February's Heart Month!

I worked as an Emergency Medical Technician for 8 years and Heart disease/conditions were 75% of what I dealt with. From chest pain to full myocardial infractions to transfers for angioplast appointments. The patients I worked with often had high blood pressure or high cholesterol amongst other conditions of bad diets, unhealthy weights and little to no physical activity. A lot of my father's family has heart conditions of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. So I definitely take such conditions seriously.

The Canadian Heart and Stroke website is full of wonderful information about Heart Disease.

(http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.3682421/k.48B2/Heart_disease__What_is_heart_disease.htm)

What is heart disease?

It is a group of conditions affecting the structure and functions of the heart and had many root causes. i.e.) plaque (fatty materials, calcium and scar tissue) builds up in the arteries and prevents the heart from getting enough blood.

Prevention includes:

- being smoke free
- eating a healthy low fat diet with many leafy greens (like algae!!! Yes I said it!)
- know and control your blood pressure
-achieve and maintain a healthy weight
- manage your diabetes
- reduce stress
- visit your doctor regularly and follow their advice



How am I keeping heart healthy??

Well this is a constant work for everyone!! I try to eat a diet full of vegetables, fruit, healthy fat proteins and try not to indulge in all the heavy fat foods!

One of the best snacks you can have on you is Energy Bits, 100% spirulina algae grown organically and are an all natural sources of food for your body. There is no sugar, cholesterol, or fat in this product so every bit that you eat..... Is good for your body and therefore a perfect snack for your heart. Eating meats and salads can be quite a hassle at times like when your running between meetings, kids soccer games or during a marathon... so let's keep those to meals not on the go snacks. However Energy Bits is an nitrogen based algae that opens up your blood vessel that allows continual oxygen and nourishment supplied to your body. It also contains 64% protein within its minimum 12 bits of algae. So all in all... Eating Energy Bits on the go not only is way easier than a steak and salad when your in the car... It also has numerous health benefits and is very heart healthy!!!

So in light of February's Heart Month I would like to team up with Energy Bits (www.energybits.com) to give away a free sample of Energy Bits!! All you have to do is follow myself (@adenium11) and EnergyBits (@energybits) on twitter and comment below how you try stay heart healthy!
(Draw will be done February 28)
Also, please give Canada Heart and Stroke a follow on twitter (@TheHSF) great people giving great information!


Cheers!

MPrint Jewellery - Giveway Won!

I check in on a local fashion designers blog http://tiazelinski.blogspot.ca/ from time to time. I am not a fashionista but I find it amazing that here in Regina SK we have such talented artists doing such work here! Tia Zelinski is also partnered to a local icon Chris Getzlaf who plays on our local professional football team. ( Saskatchewan Roughriders)  So as a local it's always intriguing to see these folks doing great things in the community! And these two are always doing something wonderful!!

I saw Tia tweet about a friend of hers launching her own jewellery line and went to read up on it. From my understanding Em Robertson worked up in Regina for a local jewellery company and has went on her own. I love jewellery and as a Mom rarely get to wear really nice stuff.. and when I do I misplace it ( currently looking for my wedding set.. again.. Don't ask my husband about this ) Em started a jewellery company called MPrint (http://www.mprintjewelry.com/)and Tia did a giveaway on her blog... Gorgeous earrings I must say.

AND I WON! I rarely win ANYTHING! So I was very pumped when Tia announced my name! I received this package a few weeks later and haven't chose other earrings since. They are simple, very well made and comfy! They also go with just about anything with the dark background and warm bronze colours. Thankfully with my darker hair and light complexion they match my skin well too!

 

These earrings are also very reasonable! $23.00 a pair.. that's quite a steal! MPrint also has other matching accessories that are quite cute and unique as well.


I love handmade and heartfelt designed jewellery and I rarely get to have any! Give Mprint a follow on twitter @Mprintjewelry you can also find Fashion Designer Tia Zelinski on Twitter at @MissZelinski.


Cheers! Thanks again ladies for choosing me have these earrings!






** These opinons are from a happy giveaway winner who recieved a pretty awesome product!**

Winter Blues....

The last few weeks I have felt absolutely blob like.. I just cannot seem to get out of this funk. I want to eat every carbohydrate that's bad in sight.. I do not want to get going in the morning and definitely struggling to work out! I love to work out so I haven't missed many work outs and have kept my eating in check.. However I know that the stress of the winter has taken my body's ability to lose weight at the moment which is definitely depressing in itself.

I read up on Canadian Mental Health Association on the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) :


SAD can be difficult to diagnose, since many of the symptoms are similar to those of other types of depression or bipolar disorder. Even physical conditions, such as thyroid problems, can look like depression. Generally, symptoms that recur for at least 2 consecutive winters, without any other explanation for the changes in mood and behaviour, indicate the presence of SAD. They may include:
change in appetite, in particular a craving for sweet or starchy foods
weight gain
decreased energy
fatigue
tendency to oversleep
difficulty concentrating
irritability
avoidance of social situations
feelings of anxiety and despair
The symptoms of SAD generally disappear when spring arrives. For some people, this happens suddenly with a short time of heightened activity. For others, the effects of SAD gradually dissipate.
(http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/#.UQfUo3y9KSM)


Ok well looking at those symptoms and the gross winter we have had.. I am definitely suffering
from this disorder this winter.
I know that dependent on the weather I usually feel a few of these symptoms..
However this winter I have dealt with them ALL! I know that it is just a winter issue however I
feel really lost and not functioning well.


I cannot wait to get my EnergyBits in the mail! I love how much energy they give me and I feel like a completely
different person. I also am going to check into getting a Vitamin D supplement and see how that assists
my moods. I want to feel lively, be on the go and have people want to be around me ( I know they want to but
I feel to crappy to want to be around them to often. )

Off to the pharmacy I go after one more cup of coffee!! Blinds are open , lights are all on and I am hoping I can
get in some Vitamin D through the clouds.. HA HA or any natural light that comes in!


SAD is not something to be ashamed of, you definitely are NOT alone in this. CMHA states 2-3% of the population suffers from SAD to an extent that is disabling, and that most of the population suffers from symptoms they are able to cope with. Mental Health issues are very common and are definitely a silent disease.. or a disease people refuse to discuss. Some mental illnesses are as deathly as cancer and some are easier to live within. Thankfully SAD is treated with very accessible and cost effective measures and often doesn't need medication. Please understand I am not making light of the disorder but acknowledging that it exists, I am suffering from it ( as I did with Post Partum Depression) and will do what I can to beat it.


Please feel free to talk to me about this.. Sometimes its hard to discuss such issues with friends and family.

Take care!

EnergyBits - Giveaway!!

I grew up on a farm in Rural Saskatchewan.. so lifestyles that include lots of running, gym workouts and "supplements" as some would use is not what I grew up with. However, this is a lifestyle I want to have, am working to having and am mentoring my children to engage as well.

I am learning what is best to eat for my body, not just for weight loss but for fuelling an active body. I have learnt to think that food is more than just to taste well ( even if I still have the occasional Sausage and Egger.. what can I say?!!)  I have seen a lot of people on twitter talking about EnergyBits.. how they are fuelled with EnergyBits, how they rely on them for a natural source of energy to get through their day and their work outs. I struggle with energy and usually chalk it up to not having motivation. I then just make myself conquer it, but this is a tiring way to live most days!

With careers, children, being a wife and trying to be active and work into a new body composition... Energy is Lacking!! I am a late night gal and hate early mornings.. Thanks to some twitter conversations with Dawn (@inkdgirl55) I learnt that I have a way of kicking this issue! She herself is a professional mom and has went through a lifestyle change that includes very high athleticism. So she definitely knows what it takes from being overweight to being an athlete. Dawn linked me into EnergyBits through Twitter and Jonathan was kind enough to send me a sample of their product.

So I got my sample filled with information! There is nothing better than a company who provides detailed information about all of the products they sell. The tin held 3.5 or so days of algae bits. I got the EnergyBits product ( there is 4 types EnergyBits, RecoveryBits, VitalityBits, SkinnyBits)

Now I once again am a carnivore trying to find more plant based foods to increase my diet.. and Algae definitely is a stretch for me. The information recommended to take 20-30 bits a day minimum and it is to increase your energy, make you feel full longer and generally make you feel better. ( this is just a minor glimpse of the benefits of EnergyBits please find more here www.energybits.com) Well I opened up the tin.. and thought instantly.. what the heck am I doing! These algae bits have a slight smell.. so I thought ok.. Ill pop one in my mouth and chew away. ( READ INSTRUCTIONS!! Its best to swallow these little guys.. ) Yes chewing this algae bit was definitely not the best moment of the day. So I read a little more.. and I am to swallow them because they do have a distinct taste. ( I learnt the hard way)

So 20 bits in.. its about 4 pm and I should have had a snack by now.. But I'm full. I just took 20 calories of algae that hosts 60% ( give or take) protein. I have filled myself up on 20 calories.. AMAZING! I hit the gym that night and was able to get through my whole workout without dropping the kettle bell at the end in my swings. ( by this time of my work out I have lifted so much weight I want to sleep not swing more!) I was up till 1130 pm that night not an ounce of exhaustion!

In 3 days, yes only 3 days.. I found my increased energy had me going going going! I could get up refreshed in the morning, didn't need pots of coffee! Made it through workouts harder than the week before with less exhaustion and when I slept.. I was rested! I also didn't over eat... in fact I had to make myself eat my fuel to get to my caloric intake!

I was very skeptical about eating algae.. However, I feel like a blob now that my sample has been ingested and am patiently ( not at all actually) waiting for my EnergyBits to arrive!





Jonathan and EnergyBits were so kind to give me a sample and we would like to share such a great product with someone else! If anyone was a skeptic it was me.. and now I sit at my desk with my 3rd cup of coffee.. out of EnergyBits and jonesing for them!

All you have to do to enter into this giveaway is to follow @Energybits and myself  (@adenium11) on twitter and tweet us! Send us a tweet saying you are interested in the giveaway and I will randomly draw someone. You MUST be from North America.

Winner will be announced on Twitter January 31st!

1st Ever Vegetarian Meal

I have decided that with my change in lifestyle sometimes we need to change more then just our food and diet.. Our thinking! SURPRISE! I read the book "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin (http://www.skinnybitch.net/) and started to rethink some of the foods we put into our bodies.

As I grew up on a farm I knew where the beef were raised, how we fed them, what we vaccinated them with and how they were slaughtered. We don't have those options anymore and being ignorant to all of the chemicals and hormones put into stockyards isn't good for our bodies nor our children's! This goes with milk, chicken, eggs and pork. We need to be more aware of the environments our foods being grown and produced in.

I  have decided that I am going to cut back on my dairy and meat intake, and start purchasing local farm raised cuts of meat as well. I have also decided to cut out any type of pop and really pay attention to the sugars I put into my body ( as I sit here drinking my favorite Tim Horton's coffee with half hot chocolate... its a vice I cant give it all up ;) )

Last night I made a Meatless Taco salad ( inspired by @inkdgirl55 on twitter and you can find her blog here http://shrinkinginkdgirl.com/ - she's living in a plant based very athletic lifestyle after a struggle with her weight)

So here is the very first Veggie Ground Round I have ever eaten... 

 

 

 

 

I sauteed up some onions and green peppers along with some garlic to add into the ground.

 

 

 

 

Once the veggies were soft I added 1/2 of the veggie ground and 3 tsps of taco spices. It cooks up really quick which is great for a quick salad when you are short on time but want to eat healthy.

 

 

 

 

The choices at Safeway for All Natural or organic salad dressing is quite slim. I used to eat all the "low fat - no sugar" types but once I realized what aspartame did to a body... That's no longer something I would enjoy putting into my mouth. This dressing was quite tangy but very full of flavour which when eating such types of food... I know we assume it won't taste like anything.

 

 

FINISHED MEAL

 

 

 

I threw on some yellow corn taco chips along with some cheddar cheese. Topped with some dressing and meal was complete!

 

All in all the taste was good.. texture wasn't to different from ground beef itself. There is a bit of a "beany" taste to the ground, obviously its from soy beans but you do notice it. I think when I use the rest of the product I will put it in a dish that simmers longer.

 

 

 

 

I would give this taco salad a 7 out of 10. I LOVE Taco Salads and I could eat this more often than I did before. I think next time I will marinate the Veggie ground with the spices longer and add some flavoured taco chips or pita chips like Stacy's!

 

 

 

Hope the New Year is so far wonderful for you !

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



2013 Goals

I have never written down my goals for the following year before and its about time I do this!

 

In September I declared I wanted to commit to the following:

 

- Meal plan

- Fitness Plan

- Burn the fat - lose 50 lbs or get to a size 12

- Run a 10 km by May 2013

 

Well .. I am slowly working at these. Tailoring as I go and working within my lifestyle which as a busy mom and wife .. is CRAZY hard!

 

 

Currently I am hitting the gym again ( took a sabbatical with the crazy life we were leading in November/December which shouldn't have ever happened) 2x a week. I have changed up my workout plan for the off season to keep me going with weight loss but not directly working at the 10 km at the moment. I am running once a week but not pressuring myself with this cold.

 

For 2013 I plan on :

 

- continuing to eat healthy , clean and work towards getting fit, trim and into that size 12

- Run a 10 km race!

- Drop my 5 km time below 40 minutes

- be happy in a bathing suit while on holidays with my family!

- treat myself to a tattoo... to assist my mourning of my grandfather..almost 6 years and I cannot figure this out yet. For someone who is a problems solver this is hard.

- BE HAPPY!

 

 

Best wishes to all of you in the New Year with all of your goals! Don't set yourself up with hills you can vault over.. nor mountains to high to climb.. find the balance of achieving and understanding you may not get there but the mountain is low enough to climb most of the way up!

 

 

Happy New Years! 

Fitness Apps/Sites - Motivating?!

As we all know.. the bandwagons have continued into the mobile and social networking worlds for fitness, diet and nutrition. Well because I've tried everything on earth it seems I thought a blog about my experiences would be a good idea!

Fitocracy (www.fitocracy.com)

This site also has a mobile app for iPhones and iPads. The best part of this app is you can see your progress from your last work out and see your personal records at the touch of a button. I also enjoy being able to see what my work out last time was and being able to log my work out while at the gym.

Motivating aspects:
- you get points for each exercises, the social networking aspect is very motivating ( props from other members, forums) and for those of us who like success you Level up with every so many points.
- you also receive awards for things like - Running 100 miles in your life - lifting a percentage of your body weight.
- lots of supportive forums for all types of things from local to being into tattoos or running!
- very user friendly - posts to facebook and twitter as well if you enjoy those options.

Spark People (www.sparkpeople.com)

Online website with mobile app to upload food and see menus. I didn't like this site as much as I had hoped. It's very full, a lot of forums and user friendly is one thing it isn't. if you have a lot of time on your hands it's a good thing. However, I don't! I like quick easy and a lot of foods to search from over inputting my own. (which is something I had to do often) I did not use this site often it just seemed to overwhelming.

Motivating aspects:
- virtual races! This I loved!! you can sign up in a specific forum where weekly you can sign  up to run or walk 5 km on your own then track your time. I only did this for two weeks but I thought it was a really cool feature.

My Fitness Pal (www.myfitnesspal.com)

I saw a lot of posting on Twitter about this app from numerous tweeps. One of the Fitness centres also recommends their clients us it here as well, I assume so they can assist with motivation by looking at clients daily diaries. Which is a great idea!
I loaded it on my iPhone and the user friendliness of this app is through the roof! I wasn't tracking my food because I often forget and get stressed/pressured when I count calories. However, this app doesn't seem to make me feel that way. It syncs automatically online, so if I load my meals from the laptop it immediately shows up on my phone. The best part of the App.. it houses all the local grocery store foods I eat! EASY PEASY!!

Motivating Aspects:
- online forums to discuss all different types of things - running, motivation, workouts, being a mommy etc.
- you add friends ( I'm still new and cant figure out how to add people or find people I know) but you can converse with people via inbox messages, post statuses. All of these are very motivating to keep yourself going and remembering to check in.
- the food log is fantastic! LOVE This ! Best food log I have ever used! Lots of local grocery store brands on there and just very user friendly.

Nike + Running App  (http://nikeplus.nike.com/plus/products/gps_app/)

This is my FAVORITE running app! It is very user friendly doesn't require that ridiculous shoe coin that if you don't have Nike runners is a pain in the foot literally. The GPS on here is wonderful! I love being able to see my fastest points of my run and the length of it all. It also tracks how many kms/miles you've put on in total for runs, how many you have put on your current shoes and your fastest miles. It also syncs music for you and allows you to have a "power song" which is great when you start to feel the slow down. There are more abilities to this app and if you're a runner this is the best iPhone running app out there!

Motivating aspects:
- cheer team talks to you when you complete your run or your fastest mile
- tracks where you have gone and how long it takes you on a physical map
- tracks your paces and how that's changed over time.

I could likely talk about a few more app's but these are some of the popular ones that I have fallen upon. I am sure I have used others but I don't have an attention span for things that aren't user friendly or motivating!

Hope this serves you well!