The Best Way To Get Your Ski Legs Back, Is To Go Down The Hill!

I got coerced into my first ski of the season yesterday and it was amazing. Fresh powder, good visibility and with my hot pockets stuffed into my gloves and boots, it wasn't even that cold! My first run of the day had to be my favourite twisty, turny moguley run right under the Black Forest chair. I was in the groove and it was so exhilarating! To think, I almost didn't go.

My son and his girlfriend wanted to go skiing and asked if I could take them up. I immediately said yes and was excited myself to head up for the first time this year. 

Then it started to snow.

I began applying the brakes, so to speak, to my offer to drive. I'm not good in snow. My family would say that I'm not good in anything but sunny, clear roads. I started to warn them the night before, that we would "play it by ear" in the morning. When morning came, I drove to a 6am client's house and slipped a few times on the dump of snow from the night before. I started freaking out and thinking of a way to back out, or at the least, get them to the Big White shuttle bus for 7am. 

After training, I looked at my phone to check the road conditions and saw an onslaught of texts from my son. Most of them had the underlying currents of, "But you promised!", "You said you would!", "Please mom, I'll drive!". 

And so, begrudgingly, I went.

My son, who has had his learner's driving licence for 5 months probably could have driven there faster than me, but there was no way in hell I was giving up what little control I felt in that moment. He teased me when I pulled over to allow people to pass and laughed out loud when a grandma pulled around our car. I nervously clutched the steering wheel and kept muttering a phrase that my dad taught us when we were young, "Drive within your abilities Tracy".

Where were those abilities now? Why was I so scared? Why do I sometimes allow fear to grip me by the throat and stop me in my tracks? 

I thought about this as I took that first amazing run down the ski hill. If I had let my fears get the best of me, I wouldn't be on that hill in that moment, skiing. I thought about other times in my life where fear, rational or irrational, stopped me from an experience. Sometimes, I need to stay within my abilities because its the right, and safe thing to do! But how often have I missed out on something amazing because I was too scared? Enough times to write this blog.

I recall a time when I was asked to speak at a conference on health and wellness. The audience was about 300 people and when I was asked I was thrilled and immediately answered yes! The hour before I was about to go on, I was petrified! I tried to think of every reason NOT to do it. I even contemplated getting a "fake" emergency call that would allow me to bail out. I know, for shame. Instead, I asked myself what was the worse that could happen? Not surprisingly, there were lots of answers there! I'd choke on my words, forget what I was saying, sound like I didn't know what I was talking about, etc. And yet, this is where staying within your abilities comes in. I was prepared for this conference. I did know what I was talking about. I was the expert on this topic. So, instead of turning and running with my tail between my legs, I faced my fear and delivered what I thought was an inspirational talk. Once I was in the zone, I enjoyed myself so much, I wondered why I ever felt scared!

So, here's the point: The best way to overcome your fears is to hit them head on! Think about something that you would love to experience and ask yourself what is stopping you? If its a rational fear, then take the steps to overcome that. Scared of driving in the snow? Take driving lessons or practice in a safe area to increase your abilities. Do you want to join an adventure race with your friends? Then take 6 months to prepare yourself and train your body. Do you want to do public speaking? Then practice in front of a mirror, then your family, then a small group of friends and so on. 

If its an irrational fear, then we need to turn inside and ask ourselves some tough questions: What am I afraid of? What's the worst that could happen? What might I gain if I push past my fears? That's the real blessing! We could actually enrich our lives beyond what they are.

SO my challenge to you in 2016, is to push past your fears to become more of who you truly are. I'd love to hear how you plan to do that, or what fears you've overcome in the comments below.

I Saw A Young Man In The Gym Today And Wanted To Cry!

It was a regular gym day for me. I was running through my routine, the same motions I do every time I go. I set up my little station in the corner and got the equipment that I needed. In between my sets I chatted with the regulars, all of us complaining about the new gym "set up" and questioning why they didn't ask our opinion before they moved everything around ;) 

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw them.  Three young adult men. I have a 19 year old so I'm guessing they couldn't have been much older than that. Two of the young men looked like they had been in the gym before.  They knew their way around the weights and talked in reps and plates.

 The third young man looked like a fish out of water.

It was pretty clear that it was his first time, or close to it. He wore cargo pants and skate shoes. He was overweight and I could tell he was feeling extremely self-conscious about being there. His buddies were in shorts and tank tops; perfect muscle flexing attire. The "pros" were leading the charge so to speak and it was obvious that our little fish was just going to follow their lead. 

The two men joked and flexed in the mirror, but the third young man self-consciously pulled at his shirt to try and cover his stomach, while looking around nervously to see if anyone was looking at him.  I wanted to cry. I could feel his insecurity and as a mom I just wanted to go up and hug him and tell him that he was amazingly brave for even being there. As a trainer I wanted to roll out my arsenal of sure fire ways to "lose weight and get jacked". I wanted to tell him to meet me there everyday and that I would train him until he was twice as big as the other two. 

After 5 minutes of flexing, it was go time.  The two young men picked up their dumbbells and started shoulder presses. The third one grabbed a set of 40's and right away I knew that it was too heavy for him. I wanted to go say something, but as my own 19 year old son has taught me, its less embarrassing for a guy to drop a weight than it is to have a 45 year old woman come up and tell him "that's a bit too heavy for you sweetie".  

I refrained.

It continued with some lateral raises where he predominately used his neck muscles to lift the weight and some front raises where he completed 2 out of the 12 reps. 

One of the reasons it broke my heart to see him was because it reminded me of my son, Stratton. He was never overweight rather just the opposite.  He was small.  We moved to Kelowna the year he entered grade 8. He went to OKM that first day, not knowing a soul and looking like he was going into grade 6. I felt so bad for him, and cried after dropping him off. But he was brave. He even joined the OKM Football Team. He was literally the smallest player on the team. He lasted two years, until it became painfully obvious that his growth spurt that we were promising wasn't coming anytime soon. He was very discouraged. He felt little, invisible, embarrassed.

We always told our kids that they needed to do something active and so if it wasn't football, he had to find something else. OKM had a Weight Training Class and so he signed up. I asked him the other day when it was that he started to feel "brave" in the gym. He told me that that class was when things started to turn around. He started to grow a little and by just committing to training on a regular basis, he began to see some small changes. Summer came and he joined a public gym. He said he felt intimidated the first few times, but just stuck with it anyway because his body was changing. 

Looking back to when he was in grade 8, he had no idea that it was possible to change his body as much as he has. Back then I couldn't have convinced him that one day he would be totally jacked and shredded. However, he made a decision to change and worked at it with a deep commitment that his dad and I are very proud of. The funny thing is, both my husband and now my son get told that they are lucky to have such good genetics! No, genetically, they are slight, smaller men. My husband weighed 140 pounds when we got married. They have both changed their shape dramatically because they have worked REALLY hard at it. Below is a picture of Stratton yesterday.

All that to say, I hope that young fish in the gym believes that change is possible. I hope he fights every insecurity that rises up inside of him. I hope he starts but doesn't stop. I hope he loves himself enough to treat himself with compassion even when he doesn't change as quickly as he wants. I hope Stratton can run in to this young man at the gym one day and be an inspiration. And, I hope I see him again so I can cheer him on, even if its just from inside my own head :)

Stratton today -Dec 10, 2015

Paleo Bacon Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowl

Loooong name for something so simple! Well, at least you know what's in it now. If you're looking for a dinner dish with lower carbs, this one is for you. Brown rice could be swapped in for the cauliflower rice if you choose.

Recipe:

3 pieces of bacon - cut and crispified

2 garlic cloves crushed

1 sm onion diced

4 chicken breasts chopped

1 can diced tomatoes with green pepper

1 small cauliflower -riced

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp Sambal Olek (optional)

salt and pepper

Flat leaf parsley and avocado to garnish

In a large pot, crisp up bacon, set aside and reserve 1 tbsp bacon fat.  In that same pot cook together, chicken, onion and garlic until chicken is no longer pink. Add tomatoes, chili powder, Sambal Olek, cauliflower and salt and pepper. Cook another 5-7 minutes. Add bacon back in and top with parsley and avocado.

I loved the addition of the avocado! A squeeze of lime would work well to finish this dish off.

HOW TO STICK WITH YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM ONCE AND FOR ALL!

How many times has it been?

 How many times has it been that you’ve started an exercise program and diet? How many times have you been successful?  And how many times have you fallen off the wagon, gained weight and stopped going to the gym all together?

 What makes you think you can do it this time?

 I want to tell you a story of a woman who tried everything.  In the past 6 years, I’ve seen this woman try every fad diet, every new exercise program, and every weight loss gadget out there.  She’s cleansed, she’s wrapped, and she’s gotten up at 5am for bootcamps. If she had stuck to any ONE of the multiple techniques she tried, she would have lost the weight she was hoping to lose.  Year after year, I would look again and see her joining a new bootcamp, trying the 17 Day Diet or the 21 Day Fix and setting her resolutions that this time would be it. Her friends and followers would cheer her on, and I would sit waiting for her fitness and diet posts to fade off into Margaritas and vacations in Mexico.  I too felt myself cheering for her, that perhaps THIS time it would really work. Maybe it will someday, and for her sake, I hope it does. 

For someone who apparently wants it so bad, why can’t this woman make a healthy lifestyle stick?

 There could be a lot of reasons. Her expectations of how she wants her body to change may be too drastic, and therefore unattainable. Being overweight already she may have some physical obstacles that get in the way of her enduring the aggressive nature of a bootcamp. She may have some environmental obstacles such as no access to a gym, or no time in her day due to a career and family. Or, perhaps after trying and failing for years and years, she ultimately doesn’t believe she can do it.

Why is belief in yourself so important?

 Self-efficacy is one of the most consistent predictors of exercise adherence. That is, the extent to which an individual believes they are capable of carrying out a behavioural change, and increasing self-efficacy will lead to increasing self effort and time being devoted to the task!

 How do I increase my belief in myself?

First of all, one of the ways you can start is by really believing in the thing you want to change! So, if you want to change your weight and you believe that it is an important, even vital thing to do, then I want you to start by convincing yourself of the positive outcomes of weight loss. Then, I want you to compare that to the cons of weight loss.  Take a sheet of paper and write pro’s and con’s at the top. Now, what would some pros of weight loss be? Well, you might say

PROS

• Increased energy
• More self-confidence
• I would feel sexy again
• I wouldn’t hate my body
• I’ll live longer

Now I want you to list some of the cons of weight loss. Yes, there is a down side to weight loss as well. It’s going to cost you something. So, what is it?

CONS

• I don’t get to eat my favourite foods
• I’ll feel excluded from certain things like my Ladies Vodka Night
• I’ll go through sugar withdrawal
• I’ll have to try things that I’m afraid of

Good, keep that list handy.  Visit it often and remind yourself of the positives.  You have to want the pro’s more than the con’s for this to work.  I want you to repeat the PRO list frequently, and allow yourself to imagine what it would be like and feel like to have those things as a reality.  What would your life be like if you had more energy? What would you feel like if you walked into a room feeling more confident? What would it be like for you to look in the mirror and love your body, and to have that little voice in your head automatically tell you that you’re beautiful?

 Secondly, I want you to start using some cognitive credits.  Cognitive credits include using some positive self talk, “I’ve done well”, “I’m getting stronger”, “I have the ability to lose weight and change my lifestyle”.  This talk strengthens confidence.  Think of a phrase that resonates with you. If it feels weird coming out of your mouth, you won’t likely be repeating it!

I just read a journal called CORK – The Effects of Positive and Negative Self Talk During Dart Throwing Performance! I thought the title was hilarious and it made me curious about the study. 60 subjects were randomly assigned to positive, negative or control conditions and then completed 15 experimental dart throws. Results indicated that positive self-talk subjects performed significantly better than negative self-talk subjects on the dart throwing task.  (http://search.proquest.com/openview/457faef6d49dcbf4d58f6fd70394098b/1?pq-origsite=gscholar)

Whether it be darts, weight loss, exercise or anything where you are trying to succeed, your best bet is to be kind to yourself in your own head. Believe change is possible! Secondly, remember how critical exercise is to your well-being and draft up a list of pro's and con's. Keep the list handy and be inspired by it often. Finally, how you talk to yourself will greatly impact what you believe about yourself. 

Buffalo Chicken Crockpot!

Buffalo Chicken Crockpot

I am loving the fall crockpot recipes these days! So easy and so tasty. Spending just a few minutes to plan the night before is so much less annoying than throwing together something the last minute. 

This buffalo chicken can be served in a variety of ways, so you can have it on your go-to list and it doesn't have to be the same the next time you make it.

You can serve the shredded chicken in lettuce wraps, put it on top of a tortilla with mozzarella or blue cheese and peppers and onions for a pizza, or open face on a half a bun for a hot sandwich.

And, its super simple and clean!

Recipe:

4-6 chicken breasts

1 package Uncle Dan's Ranch Seasoning

1/2 bottle Frank's (or other brand) Hot Sauce for Wings

Dump all of the ingredients into the crockpot and set on low for 4-6 hours (Every pot is different. Mine runs hot so I cook it for 4 hours)

Once its cooked, take two forks and start shredding! At this point, if the chicken seems too dry, add more of the hot sauce.

Once its done, use it in a variety of recipes. We did pizza and it was DELICIOUS!

Enjoy!

The Benefits of Moving Daily

The Benefits of Moving Daily

Did you know that increased physical activity is one of the best predictors of LONG-TERM success is weight reduction? If you want to keep your weight down and be fit for life, you’ve got to MOVE DAILY!

The benefits of exercise are many. We are likely aware of what the physical benefits are, but did you know that exercise actually benefits us on so many more levels?

Here are the critical reasons why I want you to MOVE DAILY:

·       Psychological Benefits – Exercise is known to increase our serotonin levels, which is the feel-good chemical in our brain. It can improve our mood, our self-esteem, our body image and our confidence in our physical abilities.

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·       Work-Related Benefits – According to the Washington Post, there is a direct link between exercise and problem-solving capabilities, creativity and planning. Just one workout can boost higher-order thinking skills, which in turn makes you more productive and efficient. Exercising your body benefits your brain because of the increased blood flow.

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·       Social Benefits –If you are looking to connect with other people, exercise offers numerous opportunities to do just that! If you are willing to put yourself out there, there is no doubt that you can find your tribe while exercising. I’ve been going to the same gym, around the same time, for 5 years now. It starts slow, you see someone and smile. By the end of the month, you see the same person 10x and now you know their name, their profession and what exercise they are really good at! I trained an Obstetrician who has an incredibly busy life. One of the only “social” times she has with friends is during exercise. So, she multi-tasks and kills two birds with one stone. Exercise AND a visit! Brilliant.

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·       Physical Benefits –There are so many here, but to summarize it I will quote from the Canadian Medical Association Journal, “There is irrefutable evidence of the effectiveness of regular physical activity in the primary and secondary prevention of several chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression and osteoporosis) and premature death.”

Yep. That’s reason enough for me.