Day 16...Squash those calories!

Like the header "squash those calories!" that was my husbands line! I'm on the Squash band wagon now, no more pasta.  So yummy, low in calories, lots of fibre and allot of vitamins.  This is a picture of my dinner, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes and pork satay.  The sweet potatoes are just boiled with some parsnips as well, then mashed with a little chicken broth, dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.  You can Google 100's of recipes for spaghetti squash, so take a moment find one you like and try it out.  Note, one squash yields about 6 cups.  So this week try something new, roast some beets, try cauliflower mashed potatoes with a bit of parmigiana cheese sprinkled on top, see if the family even notices or stir fry with Spinach or Kale.  Mix it up, you can't keep eating the same thing!  let me know what you come up with!

Day 15...it's all about the pull up!

AHHHhhhh the Pull Up...I have a love hate relationship with it.  I love the feeling of accomplishment afterwards, and one should as this is a hard exercise.  I find that if I stick to it during the work out, give myself a number, like 50 reps and work through it, towards the end I get into my groove and actually get stronger.  What I hate about Pull Ups, is that I always feel mangled the day after, complete exhaustion in my shoulders.  Don't be confused, it's not pain I feel, just kicks my butt for a couple of days if it's a high rep work out. So this week as I promised lol, we are focusing on YOUR pull up!  No matter how you get up there, a jump, a band or me giving you a little lift, were gonna do this!  We ROCKED the push ups last week, you all did amazing and everyone increased their 1 Rep Max.  So when you come in early, get practising on the pull up bar and keep up with the push ups at home, that will help you with your Pull Ups. Let's get to work!

Day 14...Look whats put in your food!

Ok I'm going to say it, cover your ears if you can't handle it!  I got like the longest lingering period ever this month, one day here, then gone tomorrow, then back again, enough ALREADY. So the point to my bodily functions is that I was cruising the cupboards last night "big time" I must of ate half my Mom's lemon loaf. Somehow I figured if I ate it in little slices here and there, it wouldn't end up on my ass!  Then desperate for chocolate, I had to happily resort to spoons of peanut butter with chocolate chips sprinkled on top...several times.  Then some fish crackers, and a yogurt.  I'm sure there was more.  My point is, is that we ALL have bad days where our diets suck, so back at it today and eating clean.  My Mom was here this weekend, experimenting with some yummy recipes which I will post this week. She came up with a heathier granola bar, only 8 ingredients in it, below is a comparison with a store bought granola bar with 52 ingredients in it!
 YES 52 ...CRAZY!!!

Here it is: 1/2 cup no sugar added apple sauce, 2 mashed bananas,
 1/4 cup Sunflower oil, 1 cup chopped dates, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/3 cup unsweetened fine coconut, 1/2 cup w/w flour, 1 1/2 cups rolled oats.
Mix all together in a bowl. Bake at 350 degrees for 40mins.
NOTE. we doubled our recipe in the picture at the top.  Also in the future I would substitute the raisins for cranberries, to cut back on sugar.
Calories for home made is 116 per square as cut in 12 pieces, the store bought is 140cal. per bar.

Day 12...Step outside!

Ok the sun might not be around for long, so get your butt outside, and get a tan on your face.  Go exploring, be creative, you know enough moves so make up your own work out, and have some fun with it!

Day 11...Tabata

Well now you all know what I'm talking about when I say it's " Tabata Time".  Yes this was a rude awakening to your legs but wasn't it AWESOME! I love Tabata-ing anything and so will you after I'm done with you.  We've conquered the Squat this week, next week were taking on the push up!  Everyone has improved so much on their push ups and pull ups this week, you are all amazing! I can't wait for 9 weeks from now, to see how much you will all progress. So just a reminder, during warm up, check your push up number on the board and keep increasing that number.  I will wipe the board clean next week, so write down your number in your journals so you can track your progress.  Also, I went up to Mill Hill park today, what a great spot for a work out...so I'm thinking, were going to need a "field trip" soon to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine.

Day 10...Paleo time!

OK so I'm pretty excited, first of all, some of you are noticing changes starting to happen in your body, small they might be but you are starting to see what your hard work can do for you.  You're also realizing some of your bad habits, late night eating or snacking.  I'm also seeing an improvement in your work outs, the 6am-ers rocked their push up number this morning, that was pretty awesome!   So let's continue our goal for this week, each day choose something to give up, write it down, and move on to the next.  Below is a link to an awesome Paleo website, info about what Paleo is, and loads of recieps.  So I want to slowly start introducing this to you. When I was working out last year, we had a Paleo contest for 6 weeks, yes is was hard!  But I leaned out after about 3 weeks, and my work outs hugely improved.  No more stomach issues, slept well and had more energy through out the day, no mid day crash. Read up on this...there may be a quiz at the end !
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-diet-recipes/

Day 9 - Dr. Terry Wahls - Minding Your Mitochondria

Day 8...It's all Greek to me.

I wanted to focus on Protein and explain that some sources of protein maybe higher in some foods, but the " quality" of the protein is not as good.  For example, Wild Salmon vs. Farmed Salmon, don't kid yourself here, there is a BIG difference in this one.  Farmed Salmon are cheaply fed, therefore their flesh does not yield (the same amount of) the nutrient Omega-3 that the Wild Salmon is rich in.  Another is Organic Chicken and Grass fed Beef. These both rain supreme! Organic chicken is high in EFA's(essential fatty acids...the good fats),frozen is not.  Grass fed Beef is rich in fatty acids, it's cleaner and healthier and more nutritiously dense.  I'm going to keep it simple cause we could go on forever on this topic.  You will pay more for high quality foods and yes I understand it's a balancing act, having myself to feed a family of 5. We have to meet somewhere in the middle to keep it affordable.  Last but not least, the battle of the yogurts...Greek vs. the Chemical flavors.  Well, Greek yogurt has 2 ingredients, skim milk and bacterial culture, and I counted 19 in the other!  Greek yogurt has 2g of sugar and a wopping 18g protein!  The other has 18g sugar and 7g protein.  The rest... fats, calories, carbs, are very close and this is based on the same serving size of 3/4 cup.  So we are trying to go for quality the best we can, hope this helps you to make a better choice.

Day 7...Sleep in!

Best Day ever...got to sleep in til 9:30am!  Life is good.  So we did it, got through week one, eight to go.  So yesterday, my goal was to be dairy free, no cheese, yogurt, ice cream(Skinny Cow)ect...I did go back and forth to the fridge once or twice wanting some cheese, but all was good.  Why did I do this, to make myself aware of how much I eat and if I cut it out of my diet, would I really miss it.  My experience is that if you go "cold turkey" it's too much too soon, you feel like your giving everything up.  So your goal for this week is to choose one thing and give it up for a day.  The next day reflect in your journal, was it that big of a deal or were you counting the hours for the day to end.  Try to figure out if you eat the food cause your board, or is it a habit like putting cream and sugar in your coffee.  If you can identify this, then it's easier to reconize your behavour and then you can change it.  So tomorrow or Tuesday I want to know what your giving up, today it's chocolate for me!

Day 5...Work out #1

                                           
Need to get some extra work outs in?  Go check out my Youtube Channel.
http://www.youtube.com/user/melaniesleeder  (tap for link)

Day 4...going Crackers!

Wow, the snow has finally stopped so we can get back at it!  My sister in law, Lara uses this website, http://www.snack-girl.com  There are allot of awesome recipes on it, so she sent this to me today to give it a go!  Above is what you need...

This is what it should look like in your food processor...add water slowly.

Here it's suppose to roll out to fit onto a cooking sheet...mine not so pretty!  Sprinkle with favorite topping, I used Parmesan cheese.

Out of the oven and cut right away.

The recipe says you should get 24 pieces and the calories etc...are based on that but I got 38 pieces.

Whole Wheat Cracker Recipe

(makes 24)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or dust with all-purpose flour. Put all the ingredients except the water into a food processor and pulse until combined. If you don't own a food processor, mix the ingredients by hand in a bowl until little balls form.

Add the water and keep running the machine (or mixing in a bowl) until the mixture forms a ball (add a teaspoon of water at a time until you have a dough ball). Dust your counter with flour and roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to the baking sheet, add any additional spices, and cut into 24 pieces. A pizza cutter is a very helpful tool for cutting the dough.

Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Store in a container at room temperature for a few days (if they last that long).

For one cracker = 37 calories, 2.1 g fat, 4.0 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g protein, 0 g fiber, 57 mg sodium, 1 PointsPlus

OK so this was one of my substitues for finding a healthier alternative for a snack I enjoy.

NOTE...whatever you choose to sprinkle on top add a little more, otherwise it will tend to taste a bit doughy...I added 1 tblsp of lemon juice, subbed it in for the water, I could have totally added more and then added a little sprinkle of sugar ;)

Day 3...still snow = lazy day for moi!

Oh how this weather can either make you get 100 things done around the house or be lazy, that was me!  It's hard doing nothing all day long, lol, some would love this, but it drives me nuts having nothing to do, it actually makes me more tired...I had a 2 hour nap today! Sorry I had to cancel all classes today, just not safe enough for driving.  What I thought was awesome, was most of you were all trying your best to get here cause you wanted to work out so bad,or were going stir crazy at your house cause of school closures, either way, I LOVE THIS, you are excited to work out and best of all, you are "craving" your work outs! I had a talk with Mother Nature, and said, "hey, we got a Boot Camp Contest going here and my girls need to get their work out ON! so enough with the snow already, or I'll make you do 10 Burpees!"  Here's to drivable roads tomorrow...

Day 2...Holly snow BatMan!

Wow, that is a pile of snow out there!  Good on you, last night's and this morning's Boot Campers for braving the snow to get your work out in! So some things to work on today, spend 10mins. finding 5 healthy snacks...get creative, try something new so you don't get board.  Keep track of your water intake...are you drinking enough?  And since the Boot Camp is only 2 x week, you need to figure out what your going to do the rest of the week.  You want to get in at least 2 more work outs...if that seems too much right now, get in more day, and stick with 3 days a week for the next 2 weeks, then increase to 4 x week.  Let's remember that those work outs can be 30-40 mins of cardio.  When doing cardio, break it up, do intervals, 10mins. on the treadmill / 10 min. Eliptical / 10mins. bike or run or row, as long as you are mixing it up, your burning more calories cause your body has to work harder to adapt.  As well you won't get board, most important! OR if your doing weights, it doesn't have to be an hour...try 5 min. warm up(cardio) choose 12 exercise.  You will run 1min. then do exercise #1 for 1 min./ run 1 min. do exercise #2 for 1 min....ect.  then include 5 min. cool down.  You can also check out my Youtube Channel, and do the work outs off of there...no dumbells at home, use soup cans! Do your home work cause I will be asking you questions, if you don't have the answer, you just got yourself 15 BURPEES!


Here is the yummy Protein Bar recipe I made for you today...
4 cups raw oats / 2 scopes protein powder / 1 cup skim milk powder (optional)/
1 tblsp. cinnamon / 5 tblsp egg whites / 2 tsp vanilla / 2 bananas / 1/4 cup oj juice (any juice) / 1/2 cups apple sauce (sugar free) / 1/4 honey / 1/4 cup dried cranberrys and 1/4 cup dark choc. chips.
Mix all wet ingredients, then add dry.  use baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 18mins. then flip upside down onto cooling rack, parchment paper should just easily peel off.  Let cool, should make 12 bars.

Nutritional values...per bar.
230 calories / 13.1g Protein / 22.7g Carbs / 4.5g Fibre / 21.5g Sugar / 3.9g Fat.

Day 1...good morning!

Good morning Boot Campers!  Welcome to day 1.  So I have some tasks for you to work on today.  One of today's goals is too change a "bad" habit.  ie, sitting at your desk for lunch, be prepared, pack an umbrella or boots and go for a walk when you have a break, you will feel re energized and focused after some fresh air.  Also make a list of some of your favourite foods, your " go to foods" ie pizza, cookies, ice cream, and find a healthier alternative.  OK so I love my International Delight creamer in my coffee, I will switch to Almond milk or a sugar free syrup.  We don't have to try to climb the mountain all in one day...instead, try to make some small changes this week and feel good about it!  Keep track in your food journals as I will be quizzing you! If you are a slacker and don't do it....be prepared to do BURPEES when you get to my gym!

Ok so here is my "better" choice instead of my coffee creamer.  Starbucks has all kinds of flavours that are sugar free! 1 pump is all you need, enjoy.

Weekends are for friends

.AHhhhhh the weekend! Time to take a slower breath, have a nap, or spend some quality time with your friends.  There is no such thing as balance in our lives, unless you won the lottery!  Maybe one day goes smooth but you know tomorrow is going to be crazy, that's life with kids and our jobs. I went and had breakfast with a friend this morning, it was so nice to chill out and catch up and not talk about the kids, OK maybe a little.  Afterwards I was relaxed and feeling happy!  As the contest begins on Monday, tell your friends what your up to, they can be the greatest support systems especially in the beginning when things are tough, they will encourage you to stick with it.  Who knows you may end up inspiring them to take on a fitness challenge of their own! So next time you see one of your friends, give them a hug and tell them, thanks!... for just being there and being themselves.

Pumped UP!

Ok I have to say I'm getting pumped up for the contest, we are less than 3 days out to start date, Monday 16th, whaaahoooo! Have you thought about what it's going to take, mentally?  I was out today with a friend, at John's Resteraunt, in Victoria, mmmmm home made cooking.  I soooo wanted the jumbo pieces of pie in the front window case, but instead I stood strong and thought about my goals and ended up with the warm spinach salad, it was awesome as well.  Are you  ready to make the right decision, a better choice so you can reach your goal.  You better be ready to " suck it up Buttercup" cause each day your going to have to listen to the noise in your head, figure out how to shut it off and focus on what you really want.   Don't be fooled by indulging here and there, these 9 weeks will creep up fast.  Be strong, cause everyday that you are, you will be rewarded.  You'll have more energy and feel better about yourself, let's get ready to ROCK THIS!!!

Socks, awesome find!

OK we are half way through the trial week of Boot Camp, you should have a good  idea of what you're in for by now.  Hopefully you have been eating better and mentally getting yourself ready for the start date on Monday 16th.  Remember Sunday 15th at 6pm is the info / Nutrition.  If you can't make it, take some time this weekend to get yourself prepared food wise, work outs on calender and get your week organized, write everything down.  I had an awesome find at Walmart, their work out socks ROCK, I love them, you get 20 ankle socks for 10 bucks!  who cares if the dryer eats one at that price! they are dryfit material, stay in place, and my feet didn't sweat...so I have a pair for you all!

We can have it all!

I was feeling like I needed something sweet, my sister in law, Lara, lives for the "Skinny Cow" ice cream treats.  They are soooo yummy, Mel Tested...gotta do it for the cause! lol And super low calories, fat and all that fine print.  So, we can have it all...once in awhile. I'm not saying you get desert every night, but when you choose to treat yourself, do it guilt free with a Skinny Cow, lots of other great flavours as well.  Note to self, you will have to hide them in the back of the freezer so your husband and kids don't find them!

Power Balls!

mmmmm I made Tosac Reno's Power Balls today, I handed them out to the evening Boot Campers ( sorry morning and afternoon crew, I have some waiting for you) after their work out, they were a great post workout snack. Note to self, use a large food processor, I tried to get away with using my mini one, what a mess and not powerful enough.  Tried my super blender, just ground the bottom up and an even bigger mess...OK so I was too lazy to walk downstairs and get it out of storage, finally I did, and boom it was done just like that! Here's the recipe,
3/4 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flaxseed
4 plain brown rice cakes 
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup almond butter, slightly warmed

MIX altogether in BIG food processor, scope out about tblsp size, roll into ball, then roll into sesame seeds.  I ended up with 27 balls, the recipe yields 24.
Nutritional value per ball: 121 cal. / protein 3g / carbs 14g / fat 7g / fiber 3g

The Journey-No Short Cuts!

I'm often asked by clients to create a "miracle" for them.  They want the magic potion or some crazy extreme diet that will allow them to drop 10 lbs. in one week for some special event.  It's not going to happen! There are NO quick fixes!  You know why the quick fix doesn't work or last, because it's all about the journey.  When you take the short cut, it ends up being the longest route. In the journey, you learn how your body works and you learn RESPECT for yourself and understand just how hard it is everyday to stay on track.  You fight hard everyday, just to eat right and get a work out in and do whatever else you have to do in that day.  These ups and downs are what make you. They teach you to push yourself just a " little more".  And each day you get closer to your goal.  The EXPERIENCE is what is key.  When you take the short cut, you miss out on the experience and the feeling of emotions it gives you, this is what drives you.  Without having experienced this part of the journey, you reach the goal but it's an empty feeling, there's nothing to look back on, no emotion or feeling attached.  The end result is not such a big deal now because you didn't earn it.  When you struggle everyday and reach your goal, at the end you can appreciate how hard you had to work for it.  It's here in this moment that you realize it was all about the journey and not the goal. It's the challenge during this experience which drives us, NOT the end result. 

Laziness left me with Pizza!

So this was pretty much me today, ate great all day long, not organized for super, left it up to my husband, thinking I'd get a healthy meal for dinner, nope! The reality was he was tired and so was I.  Nobody wanted to put any effort into it and we ended up with pizza.  I felt grouse afterwards, super thirsty, probably from all the sodium in the pizza.  I know what works for me, I have to work out in the morning otherwise the day slips away.  I have to plan my meals out i.e. do up a shopping list for the week, get the food, prep it and pre make whatever, so it's good to go.  I also have to have my day planed out first thing in the morning so I can get everything done without wasting my day.  Even though I KNOW better, I still have my lazy days too! I'm consistent with working out and eating well and that is the key! Everything in MODERATION!

Curious about my day?

Well I was thinking, since the contest(Mel's Resolution Boot Camp) is coming close, 11 days away, I'd give you an idea of what I eat and do for exercise...hopefully this will motivate you, and give you an idea of what to look forward to. Check back later today as I will update the Blog through out the day. Up this morning at 7am, coffee of course and banana.
8:30am work out: I did 12 exercises for a minute each/ 10sec. rest...did this twice. total 24mins. 5 min. warm up/ cool down.
Work out was all out as fast as you can go and as many reps as possible! 
1 Superman push ups / 2 elevated push ups ( note push ups are chest to floor...yes YOU will be doing chest to floor as well) 3 Squats ovhd press / 4 Clean & Press w. 3 jump squats / 5 Reverse Pull ups / 6 Side jump Burpee w. 2 knee to elbow into tuck jump, other side / 7 Front around the world lunges / 8 Ball push up w. burpee, alt.knees up /9 Dips off rings / 10 weighted full sit ups / 11 Squats w. around the world ovrhd press 12/ run...and I added some pull ups at the end.

OK, so don't freak out, this will not be your work out, but all these exercise can be modified to any level, that is the great thing about Boot Camp and having all different fitness levels.  Everyone starts at a different fitness level, you may be strong in the legs and weak in the upper body, the person beside you may be a beginner or advanced, it doesn't matter,were all there to cheer each other on and push ourselves out of our comfort zones.
9:30am Breakfast: 1/2 cup of oat meal, 1 tblsp flax seed and wheat germ and 1/2 apple shredded into bowl, topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Added water and microwaved 45 sec.  I also ate the other half of the apple and...the last tiny piece of peanut brittle, I know B.A.D! see u at lunch.

Enough with the rain already!!! 11:45am Snack: almost had a cookie but instead a big bowl of mixed raw veggies and about 2tblsp. humus.  Lunch 2:00pm: half a w/w chicken quesidilla, full of peppers and onions.  2 oz. cheese, 1 tblsp. Bar B Q sauce was spread all over the wraps.  Then baked in the oven.  I only ate half of this and saved the rest for tomorrow's lunch.  I also had a spinach salad topped w. half orange pieces and a couple of walnuts, dressing was just 1 tblsp. Balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner 6:30pm: I was starving, doing reno's all day, I was a hungry momma!  Dinner was pretty awesome, we had fresh made burgers with smoked bacon from the Red Barn store, mmmmm highly addictive.  I had it with a w/w bun with a tiny bit of relish and mayo, these burgers don't really need anything.  I had a piece of cheese on the burger til my son stole it.  And there was a stuff potatoe as well, but I had 3 bits and passed it to my husband because the burgers are so filling.  I drink about 4 large glasses of water and 2 cups of herbal tea, ready for bed! see you tomorrow!  

Opportunity creates Inspiration!

This is how my brain feels right now, on fire and racing faster than the speed of light.  Opportunity is all around us, but sometimes we miss it because of fear, fear of failure.  My day was not going so well, by the end of it I was done.  l could have at that point, crawled into bed and hid.  But nope, I had an appointment and thought I would bomb at this as well.  The thought of canceling occurred because of the mood I let myself get into.  My husband reminded me that sometimes just "showing up" is all I need to do and who knows what could happen, so get my butt in gear and get going.  Well not only did Opportunity come knocking, the door flew off! I spent 2 hours, brain storming and listening to Andre the Marketing Genius giving me ideas on my business.  When I left, my brain was on fire, full of ideas, ready to go. Look out Victoria, here comes Follow the Leeder in Personal Training!  Thanks again Teresa and Andre!

The Road to Hell is Paved...

This is one of my favourite quotes, I first saw it on a Nike running ad, this guy is running up a super steep mountain side and it says, " the road to hell is paved" this is sooooo true!  I love this because anything worth doing is always hard, if it was easy, we wouldn't enjoy it as much.  It is here, in the journey that we learn so much about ourselves.  Every time we set a goal and accomplish it, we become stronger mentally and physically.  Yes, some days are allot harder than others, on those days, I have to dig deep and do allot of self positive talk, really I do!  But on the good days, it's amazing what one can accomplish.  So to my Boot Campers this morning, you ROCK, way to start off the New Year with determination and fire!