Archive for January, 2009

Wow, we're into Week Two already. Congratulations on sticking with it!

I think my body has gone into shock in response to all the vegetables and exercise. It feels great! I have a lot more energy. What kind of changes are you noticing?

Fitness expert Maureen Hagan's Week Two Boot Camp Fitness video debuts on Monday. You'll need a jump rope for this one, as well as a lot of energy and stamina. Good luck!

Do you have questions about your fitness routine? Post your questions on the Boot Camp forum. Maureen Hagan will be online from 7 to 8 p.m. EST every Monday until February 10 in the Boot Camp forum to answer your questions.

The computer is my cook book.

Ahhh, Sunday — the day when I prepare my weekly pot of soup.

Every week, I make a batch of Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup. Monday mornings, I plop it in the slow cooker and when I get home from work on Monday night (and Tuesday night . . . and Wednesday night . . .) I have a fabulous, hot, hearty, healthy and low calorie meal to enjoy.

Try it out! (I know — when you first look at the recipe, it looks like there are a lot of ingredients, but it's actually really easy to make. Trust me — I'm no chef and I manage to throw it together every week.)

Canadian Living's Recipe Search lets you narrow down your recipe search by dietary restrictions, preparation method, meal type and nutritional information. So what's your favourite low-calorie Canadian Living recipe?

Day Five's newsletter talked about the importance of including a little bit of your favourite treat in your Boot Camp menu so that you're not overcome by cravings.

That's a good way to keep yourself on track.

Another great strategy is to reward yourself when you meet your goals — and remember to set small goals along the way to your ultimate goal. Plan to give yourself a little reward for every five days in a row that you've worked out, or for every 5 pounds you've lost.

When I've completed Boot Camp, I'm going to reward myself with some fancy new workout duds so that I'll finally have something snazzy to wear to the gym. You can win yourself some snazzy duds by visiting our 'Contests' page and entering to WIN a fabulous prize pack of Adidas workout wear.

All Day I Dream About . . . Boot Camp

Years ago, I worked the graveyard shift at Canadian Bank Note, where I spent
my nights sorting postage stamps. The radio played through the night, and at
least twice each shift I would hear Ricky Martin's 'Livin' La Vida Loca'.

Even now, whenever I hear that song (which is blissfully seldom), it takes
me back to those long nights of paper cuts and sticky fingers.

It's an example of how, even without realizing it, we associate songs with
certain times or places. Familiar songs can take you back to high school
dances, family road trips, painful heartbreaks . . . or Latin pop-laced late
nights at the stamp factory.

This is why I choose my workout playlist carefully. Why ruin a great song
by unintentionally associating it with heavy sweating, loss of breath and
muscle exhaustion?

I've circumvented the problem by working out mostly to ABBA. It seems that
even after working out to it for quite some time now, whenever I hear it on non-workout occasions, it makes me think of carefree childhood figure skating instead of reps, squats and abs.

"Mamma mia, here I go again..."

I guess some musical associations are stronger than others.

What's at the top of your workout playlist? Tell us what song or artist pumps you up when you're working out and why, and you could WIN an Energizer Energi To Go™ prize pack, full of devices that let you charge your cell phone and iPod on-the-go. The basket includes an Energi To Go™ portable cell phone charger and iPod charger, a selection of lithium, titanium and rechargeable batteries and more. The gift basket is valued at approximately $150.

You have until Thursday, January 15 to share you favourite workout tunes
with us. I'll announce the winner here on Friday, January 16. Good luck!

Like many of you, I'm excited with the progress I've made so far with the Boot Camp program.

I worked out for an hour on both Monday and Tuesday and I ate less than my goal of 1500 calories.

I only smile like this when my plate is full of poutine.

I feel great!

But it's a familiar feeling. How many times have you started out strong with your New Year's resolutions or with a new weight loss program, only to be derailed and discouraged a few days in?

What strategies are you going to use this time to keep you on track? What are you going to say to yourself to keep you going when you're tempted to skip a workout or to pig out?

I was literally absent from school on the day they taught addition. Since then, I've always been a bit math-inhibited.

My multiplication is off, my long division skills are deplorable. Even run-of-the-mill adding and subtracting can foul me up. It’s embarrassing, really.

That’s why I’m in love with Canadian Living’s new Food Journal. It does all the math for me. I just tell it what I’ve eaten each day, and it totals up how many calories I’ve consumed. (It can also calculate how much fibre, fat, protein and carbs I've had.)

There’s no avoiding the total when it’s automatically (and accurately!) added up by the computer.

Right now, I’m recording everything I eat and drink, but I’m only tracking how many calories I’ve consumed. I’ve set my daily caloric intake target at 1500.

Next time I’m in to see my doctor or my dietician, I’ll work with her to set some targets for my fibre, fat, protein and carb intake.

For now, I'll just worry about the calories. That's enough math for me, for now.

Today's the day I've been eating waiting for.

I hope you'll join me as I persevere through these next six weeks of Boot Camp. I'm aiming for fewer pounds, more energy and healthier habits that will last a lifetime.

Leave me a reply and let me know what your goals are. Let's work together to get there!