Archive for May, 2009

If you're like me, you totally blew your diet on the weekend and didn't get all your workouts in.

And if you're exactly like me, "blowing your diet" meant indulging in pineapple upside-down cake, bacon and a couple of pints (not all in one sitting, though).

While it's tempting to think you're a failure and quit the process all together, why not just relax, recommit and try to do better today?

Start by checking out the Week Two Boot Camp Fitness Video and the Day Seven Bikini Boot Camp Menu.

Did you blow your diet this weekend? Did working out slip your mind? Post a reply and let us know how your weekend went and how you're recommitting to Bikini Boot Camp today.

My Lord, that Boot Camp workout is tough stuff! But I'm glad it's hard because that's how I know it's working.

There are six videos, one for each week of Bikini Boot Camp, but we actually filmed all of the videos in one day last October.

Filming each video required several takes, from a few different angles, which means that our fitness expert, Maureen Hagan, was exercising all day long.

Maureen is truly an incredible, inspiriting — and very strong! — lady. She's a licensed physiotherapist, fitness instructor and she's the vice president of operations in charge of group exercise and instructor training at GoodLife Fitness Clubs. She's also the creator of Newbody, GoodLife Fitness's exclusive group fitness class. She serves as the director of education for Canadian Fitness Professionals (Can-Fit-Pro) and is involved in the development of the country's largest fitness certification programs. In 2006, she won the IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year award and she's a regular contributor to Canadian Living magazine.

And she's an author.

If you're loving Maureen's online workouts on CanadianLiving.com, you'll want to win a copy of her new book, 6 Weeks to a New Body. For a chance to win, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us which part of the Boot Camp workout video you find most challenging.

You have until Sunday, May 31 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Monday, June 1.

A little while ago, I was chatting with Dr. Mary Louise Adams, who teaches at the School of Physical and Health Education at Queen's University.

She reminded me that real healthy living is more than stuff like monitoring your BMI, measuring your food, tracking how many minutes each week you spend exercising, checking your heart rate and calculating how many steps you took today.

"It’s not that these are not important," she said. "But if you look at 19th century magazines or periodicals, for instance,  they were concerned about health too, but one of their biggest criteriea for defining whether someone was healthy was whether then had been outside, breathing fresh air. Going to the gym doesn’t actually give you that part of being healthy."

Hmm . . . true.

"What do we lose when we end up spending a lot of time on machines at the gym? I mean - I also do this -  but you become very focused on the numbers on the machines.  Is the treadmill going fast enough? Is it going faster than it was last time? Can we just go jogging or for a walk without thinking about our heart rate or a particular number our pedometer, how many steps we’ve taken?"

And then she said something that blew my mind:

"What about just staying outside as long as the sun is up?"

That is crazy, I thought. Outside? All day? I mean, I live in Hamilton. Hamilton. What the heck am i going to do outside all day in Hamilton, I thought.

"It's just a different way of thinking about what our bodies can do," she explained.

Yes. Extremely different. What would I do if I had to spend the whole day outside? Well, I'd probably start by walking down to the cafe, then doing some window shopping, then walking down to the park . . .

Wait, all of this actually sounds quite pleasant! And I'd be getting exercise without even knowing it.

All day might be a bit of a stretch (at first), but I'm going to see how much time I can spend outside this weekend, enjoying the city and getting some non-workout exercise.

James A. Levine, MD, PhD, has another name for non-workout exercise. He calls it NEAT (nonexercise activity thermogenesis) and in his book, Move a Little, Lose a Lot: New NEAT science reveals how to be thinner, happier and smarter, he explains how we can burn calories without even knowing it by making small changes every day to the way we move. If you'd like to WIN a copy of Move a Little, Lose a Lot, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us about your favourite non-workout way to get exercise without even really realizing it.

You have until Saturday May 16 to let us know. I'll annouce the winner here on Sunday May 17.

Bikini Boot Camp has so many benefits. Think about it — right now, you're enjoying the rewards of learning new ways to work out, trying healthy new recipes, pushing yourself to the limits, finding out what you're capable of and feeling proud of yourself. And you're probably healthier than you have been for a while.

And even months down the road, say, when New Year's rolls around and you're looking back over the year that was, you'll be able to say you accomplished something this year, that you set your mind to something and stuck to it. You'll be able to say that 2009 was the year that you invested in yourself.

And because of that — because of the conscious decisions you're making today — you're going to be healthier and happier in the long run. Who knows — 10 years from now, you might still be relying on the healthy recipes you learned how to make during Bikini Boot Camp. You might still be pushing yourself to hold the plank pose for just one more second. The healthy habits you develop over these six weeks could last a lifetime.

Many of us find our lives are filled with chaos — I know I do! I buckle under the weight of decisions as simple as what to have for breakfast. So it's rewarding to feel confident in my choice to join Bikini Boot Camp. If only all decisions were so simple and straightforward.

...

Suzy Welch's new book 10-10-10: 10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years - a life-transforming idea shows you how you can gain clarity in your life by approaching all your tricky decisions by using the 10-10-10 technique. The book shows you how you can create the life you want by evaluating how your choices will affect you in 10 minutes (i.e. right now), in 10 months (the foreseeable future) and in 10 years (the distant future).

Suzy is a journalist, author, speaker and mother of four. On her book cover, she appears fit, healthy and happy. She looks like the kind of person who woke up this morning and consciously, deliberately chose exactly what she wanted for breakfast, without breaking a sweat. I think she's on to something with this 10-10-10 technique. I started reading her book yesterday.

I have two copies of 10-10-10 to give away, so if you'd like to read her book too, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us about the best decision you've ever made. What were your options? What was the consequence of your choice? Why has it worked out so well for you?

You have until Friday, May 15 to let us know. I 'll announce the winner here on Saturday, May 16.

"Oh Lord. Is it only Day 4? Will it ever end? Am I thin yet?"

It's Day 4 of Bikini Boot Camp and the healthy groceries I so enthusiastically purchased on Day 1 are dwindling. The weekend — and its promise of easy, breezy, fattening beverages on a patio — is looming. My muscles are sore. My gym clothes are in the wash. The couch is calling. The odds are stacked against me.

It's days like today when a story of inspiration and success goes a long way.

Enter Chantel Hobbs, who took control of her life, changed her thought process, lost 200 pounds and became a personal trainer. Her story is one of enormous transformation — both physical and psychological. Chantel says it started when she learned to change the way she thinks — after years of failed diets, she discovered the power of the 'brain change'.

Chantel's book, Never Say Diet: Make five decisions and break the fat habit for good, tells her incredible story and also includes quick tips, a strength training plan and some jaw-dropping before-and-after photos.

It also helps to put Bikini Boot Camp in perspective. If she can lose 200 pounds, surely I can lose six pounds in six weeks. If she can become a personal trainer, then I bet I can continue to lose a pound a week until I reach my goal. If she can change the way she looks and feels without yo-yo dieting, so can I!

Chantel's story has already inspired me to make some changes today. My to-do list now includes doing laundry, taking Advil, getting groceries and gearing up for Day 5 and beyond.

Need to feel inspired? I have a copy of Chantel's book to give away. For your chance to WIN Never Say Diet: Make five decisions and break the fat habit for good, Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us about what inspires you.

You have until Thursday, May 14 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Friday, May 15. Good luck!

Part of Bikini Boot Camp is learning to reward yourself for working hard to establish a healthier lifestyle.

And while I used to reward myself for a job well done with a beer (or two . . . while waiting for a pizza), a better way is to enjoy a treat that will leave you looking, feeling and even smelling better!

You have a chance to WIN such a reward, thanks to Fruits & Passion! This great prize pack includes all of the products in their new, eco-friendly 'Imagine' collection in the alluring ‘Apple Illusion’ scent.

You'll get:

• eau de toilette
• foaming bath
• hand soap
• hand cream
• shower gel
• quenching butter
• a sample eau de toilette Imagine fragrance box

It's a total value of $116.50, plus it's all packaged in a super-cute reusable shopping bag!

For a chance to WIN, just Subscribe To This Blog and leave a reply telling us about your favourite way to pamper yourself.

You have until Wednesday, May 27 to enter. I'll announce the winner here on Thursday, May 28. Good luck!

Wow, Bikini Boot Camp is off to a great start. The menu is delicious, the workout is super-challenging, I'm drinking a ton of water, I've swapped my daily latte for green tea and I didn't eat any popcorn during that fabulous Pittsburgh/Washington hockey game last night.

I hopped on the scale this morning and it showed I had lost 0.2 pounds.

0.2 pounds?

I was so well behaved yesterday, I should have lost 10 pounds!

I wondered, briefly, if I should workout harder, eat fewer snacks, gulp water constantly and stop watching hockey and start playing it.

But then I remembered the lessons I learned during the January Boot Camp:

1. Trust the process. If you keep eating well and working out, the results will come.
2. If I lost 0.2 pounds a day, it would add up to 1.4 pounds a week, which is a healthy, normal rate of weight loss. During the January Boot Camp, I lost a pound a week and have kept it off.
3. The scale is a real jerk sometimes. Don't rely on it to measure your progress. A better indicator is how well your clothes fit.
4. The older I get, the harder it is to lose weight. In my 20s, I could easily drop a few pounds in a few days. Now it takes a bit more effort.
5. The hard work is worth it. Keep at it and you'll be proud of yourself and delighted with the results.

How did your first day go? Post a reply and let us know how you're doing so far.

Welcome to Bikini Boot Camp! The first edition of the free, daily Bikini Boot Camp e-newsletter will be released this morning. Have you signed up yet?

Also! The super-fabulous Bikini Boot Camp Six-Week Menu is now online.

Our experts will be online in the Boot Camp Forum Tuesday afternoons through June 9.

• Counsellor Bev Behar, MASc, will be online Tuesdays from 2-3 p.m. EST to answer your emotional eating and self esteem questions. Weight is often an emotional issue, so get to the bottom of what's holding you back with help from Bev.
• Canadian Living's Assistant Fashion & Beauty Editor Julia McEwen will be online Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m. EST to field your style and beauty questions. When you look good, you feel good. From flattering wardrobe choices to how to apply self-tanner, Julia has all the answers and advice to help you look your best.

You can post a question for our Bikini Boot Camp Forum experts any time and expect a response from them in the forum on Tuesday, so post your questions today!

The new online Meal Planner and the Food Journal are accessible through your MyCL account to help you get organized track your progress, so check these cool tools out today.

And don't forget to work out with international award-winning fitness instructor Maureen Hagan in our specially designed Boot Camp fitness program. There's a new video for each week of Boot Camp, so get started today with the Week One video.

Yes, it's a tough workout. This is Boot Camp, after all! But the beauty of Bikini Boot Camp is that you will see (and feel!) results in just a few short weeks. So get energized, get engaged, get excited and get off the couch! It's time for Bikini Boot Camp!