Monday Motivation, Confidence

"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her."

David Brinkley

"Shyness has a strange element of narcissism, a belief that how we look, how we perform, is truly important to other people."
André Dubus

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not."

Author Unknown

"Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong."

Peter T. Mcintyre

"If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price."

Author Unknown

"Sex appeal is fifty percent what you've got and fifty percent what people think you've got." Sophia Loren

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Decadent Focaccia Bread and Cream Cheese Sandwich Recipe

This makes a perfect lunch. It's easy, tasty and healthy.

Focaccia and Cream Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients
2 Vine ripened or any small tomatoes
4 Tbsp Cream Cheese Light
1 Tbsp Freshly grated herbs
enough focaccia bread for 2 sandwiches
2 Tbsp red pepper dressing light
Freshly ground
1 Tbsp or less Olive oil
Salad leaves or spinach

Directions

1. Preheat the oven 190 C, 375 F.

2. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, roast for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the sandwiches. Place the Cream cheese, fresh herbs and seasoning in a small bowl and mix with a spoon.

4. Spread the bread with the cheese mixture and decorate with salad leaves.

5. Drizzle the cheese with red pepper dressing and top with remaining bread.

6. Lay some roasted tomatoes on each plate still attached to the vine and serve. Or slice them for inside the sandwich.

Serves 2

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Hire a Personal Trainer in Toronto

Shameless self promotion time! If you live in Toronto, consider hiring me, Kaleena, as your personal trainer.

I have been training in Toronto for five years and I am certified through the Canadian Fitness Professionals of Canada, Can Fit Pro.

My personal training is incredibly flexible and I customize every training program for individual goals, abilities and limitations.

My specialty is weight loss, as I lost fifty pounds myself over six years ago and have kept it off, while living a healthy and active lifestyle. Currently I maintain my fitness levels by: walking, cycling, speed walking, yoga, calisthenics, belly dancing, running and weight training.

I can train with an outdoor running/cycling/running program (seasonally dependant) or in your home/condo gym. Partner and group rates are available. I provide equipment if you do not have any, and we will do a mix of all types of fitness disciplines.

Custom programs are also available for training on your own with online or phone support.

Personal training is a great service to give you results quickly, effectively and safely. Training will keep your workouts consistent and provide you with the solid fundamentals of exercises to exercise on your own and to design your own programs.

Give it a try.

Check out my Personal Training Rates and e mail me, kaleenatrainer@gmail.com or call anytime 647 308 KALI (5254).

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Using the Power Tower

It's quite an accomplishment to be able to lift your own body weight. If you have achieved this level of strength, do not let it go to waste. Use the power tower for a full upper body workout.

Five Exercises on the Power Tower

1. Pull Up (Back)

This is the classic power tower exercise. Grab top outer handles with an overhand grip. Use your lats (back muscles) to rise up toward the handles and squeeze shoulder blades together during the lifting phase. Get your head over handle bar height, and lower back down until elbows are slightly bent.

2. Chin Ups (Back, Bicep)

Same thing as the pull up but grip underhand (palms facing up) for more emphasis on biceps.

3. Dips (Triceps, Shoulders)

With straight arms grip the lower handle bars, palms facing. Bend back at the elbow, slowly lower your body no more than 90 degrees (between upper arm and forearm) and rise back to straight arm.

4. Power Tower Chest Press (Chest, Triceps, Shoulders)

Same grip/handle bars as dips. Now round your back and look at the ground. Lower your body by putting elbows out to the side, focusing on performing reps using pecs muscles. Rise slowly back to starting position.

5. Hanging Knee Raise/Leg Raise (Abs)

Grab upper handles with an overhand grip. Let your body hang. Depending on strength, low back health and intensity desired, decide if you would like to try straight legs (advanced) or bent knees/legs tucked (intermediate). Bring your legs up as far as possible and lower. Do not lower legs past the level of hips on every rep. It strains the low back. Think all the way up, half way down. You can also try leg raises/knee raises side to side for more oblique work or alternating between straight and bent legs.

Body weight exercises are challenging, and if you have the ability, keep training. Remember, you use it or lose it!

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Monday Motivation, Sports

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best."
Tim Duncan

"Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off."
Bill Veeck

"Fans don't boo nobodies."
Reggie Jackson

"Golf is a game in which you yell "fore," shoot six, and write down five."
Paul Harvey

"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
Michael Jordan

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Belly Dancing Results

Ten weeks ago I started taking belly dancing lessons. You can check out my article, Benefits of Belly Dancing, here.

I'm now in to the second module of the beginner level and I have my very first performance at the beginning of December!

So far, I have noticed some really great changes in not only my body, but in my overall well being.

1. The best result, is that my stomach is more toned. Belly Dancing has a lot of movements that come from the core. I still can't get over how worked my abs feel the morning after class!

2. Stronger pelvic core. The first few classes really made my lower back feel overworked. This was simply because I'm not used to using it in that way. I regularly practice yoga, which is great for stretching, but nothing has strengthened my low back quite like belly dancing.

3. Improved Co ordination. When I first started, I felt like I had two left feet AND arms! Actually, I felt rather silly! I have improved immensely and muscle memory is making it much easier for me to grasp the concepts. I've even noticed this shine through in other aspects of training with improved agility and balance.

4. Better posture. The first lesson in belly dancing is on posture. Everything you do starts from an upright pose, with a relaxed lower back. I'm walking taller, moving gracefully and feeling more confident.

5. Better muscle endurance. Even from the first class I noticed that my shoulders were killing from having to hold my arms up for prolonged periods of time. It helped me to realize an area of weakness in my training. I do shoulder strengthening exercises but I wasn't training properly for endurance. Belly dancing in itself is all the training I've needed, as I can keep them up much longer than two months ago!

If you are interested in learning the art of belly dancing, I highly recommend it. It's a lot of fun and I'm seeing the results I was hoping for. I can't wait until the new year when I get to enter the next phase of my lessons!

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Speed Walking Tips

During the past week, I have been speed walking hills, instead of the usual morning jog. The first difference I noticed was that while I didn't sweat nearly as much as running, my heart rate soars out of control! To give you an idea of the difference, my jogs take me to a max of 130, whereas the walks were measuring in between 150 and 160!

It's amazing how easy it is to believe you are well conditioned in all areas of fitness, and then do something your body isn't quite used to, just to see where your training weaknesses lie. I walk all of the time, but never up a hill, at over 4 miles/per/hour for 30 minutes straight!

Not to mention how tired it made me! You know that feeling after a day long hike? That's how I felt after my first speed walking workout. Considering I walked for less time than my usual runs (and they don't tire me at all!) I think these walks should be a part of my regular fitness rotation.

Here are some speed walking tips:

1. Concentrate movement from the core.

Keep your back straight, your abs tight and imagine your legs and arm are being propelled by your midsection. This means that every movement is very intentional. Your body is moving like a machine. When the left leg is out the right arm is out and vice versa. It's important to keep this form for the most effective workout possible, core strengthening, and injury prevention.

2. Swing your arms.

Speed walkers swing their arms for extra cardiovascular conditioning, and balance. Using your arms allows more blood to be pumped into the heart. Using light 1 or 2 lbs is debatable. Some people believe it will give you a repetitive strain injury. For the most part, I believe this too. Using weights should be strictly for strength training, not cardio. However, using very light 1lb weights when speed walking does help you to keep your arms swinging, and to stay sweating. There's no doubt about that. Using them sparingly, every few workouts won't do any harm.

3. Use an incline.

Walking up hills, or on an incline is more challenging, and helps to cushion impact. Walking on flat terrain, or even worse, downhill is extremely hard on the joints. If you are walking downhill, swivel your hips and bend your knees. This will help to strengthen the lower back and prevent shin splints.

Speed walking is fantastic for people who cannot run due to injuries, obesity or weak leg muscles. It's also a great way to cross train, to switch up your running routine periodically for better overall results.

Try It!

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One food buying guideline you should know

Grocery shopping doesn't have to be a headache, comparing food labels and finding low fat/sodium/carbohydrate alternatives. Of course, spending time to do this will make for a healthier cart of food items but there is one quick and easy rule everybody should know:

Look to the first three ingredients

Ingredients are listed in the order of amount that is used. Therefore, the first three ingredients is the bulk of the product.

A good rule of thumb is to check for sugar or glucose/fructose. If sugar is listed in the first three, it's not very good for you. Especially as a meal!

Ingredients to look for: whole grains, vegetables, lean meats, beans, milk ingredients.

If you would like to start shopping healthier and you don't know how to start without having to feel overwhelmed try this little guideline to get you started, and see what a big difference it makes to your physique.

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Monday Motivation, Dancing!

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."

Japanese Proverb

"Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance."

Dave Barry

"Dancing is like dreaming with your feet!"

Constanze

"The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie."

Agnes de Mille

"There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them."

Vicki Baum

"Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room."

Kurt Vonnegut

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Upper Body Cardio Workout

I was browsing online to find an upper body cardio to routine for exercisers in wheelchairs, or with lower body injuries. I was surprised to find that there is not a lot of information on this topic. I created a calisthenics based upper body cardiovascular workout that works really well.

Upper Body Cardio Workout

Arm Circles

1. Arms start straight out at your sides at shoulder level.

2. Start by making small circles and gradually increase the size of your circles, as your range of motion allows.

3. Perform 50, and change direction for another 50.

In and Out Arms

1. Arms out to the side with elbows slightly bent.

2. Bring your arms to the front of your body and cross your arms (like a hug) and then back to start.

3. This exercise with some speed, really pumps blood in to the heart!

Up and Down Arms

1. One hand straight up in the air, one arm straight down. Swing and switch.

2. To work on coordination, start with one palm open and one closed. When you swing, switch.

Punches

1. Punch out straight from the side of your chest. 60 times

2. Bend your elbow and punch side to side. 60 times

3. Uppercut by bending your elbows and punching upward. 60 times

Side Twists

1. Bend your elbows and twist side to side.

2. Move with your core/torso and work your abs at the same time.

One Arm Swings

1. Swing your arm like a hand on the clock around your shoulder. 20 to 30 times

2. If you can stand up, bend your knees slightly when your hand comes down to your side.

3. Switch directions. 20 to 30 times.

This whole workout takes about 10 minutes. I suggest doing intervals of this routine, combined with strength training.

Sample Routine

1. Upper body cardio workout

2. 2 Chest and back exercises

3. Upper body cardio workout

4. 2 Shoulder and bicep exercises

5. Upper body cardio workout

6. Triceps and Ab/low back exercises

7. Upper body cardio workout

The entire workout will take about an hour with 30 to 40 minutes of cardiovascular activity! This sure beats having to go to a pool everyday to swim, or having to buy an expensive arm bike/ergometer machine, which are great for upper body cardio, by the way, if you have them in your gym.

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Don't Be a Gym Jerk: Weight Room Etiquette

If you do not have equipment at home, and go to a gym instead, you may have noticed that gym goers can be pretty rude at times! Try to be the better person, and make the gym a friendlier place by following three simple rules of weight room etiquette:

Three Rules for Weight Room Etiquette

1. Don't be a Cardio Hog!

Imagine rushing from work to the gym, and all you want to do is grab a 30 minute bout of exercise on the treadmill, only to find that the machines are already in use. Okay, you think, I can wait. You patiently sit by waiting for your turn and then 30 minutes goes by, then 40, and the same people are still using the equipment, despite seeing you sitting there waiting for them! It's frustrating when this happens, and for that reason, it's polite to only use cardiovascular equipment for 20 to 30 minutes if people are waiting.

2. Don't be a Weight Hog!

Same as above, I see this all of the time. A weight lifter has his own little circuit going on. He'll rotate between the cable machine, bench press and free weights, resting in between sets. You go to use the cable machine and he says, "Hey, I'm using that!" So instead, you go for a bench press and he says, "I still have one more set on that one." Okay, buddy, now you're getting on my nerves!

Look, if you want to use equipment exactly when and how you want to, then consider buying a bench and cable machine for at home. To use a busy gym and take all of the equipment hostage until you're done your own workout, is pretty rude!

3. Wipe Equipment

It only takes thirty seconds and it makes a huge difference to the quality of the gym. Nobody wants to lie down in some one's head sweat, or on a mat covered with back sweat. Ew! Keep the gym sanitary and fresh by using the cleaning solution provided and either a towel, or a paper towel.

Everybody needs to work together to make the gym a friendly and enjoyable experience. Without every member's cooperation, the fitness facility and experience as a whole, truly suffers.

Be Courteous!

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Small Snacks for Instant Energy!

Working a career that has you on the go all day, leaves little room to sit down and enjoy a full lunch. Fortunately I have what I know as, my power foods. Little snacks that are easy to grab at any coffee shop/convenience store for energy, and feeling full, to hold your stomach over until dinner time at home.

Now, these are NOT foods to live off. The foods here are substitutes to chocolate bars, candy and junk food. Meaning, they should be enjoyed in moderation!

Three Small Snacks for Instant Energy

1. Dried Fruit

A quarter cup of dried fruit, or less is a tasty snack for an energy boost. Sugar is quite concentrated, so you don't need to eat very many. Dried fruit is comparable to candy, except with the benefit of fiber and vitamins. Don't eat too many, but as a quick energy snack once in a while, nothing does the job quite like them.

2. Skim Milk Latte

Protein, caffeine, lactose (natural sugar in milk) are three ingredients that help you through the day. Protein keeps you full, while the lactose and caffeine keep you focused and energetic.

3. Deli Ready Salads

Most larger convenience stores have tabbouleh, bean, lentil or chickpea salads. Buy a small portion and avoid the ones made with mayo or other creamy looking salad dressings. This is actually a very filling, healthy snack on the go. Just make sure to grab a spoon from the counter:P

These quick fix snacks are great once in a while when you need the energy and have little time to spare.

Eat Well

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Monday Motivation, Stress Quotes

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it."
–Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris

"To be 'on edge,' you are literally not centered - not being in your spiritual center."
–Carrie Latet

"Stress is the trash of modern life - we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life."
–Danzae Pace

"There is more to life than increasing its speed."
–Mohandas K. Gandhi

"Sometimes a headache is all in your head. Relax."
–Hartman Jule

"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are."
–Chinese Proverb

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Chickpea and Spinach Recipe

Check out my article from a while back called, Crazy About Chickpeas. I really love using them in recipes. They're high in protein and fibre, low in fat and a complex carbohydrate. They're truly perfect for a vegetarian diet and extremely versatile.

Here is an easy chickpea recipes to try on your own. If you have never cooked with chickpeas before, start by using the canned variety and when you're comfortable with chickpea recipes, switch to dried. They take (a lot) longer to prepare but it's well worth it. They taste much better and are lower in sodium.

This recipe is from Big Oven. This is an amazing recipe community and I encourage anyone who loves to experiment with food, to check it out!

Chickpeas and Baby Spinach

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds lightly toasted and ground
1 Salt preferably kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock or water
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or chopped fresh pepper) to taste
1 6-oz. bag baby spinach

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, tomato paste and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring for one to two minutes, until fragrant and the tomato paste has turned a darker color. Add the chickpeas, the stock or water, and the cayenne, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the spinach, a handful at a time, stirring until each addition of spinach wilts. Add salt to taste and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for five minutes. Add lots of freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt and cayenne, and serve.

Note: Another way to make this dish is to blanch the spinach separately in salted boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of ice water, drain and squeeze dry. Add to the chickpeas as in step 2, but stir together for only two to three minutes.

Serves 4

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The Importance of Warming Up, Cooling Down and Stretching

With such busy lifestyles, fitting in exercise can be a huge challenge. If you are lucky enough to have developed a good routine at home, you just want to get through it. If you travel to a gym to work out, you are losing quite a bit of time just traveling there and back. While it can be tempting to cut corners, the truth is that you'll probably regret it later. In order to avoid paying later, you definitely need to take the extra time to do things like warm up, cool down and stretch.

Warm Up and Stretching

Jumping right into a hard workout can put a lot of stress on your body. Your muscles can easily become pulled and strained if proper procedures aren't followed. An easy warm up consists of a few basic stretching exercise. Some people do a bit of yoga in order to stretch and become limber. Yoga helps your body become flexible and can also bring better mental focus to your entire workout. Most people also don't realize how much physical strength holding the movements requires. In addition, you should start your main workout with some lower impact movements. Consider a brisk walk on the treadmill or a moderate cycling speed. If you power walk outdoors, spend the first five minutes at a comfortable walking pace before kicking it into high gear.

Cooling Down

Once you are done with your workout, what you really want to do is get out of there and get in the shower! A good workout can leave you feeling invigorated and ready to start the day. Physical activity is also a proven mood booster. However, these benefits can quickly be forgotten if you neglect to wind down after the stress of physical activity. Moderate physical activity after a heavy workout can help your muscles relax. This leads to less discomfort as your muscles react to the strain of exercise. A proper cool down period also ensures that your lungs have a chance to catch up and cool down before you rush into your daily responsibilities. The cool down period has mental benefits as well, including helping you to change gears and focus on the mental tasks that your day will bring.

It's not news that exercise is great for your health and well-being. Fitting it into a busy lifestyle isn't always easy. However, taking the time to do it right by stretching, warming up and cooling down after hitting the gym can ensure that you get the best results in the limited time that you have available.

This guest post was contributed by Christine Howell who frequently writes about Sports Massage Schools.

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Three Most Important Strength Training Key Phrases to Improve Form

Weight lifting routines become even more beneficial and effective when form is perfected. It takes practice, but a sure way to speed progress is by remembering key phrases to remind yourself of the proper technique, for many strength training exercises.

Three Most Important Key Phrases to Improve Form:

1. Strong/Steel Wrists

Strong/steel wrists means keeping your wrists straight. During pushing exercises such as bench and shoulder press, it is common to "collapse the wrist," or "push with the wrists." This happens when instead of your wrists being straight and your knuckles facing the ceiling, your wrists are doing the work, (extremely hard on the joint) and your knuckles face back, while the palm of your hand faces up. This is not correct and when this happens, the exerciser loses emphasis on the desired muscle group and places the work right in to the wrists. Ouch! Watch those wrists!

2. Right Angles/90 degrees

Many strength training exercise such as the overhead triceps extension, leg press, shoulder press, bench press and some bicep curl variations form a right angle at the start or finishing point. Take the overhead extension as an example. The start of this exercise is arm straight in the air, holding a dumbbell with the palm facing in. You bend back at the elbow, half way, to form a right angle. Why are right angles so important? In the case of the overhead extension, more than half way, or less than 90 degrees in end position puts unnecessary strain on the elbow joint, and after that half way point, you are not even working your triceps anymore! In bench press past the right angle there is too much pressure on the shoulder joint, in leg press the work goes in to the knees. Right angles are important in lifting.

3. Soft Knees and Elbows

Soft knees and elbows basically mean, keep them slightly bent. Standing exercises require a soft stance to take pressure off the low back, to protect the knee joint, and to provide balance. Soft elbows like in lateral raises, focuses the effort in to side shoulders and in exercises where heavy lifting is requires like bench press, ensures all of that weight isn't places in to the elbows and shoulders if the elbows are completely straightened. Soft knees and elbows are a safety precaution, and a very important technique to stay lifting injury free.

Use these three key phrases to improve technique during every strength training session to progress results, work the correct muscles and stay injury free.

Lift Smart!

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Monday Motivation, Accept the Challenge!

"Adventure is worthwhile."

-Amelia Earhart

"We are like tea bags - we don't know our own strength until we're in hot water."

-Sister Busche

"Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict."

-William Ellery Channing

"A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner."

-Anonymous

"Don't ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back."

-Anonymous

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