Archive for January, 2010

Wow, we're at the end of the second week of Boot Camp already!

I hope you've all subscribed to the Boot Camp newsletter and are enjoying the six-week Boot Camp menu and the Boot Camp workout videos. I certainly have been.

What has been your favourite part of Boot Camp so far? Is it a great recipe you discovered? Is it a new workout you love? Is it the morale boost and wealth of information you get from the daily newsletter? Is it the way you look and feel now that you're getting in shape and eating well?

Tell us about your favourite part of Boot Camp so far and you could WIN a prize pack including these four great books:

• Get Healthy, Get Happy: How to Make Small Changes that Give You Big Results, by Julie Isphording
• The G.I. Diet Express for Busy People, by Rick Gallop
• The 3-Hour Diet: How Low-Carb Diets Make You Fat and Timing Makes You Thin, by Jorge Cruise
• The Good Eater, by Ron Saxen

For your chance to WIN, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a comment telling us about your favourite part of Boot Camp so far. You have until Friday, January 22 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Monday, January 25.

We all have our own reasons for wanting to shed a few pounds. Whether you're trying to reduce your risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnea, or just trying to fit into your skinny jeans, losing weight can help you look and feel great.

Tell us your reasons for wanting to lose weight and you could WIN one of two copies of the new book 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life, by David Grotto, RD, LDN. These super prizes are courtesy of David and the California Strawberry Commission.

You have until Thursday, January 21 to let us know. I'll announce the winners here on Friday, January 22.

Congratulations to Rose, who has won our Day 2 contest by telling us about her top five fave health treats.

Rose says:
"1) Berries
2) Snap peas
3) Red peppers
4) Hummus (especially edamame hummus...mmm)
5) Dried seaweed snacks (like potato chips only better)"

I picked Rose's response because I had never heard of dried seaweed snacks or edamame hummus, but now I'm eager to try them. Better than potato chips? I'll be the judge!

Rose has won a copy of 8 Weeks to a Younger Body by Joan Pagano.

Congratulations to Candace and Kim G who have won our Day 1 contest by telling us about the most gluttonous thing they did over the holidays. Candace and Kim G have each won a set of Taylor Cal-Max electronic scales.

Candace says:
"The most gluttonous thing I did was...New Year's Eve. Cream cheese based hot dips, baked Brie, shrimp, sausages in a brown sugar bbq sauce, crackers, chocolates, cookies, cocktails. Nutritional suicide, but worth it!
 Now, on to a happy healthy year!"

Kim G says:

"My indulgence was a bit of creamy "rocket fuel" aka Bailey's in my coffee every morning. Then there were the homemade nuts and bolts that were made for company that never saw it! (Yes, one full pound of butter in that recipe!)"

Wow, that sounds like quite a recipe, Kim G. Care to share?

Inspiration can come from anywhere. You may find it in an enchanting new song on the radio. The sun glinting off freshly fallen snow might inspire you.  You may be moved by the priceless observations of young children. Maybe you're touched by the actions of the heroine in the book you're reading. Or maybe you find inspiration in Kate Gosselin's new haircut. (Hey, I'm not here to judge.)

Inspiration is what encourages you to put your best foot forward, try your hardest, redouble your efforts and be creative. It's an incredibly powerful force.

I have some terrific books to give away that are bound to inspire you to be the best you can be.

From bestselling author team Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen,  (you may remember Dr. Oz from his stint on the Oprah Show and most recently from his new hour-long program The Dr. Oz Show), I have four fantastic books to give away to one lucky winner.

1. You: Being Beautiful is your all-inclusive ticket into the world -- the real world -- of beauty.
2. You: On a Diet (revised edition) will revolutionize the way you think about yourself and the food you consume, so that you'll diet smart, not hard.
3. You: Staying Young will help you prevent your body from aging badly and regain the power to balance your biological budget to ensure a life that's both long and strong.
4. You: Having a Baby will give you the real scoop about what’s in store for you before, during and after pregnancy. (If you’re not in pregnancy mode, you could always gift this book to a newlywed friend of family member.)

This is a super-terrific prize pack valued at over $125. For your chance to WIN, just tell us five quotes, quips, mottos, sayings or personal stories that inspire you. Here are my five:

1. A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
   -    Albert Einstein
2. When things go wrong, don't go with them.
   - Elvis Presley
3. Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.
   - Wayne Gretzky
4. Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.
   - Jerry Seinfeld
5. Lose your dreams and you might lose your mind.
   - Mick Jagger

You have until Tuesday, February 9 to tell us your top five. I'll announce the winner here on Wednesday, February 10. One lucky winner will WIN all four books!

It's Monday - time to leave your weekend slip-ups behind and get back on track and recommit to Boot Camp! We've got a great new work out video for week two and a tasty new week of menus for you.

And to help keep you motivated, why not enter our contest for a chance to WIN a Hamilton Beach premiere cookware 5.5 quart slow cooker? This fabulous machine lets you brown and sear and then slow cook in the same pan. You'll be able to savour these 5 slow cooked favourites year round.

For a chance to WIN, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a comment telling us about a goal you've achieved and how it made you feel. It could be any goal - big or small - that you achieved at any time in your life. Tell us what your goal was, how you achieved it, and how you felt when you realized you had done what you set out to do.

You have until Monday, January 25 to enter. I'll announce the winner here on Friday, February 12.

It's cold. It's dark. It's snowy. It's slushy. It's slippery. At this time of year, it's easier than ever to find an excuse not to get up and go out to the gym.

So why not stay home and work out? Tell us about your favourite ways to get fit at home, from our online Boot Camp work out videos to house work to playing Wii and you could WIN one of six copies of Your Shape featuring Jenny McCarthy.

Your Shape is a game for your Nintendo Wii (a version for your PC is also available, but the ones we're giving away are for Wii) that comes with a motion-tracking camera that scans your body, detects your movements and designs a fitness program based on your athletic level and goals.

Your scanned body image appears on your TV, right beside an image of Jenny McCarthy who is doing the same routine with you. While you exercise, Jenny will tell you when you're overextending your knees or not raising your arms high enough to ensure you're getting a great workout.

Your Shape doesn’t need special Wii hardware like a balance board or remote. But if you have free weights or a step bench, Jenny will include them in your personalized routine.

Your Shape displays how many calories you're burning, plus your accuracy rate for each exercise. And there are over 400 exercises, meaning you'll never get bored or plateau.

Sounds super-cool! For your chance to WIN, just Subscribe To This Blog and tell us how you get fit at home. You have until Monday, February 8 to let us know. I'll announce the winners here on Tuesday, February 9. Good luck!

We're eight days into the new year. How are your resolutions holding up? If you're like me, your resolutions are already broken, bent or a little banged up.

But there's no need to retire your resolutions just because you haven't adhered to them perfectly so far. Why not recommit to your resolutions this weekend?

For a chance to WIN a prize pack from Special K, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a comment telling us about your new year's resolutions and how you've stuck to them (or become unstuck from them) so far.

The Special K prize pack contains:
- an assortment of Kellogg's Special K cereals and snacks;
- a notebook where the winner can log their meals;
- wrist weights that should be filled with sand, salt, or sugar;
- a skipping rope;
- and some festive New Year's items.

You have until Friday, January 15 to enter. I'll announce the winner here on Monday, January 18.

Eating well and exercising is great for your heart. Here's a few Tested Till Perfect recipes to give your heart health a boost:

• Lemon Chicken and Spinach Noodle Soup
• Mushroom Medley Rice
• Lemon Spice Chickpea Dip

You can WIN one of 50 sets of the limited edition Heart Truth Signature Scarf Series from Becel. Keep one and pass the other two along to your sister, daughter or best friends, and wear them proudly to show that you love your heart.

To enter, send your heart healthy tip to behearthealthy@canadianliving.com; please put “Be Heart Healthy” in the subject line. You have until February 28, 2010 to send in your email. Good luck!

Wow. OK. I seem to have created a monster yesterday by asking you all about your most gluttonous holiday pig-out. I had hoped that these confessions would help us see the error of our ways. Instead, they seem to have inspired cravings in all of us (myself included) for all manner of holiday goodies.

So today, I'll ask you all to tell me about your top five favourite healthy or lower-calorie foods for a chance to WIN a copy of 8 Weeks to a Younger Body by Joan Pagano.

For a chance to WIN, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a comment telling us about your top five faves. You have until Tuesday, January 12 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Wednesday, January 13.

Here are my top five favourites:

1. Popcorn - I air pop it on top of the stove and I don't add any butter, so I think this counts as a healthy treat. Plus, popcorn is high in fibre!
2. Fruit - blueberries, raspberries, peaches, bananas, kiwi, apples, oranges - they're all super-yum. I got a juicer for Christmas and have been enthusiastically juicing entire bags of apples and oranges. So fun.
3. Tea - is there anything more comforting than a nice cuppa? Also: no milk + no sugar = no calories. Or I opt for extra-healthy green tea.
4. Fish & seafood - From salmon and tuna to shrimp and mussels, I love all kinds of fish and seafood. My very favourite is smoked salmon - so delish, it's hard to believe it's actually good for you.
5. Molson 67 - have you tried this magical concoction? 67 calories. In a whole bottle. Of delicious beer. It's totally terrific.