Belleville Girl Missing

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/01/30/ott-missing-person-bellevills.html

A friend of a close friend has been missing since Thursday night. She's 27 and a strong, determined woman -- she wouldn't just up and take off -- without her keys, wallet or passport. There are thoughts that she may have been taken, but still in the country -- it's just a matter of where.

For those of you on Facebook or who use Twitter or any other means of social networking, please help us get the word out there. Hopefully she can get home safely.

Much appreciated.
stina

Love Letters sunday CBC 8PM

Hi All,
Another reminder about the show I helped produce, Love Letters ( see below). It airs Sunday on CBC, 8pm ... against the GRAMMYS!!!! So maybe if you need to watch THAT show, maybe PVR or VCR or whatever you can R to tune in? You can also check out the LL site at www.cbc.ca/loveletters.
Cheers,
Leah

Skin issues and mental health?

I heard this weird stat on TV last night so I thought I'd verify...do I have too much time on my hands. Not really. Finished work at 9 last night and back at it at 8 this morning. Not so bad. Had a light couple days before.

Anyway, turns out that people who seek care from a dermatologist are much more likely to be on psychotropic meds.
Weird correlation but here's a little synopsis of the study.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WM8-4J3NXX7-4&_user=10&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2006&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1184022919&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=f4805d1e200753b5abf0ec68899fcc93

Perhaps some people are more likely to ask for help with their health (skin and psyche)? Maybe some people just want won't settle for looking and feeling better?

What is the correlation?

Off to work. Have a good one.
Jane

The Departures

If you want to watch a surprisingly life affirming and perspective building film, you've got to watch the Japanese film, "The Departures". It is beautiful. It won the Oscar for best foreign language film 2009.
Not morbid. Promise. You can rent it almost anywhere. Queen street video definitely has it. I think I cried half a dozen times. So many jewels about life in it.

Enjoy.

The Anywhere Kickass Bodyweight Workout

The reality is that sometimes we can’t make it to the gym or to a class no matter the best of our intentions. Sometimes we’re on vacation, traveling for work, stuck at home with sick kids, working late or snowed-in. Whatever the reason, I want to help you see that you don’t need equipment or much space to get a sweat on. Just a strong desire to feel better and stronger.

Christina and I just did this workout and it took us a little longer than I thought. Don't skip the burpies! They will make sure your heart rate stays up.
All you need is determination and some good music to get you going. This circuit is sooooo simple and will get your heart rate up while building lean muscle all over your body. My training approach will NOT build bulk.

Repeat this circuit 3 times without a break

2 Minutes skip rope. If you don’t have a skipping rope, mime skipping rope.
20 Walking lunges or forward lunges on the spot if you don’t have room for walking lunges
20 Fire-hydrants – get in downward dog then bring one knee to same elbow and alternate
20 Plie Squats – get down as low as possible and squeeze your bum on the way up
20 Side plank twists on elbows
20 Burpies
20 Tricep dips off a chair- elbows go straight back, shoulders stay down and chest out
20 Face down towel passes- lie face down on the ground, roll up a hand towel and pass behind your back squeezing your shoulders blades together
20 Hip lifts – lying on your back, feet on the ground, hips up. Lift and lower hips and squeeze your bum tight.

After you’ve completed this 3 times make sure you do some essential stretching holding each stretch for at least 30 seconds:

* Pigeon
* Hamstring stretch however you like it
* Low back twist lying on back bringing one leg over
* Hip flexor stretch- super important!

GET A SWEAT ON. If you don’t understand any of the exercises listed above, feel free to email me janeclapp@urbanfitt.com or call me at 416.964.3309 and I’ll give you a helping hand.

Urban hunger

I went to a swanky cocktail party last night in Forest Hill. My experience at most cocktail parties has involved generally meaningless conversation and niceties. Last night, I got into a great conversation with a leading Toronto business person. And we started talking about food security. I mentioned I'd been reading about urban famine. He was extremely kind enough to forward a link to an article from the Economist.

I am amazed at how people have mobilized together to help the people suffering so horribly in Haiti. It is phenomenal how people come together in crisis. But just last night I heard that 20% of the children in Orlando go to bed hungry. And now this statistic from the Economist is frightening.

The United States can't even deal with hunger in their own country.

"There are lots of new faces. Ninety-three percent of emergency food
sites have seen an increase in first-time users of their services.
According to the Food Bank for New York City, an estimated 1.3m New
Yorkers now rely on soup kitchens (which provide hot meals) and food
pantries (which give away food). The number of people having trouble
paying for food has increased 60%, to 3.3m, since 2003"

I ate beautifully crafted food last night. Drank a gorgeous glass of red wine and walked away grateful.

Jane

Krishnamurti on the Enormity of Sorrow

Here's a link to a 15 minute talk. One of my clients has opened the world of Krishnamurti to me. Totally reframes our approach to suffering.
Good stuff.

http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/krishnamurti-teachings/video.php?page=2&c=Talk%20extract

Jane

Watch Gary Vaynerchuk for a kick in the pants

I was talking to a client today about how some people hustle to make things happen in their lives and people who sit back and think about making their lives better.

What's the difference between the person who hustles (i.e. answers potential sales inquiries right away, is fast at delivering their services, works hard at something they love, exceeds customer/client expectations, takes risks by starting projects that might not provide return, and actively tries to make their lives better)? Is it a characteristic we are born with? A drive to build a business and sacrifice lifestyle in the short term?

I could tell you a story about me 3 years ago. I didn't have enough money to pay rent. I had just opened a business. I lived with a friend in a tiny apartment for three months with only a few boxes as my belongings. Every day I made myself build my business despite a huge amount of struggle in my personal life. I just focused on doing better than my best every day. For quite a long time I was up until midnight after my daughter went to bed trying to find whatever way I could to promote myself and my business. It was either that or fail. Nothing just came to me. And thank goodness for my clients who helped spread the word. Along the way I made some not so great business decisions that luckily I was able to recover from and learn from.

It's only now that I have the luxury of scheduling my days so that I can drop off and pick up at school and take a thursday night off all to myself to do whatever I want.

Now I can pay a mortgage, carry the overhead of a small business and plan vacations for my daughter and me. I'm not rich by any means. There's still some nail biting some months. But I'm still standing 3 years later and feel I have a clear idea of my brand image and my business core values. And I'm proud of what I stand for. And there is no division between my personal values and the way I run my business. My personal brand IS my business brand.

I came across Gary Vaynerchuk on twitter and I like him. Since I'm in the life balance business I don't totally agree with working ALL the time like he suggests but I love that he tells people to stop doing what they hate and sacrifice

This guy Gary Vaynerchuk spoke to me in this presentation.
http://garyvaynerchuk.com/private/78853225/6mI4hc6WDk13myebWCLZFuwh

Jane

Everyone help please

Hi,

In a month I will be going to Mali to volunteer in a small community of Yanfolila in the Sikasso area of Mali. I will be working with women who all have their own micro-businesses. Some have a sewing/tailoring business; some run beauty salons (huts with very meager supplies) and some have banana plantations, mills, etc. They struggle to make ends meet to feed their families. They are women leaders in their community but need business skills and supplies. If you or anyone you know could help in any way that would be great. Donations of sewing scissors, needles, pins, patterns, combs (think African American hair), gardening tools (not heavy or big). Also, I am desperate for any kind of used laptops (they can be 5 years old- they primarily use the computers for word processing and at times, where available, internet access). Office supplies, underwear (women’s), bras, pain relief medicine (Tylenol, Advil, children’s Advil, children’s diarrhea medicine, etc.) and dental floss; headlamps with extra batteries; pens, pencils, calculators, and old cell phones with sim cards (and chargers). Mali is the fifth poorest country in the world and resources are scarce. I can only really bring two suitcases with me so the list is very focused and things should be relatively lightweight and durable. The smallest things are useful as nothing will go to waste. Of course, cash donations are also acceptable and will be given over the community organizer, who will use the money where it is most needed.

I will be happy to pick up donations (or you can drop them off) and would need them February 3rd.

Thank you in advance.

Jamie
jamie.piekarz@corusent.com

Fructose - The Devil that is making everyone fat?

Jane - my parents are freaking out about fructose. they found this video. see below, just fyi. c

From CY's Parents:

"Vera & I couldn't stop watching this video about the use of fructose in our food.

This link is the first of a nine part video. Each subsequent video will pop up as one ends. Please don’t decide that it must be too long so you’ll watch it later…at least watch the first one…it really explains the fructose problem and how it came to be that way. It even goes into the biology of the LDL cholesterol created with fructose.

It's a bit long with each part lasting about 10 minutes but the lecturer is excellent and the time flies. You may shorten the time if you omit the biology part contained in half of part 5, parts 6 & 7. It's sure a lot more interesting than many 90 minute TV programs."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjxyjcvW7RE&feature=player_embedded

Nestor & Vera

Could this be the magic behind Urban Warrior?

I love the Globe and Mail coverage on fitness and health. They really seem to be on it. I've often speculated why my group workshops leave people feeling so good. I know for sure it's not me! There's a magic that happens when the same group of people work out together twice a week for six weeks.

Well Alex Hutchinson has summed it up nicely in this article.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/is-group-exercise-better-than-working-out-solo/article1421529/


Here's a little excerpt.

"Endorphins are produced by virtually any vigorous physical activity, but group work appears to enhance the effect dramatically – and there's plenty of evidence that exercise classes meet that description. In a series of studies stretching back more than a decade, University of Saskatchewan professor Kevin Spink has found those who feel a greater sense of “groupness” and cohesion within an exercise class are more punctual, have better attendance and even work harder."

I Need I Claudius

Over the holidays I finished the third season of the juicy, sometimes distasteful, historically accurate and equally engaging, "Tudors". Admittedly, this is the laziest and most passive way to educate oneself about historical figures but nonetheless it's great escapism with a little less frivolity.

My interests luckily extend beyond an obsession over fitness (thank goodness) and I've recently taken a shining to learning about tyrannical rulers. Why? It's complicated and I'm sure deeply rooted in some childhood dysfunction ;). Claudius wasn't a tyrant but the lead up to his rule was insane! Tiberius and Caligula were serious freaks.

Yesterday I was talking to one of my clients who is an archaeologist, writer and overall just a super smart woman. I told her about the end of Tudors and she recommended the 1979 BBC mini-series "I Claudius". I thought if she liked it I better listen up. On my way home from work yesterday I dropped into Queen Video and felt pretty cool when I asked for "I Claudius, you know the 70's BBC series". I immediately felt my 'cool' factor turn up a level when the counter guy gave me a look of approval for my choice. (probably my imagination and why do I care what a counter culture 20 something thinks about my taste in entertainment anyway).

The first 10 minutes of "I Claudius" almost lost me. The production design wasn't comparable to the Tudors in the very least. But what hooked me was that it's historically accurate and the actors are all clearly theatre trained and giving 'er.

Little did I know that "I Claudius" is for the 70's what the Sopranos was for this last decade. Best part of all, those tyrannical rulers are just so darn interesting. And it sure makes my life look a whole lot simpler.

Peace,
Jane

Manic Monster Art Classes for your Monsters

I love my daughter's art class and of course her teacher, Douglas Hurst. It's like her little spirit comes out for a party every Monday at 3:30 and whoops it up until 5:15.
She's worked with all sorts of mediums from paper mache to plaster of paris to textiles.

If you want something fun to do with your mini monster on Mondays (with other classes as well available), check it out!

For any remaining non-believers...

For any of you watching CityLine today, they've mentioned a few times that turquoise has been named the colour of 2010.

Here's the article to support:
http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?pg=20706&ca=10

Jane is once again on the leading edge of what's current!

Interval training instead of long cardio sessions?

Anyone who knows me would know my answer to this question.
Especially when it comes to the answer applying to time strapped mamas or women who aren't in the 'ladies who lunch crowd" (i.e. all of my clients!).

Sharry, a mama and one of my clients who has successful shrunk her body through interval training and no long cardio sessions, pointed me to an article in the Globe that supports my general approach to post natal and really any type of training.

Here's the link:
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/moms-drop-pounds-with-a-four-minute-workout/article1419091/?service=mobile&page=0#article

The article explains a specific type of interval training out of Japan used for elite athlete's, Tabata training.

Here's a quick excerpt:

"Tabata training is effective, despite its brevity, because the body continues to burn calories at a high rate during the recovery period, says Martin Gibala, chair of the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton.

In a study published last year in the Journal of Physiology, Prof. Gibala and his research team found that participants who did high-intensity interval training for just 1½ hours total each week enjoyed the same physical benefits as those who did 4½ hours of endurance training on a stationary bike. Both groups had similar levels of muscle development and lipid oxidation (which improves endurance and reduces the risk of developing obesity and diabetes).

"You can get away with less time and see many of the same adaptations we associate with endurance training," Prof. Gibala says.

He adds that Tabata can actually develop muscles in a way that isn't always possible with endurance training. "We have these very large, powerful muscle fibres, but there are some that don't get called upon in our daily lives even when we do moderate exercise. They respond and adapt during interval training," he says."

Thanks Sharry for keeping me plugged in!

Jane

Laurel's Predicted Fitness Trend for 2010

One of my clients, Laurel, is a really smart cookie. She's plugged in, moving forward in all aspects of her life and has been a fitness buff for years.

In my last newsletter I asked for input from people about the 10th fitness trend they predict for 2010.

Laurel's?

No more gadgety fitness equipment. Yes!

I wish this would happen. People throw their money and their time away on buying and using the next 'it' piece of fitness equipment.

The truth is fitness just isn't that complicated and there isn't a wonder tool for toning up.

Fingers crossed Laurel is right. I find stupid gadgets so annoying!

Happy New Year!

Jane

Leslie Beck is speaking to me

Here's a great link to a Globe and Mail article by Leslie Beck that is really smart about New Year's Resolutions.

Might we finally realize that big changes are just a big bust in terms of being healthier?

Be human in 2010 and take baby steps.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/new-year/12-modest-steps-to-a-healthier-you/article1414506/