Operation Skinny Jeans

Zen Moments of Road Rage.

2010-11-27T09:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday it was slow at work so we decided to call it a week a few hours early and left the office at 3 o'clock. This meant that I had plenty of time to get to the 4p yoga class. I wasn't strung out or stressed - in fact I had been having a pretty chilled out day at work.

I made a pit stop at the fabric store and picked up some supplies to make a Christmas gift for someone, and then off to yoga I went.

The class wasn't packed, the temperature was perfect, and the instructor was fabulous. I felt great when I walked out the door and into the rain. I will admit that I was pretty hungry but not to the point of starvation.

I got in my car and started to pull out of the parking lot. When I got to the stop sign there were 2 cars that had obviously been in a VERY MINOR fender bender pulled to the side blocking the traffic. The people from the car's were in the Wendy's parking lot - not one of them was smart enough to actually pull their car into the parking lot with them to let traffic go by at 5p on a Friday.

The car in front of me was obviously baffled at exactly how he/she was supposed to use the steering wheel to maneuver around the parked cars. I mean there were only 3 lanes and we had a green light - it's pretty complicated I know.

Then came the guy who pulled into the middle of the intersection and just sat there through our green light instead of pulling around the parked cars. We sat at the intersection like this for 3 full rotations of the light cycle before..... I finally lost it.

All of the calming breaths. All of the downward dog sighs. All of the inner peace in shavasana. Gone. I laid on my horn. I didn't just press it once. I put my fist to my horn and kept it there until all the cars moved. Then I rolled down my window and shouted at the people in the parking lot.

Probably not my most yoga-inspired moment - but it felt just as good as the class I had just finished!

- Brianne

The Moaner.

2010-11-24T11:23:00.001-05:00

I am still rockin' my hot yoga 5 days a week and lovin' it. I had a brief lapse in class attendance due to conflicting social engagements but I have returned with a vengeance - and although I won't hit my 20 class quota this month I am still going to give myself a little bit of LuLu for beating last month's record 16 classes. I think that's fair.

I've been trying to work on blocking out the other people in the room - with marginal success. I have stopped looking around the room so much and try only to look at myself or at nothing - but there is still one thing that can make my blood boil -

* The sign on the door says "This is a SILENT room" - so when people come barging in the room having a full-on conversation while everyone is lying in shavasana it makes me want to hit them. This might be the kickboxer in me coming out, but seriously most time I have to force myself not to sit straight up and glare at them like they were stealing my cookies.

The other day the woman in front of me kept flicking her toes together while we were in shavasana - I call her the fidgiter. After a few moments though I was able to drown out the sound of her toes flicking together by my head - gross. I made sure to get a good look at her and her mat so that I can stay away next time.

I really think that yoga has been helping me relax, among many other things. I feel better and I don't stress as much and I sleep great. But last night I was schooled by the woman 2 mats over on yoga-enjoyment. I call her the moaner.

It started during salutations with an "ahhhhhhhhhh" on the exhale. A bit much, but not entirely absurd. By the time the warrior series was over, her exhales had become more like "oooooohhhhhhh" - still a little weird, but maybe she was getting in some good stretches. The weirdest parts came during pigeon and final shavasana... the moans that ensued would rival any climax scene from your favorite porn film. The humming of the "mmmMMMmmm" had me laughing so hard on the inside I had to bolt out of the room after class so I could full on laugh.

I love my hot yoga. But apparently not as much as The Moaner.

- Brianne

The Billy Miner Pie - Brianne

2010-11-05T11:13:00.000-04:00

Last night we had dinner with Carrice and Toby at The Keg. We had gift certificates that were burning holes in our pockets so we spared no expense.

It isn't often that I will order dessert at a restaurant. Usually I am so damn full from the ridiculous portion sizes that most restaurants have - but the portion sizes at The Keg are actually pretty realistic. You don't get a lot of meat, but you get some fan-freaking-tastic meat.

After I devoured my garden salad (vegetables first) and then my Filet Mignon topped with crusted blue cheese - there was still room for dessert. In hind sight there were probably at least 800 calories in this monstrosity - and I ate the whole damn thing save for 3 bites at the end.

No guilt. No regrets.

One small step for Brianne....

2010-11-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

One giant step for my waistline!

This morning I slipped into a pair of Levi's jeans that haven't fit in a long while. They aren't quite my skinny jeans, but they are a huge step in the right direction! Next I will conquer the Silver jeans, and then finally the Guess jeans that haven't fit in 3 years. That's right "skinny clothing drawer" - I'm coming for you!

What surprises me is that 1) we had a pizza and poutine dinner on Friday night 2) I drank an entire Growler to myself on Saturday and baked up some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and 3) last night we scarfed down halloween candies while watching the Sunday night HBO lineup.

How is this even possible? I am going to give full credit to Hot Yoga. And since it's been working so well for me, I am also going to take up my yoga studio's "30 Day Challenge" for the month of November. Last month's sticker count was only a whopping 17 - I can do better than that.

The Moksha Yoga studio is challenging its members to come to all 30 days worth of hot yoga classes for this month and I am going to giv'r shit. My goal is to do 25 at least - and for reaching this goal I am buying myself whatever I want from Lu Lu Lemon. Wish me luck!

New Rule

2010-10-29T07:11:00.000-04:00

New Rule: don't complain about your car smelling like B.O unless you're fully prepared to bring your yoga mat inside the house every day after hot yoga and wash it.

Yesterday I was on my way to a trade show and I could fully smell the B.O wafting from my yoga mat and I had a sudden and urgent thought: what if the B.O sticks to my clothes and hair just like that episode of Seinfeld!

Evan refuses to drive in the car now because of the smell.

the Yogi Squat --- Brianne

2010-10-25T15:51:00.000-04:00

I am a big fan of doing squats. Over the years squats have helped me re-gain strength in my injured knees and have been the driving force behind what I like to refer to as my "powerful thighs". I even love the squatting powerful pose in my hot yoga class... I'm sick and twisted, I know.

So... obviously it irks me to no end that I cannot do this yoga pose. Try as I may to squeeze my powerful legs to hold myself upright - I cannot flatten my feet to the ground without falling over on my butt. This is my 2010 challenge (or what remains of my 2010 challenge). By the end of this year I want to put my feet flat on the ground without falling over and do the proper yogi squat! Is anyone able to do this? Is it genetic? Is it secret? Is it safe?

Hot Yoga – Meditations Beyond the Mat

2010-08-22T21:56:00.001-04:00

I started going to hot yoga at the beginning of the summer when I was looking for an alternative to running. Don’t get me wrong, running is still my preferred activity, it’s just been throwing a wrench into other (ahem) goals and well, I need to cut back on my mileage. When a hot yoga studio opened in my neighbourhood, I took it as a sign.

When I lived with Bree in Ottawa, I used to do a lot of Ashtanga at lunch with my boss and co-worker. It was the perfect yin to my running yang. But being prone to heat stroke, I was never all that interested in practicing hot yoga. Although I tried to get into hot yoga it a few times in my mid-twenties, I shied away from it because I wasn’t (and am still not) all that great at bound poses. In particular, how anyone gets their foot wrapped around their standing leg in the Eagle pose is a real mystery to me. Now that I am in my early thirties, I think this is how I got hooked - I don’t like not being good at something.

As you’ve probably already guessed, I’m competitive by nature. Really competitive. Try-to-race-you-from-three-treadmills-over-at-the-gym competitive. I think it comes from being born between a genius and a beauty queen, but I digress – I’ll save my Freudian analyses for another day. I know my competitiveness is not a very attractive trait and negatively impacts my desirability as a gym partner, so I’ve been trying (with varying success) to turn the competition inward. With hot yoga, I’m forced to turn the competition inward. If I look at anyone else while I’m trying to get into a pose, I will fall. Today I learned that if I try to look at myself in the mirror, I will also fall (with a very loud bang, I might add, out of my crow pose and onto my face). There’s vanity for you. The only thing I can do in yoga is think about breathing. When I’m immersed in the rhythm of “breathe-in-lengthen-breathe-out-get-deeper-into-the-posture”, I don’t think about anything else and my mind is silent. No to-do lists. No questions about whether I have any food in the apartment. No wondering whether anyone can see my muffin tops.

The funny thing is, now I think about my breath at other times. It’s so simple. Breathe in, breathe out. We do it all day without even thinking, but I’ve noticed that when I am really stressed out at work, I hold my breath. I once had an instructor tell me that class is a practice for life; that what we do on the yoga mat extends into the everyday. At the time, I took her comment literally and thought it was just hippie drivel - I definitely wasn’t propping myself up into shoulder stand in my cubicle. But as I think more about breathing and this absence of breath, I can see that she was right. Be present. Breathe in and out. Keep your focus on your own mat. These are all things that help me like my life more; no matter how far away I am from getting that foot wrapped around my calf.

Nope. Not Vegan.

2010-08-07T15:51:00.003-04:00

Skinny Bitch = vegan for profit. I wonder what kind of sponsorship this "brand" is getting from mega-corporations that are a part of the 30+ BILLION a year US soy bean farming industry?

Sorry guys but this book was terrible. It was biased. It was full of brand promotion. It was full of contradictions. It was used as a marketing tool. It was vegan propaganda disguised as a diet guide.

What did I like about the book? Chapter one - the few pages that were not geared toward promoting their vegan diet. But, unfortunately, none of that information was new for me.

YES you should eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
YES you should buy foods grown without chemicals or drugs (and local when available).
YES when you buy meat, eggs and dairy these rules should also apply!

That is the message that I was hoping this book would send out. Not even close...

Do I think that their depiction of our current farming systems is true? Yes.

Do I buy that their solution (veganism) is the only solution? No.

Do I believe that not being vegan means that I will never be healthy and skinny? Fuck No.

The thing I disliked about this book the most was that if you didn't agree with them that you were a "fucking moron". And that if you didn't buy into their program you would be a "fat pig" forever.

Do we seriously still live in a world where this type of negative motivation is still okay?

--------------

OH! And I am officially down 11lbs today. And I eat meat and dairy. And I hate tofu.

--- Brianne

Confessions

2010-07-28T09:44:00.000-04:00

I've learned over the years that when it comes to fitness and losing weight that it is best to confess your failures and move on. Otherwise you end up dwelling on them and feeling guilty. I am here today to confess.

My name is Brianne and for 3-4 days every month I am a chocoholic.

My promise to put away the Kitchenaid was kept - sort of. I attempted cookies but my butter had gone bad and the cookies were a FAIL. The cookies went in the garbage - phew! Perhaps that was my Kitchenaid telling me that I should learn to keep my promises.

I wish that were the end of it. I must also confess to a box of Junior Mints - not the little box, the big box. And also a binge purchase of a tub of chocolate cappuccino frozen yogurt at the grocery store. Okay, at least I didn't get the full fat ice cream! However, I did eat the whole tub of frozen yogurt myself over the span of a few days. Bad girl.

I will also confess to 2 beers, but I had family in town so it was mandatory. Oh, and I was too busy to go to the gym yesterday and might not make it tonight due to errands.

Okay now that I have completely confessed I feel better and am ready to recommit - big time. Some of you may remember my "Sugar Free Summer of 2007" - it sounds bad but it was really good. Allie definitely remembers, and so does everyone at the Laalo wedding that summer who witnessed my "one cheat day for the wedding" with me sticking my fingers in the chocolate fountain.

Anyway.... my point is that I have been contemplating a Sugar Free August - not just cakes and treats, but anything that contains sugar. This will include anything with an ingredients label that has "sugar" "glucose" "fructose" "corn syrup" etc. listed, and all simple sugars like anything made from non-whole grains.

It's kind of like a cleanse, without the actual cleanse kit. It seems extreme, but if anyone has done a proper cleanse before you will know that it's actually not THAT extreme. However most cleanses are only 1-2 weeks long.

Anyone feel like giving up sugar for August? You know you wanna! Your digestive tract, your teeth and your belly will thank you :D

Training Day #3

2010-07-27T16:47:00.004-04:00

One word and one word only: Pain.

Although I've discovered that the best pre-workout snack for me is the Nature Valley's Peanut Butter Crunchy Granola Bars. I'm not a breakfast eater and I go for my workouts at the strike of noon so if I don't eat something (which I failed to do last week), I nearly die during the workout and become so hungry that all I can think about is what I'm going to get for lunch instead of focusing on my lats. Oh man, these granola bars have come a long way from when I first started consuming them about 7 years ago - the extra addition of extra peanut butter seems to really do the trick for me. Mmmm, crunchy, delicious granola bars. I crave these things now -especially since I don't have much of a sweet tooth. These have become delicious candy for me in the morning and provide me with just enough of the energy I need to really work out with my trainer. Oh man, now I want another one.

-Stevie

Personal Training Session 2

2010-07-22T15:40:00.003-04:00

Today I had my second round of personal training. Let me just say that doing this with a slight cold was an incredibly painful experience. I had little to no energy even before I began and during my 5 minute warm-up jog I was already sweating profusely and ready to call it a day. But I plowed ahead!

The great thing about each session is that right after, my trainer posts my workout online so that I can see all the exercises I did, including some guidance on how to repeat them later. This is key for me as I'll forget the correct positioning when I go back to do things on my own so it's quite nice to have a handy little reference.

Today I did the following:

5 minute 5.5km jog (as mentioned)

Circuits (repeated 3 times):

1	Buttocks	Glute Bridge	0 lbs \| 12 reps \| rest 0 secs	off bosu with alternating heel lift
2	Core	Plank	0 lbs \| 3 reps \| rest 0 secs	45 seconds
3	Core	Superman Progression	0 lbs \| 12 reps \| rest 0 secs
circuit# 2
#	Bodypart	Exercise	Details	Comments	Results
4	Thighs	45 ° Leg Press	115 lbs \| 12 reps \| rest 0 secs
5	Thighs	Leg Extension	45 lbs \| 12 reps \| rest 0 secs
6	Thighs	side-lying body-weight adduction	0 lbs \| 12 reps \| rest 0 secs
circuit# 3
#	Bodypart	Exercise	Details	Comments	Results
7	Chest	Flat Bench Dumbbell Press	12.5 lbs \| 12 reps \| rest 0 secs
8	Upperback	Wide-Grip Cable Pulldown	40 lbs \| 12 reps \| rest 0 secs
9	Shoulders	Standing Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise	7.5 lbs \| 12 reps \| rest 0 secs
circuit# 4
#	Bodypart	Exercise	Details	Comments	Results
10	Rotator Cuff	Elastic Band External Rotation	0 lbs \| 12 reps \| rest 0 secs
11	Upperback	Reverse Flies	0 lbs \| 12 reps \| rest 0 secs	1 arm at a time on fly machine for back of shoulder

It's quite a nice little detailed chart! We're really focusing on strengthening the areas around my knees to make sure I don't get another running related injury in that region. I feel fine right now but I bet I'm going to feel this tomorrow.

-Stevie

PS. I still haven't found a trainer as good as Al was back in our days in the Annex going to Trainers. Girl put some muscle tone on my arms like no one else.

My Muffin Tops

2010-07-21T22:30:00.012-04:00

I’ll admit it, I’m a workaholic. Worst of all, I like money. Both of these factors have led to my extremely sedentary lifestyle. I wasn’t always like this. In fact, if you scroll down, you can read about my marathon training or how I was addicted to Group X classes at Goodlife. But since getting my first real job in January 2009, one with billable hour targets and utilization bonuses, I have been getting progressively “softer”.

In fact, I now have muffin tops. I’ve been in denial for a while, especially because they are still fairly easy to hide (if I’m vigilant of where my pants hit my waistline). But it’s dawning on me that this is how it starts – a little muffin top here, some butt cellulite there and before you know it, you are in a floral print moo-moo wondering how your fingers got too fat to dial for take-out.

In the past when I wanted to slim down, I would launch an obsessive work-out regiment, which is currently incompatible with my insane work schedule. Instead, I’m going to start with some baby steps which I will record here (along with the pictures of my muffin tops) for a sense of accountability and try to move toward a balance between work and life. Here are my goals for the next month:

I will stop working by 7 pm.
I will exercise 4 days/week for at least 1 hour
I will substitute my glass of wine with a hot yoga class to distress after work.

I will read this blog for inspiration.

-Al

Move Over, Hot Yoga

2010-07-21T18:21:00.003-04:00

Last evening, during the first year anniversary of our house, I decided it was a good idea to DDR it up. To the Max!

Oh the Humidity! When we bought the house, the agent didn't tell me that it came with a built-in Hawt DDR studio. I was very impressed to learn I have such a studio but also with the heat and humidity that it was able to achieve. DDR says I burned 214 calories, but I feel it was more like 400+ due to the Hawt DDR Studio.

So, all those raving about Hot Yoga, I challenge you to try Hawt DDR.

-Carrice

ps. As a total random 'going on in Halifax' thing.... John Corbett is in town shooting a movie!

Cannonball!

2010-07-21T08:12:00.000-04:00

I tried to go for a run on Sunday - after about 5 minutes I was so exhausted from the heat that I made a final executive decision. I jumped in my car and went down to the Dartmouth Sportsplex and bought myself a one year membership. As it turns out the membership wasn't that expensive - and it comes with a lot of amenities. Including a huge blast of A/C.

The concierge told me that the summer schedule is very light and then mentioned a kickboxing class that starts in the fall. My hopes are high. There is also Zumba which I swore I wasn't going to do but it might be my only current option. Currently I am sticking to the cardio machines and weights. My only complaint so far is that the weight area is full of 20-something men who hog all of the equipment and look at me funny when I ask how long they will be on the weighted squats bar. Like a woman can't squat 100lbs.. sheesh.

The best part about my membership is the access to the rink and the pool - along with the steam and sauna rooms. Oh and let's not forget the all-access pass to the Pirate's Cove:

A total of 4 water slides - all with varying lengths and heights. Apparently it's "the bomb" and as an adult I will NOT be frowned upon for doing a cannonball when the green one spits me out 10 feet above the water.

Now THAT is what I call a good ending to a workout! Woot!

Help!

2010-07-16T19:48:00.000-04:00

Shame shame shame... it's been too long. Stevie thanks for the nudge :D

SO here is my dilemma - for the last 2 years I've been hopelessly devoted to Kickboxing (in Sudbury) which I loved more than words. I now live in Halifax and there isn't really a kickboxing place, but there's a boxing place but it's not close by. Here are the pertinent details:

1) My transportation is unreliable. Although we have a car, Evan works nights half the time so I am without wheels. I do have a bike however I have found my resolve lacking when it comes to biking anywhere more than 2km because of the extreme upward incline most of the roads take...

2) After several years of trying to motivate myself, I am now resolved to the fact that if left to my own devices I am more likely to stay home and read/knit rather than work out. Therefore I need some sort of facility that motivates me

3) The boxing gym is accross the harbour - not within biking distance due to the fact that if I had to bike all the way there I would likely not go.

4) There are 2 option in my neighborhood - the Dartmouth Sportsplex which is awesome with its pool/track/arena/gym etc however it is $100/month. My other option is to join a karate school but it would only be once a week.

So there we have it. I have been debating this with myself for over 2 months now... and I still haven't made a decision. All I know is that I need an adrenaline output immediately before I spontaneously combust - I am used to daily kickboxing workouts where I can punch and kick things hard. Really hard.

Ladies, I need someone to tell me what to do so that I can finally make a decision!

Bree

It's been forever...

2010-07-14T16:14:00.002-04:00

Stevie P. here! None of us have really been updating. Shame, shame. In an effort to possibly kick-start this little blog project, I thougth I would post that I've blogged on my own personal site regarding my new personal trainer experiences. So far it's just a little introduction but I'm going to try to post regular updates after each session and mark the progress down.

You can check it out here: Stevie P.

Bootcamp Update!

2009-05-04T16:13:00.000-04:00

I'm in month two, and I love it.

The location now being at Trinity Bellwoods is perfect, and I've been getting into kick-ass shape.

Major update at the conclusion!

--Stevie

Bootcamp - Day One

2009-03-30T09:03:00.003-04:00

Day one and I'm already exhausted. I woke up at 5am and was out of my house by 5:20 to arrive by 6am. Unfortunately the TTC had other plans, so my idea to bike should come into play for the rest of the two months. The streetcar didn't come for a full 30 minutes and I stood outside in the cold freezing my ass off. I arrived, finally, at 6:15 so I started late which means I only had 45 minutes of cold, hard workout today. I'm already terrified of the full hour because 45 minutes was more than enough!

We did everything I hate, squats, lunges, jackknifes...the list goes on and on. My brief respite was a sprint around the perimeter of BMO field, which I did in 1 minute, 30 seconds and hope to cut that down significantly. My body was tired!

The worst exercise was these plank position knee pull-ins that then turned into frogging your legs or whatever the technical term is. IT SUCKED.

So as I'm telling everyone at work, I'm either going to have a bangin' bod at the end of this or I'm going to die. We'll see which one wins!

-Stevie

Best Body Bootcamp

2009-03-19T10:11:00.004-04:00

Wow! It's been awhile and spring is just around the corner. That means bikini weather will be coming along shortly.

In an effort to kick the winter blues and get back into bikini rocking shape, I've joined up with the Toronto chapter of Best Body Bootcamp.

It starts in just under a week and a half. I'm mostly intimidated by the 6am start time since I'll have to wake up at 5:30 at the latest and bike my butt to BMO field three times a week. But the outcome will be worth it, I hope!

Anyone try one of these bootcamps? What were your results/thoughts? Bree I know you did one!

-Stevie

To Whom It May Concern:

2008-09-17T08:29:00.002-04:00

Dear Booster Juice,

We only have a short time together, as I am moving away to a land that is lacking the juices and the boost. I will try to sip you weekly until my fated departure at the end of October.

However, recently it has come to my attention that you aren't all that was promised. Your Banana Beach smoothie from your "Life Choice" menu eludes that you are healthy, wise and true. When I visited your website www.boosterjuice.com I found your caloric index... and your SUGARS index! I saw your dirty little secret and I wept.

Although you definitely have zero fat, you are still a whopping 400 calories and 82 grams of sugar.

Compared to your Berry Smoothie cousin "Brazilian Thunder" you are cellulite waiting to happen. Although it may contain amounts of sorbet, the Brazilian yields 350 calories and only 34 grams of sugar.

I am sorry Banana Beach, your days are over. I will take the 2 grams of fat over the 48 grams of sugar and 50 calories.

Sincerely,
Brianne

Dear Brazilian Thunder,

Welcome to my repertoire of tasty beverages. I hope that your Acai is delicious and wonderful.

In order to ensure that you are wise and true I will boost you with protein.

Your friend,
Brianne

I need a tan even though summer's coming to an end!

2008-08-15T10:02:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd show off my ingenious wearing of a skirt as a dress while also proudly showing off my favourite sport via some random statue in Yorkville. But that's not the point of this entry.

Operation Skinny Jeans: I'd like to introduce you to sparkpeople! Given that I am probably the most useless calorie counter / exercise tracker ever, this thing has already changed my habits. I logon twice a day (morning, night) and make sure I'm all settled in with my stats.

Since it's summer, I've been avoiding the gym like the plague and will probably cancel my membership. I've decided to hate on the gym. Plus there's a fully equipped gym in my new office so, uhh, free trumps towel service. I'll miss the steam room but there's always hot yoga for that which has moved even closer to my home. Perfecto!

Right now my activities include: Soccer every Tuesday evening (expanding to 2 nights a week soon), biking to and from work every day (3km total, pretty short!), and hot yoga at least once a week. I've been feeling really good and cycling everywhere, so two nights a week I'd say I cycle around 6-8km. It's just too bad that I've been cycling to Guinness providers so far! I can never stop the Guinness. I just can't quit you....

Tara's 30 day body blitz

2008-07-11T07:07:00.006-04:00

Ok Bri! Lets do this. Here is what I propose, it's a starting point. I have classes twice a week and like to go to at least a few extra in between. So this is on top of my 3 times at the gym a week.

1!!! Think Skinny Thoughts!!!!

2. Drinks are reserved for weekends.
3. Drink 2 litres of water.
4. Eat protien with every meal. Get 125 grms of protien a day (big metabolism booster)
5. Avoid processed food. This will be tough. But as long as I limit it, like if there's a buffet of food in front of me, just have a few bites of what I really want vs. constant picking at everything. I think there will be alot of temptation in the next few.
6. Everyday, do at least a 30 min walk.

Here is a link for fitday. I use this to track my carb, protien, fat ratio. I try to keep it pretty strict during the week. 50% protien, 30% carbs, 20% fats. If you get an account send me your journal link and we'll be accountable for each other. Here is mine

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=Blair%5F007

I need more tips. The drinking thing is hard, so i'm drinking soda water and vodka as a cleaner alternative. Add some limes, blueberries mint and sweetener and it's close to a mojito.

Did I mention I had a brownie for breakfast. hahah.. Extra 30 min walk today!! haha..

55 more days

2008-06-25T08:20:00.005-04:00

Ok time to get serious here.

Help! I need some serious modivation. I have 55 days left till I'm on a beach in Hawaii. Now I know you're thinking, poor Tara... but really that gives me a solid 2 months to be beach ready. I have read the books. Bought every single solitary magazine on fitness and health. I have gone onto every website that has information on bodybuilding and I know all the equations to find out my proper caloric intakes and deficts. I'm practically a certified diet mathimagician. I know ALL there must be to know about my sought after beach bod. So I guess I've just used the past two months to prepare me and inform myself of what action I need to take for the next 55 days.

hmmm.. can it be done?

Anyone on board with me?

Pump Up The Volume

2008-06-15T15:12:00.010-04:00

or rather... the workout intensity. I just came back from a Cabot Trail trek. T-Dawg and I hiked the Highlands during a camping adventure. Those Acadian settlers must have been ripped after working the land and fishing the seas.

-Carrice

Frisbee Gymnastics

2008-05-12T21:48:00.004-04:00

As part of our cardio workout during bootcamp, we will typically play Ultimate Frisbee. We use the length of a football field, and it is usually 3 on 3 so its a whole helluva lot of running around.

We were a little short on bootcampers today and so our game was 2 on 2 - lots of running!

Anyway, I was running full tilt to catch the frisbee, and I suppose the grass was a bit moist and my foot slipped on an exceptionally long stride and somehow I landed in full splits.

Well... there was a loud cracking noise when my groin reached its tipping point (my body's way of saying it isn't supposed to bend that way).

It probably hurt, but I was laughing so hard. I thought this shit only happened in movies?!

Hopefully I can walk tomorrow.... my current pain level is about a 6.

- Brianne

Soccer Saturdays worked against my Skinny Jeans

2008-05-12T15:32:00.005-04:00

Final playoff game water spraying on us shot! Check out our rockin' shirts!
Oh yes, it's true. My soccer games on Saturday were an intense foray into fitnessitude. I loved each game and steadily improved until my skills could pay the bills (maybe just my uh phone bill, really, and that's if I put a little hat out when I do my body checks - illegal move!)

It's all over now and what have I learned?

If you go to the pub after every single soccer game and pound back beer for hours on end, your skinny jeans will not feel more loose at all.

Nope, not an inch. But the hours of fun and entertainment with one's soccer team are worth it. Tomorrow I'm off to England where my cardio will include finding the nearest pub and shopping trips where I stretch my wallet to new heights. At least my going vegetarian will limit my caloric intake substantially.

Or will it? Prawn cocktail Walkers isn't really shrimp, right? RIGHT?

-Stevie

Gonna Dance All Night to This DJ

2008-05-11T14:55:00.007-04:00

I've been playing DDR for many years now. I enjoy playing and have upped my skillz like nobody's business. I play so much in fact, I danced right through the mat!!That's right. My feet of lightning cannot be restricted to these simple plastic mats.
Enter... my fiancé's early wedding gift.Yup, metal dance mats. I know you're hella jealous, as you should be. I am now going to be arcade ready in no time. I immediately jumped on and logged another 400 calories in workout mode. I have as of yet to check just how many "miles run" I've put in the DDR games... that'll be my next post!
- Carrice

You can take my sugar, but you can't take my Starbucks

2008-05-08T07:01:00.006-04:00

Here I am. Joining the fight for our right to fit back into our skinny jeans. I actually haven't busted out of my little jeans, yet. It's not a full blow out, however, I will be going to Hawaii in August and my goal is to feel really confident a la bikini. Here's my low down, for those who may not know me or my sob story.

I quite enjoy working out. I just got into instructing at the Goodlife. Like Ali, what I do good for my waistline at the gym, I make up for in drinkies. Which was fine for awhile. But lets face it. I will look alot better sober and kick ass skinny, then winky and silly drunk.

I just finished reading the Eating Clean Diet book, I'm moving onto the workout book in the series. I'm sure this is all stuff I know already, but bah, it's modivation. It's well written and I read each in a night or two. (I have the attention span of a puppy) So Miss Bri, and Ali I'm on board. Detoxes are fun :) But that's not what I'm doing for this week. I do them every 3 months and just did one a month ago so I should probably wait till just before August. So far I've been trying to follow the Clean Eating regime. Easy enough, eat every two-three hours (YAY!) Lots of fresh fruit and veg (cool, i'm good at that) No sugar.....

Do you know how sucky no sugar is. SUCKY! I can do fine for awhile. But what about starbucks? Good god, Lattes suck without their sugary syrupy devils food. Lastnight I tried... I really did. Knitting at the Old Rock.... Ordered their version of an Iced Latte mois syrup. GROSS!! I got them to add more esspresso, in hopes it would add flavour. Still GROSS! Since I don't drink aspertame or splenda (cause I don't feel like tumours or blindness) I had no other option but to add chocolate syrup.... mmmmmm

Brianne you're far tougher than me. I will stear clear of the sugar at all costs, but I draw the line at my Mistos.

-Tara

Going Strong

2008-05-05T08:41:00.003-04:00

DAY 8

When I first started this cleanse I really wasn't sure that I was going to be able to finish it. I was certain that eating this diet would eventually kill me, especially when doing bootcamp 5 days a week!

I have successfully made it through my first weekend - without cheating!

I watched my boyfriend E eat pizza, muffins, bread and other delicious things, and I didn't even flinch. OK that is a lie, I totally sat right next to him and sniffed it. But I didn't touch it!

I watched P drink wine - which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

On Friday at bootcamp the drill sergeant brought chocolates and I had to refuse, while everyone else enjoyed Laura Secords.

And this morning, when my roomie A told me that she had "added a few things to her cleanse" I was strong, and resolved that I would not cave. Even if it means that I have to watch A eat yogurt and cereal..... ouch!

Those of you who know me, probably have a really good idea of just how many addictions I am currently kicking. There are at least 5 major ones. The cleanse has really helped to remove the physical cravings for these things, but this weekend I realized that I am currently a super bitch from hell.

My boyfriend is very patient. Evidence that he loves me very much.

Further evidence will show that my scale this morning told me I was down 4lbs. The cleanse is turning out to be a Great Success! And the bootcamp weight loss is just beginning!

- Brianne

No Pain, No Gain

2008-05-01T09:15:00.007-04:00

Day 4
Current pain level: manageable but deadly

Bootcamp is kicking my ass, and my ass is definitely paying for it. After day 1 I was sore, which made it hard to complete day 2, but then compounded with day 1's soreness, and then day 3 I was hobbling around but managed to get through it, and now day 4 is compounded exponentially from day 1's soreness. Tonight will be tough. I am somewhere between hell and dementia.

On day 1, one of the bootcampers had the nerve to ask "What if it rains, can we go indoors?"

HA! Captain Guns didn't even laugh before replying "This is bootcamp."

Yesterday it was 0 degrees windy and wet. Not nice.

However - there is no crying at bootcamp. No matter how cold. In fact, there is a rumor that the bootcamp goes straight through the winter...???

Apart from the soreness, I am really enjoying bootcamp. And some little part of me even enjoys the soreness. It's like some sort of gratification.

I promised some measurements but I haven't received my sheet back from Captain Guns yet. So I will improvise from what I can remember (or possibly have blocked from memory???)

Chest 38
Waist 34 (at belly button, not at the smallest part)
Hips 43
Weight 174

The day that these were taken I was also bloated from PMS and had started a cleanse that morning which may have had me retaining water. So their accuracy is not ensured.

At the end of 4 weeks my goal is:

10" loss all around
14lbs fat loss

Keeping in mind that I am also on a strict cleanse diet, this is completely attainable. My goal for the second month will be determined by the success of the first month. My overall goal is 150lbs 34-28-38. Wish me luck!

- Brianne

BOOTCAMP!!!

2008-04-29T08:33:00.004-04:00

It's been a while. And my pants could tell a thousand tales of many pizzas and cookies past. Winter was quite possibly the ultimate in junk food indulgences. No cake was too sweet. No cookie too round. No pizza too cheesy. No couch too comfy!

I could feel my pants getting more and more snug as the months wore on. And when spring finally arrived, I realized that none of my clothing fit at all. The cute capri's, the sweet tank tops, the little dresses and booty shorts... all too small.

On top of all that, I am standing for Carrice's wedding June 28th and my dress is a size 6... no, that isn't a typo, that is a SIX. Currently I look like a stuffed sausage in the dress, and the only reason that I can get it on is because there are no zippers. Sigh.

How did I let it go this far? What on earth was I going to do? I had exactly 8 weeks and I had to act fast.

So I had a farewell toast with my roomie A, and it was buhbye wine, buhbye strongbow, buhbye chips, buhbye chocolate, buhbye candy and buhbye all things bad...

I joined a bootcamp. An ass-whooping, gut-busting, muscle-building mother fucker of a workout. This should be good.

Oh, did I mention that I was also scheduled to start a full-on CLEANSE the same day that bootcamp began? Yes, that too.

The cleanse consists of a very strict diet, 4L of water per day and herbal supplements with meals. The diet resembles that of a level 4 vegan - kibble 'n bits.

Items that cannot be consumed: sugar of all kinds, dairy, flour of any kind, additives or preservatives, anything fermented, and anything with flavour.

And so it began today....

Monday April 28th 2008 - Day 1

At first I was excited about the day. Everyone kept telling me how hard it was going to be, especially since I was starting a cleanse too. I kept denying it, to them and to myself. Ignorance is bliss.

Breakfast this morning was another story all-together - that is when I found out just how disgusting the herbal cleanse supplements are. The liquid tastes like what I think a dirty anus would taste like. So, every meal I eat I have to take these supplements first - which means that all of my meals have the dirty anus aftertaste. Scrumptous!

The food isn't entirely terrible - just bland and dry. Sauce is a hot commodity on a cleanse.

When I got to bootcamp I was already feeling a little ill... either I wanted to throw up or I wanted to take a major BM... I couldn't decide so I did neither.

The measurements for day 1 of bootcamp made me want to cry. As I stood there wondering how I let myself go, I remembered going through this exact type of experience last spring... and I tried to think of ways to avoid the winter bulge next year. At this point I was just trying to keep my mind off the numbers that Captain Guns was writing on my pitiful page.

The 'fit test' wasn't bad until I had to run 1km. Ready, Set, GO! And I was off at lightning speed for the first quarter mile... as I started to slow down and eventually come to a very slow jog I realized that my cardiovasular fitness was not only lacking, it was non-existent.

Dear Lungs,

I love you. Please come back to me. I miss you terribly and I promise to feed you delicious oxygen every day.

Your loving owner,

Brianne

After the 6:09 kilometre run I was exhausted and bootcamp was over. It was a good thing too because this is when BE #1 kicked in (bathroom emergency). One of the herbal supplements is a natural laxative - to flush the shit out of your system (literally).

It is a good thing that I had met Claire, one of the bootcampees, and she offered me a ride home so that I didnt' have to walk. Otherwise BE #2 would have been very embarrassing.

What I have learned today:

winter is not an excuse to pig out

cleansing isn't as easy as one might think
one should always plan for bathroom emergencies (BE's)

- Brianne

Attacked

2008-01-23T08:52:00.001-05:00

This one's from the vault. I wrote this some time in the summer, but forgot to post it.

When Bree first joined the gym with us, she didn’t want to do the classes. She thought that they were cheesy. But Kristin and I are big fans of the classes and Bree slowly came around. Now she’s a class whore, just like us. Monday night, I tried her favourite class, Body Attack, for the first time. Wouldn’t you know, it was the cheesiest class of them all; but that’s not to say it didn’t totally kick my ass. It was like 80s aerobics (which I grew up on) on acid. The cute male instructor definitely had some kind of history with cheerleading and insisted on finishing every track in a pose. Where he kept digging out the energy from, I’ll never know. This class is extremely fast moving, so you never have much time to reflect on what it is you are actually doing before you are moving on to something else. Somehow I was inspired to do the jumping lunges, which I am still paying for 2 days later. It also hurts to put pressure on my butt cheeks, so sitting is even challenging. Bree claims that this class with lift and separate your tush like your favourite push up bra. Running has made my butt as flat as a pancake, so I think I will be returning to this class to try to regain my bootie.

Last night, I had the same teacher for Body Pump and he was so distraught by the techno selection for the clean and press track that he had to turn on the disco lights to make himself feel better. Move over Robert and Cpt. Guns, I have a new favourite instructor.

-Al

2008 Not Up to Par so Far

2008-01-18T09:29:00.000-05:00

With the fresh new beginning of 2008, I resolved to continue kicking butt at the gym and also find new ways of staying in shape. I'm still running and my knee's doing much better but it seemed my workout was lacking something it once had when I was young. Team sports!

So this winter, I joined an indoor soccer team with some friends from my office who are actually good at soccer. Given that I haven't played soccer since the sixth grade this should be an interesting ride! It's co-ed, but there are only two girls signed on so far (including me and Cappytaine Marnie-she's french but not really). Every Saturday, I'm going to attempt to kick a ball into the other team's net wearing my fancy retro number 11 jersey, new kicks, and new shin guards. We'll see if this results in a new appreciation for sports other than hockey.
Once I find out what exactly it means to "Bend it like Beckham", I hope by 2009 I will be able to actually do it. It sounds dirty so I'm all in.

And after the beating my body took with an entire week in Las Vegas, I need all the help I can get!

--Stevie

Even the cats are on a diet...

2007-12-05T15:40:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-27T07:07:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-17T11:13:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-13T09:42:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-06T14:09:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-10-30T09:58:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-10-22T14:52:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-20T22:50:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-10-18T23:00:00.001-04:00

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!

2007-10-12T07:20:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-10-02T21:26:00.000-04:00

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?

2007-10-02T08:48:00.000-04:00

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'

2007-09-29T15:30:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-15T10:19:00.001-04:00

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

2007-09-10T22:31:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-08-11T08:47:00.000-04:00

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?

2007-08-09T13:17:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-09T12:09:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-08T22:32:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-08T10:46:00.000-04:00

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?

2007-08-06T11:08:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-08-01T08:28:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-08-01T08:12:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-07-31T10:43:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-29T14:46:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-27T21:53:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-27T00:28:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-07-26T15:27:00.001-04:00

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?

2007-07-24T11:17:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-22T13:48:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-22T13:17:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-20T12:39:00.000-04:00

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.

2007-07-18T20:07:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-18T19:43:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-14T15:23:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-07T07:46:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-03T16:56:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-03T13:26:00.000-04:00

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

2007-06-29T09:54:00.001-04:00

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?

2007-06-28T21:33:00.000-04:00

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...

2007-06-27T21:32:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-06-27T21:06:00.000-04:00

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

2007-06-26T20:27:00.000-04:00

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

2007-06-22T20:53:00.000-04:00

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

2007-06-22T19:53:00.000-04:00

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