G8, G20 - 26JUN10

This is not my typical blog but I had to put something in writing. Living in Toronto we are keenly aware of all the security that has been put in place for the G20 & G8. I approve as we have seen what protestors have done in other countries that held these events.

What I do not approve of is the vandalism being created by the black masked group. I saw someone carrying a hammer and looking to use it. Why? How in God's name does destroying private property and beating up security guards at banks move your cause forward. It only makes you look like barbarians in my eyes and the eyes of everyone watching around the world. I completely agree is peacefull protest as we are a democratic society and we are able to voice our opinions. Creating kaos and trying to "out smart" (and I use the word smart loosely)the police is absolutely disgusting.

Get your word out but do not destroy property that does not belong to you. Currently there are 2 poloice cars that have been torched by this same group. My cousin Paul is a policeman and I worry about him when he is surrounded by rabble rousers who have no regard and seem to show up to provoke hate peaceful demonstrations. Who raised these people....certainly not anyone with common sense it would appear.

I will resume my blog this week but I truely felt the need to put this in writing. I would welcome any and all comments.

Barbra

Days 213 to 220 - March 30 to April 6

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to let you know that I will not be communication for a few days. Went to the emerg today because I was having a lot of pain after a bump on my head. Once the bump went down I started to notice a lot of small, very painfull bumps. Turns out that I have shingles. They came because of the first bump on the head which triggered the spread. I did not know this but the virus sits at the base of your skull at the top of your vertabrae. When I bumped my head of the freezer door it shook the virus loose and it has attacked the left side of my head and the left ear and left side of neck. So far nothing on the right side but you never know. I am on a very strong anti inflammatory and a pill to try and control the spread. So far it just hurts like hell. If you have had shingles then you know what I am talking about. The anti inflammatory also makes me tired so I think bedrest for me for the next few days.

Once I am feeling better I will send out a new blog.

Take care

Betty

Days 187 to 212 - March 4 to 29

Well I am now officially unemployed. I have been so busy the last 4 weeks handing over all my accounts and shutting down my office. I finally am starting to feel refreshed and back to myself. I took the last 3 days and just slept. It was exactly what I needed to do as I was physically and emotionally drained. Work for Amex Canada for the last 11 1/2 years has been very rewarding and I have learnt a lot that I will be bringing to my new vocation. For those of you who do not know I am going to be a Private Investigator. I am very excited and will start taking web based classes over the next couple of week. I need a little down time now but I am still working out with Kash my trainer. Kash is just finishing up her final college courses and then at the end of April she will have her degree.

To all my friends and family that have been so supportive during this tome I thank you very much. I could not have done this without you. To all my former collegues thank you for all the best buy gift certificates as I was able to get my printer scanner for pictures and my blackberry and blue tooth. It was great appreciated.

Per my previous post. We were talking about common sense things you should do for you and your family when it comes to picking out food.

Here are a few more tips to help to keep you healthy:

Avoid products that have ingredients that a grade school child can not pronounce.

Avoid products that make health claims. These manufacturers have the money and the governement contacts to get FDA approval for food products that have used bad or imcomplete testing. Farmers do not have that kind of money so they can not advertise about how much better their fresh products are.

Avoid products that have "lite" in their title. This also includes "lowfat" or "nonfat". Go back to my previous note..if it has more than 5 ingredients then do not buy it. And if you see salt or surgar in these 5 ingredients run like the wind.

Don't eat something that pretends to be something else. I stopped using margarine a couple of years ago because it was actually worse for me than butter. I don't use a lot of fats but when I do I make sure that they are pure and not full of transfats. If you can not afford butter then don't use anything. It is better for you that way.

I know that sometimes I am watching TV and all of the sudden an ad will come up for some sort of processed food and they make it look so good. Do not by products that are heavily marketed. They have the money to sell all
this crap and you should just turn the channel. We all have to learn to do that.

That's it for now. I will be accessing my blog more often as I now have the time.

I would love to hear from you if you have any ideas or suggestions for the blog and please do become a member.

Take care

Betty

Day 149 to 163 - Feb. 4 to 18

I'm bbaaaacckkkkkk!

I am so very busy and unfortunately my blog has suffered because of this. I hope everyone is well and healthy. There is a lot of cold and flu around and I have succumbed myself. Better now but took the piss right out of me. Lot's of sleeping and getting myself back on track.

Did you know at the turn of the 20th century people used to spend over 16% off the wages on food and over 5.5% on medical. Now people spend around 9.5% of the wages on food and over 16% on medical. We also have the highest ever amount of children with diabetes.

We can attribute all of this to processed foods and fast food. For whatever reason people think it is okay to take their kids to McDonalds for happy meals. These "happy meals" are highly processed foods and full of bad fats. It would appear that people are either uninformed or just lazy and they are making poor decisions for the children and for themselves because if the kids are eating happy meals then the parents are eating burger meals with pop (full of sugar). I love the people who have a big mac meal with a diet coke...why bother.

I have gotten quite used to cooking on sundays and making stews, soups, chili, etc. and freezing it so that I can pull something out in the morning and it will be thawed by the time I get home and then I can just nuke it. I also bring fresh carrotts, celery, etc. with me to work as my morning snack and some fruit or dried fruit and almonds for my afternoon snack. I will drain a can of salmon, chop up some cucumber and tomatoes, use fat free dressing ( of which I keep a bottle at my office) and wrap up some 12 grain melba toast. It does not take a lot and it is all good for me. Sometimes if I am on the road and I know I will not be able to stop and eat a meal I prepared myself I will go to Subway and get one of their less that 6 grams of fat small subs and dress it with low fat dressing and lots of veggies on a whole wheat role. I do not get the chips and I do not get the pop. Just the lone sandwich. So you see there are other options out there besides the burger meal with fries and soft drink. Prepare ahead for the week and don't go crazy making a lunch...KIS (keep it simple).

A few tips:

When you go into a grocery store don't buy anything that your granmother would not recognize.

Avoid foods that have ingredients that no human would have in their cupboards.

Avoid any food that have either sugar or salt in their first 5 ingredients.

Avoid any food that has more than 5 ingredients.

I will have more tips in my next blog. Remember, fresh is better.

Off to Montreal for the weekend..speak to you all next week.

Betty

Days 135 to 148 - Jan. 21 to Feb. 3

Hi Everyone

I know it has been a couple of weeks since my last blog but it has been very busy and the time just seems to slip away.

I had my book club dinner and we had a lovely meal. It started with jumbo shrimp cooked fast in a spicey sauce with a small slice of nan and a tequila lime cocktail sauce. I paired this with a tequila martini called an dirty cosmo. Next course was a soup made with mild chorizo, tomatoes and onions with various spices. You put a small piece of bread in the bowl and pour in the soup. Next we had leg of lamb that was soaking in red wine and spice for 24 hours and then baked. With the lamb we had baby red potatoes. For dessert we had an orange custard with grand marnier whipped cream. We had portuguese wines and a 6 year old tawny port that I got when I was in Oporto. It was a great dinner with great conversation, we even talked about the book.

Last week was my final week with my trainer Joseph until he comes back from Thailand. I will miss him as he has been great at starting me on my journey to getting into shape. I have now started with Kash, she is a level 2 trainer and she is quite good. Kash and I have started working on the burn portion of my fitness plan and trust me it is burning. And sweat, OMG. But I feel good and we are working the muscles in a different way and in different groupings. I know this will be another great part of my journey and that I am going to hurt a lot but it will be worth it.

This is all for today.

Thanks

Betty

Day 130, 131, 132, 133, 134 - Jan. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Hi Everyone,

Hope all is well.

We had a great time at my friend Liz's place on Saturday night as we helped our friend Rena belatedly ring in her birthday. Liz made a great dinner and Nancy made a great cake. We tried many types of wines and just talked and laughed, it was a great evening.

I have my book club ladies over this Saturday and for my menu we are visiting Portugal I can't tell you the menu as it is a surprise but it will be great and I sent out the wine choices this evening. I will tell you all about it after the dinner and I may put in a few recipes.

Last blog we talked about staying on course and I said on this post I would give you some tips:

1) Focus on progression and not perfection. There will be days when you will miss your workout, feel sic, too tired, demotivated and you will eat that chocolate bar...you can count on this. It happens (it has happened to me) but you must put it beg=hind your and get back on schedule. Don't get down on yourself and don't gove up on yourself.

2) Schedule your workouts in an appointment book (I use Joseph who posts all my workouts in his calender and I know what they are every week). Treat your workout like any appointment that you schedule and hold yourself to it.

3) Make realistic and attainable goals and give yourself a time-frame. You will continually reach your goals and have reason to celebrate.

4) Celebrate your successes whether large or small. You did it and it just takes one step at a time.

5) Have a support network...I have Joseph and a personal trainer will always have your back.

6) Do a variety of activities. This will help prevent boredom which can cause you to give up. Be fun and creative. I swim, train with Joseph and use my treadmill.

7) Book you fitness/health assesments every 6-8 weeks to measure your results and fitness benefits. Don't do it to soon because if you have just lost a small amount you can get discouraged.

8) Pat yourself on the back. You are doing great and you will be fit for life.

That is all for now.

Take care

Betty

Day 128, 129 - Jan. 14, 15

Happy Saturday everyone.

I went on Thursday morning and I got weighed and measured. Since I started keeping track of my weight I am down 18 pounds and I am down 6 inches. I lost a total of over 10 lbs. of fat and have gained muscle. I still need to up my water. I thought 2 litres of water was good but Joseph wants me to go upto 3 litres of water based on my exercise regime. My caloric intake has also gone down based on my weight loss.

I am very pleased with these results however I know it is just the beginning. I need to contunue to work hard and step it up a bit more. I feel that this is a really good start.

I now have to get new bras as I have lost an inch and half on my chest and all mine are to big for me now.

This is a great lead in to my next topic.

Staying on course:

This is not going to happen overnight and if you are looking for a quick fix it will never last. It is a process of continual growth.

You do not have to go over the top to get great results. But you to have to continue and be consistent. Fitness does not take anymore time that it takes to have a bath or prepare a meal. It you spend at least 30 minutes three times per week doing fitness activities you will be in better shape than 90% of the population.

In my next blog I will share with you some pratical tips.

I am now going to update my body composition and measurements.

Have a great weekend.

Betty.

Day 123, 124, 125, 126, 127 - Jan. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Betty back on line. It has been a pretty busy week and I have 4 days in a row when I have to get up at 500am.

I got some upsetting news this week that my trainer Joseph has to go away in a month. I am hoping it is only an LOA and he will be back but he won't know until tomorrow. He has recommended another fellow, Chris P., to take over while he is gone but I don't know if Chris wants the 600am shift and I have yet to meet him. It will be hard because Joseph and I work well together and he gets my quirky sense of humour. I will keep you informed when I have the info.

Tomorrow I go for my official weighin and measurements. Today Joseph put me through a last chance workout (for those "Biggest Loser" fans) and I am so feeling it right now. I will post my results on my next blog, wish me luck.

I got my new NordicTrack on Saturday. It is an A2550 Pro series and it is huge. It has capacity for 12 miles per hour and an incline of 10%. I can run it manually or program in everything I want it to do. It has an EKG heart monitor, stereo sound system that I can hook my IPOD up to. I can also attach to my laptop and track my progress. It has many more options but I am just getting them all sorted out.

I paid extra to have it delivered and set up and it was so worth it. Pay the money and have it set up right and balanced properly. Plus I would have need at least a couple of people to just get it upstairs, never mind set it up. OY!

My friend Tina asked for the poster of the stretches and when I have my scanner up I will scan and add to the blog.

This past weekend I made a hamburger stew and I am going to post the recipe tonight. It is nonfat and full of veggies.

That's it for tonight.

Betty

Day 118, 119, 120, 121, 122 - Jan. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Sorry it has been a little while since my last blog. Pretty busy but now things have calmed down and I am back on track again.

I am very happy to announce that my good friends Tina and Mark are back in Chicago. Tina came in to Toronto on Wednesday and we had agreat time and got caught up and laughed a lot. It is nice to know that she is just a short plane ride away and not an 18 hour flight anymore. Although I am happy that she got to experience China and Nanc and I got to go and visit her there and I walked on the great wall. I might not have gone quite so soon if it had not been that Tina was in China. And while she was at my place she did a phone interview with the company she worked for when she left for China and they hired her back and she now has a job. So it looks like things are looking up for Tina.

My friend Mary took my Gazelle Edge and her and her husband Enzo took me out to dinner at my favorite restaurant Al Lago on the Lakeshore. Mike the owner does all the cooking and serving and he is just great. There is no menu so you tell Mike what you want and he cooks it up for you. I love the concept and everything is always great. Mary and Enzo liked it as well.

You've may remember that I told you very early in my blog that the best part of working out for me in the stretching. I still believe that with all my heart, really. I do like the working out and Joseph is great but I love the stretching. Joseph can now stretch my muscles far more than they could at the beginning. I am quite amazed. And it is imperative that you stretch after every exercise session. At home I have a poster of stretches that I can do after I workout. And don't stretch prior to your work out as your muscles should be warmed up before you stretch.

Stretching helps you become more flexible and is one of the key ways to stay young and increase the amount of activities you can do. Joseph just commented today that I can now do way more squats that I could at the beginning and that is because I am more flexible. At the end of your workout you should stretch for about 5 minutes, using stretching as a way to decompress, relax and rejuvenate. Stretching is a very important element in your personal fitness program. It lengthens tendons, warms up ligaments and prepares joints for work. I can attest to this as I can do more with my arthrytic knees that I ever could. As a result of stretching you will increase your range of motion, reduce muscle tension, prevent injury and just feel good all around.

Here are some formulas for successful stretching:

1) Relax while you are holding the stretch and the tension in the muscle should disappear. Picture your muscles getting longer as you are stretching.

2) Your breathing needs to be slow and controlled. If you are unable to breathe properly during a stretch you are not relaxed. Breath out initially if you bend over and then breathe slowing during the stretch. Do not hold your breath.

3) Initially you may find it helpful to count to yourself the number of seconds you have been stretching.

4) Remember the ideal time to stretch is when the muscles are already warmed up. If you stretch between sets or after your workout, it helps lactic acid and products out of the muscles.

5) Schedule a portion of your workout time for stretching and take 15 minutes at home to concentrate on your major muscle groups.

6) Make sure you are in a balanced position when stretching to prevent jerky, unsafe movements.

If anyone would like a copy of my stretching poster just send me an message and I will post it on my blog.

Next blog I will tell you all about my new Nordic Track which is being delivered and setup today. I am quite excited.

That is all for today.

Betty

Day 115, 116, 117 - Jan. 1, 2 ,3

Here I am starting my blog for 2010. I can not believe that a new year is alreay upon us but is surely is.

Nancy, Cynthia and I had a really lovely New Years eve, Great food, great conversation, funny movie and then champagne at midnight. The next morning we got up and had some coffee, champagne and orange juice and a really nice breakfast. It was a great way to bring in 2010.

Now I am getting my mind and body back on the game. The holidays are over and I am starting the year right. I went out to Sear's today to get my new NordicTrack treadmill. Got a really great deal...regular $2,000.00 for $999.00. Can't do better than that. I have a Gazelle Edge if anyone wants it...you just have to pick it up and it is yours. I need to make room for my new treadmill.

I followed all of Josephs suggestions and made sure that the treadmill I got did everything it should and had all the right running parts. The salesman knew his stuff and walked me through everything. It will be delivered and setup sometime by the end of this week.

Now is the time to get started are your program. Only 150 days to bikini weather. I'll be ready, will you?

That's all for tonight. Next blog we will talk about flexibility and my favorite thing about my workout...stretching.

Have a great night.

Betty