Goal setting with your workout plan

I'm not a fan of the word "exercise" because it sounds like a chore. Instead I call it a workout. Because it's work, but it's something I enjoy doing and it makes me feel awesome :)

You can get out of that "exercise plan" mentality by changing it to a workout goal; a strengthening goal. And goals are freaking amazing!

I ran my first 10km race last weekend and finished at 53:41. For anyone who runs a lot, this may not seem like a very competitive time, but for me, it was my personal best and I'm ecstatic about it! Considering I've only been running for 2 years, a 10k was my marathon. Almost a full hour of running, not tiring, not feeling too sore, controlled breathing... it's a lot of work to get to that point. But I signed up for this race, along with 3 amazing girlfriends and decided that I would not let myself down. I would finish in under an hour.

Setting this goal was important. And the fact that I had to pay for this event meant that this was some serious business! I ran twice per week (adding in strength training and hip work through the week), extending my distances and using "Map my run" to keep track of my pace and distance. I made motivating playlists filled with songs that made me happy and picked beautiful scenic trails to run. The fact that I was happy and my soul felt free made up for my exhausted lungs, my red flushed face and my legs that were sore by kilometer 8, but on auto-pilot.

I also translated my goals to yoga. They call it a "practice" for a reason. Keep practicing and you keep improving. Flexibility gets better the more you stretch a muscle. Balance is more stable the more you use those muscles that keep you in that position. My "Royal dancer" went from wobbly to sturdy and extended. I went from staying in a lunge for a few seconds, to deepening it and wrapping my arms around my legs at the same time.

There's always room for improvement (I'm now working on arm balances and headstands!) but what keeps you going is that goal. Have a goal in mind, dedicate yourself to it and celebrate when you achieve it! My other advice is to keep your goal reasonable. I wasn't about to go straight from running 5km's to doing an actual marathon. It's about steps. Choose your next step, work hard and be proud of yourself.

My view along the waterfront trail

Nurturing your soul

Self-reflection is one of the most valuable concepts and exercises. My last blog post was almost a full year ago to the day and today was the day I chose to read such reflection from about that time. I've taken some time off to work on myself. I've learned many lessons, ones that I will undoubtedly share but for now I wanted to talk about nurturing your soul.

On my journey of self-reflection I learned about nurturing my soul. It was something that I've tried to keep with me, tried to remember, but life gets busy. We put others before ourselves, we put commitments ahead of what we truly want to do with our time and we start to lose ourselves. That's what I felt. My wake up call was when my partner told me that I had been unhappy for quite a while (since starting a new job). I thought I was happy but I stopped doing things that nurtured my soul. You probably already know what these things are - if not, you may want to start a list.

Examples of things that are on my list (if you need some inspiration): running, yoga (especially when you get to lay down at the end!), hiking through the forest, talking to my sister, head massages, reading while drinking the perfect cup of coffee, making a pillow fort and cuddling with our big puppy. 

Think about what makes you happy. What makes you feel like you? My work schedule occupies a lot of my time, so I dedicate those spare minutes and hours to my sanity. I had to stop taking that job so seriously and stop devoting all my energy to it; because at the end of the day, there was nothing left for me.

There are times we need to be selfish - but it's not selfish at all. It's about taking care of ourselves so that we can be well enough to take care of others and serve our purpose in this life.

It's like that safety talk that they give you on an airplane. If the oxygen masks drop, you're instructed to put it on yourself before you help your loved ones put theirs on. If you don't put the mask on yourself first, you won't be conscious long enough to help anyone else. 

Hitting the reset button on your body when you're feeling the effects of stress and anxiety

Sometimes you just need to hit the reset button and there's no better time than now (actually, I was going to say the Spring). Spring clean your body! Every once in a while we just need a reminder. We get stuck in a routine, or things come up in life... maybe you've had a hectic week. That's okay. In real life, shit happens. So take care of business and then get back to taking care of you.

The following are suggestive guidelines that help prime the body for handling stress and decreasing anxiety. 

1. Eliminate stimulants: caffeine, nicotine and preservatives (like MSG). Although you may feel like your 4 coffees per day keeps you going, in some situations (anxiety being the big one) it can actually be more taxing on your system and cause you to be more anxious! After the first few days of "coffee withdrawal" you'll start feeling a lot better and you'll stop craving it. If you're not as anxious, stick to no more than one cuppa joe per day.  

2. Eliminate consumption of refined sugar, sucrose, dextrose and other sweeteners such as corn syrup. This is another substance that can be very addictive and puts more stress on your body and your immune system.  

3. Reduce or eliminate refined and processed foods from the diet as much as possible. Replace with whole and fresh foods which will work with your body to provide proper nutrition without added fillers that do nothing for you but weigh you down (figuratively and literally).
 
4. Avoid foods that you have an allergy or sensitivity to. Easier said than done, as many of us are sensitive to gluten and dairy, but it'll make a huge difference in multiple areas of your well-being (including but not limited to memory, concentration, gut health and function, healthy bowel movements, clearer skin, energy, and so on).  

5. Reduce consumption of red meat as well as poultry containing steroid hormones and other chemicals. Replace with organically fed and free-range lean meats and seafood. But remember to avoid big game fish like swordfish, and tuna which have higher levels of mercury.  

6. Increase intake of dietary fiber. It'll help clear out your gut and remove anything old that's been lingering. Regular bowel movements make for happy bodies. No one wants to hang onto a bunch of crap. Your body feels the same way.  

7. Drink water throughout the day - At least 1L per day, but up to 2L is optimal. Hydration is key. It can help prevent headaches, dry skin and moodiness.  

8. Increase vegetables. Okay, so this one is kind of redundant, but I can't stress it enough. Think of veggies are your natural vitamins. At least 1/2 to 2/3 of your plate should be veggies. You'll fill up faster than you would eating something like a bowl of pasta, and the nutrient content is so much higher. Natural vitamins can help correct deficiencies which = happy people.  

9. Reduce "bad" fats and increase intake of the "good"/helpful ones. Toss away the corn oil, canola oil, fatty cuts of red meat, and replace them with fish, avocados, olive oil, walnuts, flax and coconut oil. Overall, you should have more omega-3's in your diet than omega-6s. Keep the scale balanced towards omega-3's and your mood will improve, your skin will look better, and inflammation goes down.  

10. Do at least one thing per day that brings you joy. Sounds simple, but most of us spend so much time taking care of everyone else, or worrying about different things that we forget to live in the moment and think about what we need. Laugh at something, do something fun, no matter how small. If it makes you smile, laugh or feel warm and fuzzy, it's worth it. 

Is organic really worth it? What are you getting for your extra monies?

Hello Fox Friends,

So my partner knows I can be a bit quirky, but a recent discussion had him thinking I was downright insane until I performed an experiment to show him what on earth I was talking about.

Many of you know how much I'm in love with organic celery. It's the best effing celery I've ever had! When I see that my grocery store has organic celery in stock, I go crazy like a kid in Wonka's factory (not that I turn into a blueberry, or a stalk of celery for that fact, but that I want to take home all the organic celery that I can and eat it!).

My partner let this one slide because he knows I can be a little crazy. But then I tried organic cabbage and my world was turned upside down (in the best way possible).

I originally bought the organic one because it's a bit smaller, and for 1-2 people, I don't need a 10lb cabbage head. So the organic variety was the perfect size! Then I cut into it and was amazed...
This didn't look like the cabbage I was used to. The cabbage leaves looked like this intricate pattern of vegetable beauty.

So the other night while making dinner, I start telling him how incredible organic cabbage is and he wouldn't believe the difference! He looked at me like I was crazy, but cute, and I vowed to show him the ways of organic cabbage.

I went to the giant Loblaws in my neck of the woods (north Toronto) and got 2 cabbages: organic (left) and regular (right), and did a side-by-side comparison:

Okay, so my iPhone doesn't take the greatest quality pictures, but you can see the differences. Look at the colours, the pattern, the shape. Those are firm outer cabbage "leaves" on the left.. thick and crisp!

I showed my roommate and she agreed. And then we began to discuss how much better the one on the left probably tastes (and we were right).

So the big question: Is organic worth it?

When you buy produce it's a matter of quality. Looking at the two cabbages above, it probably wouldn't matter which one was organic and not... I would pick the cabbage on the left because it looks better, it looks more natural, it tastes better and the size is more proportionate to my kitchen/cooking needs.

If you can taste and see absolutely no difference between organic carrots and regular carrots, buy whichever is cheaper. But if you look at the two side-by-side and one obviously looks like the "healthier"/better carrot, than get that one.

There's another video out on YouTube with a little girl who shows the difference in sweet potatoes grown traditionally (with pesticides) and organic... the organic one sprouted and the regular one stayed in a type of "stasis" and did nothing. I also tried this... just keeping 2 kinds of sweet potatoes in my pantry, and low-and-behold! the organic one did in fact start sprouting roots while the regular one stayed a boring potato and eventually got soft and went bad.

The moral of the story: Something is worth the extra money if you decide it has that extra value. Stop worrying about what everyone else says... stop listening to the news and the fear that's associated with our food. Try it for yourself. Look at it, feel it, taste it. What is honestly the better quality product to you? Can you afford to buy the better quality?

Don't buy organic for organic's sake. Buy it because you think the product is awesome! because it tastes better, looks better and is more like a real plant. Pick and choose which produce items are worth it, and for everything else, just buy regular (like avocados... the organic vs. regular look and taste the same to me).

Remember that each time you buy something, you're voting for it! You're telling the supplier what you want to buy. And vote for WHERE you want to buy it. If you're super pissed off that a huge Wal-Mart just took over your town, then don't shop there... support your local businesses. Spring is almost here - buy from your local farmer's market!

What to expect with winter running

I've been in super lazy mode since back from vacation and now with the holiday's coming up. Blogging has definitely taken the backseat and I apologize, but sometimes it's nice to step away from the computer.

I've realized how hard it is to keep up with technology and that sometimes, I just don't want to. I mean, think about it, your cell/smart phone is outdated after having it for 2 years. There have been about 4-5 operating systems that have come out since I bought my MacBook.

Our society is so reliant on technology that sometimes - although I do love Netflix - I have to take a break from it; not look at my computer screen for a while. Or if I do, it's to play a game.. on my own time. I signed up for Twitter about a month or two ago and have barely used it. I don't get the point of it. It's so much work! And there's so much information out there that it's overwhelming.

So instead, I went running out in the snow. I'm starting a "Toronto-winter-can-suck-my-lady-balls" movement. I'm rebelling against the -15 degree weather, the windchills, and the fact that the city doesn't like to clear all sidewalks/roads of snow, by still running.

Of course it has it's ups and downs. I tried running in my hometown which isn't far from here, but on that day, the -15 windchill really did kick my ass and after 10 minutes out on the snowy streets I had had enough.

Yesterday was a fairly good success. Here's my list of things you should know before running on the snow:

1) Do not get confused... you're not running THROUGH the snow like a kid on a snow-day in their winter boots and snow pants who's ecstatic. That kid doesn't need to go very far... I needed to run 6.5km. So I was running ON snow; Slippery packed snow that is.

2) Try to stay on a level surface and don't get off your trail. One minor sideways slope paired with a mis-step and you're falling over - guaranteed. The only positive thing is that you're likely to fall over into a snow bank which is great for breaking your fall.

3) Running on slippery snow is like running in a dream. You're putting in much more effort and not going as far. It can be super frustrating, but hang in there... remember how pretty the snow is, and leave extra time for your run.

4) Most people don't like running or hiking on snowy trails, so they'll be less people to get into your way. This is a bonus. However, watch out for cross-country skiiers. Tripping over one will leave you tangled and bruised.

5) Bundle up appropriately. Good idea: a few thin layers with long socks, running hat and mits/gloves. Long socks are the greatest thing in the world... next to actual leg warmers.

6) You know that feeling after you've jumped on a trampoline and then you try to jump on the regular ground and you feel so much heavier? Well, expect a similar but opposite feeling when you go from running on slippery snow to the pavement. It's like all of a sudden your feet have traction. Like you're running faster and with less effort! But don't be fooled; it doesn't last long and Toronto apparently doesn't like to have all of their sidewalks cleared of snow or salted.

7) Bring Kleenex.

8) Have a great playlist. It'll distract you from the cold.

9) Know when to give up to save yourself from frostbite. I might be a little crazy, but I'm not stupid. If it's truly too cold out, it's best to opt for an indoor workout and save your nose and fingers from going necrotic and falling off.

10) Don't try to switch songs on your phone/player while you're in motion. Taking your eyes off the trail/road will leave you vulnerable to the slippery and uneven ground; making it 80% more likely that you will slip and fall (The 80% is an estimate... that's what it felt like).

I'm going to keep going as long as possible into the winter. I know it's going to get worse here and there are days I really won't be able to go out. But running outside is still so much more superior to running on a treadmill. Get outside even if you don't run. Be that kid in snow-pants running through snow, making snow angels, having snowball fights. Go skiing or sledding! Don't let snow be the pain the ass that it is when it's covering your car and your driveway and causing accidents all over the highway. This weekend, get out and have some fun :)

I'm back! And with a new Hot and Sour Soup recipe

After vacationing in BC, it's taken a while for me to get back to ... well... being me I guess. Lack of sleep is NOT my friend. I'll post more about my adventures on the West coast a bit later, but for now, it's time to cozy up with a warm cuppa soup, and here's today's "cooking experiment gone amazing!"

This was a recipe I just made up on the fly. I was going for a mushroom/vegetable soup, but then I got hit with the inspiration of garlic... and then I thought I should spice it up a bit with some chilli flakes, and before I knew it, I was adding apple cider vinegar and it was a Hot and Sour Soup - the best I've ever made! I never actually measure anything, so everything listed is an estimate.

Mushroom Hot and Sour Soup
(this might seem like a lot of ingredients, but half of these items are staples in my kitchen, and the others are extra veggies I picked up and had in my fridge... and I was craving bacon)

1 tsp butter
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 a small/medium sweet onion, chopped
1 slice uncooked bacon, chopped
2 baby Portabello mushrooms, sliced and chopped
1 package Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/3-1/2 cup cabbage, chopped
2-3 stalks/"leaves" of Kale, with center vein removed and kale chopped
1 tetrapak (900mL/4 cups) chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chili flakes (depending on how hot you like it)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 to 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (depending on how sour you like it)
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper, as desired to taste

Add oil and butter to large/wide soup pot and heat on medium-high heat. Add onions and let cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally until they begin to soften.

Add bacon and mushrooms. Stir and let cook another 5 minutes.

Add remaining veggies and let cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken broth to pot. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 35 minutes. Add minced garlic, chili flakes and honey and simmer covered for another 5 minutes. Add apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Then serve!

Too early for Christmas?

It's that time of year... apparently Christmas starts in the middle of November and carries on until New Years. I've been having those moments; the ones where you become that type of adult that doesn't really care about the Holidays and doesn't want to hear Christmas music right now.

It's been a depressing realization for me. Usually I LOVE Christmas music. I love hearing it as early in November as possible. But with everything that's been going on in my life, I just can't seem to devote any attention to the upcoming holiday season. I've become one of those grownups that complains about Christmas stuff in November.

There are certain aspects of this time of year that I despise: crowded malls, impatient people (in public and on the roads), that last cram of trying to get all school work done before the end of the semester (5 case reports, a presentation and a business plan -while trying to manage all of my patients and treatments- you can suck my lady balls).

But then I try to remember all of the bubbly things that I love so much about the holidays: Christmas lights... I'm in love with twinkly lights. I love when people wrap the trees on their lawns with lights. I love big light spectacles with inflatable snowmen and penguins. I love the smell of real Christmas trees and of fires in fireplaces. I love how beautiful it looks when big fluffy snow falls at night and in the morning when you wake up and everything is blanketed with a layer of fresh snow, like the world has been frosted with icing.

I know I'll get to that point when I'm excited about the holidays, but for the first time, I also understand what all of those grown-ups are talking about when they say it's too early for Christmas right now. And work Christmas parties and Santa Clause parades in November are like a big fat holiday tease. So I'm joining forces with the grown-ups of the world and boycotting all holiday things until at least December.

Lastly, I just wanted to send out a friendly reminder that there's no reason to be offended by people's use of different words for the holidays. If someone wishes you a "Merry Christmas" and you don't actually celebrate Christmas, just say thanks and return the greeting. This applies to ANY holiday (except if someone wishes you a happy birthday, and it's not actually your birthday... then you might want to correct them). That person isn't trying to piss you off or offend you. They're being friendly. So don't be a dick and take offense to it. This is Canada... many people from many different cultures celebrate different holidays around this time of year; So it should be a time to celebrate and be happy - not to take offense to a friendly greeting. My biggest piece of advice for this season (and in general): Don't be a dick... especially if someone is actually being sincere with you. 

Soon to come: more ways on how NOT to be a dick.