Hey there!

    The truth is, we may decide we want to eat healthier & exercise more, but a lot of days, it's just not happening. Why? Dunno. Too tired, feeling blue, feeling sick, not enough time, there can be a million reasons why we don't do what we wanted to do. 

    So, if you're just not feeling it, might I suggest you start small?

    Starting small for eating healthier could just mean you will determine to eat more vegetables. If you usually only eat veggies with your dinner, tell yourself you'll also have some at lunch, or as a snack. If you never eat veggies at all , just tell yourself you will start to eat veggies at least once a day! Once is better than nothing! 

    Getting up in the morning and knowing that you will not likely have a lot of time to workout, or as the day goes on you know you'll loose motivation to workout? Then don't let the day get away from you! Do a quick, pre-shower, or pre-whatever you do to get ready in the morning workout! I've provided my favourite combo below! It'll take 5-10 minutes (depending on how intensely you do it, or if you decide to do it twice through), and I pinky-swear promise you will feel better for having done something!     

     It's no huge leap to do either of those things mentioned, but it is something! And  something is better than nothing!!!

    Don't talk yourself down by saying, "if you don't do it now, 100%, eat clean, workout for at least 30 minutes a day, it's not worth even starting or trying..."  blah, blah, blah! That's all bull-crap (excuse my French) : )

    You can start now, you can start small, and it is a start! A small start is still a start!

    I think it appropriate that this post is so short (or small) ; )  

​    The End

    
xoxo
    

    Picture this, me, about 10 years ago, a young, fresh faced lamb. I try yoga for the first time ever.....and I hate it with every fibre of my being!!!

    The teacher, although well intentioned, and well educated at being a yogi hadn't really prepared us for her style of yoga. The slow, boring, "are we done yet?" kind of yoga. I was trying it at a gym I was part of, and I'm sure the classes listed didn't include "bored-out-of-your-mind-yoga", 'cause if it did, I wouldn't have attended!  I think it just said "yoga with so&so", and I feel like my sister or my Mom wanted to do it, so we all did it. Hooray for peer pressure!! 

   So, needless to say, I didn't enjoy that experience too much. I do know I laughed a lot though, which is good for you! I feel like I got kicked out? I honestly can't remember...that's bad.

   Anyway, fast-forward to the year 2012, I'm in Anne Of Green Gables at the Theatre Guild, and the director thinks it'll be a nice way to warm up for a rehearsal by having her yoga teacher come in and give us a quick 15 minute session. It was optional, and my first reaction was, "Optional? Hazaa! Count me out!!!". But then, peer pressure......geez. So, I (very, very reluctantly!) went, and somehow, despite myself, enjoyed it. Sort of. It was quick, we held each pose for just a few breaths, the teacher was easy going and nice. 

   It didn't convert me though, I thought, "well, I guess only most yoga is terrible, and the rest is barely tolerable". Yes, I am super optimistic! Whomp whomp.
   

    One thing I've learned to love about yoga the more I do it, is the idea of being forgiving to yourself (which is important in any workout!).

    This principle is so applicable to every area of life, and I've always struggled with it! I tend to beat myself up if I didn't get a good enough sweat on, or if my flexibility isn't as awesome as I think it should be, or if the house is super dusty, or dinner is late, or I'm staring at a basket of clean laundry that needs folding and I just don't wanna fold it..... Sometimes you just need to give yourself a break and be forgiving!   

   Below is a 22 second time-lapse video of a 40 minute workout and yoga session I did from a few weeks ago. I often workout in the great outdoors because I love the fresh air, feeling the earth under my feet, touching the grass with my fingers (seriously, this perks my brain right up!), and filming it in time-lapse is just sort of hilarious! : )  For real, it makes my kids laugh out loud!     

      So, I promise you that you can find some yoga you like if you actually take a look! Ok, if you already like it, I'm just preaching to the choir, but if you think the way I used to (that yoga is the absolute worst!!!), don't write it off completely! It is a fantastic stress reliever, your body starts to strengthen and gain flexibility, and (even if you have a slightly ADHD brain like I do) you'll find that you will be able to focus better. ​

     Here are my absolute favourite yogi's on YouTube that you should check out!

 ~Yoga By Candace- I've only done her 5, 10, 15, and 20 minute videos because my attention span (even though I now enjoy most yoga!) is still limited. Ok, I also do a 30 Minute Power Yoga of hers, and it is awesome, but I usually stick to under 30 minutes! 

 ~ Sarah Beth Yoga- I will be honest & say I don't do all of her videos, but I do love her Power Yoga playlist, and her Yoga for Flexibility playlist. 

 ~ Anita Goa- I generally go to this channel for her stretching & restoration yoga. Her playlist Stretch, Restore , Meditation//All Levels is generally where I'll find the videos I wanna do

   Oh! I also want to be sure to mention that I do not own a yoga mat! If I'm outside I'll use a towel, if I'm inside I'm on an area rug, and that works just fine! You don't need anything special to do yoga!!! 

   In conclusion (I do love ending posts like a bad high school essay!), I hated yoga because it was boring, not challenging in the right ways (I was only challenged in that I couldn't stand it because it was boring!), boring, overly spiritual, boring, did I mention boring?

   Now, I love yoga because I've found a style that fits me, I can find a class length I can tolerate, it's helped with my flexibility, being aware of my breathing, being forgiving, and I really do find some challenging poses (ever tried a forearm stand? Geepers!).

   If you have your own yoga time-lapse video, share it with me! Or make one to share with me! P.S. "time-lapse" is an option on (most?) iPhones in your camera. There is likely something similar on other smartphones, but I couldn't tell you for sure 'cause I ain't got one. : )

xoxo  

    Hello all you good people!

    Can I start by offering an honest confession to you? This post is not a finger wagging at you post, but a strong reminder to me post! 

    Last week went like this.......I had a treat night on Monday evening because we had gone out to the Royal Winter Fair, and I wanted to have some of the wonderful food offerings from there! Then my sister and her family were coming to visit from Tuesday-Friday, and I would plan on having a treat night with them (my sister and I are treat fiends!!!) on one of those days, but Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday treat days later.......whomp whomp.....

    So, 6 out of 7 days were laden with junk food....and I do mean laden!!! 

    I usually eat clean (no flour, sugar, grains, dairy or bad oils) 80%-90% of my week, then I have a treat day (or 2!), and then I get back to healthy eating! I plan my treat days around different things. For instance, I may plan it around having guests over, or being invited to someone else's house for dinner, or a special event I may be attending. Sometimes there is nothing "special" happening at all, and I just have my treat day because it's the weekend! 

     Some times treat days are a one day get-away....and some are treat cruises where there ain't no getting off!!!  

    I once saw something that helps me to re-start though. It's cheesy, but I like it (see it below!)!

    And sometimes I need to read it as: "a few days of bad eating won't make you fat & unhealthy, just like a few days of eating great won't make you fit & healthy"

    It's what you really and truly do the majority of your eating time that really makes you healthy or not. 
  

 
   
    Ok, so why have a treat day at all?

    Here are my thoughts......

    Eating well, working out, and thinking about being healthy are (clearly) good things, but sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming! 

    The endless road ahead of never eating another Oh Henry or Sour Patch Kid can also seem depressing.....or am I the only one who thinks this way?!? 

   I think I am not! Ya know why? Because every woman I've ever spoken with tells me so! Men feel this way to, but I'm not a man and can't fully address the issue for them!

   Anyway, all this to say that planning for treat days is, in my opinion, extremely important! If you tell yourself you'll never again eat any junk food ever again, you will fail!!! Sorry, Debbie Downer here, but you will fail. And when we fail, usually what follows is guilt, feeling like we are incapable of achieving what we're aiming for, and giving up entirely!

   I am not (I repeat I am NOT) good at eating in moderation! I am sometimes, but when it comes to junk food, I take one bite, and my brain goes bonkers and says in a scary voice "eat everything in sight that is bad for you!!!".

    So, while some people may be able to say, "I'm going to just have a tiny slice of that cake", I might say, "I'll have a tiny slice"....then secretly hide in the bathroom while eating 3 more pieces. Ok, I've never done that exactly, but I've done things similar. Very, very similar....

    Yes, perhaps I've got some food issues to work on, but also knowing myself, and knowing my triggers helps me to plan ahead for success! And one success spurs me on to more success, etc., etc., etc.!!!  Knowing that I am an all or nothing kind of treat gal leads me to plan specific days or treat eating.    ​

​    
   So, now that I've rambled on about treat days, what I really want to talk about is recovering from treat days. 
   
     Here are some of my tips!
         
​1. Start Your New Day With Water!

​    For many reasons, I don't want to tell you how much water to drink after a treat day (because the exact needs of each person is very different), but what I can say is that you NEED to drink some water!!!
 
     As soon as you wake up with your treat day hangover, drink a glass of water! Ok, maybe you'll only feel slightly "off" from your treat day (or just treat meal, or treat item!), but drink some water! 

    The benefits of water to the body are many (many!!!), but I want to highlight just a few.

    First, water (and being well hydrated) has a huge effect on energy levels and brain function! I know that after a treat day my body will be working through foods it doesn't consume regularly, and the food I consumed was short-term energy food. So, my brain needs as much help as possible, and my energy levels need a natural boost!

   Second, when I wake up post treat day, I right away feel hungry. Am I really hungry? Not likely. When most people think of "feeling hungry" they think of that stomach rumbling that can be experienced. I'm sure not getting into the topic of why or how our stomachs growl today, but drinking water helps to stop some of the rumbles, and can help you re-focus for success.  

   Third, water flushes toxins out of your vital organs, and that's something your organs will appreciate after a day of junk food! 

   So, do your body a favour and drink yourself some water! Want to make it even more powerful? Add some lemon! 


2. Fasting

    Whaaaaat? I know fasting may seem like an evil idea, but it sure has been gaining a lot of ground lately in popular fitness. Fasting has been practiced since, well, forever with many countries and (generally spiritual) groups practicing on a regular basis. I will talk more about fasting as my posts unfold here, but for now I will just say to start by forgoing breakfast the morning after a treat day. Skipping a meal will not kill you. You will not starve. You will not pass out or faint. What it will do though is force your body to use all that junk food you consumed as your energy source. Whenever you plan to eat again, make it something good, fresh, & easy. Think an apple, or baby carrots. Neither of those require much effort, and they are real food that your body can use right away!

 3. Plan Ahead!

    Even during your treat day, have in mind what your "back to normal day" will look like. Plan what you'll have to eat, making (obviously) some great choices. Veggies & fruits are a no-brainer for post treat-day fare as they are real, whole and have easily accessible nutrients to re-fuel your body.

    If you are thinking ahead to healthier things, you will be more likely to actually eat said healthy things that day! 


4. Move it! 

    Sometimes the last thing you want to do the day after having treats is to get some exercise (because you may be feeling a bit sluggish from a sugar crash...), but getting moving will reap physical and also psychological benefits to your post treat-day body & brain.

    A personal post treat day favourite exercise of mine is a detox yoga! Scared of yoga? Don't be! Especially in this context. Would it help put your mind at ease if I just said "twisting & wringing out (the junk in your organs) stretches"? No? Still weird? Oh well!

    Shape magazine has this article to help get you moving (some poses are cra-cra, so don't worry about having to do them all, just do your best!), or hop onto YouTube and look up "twist & rinse detox yoga" (my fav is by Sara Beth Yoga). 

   Second favourite thing is getting outside for a walk, Even a quick, ten minute walk &  getting some fresh air revives my body and mind! The title photo above is a selfie from a post treat day walk! : )  

    
5. Clean Up Your Mind!!! 

     
     I mindfully choose to enjoy some of my favourite things on my treat days without beating myself up about it, and that helps me enjoy my treats and be mentally ready for cleaning up my act the next day!   

    Truth is, when I "treat day", I do it hard! I don't have one Oreo cookie because it's my treat day, I'll eat a whole row of Oreos! Yikes!?! Yes, but I enjoy Oreos to dip into my milky tea while reading! But, as I said, I have mindfully chosen to have a treat day, so I am mentally prepared to do better when the time comes. If I had made myself feel like I was failing by having treats, I would not be ready to eat better. 

   This can be more difficult if you end up having multiple treat days (as I did last week), but there is still no benefit in beating yourself up about the choices you made! Say it with me: "There is NO POINT in beating myself up"!!! As soon as you do, you are setting yourself up for psychological disaster! And once your mind starts failing, your will power won't be far behind!

​    Show yourself grace, and decide that you are worth doing better for, and trying harder for. Last week, after that first treat night with my sister on Wednesday, I told myself then, "Amy-Lyn, guurl, you will be having a treat fest....have fun!". I still felt pretty "bleh" most mornings, but I gave myself permission to enjoy my time, enjoy my treats, enjoy my company, and to remember that come Monday, all would be re-set! 

     On a parting note, why do I call my day a "treat day" when purrrdy much everyone else calls it a "cheat day"? Because I despise the word "cheat"! 
 
    Websters dictionary defines "cheat" as

Full Definition of CHEAT

transitive verb
1:  to deprive of something valuable by the use of deceit or fraud
2:  to influence or lead by deceit, trick, or artifice
3:  to elude or thwart by or as if by outwitting <cheat death>

intransitive verb
1 :  a: to practice fraud or trickery b:  to violate rules dishonestly (cheat at cards, or cheating on a test
2:  to be sexually unfaithful —usually used with on  (was cheating on his wife)
3:  to position oneself defensively near a particular area in anticipation of a play in that area (the shortstop was cheating toward second base)


    None of that applies to deciding to eat something one would usually consider unhealthy or off-limits. It is a treat! In fact, it makes it sounds sneaky & terrible, so, I call my day a "treat day" because there isn't any cheating involved! 

    I know you wanted to know why I called it what I did, so now you know! : ) 

    Any tips you want to share with me? Please do! Leave a comment, say 'hi', get connected! 

xo  

 
    Monday, Monday, Monday!!!

   We're off to The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair today, and we are all pretty pumped!

    It's an amazing event held in Toronto every winter for 10 days that can't be described fully because it would take all day!!! It's got animal shows/competitions of every kind (seriously, cow, pig, goat, sheep, duck, chicken, horse, dog, I'm sure I'm missing a bunch!), food product competitions, a zillion activities for the kids, amazing food vendors and competitions, as well as booths of things to wander through and buy!   
  

   
​    Now what I want to share is a favourite Monday playlist I created on YouTube! I'm sharing with you a 40 minute playlist that consists of 4 different videos (I need variety!), that are designed to get you sweaty & breathless! 

   Ok, well, apparently I can't seem to get the playlist to load, so, for the whole playlist on my YouTube channel, click HERE!   : )   
        

   As a parting note about what one may or may not need to workout, over the (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend, while at my parents house I did the above workout in a space (literally!) about 4x7 ft (that's being generous), and without my workout clothes (because I had apparently forgotten them!) so I wore the cosy pants I had packed and my sons t-shirt, and a bra I wasn't going to wear that day (so I knew I could get is washed and dried before I did need it!), and I got 'er done!  I have included crappy cellphone photos of this experience below! 

    "I'm on a diet"

    I literally hate when people say that (oh, and please read "literally" with a British accent, it makes it sound not so harsh)!  : )

   Seriously though, when I hear "I'm on a diet", I hear, "I'm forcing myself to eat a certain way because I want to look a certain way, but I really hate it, and I'll probably bail and backslide, and feel guilty, and give up!". 

    I have to keep reminding/reprimanding my husband for telling people, "oh, she's on a diet....she doesn't eat wheat.....or dairy.....or sugar....or beans......" when we're at a restaurant and I'm asking about different options and he feels the need to prattle on and let the server know why I'm asking questions and making changes to the food I'm ordering. 

    The server will walk away from the table, and I'll give Adam that look.....

    Then we have a conversation that goes something like, "Adam, you don't need to give reasons for why I am asking questions and changing things. People can (and should!) feel free to make alterations to foods to make them healthier!". We are not being forced to go out to eat, we are not being forced to eat whatever the heck they bring us, we are there by choice! And by that same choice I can ask (while being extremely polite and friendly) if I could swap things out for something else, or to exclude something, or whatever!

   Recently while in a liquor store, we were asked if wanted a sample of a cider, and I asked if I could see the bottle first to read the ingredients, and Adam pipes up and says, "she doesn't want sugar in it, she doesn't eat sugar", so I added, "I'm also trying to avoid strychnine and want to see if it's listed".  The lady working at the store wasn't too sure if I was being serious or not! Haha, oh man.   

   If I had heart disease and needed to eat better, would Adam go, "oh, she's got heart disease, she could die if she doesn't eat a certain way", or if I had Diabetes, would he feel the need to disclose that? 

   I seriously love my husband a lot (just to be clear),  but he's part of a group of people who don't fully understand that eating a certain way, or what we would call someones' diet, is different than "being on a diet".

    Someone living in India would have a different 'diet' than someone living in China, or people in the Middle East have a 'diet' that is very different from most of my neighbours in Northern Ontario. A 'diet' is just what we choose to eat. I saw somewhere (and I can't find it now!) that someone said:

D-Decide (what)
I- I (will)
E-Eat
T-Today

    A diet is simply deciding what I will eat today. People do change what they eat for different reasons like eating poorly during a stressful time, eating really well while training for something athletic, or eating a ridiculous amount of candy because it was just Halloween (....not that I did that....) : )   

   Wikipedia says "An individual's diet is the sum of food and drink that he or she habitually consumes. Dieting is the practice of attempting to achieve or maintain a certain weight through diet. People's dietary choices are often affected by a variety of factors, including ethical and religious beliefs, clinical need, or a desire to control weight"

    I think that is well said!  You can read a list of diets on that particular article. I know Wikipedia isn't the authority on anything, but it's an interesting read.
   

   There are literally hundreds of special diets to choose from too. The tops 15 that were listed on NHS included the 5:2 Diet, the Paleo Diet, The New Atkins Diet, Alkaline Diet, and many others. If you want to see that full list and what each diet is, check it out here.

    Some hilarious diets my husband and I have thought of (while talking about how, if marketed properly, one could sell any diet) are:

~The Chopstick Diet-anything you can pick up and eat with chopsticks is permissible! You do have to holding the chopsticks correctly though, so, no cheating! : )   Jelly beans would be torture... 

~The Letter Of The Alphabet Diet. Start at 'A', and eat any 'A' foods you wanted! Next day. move onto 'B'! No, "bag of chips" doesn't count for 'B' day, that'll have to wait for 'C' day, it could also be on 'P' day for "potato". Continue through the whole alphabet (sorry about 'Z'!) then start again!!! 

   They're awesome, right? I know. : )  

   I don't want to go on and on about diets, really. What I want to do is change the way you think about health & wellbeing, diets and dieting, and also share what I eat. ​    

   What do I eat? 

   I eat lots of veggies and fruits, meats, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats like coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil and walnut oil. I avoid foods that leave me feeling less than stellar like wheat and grains (yes, all grains), beans (I'm not a huge fan of being extremely gassy!!!), sugar (I like to ride the sugar-high, but the crash can be a little too much!), and dairy (I eat it from time to time, it doesn't make my tummy feel yuk, it just makes my throat feel
mucus-y, which isn't conducive to nice singing!)  

   Does this way of eating have a name? It does indeed, it's called "Paleo". So, this is why Adam tells whoever will listen that I am "on a diet" because I follow a principle that someone laid out as "a diet". 

   Truth is, I don't remember setting out to be Paleo, it was trial and error, experimentation, and then one day stumbling on this way of eating and going, "oh, that sounds like a good fit for me!".

    After have my third child I had lost weight by eating whole foods-basically any food that was what it was! All meats, fruits and veggies, any whole grain (rice, quinoa, corn, etc., though I didn't eat wheat still), I ate dairy too. I didn't eat any white sugar though, and I avoided bad fats like canola, vegetable, or soy oils. Add this experience to a friend who ate Paleo a few years ago and I remember hearing her explain what it was and thinking, "yikes, what a lot of restrictions!" because I was used to whole foods including grains & beans.

   Anyway, back to the present time, when I set out in March of 2014 to get back into shape and be healthy, I knew I was going with a whole foods approach, but doing it while still including grains & legumes wasn't feeling right. So, I switched to whole foods & no grains or legumes, and I personally felt like that was my ticket. It just so happened to be Paleo.

   Do I want to convert everyone I know to eating Paleo? No, not at all! But do I want the people in my life to live a healthy life? Of course! 

   It's hard to say what is exactly the very best for each person because each person is different! But really, in general, if you are looking to feel better, loose weight, get into shape, etc., the best place to start is with the food the earth gives us, perfect, whole, full of vitamins & minerals. Power food to power your life! 

   I remember once talking to someone who had just started a low-carb diet 2 or 3 days earlier, and she was complaining about all the things she couldn't eat and how stupid the diet was. I thought, "geez, is she being forced at gun-point to do it?". Food is intended to fuel you, to nourish you, to be enjoyed, to bring you together with people. If you are saying the words, "what I am eating is stupid", well, maybe it is? What you eat shouldn't be some ball & chain you're dragging around.

    Get this "diet" thing out of your mind! Do it! 

    If you hear yourself saying to someone, "well, I'm on a diet....", with that sound of hesitation and a hint of embarrassment, rethink your feelings toward it. You need to own whatever you D.I.E.T. (decide {what} I {will} eat today)! 

    I always tell people that I'm talking to about eating well that one of the most important things is listening to your body, seeing how you feel after you've eaten something. Notice your skin, your mood, and your bodily functions (really stinky urine or poop isn't a good sign!-we'll have toilet talk in a few weeks-I know, you can hardly wait!)  : )  

   So, just for the record: I am NOT on a diet! I don't want to "diet"! My diet is "the sum of food and drink that I habitually consume" , and I choose (80%-90% of the time) whole foods! I also enjoy bad-for-me foods on my treat days, but that's part of how I operate, it's what works for me!