Monday, April 29, 2013

The Importance of a Positive Self-Image

Have you ever heard that self-doubt leads to unaccomplished goals, depression and poor self-confidence?

Truth!

We as individuals, especially women, tend to consume ourselves with self-doubt, poor body image and ultimately low self-esteem and little to no self-confidence. So why do we do this to ourselves?

Should we blame society?

I will be the first to admit that I have been here and I still have moments where I feel like this even now. More as of late; because I am trying to come to terms with being happy with where my body is and not dwell on where I want it to be or where it was.

I mean why can’t I be confident in the fact that I am stronger and smaller than ever, that I am a healthy, fit woman who can lift more than a lot of men?

And why can’t we, as society, stop from comparing ourselves to others. We don’t know their story, yet we wish we could look like them. Shouldn’t being a unique individual with our own strengths and weaknesses be enough?  

And who cares what the scale says! Are you eating clean, giving your training all you’ve got, pushing out of your comfort zone and being disciplined? Then why beat yourself up if the scale shows a pound or two heavier. Be proud of your accomplishments. Be proud to be healthy and fit or at least on the road to getting there.

Be confident in yourself and your own uniqueness. It is always the struggles that make the best stories. Overcome those setbacks and no matter what DON’T QUIT-- Be fierce and determined enough to push through all the doubt your mind creates. Turn those I CAN’T moments into I CAN!!


Ultimately it is the mind not the body that quits. It is truly amazing how much the body can take but the mind can’t; unless you push it! Be determined, remain strong, tell yourself you can do anything-- because what the mind believes the mind achieves.

Until next time,




Remember “In this world, there is no force equal to the strength of a determined women”~FitGirlsRock

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Update Time

Hello Fit People!

I believe that I am overdue for a blog update as I haven’t posted in a week. Ahhh!!
I just can’t seem to get on track and it seems as though I am getting busier and busier.

So what’s new?

Oh yes; I’m training hard for the FemSport competition and I am currently up to 44 bench jumps in 1 minute. I need to get to 50 so more practice is still required. I have been doing a lot of endurance type workouts lately, incorporated with some heavier lifting. Love! I complete cardio and my training workouts 6 days a week but since I now have my treadmill at home; cardio is so much more convenient. Also Love!
Confession: I tried starting cardio again before work but being that I have to get up at 4am (Yes I said 4am) in order to do so; I have kind of dropped that idea for now. I did it once and I felt good but I was extremely tired by the end of the day. Now I just do it right after work; normally after my training.

Clean eating is natural for me and because I feel so crappy when I don’t do it; I rarely eat things that I know will make me feel that way. I’m ok with it and I never feel deprived so it’s all good.

Health Wise; I have had blood work with no results yet but I have been feeling better and getting back to normal I think (most days anyhow). I am tired a lot but then again I am up at 4:20am every day for 9 days straight, I work for 11 hours and go to the gym for 1.5hrs so by the time I get home I am exhausted. But hey, isn’t that a normal reaction to such a long day? My energy levels seem to have come up a little which I am pleased about and my weight is staying stable where it is for now; I am trying to live with it. Struggling but trying—disappointed that I am supposed to be competing again in 3 weeks and am not but accepting that I need to listen to my body, happy that I am getting stronger and my endurance is getting better. I’ll take it!

Don’t get me wrong; I haven’t gained a huge amount of weight, just more I guess than I would like. It’s been a hard thing to accept; being that I was in such a good place in November when I competed. My clothes still fit; I am still a size 2 and my workouts and healthy habits are still topnotch. So I guess the biggest bummer is not being able to compete again right now. However, I am very determined so I will get back into it again when my body decides it is ready.

Personal Training course is coming along slowly but surely. I am studying but it is sporadic because I don’t have a lot of free time to spend on it. I am hoping to write the exam this coming summer.

My husband is doing great and I am so proud of him. He is pushing hard at the gym and getting out of his comfort zone. He has muscle and loves to show it off…lol. He has lost a total of about 15lbs. New rule in our house: He is not allowed to get abs before me.

I think that’s all the updates I have. I am highly focused on FemSport now which was 8 weeks away from yesterday. I am really looking forward to this challenge and being a part of a team is exciting!!

After FemSport, my husband and I go to Mexico for a week with my sister and her husband and then I am planning a trip home to Newfoundland in August. My intention right now is to aim to compete in the fall; crossing my fingers that my body will be ready by then.

What about you; do any of you work long days?
How was your weekend?

Until next time,

Sunday, April 21, 2013

A Weekend Escape

What an amazing few days! I have been immersed in luxury, pampering and tranquility since Thursday when a girlfriend and I arrived at the Kingfisher Spa in Comox, British Columbia. It's been an incredible few days.

We have gotten our hands, feet and face pampered, taken a massage, enjoyed the hydro baths, taken naps, eaten some incredible food, drank some great wine and enjoyed the great ocean views from the comforts of our room.

There is an average fitness centre here, equipped with all the basics to fulfil my training desires, including a fabulous view of the ocean. There are also yoga classes, a pool and a hot tub. The place is just fabulous. If peace, quiet and tranquility along with a little pampering are what you need, this is the ultimate getaway.

The smell of fresh ocean air reminds me of home and the sounds of birds chirping reminds me that it is at least Springtime here. Everything is lush and green and just beautiful.

There isn't that much to do in the area; we have asked various locals and they have nothing much to tell us, but we don't care. We are here to escape the hustle and bustle, the stress and rush of Fort McMurray, work and the never ending winter.

Here, it seems, I have finally been able to relax. Through all of my pampering, I have managed to shut off my mind with no real thoughts swarming and crowding my head. This has never happened for me before and I finally feel as though, I now know what it means to truly relax. Yay me!

I highly recommend this quaint little place for anyone needing an escape and some 'me' time. The fact that there is so little to do here, makes it the perfect getaway.

Check it out and if you do end up here; breath in the fresh ocean air and enjoy the tranquility for all it's worth.

Until next time,


Thursday, April 11, 2013

New Goal- Women’s Strength + Fitness Challenge

Hi Everyone! Happy Thursday to you!

I realize that my posts have been somewhat sporadic these past few weeks and I haven’t been keeping on top of my blog as much as I should. I am trying to do better; I swear I am J

The struggles continue but I am working through them as best I can. My training is going phenomenally well and my eating has been normal and clean with no coffee so far this week.

I have however been feeling very bloated plus I haven’t had a period yet this month but instead I feel like I have had PMS symptoms for weeks. Grrrr……

On a brighter note, I am excited to announce that a couple of friends and I have registered ourselves as a team for Fem Sport Calgary on June 22, 2013.

What is it? It’s a Women’s Strength + Fitness Challenge

Events include:
-Inverted rows (1 minute time limit as many as possible)
-18” Box Jumps (50 repetitions-timed)
-Kettle bell Lift (carry 5 kettle bells one at a time to different locations and place on pedestals of varying heights-timed)
-Tire Pull (75 ft. pull with 120lb tire-timed)
-Obstacle course (may include carrying 45lb water jugs, agility apparatus, balance beam, baton placement, sprints, agility poles, 4ft vault box, and pushing a vehicle-timed)
-Tire Flip (flip 260lb tire 5 times in a straight line-timed)

It’ll be an exciting and interesting challenge.

So needless to say, I am training hard. This week I have already been sore almost every day.
Monday: Legs
Tuesday: chest and shoulders (timed 1 minute break between sets) and cardio
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: appt with trainer and cardio

I purchased a treadmill this past weekend and my husband and I finally got it setup last night. I will be using it for the first time tomorrow morning at 4am. I am going to try and push myself to get up 20 minutes earlier to get an interval workout in before work. Wish me luck!

As frustrated as I am with my body and how I feel; I am still forging ahead and pushing onward.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm” – Winston Churchill

 I won’t allow this to bring me down. I am still performing well and getting stronger. I feel strong and powerful and I am finally getting some of my energy back.

It is the struggle that makes the best story. So I’ll struggle through this onward to my success.

Until next time,

Sunday, April 7, 2013

A week in review

Hi Everyone! Happy Sunday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

It has been a week of many ups and downs. Struggling most days due to PMS and whatever my body is going through but feeling better on others. I haven't had any other reactions like the two weeks previous so I guess I am getting better.

I was tired throughout the week though, but I guess working long days and getting up at 4:15am is bound to make one tired. Especially if you can't seem to make it to bed before 10pm. Uggg..after 10 years; this is getting old.

My clean eating and workouts went well but I did find that I was sort of dragging myself to the gym. Which is so unlike me; It sucks! Once there though workouts were great.

My husband is really into training these days too and he has made some great progress. It inspires me to see him getting so excited to workout.

Here are our workouts this week:

Monday: legs and cardio
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: chest and shoulders and cardio
Friday: back and cardio
Saturday: triceps and biceps and cardio
Sunday: body weight circuit at home

I beat a couple personal bests; pumped out sled pulls with 8x45lb plates, bent over barbell rows with 105lbs and db rows with 60lbs.

Still drinking (choking down) the morning green shakes but I did slip and drink a lot of coffee this week and unfortunately I am not suppose to be drinking caffeine; So I have to STOP!

I am having a a hard time at the moment and still struggling daily. It is so frustrating to be training as hard as I am, eating as clean as I do and seeing no real results, in fact, my jeans are tighter. I feel so helpless and like crying but my strength is improving and this is at least one positive.

I will NOT give up! There is no way, I have come to far to give up now.

I am hoping to compete again and right now there is just no way that's possible. I am hoping between the shake, clean eating, herbs, milk thistle, etc that I can see some major improvements soon.

That's all for now.

Here is a motto that I have been reciting lately. One that keeps me going and may help any of you who are struggling as well.


"Just because you are struggling does NOT mean you are failing. Every great success requires some kind of struggle to get there."


Until next time,








Monday, April 1, 2013

My Fitness Story

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a good Easter and that you didn’t indulge in too much chocolate but if you did that you at least enjoyed yourself while doing so.

I got asked a question yesterday on my facebook page and it got me thinking so I thought that I would dedicate a post to it today.

The question was as follows:
U probably get this a ton of times a day but what exactly did u do to get into the shape u r today? Like, when u just started out, what are the big changes u made to ur lifestyle that made such a big difference and made u who u are today? Someone like me, looking at u... I know that I want what u have and am doing things to get there, and its working slowly, but it still seems unattainable and far-fetched. And I don't want to feel that way bcuz it makes me lose the motivation I have... Sorry this is so long. I hope u understand what I mean and can give me some advice. Thx so much! :))

So I thought about the answer. I am going back to the start and I don’t mean just October 2011, I mean the very beginning, when I first decided to be fit and change my lifestyle in 1996.

As with anything we achieve in life, there has to be desire. You have to want it! That’s the first step; but with wanting it, you have to also be willing to do something about it. Change your mind, change your body! The trouble for most people is that this is a lengthy process; one that doesn’t happen in 2-3 months but can take years. Remember, it’s a lifestyle change, not a fad that you’ll try for a month or two and then quit.

In July of 1996, I started out with running as my key means of exercise as well as bike riding and incorporating small bouts of light weight training at home with my own 10lb and 20lb dumb bells. I was about 150lbs, if I remember correctly, and I started to decrease portion sizes, chose healthier options, and cut out anything that I knew I just shouldn’t be eating (i.e. fries, chocolate bars, chips, etc.)

Running became my passion and I still love it to this day. I lost 25lbs in 3-4 months and I felt phenomenal. I was now 125lbs and a size 6. I was able to maintain within 5-8lbs of that weight for years, then I moved away from home, I was missing my family, started working long hours, went through some personal issues and so the story goes; I gained some weight back. I didn’t stop working out and I didn’t go outside that diet plan, I had always stuck to, but my portion sizes were bigger, my meals were sporadic and I wasn’t getting quite as much exercise as I had been.

I have always wanted to have the look of someone who works out and trains hard; I mean I want people to look at me and be able to tell that I work out. I wanted the muscle definition but I had no idea how to get it. I got into doing bodrock.tv workouts; high intensity and short as well as my running but that wasn’t enough to change my body. My husband and I got married in August 2011 and went on our honeymoon in September. I decided before I left for honeymoon that when I got back I would find myself a good trainer and change myself.
Finding a trainer was the best thing that I have ever done. My advice though, is to be careful when choosing one. I researched, talked to people and found one that I knew could take me where I wanted to go because he was experienced and he not only talked the talk but walked the walk as well so to speak. I knew going in that I eventually wanted to compete and he had that experience and knew what it took to get me there.

He helped me make more tweaks to my eating plan, such as, cutting out any and all process foods, eating loads of veggies, drinking a ton of water, increasing my protein and healthy fat intake, only clean carbs, reducing portion sizes, counting calories as well as eating 5-6 small meals per day. I was 156lbs and a size 6-8.

I did a lot of research on my own, have read loads of books and with his help I started lifting heavy and learned how to do so properly. Before I met Andrew, I didn’t have the confidence to walk into the gym and lift heavy things; now I live for it! I am always pushing myself past my comfort zone and trying new things to build my strength and endurance.

However, my body is finicky and even with the changes and the hardcore training; I didn’t drop any weight. It wasn’t until we introduced intermittent fasting that I dropped any weight at all. Suddenly within a few months I went from 156lbs to 135lbs; finally I was seeing some changes. It was hard, I am not going to lie and really difficult to be patient. It’s discouraging to work so hard and not see any real results from your efforts but one big positive was that I was feeling so alive, so energetic and just powerful and strong. There are still times when I will incorporate 1 fasting day into my routine per week and I have also recently gone gluten free and cut out all dairy (mostly because of my IBS).

I competed in November and on stage I was 125lbs and a size 0-2 which is a big difference from 125lbs and a size 6. I have since gained some weight back but mainly because the competition diet is so strict and not a diet that anyone can maintain long term. I no longer weigh myself but I judge myself based on how I look and how my clothes fit as to whether or not I need to make adjustments, etc. I am currently a size 2.

As per previous posts, I am currently going through some issues with my body and having trouble getting it to move; in fact as discouraging as it is, I am gaining weight. I am working out harder than ever and still eating extremely clean but to no avail; can you say frustrating! I had intended to compete again in May and June but I have had to put that on hold for now while my doctor, my trainer and I figure out what is going on with my body. However, I am not giving up and I am concentrating on getting stronger, beating personal bests and achieving some strength goals.

My advice is simple; first of all, be patient and find a trainer. If you can’t afford one full time, get one part time in order to learn the basics and then research on your own as well. Understand that every bit of knowledge helps because what works for one person, may not necessarily work for you; everyone is different. Don’t rely too much on the scale, it tells lies…lol and can be very upsetting- trust me, I know. I have seen my body get leaner yet the scale either didn’t move or told me I was gaining. If you are feeling better and healthier and giving it all you have got then the rest will come. Lastly, crash diets don’t work and it is ok to treat yourself once in a while. Although, my experience has been that once you start eating clean regularly, you will become accustomed to it and not want the treats as often.

Most of all and more importantly, don’t give up and always believe in yourself.

This is my story. If you have any questions, please ask. I love hearing from you.

You can also follow me on facebook at



Until next time,