you are doing it and get on with it!

In 21 days, once summer arrives, I'll be back with news on how I did with my habit "re-forming" and I'll be bringing you a fabulous 100 days of summer challenge, complete with a prize package!!! So, if you think you'd like to take part, I seriously encourage you to get cracking with the mini '21 day habit former".

I'd LOVE to hear what you're working on, so send me an email at tracy@fitnessfreaks.ca or comment here! Tell your friends, spread the word and make some GREAT HABITS!

Good Luck

Power Recipe!

Anyone who doesn't think food is drug needs to listen up! Food is the most powerful drug you have access to every day. It can be used for good or bad and it's definitely addictive for some! I personally LOVE food. I love to eat, to try new foods, to cook and to enjoy. Lately I've been spending a lot more time trying to get the most "bang" for my buck. I get about 5 chances a day to eat and within those 5 chances, I am trying to get all my Canada food Guide servings, eat a rainbow, hit the major vitamins and minerals, and of course, satisfy some cravings here and there.

Going forward I will offer up some of the best, most power recipes I come across and think are worth sharing. This one today is truly the definition of super food. In five minutes of prep (and about an hour of chillin' in the fridge) you can hit 100% of your RDA for folate, 100% of your Vitamin C, and a host of benefits in terms of fibre, amino acids, lipase activity...need I go on ? Essentially this is a fabulous dish for flavour, fullness, and every nutritional quality going. Enjoy!

Chickpea and sprouted beans

1 Can Chickpeas Rinsed

1 whole Red Pepper, washed and diced

1 small bunch of cilantro , chopped

1 small bunch of flat leaf parsely, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

dash of sea salt

ground pepper to taste

combine and let sit 1 hour + in the fridge. A one cup serving is approximatley 200 calories.

Before serving, sprinkle/mix in a small handful of sprouted beans (buy them in the produce section of your grocery store...they look like beans with long stringy tails)

Enjoy!

The art of procrastination

"One of these days is None of these Days" (H.G Bohn) Though most of us will never paint a masterpiece or sculpt anything worth displaying in the home, I'm amazed how many of us have mastered the art of procrastination (I'm no slouch myself). In fact, my inspiration for tonight's blog is entirely based on my own self berating for not getting started on the list of 7-10 blog topics waiting for me patiently on my desk at any given time!

Although at this time of year, most people are busy procrastinating their taxes, it is safe to say that the greatest use of procrastination in general comes to people's health, diet and fitness. Let's take a look at some of the top 'reasons' (read: excuses) for putting off taking the next step in your health and how you might be able to put those reasons to rest.

1. I have been so busy// I am too busy today// I am the busiest person that every lived// . This is the most common reason I hear on a day to day basis. I strongly recommend you choose a friend or collegue who you admire for their commitment to their health, diet and exercise and take a close look at their life. ASK THEM how they stay committed with such a busy schedule. You are likely to hear things like a. They do it first thing in the morning (yes, even if that means getting up 30 minutes earlier) b. They schedule exercise in as if it is a meeting, or better yet they actually do make an appointment with a trainer c. They enlist the use of a buddy system d. They sign up and pay for a class to motivate them. While these all seem obvious, the key note is that those are 4 simple procrastination busters. Choose any one of them and see what a difference it makes 2. I don't have time. Although this is very close to reason #1, I like to address this one separately. No doubt you and I could argue for 30 minutes about whether or not you have time to exercise, but usually, once this 'belief' is ingrained in someone's head, it's tough to shove back out. What I recommend as a more effective attack agains the 'no time' excuse is to actually keep a time journal for 3 days. (Yep, you can even get a handy app for it on your iphone or blackberry...just beware, they may actually be what's sucking up your time!). It can be very eye openeing to see exactly where your time is spent. I once did this task with my coach, only to discover that I was spending upwards of 40 minutes per day mindlessly surfing around the internet. Just imagine what could be done with that time? Once you've kept your journal, take a close look at what you would consider your 1-2 biggest time wasters and see if you can't lump those little bits together into one solid block of 30-40 minutes to either have a workout, prep some healthy food, make your meal planning and grocery list or go to your annual physical! 3. I have a sore _______. I could fill this out with a hundred different options over the course of the year. Some of use are more prone to injury and/or are dealing with long term chronic pain. The trick here is to identify if this is a Global problem or a Local one. Sore left hamstring? How about a swim workout using a pull bouy, or simply a complete upper body strength training session. Torn rotator cuff? You can still walk, hike, run, and spin, not to mention lunge, squat and work your core. This REASON for putting off your health is one of the best, becuase it tends to get the most support from others around you. Validation makes the reason more valid and the procrastination more justified. So take inventory of your aches and pains and challenge yourself to work around them. OH, and for the record, a cold is actually not made worse by exercising, contrary to what your grandma told you. 4. I'm tired//I'm exhausted// I am falling asleep in my coffee//I only got XX number of hours of sleep last night// I'm only tired today - I'll start tomorrow. Unless you are truly sleep deprived on an ongoing basis, don't skip a workout or choose an unhealthy meal based on this reason. Instead of procrastinating, use the time you had planned to workout to do something that requires a little less energy but nonetheless benefits your health. Make your meal plan, do some yoga, read an article on wellness, practice a meditation, lay down and work your core. Not every workout has to be at 110%. Use these days as recovery instead of dumping the whole day and getting into a rut. 5. I deserve a break//I deserve a cupcake// I deserve ...... This is my all time favourite reason for procrastinating because I think it's the easiest one to beat! The next time you find yourself thinking "I deserve"...try switching that around to health. An "I deserve another cupcake" sounds pretty yummy, but what about "I deserve to feel fantastic tomorrow for eating healthy today" . "I deserve to live MY BEST LIFE" Don't you? I deserve is a very interesting phrase. We use it to justify bad behaviour, but those two words can be used for such good! They are the superheroes of vocabulary if you use them in their most positive and powerful way At the end of the day, procrastination is a very insidious disease. It is really scary how one junk meal can turn into 7 days of terrible eating; how one missed grocery trip can result in fast food for 3 meals, how one skipped workout can EASILY become a month of sedentary living. I'd love to hear what your procrastination "got to" is and How (if) you've managed to beat it back into a corner. In the words of the great Wayne Gretzky "Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases, and it's toll on success and happiness is heavy" Now get off the internet and go do what you need to do!