Healthy Life Lessons

So when I said I didn't enjoy the mother-daughter event Big A and I attended last week, it wasn't because of the event per se, but because I have a difficult time interacting in big groups of people I don't know. This is because I am an extroverted introvert.  That means I thrive on interaction with others, but generally only one-on-one or in small groups.  I felt like a bit of a fraud at the event, to be honest, because everyone else was in media, a celebrity, or a blogger and clearly had experience networking.  I HAVE a blog, but I wouldn't call myself a blogger.  I am a psychotherapist and fitness professional by training.  Actually, it makes perfect sense that I am a psychotherapist because this involves intimate interaction with individuals and couples, rather than working alone or with big groups. I have to give the organizers of the mother-daughter even credit though.  They were so concerned when they heard I didn't enjoy the event that they called to

It's kind of weird that most of the foods that fall into the Sports Nutrition category are glorified junk foods, don't you think?  Gatorade, most protein bars and meal replacement shakes are full of sugar, artificial colours and flavours and a whole lot of crap. So when Muscle Masala asked me to review their products I eagerly agreed.  I love protein.  I love Indian food and I love healthy, good-for-you products. They generously sent me 2 of each of their protein bar varieties: Chocolate Cherry Cardamom Vanilla Fig Saffron, and Chocolate Ginger Espresso They are shaped like cookies and at 78g, 298 calories each, might be a little to hefty for most people for a 'snack'.  They are perfect for very physically active individuals, or those who choose to divide their daily food intake into 5-6 smaller meals rather than 3 square meals and 2 small snacks. The ingredient list is pretty impressive: no refined sugar or grains (sweetened with agave), whey protein,

  Last week I had the honour and pleasure of being invited to a mother-daughter event hosted by P&G.   It was designed for moms and girls aged 7 to 14 to discuss puberty, so myself and Big A attended. Now, to be honest, I do tend to be suspicious of big-business and their motives, so I am pretty convinced that these types of events are primarily for marketing, but I am also willing to concede that the corporate world can sometimes do worthwhile things.  This is one of those things. They broke us into groups with the moms' discussion being facilitated by parenting expert, Kathy Buckworth, and the girls' discussion led by Degrassi Next Generation star, Melinda Shankar .  Big A has not yet seen Degrassi, however, she recognized Shankar from a show on YTV.  Erica Ehm and her daughter were also in attendance as were a number of media folks from various magazines and publications. Our mom group discussed how we have talked, or plan to talk to our daughters about puberty

Recently, Way Better Snacks sent me a selection of their products to try.  Adam and the girls love corn chips, so healthier options are always nice to find. They sent me all their flavours except the no-salt variety.  Although they are not 100% organic, they are certified gluten-free and use only non-gmo ingredients.  They are also 100% whole grain and contain sprouted flax, quinoa and just enough sea salt to make them tasty but lower in sodium than most other chips. They were all a hit, but the girls liked the Simply Sweeet Potato, Simply Sunny Multigrain and Simply Unbeatable Blues varieties best.  The Simply So Sweet Chili was a bit too spicy for them, but they still liked them. Now snack foods are still snack foods and I still think fruits and veggies are best, however, I didn't feel too bad putting a handful or two of these in Big A's lunchbox and this thrilled her since I rarely include this kind of treat.  If you are looking for a healthier corn chip, these are

It's Monday.  It's the start of a super busy week.  None of this would be bad (it's good to be busy when you are self-employed!), except it's going to be hot and humid all week.  And no, I can never complain about the weather enough thank you very much. At least it was nice this weekend and we had lots of fun. Since my parents arrived Thursday afternoon, I got the privilege of sneaking out to the JCC for a workout before anyone was awake on Friday morning.  I did the stepmill for the first time in years (I usually just strength train before my Sunday spin class) and then tried out this really cool bike called an Expresso.  The handlebars move and have adjustable gears like on a real bike and you choose a course to follow on the screen.  It's like an interactive video game.  It's a great idea for people who love such things but don't love exercise.  It distracts you from the fact that you're working out.  I've been dying to take my parents to t

  Good morning!  And a beautiful Friday morning it is.  Are you handy?  Do you do your own renos and/or craft projects? I wish I was a DIY person with things besides cooking and baking, but sadly I am not.  Neither is Adam.  Consequently, we have to hire someone to do just about any home-related task short of changing light bulbs.  We haven't done many major renos in our lives because we live in a pretty new house, but as any home owners know, little things come up all the time.  What we've found in the past is that its almost harder to find someone to do little jobs.  After all, that isn't where the big bucks are. Fortunately we found Jason.  I have to do a shout out to him because he total rocks!  Jason runs Top Handyman and really their name says it all.  He and his team are so courteous and reliable, they are really a pleasure to work with.  They never begrudge the fact that every time we call them its for silly things like putting together furniture, fixing a

Adam and I always use the summer as an opportunity to check out a few tv shows we missed during the year.  While our regular programs are on hiatus, we catch a couple of shows on rerun that have gotten good reviews.  This year most of them happen to be Canadian! We've come a long way with television in this country since the Beachcombers days!! A really good detective/crime series we are enjoying is Motive .  I love the central female character.  She is strong and smart. Another good one is Saving Hope .  Originally the premise sounded dumb: A hospital drama with a surgeon who can see and talk to people's spirits.  But the supernatural stuff is often in the background of the stories and the whole thing has kind of grown on me.  It does, however, irritate me that it's yet another medical show with a whole hospital full of gorgeous people who play musical sex partners.  I'm more interested in the patient stories. We are also enjoying Crossing Lines , which is

Saturday was a very long day!  I arrived at the conference for a 9:30am Kangoo Jumps session.  You may recall me talking about them a few months ago in this post .  I have had them for years but not used them much.  I ran outside with them a few times, but I don't often have the opportunity to run outside, and I also worry - given the dufus that I am - that I'll fall and kill myself on the pavement.  I tried them on the treadmill and that was not an experience I enjoyed.  So I wanted to check out this training session to see how they are being used for group fitness. First off, I discovered that the newer models are much lighter (2.5 lbs each) and more comfortable than mine!  The weight makes a big difference for a little person like me, but I suppose that just means they provide an even more challenging workout (trying to look for the silver lining here).  I have to say, doing aerobics-type movement with them on IS INCREDIBLY FUN!  I loved it.  I was really surpr

I am a fitness fanatic but I've always been ambivalent about fitness conferences.  I love exercise, I love teaching and training people, but I am not the "Ra Ra" type and these events always involve a lot of that. I've been going to the CAN FIT PRO conference since 1998.  I kinda have to.  It's the only way I can get all the CECs so I can maintain my professional fitness instructor and personal trainer certifications (short of trying to find time throughout the year to attend various training seminars here and there).  Some things about it are great and some are downright irritating and annoying. This year I did my best to minimize the annoyances.  The first thing was the getting to and from the convention centre downtown.  At this point, I do not need to prove anything by riding my bike and then, after a day of exercise, having to cycle home the 30-40 minute ride in the summer heat.  But door-to-door public transport from our place is 3 connections and inef

Good Monday morning!  I am going to be a total grumpasauras this week because it's going to be super hot and humid.  Blech! I will have a few posts about the CAN FIT PRO conference to share with you the latest and greatest and not so great fitness products and trends, but today I'll share a recipe.  One of the things that came up in several different contexts was the health benefits of turmeric (among other things its a potent anti-carcinogen).  It's not a spicy spice, so it's safe for folks who like their foods mild. The bright yellow colour, actually, is a lot stronger than it's flavour.  It's traditional in Indian cuisine, but you could add it to all sorts of things for a little health boost. Okra is another frequently overlooked nutrition superstar.  Okra is one of those things you either love or hate.  Haters tell me it's a texture thing - that it's slimy.  Okra contains a substance that naturally thickens your dish, which is why its a great

The girls and I finally discovered Mr. Wuzzles' true identity.  His/her name is actually Mittens and is indeed the neighbours' new cat (I don't yet know if Mittens is truly a Mr or actually a Ms).  Mittens didn't visit us for almost a week and I have to admit, I was pretty bummed.  But the past few days we've been getting lots of cat love. We've also been in a really good place around here.  The girls have been fighting less and behaving more.  Unfortunately I'm pretty sure its an aberration of sorts.  Things will right themselves back to the usual chaos soon I'm certain.  But I have also been better about using some of the strategies from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and How to Listen So Kids Will Talk and they really do work.  Just articulating Little A's feelings to her often diffuses her tantrums (i.e., Are you sad because Big A won't let you go into her room?).  Even her bedtime antics have diminished...mostly because I now tell he

    Earlier this week Big A had a dinner 'date' with her boyfriend.  This led to some tears because Little A wanted to play with them and Big A told her in uncertain terms that she was not welcome to join them.  So I told Little A I would play with her until dinner time and right away she asked if we could cook or bake something together.  Ironically, what she asked to make requires no baking or cooking - which makes them perfect to prepare with little ones.  She made these at daycare and wanted to recreate them at home and we had a great time doing it.  They're healthy and only require 3 ingredients that most folks have on hand.  No sharp knives are necessary so even toddlers can help make them! The only problem was explaining that it would take a little while for them to freeze.  Eager to eat them, the girls ended up having them for breakfast the next morning. Banana Pops 2 large medium ripe bananas 4 tbls peanut butter (or other nut/seed butter) Raisins

Here is a vegetarian version of the Asian lettuce wraps that are so popular these days.  I guarantee no one will miss the meat!  These make a great appetizer, snack or light meal. 1 lb crumbled tempeh (or veggie ground 'meat') 2 tbls fresh ginger, minced 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbls Ume plum vinegar 1/2 cup light coconut milk 1 tbls lemongrass paste (the kind in the tube you find in the produce section), optional Crushed red chilis, to taste (optional) 2 green onions, thinly sliced 8 large iceberg or Boston lettuce leaves Place all the ingredients for filling in skillet or frying pan and simmer over medium heat until coconut milk is absorbed.  Spoon into the centre of lettuce leaves, fold up and eat up!  Makes 8 lettuce wraps. I have shared this recipe with this week's Wellness Weekend  and Urban Naturale .

One of my favorite things to order at sushi restaurants is the seaweed salad.  So when I saw bags of seaweed on sale at the Korean grocery store I frequent, I eagerly picked some up.  I paired the seaweed with cucumber for a refreshing, flavourful salad that is also a cinch to make.  If you don't have a Korean or Japanese grocer near you, you can probably find seaweed mixes like this at your local health food store. Japanese Seaweed and Cucumber Salad 1 bag salted seaweed, soaked, rinsed and drained to remove excess salt 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tbls sesame seeds Combine all the ingredients, toss and serve.  Geez, that was easy!  Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. I thought it most appropriate to serve this salad in one of the adorable Japanese kitty bowls I picked up at the Pacific Mall years ago...   This recipe has been shared with Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten-Free Friday .

  Hello!  It's Monday yet again.  And holy cow, we had another great weekend!  But first things first...I'm all for self-acceptance and everything, however, I'm back to straightening my hair.  I couldn't take it anymore.  My hair is so darn curly, particularly in the heat and humidity, that it shrinks like 3 or so inches and I feel like a big frizz ball. Despite frizz issues though, the past few days were a blast.  Saturday morning I had a few clients to see, but in the afternoon we had friends over for dinner and got take-out from Tabule .  Pretty yummy stuff, although our favorite place for Middle Eastern food is still Mashu Mashu .  The girls had so much fun playing with their kids, it was great, but a bit of a circus around here...and very loud. Yesterday I taught my spin class while Adam took the girls to swimming, and then we took them to see the Wizard of Oz !  Last week they came home from daycare and started complaining that ALL their friends had seen

Its Friday!  So here's a sweet treat you can whip up over the weekend. I have heard so many good things about JK Gourmet Almond Flour for baking that I picked some up at the health food store recently.  These little treats were my first experiment with them, which turned out very well, I have to say: Sweet, rich and satisfying without giving you a sugar-rush. If you don't like coconut, use the substitutions I have suggested for the frosting.  Little A absolutely hates coconut, so she would only eat the brownie base, but everyone else loved the frosting.  In fact, the frosting was Big A's favorite part.   Coconut Caramel Frosted Brownie Squares 1/2 cup + 2 tbls coconut oil, melted 2 flax eggs (2 tbls ground flax mixed with 6 tbls hot water) 1/4 cup powdered stevia or stevia baking blend 1 tsp vanilla extract 1-2 droppers full of liquid stevia 1-1/4 cups almond flour 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1/8 tsp salt Whisk together oil, flax eggs, stevia and vanilla.  Sti

I have always been a voracious reader.  From the time I learned to read around age 4, I have loved getting lost in novels.  I remember as a kid spending hours just lying on my bed reading and reading.  People always ask when I find time to read now.  I make it a part of my bedtime routine.  Sometimes I read for an hour, sometimes just 5 minutes before I start falling asleep.  But I find it the perfect way to turn my brain off from life and relax. I have read some pretty awesome books recently.  Here are a few of them. My absolute favorite was The Imposter Bride: I always tend to be drawn to stories involving the Holocaust, but this truly was a fantastic read.  Even better than her earlier novel Your Mouth is Lovely (which is also excellent!): I also loved The Dress Lodger:    It's a very interesting, disturbing, engaging story about 19th century England during a cholera epidemic. The Cat's Table was pretty good too and it had been a long while since I read any

If you ask me what the most underutilized, underappreciated fitness equipment at most gyms is, I will always say 2 things: 1. The Stepmill cardio machine, and 2. BOSUs Most people I see at the gym ignore the BOSUs available for members to use and fight over the elliptical machines (which I think are pretty useless) while the Stepmills sit idle. Adam and I got a BOSU a few years ago and it is so fabulous.  Years ago when I still taught a lot of fitness classes, I used to use them all the time in my athletic training/boot camp classes and I just knew we had to have one for our home gym.  Unfortunately, I don't think we have the money or space to ever get a Stepmill! Recently I was sent Weights on the BOSU Balance Trainer by Brett Stewart and Jason Warner to review. BOSU, in case you don't already know, stands for Both Sides Up because it is a dome-shaped apparatus that can be used dome-side up or dome-side down, making it incredibly versatile.  Either way, it provid

Good morning.  Wow, we had a great family weekend!  Aside from some minor meltdowns and tears here and there, we had so much fun. It started with a dinner to celebrate Adam's birthday Friday night at my in-laws.  Unfortunately, Adam's mom got an idea to try to find Adam a healthier version of his cookie.  Now I love that idea, but Adam doesn't want ANYTHING but his usual Mrs Field's ginormous cookie for his birthday.  This year his mom got him a cookie from Two Moms Bakery , and got them to make an oatmeal version (that probably wasn't any healthier anyways except they used butter instead of shortening like I am sure Mrs Field's does.  Adam was distraught.  He doesn't any oatmeal or anything else in his birthday cookie.  I ordered him one from Mrs Fields on Saturday. Saturday morning we hung out with my bro and his family and visited the Withrow Park Market across the street from their house.  The girls and my niece and nephew had a great time eating ic

Still enjoying the long weekend here so my apologies, no real post today.  Meanwhile, take a look at my latest review of a new self-defense program in Toronto: Elite Martial Arts Toronto

I used to be a major cat person.  Well okay, if I'm honest, I actually was a crazy cat lady.  It started very young.  By 18 months of age, I was smitten with felines.  No one knows where this affinity came from.  We didn't have cats because my brother was allergic.  Maybe it was the stuffed cats my grandma Ruth bought me at Bloomingdales.  I say 'cats' plural because I loved these stuffies so much, I went through 3 of them.  Unfortunately, by the time I got to the third one, the company stopped making them.  This left my mom responsible for trying to keep my last one from completely falling apart.  As embarrassing as it is, this is what it now looks like (eventually thread no longer worked so she had to start using my brother's hockey tape):   Don't laugh.  I know she looks a little worse for wear now.  But I loved her dearly. Nevertheless, stuffed cats wasn't enough for me.  I smothered all the neighbourhood cats with love and begged my parents pr

It's the first day of August!  Which means it's Adam's birthday today.  The only thing he wants, same as every year, is the iced birthday cookie his mom always buys him.  But I also plan to make him some of his favorite meals this weekend pulling chicken wraps and homemade pizza.  We're also getting a treat: his parents are taking the girls for a sleepover Saturday night, so we can have a little date!! This recipe was a winner from last weekend. If you've been to a Korean restaurant than you may know that the cuisine can be pretty meat-heavy.  They love their BBQ!  And like BBQ in other parts of the world, the sauces tend to be thick and sweet-savoury.  Yummy, but unfortunately, loaded with sugar. I have recreated a version here with all the sweetness, richness, viscosity and flavour of the traditional ones, but none of the refined sugar.  You can use it as you would any Asian BBQ sauce, however, I used it in a tofu and pepper stir-fry.  It was yummilicious