Yet Another Note On Breakfast ;)

I have to say that I LOVE when people ask questions or bring up a myth that I haven't yet had the chance to rebut.


Today's topic is inspired by a question posed by one of my readers on the entry I wrote- New Fav Cereal!. The reader mentioned that she'd been told protein was the most important thing to have for breakfast, and that eating carbs would be like eating cake. I can assure you that this is incorrect.

It is a good idea to have protein for breakfast, but carbs are very important to include as well! Carbohydrates are brain food, NOT protein. Protein is mainly used to repair muscle tissue, whereas carbohydrates are our bodies #1 source of energy. It's what's going to get your systems fired up in the morning and give you that energy to stay awake.

Carbohydrates are usually what people start to cut back on when dieting to lose weight, so it's easy to start believing that they make you fat. On the contrary, carbohydrates are a key component to a healthy diet that's also sustainable for weight loss.

Now, there are types of carbohydrates that are not good for you and should be limited in your diet. Foods like white bread, white pasta, pastries, cakes, candies, beer, etc. should not be a part of your regular eating regime. Make sure the carbs you're choosing are not empty calories but are instead rich in vitamins/minerals, made of whole grains, and if you can go for organic- do so.

The truth is that protein, carbs, and fats come in healthy and unhealthy varieties. This is why cutting out all fats, or all carbs, or all proteins, just doesn't work in our favor. Diets that tell you to cut out any of these may work temporarily, but I promise you, I guarantee you, any weight you lose will come back and likely more weight will come with it.

So, unless you have intolerances to mixing certain types of foods together, your best bet for breakfast would be to have a mix of carbs, protein, and fat. Think: a bowl of cereal with some slivered almonds and fruit, or an egg on toast with a fruit salad on the side and a glass of milk.

Let me know if there's anything else you guys want to know :)

Staying Home!

Ok, so it's decided, I'm staying home. I was, for awhile, considering a move to Halifax to work there and continue my education and experience as a trainer and instructor. After much consideration, I've committed to stay on PEI and work full-time with the Spa Total Fitness Center in the Charlottetown mall.

I'll be teaching classes and, of course, doing personal training and small group/partner training. I'll be traveling to Halifax once a month (or so) to continue my education through workshops offered by CanFit-Pro. I'm curious to know what kind of classes people are interested in taking so that I know what types of workshops I should concentrate on participating in. Send me an email at embodybia@gmail.com to let me know what styles of training you've enjoyed in the past or perhaps have seen on infomercials/TV that you'd like to try.

I'm very excited to be staying here on the island to work in the industry I love so much, and I hope to see some of my avid readers in the gym soon *wink*

A Tear Jerker

My father sent me a video by email that I'd like to share with all of you. It's a truly inspiring story of strength, love, and determination.

Watch the video here.

Don't Be A Victim

Paul Plakas is the personal trainer on the show 'X-Weighted' and has tons of knowledge and experience in the health and fitness industry. He's one of the reasons I wrote my entry about elliptical machines, which he's known for hating. Although he can seem a bit pompous at times, and I've seen him play a pretty mean drill sergeant role on 'X-Weighted', I really think he knows his stuff.

I've been having a bit of a rough time over the past several weeks, for personal reasons, and was unable to sleep last night so I decided to get online rather than continue to toss and turn. I jumped onto his website and read an article about self-pity and found myself nodding throughout in agreement with everything he said and felt in his own experiences. I can relate in so many ways. Not only have I had clients who were of that mindset, I've experienced it myself. After my ankle injury I felt frustrated and depressed that I couldn't run like I wanted to. I went through the "why me?" stage, and the "why bother?" stage. I'm still working on overcoming the drawbacks that I let myself endure, and this article helped big time.

We're our own worst enemy most of the time. It's true. I think everyone goes through self-doubt and self-pity at some point in their life. The goal is to get through it, quickly, before it does a lot of damage.

Check out the article on self-pity here.

New Fav Cereal!

I have a new favorite cereal: Mom's Healthy Secrets VibraBerry.

Breakfast is, by far, the most important meal of the day. We've all heard that eating a good breakfast within an hour of waking up is a must, but some of us still refuse to make it a priority. Some people claim that it makes them hungrier throughout the day- my guess is those people are also ignoring the fact that you need to snack too! You should be eating something every 3 hours. Hunger is your body's way of telling you it needs something. Start your day off right with a healthy breakfast to wake up your body, and when you are hungry, eat! Keep healthy snacks on hand and it won't be an issue.

The VibraBerry cereal is great! It's organic, low fat, very high in fibre and has organic goji berries, blueberries, and raisins which are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Oh, and it's yummy! I like to mix in some fresh fruit but it's delicious on its own too.

If you're one of those breakfast skipping rebels, I think you just need to find something you enjoy eating in order to make it a habit. Time shouldn't be an issue, because, seriously, how long does it take to eat cereal? And if cereal's not your thing, toast is quick, easy, and portable!

If you have a favorite cereal or are a regular breakfast eater and have a great meal idea you'd like to share, let me know!

Try Intervals

My ankle is a bit messed up ever since I ran the marathon 2 yrs ago, and because of the injury I can't run long distances anymore. I think I can work back up to it, and am going to try my hardest to (aiming for next years Blue Nose Marathon). Because I can't run long distances yet, I've been trying out an interval workout that I came up with a few weeks ago. So far, it's working fantastically! I haven't experienced pain and it is amazing for the cardiovascular system. I do a minute of brisk walking, 2 minutes of jogging at a good even pace, and then I RUN, as hard as I can for 1 minute, then repeat until I get where I'm going.

Interval training is fantastic! It seems to be putting less stress on my ankle, but definitely isn't any less demanding cardio-wise. I'm getting to train for endurance, as well as speed and power. Whether you're a regular jogger, or a newbie, I recommend trying out an interval routine like the one I'm doing, or you can even make up one of your own.

Intervals are quickly becoming a preferred method of training and should be included, in one way or another, in every exercise program. You'll burn tons of calories and train different energy systems, making you a more efficient machine!

10 Ways To Help Your Kids Be More Active

I read an article by Paul Plakas regarding the frightening statistics on childhood obesity. It's obvious that parents play a huge role in the health of their children as well as the amount of activity they participate in.

The article followed with a list of the top ten ways to get your kids living a more active and healthy lifestyle. I've copied the list below and hope you all take note!

10. Sign up for summer sports camps.
- sports burn lots of calories
- are fun, kids do them long periods of time
- develop their bodies for adulthood

9. Schedule daily evening family walks.
- will develop a habit that they can carry on into the future
- develops family time and cohesiveness

8. Give them active jobs: paper route, snow shoveling, grass cutting, chores.
- a chance to earn spending money, motivation to work

7. Don’t let kids walk all over you, you are the boss.
- Don’t drive kids to school that is two blocks away
- Say no to lazing around the house.

6. Do the walk and groom program at your local humane society.
- get exercise and develop compassion and volunteer skills
- kids love animals

5. Build a backyard obstacle course.
- Be creative, develop cooperation with your children
- Use anything available ( saw horse, hoola hoops, tires, ropes, balls,etc

4. Set limits on T.V time, computer usage, video games and cell phones.
- Do not allow television or computer in their room only in open areas
- Only allow cell phones for emergency use
- Keep video games to only a couple hours per week.

3. Be a positive role model.
- Kids will follow the foot steps of the parent
- If you make exercise part of your life the greater chance your child will

2. Plan physically active holidays like camping.
- Develop outdoor skills while burning calories
- So much to do (hike, rock climb, bike, kayak)

1. Go play with them.
- Just spend time with your children, play catch
- Let the kids pick a physical activity for the family to engage in
- Gives them a chance to be involved and lead the family to better health

I think the most important one on the list is number #3. I think being an active parent and showing kids, by example, how health and fitness are crucial to life, will make the biggest difference. If you tried a "do as I say and not as I do" approach, ie: if you sent your kids to camp to be active while you sat on your couch watching T.V and eating potato chips, I think you would end up disappointed with the outcome.

It's summer, so it's a great time to start a new family routine! Get out there with your kids and enjoy some healthy and active adventures!