Sunday, July 31, 2011

Turkey Burger with Lettuce Wrap - Recipe

If your looking for a healthy recipe for making a delicious burger, here it is. I made these last night and they were quite good if I do say so myself. The prep time requires a little elbow grease and patience, but with a few tunes made for a really relaxing Saturday night.

Things you will need:

1 large carrot
Lettuce
Spinach
Black beans (or any additional types you'd like to use to add)
Lean ground turkey breast (important to get the breast so that your not getting filler)
1 egg

This recipe makes 4 large patties.

Prep:

First you will want to peel the carrot and then use a cheese grater to shred the carrot into little slices. You want to use about 1/2 cup total. Put the carrot into a large bowl.

Next, measure 1/2 cup beans and put them onto a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut the beans until they become almost mushy but you don't want to puree them but you could if you have a Magic Bullet or Blender and want that kind of texture.  Add the beans to the carrots.

You will repeat this step with the spinach. To measure I just took a large hand full of spinach and put it on the cutting board and used a sharp knife to cut the spinach up into small pieces. Once the spinach is extremely fine (texture up to you), add it to the carrot and bean mixture.

Now that you have your main ingredients add 1 egg to the mixture and one package of lean ground turkey. Use your hands to mix the ingredients up.

Once you have all the ingredients mixed together, head to your spice cupboard and pick spices to add. I used Paprika, Ground Ginger and a little Herbes de Provence.  I used a little too much Provence in mine or it wasn't mixed well enough because some patties had more flavour than others.

The trick part is making the patties. Take a round cookie cutter or Tupper Wear container and line it with a piece of saran wrap.  Take a handful of the mixture and fill the cookie cutter until it is around 1 cm. The thicker the pattie the longer you will have to cook it for. Personally, I put the patties in the oven for 5 minutes before I put them on the BBQ.

While you are making the patties, turn the oven on to 350 and line a cookie sheet with Tinfoil and spray it with a little Pam so that the patties don't stick. Place the patties one by one onto the cookie sheet. Once the oven is up to temperature pop them into the oven. While the patties are baking turn the BBQ on and get it up to temperature.

Once the the patties are done in the oven, I placed them on the BBQ (around 300 at temperature) for 5 minutes each side to get some nice grill marks and to ensure the turkey is cooked.

Since I didn't want to use a bun I made a lettuce wrap for my burg.  Add avocado, mustard and a little pepper as needed and enjoy!

Let me know what you thought of this recipe and if it was easy to follow!

Yours in health and fitness,

Nic xoxo

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Make Time. Not excuses.

So my road trip began early yesterday morning. I was up at 6 am, picked up my rental (Snowflake - a white Mazda 3), hit the show room to stock my ride and en route to Kamloops I was. After a long drive and a much needed pit stop in Merritt, I arrived.  I got right to work and visited my first few accounts, I even stopped in Chilliwack at 9:30 on the dot for the mall opening hours and did a product knowledge session with Shoe Warehouse. After working back to back accounts, I decided to wrap it up around 5:30 and go find a hotel. After calling around I found my nest and unpacked. I promised myself a workout at a Gold's Gym I scoped out before I made dinner with my pre-packed chicken.

I got to the gym and was surrounded by some fine looking peeps. It was like I had walked into a Hollister clothing casting call with a bunch of male models. I started with my cardio and moved on to do legs and shoulders. My legs are so sore today which was expected considering I haven't seen the inside of an acutal gym consecutively in 3 or so weeks...After my workout I headed back to my hotel for some much needed food and wrapped up some work and went to bed.

My alarm went off at 6 am this morning so that I could get back to the gym and do my cardio and a little bit of weights before I hit the road for Salmon Arm, Vernon and Kelowna where I am currently staying. I arrived at this gym around 6:30 and got my 45 minutes of cardio underway. It took me almost 15 minutes for my legs, more specifically my hams to warm up because they were still tight from the day before. I had planned on doing cardio tonight as well but my body was tired and sore so I made a good dinner and plan on getting up and hitting the World Gym here in Kelowna early tomorrow morning. After my workout I went to Cora's for breakfast and I wasn't as impressed as I have been in my previous visits to other locations and find it over priced for what you get. Tomorrow I am treating myself to White Spot breakfast after my workout. All I want are some eggs and fruit!

The best part of my trip is my sweet new cooler. Its mint! The worst part is driving past "Homemade Fresh Fruit Pie" signs every 5 km's. If you know me, you know how much I love my pie. So yummy. Every time I'd pass the exit, I'd close my eyes so that I would veer off course. Ironically enough that has two meanings. My cooler I picked up before I left at Canadian Tire so it could hold all my pre-cooked chicken and asparagus. It plugs into the cigarette lighter and had an attachment so you can pull it into the wall = money.

My food so far this trip has been good. I felt really prepared and I have gotten pretty creative. I've stopped at Save On or Wal Mart and picked up a bag of salad and then cut up some of the avocado I brought and a piece of chicken and it makes a pretty good salad. I've also had rice cakes with peanut butter, rice cakes with hummus, apple and peanut butter etc. The norm for me and if I can make food in the car, anything is possible...aka - making your lunch and taking it to work.

The trip has been really good but finding a hotel that's under $120 is hard, but I'm responsible and so I've taken one for the team and decided to stay at the Super 8 tonight in Kelowna and will probably be here tomorrow night too. It doesn't have a gym, but the staff are awesome and it has a full continental breakfast. I actually got their last room but the downside is that it's next to the highway, a construction site (I'll be up early - motivation to go to the gym and my room is on ground level so I hear everything. Anyways, I'm pretty pooped so I'm sure I'll pass out when my head hits the pillow.

Anyways, I have an early date with the gym. Do you?

Oh! And one last thing. I saw a great sign at the gym and it read "Make Time. Not Excuses" Sleep on that one. :)

Yours in health and fitness,

Nic Out.

Deadlifts were what the doctor ordered.

It's exactly what I needed, an early morning workout to get my mind back on track. I got up this morning (Sunday) made my regular meal plan breakfast and left for the gym. I focussed on weights today since I would have the whole week to do cardio. I did back and cheat today and warmed up with a set of deadlifts and I feel like that's what the doctor ordered. A switch went off in my body and mind and I am ready to ease back into training.

The one thing I am worried about right now is this annoying pain I've had in my left shoulder for almost 3 weeks now. Another thing is that I'm on the hunt for a new trainer. I can gp back to my original trainer, Pepe or try someone new. The only reason I want a trainer is for a weekly ass kicking, the rest I am confident I can do on my own. I'm excited to get back on the road because it's a challenge and I'm always up for a challenge. The challenge will be finding gyms and making time to train or do cardio everyday while I'm gone. I prepped all my food for the week and just need to weigh it into baggies.

Thats all for now, yours in health and fitness.

Nic xoxo

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Road-wich anyone...

I made on of the best sandwiches, now coined *roadwiches* this past week during my travels on the island. My cousin, Gemma is working at a bakery in Campbell River and gave me a delicious olive loaf and that combined with some ingredients in my handy dandy cooler equals a delicious chicken avocado sandwich.  I literally made this roadwich* on the hood of my car.

My trip to the Island was a very successful work trip. I covered a lot of territory in the week that I was there and for that I would give myself a 9 out of 10. With regards to my food, I would give myself a 3. I packed food and eat really well the first few days until I passed Pink Sugar on Fort St. in Victoria were they make dairy free cupcakes aka. my Kyrptonite and I paid 16.95 for half a dozen cupcakes.

I had an Elvis cupcake for lunch that day. Banana cake with peanut butter frosting rolled in peanuts. Can you see what I mean about being a bad example. Later that night Jessica, her mom Laura and I polished off the other 5 cupcakes as we cut them into quarters. They were delicious to say the least. Check them out if your in Victoria, http://www.pinksugarcupcakery.com/. They make the worlds best CUPCAKES!

In terms of workouts, I would give myself a 3 as well. All the hotels I stayed at had "gyms" which I think should be call treadmill rooms because that's all they'd have in there and some had a random set of weights. This is really no excuse because I could easily Google map a gym close to my hotel and get up an hour earlier and go. Note to self: find a gym this next trip and use it - remember the skinny shorts! When I got home on Saturday I went to bed at 9 and slept for a solid 12 hours. I was exhausted to say the least.
After resting up, unpacking, paying bills, catching up on work and cleaning my apartment I got on my bike and went for a very, very long bike ride. Unfortunately that didn't do the trick and I am still waddling in my "skinny shorts." I'm not worried about this because I have a goal and I am going to work really hard over the next few weeks to get back into a groove so that I am prepared for when training starts August 15th.

In addition to my roadwich* I managed to make a meal salad in my car with a few things from Safeway. A blueberry, avocado, chicken salad. Having pre-cooked chicken makes a huge difference when yo
ur on the road. You don't even have to think about what your going to eat you just think of how your going to make it.

Speaking of eating healthy, my mom just made a fresh blackberry crisp.....crap!  Temptations suck.

Yours in health (ish) and fitness (kind of)...lol

Nic xoxo



My pants are getting tighter....F#$@

O
kay, so I understand that I haven’t been to the gym for 2 plus weeks because I have been working 24/7 but that is still no excuse. I went to put on my “skinny shorts” that I’ve kept for five years and finally fit into again. Actually, I not only fit into them but I was swimming in them. I went to put them on for the first time today and they were...a little snug to say the least. This lit a maybe fire under my ass and so did my scale when I weighed myself and I am not within my maintenance weight.  My game plan is implace as of this moment and I am dead serious that these shorts are going to be a little loose again ASAP!  I am going to be in Vegas in a swimsuit in 10 sleeps but will spend the majority of that time on the road.
Here is my game plan. Stick meal plan, cardio at least 6 times a week (35 minutes) and weights at least 4 times a week. I don’t want to over do it because my training will kick in again on August 15th for my November competition. I am glad this all happened today as I am ready to get back into training mode and have enjoyed some time off and to end my off season, I figure a trip to Vegas will kill my body and definitely put my mind and body back into permanent “go time.”
Being on the road the last two plus weeks has been okay. I was so prepared for Calgary but still I decided to divulge in some treats like any normal person would and when I go out with my friends or family I enjoy ordering a glass of wine and a burger but I really want to commit to make a healthy lifestyle a part of a permanent lifestyle, especially if I want to be a leader or motivation to others.
I have had so many people tell me how I have motivated them to work out or eat healthier and sometimes I feel like a fake. I do enjoy treats within moderation and I was so stick and hard on myself during my last contest prep that it got obsessive to a point where I would binge on food to a point where I would almost make myself sick. I mentioned before that a lot of women end up with eating disorders or self image issues after competing and most people, people that don’t compete, don’t understand the strain that this lifestyle can inflict unless you can find a happy medium and that is my goal for this next competition in November; finding balance.
Begin a fake or a fhonie is not something I want to be for others. I want to inspire others to create and reach their fitness and healthy lifestyle goals and to do this, I need to lead by example 100% of the time, not just when I am in the presence of others. My friend Jessica and I were talking about this with her mom as she had come over to watch my WBFF competition in Vancouver and said how much she was looking forward to the visit because she knew I was super healthy and was shocked when we went to the White Spot the night of the competition and I ordered a burger and friends and devoured it. This really got me thinking to all the wonderful and supportive messages I have gotten from all of you and how they made me feel and I realize that those messages meant the world to me and kept me going when i was have a rough go.
If I want to be a good competitor and lead by example I need to do as I say and not just preach about it. There are options and there always is time. When I was away I read an article about a 50 year old, ultra trail runner who is a mother of 4 and is a full time teacher. She, Anita Oritz, gets up everyday at 3 am to run, leads running groups, works out 3 times a day and works a full time job = inspiration. Looking at my calendar is sometimes daunting because being out of my element and constantly being out of a routine is difficult but if she can do it, so can I. Well, to my own version of her nutty but super inspirations schedule and lifestyle. If I want to make the best out of the situation and be positive I can make routine out of being not in routine. I can find gyms that open early or are open 24 hours a day. I can pack my cooler and make healthy food choices. All the tools I need to succeed I have in my tool kit, I just need to have the will power, motivation and drive to use them.
I can only do so much so I will just take things one day at a time, one meal at a time and one workout at a time. I will succeed!
Here’s to a new start.
Yours in health and fitness,
Nic xox

Monday, July 18, 2011

Needs a workout with a side of sleep....

Must..work...out
It feels like I haven’t worked out in forever even though I’ve constantly been on my feet since last Tuesday, 12 plus hours a day. I brought all my stuff to workout but when the day was done and we didn’t get back to the hotel until midnight, the thought of getting up any earlier to workout was the last thing on my mind. The overall trip was good. I experience my first rodeo and I can’t wait to go back next year. Our sales were a little soft for the amount of energy we put into talking to the people who came by.
Last night was a long day/night. We were there early in the morning and didn’t take much of a break because we were running around the city trying to find boxes to pack up all the extra shoes we didn’t sell. Needless to say we didn’t get back to our hotel until 2 am and then I had to pack so that I could get up to try and get on the 7 am flight. When you are looking at a clock that reads 2:45 AM and are about to set it to 4:45 am, this is not fun. My head hit the pillow and the next thing I knew, my alarm was going off and it was time to do some last minute packing and head to the airport. I called WestJet to see if I could do an “Early Show” but the 7 am was full but I figure since I was up and ready to go that I would try to make the 8 am and I did! Woot woot.
I need to get home so that I can start unpacking and re-packing so that I can leave on the first ferry tomorrow morning for my trip to the island. I’ll be busy meeting with accounts and merchandising some stores and running with some running stores to try and get some new accounts. I am most excited about the running accounts. I have two set up! Hopefully everything goes as planned and that is why it’s nice to be getting home 2.5 hours earlier. The next few weeks are super hectic but I can only take one day at a time and finding time to work out right now seems like an impossible task. Now that I am solo on the road and on my own schedule it’s a little easier to make time to squeeze in a workout early in the morning or later at night.  I won’t have time to pre-cook any chicken unless I do it later tonight but I feel confident that I have lots of healthy choices J
I was feeling kind of crappy about not having time...well, being too tired actually to hit the gym until I read an article that says it takes twice as long to loose muscle as it does to gain muscle. This makes me one happy camper because I love lifting heavy weights and need to get back to the OVAL! Stat! Things won’t really settle until mid-August and then things pick up again the last week of August when it’s that time of the year again – Shoe Selling Season. I have the Vancouver Show, the Saskatchewan Show and the Edmonton Show which is almost 3 weeks on the road and then it’s time to start prepping for the Sandra Wickam classic that will take place in New Westminster.
My plane is loading shortly and I am going to sleep little baby and snore like an old man and I need to finish my Starbucks perfect oatmeal.
Have a great day everyone, yours in Health and Fitness (minus the deep fried pop tart)
Nic xoxo

Friday, July 15, 2011

Poptart World...

Well, its Friday morning of the Stampede and I don't think exhausted is even a word to describe how I'm feeling. Just three more days...I am having a blast here but the mornings and early evenings are a little rough but once the day gets going you forget how tired you are. The Stampede is amazing and if you've never been you need to go. Don't go if your on a diet because you are going to want to try everything, including Double Smoked Bacon on a Stick. It's the best 2.00 I've ever spent.

In addition to Bacon on a Stick they have deep fried everything such as pickles (Jersey Shore), cheese, Oreos, Mars Bars, Poptarts (apparently there is a place in New York called - Poptart World which is on my list of places to check out), pulled pork sandwiches the list goes on  and on and everything looks tempting but after a few days you only want to eat salad. Last night we went to the Keg for dinner and had steak and veggies which gave both Lindsay and I a start kick and we sold a tonne of shoes. We are planning a second trip to the Keg tonight after we go to the Rodeo. It is my first one so I am really excited.

My food has been okay. I've been packing my cooler and have a good breakfast in the morning at the hotel and a good dinner in the evening but I've been testing out a few of the Stampede's snacks. Come on, did you really think I was going to pass up a mini donuts....everything in moderation. I've been drinking lots of water and green tea through out the day to help keep myself hydrated beacuse the booth is inside and the air circulation isn't the best. Since i've been here I went to the gym twice. Once at 11:30 pm on Tuesday night and once Thursday morning. When you're walking around for 12 - 13 hours a day and standing most of that when your not walking is tiring and I figure my metabolism is high and I don't want to kill myself. The worst this is over doing it and making yourself sick and I know my body well enough that it needed rest today. I know I have a shoot coming up but I've been eating well and I feel confident that I'll be find with where I'm at.

I've had some time to look around at the Stampede as well and I think I'm in heaven and plan on coming back next year for sure. Beside the hot cow boys and country music 24/7, everyone is super friendly, the live music is awesome and the fair just has a great vibe. I would recommend the Stampede to anyone.

Time for breakfast but I just wanted to holler at my follwers this morning. Have a great day.

Yours in health and fitness,

Nic xo

Have cooler, will travel.

*Pretend it’s Tuesday when you ready this...*
Well, it’s official. I am currently on my way to Calgary where I will be working at the Stampede for the next week, followed by a trip to the Island with a side of the interior. This means for the next three weeks I will be living out of my suitcase, eating on the go and training in hotel gyms which are sometimes older than Saint Nicholas. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and being on the road but the prep and thought that goes in to each week can be overwhelming until that last pair of underwear or chicken breast is packed and I am waving to my safari inspired luggage hoping that we will meet again at the next destination. I am not the type to pack an extra tooth brush or outfit in my carry on which I probably should do considering the amount of traveling I do.
I feel good about my Calgary trip as I know that I have packed everything I need including my infamous cooler. My friend said that she finds it bizarre and the only person she knows who packs food when they go away on a trip, especially when work foots the bill on all expenses but it’s something I have to do to give myself peace of mind and know that I will have healthy options to reach for when my stomach starts growling. I spent Sunday cook 2 flats of chicken, measuring protein powder and buying little snacks like almonds, rice cakes and peanut butter. It is really important, especially when I will be surrounded by hot dogs, beer and cotton candy to pick the healthy option because I know how those foods make me feel after eating them for a week; Not good. Now that I have left the city, my mind is already starting to think about my trip the following week and the trip after that. I need to think ahead but at the same time I need to chill-ax and not stress about things I cannot control at this point in time and just enjoy each day and do a little everyday to ensure I am prepared and get the things I need to get done in order to have a successful trip. It’s a good thing that at the end of the next three weeks I’ll be heading to Vegas with my girlfriends for some DT (downtime). I have never been to Vegas before so I am really excited and I know I have a lot to do for that trip but I can’t even put that in my head right now or it might explode. Instead of getting overwhelmed I will just jot things down on my infamous “To-Do” list so it’s on paper and off the brain.
Being on the road usually means long days especially when you are getting up an hour and half earlier than everyone else so that you can fit in a workout because if you don’t do it in the am, it won’t get done; simple as that. At the Stampede we are working from 9 am to 11 pm with a break in the afternoon so it is crucial that I get my workout in early. Even though I am in my off season and training is on the back burner right now so that I can focus on work and enjoying my summer I have a photo shoot next week that I need to bump my cardio up for. It is my first shoot and I am really excited about it.  Fingers crossed that everything follows through okay because I didn’t want to jinx it. I have no idea what to expect when it comes to the shoot but hair and makeup is provided and I am soooooooo excited! I’ll be blogging about my experience next week so stay tuned for that.
If you were wondering what’s in my cooler and how I travel with it I’ll give you the DL. When I am going on a trip, I pre-cook and weigh out all my chicken into 4 ounce baggies. I usually cook enough for 2 baggies a day or 8 ounces. It is recommended, that for maintenance, you should have 1 g of protein per pound of body weight (if you are training do 1.5 g). If you’re wondering why it’s so important to pack protein just think about how hard it is to get foods that are high in protein. If you think that protein bars are a good option, check out how much sugar is in them. Snacks like “Cliff Bars” are great if your climbing a mountain but if you are sitting in a car for 4 hours driving it’s going straight to your butt. Really read the labels on snacks. Calorie intake is an important thing to monitor but so is everything else on the label. The first thing I look at is how many grams of sugar and fat are in what I’m eating.
Things like almonds are good fat but you have to watch your portion size. I like to have 10-12 almonds as a snack which is around 100 calories but covers the CFB (carb, fat, protein) and are slow digesting so they will keep you full longer. Almonds are just one option and they are unprocessed because if you stop and think about the snacks that you consumer throughout the day, they aren’t the healthiest options. If you’re in an office, a typical snack is probably something like, chips, a muffin, cookies, cake, granola bars, trail mix (which can be terrible for you depending on the brand so make your own and only have 1/3 cup at a time). Those are just some of the things that get left in the kitchen after a morning meeting or an afternoon celebration. It’s all too easy to put unhealthy things in our body but just as easy to be prepared and one more reason you should start packing a cooler and is why I pack my protein.  In addition to chicken, I also pack protein powder and my shaker bottle for a fast snack option. If you are investing in protein make sure to ask them for one that is low in sugar and tell them you’d like it as a meal supplement option and for it to have over 20g of protein per scoop. I love my General Health Vegan Protein powder because it doesn’t bother my sensitive stomach.
If I’m going to be in one place for a few days, I usually go to the grocery store and pick up some fruits, rice cakes and peanut butter so that I can pack food for the whole day and since I have my cooler in the checked luggage (it’s a soft case cooler so it squishes down pretty good in my luggage but my clothes are usually half frozen from the ice when I arrive) I can use it during the day. I also travel with tupperwear so I can break up my meals and snacks. I’m a dork and fully aware of it...but it’s important to me to have little health snacks throughout the day that include the CFP (Carb, fat, protein). If you wondering what I do with all this food that brings me to my next point. If you are travelling with cooked food it is important to call the hotel ahead of time and ensure there is a fridge in your room. If there isn’t, you can usually request one which I had to do for my hotel room in Calgary. You can also get travel coolers that you can plug in at Canadian Tire which might be my next investment. I’ll keep you posted. When it comes to dinner I usually eat out when I’m on the road because I find that it is a really easy task but monitoring how much salt they use is out of my control.  I will go to a chain restaurant and order a steak or salmon with steamed veggies. If the meal comes with potato’s or fries I usually ask for a small side salad or extra veggies instead of the starchy carbs which I know go straight to my love handles.
Yes, I have love handles just like everyone else. I am not perfect and have accepted my body and how it looks now and realize that I can’t maintain a buck 18 (118lbs – competition weight all the time). If I was still doing 2, 45 minute cardio sessions a day I would be “thinner” but when it came time to start prepping my body wouldn’t react the way I need it to because it will have gotten adjusted to that routine. At this point, I am around 16 weeks out for my competition I am just enjoying summer and maintaining my current weight (130lbs) and when I get back from Vegas my training will start to pick up.  I am only doing cardio at my leisure and the only reason I am doing an hour a day right now if for my shoot next week.
Time to land in Cow Town! Have a great week. Questions? Don’t hesitate to ask – just write them as a comment so everyone can see!
Yours in health and fitness,
Nic xo

Friday, July 8, 2011

What's in your FRIDGE?!

I decided to repost part of my articple from the other day because I had lots of feedback on it. "My food has been really good the last few days. I am still adjusting to being able to eat fruit and have rice cakes which may sound bizarre to anyone who just started reading my blog but I am still eating clean and keeping processed foods down to a minimum and having the occasional cheat meal - dah. For me it is important to eat as clean as possible and I realize that Splenda (as much as I like it) is a majorly processed product. My scale for determining whether a food is processed or not is as follows:

Unprocessed = 1 ingredient (and usually doesn't have a label, but a small sticker (apples/bananas) or comes wrapped in elastic bands (asparagus).
Semi-processed = 3-5 ingredients (rice cakes, peanut butter....)
Processed = anything with more than 5 ingredients....usually isn't food in my world and can be found on the inside of any grocery store - I will admit to enjoying a burger every once in awhile as a cheat meal which at 18 weeks out - I am still allowed. Don't judge me :S

I know that eating clean sounds like a huge chore but once you get the hang of it, it's really easy and your body will thank you. Here's a test and challenge for you this week...WHAT'S IN YOUR FRIDGE?!?!!?

Go to your fridge and open the door....how many items are in bottles or bags and have more than 5 ingredients? Are the fridge doors stuff with condiments that you don't use or overuse? When you use sauces and dressings before even tasting your food how do you know they even need them? That is also something someone said to me that really made me ponder it. My friend Natalie's fridge looks just like mine. Egg whites, chicken, steak, fruit, veggies, peanut butter and that's pretty much it. Literally, that is all that is in our fridges. There are a few rice cakes and yams on top of the fridge but the freezer is all meat. What else would you need to freeze anyways? This brings me to the next Q....
Whats in your freezer?
How long has it lived there? A great rule of thumb is don't eat anything that doesn't spoil or go bad. Someone told me that once and it makes so much sense. We eat so many things that don't go bad because they are full of so many chemicals and probably aren't good for us.
This whole eating clean concept really is super simple but takes some time to adjust to but maybe this has put a question mark in your head on why we really feel the need to buy all that food in the first place and stuff it away in our freezers and cupboards when we will a) never use it or b) it will never go bad - so why are we putting it in our body in the first place??!"
Ponder that on this lovely weekend!
Yours in health and fitness,
 
Nicole

Wear cotton underwear...

I went for a walk with my friend, who wants to remain anonymous so we will call her Ali-M, around UBC for a few hours the other night and she has recently started working out with a trainer.
The conversation started going sideways when we started talking about a friend of hers who doesn’t wear underwear when she works out. My face was in complete horror as I heard this and I was trying to remember how we got into this conversation in the first place. It started about 20 blocks prior when we were discussing underwear lines and how I loathe them. If you are wearing tight pants – wear a thong...just saying. Anyways as we got to talking about underwear lines this friend of hers had come up and the fact that she doesn't wear underwear when she works out.
Ali-M and I continued to talk about this and I explain to her why you should wear cotton underwear when you work out, men or women, so that your “assets” can breathe.  The conversation was pretty lengthy and I think we talked about this subject for a few km’s so I’ll give you the “coles notes” version. It may sound ridiculous, but it is very important and something people don’t talk about. If you read my blog, you know I am an open book so I’ll bring it up. Wear cotton underwear!
If you don’t let those areas breath and while working out get super sweaty image the amount of bacteria (gross) that is chillin’ there. It gets worse. If this bacteria decides to have a party it can lead to...guys plug your ears – yeast infections. Lots of women get them and working out could be one of the causes.  Luckily for me I am NOT one to those people who frequently get them but will admit to having ONE in my lifetime and it was the most uncomfortable thing ever and of course I’m going to divulge all the details because I want to explain what happened so you don’t think I’m just unhygienic.
A few years ago, I had gone with a cycling group for a very long ride (4 hours) at a very intense pace and had sweat a lot during the ride. After my ride I was starving so I made dinner and eat while I was still wearing my bike shorts.  The rest is pretty self explanatory. The moral of the story, a) wear cotton underwear and b) shower right away no matter how hungry you are. Another great option is to keep baby wipes in your gym bag and guys don’t think I’m not directing this at you too. I’ve seen some sweaty ass guys in the gym and hope your wearing some loose briefs under those gym shorts of yours...it applies to you too. I just don’t know what the guys version of a yeast infection is.
SIDE NOTE: Yeast has to be one of the grosses words ever. And the worst part is there is a food product that shares the same as this issue. GROSS.
Ali-M I hope you enjoyed reading this just as much as you enjoyed talking about it.
Anyways on to other tops of interest...[AWKWARD] I have my first photo shoot coming up so I am going to be increasing my cardio over the next few weeks to prep for that but I want to be lean for the shoot and not super muscley so that will be okay. Most of it (90 %) will be my diet or  “meal plan” over the next little while so I will need to be prepared for that. This means I'll be spending the day Sunday prepping food, mainly protein like egg whites and chicken, for me to take to Calgary. This will help me stay on track and have easy access to protein. I plan on taking a cooler for when I am at the Stampede all day as I am sure there will be lots of temptations. If you’re around make sure to come and say hi to me at the Skechers booth. Not too sure where I am situated just yet but I will keep you all posted. I went shopping yesterday with one of my besties and I bought some cow gear to get prepped for my trip. I already owe boots and several hats and couldn’t be more excited that I get to go to the Stampede for work! Love it.
With regards to my food over the next little while I am not worried about it all. I feel very confident that I have the tools and ability to prep and eat well and get the nutrition my body needs to be healthy and eat clean.
Speaking of eating clean, how many of you checked out your fridges? Post some comments about how your fridge stood up to my test. Eating clean can also be hard when you eat out but last night Nat and I had dinner on the patio at the Keg and I had a Top Sirloin medium-rare, so good and a spinach salad sans fromage and you guessed it, the dressing on the side to start and no dessert.
With the shoot coming up managing my food will be the most important thing leading up to it.  Now that I am getting back on track and eating clean my stomach is starting to feel a lot better which is great because I have a very sensitive stomach. My stomach as been tested for everything, allergies, celiac, chrones and IBS, but nothing seems to be the issues. While I was on the meal plan and eating clean I found my stomach didn’t or hardly had any problem which is another reason I like eating clean.
Over the next few months of eating clean I will also be wrapping up my PT certification so let me know if you want to train with me. It will be great practice for me and a good workout for you...you might thank me later depending on how sore you are...
Anyways, I’m off to work. I did a little cardio and back workout this morning and wanted to fill you in on all the benefits of cotton underwear J
Have a great day. Yours in health and fitness,

Nic

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Chilling at my second home

For those of you who don't know, Whole Foods is my second home. If I'm not home, on the road, or at the gym, there is a good chance I'm at Whole Foods or WF's as I like to call it.  I'm pretty sure the staff are confused to whether or not a work here. When I'm old I plan on part-timing it at WF's and The Home Depot. How awesome is my life going to be at 80.

This is my little office at WF's. I got internet, people watching, and healthy food options if I get hungry.

Today I feel a lot better and feel like I'm back on track in terms of eating clean and training. I went to the gym first thing this morning and did a great leg and shoulder workout and then rode my bike down to my "office" to hunker down and get some planning done. It's summer time and a great time for fitness events and I am on the hunt to find local events that Skechers can take part in so look out and keep your eyes posted for me at runs or local fitness centres with try-on pairs or free swag to give away.

I also feel pretty good because I did a super heavy DL (deadlift today) 185lb. I love lifting heavy weights and just being in the gym with no distractions, getting into a groove and training. When I get to the gym I like just getting down to my workout and because I've timed my meals around training and me "hangry" isn't a pretty sight. When I'm done training I'm all for some social time but until then I like getting a good workout in and it doesn't help that I get distracted easily and that throws my whole workout off. I know that sounds super snobby but some people can talk and train but I'm not one of those people.

My food today has been good so far. I am still adjusting to being able to eat fruit and have rice cakes which may sound bizarre to anyone who just started reading my blog but I am still eating clean and keeping processed foods down to a minimum and having the occasional cheat meal - dah. For me it is important to eat as clean as possible and I realize that Splenda (as much as I like it) is a majorly processed product. My scale for determining whether a food is processed or not is as follows:

Unprocessed = 1 ingredient (and usually doesn't have a label, but a small sticker (apples/bananas) or comes wrapped in elastic bands (asparagus).
Semi-processed = 3-5 ingredients (rice cakes, peanut butter....)
Processed = anything with more than 5 ingredients....usually isn't food in my world and can be found on the inside of any grocery store - I will admit to enjoying a burger every once in awhile as a cheat meal which at 18 weeks out - I am still allowed. Don't judge me :S

I know that eating clean sounds like a huge chore but once you get the hang of it, it's really easy and your body will thank you. Here's a test and challenge for you this week...WHAT'S IN YOUR FRIDGE?!?!!?

Go to your fridge and open the door....how many items are in bottles or bags and have more than 5 ingredients? Are the fridge doors stuff with condiments that you don't use or overuse? When you use sauces and dressings before even tasting your food how do you know they even need them? That is also something someone said to me that really made me ponder it. My friend Natalie's fridge looks just like mine. Egg whites, chicken, steak, fruit, veggies, peanut butter and that's pretty much it. Literally, that is all that is in our fridges. There are a few rice cakes and yams on top of the fridge but the freezer is all meat. What else would you need to freeze anyways? This brings me to the next Q....
Whats in your freezer?
How long has it lived there? A great rule of thumb is don't eat anything that doesn't spoil or go bad. Someone told me that once and it makes so much sense. We eat so many things that don't go bad because they are full of so many chemicals and probably aren't good for us.
This whole eating clean concept really is super simple but takes some time to adjust to but maybe this has put a question mark in your head on why we really feel the need to buy all that food in the first place and stuff it away in our freezers and cupboards when we will a) never use it or b) it will never go bad - so why are we putting it in our body in the first place??!
Ponder that on this lovely Wednesday afternoon.
Yours in health and fitness,
Nic

Monday, July 4, 2011

Cutback the cardio....yippie!

Since I am beginning training again I am trying to adjust my meal plan, cardio and weight sessions as I am currently 18 weeks out.  For the last month and half I have been doing 2, 45 minute sessions a day and I was glad to hear that I am only needing to do 4, 30 minute sessions for now! I don't even have to do that. I can ride my bike for a few hours or go roller blading. My cardio is flexible and up to me. As for weights, I just have to maintain lifting and as I get closer I'll start to adjust my plan.

The reason for cutting my cardio is so that when I do get closer my body will react and I will lean out quick and as for now I just want to maintain and stay under 130 lbs.  I was so happy to hear that my cardio was cut back because doing 2, 45 minutes a day can becoming a daunting task, especially in the middle of summer.

I have so much to do this week before I leave for Calgary next week to head to the Stampede. If you live in Calgary come visit me at the Skechers booth and say hi! I'll be pre-cooking a bunch of protein because I want to be able to pack a cooler during the day because Linds and I will be working form 10 am until 11 pm everyday so being able to have some healthy food will be good. In addition to pre-cooking food for next week, I will be away the following week in the Interior and then on the Island for work. This will be a huge test to my preparation and ability to be organized and self motivated to eat well and train. Besides cooking, I have to book hotels, rental cars, get my car air cared and renew my insurance, order shoes for certain athletes, visit accounts and the list gets longer....

I'll be keeping you all up to date on all the goodies, as for now I can hardy walk from my Crossfit workout on Saturday. Who knew you could cause your own body soooooo much pain! My legs are so sore that they've buckled a few times like Bambie....embarrassing. Needless too say, my trainer and I will not be training legs tomorrow. We are doing an intense back workout in the morning and then its off to the Show Room to finish sorting shoes with Kelly and April. Fun times :)

Have a great sleep everyone, I'm off to bed.

Eat. Train. Sleep. Have Fun and Repeat!

Nic Out!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Back to the routine!

Did you all miss me. Yes, the first thing I should do is apologize to all of you loyal followers for being so MIA the last little while. I honestly think I needed the a break from everything and now that I've had some time away I am ready to get back into my competition routine and eating well and training 110%. I sat down and made a list of things I want to achieve over the next few months with regards to work and life in general.
With regards to my competition life I have decided that next competition will be November 12th in New Westminster and I am really excited. This puts me 18 weeks out from being on stage and the next few months will be challenging to say the least. Most of those weeks will be spent living out of a suitcase and travelling the West Coast for work so I will be spending lots of time tweeting and blogging about my adventures of packing food, working out at random gyms and living on the road. I am excited for all the new challenges again and to get back to eating clean and training hard.

The last few weeks since Toronto I really needed to just relax. It's really hard to believe that it's been a whole month since WBFF and I am sorry for not being better about my blog posts but I am back and ready for war! I've been going to the gym at least 6 times a week doing a little cardio and weights to keep my muscles active and eating 5-6 meals a day to keep my metabolism up. This will be a new challenge and I am ready for it.

Toronto was an amazing experience and I place top 10 which I was really happy about but now I really need to start thinking long term and I am going to try competing as a bikini model and see how I place in that category. I love how my body felt and how my stomach was while I was eating really clean and blogging about my daily life really helped keep me on track. So grab a coffee and get ready to follow my daily posts as I continue on my journey of becoming a fitness model!

Eat. Train. Sleep. Repeat!

Nic out!