Posts Tagged ‘giveaway’

Congratulations to jentam, who has won our Day 6 contest by telling us about her  favourite non-workout way to get exercise.

jentam says:
"This may sound strange but I enjoy cleaning the house and getting exercise doing so. I move quickly when I clean and I try and stretch as I reach to clean windows or sweep under the bed. It feels great to have a clean house *and* feel like I’ve been working out."

Ooh, extra points for multitasking! Nice work. Your prize is a copy of Move a Little, Lose a Lot: New NEAT science reveals how to be thinner, happier and smarter by James A. Levine, MD, PhD.

In other news, today is World Hypertension Day. Who knew? Not I. But to help . . . celebrate . . . wait, I don't know if we're meant to 'celebrate' World Hypertension Day, but anyway, to help 'mark the occasion', we're giving away a great prize pack from Mrs. Dash. It contains all 12 flavours of Canada's favourite salt-free, flavour-full seasoning plus a step counter and a jump rope. The folks at Mrs. Dash say that using Mrs. Dash instead of salt is a great way to cut down on your sodium intake.

Mmm. Sodium. I confess that I put salt on everything. It's a habit I really have to break. Is there something that you put salt on even when you know you really shouldn't? Do you add salt to your food before you even taste it? Do you ever add a visible layer of salt to your food? If someone served you a bowl of salt, would you proceed to put salt on it? For a chance to WIN this fab Mrs. Dash prize, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us about your bad salt habit.

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

I have a Turtle in my desk drawer.

That's right, a Turtle. A delicious, chocolaty pecan treat.

It has been in my desk drawer since last Thursday, making it the longest surviving Turtle ever. Usually such a sweet snack would be devoured on its first day at the office. (Although, now that my colleagues know it's in there, its days are probably numbered.)

Turtles and other such tasty treats are forever in danger of extinction because of my rampant love of snacking. It's a real testament to my commitment to Bikini Boot Camp that this Turtle has survived so long.

(I just took it out of my drawer and smelled its wrapper. Mmm. Then I slid it back in my drawer. That is willpower.)

Anyway, turns out that snacking is not such a bad thing. Just look at the Bikini Boot Camp Menu — it's littered with snacks. The trick is to snack well.

The Snack Factor Diet: The secret to losing weight by eating more, by Keri Glassman, M.S., R.D, has more than 100 ideas and recipes for crunchy, sweet, salty and creamy snacks to enjoy. Best of all, these waistline-friendly snacks promise to help keep your energy high, your metabolism up and your mood positive.

I have two copies of The Snack Factor Diet to give away. For a chance to WIN, just Subscribe to This Blog and post a reply telling us about your favourite snack. No — no Turtles allowed. These have to be healthy snacks!

You have until Monday, May 18 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Tuesday May 19.

Happy snacking!

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.

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!

I am a terrible athlete. I don't even think I could call myself a terrible athlete.

I am a non-athlete.

And my lack of skill applies to all sports — from hockey to bowling.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "How do you know you're bad at hockey? I bet you've never even played!"

That's where you're wrong. I totally play. This is my rookie season. Full equipment. Costly enrolment. Weekly humiliation. The whole deal.

Also — I bowled last Saturday. Despite the "turkey" (that's three strikes in a row!) I warmly recall bowling in my parents' living room at Christmastime, it seems my Wii skills do not translate into the real game. I bowled at 38.

(For those of you unfamiliar with bowling scoring, that is a terrible score. That's the score of a first-timer. A toddler first-timer.)

I can't help but think that if I excelled at sports, I would be in better shape because I would enjoy staying active.

What do you think? Are you sporty? Does it help you stay in shape? Or maybe, like me, you were humiliated in elementary school gym class to the point where the idea of even throwing darts or playing badminton makes you feel a little sick. Do you subject yourself to sports despite your shortcomings in an attempt to stay fit?

The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook

I know — no one wants to leave a reply spilling their guts about how their Grade 4 gym teacher made them cry in the middle of their gymnastics routine and how, even now, the thought of spandex makes them weep a little bit on the inside.

But it's cathartic. You'll see. You are not alone. And to sweeten the deal and encourage you to confess, I have a huge book giveaway for you. The person with the sorriest story — or sweetest story of perseverance — will win:

1. The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A delicious alternative for lifelong health by Nancy Harmon Jenkings
2. The Diet Detective's Count Down: 7500 of your favorite food counts with their exercise equivalents for walking, running, biking, swimming, yoga and dance, by Charles Stuart Platkin
3. Fat Proof Your Family: God's way to forming healthy habits for life, by J. Ron Eaker, MD
4. Happiness: How to find it and keep it, by Joan Duncan Oliver
5. The Source: Beat fatigue, power up your health and feel 10 years younger, by Woodson Merrell, M.D
6. Jaime Brenkus' Get Lean in 15 — 15 ways in 15 days to shape up and slim down . . .  fast!
7. The Instinct Diet: Use your five food instincts to lose weight and keep it off, by Susan B. Roberts, Ph.D.

That is a huge, fabulous prize. For a chance to WIN, just Subscribe to This Blog and then leave a reply, telling us your story.

Let us know by Monday, April 6. I'll announce the big winner here on Tuesday, April 7.

Congratulations to Marilyn, who won our Scanpan giveaway for telling us how she handled her fitness plateau.

Marilyn says:

"While staying on track with diet and exercise I hit a plateau for a few weeks. I decided to eat more of my favourite vegetables in addition to my current intake and added two more hours of exercise (walking) for the week. I had been working out (moderate aerobics) three times a week for an hour. The plateau broke and I dropped two pounds that week. I am learning to maintain my weight now and am eating less if I exercise less and eating more filling, lower-fat foods when exercising more. So far so good!"

Marilyn has won a 28 cm (11″) Scanpan frypan and kitchen accessories.

The Scanpan Classic line of cookware is made of high-quality ceramic titanium that’s designed to keep its shape and eliminate hot spots when cooking. It’s dishwasher-safe and ovenproof to 260 degrees Celsius. Plus, its non-stick coating can’t be damaged by metal, so you don’t have to worry about which utensil to use.

Congratulations Marilyn!

If you've worked hard and lost weight but are worried about maintaining your weight loss, or if you're still adjusting to your fab new life as a thin person, Judith Lederman's book Joining the Thin Club is for you.

Tell us how you plan to keep the weight off and you could WIN a copy of Joining the Thin Club. You have until Friday, February 20 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Saturday, February 21.

Good luck!