2015 Year In Review

In getting ready to write this post, I peeked at my blog's archives of New Year's Eve posts. I can't believe I started writing this blog back in 2008, and my post preparing for 2009 tells the story of a very different gal in a very different place... But I digress.

All around 2015 was a pretty awesome year. While I did my best to live boldly, I don't think it was entirely in the ways I expected!

I got to take some amazing trips - to Florida, Nashville, Alberta and Halifax.

Both trips to the US found me hanging out with some incredible Beachbody coaches, working out with celebrity trainers (including Shaun T - ahhh!), exploring fun new-to-me cities, eating great food, enjoying warmer climates and generally having the best time.

My trip to Alberta was an adventure with Corbin's family to celebrate his Grandma (Dixie's) 80th birthday. It involved visits to Calgary, Canmore, Banff and a road trip to the village of Empress, Alberta where Corbin's dad grew up. It was my very first time seeing the mountains, and the sights in Alberta are absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed some really lovely day trips including an adventure to the Columbia Icefield, hiking in the Rockies, visits to Lake Louise and other beautiful glacial lakes and some great time spent in Canmore. It was an awesome trip and I was happy to expand my Canadian horizons to the west.

I also expanded them to the east! We were only back in Toronto for a couple weeks before we took off to Halifax for a wedding. We drove there and back (and by we I mean Corbin drove, and brought snacks and downloaded the entirety of Serial and The Mystery Show for us to listen to) which was quite the adventure in itself!! Once we got there, I fell in love with the Halifax! The weather was perfect and it was wonderful to be so close to the ocean. I visited with friends (old and new!), scoped out the farmer's market, ate yummy food and did all-things wedding related! It was a beautiful event and a really fun reason to take a trip out east!

In 2015, I continued with my fitness journey completing 2 rounds of Insanity Max:30, 21 Day Fix Extreme and getting started with The Master's Hammer and Chisel! This is the most consistent I've ever been with fitness and I attribute a lot of that success to my incredible challengers, coaches and monthly support and accountability groups. Without them, it's just me working out in my room and that just doesn't do it for me!! Today marks day 4 of Hammer and Chisel, and so far it is KICKING MY ASS. I'm so excited to share my journey with you and see the final result 56 days from now. Here goes nothing!

In the spring, I took a job with Meghan Telpner and it has been a great fit! I have the best time with our team, I love the work that we're doing, I get to use my full range of skills and I'm constantly learning. We were super busy with the launch of her second book and running the CNE Program for the Academy of Culinary Nutrition, but it's been a truly awesome ride.

I've also been growing my role as a health and fitness coach, and it's been so cool to see our team's growth and the progress our challengers have made. I've had the opportunity to help a lot of people work towards their health, fitness and business goals and look forward to continuing with this in 2016!! We have an awesome group of peeps ready to go for our January Group and I can't wait to see our team grow and thrive. I paid for all my Christmas gifts with my Beachbody income and I'm looking forward to pushing towards some really big goals in 2016!!

(Our next online support and accountability group starts on Monday and I would love for you to be a part of it so I can help you work towards YOUR 2016 goals!! Send me a message)

While both of my jobs keep me busy, I'm still finding ways to perform. I had the opportunity to be a part of the first 'intimate' Confidential Music Theatre Project show in April which was one of the scariest things I've done in my life to date! I'm grateful that I had the experience, and it certainly showed me what I'm capable of doing. I also love that each year I get to do a show with our Ashnaba group, and we had a really great show in May where I performed one of my very favourite songs.


I'm also having a lot of fun making videos that include singing and getting involved with other people's fun projects - like when I got to dress up as Posh Spice for a great project earlier this week (video of that will be up next week - stay tuned!!)

I read lots of great books, saw some incredible theatre and concerts, Fringed, watched the entirety of Orange is the New Black, Breaking Bad and House of Cards, spent great time with friends, rode Cecily all over the city, moved twice, made nourishing meals (including ones with meat again) and continued to be crazy in love.

Photo Credit: Michelle Doucette Photography 

Oh, and I chopped my hair off and dyed in dark brown.

It wasn't all rainbows and unicorns (I had a wicked flu in March that took me out for 10 days, moving twice in 5 months was less than ideal and with all of the changes that happened, I definitely had to sort out what a routine looked like for me!) but all in all, it was a very transformative year and a mostly enjoyable one at that!

Over the last few weeks, I've been setting intentions for 2016, making goal lists and vision boards while reminiscing on all that has happened in 2015. I'm looking forward to riding the momentum that I've built and striving for an even more awesome year. One of my goals includes blogging more regularly again, so be sure to watch this space.

2016, let's do this.

Happy New Year, friends - I hope 2016 brings you adventure, wonder and all kinds of awesome xo

21 Day Fix Extreme - My Experience

Back in the spring, I was really excited for the release of 21 Day Fix Extreme. Many of my fellow coaches and challengers had done the original 21 Day Fix and LOVED it, and I thought this would prove to be an awesome new challenge for me. It boasted:

• 30 minute workouts, each with weights and/or a resistance band
• variety in the workouts - plyo, upper body, lower body, pilates, cardio & yoga
• modifier for every exercise
• food plan, complete with portion controlled rainbow-coloured containers
• opportunity to get shredded 

I was super stoked to do this program and had a group of gals all set to do it with me...

And then I got the godzilla flu. I was out of commission for 10 days complete with fever, no appetite, lethargy, weakness and fainting. It was AWFUL!! It took me awhile to get back into the swing of things and I definitely wasn't in shape to do the program (Heck, I couldn't even get out of BED for 10 days, let alone do jumping jacks with weights!!)

After I regained my strength and my health, I got back into working out daily. I did many of the 21 Day Fix Extreme workouts and dabbled in the program, but never completed the full 21 consecutively and NEVER embarked on the meal plan. 

Why?

Back in 2006 when I first decided to lose weight I counted points, which at the time was a glorified way of counting calories. It did a great job of helping me learn about portion and was instrumental in me losing 35 lbs, but it also created an obsession with numbers.

Be it points or the number on the scale, I was a wee bit obsessed and not always in a positive, helpful way. A lot changed - I learned more about healthy eating and real food.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and went gluten & dairy free.

I lost more weight in an unhealthy way after my break up then gained it all back + more. But I remained obsessed with numbers and the scale until I stopped counting points and banished the scale. I found freedom in not weighing myself and viewing all food as choices, rather than good or bad foods that had a number attached.

In doing so, I found a balance with healthy eating and finding those goods feelings inside myself - not based on any number. So I was resistant to try using the containers because I didn't want to feel restricted / inhabited / confined to numbers again.

In the 21 Day Fix system, the containers help with portions, focusing on whole foods and gives you a system to follow (each colour represents a food group). You count the number of each container you have each day, but those are the only numbers to follow. Watching my challengers and fellow coaches follow this plan and have super results was incredibly inspiring and I also wanted to really understand the program. Yah, I could read about and learn everything there was to know - but that's very different than actually DOING!

With all of the traveling I did this summer, I also had let a lot of treats creep into my daily routine. Treats are great and delicious - but they should actually be a treat, not a daily occurrence. 

So with all of that in mind, I declared that I was going ALL IN in October, committing to a full 21 days of the program and giving the containers a go. 

I loved all the variety in the workouts. There are 7 different workouts that you're doing, so over 3 weeks you only do each workout 3 times. I really enjoyed seeing myself get stronger each time I did a workout - be it with heavier weights, the ability to do more reps, use better form or not have to modify. I started out with 3, 5 and 10 lbs weights. I'm about ready to retire the 3's and need to pick up some 8's!! 

I find Autumn to be very motivating (and am also motivated by the handsome, bearded men in the workout - hah!!) She is fierce, but not scary. I want to work harder because of the things that she says!!

I committed to the meal plan last week and found a few interesting things:

• Planning is key- I knew that going in and do like to have a meal plan each week, but ensuring that you get the correct number of containers each day definitely requires some thoughtfulness and planning. If you have everything on hand, and can make a few big things to help you get through the week, you're golden!
• There are so many snacks - I'm not usually a snacker, but in order to get in all of my containers for the day I was required to change that, which was actually awesome! My energy levels were stable and I felt like I was eating so much food. I also tried out a bunch of new, fun snack recipes and will be incorporating them into my routine. 

• I didn't feel restricted - I enjoyed having a plan to follow and I didn't feel like I was depriving myself because there was so much food. Counting containers didn't freak me out like I was worried it might and it was great to have a goal to work towards. 
• More protein please - the meal plan forced me to focus on protein, which was a good thing! I was having protein at most meals and incorporating it into my snacks as well, which was great. 
• Let's change things up a bit - I tried some new recipes that I really enjoyed. I made a bunch from the Fixate Cookbook and some from the 21DFX meal plan book. I haven't talked about this on the blog yet, but I started eating meat again back in the spring (it was part of my recovery after I was sick...) I'm focused on eating ethical meat from quality sources, and still eating a predominantly plant-based diet that is gluten & dairy free. It's been an interesting transition for sure, but I feel amazing. Cooking with meat is still foreign to me, so it's been good to try some new recipes and find new favourites. 

Some of my favourite meals included: Shakeology smoothies in the morning, big salads with tofu, hummus & lots of veggies, chili, taco salad, cashew & oat hot cakes and eggs with veggies & goat cheese. 

Some of my favourite snacks were: sliced fruit with nut butter, plain (goat) yogurt with fruit & seeds, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin energy bites. 

I'm proud to report that on Sunday I finished Day 21 of the program and did a week of the container system. And as a result, I dropped 6 inches - not bad for 3 weeks!! I didn't take my own advice and didn't do progress photos -- I need to find a spot in my new house to take them! 

I am proud to have completed all 21 days and am looking forward to more workouts with Autumn come the new year! I am going to be using more of the 21 Day Fix recipes (and continuing to play with the Fixate cookbook) and I think I will follow the meal plan hardcore again come January. 

If this sounds like a program you would like to try (either Extreme or the original) I would love to have you join me in one of our upcoming challenge groups! You can do anything for 21 days! 30 minutes a day at home + colour coded containers + support?? Totally manageable - and I'd be with you every step of the way! 

Where are my fellow 21 Day Fix-ers at? What is your favourite workout? Do you have a favourite 21 Day Fix approved recipe?

Ditching the Limiting Beliefs

"I'm not good with money"

This is how I've viewed myself for a really long time. Maybe even my my whole adult life.

Growing up we didn't have a tonne of money, but my parents made sure I didn't go without. I got my first job at 17, and instead of saving my money, I used it for lunches, clothing and fun. I felt entitled to spend it however I chose since I was the one earning it. I acquired my first major debt at 19 when I took out a student line of credit and a student loan to put myself through musical theatre school. I got my credit card towards the end of musical theatre school. And when I got my first "grown up" job following college, I still didn't place my focus on budgeting, saving or paying down my debt; I continued to do whatever I wanted with my money.

Over the years I've continued to pay down my credit line and student loan slowly, but have managed to rack up my fair share of credit card debt. Up until last year, even when I was working jobs that paid me well, I still didn't take the time to learn more about budgeting or saving and wrote it off to "I can do what I want with my money" and "I'm just not good with it".

The limiting beliefs we have about ourselves can be paralyzing. You may not even realize that you have them. Are there thoughts you have about yourself on a regular basis that are holding you back? Do you find yourself making flippant comments about a certain personality trait or quality? Are there certain qualities you admire in others and deep down inside you wish you possessed?

Your limiting beliefs could be related to any number of things:

• Money & personal finances ("I'm not good with money")
• Health & fitness ("I'll never lose weight" "I'm not motivated")
• Trust & relationships ("I've been betrayed before so I can't trust" "I'll be single forever")
• Success ("I'll never be successful" "I fail at everything" "I don't deserve to be successful")
• Time & resources ("I don't have enough time" "I'm too busy")
• Procrastination ("I never finish things" "I'm just a lazy person")
• Being enough ("I'm not good/smart/thin/young/wealthy enough")

These beliefs that we hold about ourselves are the things standing in the way of achieving success. Once we start believing something, our choices and actions follow and your limiting belief has the ability to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The amazing thing about life is that we get to make choices. And while it can be difficult to re-program our brains and our thoughts, it can be done and we can leave those limiting beliefs in the dust behind us. 

5 Ways to Ditch Your Limiting Beliefs

1. Start by determining what's holding you back - maybe it's something from the list above or maybe it's something different entirely. Once you start to recognize patterns in your thoughts you can move forward in addressing and challenging them.
   
2. Don't be afraid to ask for help - it can be super scary to ask for help in any area of our lives, but especially the ones that may be holding us back. But it's okay, and it's totally a good thing. Asking for help will look differently for different people. It might mean seeing a counsellor or therapist to work through some of your "stuff". Maybe it's hiring an advisor or coach to help guide you. It could even be finding a book / blog post / podcast to start steering you in a new direction. Whatever the help, it's out there and you deserve to utilize it.
   
3. Find a new mantra - turn that limiting belief around into something positive and say it 'til you mean it. Repeat it to yourself daily. Initially you might find this new mantra laughable because it's the exact opposite of what you've believed for perhaps as long as you can remember - and that's okay. The saying "fake it til you make it" applies here; give yourself some time to get to know your new mantra and really adopt it as your own. Watch what follows.
   
4. Make a plan and run with it - once you've turned your limiting belief on its head, set some shiny, new goals and make them happen! Ridding yourself of the things that have been holding you back can be very freeing and can open up a multitude of new doors. Open them and just go.
   
5. Trust that you are enough - because you are. 

When you can leave your limiting beliefs in the past, you can open yourself up to a world of possibility, positivity and new adventures. It's certainly not easy, but it's worth it - what do you have to lose?

Yesterday I met with a financial advisor. When he asked me about my goals, I said "I want to work on finally dealing with my debts. I want to work towards saving and having a reserve. I'd like to learn how to budget. I want to work on being a grown up". For me, this was a HUGE step in leaving my limiting belief in the past and working with a new attitude of abundance and positivity in this area. I left with some extra pep in my step and excitement about the future, and that's a pretty awesome way to feel. 

If you are looking for help to overcome your limiting beliefs relating to healthy eating, fitness and setting goals, I'm looking for 8 people to join me in a group beginning on Monday June 8, 2015. I'm so excited to be offering this group. We're going to tackle clean eating, incorporating exercise and goal setting with 3 weeks of daily assignments, incredible workouts, meal planning tips, videos and resources. I'm also offering an amazing personal development book as a special bonus from me to those who reserve their spot before Friday May 22. You can grab your application here. 

Be Awesome in April

Hi hi! I'm back!! I'll be posting later in the week about where I've been and what I've been up to this month (spoiler alert: it wasn't super fun and involved a godzilla flu!)

The temperatures are getting warmer (ish) and spring is here. Can you believe we've already gone through a fourth of this year? Time flies!! Spring means yummy green veggies, fewer parkas and boots PLUS more sunshine - hooray!

With a new month upon us, it means that it is also time for a new challenge group! My guys and gals this month have been seriously impressive, working their butts off with their workout programs and meal plans, drinking Shakeology and completing daily bonus workouts. (They were pretty angry at me on burpee day, but I assigned them with love).


Today we were talking about body positivity after I was inspired by watching Matt Diaz's video over the weekend, where he talks about finding acceptance of his body after losing 270 lbs and having loose skin and stretch marks. (So inspiring!!) We've also been sharing yummy snack ideas, like these tasty looking deviled avocado eggs and cheering one another on as folks have shared their awesome progress this month (like one challenger who lost another 7 inches!!) It's positive, motivating and it is incredible to see and hear about the progress that my challengers are making!!



I have 4 spots left for people looking to join our April group which begins on Monday April 6th. If you're looking to make a healthy change in your life, want to feel great in your spring / summer wardrobe, need a little boost in your motivation or would benefit from being surrounded by a group of positive, welcoming and awesome people making changes in their own lives, we would love to have you!

You'll pick a program of your choice to align with your goals, needs and preferences, as well as set yourself up for success with Shakeology and a stellar nutrition plan. You'll get to join our private Facebook group, connect with like-minded people and I'll be there to help you every step of the way. Sound like something you're into? Fill out the form below and let's get you set up to be awesome in April!!

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