Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Just wanted to send out some good old Christmas love today. Although there is so much focus on our relationships with family this time of year, we need to remember that our primary relationship with ourselves is what comes first.

At the end of this whole life journey, our only regrets will be when we strayed from our true selves. Acting from truth will always keep our relationships nurturing. We have so much to give to others when we are at peace with who we are.

Sending all of you a big huge hug and thank you for being there for me and supporting me.

Love Jane

Tanya's Christmas Song

Friends,

I am sending you a link to Tanya’s web site. Tanya is a cousin of my daugther's and she just recorded a song that she co-wrote with her piano teacher.

It's a sweet song and we enjoyed listening to it. Tanya and her family are asking us to pass the link along to other family and friends.

Tanya has a dance teacher at Holly Hughes (a dance school in Guelph, ON) that is dealing with her second set of leukemia treatments. She wanted to help her some way.

We are hoping this works.

http://tanyaschristmassong.com

Merry Christmas/Holidays to all. Enjoy the song. Kids like it.


CY

No exercise for 7 days!!! OMG

I just got back from Mexico tonight and decided to take a full week off of exercise. Might seem like no biggie to some of you. To me it's a big deal. I need a break from the inside of gyms. Instead I likely gained about 5 pounds and didn't slip into any runners and instead slid up to buffets and the surf.

We all have things that we need a break from. For me it's a break from any work related activities. Plus taking a full week off of exercise can help our bodies recharge replenish and get ready for a whole new level of effortful exercise.

It's the very first time I haven't done any exercise while on vacation. The first couple days I was just itching to do some planks. By the end of the week, I get the numerous benefits of active rest (i.e. I still went for walks and swam etc.).

So rest assured, I am not one of those fitness people who do triathalons for fun while on vacation. I can lounge with the best of 'em!

Love Jane

Holiday bloopers

The holiday season is upon us... and it's hard at times to remain focused on the tasks at hand. Make healthy food choices, exercise, limit the alcohol intake. With so much time dedicated to socializing and entertaining, how are you still making time for you?

Time to break free

Working on the Coke account, I spent a lot of time absorbed in the Olympic pillars (active living and the environment), inspiring Canada to set goals and achieve things we never thought possible. I am no exception.

Six months ago, my main source of physical activity was walking to work. I was inactive, out of shape and overweight. I couldn’t run a leg of the torch relay if I tried. But a part of me wanted to experience the Olympics in my own life. And I have a good friend and former colleague to thank for that.

It started with a small commitment - one bootcamp class. One became two, two became four. I started running. I reminded myself I held the power to make a difference and every little change I made had a positive impact.


That simple realization changed me. I approached my goals with the same vigour that I would my job. The excuses stopped. Running became easier. I put in the extra effort. I pushed myself harder and faster. I felt stronger, had more energy. I ran ahead.

Though I wasn't selected to carry the torch, I come out of this experience looking and feeling different. My goals still lie in front of me on the road ahead but now I run towards them. I’ve broken free from my stagnant lifestyle and there’s no looking back.

out of body

I had an amazing experience on saturday -- that I wanted to share.  Where exercise feeds my body, experiences like these these feed my soul! I had a "out of body" experience on saturday.  Those that know us, know we see a lot of live music, all genres.  Our life is surrounding by music.  On Saturday, Daniel and I went to the new Koerner Hall, at the Royal Conservatory to see Paquito Paquito D'Rivera.  Paquito D'Rivera is a clarinet and alto sax musician from Cuba, a phenomenal most jazz/classical musician.  We sat in the second row and got to listen to a very gifted musician play in a hall, so beautiful, words can't begin to describe.  Koerner Hall, and the newly renovated Conservatory is incredible.  I feel so incredibly lucky to live in such amazing city with so many wonderful things to see and do. Azeema

Rostin Cake Co by Ava Roth

Ava is one of my oldest (in length of time training not age) clients and an incredible artist.

She just launched Rostin Cake Company and creates individual works of art and "hard to believe they are just cakes" cakes. And on top of the beauty and creativity they exude, Ava has ensured that taste and decadence don't take a back seat.

Check out this gallery of cakes and be blown away.

The newest edition is the King Tut cake...so very timely given the AGO King Tut exhibit.

These cakes make me want to meet whoever ordered these masterpieces. Only interesting people must be this plugged into culture to ask for art cakes like this.

http://rostincakeco.com/project/special-occasion-cakes

I know that Ava approaches each cake like a commissioned piece of art. And she takes the cake over the Cake Boss' over done, likely stale and often gaudy creations..

Quest for the best Take Out Thai

Last night I'm sorry to say I tried Flip Toss and Thai on Harbord. I was routing for this restaurant because it's cheap and the people were so nice. I went on a recommendation from Shelby. Maybe I got them on an off night. But man oh man. It was the most bland thai food I've ever eaten. And the peanut sauce was like watered down peanut butter with a dash of vinegar.

Then Azeema sent me a link to her fave thai. This one I will try next. It's partly because Andrei is always asking for shrimp cold rolls. Who would've guessed this would be his food obsession.

So next up we will try Sukho Thai.
http://www.torontolife.com/features/sukhothai/

Anyone else out there have any fave Thai places in Toronto? Fire away and post 'em.

And if anyone is wondering if you can eat healthily at thai restaurants the answer is yes!
Just go easy on the rice (half cup is a full serving) and stay away from the fried spring rolls. It's all about enjoying yummy food but not stuffing yourself to the brim. And of course make sure you order at least one dish packed with veggies. When loading your thai plate up, leave one quarter or less for rice, half for mostly veggies and the rest protein (even saucy curry is ok if you don't go loca!).

Jane

Review of 650 lb virgin on TLC

It seems that we just can't get enough of weight loss shows. As a society we love to talk about losing weight plus we love to sit on our butts and watch other people talk about their own weight loss.
It's pretty weird given the fact that so many people in the world struggle to get enough food and water for their babies let alone themselves.
So when I watch yet another weight loss show I approach it with skepticism.
The new show on tlc "650 lbs virgin" is painful to watch. Amazing that this young man lost 400 lbs. Holy crap!!!! And if he can inspire others to lose weight too even better. I had to tune in and check out the show because its concept is new and it had the potential to be really special and great entertainment. But the reality show scripting and scene set ups are so freakin obvious and reminiscent of the videos I used to shoot on my parents beta cam when I was 10. Most people know reality tv is scripted to some extent but this show is so transparent I had to turn it off. The most successful reality tv stars are charismatic, a little melodramatic and often great at acting.
The 650 lb virgin seems like a really nice normal guy. Not a reality tv star.
They don't have enough interesting footage to fill an hour. To fill time they keep going back to images of him at 650 lbs half naked barely able to get through doors.I lost count.
His weight loss approach was bang on. Love it! Great messaging there.
But in short its just not a great show with the elements that make reality tv engaging.
Peace,
Jane

Wall squat survivor challenge

After running five flights of stairs (5 stories up and down = one time around) the eight participants of today's Urban Warrior Workout competed in a wall squat challenge to see who would be the last person squatting. Joc was hungover so stepped out of the competition but could've easily stuck it out under better circumstances. The other 5 people including Shelby, Kim, Christine, Helgi, and Taren gave it their best shot.

But in the end, Silvie and Jaimie were left head to head, each one not backing down as their quads burned and people watched in amazement.

The reward challenge gave the winner a I heart to sweat canteen. They figured out how to work the system and colluded to create a tie. Each of them walked away today with a canteen.

Congratulations you urban warrior women.

Passed along from C.Y.!

Take a good look at the diet of each country and the cost of what is eaten in one week.

Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07





United States: The Revis family of North Carolina (Sure hope most American
families eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and less junk food than this family.)
Food expenditure for one week $341.98




Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11





Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09





Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27& nbsp;





Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53





Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55





Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03





Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

small steps to success!

FINALLY broke through the 160 pound barrier today and celebrated by treating myself to a delicious protein salad. Goodbye forever 160s, you will not be missed!

Biggest Loser Biggest Problem

Thanks to Isabel and Sarah for sending me the link to the NY Times article "The Biggest Loser: Health Can Take a Back Seat".

I force myself to watch it very occasionally and within a few minutes am repulsed by the whole premise of the show. People are rewarded for doing drastic things all in the name of winning and losing as much weight as possible with little focus on making lasting realistic changes in lifestyle behaviours. In addition, like most reality shows, people often feel humiliated and have their intimate feelings and insecurities exposed on air in the name of profit. 15 minutes of fame isn't worth exposing our private struggles to the world. And learning to lose weight in a drastic self punishing way only contributes to the Western worlds fast food style weight loss approach.

The reality is that slow and steady weight loss just isn't that exciting. It's not sexy. It's not often measurable week to week. And change from the inside out requires mindfulness and the camera just can't capture our evolution from being unconscious to becoming more conscious about our struggles.

Also last night I watch 'How to look good naked". The show's focus is sweet. Learn to feel better about yourself the way you are. But instead of encouraging it's guests to take action instead of slipping into spanks, they focus on positive personal self talk.

That just doesn't work in the long run. Feeling good about ourselves means doing loving things for ourselves that improve our vitality and overall feeling of health. Buying a new wardrobe isn't going to have lasting effects on self esteem. Moving, sweating and connecting with our bodies will.

So I say yuck to "The Biggest Loser" and a little less yuck to "How to Look Good Naked". There are both missing the big picture. But my approach won't sell ad space on TV.

Jane

Shape shifting

Hi Jane ++

Getting into shape (and changing my shape) has made getting older easier to deal with. I am 45 and after years of being able to eat whatever and whenever, and never having to exercise, everything was suddenly catching up with me and I was feeling sluggish, flabby, weak and depressed. Now that I am gaining control over my body through the exercise and watching what I eat, life has improved. I feel and look a lot better and when you are getting older, feeling healthier means a lot.

A friend of mine in her 40's recently told me that she knows quite a few people who are much more fit in their 40's and 50's ++ than they ever were in their 20's and 30's.I think that's me. The benefit of being able to run and move and build muscle is so amazing that even though I am pushing 50 soon, I am really pushing it away. That's huge psychologically.

Thanks go to A.R and K. W. and of course, Jane.

C.Y.

My opinion about blogging

I'm a small business owner and spent several years as a single parent carrying a mortgage and business overhead by myself. I needed to grow my business with no advertising budget but with my fitness knowledge and time investment.
Social networking tools have made reaching a wider audience possible for people like me.
However many social networking tools are only useful for as long as they feel new and cutting edge to your particular target market.
After blogging for quite some time I started to feel declining returns on my time investment. Social networking for the purpose of self promotion isn't a new thing and can bed overdone to the point of pure annoyance and igniting the tune out factor. At their best social networking and more specifically blogging gives something back to the audience or reader in return for their time. Each business owner needs to identify what their target market values most from the business and many times that something is intangible and directly tied with the brand.
Since opening urbanfitt since june 2006 I fully appreciate how my community of amazing clientele is qhat has really been driving my biz. I also realize how my clients greatly value a fitness studio that is more than a space to sweat. It is also a community for them to meet and engage with other like minded individuals.
So I've turned my attention to social networking for community unifying not self promotion.
Small business is all about serving people in our communities. And the urbanfitt community puts food on my table pays my mortgage and keeps my life moving forward. And I hope I can help this community of amazing people connect more and more and build its synergistic energy for some time to come.

Body worlds

Yesterday, I visited Body Worlds at the Ontario Science Centre and was amazed and repulsed all at the same time. Needless to say I came home and ate a carcass free dinner with a big ass salad. The human body is amazing and seeing all those folks carved up reminded me that we are all basically the same underneath and start with the same raw material.

This Body Worlds exhibity was focused on the human heart. There were also loads of examples of healthy organs and unhealthy organs. Obese bodies, and fit bodies. And so on and so on.

Illness, obesity and deconditioning doesn't discriminate based on socioeconomic status, gender, family status, sexual orientation. We all start off, for the most part, with a similar chance to live healthy lives and over time, we really determine what is going to happen.

What was especially interesting for me, was the obese body sliced in half. I saw up close what visceral fat looks like (the fat under skin around organs). I talk about visceral fat almost every day with clients trying to get a healthy waist girth. I saw how visceral fat deposits itself all through our organs and how unnatural it looked in a human body.

The smokers lungs and the lungs with tumors were really freaky. Seeing how black lungs get from smoking was something else. I wish I could refer to those lungs anytime I have a craving for a cigarette (glass of wine in hand of course). And I'm not saying I indulge those cravings ok!

One of the most interesting parts of it all was the controversy surrounding the overall concept of the exhibit. Looking at these bodies, I kept wondering how they ended up on display and if this whole death art exhibit was ethical at all. We have an obsession with our mortality which explains the huge crowds of people waiting to stare in awe at our universally uniform insides.

Jane

De-evolution

What do all of you think about the current state of our bodies these days. As a growing number of people become overweight and obese and people move less and less, it's quite easy for me to picture the majority of the human race as a big sack of meat, inert, plugged into a computer, in a hovering chair eating highly processed space aged food. Hmmm....this is starting to look at lot like the future in Wall-e.

I hate to be a pessimist but I also hate to sugar coat the cold hard truth just as much.
When are people going to get off their arss and do something about feeling like crapola?

I'm feeling a little blah this week...not nearly as bad as many people might feel. And I HATE it. Yuck. I would hate to see what I might become if I felt this blah for more than a week much less a decade.

Maybe some of you community bloggers and share a story of transformation. Like what changed for you when you got off your butts and left them behind. How did getting your bod' in shape change the rest of your life.

Dish!!!

Love ya,
Jane

Support C.O.P.E. Dogs

Introduction to our community blog

What is a community blog you ask?

It's a place where interconnected people come together to create a body of information, wisdom and experiences that can be accessed by anyone online.

Who's going to manage and moderate the community blog?

Me, Jane. I'm the blog mama.

I'm not going to let nasty stuff stay up there in our community. And I might suggest themes that keep popping up in the studio.

What can you contribute and blog about?

1) A rant about a co-worker who is trying to sabotage your weight loss.

2) An ahha moment you had where something about your lifestyle struggles just clicked.

3) A success story about yourself.

4) A link and review of an article you read in a magazine or newspaper.

5) A good cause you are trying to promote.

6) Other stuff related to fitness and health.

Go crazy!

The rules:

You can be anonymous or you can sign with your name at the bottom of the blog with a link to your site. Self promotion is totally cool.

Just click on New Post in the top right corner to start your personal post.