Gearing up for a busy weekend

May 31, 2013
Well the humidity has set in, guess its going to be here for a few days, my husband who is from Australia is absolutely loving it. he has been praying for it to warm up for weeks.
I went to the gym this morning and did an hour on the elliptical machine. While there I was thinking about my meal plan, I am suppose to have a high protein snack between meals, now the normal would be 0% Greek yogurt, 2% cottage cheese or a small tin of tuna, well now I am allergic to milk and I have known this for years, but always figured I could still eat yogurt as it didn't make me feel sick. After having my allergy testing done I found out that my allergy was fairly high so I decided to stop having the milk yogurt and switch to the goats yogurt. I soon realized that the milk yogurt was keeping me very regular. The taste of the goats yogurt is awful, so I was putting a bit of honey and cinnamon in it. I found that I was not as regular and the fat content in this yogurt is very high. I'll put up the nutrition info on down. So what should I eat now and how much fiber do I need to keep regular again, I know it is affecting my weight loss. So back to the drawing board, I am going to try some beans this week and see how that goes.

What are your healthy low fat high protein snacks?

Do you add extra fiber to your diet?

Today's quote: 

The Heat Is On

May 30, 2013
Well today it is going to be very warm, 30c, yikes who asked for that, lol. I felt much better today so was able to do my hour at the gym on the elliptical machine with ease. I spoke to an older gentleman there and he has been with the gym since 1996, I gather he goes to Florida during the winter cause he said he only goes 6 months a year. Koodos to him for doing so well and continuing his fitness into his later years, I hope that I still have half his stamina at his age.

The key to success over the long term:
We all know that fit people use fat more efficiently as a fuel, and that active people are more likely to have a healthier lifestyle. So it should be noted that the most important factor to exercise for weight loss is making activity achievable. Rather than sticking to a regime that may or may not give the person small increases in fat utilization the focus must be on methods that ensure the person is active and remains active. Often inherent enjoyment in the activity can be the greatest motivator for change. Exercise must be achievable, realistic and easy to stick with over the long term. While the scope of this text is fat loss via nutrition, is greater with an exercise plan. Many people now use personal trainers to not only program their exercise but also to assist with their motivation. It is important to remember that fit people burn fat easier than unfit people, so the goal should always be to increase physical activity first to get the individual on track to meet their goals.
Have you set goals for yourself?
Are they small enough to be attainable?
Today's quote: 

Volunteer wednesday

May 29, 2013
Well today is wednesday, my day to volunteer at the Glebe Centre. I still don't feel the best and I had a bad headache come on again last nite so I headed to bed by 9:30 pm and was up a couple of times during the night to take medication. It has left me feeling nauseous today, so when I went to the gym I didn't go as hard as I usually do and I managed to do 45 minutes and I also weighed in, I am down 1/2 a pound, I have had some issues with my yogurt and had switched from milk greek to goats yogurt, but it tasted horrible and it had way more fat and bad calories, so I need to find better sources of protein snacks, maybe even going with protein shakes. I'll keep you posted.
Do you still work out even if you don't feel well?
What are your good sources of protein snacks?
Today's quote;

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope my enthusiasm returns tomorrow.

It's warming up a bit.

May, 28, 2013
First I wanted to start off by wishing all the competitors that are going to the OPA championships this weekend all the best, you girls rock and make me want to do more each day at the gym. I have been following one person in particular Kiersten Fu, 
She is an inspiration and has inspired me to keep up my journey at Florida Fitness. I want to thank her for that, yes there are days that I hate getting up and going to the gym, all I have to do is think about what these people are sacrificing to be the best they can be and compete for what they believe in, and then I kick myself in the but and get going. LOL Like this morning, I had no desire to go to the gym, but went anyways and did 45 minutes, I may try to go back later on and give it a bit more. 
I have been experimenting with using different non wheat flours and last nights left me feeling terrible. I will take a look at the recipe today and see what in it has bothered me. I'll see Dr Mickelson next week and may have to tweek some things.
Who are you rooting for today?
What keeps you motivated?
Today's quote; 

My aching muscles

May 27, 2013
What a great weekend, we managed to get the cars vacuumed and washed out, then got the yard work done as well, pulled the weeds in the gardens and planted my lovely rose bushes. All of this was done on Saturday, so Sunday was a free day to explore.  We started out going to Luskville to see the waterfalls, the walk started out nice but the further we got into the bush the more the mosquito's came after us, not sure why I didn't think of bringing and bug spray, lesson learned, put a can in the car for next time. We were driven out about half way up the rocky trail, so we headed to a store and all they had were citronella bracelets, we bought 3 of these, they are suppose to be good for 200 hours. When we got home I put them in a zip lock bag and we will see if that helps them to last longer. We then headed on to Lac La Peche, we found a nice walk going up from the lake, not sure how long it took us to walk it, but it was breath takingly beautiful, and my thighs feel it today, my thighs are so sore, I did go to the gym this morning and still did an hour on the elliptical machine.

Did you get outdoors this weekend?
Did you explore someplace new?
Today's quote;

 

What happened, it's freezing today

May 24, 2013
Wow I woke this morning to a much colder morning and less humid brrrrrrr.
I went for a walk last night with Charlie, something we use to enjoy doing allot in Australia, we would organize hikes with our friends and take along a picnic lunch to have in the park after, or walk on Berry Island and stop and listen to the Jazz music in the park for the afternoon while we ate and sipped wine.
How I long for those days, I miss our friends in Australia, can't wait for Charlie to retire so we can head back and move up the coast and experience a new area of Australia, looking forward to no winter's as we will live 6 months in Australia and 6 months here. I dream at least lol.
I experimented last night with making some spelt bread, I don't eat allot of bread, I am allergic to wheat and once in a while its nice to have a slice of toast with my omelet. I found it to be a bit heavy and will experiment with it a bit, I'll put the recipe up on my blog. I tried a piece of the bread last night.
So this morning I decided I better do a little extra to wear off the bread, I did an hour and fifteen minutes on the elliptical machine this morning and I have to say it felt great, it also warmed me up. 
Spot reduction of body fat.  
Most of us at some time in our lives would like to shed a few pounds from specific areas on our body, often for women this is the buttocks. It is not uncommon to see people attempting to reduce body fat from their abdomen by doing endless sit-ups or crunches. Unfortunately fat loss does not occur in this way, as the loss of fat from fat cells is dependent on the gender of the person and the fat cell itself. Women tend to lose body fat from the hips last, while men lose body fat from the abdomen areas quickly.
What are your problem areas?
Do you try to target them?
Today's quote;

This week is almost over

May 23, 2013
The week is almost over, I have felt very tired this week, I guess I am still catching up from the weekend in Toronto. Makes me realize that this old body still isn't back to snuff after the last 4 years, I am better, and realize I will never be the person I was before, I plug on though, I was at the gym at 6:15 am and did an hour on the elliptical, I came home showered and decided I better work on my painting before art class today..So I have been busy with that this morning, when its finished I will share it.

Fuels and physical activity for weight loss.
Muscles preferentially burn fat over carbohydrates during lower intensity exercise, particularly when glucose and glycogen are depleted first, low to moderate intensity exercise is recommended for fat loss. The most ideal level of exercise for fat loss is believed to be when a person exercises at 50% of their maximum exercise potential keeping their heart rate in the range between the low intensity rate of 30% and the moderate intensity of 60%. This level of exercise is also achievable for most of us regardless of our level of fitness and our body shape. Exercising at this level also means that most of us are able to sustain our workouts for longer.
Remember short bursts of activity such as a sprint are anaerobic and long duration such as a long run or long walk are aerobic activities. I try to do short burst on the elliptical machine of a couple minutes at a time in my first 30 minutes, then in the last 30 minutes I try to keep it steady on the 3rd level.

Have you taken a walk today?
Lets try to get moving at least 30 minutes a day, park away from work, use your lunch hour to get some exercise by walking around the block a few times or sprint up and down the stairs of the office building.
Today's quote; Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. Mark Twain