Even the cats are on a diet...

Why is it that it’s so challenging to stay slim in the winter? Not only is it hard to get to the gym, but my body is craving hearty food, like shepard’s pie and chocolate. After putting the cats on a diet yesterday, though, I feel guilty indulging. I'm also trying to get my butt to the gym more often now that the deluge of snow has temporarily disrupted my lunch time running schedule. One tip for those of you who are going back to the gym after a little siesta: lift lighter weights than you are used to. I had my first day back at Body Pump on Sunday and I tried to lift my regular (read: crazy) amount of weight. I made it through the tracks, but I couldn’t walk without my legs buckling for the next two days. I needed to do a spin before I could sit without wincing. I'm heading back tonight for more torture in an effort stave off the "bear preparing for hibernation" look that seems so popular these days.

-Al

Down to the River

During our Nova Scotian visit, Bree and I decided to walk the dogs down to Sydney River. Our mission, to find koolaid for dying purposes, but that's a whole different story. Be sure to note the giant rose on the doorstep. Classy!

Our walk turned into a 2.5 hour trek. Luckily, no snow here yet so the going was light. We did find koolaid and the dogs were never as tired as when we arrived home. Isn't the way to Sydney River picturesque?

PT Part Three

Two mornings of the week at 7am I work out with my wonderful trainer S. She kicks my ass both mornings and when we near the end of our one-hour session I begin seeing spots. I'm not sure if this is a good thing so I've started having a bit of toast in the morning to see if it would dampen the blow of blindness. So far it's worked...a little. My carbohydrate intake is way too much in general but it's the only thing I crave post-workout. Supplementing my training with running 3 mornings a week, yoga twice a week and the elliptical once in awhile after work has seen my body doing strange things.

Weight loss has been non-existent as I've been packing on muscle. At my session with S. on Thursday I noticed that my shoulders and biceps were absolutely ripped. Not sure if this was the look I'm actually going for! I can now do a hundred man-style pushups but I mainly do one arm push ups with the half-ball thing as my main point of balance. For the first time in a long time, when I flex my arm muscle there's a lot going on there! My knee is still giving me some trouble, but nothing compared to when I tore it up. It's down to a dull ache after a run, not expanding to three times its natural size.

I've made it a goal this week to not eat out once. Not once. So I've purchased the necessary goods to build healthy lunches and create dinners with the intention of freezing half of it. Traveling a lot for work has made it difficult at the grocery store so I've focused on buying items that'll stay for awhile in the freezer once I cook it up. Coming home to rotting items in the fridge and having to clean them out immediately has not been my idea of a post-red-eye fun activity (I do love crawling straight into bed right after a red-eye. Never has my sleep been so good).

One thing I purchased is a rubber band so that I can continue doing muscle toning in my hotel rooms. Thankfully most hotels include a gym so I've been able to go for a nice run. Running in the Nevada heat was not something I enjoyed thank you very much!

I am looking forward to running in San Francisco next week. I'm there all week so there will be plenty of opportunity to go for a run by the water. Since I plan to be in a bikini in January when I'm back in Vegas I am out of control at the gym!

--Stevie

Breathless-a

Have you ever had that dream, the one where you are at work and realize that you are naked? Well, that’s exactly how I felt in spin class last night. Kristin and I arrived early, set up our bikes and sat pedalling until the class started. Finally it was 6:00 pm and the hot instructor started the course by introducing himself and welcoming us to the 75 minute spin class. My jaw dropped. 75 FULL MINUTES!!! Now I`ve misread the gym schedule before, but never with such dire consequences. I was sure I would die or embarrass myself by fainting or throwing up. But we stayed. No one fainted, no one died, and no one threw up. Kristin did lose her sight close to an hour in. Luckily she prefers to spin with her eyes closed. We were a bit loopy afterwards but we survived. I attribute our intrepidness mostly to the hot spinning instructor who’s profuse sweating drenched his white shirt in seconds to show off his hot pecs and abs… It was such a nice view, I may even go back next week.

-Al

(picture from here)

Faster Than Katie Holmes

Today I got the following email from a co-worker:

Hey Type-A Lady,
I just read that Ms. Holmes ran the New York Marathon in a time of 5:29:58 min so there!
Have a good day,

Being an hour faster than someone who could probably hire a trainer and nutritionist to prepare for the race made my day!
(Photo taken from here)

-Al

Trick or Treat?

What a revealing chant: “Trick or Treat?”. But is Halloween candy really a treat? Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the psychology tied up in junk food. How many times have you heard yourself justify an excessively sugary/fatty food by saying, “I deserve a little treat.” Why is it that we consider something so unhealthy as a reward for our good behaviour or even more strange, for our good eating habits? It’s all a trick, when you think about it.

-Al

MARATHON!

I ran a full marathon!



Last Sunday, I ran the Toronto Marathon and it was amazing. Since it was my first marathon, and since I had only ever run 29K in my training, I was petrified I would not be able to finish the full 42K. Costin (my husband) was sweet and woke up earlier with me to take me to the starting line, even though it was 7am on a Sunday and the TTC was closed. He even tried remembered to bring his camera. It all felt very surreal when I was at the starting line. I kept thinking, “You are finally going to do it!” and it got me even more excited. I easily ran through the first 21K lovin’ my decision to purchase a tiny ipod shuffle instead of lugging around my larger nano. I was also happy that Mary, my younger sister and regular race partner (although, not this time), helped me make a race-specific play list. I highly recommend Bennie Benassi as well as some classic 90s club anthems like Mojo’s “The Music Sounds Better With You”. I also threw in some gangsta rap for good measure.

By the 35th kilometre mark, I thought I was going to die. Luckily, Derek (my brother-in-law), was running a leg of the marathon’s relay event and my sister and my cute nieces came out to cheer us on. I was surprised by how much my energy level rose when I saw them. Derek was even nice enough to run with me for a bit after his race and give me a pep talk. Things are a bit blurry after that until I hit King and University where there was a DJ pumping out JT’s “Sexy Back”. Up until that point I had been hobbling along, but I can always dig deeper for JT. By that point, I could see the Parliament buildings and I knew the finish line was just around the corner. When I hit Queen’s Park, I could saw Costin, Sue and Eden and heard them cheering me on. Of course I was my usually cocky self, even 41K in:



I finished in 4:27:50, which is faster than I estimated by 2:10. I was so happy to finish standing up and to have run most of the race. Thought, I wasn’t as happy the next day when I discovered that the average finishing time was 4:09:25 and that 64% of the participants had finished before me. Damn my Type-A personality! When Brianne started the Skinny Jeans collective in June, I only had one goal: Run a full marathon. New goal: Run a full marathon in under 4 hours.



Next I’m training for a half-marathon in May. I may run two of them, two weeks apart. Crazy? Always!

-Al

PT Part Three

Jess has a good idea for motivation...That bikini could motivate anyone!

My motivation has been an upcoming vacation in New York City. After a very disappointing knee injury that took me out of the marathon I am registered for (booo), I booked a flight to New York to soothe the pain and meet up with some friends (and others..) So my trainer has been working me hard to prep both for a full knee recovery to fix my meniscus and also for a full weekend of gooooood times with lots of cardio (Holla Canadian dollar + New York couture).

To fit into said couture, I have been lunging, lifting, pushing, pulling, and sweating my way to a hot bod. I don't know why I waited so long to try out a trainer but it's seriously the best thing I've ever done. I have shrunk significantly into teeny tiny clothes and working little mini-dresses like a champ. I love having defined muscles yet still being able to chow down on food to make sure my energy levels stay up.

It does come with a price, and that price has been an hour of brutal gym torture. It's not fun. I don't like doing a million different types of sit-ups nor waking up at 5:45 to get to my 7am session. A couple of times I've come close to either passing out or puking in the beginning. Not nice.

Fortunately I've discovered the perfect post-workout treat. My gym features a sauna, a steam room and a cold room-whatever that is. The only thing that gets me through the entire hour of grueling torture is the thought of chilling out in the steam room before hitting a nice shower and then getting my butt to work with my cup of java. I am in love with the whole post-workout, endorphin pumped phase. Plus I indulge with a little yogurt popsicle (I stick a yogurt in the freezer and by the time I'm done my workout it's edible) to gnaw on once I get to my desk. I highly recommend frozen Activia (Raspberry!)

Right now I'm doing two mornings of personal training, 3 mornings of cardio, and 2 yoga classes. Hopefully I can keep that up at my hotel in Vegas this coming weekend (work trip) and not indulge in too many rich meals since they're "on the house". No Air Canada pizza either. I still haven't figured out how to get around the whole "no personal food on the plane" / not eating for the five+ hour flights I'm usually on. Any suggestions?

-Stevie

Renewed!

Miraculously, I fit into my bridesmaid dress last weekend (see my blog for photo evidence). But it was a wake up call that I need to renew my Skinny Jeans vows! Other signs included seeing Brianne (fabulous!) and sitting beside a health guru guy on my flight back who said "Imagine if everyone ate fresh fruit and veggies like they ate chocolate bars!"

To follow-up on Brianne's note about requiring motivation, I have set some lofty goals for myself. In 5.5 months my cousin will be getting married in Mexico and I would like to fulfill the destiny of this bikini:When I bought it the girl said "it's like the one Halle Berry wore in James Bond!" Well, I now realize that the belt on Halle's was actually to hold her giant stabbing knife, so I think I'll skip that part and just go strait for the hot bod. ;)

The first week has been a success! Snacking on carrot sticks and hitting up the gym! I feel great!

I see Bree... she looks Glorious!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... This is the main event, the big kahuna, the end to my means... These are my brand spankin' new Silver skinny jeans, size 29w/34l. Bask in their GLORY!!!

I'm a skinny little bitch!

- Brianne

Balls Out!

Okay, I have to be totally honest here. Before my training session I had no idea what to do with the above ball. That changed quickly. My trainer, who is an awesome gal from London, ON. just like me, had me doing things with the ball that I had never dreamed possible. Results? My abs are feeling the amazing burn today, and so are my quads, my thighs, my arms, and my lower back. She worked me hard and the high price was totally worth it. One day, 15 more sessions to go. By the end I expect to be a buff machine and given that I have finally had enough of ye olde addiction, a buff, fully-healthy machine that smells like delicious candy (I went around at work today and asked people to smell me, nice eh?)

So training session one now equals training session AMAZING. Bring on round two!

Although this morning's 6:45am yoga class was a bit much to start the day off with after training last night, but I had so much energy for the rest of the day that I definitely see the high value of morning exercise. Tomorrow it's more ball-on-ball action, and as Dave likes to put it, fully balls out.

-Stevie

Inspiration?

After completing my first self-inflicted bootcamp in July/August, I dropped an amazing 14lbs and approximately 3-4 inches off my bust/waist/hips. Great Success!

As I sit here this morning manging my Apple Cinnamon coffee cake from Second Cup, I realize that I am allowing myself far too much dietary freedom. I haven't gained anything back, but if I was wondering why I haven't lost any additional poundage in my Gliding Bootcamp... I believe I now have my answer.

And I think, so what it's just one coffee cake. On top of yesterday's muffin, Sunday's chocolate bar, Saturday's french fries, Friday's pizza and Junior Mints, Thursday's chocolate covered raisins.... have I painted a sufficient picture?

I currently have no "goal" no target outfit no pending social engagement. Without the proper inspiration I am lost, and when I am lost I give in to far too many temptations :(

Does anyone have any inspirational ideas? I am desperate and snacky!

- Brianne

Personal Training? Too Expensive or Hardcore 'gonna bust my ass'

So.... a bad update from me. On day 28KM I tore my miniscus. I do love that word but I hate my miniscus. I cannot run for more than 10K without coming home in terrible pain. So I've been going to rehab for it with my brand spanking new Personal Trainer. I bought a whole whack of training hours for obscene dough and now I have 8 days to decide if I want to stick it out. I think I will, because so far everyone I know who has used a trainer has become super-hot in a short amount of time. I need to learn how to use the weights properly and have someone force me into working on my core muscles.

I hate working on my core.

So much.

But part of the reason I injured myself was that I was doing too much cardio and not enough weights. My weight training was so limited that my knee could no longer handle the pressure and gave out. So my PT is going to whip my ass into a total package while rehabbing my knee. I can't even touch my right toes without a blast of pain, it's bad.

Expect more posts as I get more into this or die trying! I suppose there won't be posts if I die so hope for the best!

-Stevie

Gliding = Pain

Quick Recap of the past month: my 30-day NO SUGAR bootcamp was a huge success! I lost a total of 14lbs in 30 days for a grand total of 20lbs lost since beginning my Skinny Jeans quest. I am now a VERY comfortable size 10 - in fact my size 10 Tek Pants that I paid $150 for at Club Monaco are now TOO BIG and I have to get them taken in. I also have a pair of the same pants in a size 12 but we won't even discuss those since they make me look like M.C Hammer.

Since my bootcamp I have definitely been indulging in some sugary treats and some foods that I should have thought twice about. But I haven't gained anything back and I am still holding strong at 160lbs and looking to lose more :) This brings us to my new Goal: to not jiggle anymore. I figured that I was focusing on numbers too much and numbers don't mean a whole lot anyway. So I am going to focus on my new rock hard body :)

The new fall Goodlife schedule has been released and there is a NEW BOOTCAMP! Namely, it is the Gliding bootcamp. Everyone knows how obsessed I am with bootcamps... so like a good little obsessive compulsive freak I took the afternoon off work so I could go. Firstly, I want to complain about the time of the bootcamp: Friday @ 1:00pm. Seriously? I have to rearrange my whole work week just to fit this in. However, it was well worth the late evenings on Wednesday and Thursday.

Gliding uses these 2 little discs on your feet or on your hands and pretty much you use them to slide into crazy positions and then you have to use all of your muscles to glide back into the starting position without falling flat on your face. It is FABULOUS! 45 minutes of pure hell - and I loved every minute of it. Even the crazy push ups that made me want to cry. Apparently this is the new workout that they are using in the army.

When I tried to get up this morning to go to Attack @ 10:30 I was shocked to find that I was unable to move my body. Every inch of my back is currently on fire. I cannot open my arms to give Evan a hug. My butt feels like it has been violated on several different levels. I can't wait for next Friday :)

- Brianne

The Jeans Bit Back

Time for confessions. I have not been obeying the rules of the SJC. I have been eating out, drinking too much, and not exercising. Last Friday I tried to wear my skinny jeans to work (deluding myself that they still fit) and ended up with massive gastrointestinal pains because they were so tight. Needless to say I was on the treadmill on Saturday, albeit only for 20 minutes. Hopefully the experience (and the fact that I'm bridesmaiding in less than a month) will motivate me to change my ways!

- Jess

No Need to Fear the Attack!

On Thursday I did something brave. Something unheard of. Something that no sane person would even consider.

I have previously blogged about doing the "double" (two one-hour fitness classes back to back) and I have even blogged about pulling off the "triple" (three one-hour fitness classes back to back). These doubles and triples consisted of Body Pump, Body Step, RPM, Body Combat, Body Flow, Body Jam, Exercise Ball classes or even 5-7km runs. Never in my life had I even attempted a SINGLE Body Attack class let alone as part of a double.


I was feeling frisky; I was motivated; I was temporarily insane! I was going to do the BODY PUMP -> BODY ATTACK combo... what was I thinking?

I completed the Body Pump class first - as I have learned in the past few months that Body Pump is best done before cardio, because if you try to do it after cardio your body tends to wobble and your knees can give out.

And so began Body Attack... 2 minutes into track one I could already feel the sweat trickling down my back and I was dying for water. To fill you in a little, Body Attack is an extreme sports-based fitness class that pushes your endurance and strength. It is filled with jogging with your knees to your chest, burpies, jumping jacks, squats, pushups, running, and many many sports-related moves. 8 of the 11 tracks are cardio, 2 are strength building and one is a cooldown. This was probably the most insane class I have ever done. And I estimate that it burned over 1000 calories. Combined with the Preliminary Body Pump class I probably burned about 1300-1500 calories on Thursday. Woot!

For my first Body Attack class, I really must say that I DOMINATED! I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't put my hand up at the beginning to identify myself as a newby that no one would have been the wiser :)

Did I love every minute of it: Yes.
Did I hurt the next day: Yes.
Will I be doing it again next week: Yes.
Will I be slipping into my skinny jeans by next month: Fuck Yeah!

UPDATE: I am now 26 days strong without sugar (excluding the creme brulee), and I weighed in at 166lbs on Wednesday. My first target was to hit 160lbs before August 18th and I am still on track to make that goal. Wish me luck!

- Brianne

Time To Finally Buy New Jeans?

K, after prolonging my posts forever. (Especially if you ask Bree). I have finally come back to blog!!! To date I have lost about
12lbs! And I have started to realize that constantly trying to shrink my jeans and many other things that.... it's just not cutting it. My recent financial situation is keeping me from going out to buy new jeans, but I'm happy to say that I have officially gone down a pant size!!!
And the best part of it, I feel awesome!! I have more energy than I have in years. I got out every morning for a nice rollerblade through the experimental farm (which sounds dangerous, but is actually quite pretty, and I have yet to come out with several extra arms). Like Stevie was saying in her post, I have embraced the workout of dance, although mine is a bit more cheezy! Months ago I bought these dance videos by coreographers who worked on videos from (a once non insane) Britney to Jennifer Lopez (does she still even exist?) They're cheesy and I feel like a 13 year old when I play them.. but hell, they're fun and you wouldn't believe how much of a sweat you work up doing them!
Today I will test out something that has scared me for a while BODY ATTACK!! Brianne and I are going to test out this intense sports training class today at 5:30. Hopefully we'll live through it!!

-Kris

Mid-morning munchies

Ok, so I shouldn't really be blogging at work, but I just had the worst case of the mid morning munchies! My stomach was growling and I couldn't fathom eating my tuna salad before noon so I ventured down to the evil convenience store of temptation. So many flavours of Old Dutch chips waiting patiently for me to devour them... just thinking of windmills makes my mouth water. But instead I marched over to the coffee shop and found (amidst all the delicious pastries) a fruit/yogurt/granola cup! I know there's probably some awful stat on the calories in granola, but it was the principle of the thing.

-jess

Smarter Decisions

My workouts have gone back to normal after the healing of the tattoo- a lot of running, some weight training, and hot yoga to stretch out the sore muscles. However, another form of exercise emerged Sunday night courtesy of the fine artists, Daft Punk. They played a show at Arrow Hall, and I danced my butt off for a few hours straight, then continued said dancing at The Orbit Room, care of cover band Stifler's Mom (totally amazing - Tavis Stanley of Thornley on lead guitar and vocals; Chris Caddell, formerly of Fefe Dobson, also on lead guitar and vocals; Derrick Brady of Hawksley Workman and Dodge Fiasco on bass guitar and vocals; and Eric Paul presently of Thornley, formerly of Big Sugar, Hawksley Workman, and Alannah Myles, on drums and vocals).

So all in all, I probably danced my tush off for 7 hours on Sunday night, sweating it up on the multiple dance floors. According to a calorie calculator, I burned 3,616 calories during said dancing. Combined with a 14K run that morning, I burned the fat right up.

So don't forget about a crazy night of dancing every so often to mix it up! My alcohol consumption that night was no match for the calorie burnage.

I also can't stop watching this girl for motivation:

My skinny jeans becoming my comfy loose jeans, it's time to buy a new pair! (Although to the rest of my skinny jeans crew, anyone else noticing that the smaller everything else gets, the bigger the boobs? Am I a freak of nature here?)

Until next time! Over and out.

-Stevie

Marathon Training Fun Facts

When I talked to marathon runners about training, they often told me to expect chafing. I heard stories of chafing under the arms and from the men, the horrors of nipple chafing (which I experienced the day I forgot my running bra). But not a single person told me I may get chafing on my tender bits, nor did they tell me that the chafing would only become apparent when I got in the shower and the water dissolved the salty sweat which ran into the wound and ignited a pain unlike any I had ever experienced. I wonder what will be chafed after 26K...it can't get any worse!

-Al

Worth Every Calorie?

Last night I went to the wedding of two of my co-workers. It was beautiful. But I'm not here to talk about their wedding. I'm here to discuss the deliciousness of the food at their wedding.

The first course was a mushroom and lobster bisque with truffle. Most of you are well aware of my epic battle against mushrooms. However, the bisque was amayonaising and YES! I ate every drop!

The second course was a field greens salad with spinach and other leafy greens, with a touch of goat cheese and a sprinkle of pecans, and a pomegranate dressing. This almost made me touch cloth.

The main course was beef tenderloin, with a side of scalloped potatoes and baby asparagus. The meat melted in my mouth, literally.

This brings us to dessert. Now, as most of you are well aware, I have been off sugar for 3 weeks now. In fact, I had a huge dilemma before the wedding trying to decide between wine or cake. When I found out that there was no cake I thought it would be an easy choice. However, the traditional wedding cake had been replaced with: Chocolate Lavender Creme Brulee.

Well ladies and gentlemen, the choice was made. Was there any way in hell that I could pass up this 500 calorie, 40 grams of fat small little pot of chocolate deliciousness? I think not. After eating the entire pot of brulee, I realized that it was so rich and sweet that it sort of made me sick. I am really enjoying not eating sugar, and I think that this one little treat I gave myself sort of renewed my faith in my process.

Well ladies and gentlemen, that is my story. Now if you'll please excuse me I must get to the gym immediately to punish myself for my indulgence.

- Brianne

Holding on!

So this is me, my tattoo and my skinny jeans. Please note that I am holding up my skinny jeans, which are a 27! Success!!

Also, while it heals, I've been rollerblading instead of running. The smooth, fluid motions make sure not to affect the scabs that are now healing up quite nicely and I bring a little towel to sweat-wipe every so often to ensure I don't get it soaked. It's worked so far! It also looks like it will be healed up enough to do my 14K this Saturday. We went from 16K to 14K as a beautiful treat this weekend!

In other news, I have filled in my registration forms and submitted for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, and my flights been booked for weeks. Washington, here I come!

-Stevie

Crushed!

I received this email in my inbox overnight:

Dear Brianne,

Thanks for your interest in our show. Unfortunately, our casting is limited to the Vancouver
area since that is where our hosts, crew, and production facilities are located.

Cheers,

Missy McIntosh
Production Co-ordinator
Last 10lbs Boot Camp

Perhaps I can fly to Vancouver and live in a hotel for 4 weeks while I go to Boot Camp? I wonder if I could get that much time off work?

- Brianne

Sugarfree!

15 days and I'm holding strong against the relentless, yet delicious, culprit: SUGAR! There have been days of agonizing pain as I watch Evan power back butter tarts and chocolate bars. In fact, just last night Kristin (of Skinny Jeans) brought contraband into my apartment - chocolate peanut butter contraband!!!

I have managed to fool myself into thinking that plain, non-fat yogurt is actually dessert and that an apple is better than chips. I feel good, really good, in fact the scale feels good too! I am now down 10 full pounds since mid-June when we started the Skinny Jeans. The sugarless diet is responsible for at least 6 of these pounds. Woot!

I am now officially obsessed with....

I have located the email address for the casting director, and will now bombard them with emails until they start accepting applicants from Ontario! They currently only take applicants from Vancouver! Not even the whole province, just the city! It is now going to be my mission to get my ass kicked by Tommy and Nadeen.

- Brianne

It's the Humidity That Kills Ya

You've heard of hot yoga. Well. Hot about hot bush hikes?

This morning, I dragged Toby and the dogs out to Uisage Ban Falls (Ish-ka-ban, silly Gaelic). It's set to storm later today. We've also had the pleasure of a heat wave for the past week. So you can imagine the humidity going on in this Nova Scotian forest.

It was a pleasant hike, only 1 hour altogether. The bridge was out or we could've walked more! Rocks were slippery, dogs were in the water, and i had some major SWASS and SWEAVAGE by the end.

So I guess it does pay to chase waterfalls... we finally found one!

Northern Ladies

My lovliest westcoast lady has officially joined the skinny jeans collective. Welcome Jessica!

Let me just say, Jess, your picture is damn hot. Where can I get a hat as hot as yours?

To my left is a picture of Jess and I - although the hat in this picture is much less than fantastic. It does show that Jess has always had that "country flare".

NOTE: the Skinny Jeans collective is now 4/5 b-otch. I wonder if we could get some Serbian representation on here... :)

FYI

Crystal Light does not make good popsicles. In fact, the Crystal Light powder is not soluble in water at low temperatures and separates completely, leaving you with ice on a stick.

-Al

I need some help!

After getting this:
I am trying to find some low impact workouts so that I can still stay in shape while it's healing. (It looks a little crooked, but it's because I was turned slightly. I assure you, my artist did a phenomenal job!)

So what low impact, non-stretchy, non-rubby workouts can I do while it heals? I'm even worried about running and sweating too much during the scabbing process!

-Stevie

Who needs a Gym?

I spend most of my lunch hours running along the canal in Ottawa, so it’s very hard to get me into the gym on a gorgeous day. Since Friday is one of my days-off running and I still wanted to be outside, I went with some coworkers to the park to hula hoop in the sunshine. Sarah, our resident expert hula hooper and the lovely lady who constructed and gave me my first hoop, even taught us some new moves. It was so much fun! Even though hula-ing doesn’t make you sweat like Body Step or make your muscles shake like Body Pump, it sure beats eating Chinese take-out in your cubicle!

-Al

The Loop

With some gentle encouragement from Allison, I set out yesterday to run the full loop around the canal (approximately 8km not including the hills). At first I was skeptical of my ability to complete this run as it will be the farthest I have ever run at once. On top of that, it was 30 degrees and full afternoon sunshine.

This is the route:

I amazed myself with my determination to complete the run - and I completed it in approximately 1 hour. I still am unable to run straight through, I stop about every 10 minutes to walk and catch my breath. The course was actually quite nice, lots of things around to keep the mind occupied. Now, there were probably 5-6 hills that probably pushed the course between 8.5-9km and the map does not take these into consideration.

I am also now on day 6 sans-booze and sans-junkfood. On Friday I resisted temptation when Costin and Kristin powered back some tasty chips (in sympathy, amazing Allison did not partake in the chips, thanks Al!). I also resisted temptation on Saturday night at a BBQ where there was beer and wine consumption (Kristin also avoided the hooch in solidarity). It's actually getting easier I think - I've tricked myself into thinking that plain lowfat yogurt is a tasty treat! If only it could get me drunk.... ;)

- Brianne

I’ve found that one of the key components to getting in shape, and staying in shape, is a workout buddy who is just as motivated as you. Op. Skinny Jeans is a perfect way to band together for hotness, but I’ve also found that getting to the gym alone is a lot more difficult then if you actually have plans to go with someone else. Since the rest of the crew is in Ottawa/out East, I’m rocking the workouts solo here in Toronto.

Fortunately a work friend has become my workout buddy. This has helped in getting my butt to the gym at lunch, instead of eating crap from the Queen West area, and also resulted in a morning run last week. Since he met in front of my building, I had no option but to drag myself out of bed and go running. I am not a morning person at all, but it definitely feels good getting out before work and hitting the pavement. One big surprise is that there sure are a lot of people out early in the morning! The mornings in Toronto are for runners, which is something I noticed early Saturday mornings when I haul ass on my long runs. They are everywhere (with some hardcore cyclists in the mix as well)!

Last week, in part thanks to Dave, I made it to the gym every single day. He’s been working out with a personal trainer where as I have been flopping around trying to figure out a good workout plan. I think my next step is to get a trainer for a few weeks and see what happens.

On another exciting note, I am currently wearing my skinny jeans. Not just any skinny jeans, but a pair that I wore when I was 19 and weighed about 102 lbs. YES.

Positives this week: Did not have a drop of alcohol until Friday (2 gin & tonics).
Worked out every single day.

Negatives: Nachos from La Hacienda. Mmm.

--Stevie

PMS + Conference = no training and poor diet

I haven’t trained since the 16K I ran last Saturday and I’ve been eating complete garbage all week at the conference including alcohol, a Caramilk bar AND an entire chocolate croissant. DAMN PMS! It’s no wonder I am fat and have a zit with its own gravitational pull.

I did try to run Monday. I even used Mapmyrun.com, the best website ever, to map what I thought was an 8K run around Mount Royal. I began to suspect I was wrong about the “around” part after a 20 minute vertical climb. After 40 minutes, I stopped at a scenic look out to catch my breath and tried to stay long enough to see one of the raccoons bite the tourist who was trying to feed it a chocolate bar. It’s like I’m being haunted by chocolate. The sun was setting and the bugs had come out, so I thought it would probably best to run back down the way I had come and not continue up the mountain. That 8K measurement was definitely “as the crow flies”. Every other running attempt was thwarted by "networking" opportunities which inevitably included fatty food and booze.

To make up for my week of sloth, I am going to join Bree and Kris for a double (step and body pump) even though the last thing I want to do is squeeze my bloated, beached whale body into an outfit that will surely accentuate my burgeoning muffin tops.

-Allison

I Bonked.

Today I bonked, and I bonked really, really hard. In case you're getting strange, pervy ideas, know this:

"Bonk has long been a colloquial term, slightly jocular in its connotation, meaning sexual intercourse, but has recently become more commonly used as a jargon term by endurance athletes, primarily cyclists and long-distance runners, to describe a condition when the athlete suddenly loses energy and fatigue sets in, usually caused when glycogen stores in the liver and muscles are depleted, resulting in a major performance drop."-Wikipedia (The Athena of the Internet)

Sure, it used to mean sex but us athletes have re-purposed it for our own twisted usage. Nothing wrong with that! While running my late evening run, after a lunch spent lifting weights and doing abs, I suddenly completely froze up. There I was, running up Bathurst street towards Bloor when all of my joints froze. My back tightened, my neck spasmed, and my eyes felt incredibly heavy. I thought this was punishment for a week with my good old friend alcohol but really it was just my body telling me that I need to up my caloric intake with something that doesn't begin with R and end with YE.

So there I was on Bathurst, completely frozen. Some man actually asked if I was okay, but I couldn't even see him because he looked like a purple alien. I think I uttered a "mrrawwwwwww" noise when my body began to function again. Rather than sit down and relax after such a strong bonk, I put the nikes to the asphalt and bolted on out of there in embarrassment. Today was not a successful day for running.

I made it back home and made sure to lie flat on my back for awhile until the weird hues disappeared from my eyeballs. Welcome to marathon training, section PAIN. We'll see how I do tomorrow, though I think a nice quiet session of hot yoga is just what the doctor ordered.

**I am now completely on a week-long detox. Cleanse suggestions are also welcome. This summer I have been partying more than I did when I was in first year, and my body is no longer 19. Note to self.

- Stevie

Bootcamp

I've been watching too much Slice. In particular, I've been watching too much "Last 10lbs Boot Camp". In fact, I tried to find out how to apply for the show ...but I just couldn't find the email address!

So, I'm starting my OWN last 10lbs boot camp! In exactly 30 days I am attending a wedding in St. Catharines and I want to look H-O-T! So, I'm mandating a strict diet & exercise regimen to boot camp my booty.

In June I found a dress in my closet that I wore on my 19th birthday (why do I still have this?) - Allison actually wore it out dancing one night last month. It looked fabulous on her. It didn't look quite so fabulous on me.

Anyone who's seen the Last 10lbs Boot Camp knows that there is always a "target outfit". Yes ladies (and gentlemen?), I am going to make this teeny tiny size 6 little black dress my target outfit. Am I crazy? Possibly.

Today was t-minus 30 days, and it was a fabulous day. I dragged Kristin to the gym with me for a scandalous double of Body Pump and Body Step. I also managed not to drink any wine or eat any contraband (ie: junk food, in particular junior mints).

29 more fabulous days to go! :)

- Brianne

The Triple

Allison and I have been using a sticker system to keep track of our workouts on our home calendar. Each sticker represents either a class at the gym, a run or any other cardio of at least 45 minutes.

Previously, we have attempted the "double" - one Body Pump class followed by one Spin class. The double can be both terrifying and exhilerating at the same time.

As you can see, last Sunday I did the Body Step & Body Flow double - the t.v. and ice cream are my stickers :) You will also notice that on Tuesday there is a ridiculous number of stickers...

I decided to attempt what seemed like the impossible: the triple. I ran 5km on the treadmill, then did the Body Jam class, followed by the Body Pump class. It was 3 hours of hell but I was determined to pull it off. During Body Pump I could feel my knees starting to tremble during the squat track (why did I put so much weight on the bar?) and the lunge track nearly made me keel over. But I did it - in full!

Although the picture is a few days old and the stickers are not up to date, I will have you know that I also pulled off a double yesterday - Body Step & Body Pump. It was fabulous!

In other news, I have a pair of white shorts that I bought last summer in size 8. I tried them on in May and I could not get them done up. Yesterday I had this urge to try them on again. I try to resist these urges because sometimes the aftermath is detrimental, but something told me the results would be good. The pants fit over my butt and I was able to do them up (zipper and all!) - but they are still a little tight so maybe 2 more weeks and I'll be strutting my hot ass in white shorts all over town. ;)

- Brianne

The Scale Is My Friend

I had 2 great posts planned out for this week. Last weekend camping really wiped me out and so I was too lazy to post all week. I would post them today, but the accompanying pictures are on my computer and I've given Allie and Costin the apartment for the weekend because I'm awesome.

Not to worry though, I have thought of a third post! Yesterday I stood on the scale (a rare occurrence) and the number was a whole 4 digits less than last time! 4 whole digits! After 4 days of beer (a keg of beer), wine, cheesie poofs, guacamole, burgers, sausages, bbq pork and BIRTHDAY CAKES (plural, yes!) I still managed to kick my own ass!

How did this happen? Last Thursday I was taken out for birthday lunch TWICE and I did not hit the gym afterward... I was sure I was a goner. In compensation, hit the gym for 2 hours on Friday before we left Ottawa, and 2 hours on Saturday before we took the boat to Guyland. 2 stickers for each day! I guess it also helped that Richard made me haul wood for an hour on Sunday... and then spent Monday kayaking on Ramsey. However, the amount of beer and wine would have far outweighed any physical activity.

Yesterday, I also realized that I am now at 15kg (33lbs!!!!) for my Body Pump squats. My Body Pump addiction is still running strong. Today I also plan to try my first Body STEP class at 10am... When I think of step classes I think of middle aged house wives in leggings and body suits. Perhaps I should invest in a similar outfit?

- Brianne

So after a weekend of dancing, fun, and some major running I have these very weird pains in both my legs that are similar to the growing pains I experienced as a child. Now I would write this off entirely as "too much running, not enough stretching", but really it's been two days of the same type of pain and I can't stop thinking that I may become a gigantress soon. This could be in response to the many "you're tiny" comments I received while in England. My body is either trying to prove itself by growing very tall or its really breaking down at the realization that the Marine Corps Marathon is only four months away.

Four Months? I am supposed to run 42.2Km in four months? Why did I sign up for this again?

Oh yes. The Marines.

I have a tiny crush on men in uniform. Okay, a large pounding crush on men in uniform. I love them. So for them I am dedicating my 42.2km run straight into their waiting arms. I even had some Marines I met in San Diego promise to be there and they can't break this promise since it's as good as a Scout's Honour in my books. How can I make this leg pain go away so that I can be ready for this?? Ice doesn't really cut it for entire legs throbbing away in large amounts of pain and I'm not even mentioning the fact that my butt is slowly getting in on this pain as if it were sad to be missing out on all the action. Perhaps it's time to stop consuming copious amounts of gin on long weekends and ripping it up on the dance floor late into the night. That's it, I'm blaming the gin. But what is a health freak to do when there is no way in flaming helicopters that they are giving up the delicious taste of alcohol? Here are some tips I found on the vast interweb:

• Try alternating alcoholic drinks with low calorie non-alcoholic drinks or water.
  
• Ask for low calorie / diet mixers where possible.
  
• Make your wine into a spritzer (a longer drink), or your lager into a shandy - both have fewer calories.
  
• Substitute your "alcopop" for a shot of spirit and a low calorie mixer - about a quarter of the calories! (I don't know what this alcopop is, but I want one).
  
• Plan your alcohol into your daily calorie quota so you can enjoy a glass or two. If you know you will be drinking during the weekend, try to save some calories each day in advance, so you can eat normally before you go out.
  
• Don't be tempted to skip meals to allow for drinks, as alcohol won't satisfy your hunger. In fact, alcohol lowers blood sugar levels (it prevents sugar that is normally stored in the liver, as glycogen, from breaking down). A drop in blood sugar levels sends signals to the brain you are hungry. With alcohol in your system, willpower can go out of the window and the snack attacks kick in. Eating a proper meal before you go out will line your stomach and slow the rate at which alcohol absorbs into your bloodstream, keeping you in control of how much you eat and drink.

Why is this all so grim?

I need a drink.

-Stevie

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

I took the dogs out this morning on an adventure. I've been reading this Cape Breton Hiking Trails book and I've come to the conclusion that the author/hiker is a complete liar.
Finnegan, Muppet and I were in search of Devil's Hill Trail and it's promise of a waterfall at the end of the hike. No such luck as the "possible" old road we were to follow was flooded. We did, however, come across a picturesque gravel pit, complete with people's household garbage and a few short trails leading to more illegal dumpings. We got our hike in, just wasn't as scenic.

- Carrice

Goodbye Ginger Cookies

After reading the ice cream expose, I became curious about how much fat and sugar are in my favourite “treats”. Yesterday, as I was contemplating how great a latte and ginger cookie would taste during a little post-work siesta, I thought I would check the cookie’s nutritional breakdown, just for fun. I knew it wouldn’t be the best snack, but it was just a cookie, right? WRONG! The Starbucks Ginger Molasses Cookie has 400 calories and 14g of fat. I didn’t think the cookie weighed more than 14g but it must weigh at least 50g because it also has 39g of sugar. No wonder they taste so good! (I checked, one cookie is 100g).

Just in case you were wondering, the chocolate croissant, my other favourite, is worse. It has 420 calories, 24g of fat and 4g of sugar. That’s almost an entire meal and almost all of my daily fat allowance!

This just supports my general rule about food. If it tastes good, it’s bad for you.

- Allison

Mr. George Foreman, would you please forgive me?

I bit the bullet recently, after receiving a stern warning from my doctor about my lack of meat-eating and my inability to eat enough different types of beans and tofu to keep my iron levels up, and started to eat meat again. This began in London, England where my vegetarianism was "poo-poo'd" by a large chorus of accented blokes and birds and lead to my chowing down on various animal cuts for the remainder of the week, including some harmless duck(!!) Upon my return, this meat-overdose actually lead to the new purchase of the George Foreman (G5!) grill. If I'm going to eat meat it better be from a lean, mean grilling machine!

However, my first night with George ended with me consuming two choice cuts of skinless, boneless chicken breasts. TWO. No side salad, no vegetables, no beans! Just two hunks of chicken parts. Perhaps this is a sign that I really missed the delicious bird. Thankfully I ran my butt off this morning at 5:30am for 7k. Until I get over this jet-lag business it looks like I'll be popping up at 5am with regularity. This will only help my working out and not help my social life if I keep passing out at 10pm on the nose. Now to restrain myself around the grill...

- Stevie

it's a sad day...

After reading this article this morning in the Globe and Mail: More Fat Than A Big Mac
I wanted to cry.

The absolute horror that I felt to realize that I can no longer justify my indulgence in large bowls of delicious minty chocolate goodness.


When you read the side of the container and it says 250 calories... you think, gee that's not so bad. But when the article pointed out that the serving size is half a cup... half a cup! HALF A CUP?!?!?! Who on earth eats half a cup of delicious delicious fudge crackle mint chocolate ice cream???

If there is someone out there who honestly allows themselves this miniscule portion... I would like to know!
And with that, I bid adieu to my long favoured friend.... I will always love you!

- Brianne

Gold Star!

Okay, so I’m the one who is starting her first blog today. After a grueling week of work, today is finally the day.

So this morning I went to my 3rd Weight Watchers weigh in. The thing everyone dreads the most, getting up- in front of others no less-and getting weighed. However, today was a day to celebrate. Today I reached my first goal of losing 5 pounds. Which caused for mini celebration for myself, but ended in hysterical laughter when I was given... a gold star sticker! With the number five proudly stamped in the center.

This immediately made me feel like I was back in kindergarten, but also makes you feel awesome that others are congratulating you on something that seems so minor. I also felt like I had cheated them because... it really wasn’t that hard. So the bar has been set and if everything goes along this path, I will be blogging in two weeks about losing 10 pounds. Which hopefully comes with some sort of bigger sticker or confetti. Who knows, but it looks like I’ll soon find out.

- Kristin

Battle Scars

Sunday, after shooting down all of the possible excuses not to, I went for the 13K run that would start off my marathon training. I really didn’t want to go but I really wanted to be able to say I ran a marathon more. It was overcast and muggy outside, and I was over dressed for the weather, but I continued along the canal at a very easy pace. I was surprised at the number of people cycling, rollerblading and running, but it was nice having people to nod at as we passed each other – especially other runners. When I mapped out the route, I didn’t realize that I would be running up to the locks by Carleton University, nor that I would be running through a wildlife park – mostly because I didn’t know that these things existed. I couldn’t have imagined a more gorgeous route. My body held up pretty well, too, considering I hadn’t run further than 10K in over a year. Aside from sore feet, I was rewarded for my efforts with these friction burns compliments of the house keys that were my shorts’ pocket. Mental note: must find new place to put keys while running.

- Allison

Canadian Maple

I was one of those people who needed to fit into a size 8 wedding dress and worked out furiously to ensure it happened on THE day. Now, it is a month after THE day and as I power back a Tim Horton’s Canadian Maple Donut, I realized that I don’t want to go back to being the size 10 I was last August. Well, size 10 in wedding dresses; who knows what size I am in real life. Bree suspects a 6, but I think it really depends on where you are shopping. I’ve also decided to bite the bullet and finally run a full marathon, after repeatedly running half-marathons for the last five years. This will be difficult but I’m sure it will help keep me in my skinny jeans…especially if I avoid the donuts.

- Allison

P.S. I found this for you - it is specific to the Canadian Maple donut:

That is like 1/6 of my daily caloric intake. It is also 1/4 of my daily points if I was on Weight Watchers! EW!

- Brianne

Determination

I kicked my ass hard this week.

Monday - 3km Run
Tuesday - Spin class & 2km Run
Wednesday - Body Pump
Thursday - Body Combat
Friday - Body Pump
Saturday - rest
Sunday - we plan to pump

My biggest challenge: I upped my weight at Body Pump to 5kg on each side for Squats and Clean & Press! This is HUGE! When I first started I couldn't even do a proper squat, let alone with weight! So gratifying. Next I will conquer the lunges!

I showcased my extreme determination today. At 4:45 I realized that Body Pump @ Queen was at 5:00, not 5:30 as I had thought. There was slight panic as it takes 20 minutes to get there and I obviously was not going to make it as I was still at work. Now, there was also a 5:30 class at Hunt Club (which is in Nepean) but with the construction on the Queensway things were looking grim for today's workout.

Once again, Allie's sheer brilliance saved the day. Her 4:55 email read: "Body Pump @ Rideau 5:30" - thank god! Why hadn't I thought of this before?

Okay so I have 30 minutes to find Kristin (who is down on Bank street frantically searching for workout pants) and meet up with Allie who was leaving work. By 5:20 we're circling the Rideau parking lot (sooooo slowly) looking for parking. NO PARKING!

By now, Kristin has given up on today's workout completely. Allie is on the fence since she ran at lunch and didn't really care either way. It was ME who finally said "Dammit, I cannot let Allie have more stickers than me!"

When I jumped out of the car to run to class, Allie decided to come with me. Kristin had already long since decided that she would rather shop (who wouldn't?!). And so Allie and I pumped - HARD! The instructor was impressive.

I was surprised by my determination today. Very happily surprised. And I now have a sticker on the calendar!

- Brianne