The First 43: My Life Now

I'm doing something I swore up and down I'd never do, Run a 10k.  The Yonge St. 10k on April 13th is coming up and the organization I volunteer with (Boston Terrier Rescue Canada) put together a team to raise money for the cutest little doggies around, Boston Terriers, and get some exercise while we're at it So, I decided why not? I've run a 5k and I have about 3 months to train and get myself up to 10k running strength.  I also won't be ashamed to walk for a few minutes here and there when I need to catch my breath. The good news, this race is 90% downhill. That's my kind of run! So, in support of my run for the little Boston Terriers that need loving homes and medical care when they come to the rescue, please support my run and make a donation. : Donation page (click here) **Charitable receipts will be issued for donations of $20 or more. If the link takes you to a login page, just click it again. It should take you right to the donate page but sometim...

As an avid MyFitnessPal user and follower, I saw on Facebook that they have partnered with Pact, another app which pays you to be healthy.  I thought there was no way it could be true but, it is. Basically - you make a pact.  You will exercise a certain number of days or eat more veggies or log your food into an app like MFP for a certain number of days. If you do it, and stick to it, they pay you a sum. If you fail, they charge you $5 (or more, whatever you set, but that's the minimum) for every missed pact. For example, if you pledge to go to the gym 3 days a week and make that pact every week, you'll have $50 by the end of the year. Better than nothing at all. The good news is you can put a hold on your account when you go on vacation for example, that way you can't be charged for not meeting your pact.  Obviously the more you pledge, the more money you can make. I've downloaded the app on a trial basis (which you can do for a week!) to test it out. It syncs to...

It's time to work off all those holiday treats! After looking at a few monthly calendar type exercises online, and a little help from a fitness guru friend of mine, we came up with this calendar to get ourselves moving every single day in January. I am going to do this with some friends in the month of January. I thought I'd share the exercise calendar here. Each week, add in an additional set so it gets harder over the course of the month. Below the calendar you will find links to all the different exercises in case you need a refresher! If you want to make it a little tougher, add some weight to your sumo squats and lunges. Hope you all enjoyed your holidays and happy new year!   Here is how to do all the exercises: Sumo Squats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY-EQp1oAxs Crunches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyd_fa5zoEU Push – Ups (knee and regular) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7cPaJZoOng Bicycles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqoD0Bdggto ...

  Make this! So good!  Even Jeff who doesn't usually like this type of meal, really loved it. We will definitely make it again. I made a few adaptations to the recipe based on what I had available to me at home but I have linked the original recipe below if you want to see what I left out and add some of those back in.  I am not a huge quinoa fan so I made it with Thai jasmine rice instead which was a great substitution. Ingredients: 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces (I bought the little chicken fingers (fresh) and cut them up because it's a lot easier.)  Dash of salt and ground pepper 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 3 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. honey 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tsp. cornstarch 4 stems of sliced green onions 2 tsp. sesame oil 1 tsp. sesame seeds Directions: Heat up a frying pan and put your cut up chicken breast in it to cook. About 6-8 minutes on medium/high depen...

I love the holiday season.  So much joy and love and happiness. I am a sucker for Christmas music too.  Last year, the holidays almost gave me a full on nervous breakdown since I was deep into my weight loss journey and so close to my goal. This year, I've been trying to enjoy it more but you really don't quite grasp how many sweets there are for the taking, how much wine and other yummy alcoholic beverages are to be had and how many party appetizers end up in your stomach, until you are watching everything you eat.  Even though I've relaxed just a tiny bit, I still have to force myself to stop sometimes.  I've been trying to stick to logging in My Fitness Pal everyday (though, it's becoming more challenging now that I'm just maintaining) but I'm getting better and when I log days I skipped, I'm still within my limits which means I can manage my calories without the app now, it's really rewired my brain and taught me so much about how m...

I've been slacking when it comes to posting this month.  I haven't really had much to report on or new recipes to share. Well, I have had recipes to share, I just haven't had time to post them but I promise I will in the coming weeks and I really want to pick this up again! This past Saturday we did the Ugly Sweater 5k Run at Downsview Park. Proceeds went to The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. Some of us found actual ugly Christmas sweaters, some of us did a little DIY (you'll notice Jeff and I match!) The run was great, we did some running and a little walking. It's not timed and it's just for fun. I didn't have my usual running strength/endurance this weekend and was a bit disappointed in both my energy levels and speed but when I woke up with a full blown cold on Sunday morning, it was very clear to me why I didn't have the energy just 24 hours earlier. Either way, I completed it and had fun with friends so, winning all around. I highly recomm...

For the first time I can remember so, about the last 18 years, every time I went to the doctor I was told I was overweight. As a kid, my doctor never made me feel bad about it but those words always lingered. It got to the point as a teen that I avoided the scale, and my doctor, as much as humanly possible. I really just didn't want to face it and I didn't think I could change it.  Let's fast forward to yesterday. I had my annual appointment and I got weighed. The nurse and my doctor were floored.  I've lost 11 BMI points and about 60lbs since I started going to her. I started seeing this doctor about a year before I started trying to lose weight. When I was weighed I even mentioned that I thought it was 7lbs off... as in it put my weight at less than it is.  My doctor laughed at my honesty but really, if I don't lose 7lbs before this time next year, I don't want it to seem like I gained weight!! My doctor said to me "Well, I'm really happy to tell yo...