Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’

As a special feature today, we have a guest post from Canadian Living web editor and author of the Green Living column, Daniela Payne:

I think it was around New Years when I resolved not to eat sweets throughout the week. I decided I would allow myself to indulge on the weekends, but throughout the week all cookies, brownies, cake and other tasty delicious goodies were off limits. Tough one, right? Turns out I don’t have much self-restraint. Though I’m good some weeks, others I find myself rubbing my belly after devouring half a dozen of my boyfriend’s mother’s unbelievably tasty brown-eyed orange bars (oh, and you think you could resist this chocolaty orangey temptation?).

I was beating myself up over my weak disposition the other week when the perfect solution came to mind: store all sweets in the freezer. Whenever my boyfriend’s mom drops of a container of cookies, they go straight into the freezer. Or, if I have some leftover dessert from the weekend – in the freezer it goes. You know what? As soon as it goes in there, I don’t ever think about it. As the saying goes: Out of sight, out of mind.

How do you keep your nutrition resolutions or goals on track? Any tips and tricks you follow to make sure you don’t cheat on your diet? Share you tips for a chance to win one of two great DVDs:
• Reebok Cardio Tone: Cardio Bursts and Toning for Maximum Calorie Burn
• Reebok Bootcamp: Explosive Moves & Sculpting for Maximum Fat Burning

You have until July 12 to leave response here. I’ll announce two winners on Tuesday, July 13.

On March 26, I asked you to tell us about a time that you tried to lose weight for a special occasion for a chance to win these six great books:

1. Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living your Dreams, by Mike Dooley
2. Sage-ing while Age-ing, by Shirley MacLaine
3. The Rough Guide to Happiness: Practical Steps for All-Round Well-Being, by Dr. Nick Baylis
4. 10-10-10: 10 Minutes, 10 Months, 10 Years - A Life-Transforming Idea, by Suzy Welch
5. A Long Bright Future: An Action Plan for a Lifetime of Happiness, Health, and Financial Security, by Laura L. Carstensen, Ph.D.
6. Women, Work and the Art of Savoir Faire: Business Sense and Sensibility, by Mireille Guiliano

Congratulations to our winner, Cathy, who says:
"I am trying to lose weight right now. My son is getting married in June and I would like to lose 20 pounds so I could look good on the dance floor with him.

It's not only for this wedding that I am trying to lose weight but also because I am diabetic and my sugar levels have been quite high lately. My doctor wants to put me on insulin and I really don't want to get to this point. I have joined a gym and have been going faithfully. I am seeing my sugars go down and also feeling my clothes get looser. I'm starting to feel better too.

My three boys are a great inspiration - they encourage me to go to the gym and show pride in my determination. I hope I can lose this weight not only for this happy occasion but for my own personal health."

Have you signed up for Spring Boot Camp yet? Sign up today and starting on May 3, 2010 you'll receive an e-newsletter each day for six weeks to motivate you to get healthy and fit - just in time for summer. You'll lose weight and feel great!

On March 16, I asked you to tell us about three things that make you happy for a chance to win the new DVD, Power Yoga for Happiness 2 with Eoin Finn.

Congratulations to our winner, Cathy, who couldn't stop at just three!
Cathy says:
"Things that make me happy:

• Spending time with my family
• A weekend getaway with my husband
• Yoga, Tai Chi, pilates classes
• Shopping or having lunch with my future daughters-in-law
• A massage at the spa
• Beautiful sunshine
• Gardening
• Birds chirping
• Sitting on a beach and relaxing to the sound of the waves rolling in
• Music and dancing
• Going to work and seeing my friends there
• Knowing that I have a solid marriage with three wonderful and healthy children
• Volunteering

There are so many things that make me happy."

Weather forecasts that predict temperatures in the double-digits. Rolling up a winning rim. Knowing there's still a chance that the Ottawa Senators will make the playoffs. These things make me happy.

What puts you in a good mood? Let us know about three simple things that make you glad for a chance to WIN the great new DVD, Power Yoga for Happiness 2 with Eoin Finn.

For a chance to WIN, just Subscribe to This Blog and post a comment to let us know three things that make you happy.

You have until Tuesday, March 23 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Wednesday, March 24.

On March 2, I asked you to tell us about something that was too good to be true for a chance to win these three great books:

• How I Gave Up my Low-Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds . . . and How You Can Too! The Ultimate Guide to Low-Carbohydrate Dieting, by Dana Carpender
• The Fast Food Diet: Lose Weight and Feel Great Even if You're Too Busy to Eat Right, by Stephen Sinatra, M.D. and James Punkre
• The Cardio-Free Diet, by Jim Karas

Congratulations to our winner, Shari D, who shared this inspiring story with us:
"Something miraculous that happened was when hubby survived a grenade explosion while serving with the military in Bosnia. (He has had) two back and many knee operations, but otherwise okay."

We have a great big fabulous prize to give away today. It's a Hamilton Beach 'Premier Cookware' electric griddle with a nonstick cooking surface and a convenient warming tray.

For a chance to WIN this griddle, tell us about your girdle! Yes, share your girdle horror stories - did you get stuck in a pair of Spanx in a change room? Did you split the seams on your body shaper? Was your date horrified to realize you were wearing tummy-tucking underwear? - and you could WIN! Just Subscribe To This Blog and post a comment with your girdle horror story.

You have until Wednesday, March 17 to enter. I'll announce the winner here on Thursday, March 18.

Do you have three girlfriends?

I do. In fact, I have exactly three BFFs.

So it's scary to think that, statistically speaking, one of us will be diagnosed with cancer.

That's right: over the course of their lives, one in four Canadian women will hear a doctor tell them they have cancer. That means this year 81,000 women will hear that diagnosis.

Look Good Feel Better is a national charitable program that helps women with cancer to overcome the effects of the illness and its treatment on their appearance.

Think about it: how much better do you feel when you know you're looking your best? Your appearance has an undeniable impact on your thoughts, feelings and mood. And that can impact your overall sense of well being.

So you can see the value of an organization that runs free workshops to help women with cancer learn simple aesthetic techniques to help them look, and therefore feel, better. Participants have described it as 'a makeover for the spirit'. The program has helped over 90,000 women since its inception in 1992.

You can support Look Good Feel Better, and improve your own health and appearance in the process, by taking part in the Look Good Feel Better Running Series, held in partnership with the MultiSport Canada Running Series.

• On August 15, the Island Girl 10K promises a lively, Caribbean-style event on a scenic course. Take the short ferry ride to Hanlan's Point on Toronto Island and enjoy the camaraderie of a women's only 10K.

• Run along the world's longest fresh water beach as Wasaga Beach hosts the second race of the season on September 13. The half marathon distance is open to all and the 5K welcomes women of all abilities.

• The inaugural Toronto Island Women's Half Marathon will be held on September 19.

You can visit www.runmsc.com for more information on the MultiSport Canada Running Series.

Why not get together with your BFFs this weekend and improve your mood by helping each other look great? Here are some fab articles to get you looking and feeling your best:

• Make your own face scrub
• Make your own natural foot scrub
• 5 spa-treatment recipes using ingredients from your kitchen

Congratulations to Sarah, who won our Day 4 contest by telling us about what inspires her.

Sarah says:
"I am inspired by my mother, and my best friends. My mom lost almost thirty pounds, one of my friends is constantly going to the gym and eating healthy (and I hate to be the chubby, chocolate-eating friend), and my other friend has decided to train for a marathon happening next May and she has never run a day in her life. With these three important women in my life, I know that I can succeed as they have."

Good stuff, Sarah. If we stick together, we'll all get there.

Sarah's prize is a copy of Never Say Diet: Make five decisions and break the fat habit for good, by Chantel Hobbs.

Don't forget to enter our Day 9, Day 7,  Day 6 and Day 3 contests for a chance to WIN great prizes!

"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 sooo ready.

On Tuesdays, I watch The Biggest Loser. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure.

A few years ago, when my husband first turned me on to the show, we'd saddle up on the couch and eat a bag of chips while we watched the show he nicknamed The Fatties.

Now, we are The Fatties. These days, we tune in to watch it after our workouts, while sipping green tea.

Don't tell my husband, but my favourite part of the show is handsome trainer Bob Harper. (The inspiring, extreme weight loss and lifestyle makeovers follow as a close second.)

Harper's new book Are You Ready! shows you how to "Take charge, lose weight, get in shape and change your life forever" and is sure to provide you with that extra bit of inspiration to keep you on track through Boot Camp.

How did you know you were ready to take charge and join Boot Camp to get in shape and feel great? Let us know and you could WIN a copy of Are You Ready! by Bob Harper.

You have until Monday, January 19 to tell us about how you knew you were ready. I’ll announce the winner here on Tuesday, January 20. Good luck!

Ahh, Christmas holidays. Today I slept until noon, spent the afternoon shopping, then ate almost an entire pizza and downed three bottles of Budweiser in front of mindless reality television. It was fabulous.

You did what at 7 a.m.?

It was fabulous . . . until my friend called and told me about how she had started her day with a 7 a.m. workout before heading to the library and then accomplishing a myriad of other constructive activities.

Her day of shiny, healthy productivity really put me to shame. But in a good way — I found it inspiring. If she can do it, so can I.

Tomorrow, I will aim for an early-morning workout.

I'll let you know how it goes. After all, if I can do it, so can you.