Yesterday I met with a new client, S, who is 6 months pregnant. Before you even think it: she is not trying to lose weight! But our conversation did touch on the rate of weight gain she has been experiencing in her pregnancy thus far and how it might be slowed, as her doctor is concerned it is a bit excessive.

Sidebar: I had a midwife for 2 pregnancies and not once did any of my midwives comment on my rate of weight gain (nor have I heard of this from any clients who had midwifery care). In contrast, I have encountered several women who have been shamed and reprimanded by their male obstetricians for gaining weight too rapidly, or too much in general, during pregnancy. As far as I’m concerned, yet another reason to opt for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan coverage of midwifery care! If you are considering a midwife, get all the info you’ll need from your local midwives association.

Let’s just use this conversation as a jumping-off point! S told me she wakes up, has some yogurt before walking to work, then proceeds to eat some sort of carbohydrate (oatmeal first, then a bowl of berries, then a banana, typically) every hour, approximately, until lunch. She is constantly “snacky” and hungry, gaining weight rapidly and feels panicky about not having a snack on her at all times in case the snack monster attacks.

I told S that being hungry every hour is not a normal situation. A proper meal, whether pregnant or not, should sustain one for at least a couple of hours. If your meals are properly composed to include fat, protein and slow carbohydrate (think a sprouted grain bread over a bowl of rice krispies, or an apple over a toaster waffle if you’re wondering what I mean by “slow” carbs), you should be full for 3-4 hours or even longer, in my experience. Some of us need to eat more frequently, but the average person is usually experiencing snackiness and frequent hunger, often accompanied by a gut-wrenching panicky need to eat, due to improper fueling.

Do you know this feeling? Would you believe me if I told you that it’s not normal to feel panic-hungry on a regular basis? That hunger should creep up slowly, providing you ample time to use your willpower and cooking skills to prepare (or purchase wisely) a meal that will satiate you again for several hours?

One of the greatest ways people set themselves up to fail in their diets is by skipping or skimping on breakfast and lunch. I’ve covered the importance of a healthy, protein-rich lunch before. As for breakfast: why does a proper breakfast make a difference? Can’t you just eat your calories later in the day? Can’t you just eat smaller, snack-sized items like S instead of sitting down to an actual meal?

In 2007, researchers from Louisiana State University divided a group of overweight & obese women into two groups; the women were asked to eat either two eggs a day for breakfast, or have a bagel. After 8 weeks, the egg eaters had lost the most weight – 65% more weight than the bagel eaters. On top of that, they lost almost 2x the inches from their waistlines that the bagel eaters did, indicating not just weight loss but a change in body composition and degree of body fatness.

The same research team did a previous study indicating the egg breakfasters felt full much longer than the bagel crowd and, as a result, they ate less during the rest of the day. The protein content of eggs is believed to be mostly responsible for the weight loss and satiety effects, and I believe the great fat content also helps slow down the eggs’ digestion and contribute to the long-lasting feeling of fullness.

Concerned about eggs, cholesterol, and heart disease risk? So was S. But study after study has shown that daily consumption of eggs does not raise blood cholesterol. In fact, a protein-rich diet including eggs will help induce weight-loss and usually actually lower cholesterol!

I’ve been working on my post-baby body for a couple of years now and it’s still a work in progress. I’ve been using the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Healthy Weight Action Plan to guide me with goal setting tools, diet tracking tools and even a recipe database to give me inspiration.

I understand that weight loss involves changing habits – helping to change habits is what I do for a living! I also apply my guidelines to my own diet and lifestyle, and a protein-rich breakfast is important to my diet. It fuels me properly, keeps away that gnawing hunger and makes me feel healthy and successful from the get-go so I’m less likely to “cheat” later on in the day.

Here are a few of my go-to breakfasts:

• 1/2 – 1 cup 2% cottage cheese (believe me, the caloric & fat difference is not worth the watery taste – stick with yummy 2%) and a sliced banana, sprinkled with cinnamon
• 2 hard boiled eggs with cayenne and coarse salt, plus 1/2 an avocado
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, blended with 1 small banana, 1 tablespoon almond butter, 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries and a splash of almond milk or milk for blending, plus cinnamon & nutmeg
• 2-3 eggs sauteed with 3-4 cups (dry measure) baby spinach and topped with 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 whole wheat english muffin topped with sliced tomato and 2 eggs scrambled with feta cheese and oregano (usually splashed with ridiculous amounts of hot sauce)
• 3-4 small turkey breakfast sausages (or lean pork or lamb sausages) sauteed with onion, garlic, kale or spinach and crushed chili pepper flakes

Got a favourite healthy breakfast? Share! 

Get more great recipes – breakfast, lunch and dinner – plus sample meal plans for different body types and activity levels on the Healthy Weight Action Plan! Join me – it’s free, customized to your goals and super simple to use!

I’ve always liked to run. I’m a fitness runner. I don’t do long distances, generally nothing more than 10K. I love to sprint, run hills and strength train and have always used running as a part of my fitness routine. I also encourage my clients to run, even in short intervals. Running is a wonderful anaesthetic. When I am running I can think about my life, reflect, plan and process. When I sprint or have to push to finish a certain distance I’ve promised myself, though, I think of nothing but that moment in my run. That is a drug like no other. No glass of wine or pill can work so quickly and so effectively to clear your mind.

When I started the Healthy Weight Action Plan, I set a mini goal of running in the evening twice per week. I’m sad to report that I have failed thus far. Evenings just don’t work for me. Hubby is sometimes away and I can’t get out of the house. Kids sometimes don’t get into their beds until I am almost ready to hit the hay myself. Other nights, I’ve just been up since 5 a.m. and don’t have an ounce of energy left by 8 p.m.

If I continued to pressure myself to run at night when it hasn’t been working for me, I’d be the definition of crazy.

Do you have a fitness goal that is unreasonable for your current schedule, lifestyle, fitness level or body type? Time to re-evaluate. Set a goal that is achievable and you will finally realize success. An unachievable goal is not even a goal. It’s just another stressor to add to your long list, alongside perfectly balanced family dinners where no one forgets a “please” or “thank you” and keeping a perfect house.

I haven’t abandoned my goal of running more regularly. I’ve decided to change my strategy. Instead of running 30-60 minutes in the evening twice per week, I’ve decided to hit the pavement for 10 or 15 minutes whenever I can, between appointments and chores. Yesterday I stopped at home for a short while between a personal training client and a Belly Bootcamp class. I knew if I sat down at my computer I’d get distracted, finish half of something and still end up tearing myself from my task to rush to my next appointment. Instead, I parked the car and threw my headphones in to run a few blocks around my neighbourhood. It couldn’t have been more than 15 minutes, but I worked as hard as I could for that 15 minutes. I strolled the last block back to the house to cool off, grabbed my purse and headed back to work. SO satisfying and way more productive than checking my facebook and starting some emails I really wouldn’t have time to finish.

You might not spend your day outfitted in lycra and wearing running shoes, ready to take off for a run when the moment strikes you. That is one of the joys of life as a personal trainer. Opportunities to exercise abound. But maybe there are more opportunities than you think…  Stop waiting for a free hour to get in the “perfect” workout. A free hour is the Sasquatch of motherhood; you’ve heard other people talk about it but you’ll probably never encounter it yourself.

But is a shorter workout of 10 or 15 minutes really going to do anything? Can you lose weight, tone up and improve your cardiovascular and muscular fitness in 10 minute workouts? YUP! One study compared women who exercised for 20-40 minutes per day to those who exercised for two or more bouts of 10 minutes per day. Guess what? The short-bout exercisers lost more weight, stuck to their fitness routines better, and ended up working out more often and for a greater total weekly number of minutes. Why? Because there are just simply more opportunities to commit to 10 minutes of exercise. Plus it’s easy to physically commit to just 10 minutes at a time if you happen to be a little run down, underslept or suffering with a mild cold or bad mood.

Why not shift your thinking and take advantage of the MANY opportunities to sneak in 10-15 minutes of exercise every day, or even two to three times per day?

• On maternity leave with a tiny one? When baby goes down, pop in a DVD and do just 10 minutes of exercise or follow a short 10-minute workout like this. If it gets interrupted, no problem! You’ll find another 10 minutes later that day. It’s only 10 minutes after all. You found 10 minutes to read this blog, didn’t you?
• Work at home mommy? When you’ve got a half hour between online meetings or appointments, grab your iPod and run out for a 15 minute jog or a brisk walk. Instead of pressuring yourself to do more, keep your runners and iPod by the door and wait for the next 10-15 minute opportunity that day.
• On your way to the grocery store? Throw baby in the carrier or the kids into the chariot and power walk for 15 minutes with some walking lunges thrown in here and there, then hit the shops.
• Office work not doing much for your rear end? Keep a pair of runners under your desk and wait until you’ve got 15 minutes between appointments. Instead of getting into a project you’ll never be able to finish, throw on your runners and walk or run the fire escape stairs for 10-15 minutes. Sure, you’ll work up a bit of a sweat but you’ll cool down within a few minutes. Keep some antiperspirant in your desk!
• Busy weekend? While kids are napping or playing, challenge hubby to a competition. Who can do the most jumping jacks in a minute? Push ups (Knees for you and toes for him might make the match more fair.) for a minute? Squats for a minute? Sit ups for a minute? Repeat for 2-3 competitive rounds!
• Evening TV ritual? Hop on your treadmill and run as quickly as possible, or walk at the highest incline you can manage, for the first 10 minutes of your favourite program.

How do you squeeze in just a few minutes of exercise when you can? What are your go-to short workouts? Share your ideas below!

Don’t get me wrong. My clients and Belly Bootcamp mommies are impressive. I have a veritable stable of strong, driven, capable and confident women surrounding me every week, day in and day out. For that I am grateful, and it helps to keep me motivated in my own fitness quest.

Yup. I have a fitness quest (cue strings… okay, “quest” minus the medieval attire and dragons). Even trainers, athletes, coaches and other exercise pros have fitness goals, journeys and challenges. Fitness is such an ambiguous term but what it means to me, more than anything, is a lifelong quest to constantly improve. To never, ever go backward. To constantly look inside one’s self and find the next step.

It’s not that you’re not perfect the way you are. It’s just that… well, how do I say this?  You’re not perfect the way you are. You’ll never be perfect. Striving for perfection is unreasonable, but striving for nothing is certain death.

So, back to those babies flopping around on the grass. God, they’re determined. Just watch a baby who is close to crawling; if you place a toy or a favourite object (keys and water bottles were always baby faves around my house) just out of reach, you will – almost without fail – witness a small human being in the struggle of her life. She will strain, grunt, make herself red in the face. I do believe her muscles are hurting her as she tries to push her bodyweight up onto those tiny, unpracticed wrists and knees. What compels her? I don’t know. Shiny stuff.

But what also compels her is an intrinsic motivation to improve herself. It’s the same drive that compels a preschooler to pick up a book and teach herself to read. It’s still there in high school when she tries out for soccer. It’s even there when she applies to a university she knows might not accept her.

It’s still inside you. It doesn’t go away. It’s the nagging thought when you know you’ve overeaten. It’s in the way you can’t take your eyes off those

my son, 6 months, on the day he learned to crawl

morning joggers while you sip your coffee on your commute. It’s there when you stay up past your bedtime to meet a deadline, and when you trudge out in the rain for a family walk because you know it’s the right thing to do. It draws you to the exercise DVDs even though you’ve got a stack, unopened, already on the shelf at home.

Honour that grunty, red-faced, single-minded little person inside you. She got you where you are. Don’t let her down. Honour the body she inherited and give her a safe vessel in which to live.

Watch your children struggle to crawl, walk, read, run, learn and ask yourself, “When was the last time I struggled?” Remember how hard you had to work for everything you wanted in the first 20 years of your life and ask yourself, “When did I get so big that I decided I didn’t have to work for anything anymore?”

Close your eyes and remember what it feels like to be young and to feel that anything is possible. Now here are 10 things you can do today to honour your self:

• lace up your running shoes and get outside with your kids.
• prepare a healthy dinner.
• drink some water.
• pop in one of those exercise DVDs and do just 10 minutes.
• start a food journal.
• call your best friend and ask her to meet you for a jog or walk this week.
• go to bed early.
• turn off your phone.
• enjoy a cup of tea.
• hug your family.

It doesn’t have to be all grunting and sweating, but you do have to try.

If you’ve got a fitness goal (and, who doesn’t?), using a tracking program like the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Healthy Weight Action Plan can keep you on track with customizable, FREE meal plan advice, recipes and motivation – so you don’t let your inner child slip through the cracks anymore.

We’re very excited to launch another fantastic season of Bellies & Strollers, voted one of Toronto’s Top Boot Camps by BlogTO and featured in May on CTV’s “My Toronto Is…”!  Bellies & Strollers is fast becoming Toronto’s most popular stroller fitness and for good reason:

Belly Bootcamp classes are challenging, dynamic, fun, and – most of all – effective! Come and join us for a trial class and see for yourself why Belly Bootcamp is Toronto’s favourite prenatal & postnatal fitness for modern mommies!

Joining us for Bellies & Strollers, starting Tuesday, May 1st? Following are the exact meeting points for each location, plus a reminder of what you’ll need to bring to class.

High Park (west): Enter the park at Bloor St./High Park Ave. and meet at the cluster of picnic benches directly between the north and south parking on the ring road. By TTC, exit at High Park station and walk across Bloor St. to enter the park. Parking is available for free immediately next to the meeting point at the first lot as you enter from Bloor St.

Trinity Bellwoods/Fred Hamilton Park (central): Meet at the northwest corner of Trinity Bellwoods Park, at Dundas St./Shaw St. From there we will head together to Fred Hamilton Park. By TTC, take the Dundas Streetcar to Shaw St. or take the Queen Streetcar to Strachan and walk north through the park to meet us at Dundas. Parking is available for free along Shaw St., north and south of Dundas St.

Jimmie Simpson Park (east): Meet at the southeast corner of Jimmie Simpson Park, at Queen St./Booth Ave.. By TTC, take the Queen Streetcar to Booth Ave. Inexpensive metered parking is available along Queen St. E. and free parking is available on nearby side streets.

Woodbine Park/Measurement Park (east): Meet at the northeast corner of Woodbine Park, in the area marked “Measurement Park” near Queen St./Eastern Ave. By TTC, take the Queen Streetcar to Eastern Ave. (Kingston Rd.). Parking is available for free in the large lot just south of the Green P lot (enter from Eastern Ave.).

We provide the equipment and expertise. Please bring the following items for your use:

• Water
• Clothing in layers so you can remain warm or cool as needed, with a supportive bra
• Comfortable, supportive athletic shoes
• Sunscreen/hat/insect repellent, if desired
• Garbage bag to act as “mat” in case of dampness
• Infant carrier in case baby becomes fussy in the stroller
• Medications/orthopaedic supports you might need
• Snacks/toys/diversions for baby, plus a blanket or mat for baby, if you wish

We run rain or shine! A few notes regarding weather:

• In cases of truly inclement weather, you will receive an email the morning of your class to inform you that class has been cancelled. Cancellations are only in cases of unusually extreme heat, lightning, unusually heavy rain and hail. If you have not received an email, class is on! Make up classes are not awarded in cases of regular summer coolness and/or rain.
• Don’t rely on the morning weather when you wake, or on the forecast. Many times we have seen forecasts of rain or rainy early mornings that turn out to be beautiful sunny workouts, or pleasant, cloudy and cool workouts. Your Belly Bootcamp trainer is armed with an arsenal of effective exercises, including those suitable when the ground is muddy and wet.
• Don’t underestimate yourself! Often the cooler days are the easiest on which to exercise – less sweat, less heat. Put a rain cover on your stroller, throw a hat on your head and wear a windbreaker. Within 5 minutes you’ll be warm and you’ll almost forget it’s raining and cool.
• Don’t wear your best workout clothes to Bellies & Strollers. Whether rainy or dry, dirt, dandelions and grass all await you. Save your most fabulous gear for a walk with your girlfriends or your indoor Power Pilates class.
• Keep a black garbage bag or two stuffed in the bottom of your stroller. When the ground is a bit damp or just dirty, a garbage bag can act as a “mat” to perform core work and will spare your expensive yoga mat from park mess.

mommies tackle the hills in High Park

There are very few spots remaining in Bellies & Strollers, although registration is always open and our schedule is expanding soon.

Join with a girlfriend or refer a friend to Belly Bootcamp and receive a free week when she registers! Spread the health!

See you at Bellies & Strollers!

It’s true that weight loss is a lot about energy consumption balance – calories in, calories out – and that your activity levels and the amount and quality of nutrients you consume have a direct effect on your body composition and size. But behaviour doesn’t always follow biology. In other words, your body will probably regulate your appetite downward when you’re less active and upward when you’re more active (the reverse is also true: your body will be more compelled to be active when it is well fed and less energetic when it is underfed or fed but nutrient-deprived) – but it is up to you to heed those signals and avoid the habits, routines and pressures that compel us to overeat and/or to generally lay around on the couch waiting for someone to hand-feed us grapes.

I have been using the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Healthy Weight Action Plan to keep track of my own weight loss efforts as I drop the last 5 pounds since the baby making stage of my life ended 2 1/2 years ago. I am still breastfeeding, but only a couple of times each day. My activity levels (Belly Bootcamp for 1 hour 6 days per week plus jogging alone or with clients up to 2-3 times per week, plus walking/playing with kids) help keep my appetite high most days and I eat well and track my food, according to the recommendations of the HWAP.

But sometimes a great day of eating or a great week of eating gets kiboshed by an invite out for drinks or a pre-dinner temper tantrum party and a rash decision to order pizza (what? me? I have no idea what you’re talking about…). So how do you keep yourself on the weight loss train in between these discretions and get back on the horse when you’ve fallen off?

Here are some rules I follow when it’s time to crack the whip on my own postpartum (or post-vacation, post-Christmas, post-fall of the wagon) ass.

1. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. It’s true that eating more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day will help you to maximize your metabolism, but more opportunities to eat means more opportunities to cheat. When I need to lose weight, I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Outside of those meals I allow myself only fruit and vegetables. I can still eat frequently but I have to be really hungry to reach for a mid-afternoon salad. Sticking to a produce-only rule for snacks tends to make me snack less. A lot less.

2. Go to bed. When the body is tired, the brain begins searching for sources of energy. The biggest sources of energy (energy = calories) are sweet and fatty foods, so it’s no surprise that I lose all willpower in the face of a tub of Haagen Dasz once the clock passes 9:00 or 9:30 p.m. In fact, studies show most ice cream is actually eaten after 11:00 p.m.! The body doesn’t need calories at night; it needs sleep. If you stay up past your bedtime (the bedtime you should have, I mean – sometime between 10:00 and 11:00, probably) you are asking to gain weight.

3. Stay busy. Idle hands truly are the devil’s playground. If I’m alone in the house for too many hours without much to do, I snack. I’m a boredom snacker. After dinner, facebooking, doing crosswords, painting your fingernails or folding laundry – whatever floats your boat – will keep your hands full and your stomach empty. Good luck eating chips with wet fingernails.

4. Tell people. Let me tell you, it’s easy to keep your fitness motivation up when you’ve got clients and the ladies of the Yummy Mummy Club watching you. It’s my job, after all. It might not be your job to be fit, but the more people you tell about your fitness efforts, the more accountable you’ll feel to your goal. When your girlfriends invite you out for cocktails and you switch from cosmos to spritzers, they’ll applaud your willpower instead of accusing you of going all Boca Vista on them. Tell your work friends, your hubby, your family and everyone you normally eat with or around. To save your own ego, you’ll tend to stick with your fitness and diet plan when you feel like you’ve got something to prove.

5. Weight watch. I never stress out about my clients’ or my own weight. Weight is just not the be-all and end-all of fitness, and it doesn’t reflect one’s ability, strength, muscle tone or body type. Just pure pounds. BUT… it does provide a barometer. When I’m not losing weight, my scale stays tucked away, covered in dust. Literally. When I have pounds to drop, I weigh in once per week on the same day of the week at approximately the same time of day – usually in the morning after peeing and before eating. Weighing daily has been proven a successful weight loss tool. Daily is a bit much for me. Choose the one that’s right for you – daily or weekly – and force yourself to face that number on the scale. It will set the tone for your day or week and really help you stay on track.

6. Move. Every day, without exception, try to do something physical. It could just be piggy-backing your kids around the house for 10 minutes. Sometimes it’s just a couple of sets of push ups for me on the living room floor with one of the kiddos. If I’ve been active I feel much less tempted to overeat. And being active more frequently is one of the most important factors in weight loss. You’re much better off to do 20 minutes of exercise several times per week than one or two long workouts.

So start doing crosswords and eating salads and piggy backing your kids and tell me what you think. I GUARANTEE these tips will help. They helped me take off 45 pounds after my first munchkin was born, and they’re the same tips I’m using now as I chip away at these last few vanity pounds. They’re also the same tips that have helped countless clients achieve weight loss goals big and small.

Tried and true.

Another great tip is to ensure you’ve got a support system! Need a little coaching, motivation and inspiration? The Healthy Weight Action Plan has free weight loss tools like food and exercise trackers, meal plans, recipes and everything you need to get started cracking the whip on your own ass. It’s free and super simple to use – sign up now and join me!

Here’s a little inspiration for your home fitness routine, taken straight from the trainer’s toolbox!

April is the beginning of that warm spring weather and the time of year when runners, walkers and cyclists all hit the roads. Strengthen and stretch your legs and hips while you tone up your “rear view” for shorts season with this month’s move. This exercises also improves balance and core stability, and is perfect for all fitness levels. Add it to your usual routine or complete a set after your runs and walks.

Target Area: hamstrings, glutes, calves

Equipment: none.

move of the month: single leg deadlift

Begin standing with feet hip-width apart. Lift right leg and hold it just above the floor. Keep both knees slightly bent. Slowly inhale and lower toward the floor, feeling the stretch in your butt and thigh, until you touch the floor with both hands. Press into your left heel to activate your glutes and return to standing, pushing your butt forward and standing with perfect posture at the top. Keep right leg lifted for entire movement. Complete a total of 8-12 reps; repeat on opposite side. Keep abdominal muscles contracted and entire foot on the floor throughout.

Too challenging? Lower only until your hands reach the height of your knee and/or tap down the elevated foot as needed.

Too easy? Place a full water bottle, single dumbbell or other weighted object on the floor and lift and lower it as you perform the deadlifts.

Be well,

D.

Although my weight has only gone down a couple of pounds in the past few months, my body shape has changed somewhat. It’s not the end result I’m looking for, but I committed to 6 months to achieve my healthiest weight using the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Healthy Weight Action Plan, so it’s not time to wave the white flag quite yet. Actually, I’m not planning on waving that flag at all – that’s why I’m keeping track of my progress and staying accountable.

One of the best things you can do for yourself when you have a fitness goal is to check in regularly with yourself, and measure your progress. If you want to run a 10K in under an hour, you’ve got to track your speed, not just run randomly and keep your fingers crossed. If you’ve got a weight loss goal, weigh yourself at regular intervals so you can adjust your habits according to your progress, or lack thereof…

In case you’ve never heard it before:

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

        – Albert Einstein

You can’t determine whether you’re on the right course unless you are tracking your results. The Healthy Weight Action Plan has a meal and exercise tracking function (you can track online or even print pages and track by hand if you’re a pen-and-paper kind of gal) – such a vital part of the weight loss process. The HWAP also has – I just discovered – a function to track your waist circumference and weight as regularly as you’d like, and to see it graphed over time as you use the HWAP.

My weight? About even. My waist? Down a bit.

How is this possible?

Later today I am seeing a client – a new mom, about 7 months postpartum – who is striving to lose a total of approximately 30 pounds. She was relying on Jenny Craig for the first few months, saw some modest results and then stalled. We began working together, focusing on adding lean muscle and taking her off of the repetitive, processed and unsatisfying Jenny Craig meals. She has learned to prepare healthy meals that help her to reach her fat loss goals. She is down 10 pounds since December.  It’s not quite as quick as she’d like. She, like a lot of women, wants very quick results and blames herself when she can’t recreate the weight loss results of Hollywood moms like Jessica Alba, Mariah Carey and Heidi Klum.

So today we will also check her progress – and build her confidence – by taking circumference measurements. When I evaluate a client, I take measurements of the following areas:

• upper chest (above the breast)
• upper arm
• natural waist (smallest part of the torso)
• waist at belly button height
• hip (widest part of hip/butt)
• upper thigh
• calf

I take all of these measurements on the right side of the body, and measure every 2-3 months to evaluate results. Unless otherwise indicated above, measure at the largest point on these body parts.

The truth is, sometimes you will see a greater difference in circumference measurements than you might in weight, particularly if you are doing the smart thing and losing weight by eating a balanced, protein-rich diet and doing lots of strength training to increase that fat-burning muscle mass. That protein + strength training not only burns fat, it increases your muscle mass so you burn more fat every moment of the day, even while sleeping!

Many women get discouraged when the weight on the scale doesn’t reflect their efforts, although they feel leaner and fitter. Chances are, you are leaner and fitter. If you have been diligently following an effective exercise routine – which stays challenging as you get fitter – and eating sensibly, you will get fitter. You will get leaner. You will have more muscle, less fat, more energy and a leaner, tighter physique. But your weight may never drop to that magical number you’ve had in your head since your early 20s. In my experience, those numbers women obsess over are often far from realistic. Or healthy.

You could drop the strength training, starve yourself on a low-calorie diet and see the first initial pounds come off more quickly. Why? The pounds you are losing include a significant amount of muscle your body is eating up to provide the protein and calories you’re not offering it on your “diet”. The result? You see a smaller number on the scale, but end up actually composed of less muscle and more fat, proportionally. In other words, you have become the dreaded SKINNYFAT. Your body runs on very few calories, and when you try to eat a more moderate diet or enter a “maintenance” phase after losing weight, you don’t maintain at all. You gain. 10 years down the line, and research shows you’ll likely weigh even more than you did in the first place.

Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? Here’s how to not let that  happen:

1. Grab a measuring tape and take measurements of the areas listed above. Write them down and set a date, 2 or 3 months in the future, to repeat.

2. Eat 3 or 4 sensible meals each day, composed of protein, veggies and a reasonable amount of carbohydrate according to your size and activity levels. A program like the Healthy Weight Action Plan can help you determine what these amounts should be.

3. Perform some strength training on the major muscles of the body – the back, chest, legs, shoulders, arms and core – at least 2-3 days per week.

4. Try to be active daily and include spurts of physical activity into your regular routine, aside from organized exercise.

5. Be patient. If you do this correctly, you’ll only ever have to do it once.

Join the Healthy Weight Action Plan and start working on your own healthy weight goal today! It’s free, simple to use and totally customizable to your life and goals.

How did you achieve your healthy weight? Share your experience below!

It is very true that most people don’t prioritize exercise enough when planning their time. The number one excuse we personal trainers hear from the general public is the old “I don’t have time to work out.”  Be honest: Have you ever uttered this excuse to a trainer, friend, spouse or yourself? How many thousands of times?

You really do have to put it into perspective: if you spend 7 out of 168 hours each week strengthening your physical self, you’re really not putting exercise ahead of sleep. Or your kids. Or your housework. Because an hour of exercise per day leaves 161 for all the other things you need to do. So what is really being prioritized? I think I know…

From The Globe and Mail:

According to recent research by the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement (BBM), Canadian adults currently watch about 29.5 hours of television per week…

In Canada, a typical hour of conventional television programming contains 15 minutes of commercials while specialty channels carry about 12 minutes of commercials. Using the more conservative 12 minutes per hour, I calculate that the average adult Canadian watches over 14,400 minutes of commercials annually. 

Just a minute, here. The average Canadian watches over 4 hours of television per day, of which 25% is advertising. So the average Canadian watches 1 hour of television commercial advertising per day. (I realize many of you advanced into the 21st century and own PVRs, which I don’t, but just humour me here…)

And still can’t find time to work out.

Wha?

If you feel like you just can’t carve out that time to exercise, I’ve got a few suggestions to “find” time that you might be otherwise wasting on reruns of “The Big Bang Theory” (a show which people are always trying to convince other people is very funny, which suggests to me it is absolutely, positively not funny…).

Choose a few of these suggestions and book them into next week’s plan in your BlackBerry or day planner, or on a fantastic online weight management site like the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Healthy Weight Action Plan, which I’ve been personally using to keep me on track as I carve these last few pounds of postpartum weight off my busy self.

• set your alarm 30 minutes earlier now that the sun is up bright & early and head out for a walk or jog before everyone else is up
• what you’re thinking: I can’t get up that early. I need every minute of sleep I can get.
• what I’m thinking: Go to bed earlier! Take that 1/2 hour out of your evening TV time instead of your sleep.
• institute family walk, bike ride or jog time every weekday before or after dinner
• what you’re thinking: But the kids have dance/hockey/piano/drama/kumon/soccer/scouts/swimming/playdates.
• what I’m thinking: Cancel a couple of things. Family time is just as valid as extracurricular pursuits. Can’t cancel? Pack your sneakers and go do a jog with a few strength exercises thrown in every night that you are on chauffeur duty and waiting for class to finish. Don’t let the other dance moms drag you to Tim Horton’s. Be strong and you’ll reap the benefits.
• start a weekday morning family workout in your basement, backyard or nearest park with a circuit of exercises
• what you’re thinking: Are you kidding me? My kids will never go for that.
• what I’m thinking: Who is running this show? Exercise can and should be fun, but a little discipline never hurt a kid – learning that the body must be cared for is a lesson you really can’t put a price on. A family workout is free, healthy bonding. Like brushing their teeth, make exercise a non-negotiable. They’ll only complain for so long and they’ll benefit for life.
• devote the first 30-60 minutes of your evening TV and internet time to an exercise DVD or live-streamed fitness class
• what you’re thinking: By the time the kids are in bed I have no energy for anything except moving Doritos from bag to mouth.
• what I’m thinking: Suck it up. If evening is really the only time you can exercise, it’s gotta be done. Promise yourself you can relax on the couch and watch your favourite shows only after you’ve completed your workout for the day. You’ll get used to it. And you’ll get fit. What are you going to do, just not exercise at all? Come on…
• invest in a treadmill for home and make a commitment to watch TV only while walking or jogging
• what you’re thinking: A treadmill is too expensive.
• what I’m thinking: Maybe. But a gym membership that you never use (ahem… I’m looking at you…) costs you about an average of $600-700 per year. 1-2 years and that treadmill is paid for. This is a double-whammy; you’ll not only exercise in order to catch that show you want to watch, you’ll also cut down on the amount of TV you watch, freeing you up for more interesting & healthy pursuits like learning a new language, catching up with friends or reading a great book.

I’ve heard it all. The next time you feel the words, “I don’t have time to work out” about to escape your lips, zip it! Planning and prioritizing is a part of adult life. There are tons of great resources out there to inspire you and keep you on track – join the Healthy Weight Action Plan now and track your diet and workouts online, plus receive encouraging weekly emails to keep you focused.

So grow up and get a hold of your health. Or be just another statistic.

How do you squeeze exercise into your life and your family’s life? Share your tips below!

Right now you can try the YMCA of Greater Toronto for free… for 2 weeks!  2 weeks is not just enough to check out the location, facilities and class schedule – it’s actually long enough for you to start building the habit of working out regularly and make that membership worth paying for when you do decide to sign up.

Simply bring this pass to your local GTA YMCA club and redeem for a 2-week pass. No obligation to sign up. All you need to start working out is the pass and your photo ID. Slightly more complicated than buying beer, but basically the same prerequisites… Offer expires March 31st, 2012.

So what are you waiting for?

Go work out!

blame this guy.

Needless to say, no one was really eating much and there was very little time and energy for preparing healthy meals and getting out for workouts.

So, those weeks happen. Bad days happen. Injuries happen. Illnesses happen. Work emergencies happen. Sometimes you legitimately cannot squeeze in your usual workouts. Sometimes your week’s worth of meat and veggies is rotting away in your fridge because you really just don’t have time to cook. Or maybe you’re covered in another human’s vomit or stuck under a sleeping toddler on the sofa for 3 hours straight when you should be prepping dinner. You know what I mean…

I’ve got some great tips to help you stay fit when your schedule doesn’t allow you to hit the gym or get to your usual fitness class. It’s always a good idea to keep a few healthy convenience foods in your fridge for those times life decides it’s your turn for a random smackdown. Last week, we relied a lot on eggs, bagged salad mixes, canned/boxed soup and sandwiches, among other things. While a ham sandwich and bowl of vegetable soup is not necessarily a nutritional coup, it is faster and healthier than ordering a pizza.I didn’t say more delicious… but it is faster, healthier & cheaper. And there’s no post-meal bloat and regret, as long as you stay away from the grilled bacon & cheese with cream soup combo.

OK…. I’m drooling…

Back to the point here. You have got to be ready for life if you’ve got fitness goals. The easy days and easy weeks are just that – easy! You have your usual repertoire of healthy family favourites, you attend your usual yoga classes and hit the gym with a girlfriend in the morning… and the world just generally leaves you alone. But temptation can still strike. Your resolve might be fairly strong but your hubby might have a hankering for cheeseburgers and try to talk you out of that side of salmon you’re eyeing up during your pre-dinner shopping trip.

Yes, that last one comes from personal experience.

You need a plan, woman! You need to write down your meal plan for the week, create a grocery list based on that plan, shop for those groceries in advance (as much as possible) and stick to your guns.

Now that we are pretty much free of the sick around here, I’m back to normal as far as meals go. I’ve been using the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Healthy Weight Action Plan for several weeks now, enjoying their great tracking and planning tools to help me shave off the last few pounds since popping out two small people. One of the great FREE features of the Healthy Weight Action Plan is the interactive planning tool – I can quickly jot down my planned meals and snacks, hit save & even print my weekly plan out and stick it on the fridge. Or print out a hard copy and fill it in by hand, including my planned workouts and any groceries I need to pick up.

When I plan our meals, we eat better. Hands down. I don’t make last-minute decisions or rely on a frozen pizza because I forgot to defrost some meat or pick up some fresh veggies. And my hubby is less likely to object to dinner or suggest something less healthy when he knows in advance what is going to be served. I also save money and waste less food.

Tonight was chicken, beets, brussel sprouts & broccoli and a salad. Tomorrow? Some pork loin stir-fried with veggies and basmati rice. Since I’m planning the meals, I can make a little extra so there are healthy leftovers for the kids’ lunches.

Now, as long as our little Calamity Jack doesn’t infect us with anything else, we should be in for a good week!