One Year Anniversary!

It’s been one year since my first blog entry and now 12 blogs and one year later, I am still enjoying this amazing journey that marries my love of fitness and writing. These past 12 months, I have been diligent trying to reach friends and family with the message of healthy living. I’ve been hoping to inspire readers to bring health and wellness into their lives through nutrition, exercise and healthy, active everyday living. I’ve had two articles published and just finished working on a third for Healthy Living Magazine, a local Toronto publication that features articles on exercise, nutrition, family, stress and active aging. This has been journey of self-discovery for me, too.  After exploring many different career paths over the years, I have arrived at an endeavour that blends my love of teaching fitness and inspiring people to adopt a healthier lifestyle, with the creative process of writing.

I love listening to musicians’ acceptance speeches at awards shows, because they all say the same thing. “I am thankful to be doing what I love most and getting paid to do it!” Similarly, I truly feel lucky to be able to do what I love, combining my passions for both fitness and writing. When I am truly at my best and actually living in the moment, it is when I am either teaching a fitness class or writing in my journal. This is when time stands still for me. This is when I feel like I’m where I am meant to be exactly at that time and in that moment. Being in the moment, and not thinking about time or our to-do list, is the true litmus test of whether we are happy in our careers.

Like my journey towards becoming a writer, your journey towards healthy living may not always be simple. Being healthy isn’t something that we just decide one day to do and then follow an uninterrupted path to perfection. It is a curving, winding road with many distractions like work and family commitments, and with many temptations such as unhealthy foods and alcohol. Getting the right amount of sleep and hydration, fresh air and keeping stress to a minimum is a daily challenge. We need constant motivation and reminders to stay on track towards living the healthiest life we possibly can. At the same time, we need to accept that there will be bumps and hairpin turns in the road even for the best of us and it’s important not to let that stress us further. We just need to gently steer ourselves back on the path towards our own personal goals for wellbeing.

Like many things in life, finding a healthy balance is the key to success. We shouldn’t beat ourselves up about enjoying a brownie if we are eating healthy at meal time. Similarly, if we miss a workout, we need to realize that it’s OK. Simply, focus on moving forward, not chastising yourself for past lapses in your goal towards better health. Becoming obsessive about our eating and exercise routines is just that, an obsession, and like any addiction it can turn something intended to be healthy into something very unhealthy. As a nation, we have become very obsessive about every calorie and fat gram that we consume, turning eating into a scrutinized fixation. Is this how we want to live or do we want to enjoy our food? In the 2004 bestseller, French Women Don’t Get Fat, author Mireille Guiliano's espouses why French women don't get fat, but they do eat bread and pastry, drink wine, and regularly enjoy three-course meals. This is because the French, unlike many Canadians and Americans, have neither feelings of guilt or deprivation when it comes to food. However, they do know balance and portion control. So, instead of jumping on the bandwagon every time a new diet comes to town, focus instead on healthy eating and balance. A friend of mine recently announced that she was on the “Palaeolithic Diet,” an eating regime that models what our hunter and gatherer ancestors ate. Granted, I am not a nutritionist, but I had to laugh! What is next, the “Wartime Diet” that only permits dieters to scale back food intake to a few basic, economical necessities!?

My mother-in-law, who is a home economist, graduate from U of T in food sciences and author of recipes for Canadian Living and T.V. Guide magazines, is one of the healthiest eaters I’ve met. Basically, she and my father-in-law, eat according to Canada’s Food Guide-variety, balance, lots of fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat, fish, nuts and sweets and alcohol in moderation. Nothing is packaged, nothing is processed and most is homemade. Like the French, they eat without feelings of guilt or deprivation but instead eat healthy overall.

So if you’re looking to get healthier this year, cast aside your South Beach, Zone, Atkins and Raw Food diet books and pick up a copy of Canada’s Food Guide. Aim to get a minimum of 30 minutes per day of vigorous exercise and if you are over 30, start to incorporate weight training into your exercise program. After the age of 30, as part of the natural aging process, we lose a half a pound of muscle mass every year. This amounts to a slower metabolism, because it is our muscle mass that is metabolically active. If you’re not doing any resistance training, maintaining a healthy body mass index will be increasingly challenging the older you get. So try to incorporate resistance training for your major muscles twice per week, and you will be able to maintain a desirable muscle mass, and in turn maintain a healthy bone and muscular structure and weight.

It’s ironic, as I write this article, I am sitting at Chapters/Starbucks beside a young woman who has just picked up an arsenal of dieting books. I look over to catch a few of the titles: The New Atkins Diet, The 100 Calorie Fix, The Hormone Diet, Food Cures and The 17 Day Diet. She is obviously desperately looking for ways to achieve her weight goals and the book publishers are quite willing to capitalize on that!  I want to tell her to save her money and suggest that she read my blog! The advice is simple and it’s free!

Thank you for reading my blogs! I am most grateful that you take the time to check in!  Please feel free to pass on any of my blog articles to friends and family. I appreciate your feedback anytime and am thankful for your constant support!

Good luck in your continued quest for healthly and balanced life! A healthy body means an inspired life!

Fresh Air Fitness

“Quick, Mom. Run!” yells my 14-year-old son Tyler. “Jessie is coming!” he says. I run full speed ahead, glancing quickly over my shoulder to check how close my daughter, Jessica, is to catching me. I turn again to look straight ahead, but not quickly enough. Coming straight towards me is my husband, Jamie, and my dog Chelsea. The dog manages to get underfoot in seconds and sends me flying to the grass, Jamie landing on top of me. Lying on the ground, luckily unscathed except for my skinned knee, Jamie and I laugh hysterically. This was the most fun we’d had in a long time!

This was the scene Thanksgiving weekend when my sister and her two boys and my family played a rousing game of “Capture the Flag.” At first, the teams were comprised of my husband, Jamie, aka “Julie McCoy-Cruise Director”, and the five kids, my sister Lianne’s two boys and our own three kids. After watching the fun from the sidelines, Lianne and I decided to join in the game and weren’t we glad we did! What I originally dismissed as a kid’s game transformed into a magical moment with our families sharing time together, fresh air and fitness. It got the kids away from the screens and created special memories that we’ll cherish forever!

Today, Canadians are spending more time than ever indoors. In fact, in 2006 the average employed Canadian spent 7.6 hours at work and another 2.5 to 3 hours watching TV. Add to that an average of seven hours per night of sleep and our indoor time totals over 17 hours daily! Statistics also reveal that kids today spend 7 hours more on academics and 2 hours less on sports and outdoor activities per week than they did 20 years.

Every year thousands of office workers become ill from too little vitamin “G”, what experts call time spent in green spaces. Copy machines, furniture, cigarette smoke and even the air fresheners release dangerous toxins inside poorly ventilated buildings. Repeated exposure over time can lead to sick building syndrome -- a phenomenon responsible for nausea, headaches and rashes among workers.

We’ve heard the disarming statistics on childhood obesity and lament the increased hours devoted to screen time by today’s generation, and we are well aware that exercise is paramount to breaking the cycle. But why is fresh air also so important for our health? A steady supply of fresh air is very important, because fresh air provides us with a continual supply of oxygen which is needed for our brains and every single cell in our bodies. Fresh air helps to improve our heart rate, blood pressure and metabolic rate. It helps our immune system fight off disease more effectively and helps us sleep more soundly at night. Conversely, breathing stale air can cause dizziness, headaches, fatigue and exhaustion, frequent fevers, colds or lung diseases.

Paul Tukey, movie producer, bestselling author, public speaker, magazine publisher and America’s 2006 Gardening Communicator of the Year, has just launched a new book with co-author, Victoria Rowell, called “Lawn Games for Life”. The book, coupled with a national campaign including public talks, Lawn-A-Thon festivals, games demonstrations and outreach to schools and municipalities, aims to get children back outside. “Rooted in the desire to inspire people the world over to use — rather than just look at — their lawns, parks, playing fields and playgrounds, the book and media campaign will focus on old-fashioned fun,” says Tukey. Lawn Games for Life gives parents the tools they need to get outside and play with their children. It outlines the rules and history of classic games from Badminton to Croquet. It’s these kinds of activities that will help get the nation off the coach and onto the playing field, breathing fresh air and getting our bodies in motion.

This summer, I visited Hawaii with my husband for the first time. What struck me about the people and the culture of Hawaii is that everyone lives and breathes the outdoors. Our surfing instructor, “Bully”, had an exceptionally fit and healthy body. I was amazed that when I asked Bully how he stayed fit, he answered that the ocean was his gym. Surfing challenges your cardiovascular system, balance, core strength, upper and lower body strength, making it an amazing total body workout.  So, for Bully and many other Hawaiians, there’s no need to visit the gym.

Granted, Canada is not Hawaii, where the sun is always shining and the temperature is 30 degrees everyday!  Getting outside in Canada can be more of a chore, especially during the long winter months. However, instead of bracing ourselves for winter and using the cold as an excuse to hibernate and eat comfort food, we should see winter as an opportunity to get outdoors and make the most of the season! Skiing, skating, tobogganing and nature walks can translate into our “Snow Games for Life”. Try to make it your goal this winter to get fresh air, exercise and bond with your family. Go skiing for the day, strap on your skates or take the dog for a walk. It will soothe your nerves, leave you feeling more refreshed and relaxed, stimulate your appetite and help you digest your meal more effectively.

There’s a reason kids have a recess break at school. It allows them to get fresh air, stretch their legs and improve concentration. If you work in an office during the day, while on your break, you, too, should step outside and take some invigorating, deep breaths to help banish tired, sluggish feelings and help you feel more energized and focused. The fresh air will even alter your brain levels of serotonin which helps to improve your mood and promote a sense of happiness and well-being. Families can try taking a brisk walk outside before or after meals, because fresh air can stimulate your appetite and help your food to digest more effectively, and it’s a great way to spend time together.

There are many groups in North York and surrounding area that embrace fitness and the outdoors. GTA North Walking Group, based out of Richmond Hill, meets at various outdoor walking trails twice per month such as Mill Pond in Richmond Hill and Holland River Valley Trail in Aurora. You can also check out Yoga in The Park in Toronto and the GTA, which was established to create community and for its members to commune with nature. They meet regularly at Richmond Green in Richmond Hill. You can also look for Boot Camp classes offered outdoors in parks in your area.

In one five year Japanese study, researchers found that interaction with nature reduced depression, promoted healing, sparked creativity and even increased life expectancy by 15%! In another study in Sweden, participants who ran outdoors felt more restored than those who ran on treadmills or through city streets. Make an effort this winter to get outside. Get some fresh air and fitness! Your lungs will thank you!

Training Your Brain

Most of us know that physical exercise is good for our general health, but did you know that physical exercise is also good for your brain? We are already aware that mental strengthening exercises such as learning a new language, learning to play a musical instrument or doing crossword puzzles can contribute to cognitive enhancement, but now promising new studies are pointing to a link between physical activity and improved cognitive function. In fact, research supports that a combination of mental stimulation and physical exercise is the best prescription to improve brain function and protect against cognitive decline.This secret to youth and vitality gives seniors just one more reason to hit the gym!

According to a 2001 study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, senior citizens who walked regularly showed improved memory skills as compared to their sedentary counterparts.  Walking also improved their learning ability, concentration and abstract reasoning skills.

In another 2010 Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, researchers found that exercise appears to help prevent mild cognitive impairment. Participants in the study who did moderate exercise -- such as swimming, brisk walking, yoga, aerobics or strength training -- during midlife were 39 percent less likely to have mild cognitive impairment, while those who did moderate exercise later in life were 32 percent less likely to have the condition.

How does exercise play a role in improved cognitive function? Researchers believe that exercise is particularly good at strengthening your brain through the production of nerve-protecting compounds and through the improved development and survival of neurons.  Most importantly, it seems, exercise increases blood circulation and the resulting oxygen and glucose that reach your brain. This in turn enhances energy production and waste removal, as well as improves cerebral blood vessel growth. While it seems that the increased blood flow to the brain from cardiovascular exercise is largely the cause of cognitive enhancement; other studies ascertain that any level of activity is beneficial and preferable to a sedentary lifestyle.

A 2003 study in Hong Kong explored the association between mind-body and cardiovascular exercises and memory in older adults. Researchers tested various aspects of memory processing, including learning, retention, and retrieval abilities in participants. Older adults who practiced mind-body exercises or cardiovascular exercises demonstrated a similar level of memory function, and their learning and memory was better than that of individuals who did not exercise regularly.  Interestingly, older adults who practiced both mind-body and cardiovascular exercises outperformed the groups who did one or none, meaning that practicing both mind-body and cardiovascular exercises appears to have a combined effect that acts best to preserve memory in older adults. What is encouraging for sedentary adults though is that mind-body exercises alone are a great alternative training for older adults who cannot practice strenuous physical exercise.

According to Dr.Heather Palmer, Director and Founder of Cognitive Rehabilitation for Maximum Capacity Inc.  in Bradford, Ontario, there is undisputed evidence among studies of stroke patients that reveals that early exercise intervention results in enhanced cognitive function. The same is true for cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy treatments and are experiencing “fog-brain.”  Maximum Capacity works with individuals such as seniors, cancer patients and patients with Alzheimer’s disease to improve or maintain their cognitive abilities. “The evidence suggests that the earlier stroke patients start on an exercise routine, the faster they will recover,” says Palmer. “We used to believe that the brain was static,” she says. “Instead, now experts feel that the brain can continue to grow. If we’re continuing to challenge the brain, it will continue to grow and develop new pathways. Regularly challenging the brain is a critical component to neuronal growth,” says Palmer.

Dementia is a general term describing problems with memory and other thinking capabilities, including strategic processing, abstract reasoning, mental calculations, planning and organization, multitasking, attention and concentration, all crucial cognitive skills. Cognitive impairment then is a decline or deficit in memory or in any of these other thinking skills. By staying mentally and physically active, not only do we exercise specific regions of the brain, but we also nurture the critical pathways between brain regions resulting in improved thinking.

“It’s like our brain has a number of superhighways connecting different parts of the brain,” says Palmer. “And as we get older, it sometimes feels as though pot holes have developed, preventing information from ‘flowing’ as smoothly as it once did. Every time we engage in brain exercises we strengthen those pathways,” says Palmer. “It’s as though mental stimulation causes us to lay down new pavement on our brain’s superhighways, smoothing out the pathway and allowing for a better flow of information,” explains Palmer.

Dr.Palmer advises that we should be making choices that use the whole brain, not just doing the same thing over and over again. Crossword puzzles are fine, so is Suduko and chess, but these are more localized functions. Yoga and Tai Chi are excellent activities, because they require learning new moves, physically engaging in them, remembering the order and socializing all in one session. According to Dr.Palmer, social communication is one of the best ways to strengthen pathways in the brain, because it involves many skills including attention, memory, and strategic processing. Other ways to keep the brain active is through reading, starting a new hobby, learning to speak a foreign language or travelling.

So, how do you get started on an exercise program? Consider joining a local gym or senior’s fitness program. The key to starting a new fitness program is to begin with something that you enjoy because if you enjoy it, you’ll be more likely to stick with it! It’s advisable to get your doctor’s approval before you proceed with any exercise program. If you are looking for something easy, walking is one of the best ways to get active and it’s something that you can do anywhere. Try starting with 10 minutes, three times per week and progress to 30 minutes, three times per week, adding 1-2 minutes to your walk every week.

 In the Markham area, there are a number of exercise programs designed exclusively for seniors. Both Centennial Fitness Centre at McCowan and Bullock and Thornhill Fitness Centre at Bayview and John offer a “Forever Fit” program, a class designed for adults 50 years of age and older. “Milliken on the Move” offers quality programs for older adults in a friendly community setting. “Older Adults in Action” is an older adults group for seniors 55 years and up, that meets at the Markham Seniors Activity Centre. The club offers a wide variety of activities including, line dancing, exercise classes, badminton, yoga, bridge, euchre, cribbage, Mah Jong and table tennis. The Thornhill Seniors Club also offers a wide variety of programs; including line dancing, exercise classes, yoga, tai chi, woodcarving, bridge, badminton and carpet bowling.

Not only is exercise great for your brain and your body; it’s also good for your self-esteem. A study conducted at the Baycrest Centre in Toronto, one of the world's premier academic health sciences centers that focuses on aging, found an important link between cognitive function and self-esteem.  Participants in the study were asked questions about optimism, happiness, feelings of control and self-efficacy. Researchers revealed that participants of the study found their psychological wellbeing -- which includes self-esteem, confidence and feelings of happiness -- improved dramatically in tandem with the improvements in their cognitive functions. What this tells us is that improving our fitness level not only improves our cognitive health but also our emotional well-being.

Based upon the research we have seen to date, it seems that the best prescription for cognitive enhancement is a healthy dose of exercise, combined with activities that stimulate the brain, including mind-body exercises like yoga and tai chi and mental exercises such as social communication, learning a new language and travelling. Exercising will likely provide you with insurance against symptoms of dementia so common with aging and will give your self-esteem a boost, not to mention a healthier heart and lungs! With so many reasons to get active, what is holding you back?! So, get your body moving and your brain will follow along!

Awaken to Health, Confidence and The Power of You!

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” Gloria Steinem

Achieving happiness is by no means a matter of luck. It requires a mix of planning, dreaming and believing in yourself. If you want to awaken to the power of you, then you need to open up to your amazing potential. Tap into your creative energy, be a role model for change and actively create the life that you love by daring to dream big and by putting your dream life into action. Discover that happiness, energy and vitality are not some elusive goals but instead a matter of connecting with your body. The elixir of life simply stated is healthy living. In my latest blog, “Awaken to the Power of You,” I’ll give you a preview of my upcoming workshop at The Awakening Festival in Montreal on June 18^th. In it, I will share steps you can take towards living an inspired life powered by healthy living.

Today’s women are plagued by low self-esteem, high levels of stress, record obesity rates, physical inactivity and lack of sleep. Our lives have become a vicious cycle of increased stress due to work and family commitments, resulting in lack of time to exercise, sleep or eat well. Increased demands on our time are making us fatter, tired and creatively uninspired.

Living life in overdrive is coming at a cost to our health and well being and it’s time for a shift in our values and perspective. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”, says Albert Einstein. And insane, we are! Our current behaviour, if not checked, will continue to result in a host of health related problems, unrestrained stress and resulting unhappiness.

“The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself as a person, is by creative work of her own. There is no other way,” says Betty Friedan. Sadly, when we are speeding around life in fifth gear, the first thing to get left by the roadside is our creative energy. However, it is this expression of creative energy that is paramount to our self-esteem and our sense of purpose. In the 1950’s and 60’s, Betty Freidan was renowned for her contribution to the feminist movement and for her book The Feminine Mystique published in 1963. In it, she explores the “problem that has no name”-a pervasive unhappiness of women in American culture who were left wanting more in life than being a mother and housewife.

Sixty years later, women are more liberated, more equal and more intellectually challenged, but we are still failing. We are now trying to do it all-balance work and family life and at the end of the day, there’s little left for us or our creative expression. Women are notorious for putting ourselves last. As caregivers of our families, this is second nature for us. However, by never taking time for ourselves to exercise, to eat right or to recharge our batteries, we are sending a message to our families and peers that our needs don’t matter. We know we are better mothers, wives, employees and role models when we invest time in ourselves. When we learn to say “no”, we can begin awaken to our needs and potential and we can become exemplary and inspiring role-models of health and well-being to all of those around us.

Shockingly, 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance. Why are women failing so dramatically? When did we become so self-conscious and ashamed of our bodies?

More importantly, how do we get back that joy? The media is largely responsible for creating these deep-seeded insecurities in ourselves and our bodies. It’s no wonder we are insecure when the average American woman is 5’4” and weighs 140 pounds and the average model is 5’11” and weighs 117 pounds! So, we find ourselves reaching for a quick fix. In fact, in 2006 Americans paid for 11 million plastic surgical procedures, a 7 % increase over previous years. Instead, women need to celebrate their amazing and healthy bodies, not denigrate themselves for having “large hips” or “flabby abs.” I love the above photo and quote from the Dove Self-Esteem for Girls Campaign as it speaks to our need to love our bodies for what they are! (See top of page).

More than a quarter (26%) of Canadian women ages 45-64 report a high degree of life stress, according to Statistics Canada (Health Indicators 2005). Longer work weeks are the new norm, leaving less time for family, friends and less time to grow personally and spiritually. These numbers represent a hard truth and an obstacle that is difficult to work around. True we are more pressed for time, but we also need to look at our behaviour in response to stress. When we are stressed and tired after a day of work, it’s easy to turn on the TV to relax. Instead, we could be going out to a yoga class or going for a walk to get some fresh air and exercise. Or perhaps, we are dashing home from work, only to rush out the door again to take kids to a program, grabbing a fast-food dinner en route. Again, we have a choice instead to re-evaluate our kids’ schedules, maybe cutting out a dance program or chess club. We need to be careful of over programming our kids for their sake and for the sake of our family and life balance.

Among Canadian women ages 12 plus, 53% are physically inactive. Also, 53% of Canadian women ages 18+ are overweight or obese. We are spending an average of $40 billion per year on diets and self-help books searching for a magic bullet to alleviate our problem with obesity and yet, the answer is free-eat less, move more. Most nutritionists claim that the most effective way to lose weight is to restrict caloric intake, and the most effective way to maintain that loss is through regular exercise.

There seems to be a real disconnect in our society between what we know to be healthy food and our behavior. We’ve all seen Canada’s Food Guide and although we probably don’t have it memorized; we instinctively know the message- eat more vegetables and fruit and eat less processed food. And yet, in the time trap of our daily lives, we still justify reaching for a frozen pizza to feed our kids after arriving home from a busy work day. It’s these kinds of processed, salt-laden, nutritionally void foods though that are killing us. Results from The Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan (CHHS-AP) Nutrition survey in 2009 indicate that processed foods are the main source of sodium in our diets, accounting for an average of 77% of our average daily sodium intake! Most processed foods are also a mine-field of unhealthy sweeteners, salts, artificial flavors, colourings, chemicals and preservatives. Shifting behavior isn’t always easy, but there are many ways to create quick and nutritious meals from home, without all the additives!

In my workshop on June 18^th in Hudson, Quebec at The Awakening Festival, together we are going to further explore many of these issues of self-esteem, stress, nutrition and weight challenges and give you tools to create positive change in your life. In this interactive session, I am going to help you Awaken to The Power of You and begin to live your best life! To register for The Awakening Festival, please go to http://www.awakeningfestival.org/registration/.  

Weight Loss Weigh In

According to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA,) Americans spend an estimated $30 billion per year on diet programs and products, including diet foods and drinks. However, we know that the formula for weight loss is simple and we’ve heard it a million times: diet and exercise, calories in/calories out. Or do we? As a fitness leader of 25 years, I have repeatedly paid homage to this axiom. I’ve stood by it as the gold standard truism of weight loss. Recently, however, career woman, wife, mother and dieter, Suzanne Hallam opened my eyes to the possibility that weight loss may be more complex than just “diet and exercise.”

Suzanne started a diet in January, 14 weeks ago, with a goal to lose weight, lower her blood pressure and have more energy. “Everyone says it’s simple; you just need to diet and exercise, but for me that doesn’t work,” says Suzanne. “It’s more difficult than that,” she says.  Suzanne was diagnosed with a thyroid condition at age 19 and has high blood pressure. “Everyone is so individual,” says Suzanne.

 In a candid interview, Suzanne shared the multiple challenges that she faces in her quest for a healthy weight, including her health condition, work stress, family pressures, her dislike of exercise and her emotional trials. What I learned from our conversation is that the road to weight loss may not be so straight and narrow as just “diet and exercise”. So, if you have had limited success with weight loss and are looking for a fresh perspective, read on. Suzanne will share her “real-life” approach to reaching her goals with you, what roadblocks she has encountered and overcome, as well as the weight loss program that consistently works for her!

When Suzanne was 19, she was diagnosed with a thyroid condition. Her condition developed after a bout of mono and lead to a slow, gradual weight gain over several years. It affected her energy level and her metabolism and meant that she would need to take medication to control her symptoms. She decided to take action. It was one year before her wedding and like many brides-to-be, she was motivated to get into her dress. This was the first of three times in the last 15 years that Suzanne has committed to a plan of diet and exercise to lose weight and get healthy. More recently, Suzanne hit the wall again when she noticed that it became hard to do up her shoes.

Another challenge that Suzanne faces is high blood pressure. She is quick to retain fluid, so she has to be very careful of her salt intake, challenging for a girl who loves salty food! Her answer is to drink plenty of water to flush out her system. “I drink three glasses of water before I leave the house in the morning,” says Suzanne. “I used to drink two cans of pop per day, juice and milk, all which I have replaced with water.”

Being a career mom also presents challenges to her weight loss goals. After working all day and arriving home at 6:30pm, Suzanne finds it difficult to cook nutritious meals. Not only that, the pressures of work add to her overall anxiety making it easier for her to reach for food to relieve her stress. Her solution is to use exercise instead of munching to control her stress. She also shops for the family groceries on the weekend and chops up veggies to have them ready for an easy access snack. For another quick, healthy, easy to grab snack, she bakes homemade muffins, usually on the weekend. One of her goals going forward is to look at more ways that she can keep work stress in check.

In addition to work pressures, family obligations present an obstacle to her weight loss goals. Like many mothers, Suzanne is a “soccer mom” running around playing chauffeur to her son for his programs. It is also difficult she says to get “buy in” from her husband and son to adjust their diet and eat healthier. Luckily her husband loves to cook. He is typically a “meat and potatoes” guy though, so if he cooks, Suzanne uses portion control to keep her caloric intake in check.

One of Suzanne’s biggest challenges to her weight loss goals is the constant diligence that is needed to stay on course. “Being diligent all the time is hard work,” Suzanne admits. “I often feel like I’m around people who are eating what they want and I’m the outsider,” she says. It’s like she feels she cannot join the party. Sometimes she just wants to be free of the structure of dieting. Suzanne says she flip-flops between being really diligent and between wanting to block it out and relax and eat what she wants. What keeps her motivated are the results. She knows that she feels better when she sticks to the program. “It’s also positive reinforcement when people start to notice that you have lost weight,” says Suzanne. As further motivation, if she drops a dress size, Suzanne will treat herself to new clothes.

You are probably wondering what diet Suzanne attributes to her successful weight loss. Is it the popular Barry Sear’s no carbs “Zone” diet, Jennifer Aniston’s Baby Food Diet, South Beach Diet, the latest and greatest Acai Berry Diet or the Master Cleanse diet popularized by Beyonce? No, it's none of these. Her approach to weight loss is a little more old-fashioned. It’s been around for 45 years and has had proven success. It focuses on long-term results, lifestyle change, incorporating exercise into your routine and offers community support. You guessed it: Weight Watcher’s. Why Suzanne thinks the Weight Watcher’s program is different from other programs is that it allows her to use common sense and eat the foods she loves, instead of following a strict regimen. “I can work the program into the family unit,” says Suzanne. “Weight Watchers teaches portion control and recommends that you lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week,” she says.

Weight Watchers uses a “Points Plus Program”, a system that attributes a point value to everything that you eat. On the Weight Watcher’s plan, you are encouraged to eat a healthy and balanced diet. Weight Watchers also promotes healthy habits, a supportive environment, and exercise, in addition to teaching smarter food choices. Instead of a crash diet promising quick results, Weight Watchers works because it is about lasting lifestyle change.

The Weight Watchers program maintains that activity is an important part of weight loss, a key component that is missing from most fad diets. As a fitness instructor, I often assume that everyone is like me and loves to exercise; that it’s fun and gives you energy in addition to providing social interaction. For Suzanne, like many others though, nothing could be further from the truth. Forty-eight per cent of Canadians aged 12 and over — or about 12.7 million people — are inactive, getting the equivalent of less than a half-hour of walking each day, according to research from Statistics Canada.

 “When exercise is labeled “exercise”, it’s not enjoyable,” says Suzanne. “I’d rather go swimming with my son,” she says. However, Suzanne is sold on the health benefits of exercise, so when she found a Gazelle exercise machine at a garage sale for $20, she picked it up and now jumps on it for twenty minutes three times per week. She also does some resistance training to tone her upper body.

“Exercise used to be my last priority,” says Suzanne. When exercise is more about lifestyle and active living however, Suzanne is totally on-board. Another way Suzanne stays motivated to get moving is by walking her dog. “We bought a dog six years ago that needed exercise,” Suzanne admits. She deliberately chose a breed that needed a lot of exercise, so that she would need to go out rain or shine.

Suzanne has seen a lot of positive changes from her current diet and exercise regime, namely she  declares she has more energy, has less water retention, lower blood pressure, and has lost twelve pounds. Diet and exercise has helped her work towards her ultimate goals, however the road to get there has been marred with many roadblocks from dealing with work and family stress, finding exercise that she likes, coping with her health concerns and emotional trials. So, if anyone tells her it’s really easy to lose weight; that it’s just "diet and exercise", she may just sucker punch you with her newly defined biceps!

Suzanne does agree though that weight loss is achievable with dedication and a dose of reality. Being aware of your personal roadblocks and coming up with ways to overcome them are key. When asked what one of the biggest changes is that she has made to her routine since she started her diet, Suzanne answers, “making the time.” As women, we are notoriously guilty of putting others needs before our own. Recognizing this and taking the time for ourselves, makes us healthier, happier, and a better role model for our family and friends. Happiness comes first from within and radiates outward…and you should see Suzanne shine!

Exercising Your Passion

“I really don’t know why I love skiing so much,” says my 13 year old son, Tyler, as we prepare for a day of skiing on the slopes of Stowe, Vermont, “but I just do!” I think I know the answer to his question. I believe that it’s all about sharing your love of a sport with your family. My husband and I are passionate about skiing and we have instilled that love in our children. In turn, it was my father who had an absolute zeal for skiing and taught me and my four siblings how to ski at an early age.

Any skier who is a parent knows how much work it takes to teach young children the how to’s of this daunting sport. It takes patience to endure years of skiing the bunny hills before your little protégé is ready to conquer black diamond runs with you! It is an indication that you are passionate about a sport when an average outing involves driving long distances, lugging heavy ski equipment, spending time in long line-ups and forking out your week’s wages to purchase your lift tickets and a cafeteria lunch! Oh, but I am failing to sell you on the merits of the sport!

There is little to compare with the rhythm of your skiis carving turns beneath you as you take in the fresh mountain air. It’s hard to describe the mix of adrenaline, excitement, fear and confidence that you feel standing at the top of a double black diamond run. Of course, there’s also the après-ski (my Mom’s favourite part!). The exercise, outdoors, family and friends combine to make skiing unequivocally my absolute favourite sport!

Skiing is also a uniquely family sport and it has been a real bonding experience for our family. Sharing a day together doing something that we all love is more and more difficult to find as the kids get older, but skiing is one of the few true common denominators that we all love to do. I love to watch my son play hockey, or my daughters dance, but watch is all we do, not participate. The same is true with the kids’ skating and swimming lessons, soccer and football games. What we need to find are more athletic activities that we can enjoy together as a family.

There’s certainly a place for organized sports; they are great for our kids and they create a wonderful environment for children to learn a new skill and to be with their peers, but are we perhaps over- relying on organized programming to entertain our kids? After a long day at work, we rush through dinner and then hustle our kids to the arena, dance studio or soccer field only to sit and wait. What we need to find is more balance between organized sports and things we can do together as a family that we are passionate about. Finding ways to share time together skiing, or taking a family yoga class or family bike ride is essential to bonding as a family and to being healthy and active.

Friends of mine, Carol and Dean, who had never skied or snowboarded until the age of 40, started from scratch, bought a season’s pass, lessons for themselves and their three kids and bravely took on the challenge of learning to ski. The effort paid off, because five years later, Carol and Dean and their kids love to ski and snowboard together and they are thrilled that they have found an activity that they all can enjoy as a family. What incredible role models they are! And what a positive investment in their family!

So, you see exercise and being active is not about grunting through a workout you don’t enjoy and “getting it over with.” It’s about finding something that you are passionate about. It’s about taking a step back from your busy, stressful, crazy scheduled life and carving out time for activities that you and your family can participate in together. So, get out there this spring and exercise your passion! Play tennis as a family, take a yoga class, go for a family nature walk or bike ride. Invest in something you love and watch the love grow!

“Ditch the workout, join the party!”

Zumba classes are the latest craze in group exercise and for a good reason! If you’ve ever taken a Zumba class, you know that it’s easy to forget that you are exercising because you are having so much fun! This high energy exercise class features dance influences from latin, reggae, bollywood, country music and hip hop genres and every song emphasizes a different rhythm and fun dance steps.

The Zumba program was created in 2001 by Columbian native and fitness instructor, Alberto “Beto” Perez. His concept of creating a workout that uses dance-inspired rhythms is a new twist on aerobic dance or “Dancercise” class without the leg warmers or the disco music. Zumba is a modern, exciting and fresh program, plus it’s very addictive because it’s fun and easy to follow.

The fact that Zumba classes provide “accessible fitness, without the strain, without the sacrifice, just the pure joy of a party”, is what I love most about their concept. Whereas other trends in fitness pulverize and intimidate, noteworthy are the current “Boot Camp” class craze and PX90 home workouts, Zumba has taken a much more inclusive, fun approach to fitness.  With its heart-pumping, foot-stomping, high energy approach, Zumba is all about entertaining you and making sure you have a fun workout!

 If we want to get more people to adhere to an exercise program, this is the kind of inclusive approach we need to see more of in the fitness industry. The fitness industry has been notorious for its’ hard-body, six-pack abs, ass-kicking message, and well that may motivate some, I suspect that the average coach-potato reacts to such messages  feeling demoralized and insecure at the thought of trying to attain such perfection!  Zumba even offers a” Zumba Gold” program for seniors and the deconditioned market, as well as chair classes for the disabled. Conversely, I don’t think I have ever seen a “Senior’s Boot Camp” class!

I have been a Zumba instructor for about one year now and it’s been a wild ride. The energy from the group in my Zumba classes is equal to no other class I teach. One striking difference from my regular classes is that everybody is always smiling in my Zumba class! I have to admit that planning for Zumba takes a lot of work and practice as an instructor, but it pays off immensely when I watch my participants get the steps, smile and have a great time!

If you want to try a class, the Zumba website, www.zumba.com, lists classes in your home town. If trying a class in the privacy of your own living room is more your style, you can purchase DVD’s on the website and master the steps at home. There are also Zumba video games for Wii, Xbox and PS3. So, there is no excuse not to get moving and “join the party”! Hope to see you at Zumba class!

Sporty Moms & Babies

“Making friends with Exercise”

Every week the new moms in my Sporty Moms & Babies fitness class trudge through snow dressed in winter coats, hats, mitts and boots, arms laden with their babies in car seats, diaper bags, toys and other paraphernalia to gather for an hour of exercise.  The real workout for these moms is actually in just getting to class! They have good reason to make the effort though and it’s not just for the exercise. They also come for their sanity. Getting out of the house and sharing time and conversation with other moms contributes to their mental health just as much as the exercise contributes to their physical health.

I have to confess that I get my own heaping dose of mental health by spending time with the babies. There is real sense of renewal that comes from interacting with a delicious, smiling, adorable new baby. Time stands still and you have no choice but to be fully present, captured in the moment, enjoying every coo, every open-mouth, toothless smile, and every gesture.

I have been teaching the Sporty Moms & Babies class for 13 years now, since my eldest son, Tyler, was a baby. I started up a class in our local church basement in North Toronto, a neighbourhood that is still a hotbed of new, young families and babies. Every eight weeks the program would fill up with 15 new moms and their babies. I now live in Stouffville and I have been leading the program here for 8 years. The Sporty Moms & Babies program has grown to include Stroller Fitness, Mambo Mama Classes and Yoga and Pilates for new moms and their babies.

Week to week we experiment with a different class format, including low impact, kickboxing, boot camp, ball, muscle conditioning and Zumba. Every class includes parachute and puppet time for the babies, which means the moms feel good about doing something for themselves and also for their babies.  The class is also a safe environment to talk about anything from incontinence to mastitis as we address issues not always comfortable to talk about!

It appears that many of the health benefits of fitness classes for post-partum women like these, including improved cardiovascular fitness, improved muscular strength and endurance, better posture and enhanced flexibility actually only scratch the surface. Psychologists and scientists alike are discovering the healing power of female friendships, including lowering blood pressure, boosting immunity, and promoting healing.

The women in my classes are starting a new chapter in their lives, probably one of the most challenging life stages they will encounter. Getting support from other women who are going through the same issues as them creates a comradely that is rare and invaluable. I often run into women from my classes over the years and repeatedly hear that the women not only keep in touch with one another, but that they consider each other their core group of friends.

In June 2001, the renowned Harvard Medical School's Nurses' Health Study concluded that women's social networks play an important role in enhancing her health and quality of life. The study went so far as to conclude that not having at least one good confidante is as detrimental to a woman's health as being overweight or a heavy smoker.

The cardiovascular exercises, and muscular strength and conditioning  we do in our Sporty Moms & Babies classes are important for improving fitness post-partum, but it’s the element of female bonding that makes the Sporty Moms & Babies classes vital to overall health and wellness!

Fresh Start 2011!

Every year after the languor of the Christmas season, I feel motivated to set inspiring and purposeful goals for myself for the New Year. My list usually covers the gamut of physical, intellectual, spiritual, career, personal and financial goals and I can usually happily fill each sub-category with at least two or three action items. Whether I follow through on all of them is another issue, but writing them down helps me to focus and get clarity. You see, my struggle is with what to focus on, as I am a typical Gemini with a restless spirit and multiple interests including writing, photography, fitness, nutrition and cooking among others. My husband Jamie’s pet name for me is “31 flavours”, ie: Baskin & Robbins! “What’s the flavour of the month?” he chides!

Jamie on the other hand is like a vanilla ice cream, but a good Hagan Daz, French vanilla ice cream, pure and simple, not seeking a lot of variety and change. When asked what his New Year’s resolutions are, he answers, “nothing, I’m good!” When I asked Jamie’s father the same question at Christmas dinner, he said the same, “I’m good!” I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! I started thinking about their answers, first critically...who doesn’t have at least one thing they’d like to improve upon...and then enviously...am I missing the key to happiness? Perhaps, I put too much pressure on myself to change and grow. Perhaps, the secret to happiness is just as Mitch Albom suggests in Have a Little Faith, ‘being content and grateful for what you have.’

According to Eckhart Tolle in The New Earth, the need for change or wanting more can be an addictive need, not an authentic one. Instead of enjoying the present moment, people constantly seeking change may feel a sense of unease, restlessness, boredom, anxiety, and dissatisfaction. This is the ego at work not our authentic selves.

Whether you’re a restless spirit or contented with life, the New Year serves to remind us to be grateful for all that we have and to reflect on our priorities in order to be our very best selves! The year 2011 holds special significance as the number eleven represents both renewal and balance, renewal meaning a fresh start and/or new beginnings and balance being equilibrium of work/play, feminine/masculine, and emotion, thought and spirit.

What does 2011 mean for you? Does it mean starting a diet and probably falling off the wagon in a few short weeks like every other time you’ve tried? Or does it mean starting a new exercise program-but this time you're going to stick to it, really!? If that sounds like your track record, why not rephrase your goals to sound more like, "I want to feel more energized, fit, and healthier". Or maybe in keeping with the significance of the number eleven, you simply want to find more balance in your life.

Maybe then instead of a new year's resolution, you can make a choice for just today that brings you closer to being your best. Life is a series of everyday choices- so today it may mean waking up and fitting in a yoga class before work instead of hitting the snooze button. It may mean a commitment to planning your meals for the week on Sunday. It may mean making a promise to yourself to work a little less and start to take control of your stress. You are a summation of all your conscious and unconscious choices in life. Know that you can make little choices for the better every day that add up to the best you can be. It's up to you really!

Get in touch with your authentic self and only seek change that is healthy, achievable and helps you to be your best as opposed to setting lofty goals

and/or seeking change for the sake of change. For me, that means being a little less serious about goal setting. I’m not sure I’m ready to settle for just the vanilla ice cream yet, but perhaps just butterscotch, chocolate and heavenly hash, instead of all 31 flavours!