Jamie Eason on recommiting to your fitness goals

Check out this link. Lot's of great information!http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5000726#utm_campaign=www.facebook.com&utm_source=5000726&utm_medium=social

Killer ab workout

Check out this months Oxygen magazine. You can pick and choose from 4 categories to make your own tailored ab workout AND you can use it forever. They even enlisted a probability expert to figure out that there are 1,800 different combinations using the 17 ab exercises they list. They divide the 17 exercises into mix and match angle menu's. There are the Lowers (choose 2), the Uppers (choose 2), the Obliques (choose 2) and the core (choose 1).

I superset all of the exercises other than one of my oblique ones, which wasn't in the list but i love it and chose it instead of the other exercises there (hanging twisted crunch). The article doesn't tell you to superset, i just did that to make it harder and to make my abs kill. I do each ab exercise for 3 sets and 15-10 reps. A superset means that you group two exercises into a set (group of 2) and do the first then 2nd and then take a 30-60 second break and then repeat until you have done 3 sets.

Lowers (your lower abs):

Reverse crunch on the bench (lay on a bench and curl your legs up working your lower abs, to make it harder keep your legs straight)

Dumbbell v-up (Basically raising your arms and legs up from the floor until your body forms a v, hold the weight overhead and keep arms straight reach your arms towards legs and don't hold the weight overhead once at top of movement)

Uppers (your upper abs):

Weighted crunch (floor) (Lie on your back and hold weight over chest and crunch straight up, pause at the top of the movement)

Ball pass (Lie on your back and crunch up passing the stability ball to your feet, lower and then crunch up again passing the ball back to your hands)

Obliques (Side muscles of your abs):

Reaching crossover crunch (Lie faceup with knees bent and curl up to your side reaching your hands to the outside of your shoe, pause at top of movement and the lower and repeat on other side)

Hanging twisted crunch (This is very advanced. Basically you hang from a chin up bar and crunch your knees up to the side and repeat on other side)

If that is too difficult try:

Oblique crunch (floor) (Lay your knees on right side and crunch up, repeat on left side when finished reps on the right)

Core (Inner ab fibers):

Side plank (Lay on your side and then lift yourself up on your elbow keeping your hips straight and your body in a perfect line, hold for 1 min)

I tried to find some pictures but i couldn't. So if you don't understand my brief description let me know and i can explain more in depth. Or you can pick up February's issue of Oxygen.

Also don't forget to work out your lower back which is considered the opposite or your abs. You must always work out the opposite of the muscle to keep everything balanced. I workout my back on Mondays so that's when i do a lower back exercise.

Clean eating part 2

My best friend Mel Kinnie wrote to me after i posted my last blog to give me some more insight about clean eating. She is also just as crazy about clean eating and working out as i am, and i know she has done her research. So here is what she has learned along the way.

She has discovered that egg whites are one of the best proteins for building muscle and after that there is also cottage cheese and protein powders. Mel is a cottage cheese fanatic. I wish i loved it as much as her...but i can only seem to have it with stuff, not on it's own. And by with stuff i mean on a sandwhich, or in a clean lasagna (with whole wheat noodles). I think it's just too creamy and milky for me. I have made myself love protein powder which can take awhile to get used to so maybe i just have to make myself eat cottage cheese too...As for eggs i can't really stomach them either. Totally a mind thing. I used to be highly allergic to them and would get sick as a child even if there was one egg in a batch of cookies. I can stomach them in quiche form and my protein pancakes as well which are mostly eggs! So that's my goal to make myself like cottage cheese and eggs.

Some other healthy fats she mentions are walnuts and egg yolks (one yolk for every 5 you eat). But remember with healthy fats you need to eat them in moderation because it is after all still fat. A common serving for almonds is 12 almonds. I get made fun of for counting them out as does Mel. Yes it is a little crazy...but hey it's just in our type A nature.

Another interesting fact she pointed out is that you should eat fruits on an empty stomach. If eaten alone it helps to detoxify your system. This is because fruit is digested a lot quicker than carbs like whole grain bread. So in order to reap the benefits from the fruit you should eat it before the carbs. Her research suggests eating it alone or before your meal or snack. While i do this for the most part i don't think there is any way i can give up my frozen berries, plain yoghurt topped with cereal. I have been having this as a snack for ages! Every morning at 10am this is what i have. I know i SHOULD switch up my snack and not have the same thing every day. But it's a treat to me and it's just so yummy. I seriously don't know how i haven't become sick of it yet, it's beyond me! You can also use greek yoghurt as an alternative to plain yoghurt. It has a ton of protein, more than any yoghurt and can be used to replace mayo when you make a tuna sandwich or any sandwich in general.

To spice things up try adding low sodium salsa to fish, chicken or pretty much anything you want. A snack you may want to try to substitute the crunch of chips or tortilla chips is to make your own pita chips...simply cut up a whole grain pita bread into tortilla chip shapes and bake in the oven at 350 F until browned. You can spray them with olive oil and sprinkle with spices to make them even better. I make them and then dip them in salsa!

Don't be afraid of spices they add a ton of flavour without calories. Make sure you choose ones with no sodium! Some good ones to add to your diet are cinnamon (i am obsessed and use a TON of it), tumeric and cumin. An added bonus is that they can speed up your metabolism and burn fat long after your meal.

More about eating clean

As per request i am going to dedicate this blog entry to eating clean! It's one of my favourite things to talk about maybe Tosca Reno should be paying me since i recommend her philosophies so much http://www.eatcleandiet.com/ . Ever since i started to get serious about working out i have tried to eat clean or organic whenever possible. But it wasn't until i discovered Tosca's first cook book "The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook" that i really started to research the whole concept more.

Tosca now has many books under belt including a book geared towards men and a recipe book with kid-friendly recipes.

In Tosca's words eating clean "is eating the way nature intended". Basically going back to how our grandparents ate. Eating local and eating food that is close to the earth as possible. Eating while it is enjoyable is to fuel your body to function the best it can. The cleaner you eat the better you look and feel. I can't even explain the difference of energy i have from eating clean. And not to toot my own horn, but i am, my body has never looked this great. (But remember eating clean goes hand in hand with working out as well).

People at work tease me for always eating and my scheduled snacks and lunch times. But that is how we should be eating. Everyone should be eating 5-6 times a day...3 meals and 3-4 smaller meals (snacks). That is healthiest for our bodies. This way your blood sugar is steady throughout the day meaning you will have less of a chance of getting diabetes. The numbers of people being diagnosed these days is crazy! And it's so easy to avoid. Eat clean and exercise and keep that belly fat down! I mean i do understand from the research that i have done on type 2 diabetes can be hereditary, but in my mind that should be even more incentive to eat clean and work out.

Eating clean doesn't have to be bland and boring. Use those spices and get Tosca's books for ideas! She has lot's of recipes. The majority don't even take that long to make. And really making meals and snacks is all about planning. No excuses! I hate excuses. They are lame (in my opinion). Jamie Eason (my favourite fitness model/writer/body building competitor) talks about excuses in March's issue of Oxygen magazine (yes it is my favourite fitness magazine). Go on pick up a copy! You will learn so much, i promise

Another principle of eating clean is to avoid packaged foods as much as you can! Packaged normally equals bad! It's almost always very processed food. Yes it may be "low in fat" but why put chemicals in your body? Your body doesn't need or want them. I know it's hard to avoid packaged foods though. So just avoid buying anything with more than 5 ingredients if you can. And AVOID ingredients that list words you don't even know what they are. Why would you eat something when you don't know what it is. Plus if it's chemical it's definatley not natural and close to the earth!

With eating clean try to aim for a carb and a protein at every meal to help keep you full and satisfied! Don't starve yourself that just slows down your metabolism. Eating clean and eating 5-6 times a day speeds it up and keeps that fire (your metabolism) burning and working all day long! What a plus. I know lot's of people who complain that their metabolism's are slow...again excuses! The best thing about eating clean is that if it comes from the earth you can eat it there are no food groups to avoid or limit!

Hit up your local market on Saturdays! It's FULL of fresh and whole food! And it actually saves you money!

When eating clean and working out it can be hard to find a protein powder that isn't processed. I avoided them for awhile until i discovered some more natural high protein sources such as hemp seed powder and Genuine Health's Proteins +. I use the protein plus to add a bit more protein to my diet and i have it right after a workout as my body needs and craves protein and carbs FAST after an intense workout. If i don't have a protein shake right after i work out i tend to crash and then you must remember to have a meal within an hr of your workout to fuel your body further!

Your clean eating grocery list: (This doesn't include everything, just gives you an idea)

Proteins:
Chicken
Tofu
Beans
Turkey Bacon
Pork Tenderloin
Tilapia
Salmon
Tuna

Healthy Fats:
Natural Peanut Butter
Almond butter
Olive Oil
Almonds
Avocado (make your own guacomole, YUM)
Flaxseed

Produce:
Vegetables
Spinach
Cucumber
Garlic
Tomato
Broccolli
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes
Fruit
Fresh or frozen berries (Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries and Blueberries)
Apples
Bananas
Pears
Raisins

Breads:
Whole grain bread (ensure that it is whole wheat (grain) including the germ)
Whole grain wraps
Whole grain english muffins

Dairy:
Eggs, eggs and more eggs
Skim milk
Soy milk (plain and without added sugars)
Fat free/sugar free plain yoghurt (Add frozen berries and let melt)

Cereals:
Steel cut oats
Kashi Go Lean
Muesli

Dry Goods:
Brown rice
Quinoa
Sea salt
Spices(nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin)
Sugar substitute (stevia, agave nectar, Sucanat)
Whole wheat flour

Canned goods:
Chickpeas
Beans
Lentils
Tomatoes
Water packed tuna
Tomato paste

Condiments:
Salsa
Unsweetened apple sauce
Honey
Balsamic Vinegar
Rice Vinegar
Lemon Juice

Valentines Day Hypothermic half marathon 2010

Well i should have written about this last Sunday. But let's just say i was totally exhausted. I gave it hard for the first 10k (averaging 4min and 30 sec/km) and then after that brought it down a notch. I didn't realize when we started the race that my friend Jessica was aiming for a 1:40:00 finishing time. I thought she was aiming for 1:50:00 which was the rough time i was aiming for...but really i was aiming for under 2 hours and guess what? I DID IT. 1:56:38. Jessica saw me coming up to the finish line and rooted me on and we sprinted together to the finish line! This is my 3rd half marathon under my belt in 6 months. I was thinking about doing the Bluenose Half Marathon but have decided to give my body a rest from training so hard. So i will put that on the goal list for May 2011. Right now i am still running just not giving it as hard and not training for a half. So my distance per week will go down considerably. I haven't ran all week but plan on getting a run in on Sunday. That's the thing you have to remember that after a big race right like you need to let your body rest from running. Mind you i still was working out doing weights and the eliptical for cardio. But that's what you call active rest:) And i feel great this week! Got some really awesome workouts in.

The next goal on the horizon? The NB body building competition in November. Which will include working out pretty much the same as i do now and altering my eating habits a bit by being even more strict for 3 months prior to the competition. I plan on entering in the Figure model category. I am very excited to try something new and to compete in a different way. I will keep you all posted on my progress as i go along!

Remember to keep working out and keep up the clean eating:) Keep yourself motivated as much as you can. And don't be afraid to fire off questions, i love helping people out and giving advice on what i know and have researched!

The low down on grains

Over the years there has been so much hype about carbs and bread, making them seem evil. They aren't you need them to build muscle and stay healthy among other reasons. You just have to make sure you are eating the right kinds! Whole grain is the way to go. It has more fiber, protein and nutrients and is less processed so you feel full longer, therefore you will lose weight. Yah!

People should aim for 5-10 servings of carbs a day (according to Canada's food guide). Sounds like a lot...but the serving amount depends on how much you workout the more you workout the more you need. It also depends on your age and your sex. When choosing breads ensure that the first ingredient is whole wheat flour including the germ. If it doesn't include the germ it's processed and not much better for you than white bread.

When choosing other grain products ensure that it says whole grain oats, rice or pasta. Oats are a staple in my diet. You can do so much with them. You can use them for muffins, granola bars, homemade granola or on their own for hot oatmeal breakfast the list goes on and on. And the bonus of oats that aren't processed is that you really stay full for a long time meaning you don't need to eat as much of them. In turn meaning less calories!

Just be very careful in reading your labels! Aim for products that have the least amount of ingredients and the farther the sugar is from the beginning of the list the less there is. Try to only purchase products with 5 ingredients or less. Some of my favourite carb options include; Kashi Go Lean cereal, Kashi Cinnamon harvest cereal, any of the Kashi granola bars (my current treat is the Raspberry chocolate one, it really makes you feel like you are cheating) http://www.kashi.com/, i also love the spelt flour bread from the European Bakery in Dieppe (they are at the market on Saturdays and are located just behind Canadian Tire).

Remember that the more natural and less processed the product that faster it spoils. So you may need to buy in smaller quantities or freeze your breads. I freeze my wheat germ, flax seeds and bread once it's about 3 days old.