Healthy Life Lessons

This morning was the second Sunday in a row I was woken up by Big A before 6:30am (Sunday is my only sleep-in day...anything after 5am being a sleep-in for me) calling for me from the toilet because she made a poo and needed someone to help her wipe it. It's moments like these when I truly envy the single and childless. I picture them lazing in bed until 9am and then lingering over coffee and the newspaper until they can muster the energy to head to the latest hip cafe for an overpriced brunch. Actually, I'd just be grateful to have both my children sleep past 7am on the weekend. But Little A was up before 7am this morning too, fortunately, she was happy to babble and play in her crib by herself for long enough for me to wolf down a bowl of oatmeal before I went to get her. Sundays are my favorite day. Adam takes the girls for the morning and I head to the gym for a killer weights workout and then I teach my spinning class. It's the only remnant of my former life tha...

It's been snowing for a while now and has finally started accumulating. It's going to be one of those days where you have to shovel the same spot like 3-4 times. P1: I am finally feeling somewhat satisfied with the direction of my career aspirations right now. Here is the update of my plans for the near future: 1. Two more weeks until I complete my first course for my Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, then I begin my second course, Theories of Personality. 2. March 10 - Meeting with CEO or corporate research company to discuss wellness seminars and fitness classes I will do for some of their corporate clients. 3. March 17 - Meeting with miscarriage/infertility counsellor who works with my sister-in-law (the ob/gyn) to discuss mentorship opportunities. She is also the one who teaches a certificate course in this type of counselling. I think I may begin some of the courses in May when I have child care for Little A. 4. March 30 - Audition to teach fitness classes at Toron...

People get very attached to particular cardio machines, I've noticed. One of my pet peeves is seeing people come to the gym and get on the same machines and do the same workout every time, especially, when they are using the least efficient machines there. It seems like such a waste of time because they are unlikely to be getting much out of their workouts after a very short period of time. First off, you should be changing up your workout as often as possible. Your body adapts to the demands placed on it very quickly. So if you aren't able to increase the time or intensity of your workout, at least change another variable. Alter the incline on the treadmill, do intervals instead of steady state training on the stairmaster, etc. Second of all...and I know I'll piss people off with this one, unless you are injured, pregnant or over age 60, get off the elliptical!!!! They are the least efficient machines in the gym and they do not mimic any real life activity. Most people (th...

We eat a lot of beans in this house, as well as tons of fruits, veggies and whole grains. It's no wonder we're a gassy bunch. Oh well, that's the price you pay for eating healthy foods. These are really yummy...just make sure everyone in the household eats them so you're all on equal ground. Otherwise, you might want to consider sleeping alone. The beans makes enough for 4 large tortillas but this recipe makes TONS of veggies. We love them, cooking the onions and peppers down brings out their natural sweetness, which is enhanced by the tomato paste. After stuffing the tortillas with them, we smother more over the top, but you can always save the extra for another day. You can top a baked potato with them or add grilled chicken and make chicken fajitas. Refried beans: 1 can black beans or pinto beans, drained 1 roma tomato, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbls chili powder 1 tsp ground cumin pinch cayenne (optional) Veggies: 1 tsp olive oil 1 Spanish onion 1 purpl...

I thought I'd devote a whole post to the topic of fitness since I promised to share my knowledge in this area on the blog but haven't done much of that yet. Here's my commentary on fitness trends. Fitness, like any other commercial industry, is subject to trends. Unfortunately, I have found that this leads people to fixate on one type of activity, and in order to attain optimal fitness, you need to participate in a variety of activities. There are several main components of fitness: muscle strength and endurance, cardiovascular ability and flexibility. Any fitness program should contain elements of each. But, unfortunately, too many people will jump on the bandwagon of the latest fitness craze and focus on one element, to the exclusion of others. In the 70's and 80's there was an obsession with high impact cardiovascular activities which ended up taking a toll on enthusiasts joints. With the advent of the STEP in the 90's, group exercise classes became mor...

My parents may tell me differently, but I don't recall having a favourite parent when I was a little kid. I do recall preferring to go to the mall with my father, however, because he could always be persuaded to take me to Marks and Spencer to buy a bag of licorice allsorts or wine gums which we would joyfully share together. My mother wasn't always as willing. If my parents favoured my brother or I, they hid it well and I would say they did a fairly good job of appreciating our differing strengths and weaknesses. But playing favorites in our family seems to have become the norm. And no, I don't mean Adam and I have a favorite child. I mean our children play favorites. Big A seemed to like us equally until she was about 18 months old. Even though I nourished her from my own body, she never really preferred me to Adam. But from about 18 months until about 2 months ago, she overtly preferred Adam. And believe me, this is not insecurity on my part making me see things...

P1: Aside from my phone meeting set up with my ob/gyn today, I have another phone meeting with someone from the corporate wellness company to discuss doing seminars and fitness classes. I also got an email back from a counsellor I contacted, who specializes in infertility, post-trauma and grief, who works with my sister-in-law (my brother's wife) at the fertility clinic where she works (she's an ob/gyn too!). She said she would be happy to meet with me to discuss volunteer/mentorship opportunities AND she informed me that she teaches an online certificate program in infertility counselling. It is probably critical that I do this certificate and I'm thinking that it may even be possible to do it concurrently with my program, once I have child-care for Little A. P2: The past few mornings, the girls have been so affectionate with one another. There is really little that warms my heart more. Little A will lean into Big A, who will wrap her arms around Little A and Little ...