Take Massive Action

October 8, 2014Leave a comment

I overheard some ladies the other day talking about the law of attraction. Afterward, I kept thinking about “The Secret” movie and how they basically forgot to mention that taking massive action is probably the most important part of manifestation. You can sit and meditate and ask your angels for help all you want, but if you don’t put their guidance into action, you’re not going to make it very far.

Once you have clear goals mapped out in your mind, it’s time to take little steps toward their fulfillment every day. Notice the synchronicities that are trying to help you along the way, and act on any opportunities that arise. If it’s a business you want to start, you can start laying the groundwork while at your present job. Maybe all you need are 30 minutes each evening to make it happen. Maybe you need more time, or maybe you don’t need any time at all – once you have a clear goal and the timing is right, your angels can move mountains and you can find yourself on the fast track. This can happen in any area of your life – you just have to be ready to work and know exactly what you want to make happen.

If it’s a fitness goal that you wish to reach, you can break down your action steps into daily activities that will get your body moving. If it’s important enough, you’ll find the time. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it.

You know those little gut feelings that you have? Start following them. Set your intentions for your life and then follow the guidance that is offered. Align yourself with your Higher Self by following those hunches that want you to act integrally. I always get an uneasy feeling if I’m about to eat something that isn’t in line with my health and fitness goals. I’m getting better at listening to those feelings, but it’s definitely not easy! We have habits that are comfortable for us, but if they haven’t gotten us to where we want to go in the past, they’re worth the discomfort that arises when we choose differently. That discomfort starts to feel really really good once you start blazing that new trail.

If you’ve got a fitness goal you want to reach, I highly recommend a heart rate monitor – especially if you’re competitive like me. It helps me challenge myself every time I wear it. I’m always the last person on the ice at shinny these days because I’ve always got a challenge for myself. Today I had to burn 800 calories before I could get off the ice. I’m hardcore, I know. At the end of 80 minutes, I had burned exactly 800 calories. The point is that I have a fitness goal for myself and I intend to reach it. It doesn’t matter when exactly, but I make sure to take action steps each day that take me toward my goal!

Next time you get a gut feeling that something is off, take a moment and listen to your body. Start asking yourself questions and listen to what comes up. I guarantee you that you’ll start to notice things that you previously maneuvered while on autopilot.

See Only Love

August 13, 2014August 13, 20142 Comments

It seems that the angels are answering all of my prayers lately. My life is streamlining in the exact fashion that I wish it to, and I have a feeling that it’s no accident. That’s what happens when you make the decision to be happy. All you have to do is decide right now that you’re not going to give away your power to anyone else, that you are going to be happy no matter what is going on around you. You are an extremely powerful spiritual being, and you have the power to be happy whenever you choose. You can also choose to stop criticizing, stop comparing, stop expecting the worst, and and you can choose to see only love. If you’re always judging and complaining about things, maybe you’ve trained yourself to focus on the bad things.

I challenge you to retrain yourself. For 24 hours, I challenge you to focus only on the good in all areas of your life. Focus on what you love about your kids, your partner, your job, your parents, etc. How may people do you know who constantly complain about their jobs? Take a moment and just be grateful that you have a job. Many people are struggling to find one. Focus on what you love about yourself. What does your mental chatter sound like? Do you tell yourself how amazing you are, how smart you are, or do you belittle yourself? Send yourself loving thoughts.

See how your partner reacts when you stop criticizing them for not taking out the garbage. Instead, shift your focus. Say “You know, it really means a lot to me when you take out the garbage. Thank you for doing that every week.” Focus on the positive instead of the negative. Why did you marry your partner in the first place? What made you fall in love with them? Relationships improve immediately when you stop focusing on the bad and start focusing on the good. Look past the misunderstandings and mistakes, and see only love. If you catch yourself complaining, judging, comparing, etc. that’s ok! It’s great! It means you are becoming more aware of your negative thoughts! Awareness is what you want. Control your thoughts or they will control you.

Love is light. The opposite of light is dark; the opposite of love is fear. Where there is love there cannot be fear. For some reason, so many of us are living in a fear-based reality, and we don’t see a way out. Well, the way out is love. It all starts with digging deep and finding out what you love about yourself. What makes your spirit happy? What do you simply love to do? What makes you smile? What makes you laugh? Do some of those things right now. Show yourself some love. Loving yourself is the first step out of the fear-based illusion we have created for ourselves.

Realizing that I could instantly create a happy life all by myself was the first step to setting myself free from the fear-based illusion I was living in. I was always striving for perfection, but since perfection doesn’t exist, I was holding myself back. Realizing this, my self-imposed walls broke down, and suddenly I was free. I am the creator of my life. Whatever I want, I can make it happen. With that realization came excitement. I used to be scared to be in charge of my own life, but now, the exact same realization makes me feel so powerful. What changed? I chose love. I chose happiness and excitement over fear. How do you want to feel? Stop focusing on what’s wrong in your life, and start focusing on what’s right. Start focusing on creating the life of your dreams.

Once I started focusing on being happy, I realized that all I have to do to make my dreams come true is work on them a little more each day. How cool is that? No matter where you are today, just imagine where you could be a year from now if you did one thing each day that carried you closer to the realization of your dream. It doesn’t matter how big or small the steps are, it’s the direction that matters. Don’t let fears make you take steps backward. Realize that you are a powerful co-creator of your dreams. Step into your power. Own your dreams. You are worth it.

The Power of Intention

August 10, 2014August 10, 2014Leave a comment

There is something extremely powerful about intention. It’s a goal that is present in the now. The problem with most goals is that they are feats that will occur “someday,” but someday never happens. Don’t wait for someday. Do it now. What I like about setting intentions is that they laser focus your attention so that there can be only one outcome. The intentions I have on the front-burner right now include creating a fitter body than ever before, and the intention to be happy. There is no other option in my mind. I know I will get to my goal physique and I will be happy – most of the time anyway.

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Once you set your mind on something it is as good as done. Simply making the decision to do (or not do) something is a game winner. Once you make a clear decision, the universe has your back. Your angels will go to work behind the scenes, setting up synchronistic events that help to ensure the outcome you desire, so long as it is in the best interest of anyone else involved. Of course you still have to do the work, but setting the intention to get something done sets you up for success.

For instance, I love to run, test my boundaries in a hot yoga class, and push myself with a 24kg kettlebell. I have always loved to work out, but since setting the intention to get the body of my dreams, getting a workout in every day has been incredibly easy. There is always someone who is willing to help me out so that I can get to the gym or that yoga class. I even dropped my 2 month old off at the local coffee shop where the owners looked after him for 2 hours so I could play hockey! Life is full of synchronistic events that want you to succeed. All you have to do is ask for help, and recognize that help when it comes along.

We all have guardian angels who want to help us, but since we have free will, we have to ask for their help. They won’t interfere in our lives without our permission. I ask my angels on a daily basis to help me, and I tell you it works. My inner dialogue in the morning sounds something like this:

“Angels, I ask that you help me to release the pounds that no longer serve me. I love my body. It is an amazing place to live and I am so grateful to have it. I am excited about what I have accomplished this far and I am so excited to see my progress every day. Thank you for helping me to make healthy decisions so that I can have the body of my dreams.”

Our angels communicate with us through our intuition, little gut feelings that make us aware of this and that. They even communicate to us through the intuition of others. It’s why we may look at the clock every day at the exact same time, and why we tend to hear or see the same tidbit of information over and over. It’s said that if something catches your attention 3 times, your angels are screaming to send you a message!

I feel the support of the universe constantly when I am running. I get gut feelings that cheer me on. When I run past people on the sidewalk, they often smile at me, or even better, they say things like “great job!” I wish they knew just how much that encouragement means to me, but on some level I think they do. Often, I get these rushes of encouragement exactly when I need to hear them. It makes me think that it’s all in divine timing; my angels are pulling strings to ensure I succeed.

Since I ask my angels daily for help with my fitness intentions, my intuition is pretty bang on for steering me toward healthy foods and away from complete dietary disaster. I can have one piece of chocolate and not want to eat the entire bar. I can have a monster burger for lunch and have a salad for dinner. I’ve always known that my body craves movement every single day, but I made excuses before and I was unhappy for it. Now I listen to my intuition about fitness and my spirit is happy. I’m in a place of balance for once in my life and it feels pretty amazing.

In fact, I set the intention to write this blog post tonight while I was at the gym earlier today. I decided that I wouldn’t let how tired I might be (my usual excuse) get in the way. And so it is!

Don’t Get Comfortable: Push Yourself

July 20, 2014Leave a comment

What do you do when the going gets tough? Do you push through the mental anguish, or do you give up? How does your choice affect the way you feel? How do you want to feel? How you do anything is how you do everything. If you procrastinate in one area of your life, chances are that you do it in other areas as well.

Last night was night 7 in a string of “4 month sleep regression” nights. I had just gotten our 4 month old, Arlo, to sleep through the night about a week before, and now he sleeps worse than ever. In the past, I would have made excuses and taken a nap at the first opportunity, but I don’t want to be that person anymore. I want to create the life of my dreams, and I can’t do that if I’m napping every day! To the gym I went.

I’ve started doing hill run intervals during the past few weeks, and each time I am challenged at the exact same point in my run. And each time I am happy to say, I’ve pushed through it. How? It’s all in your head. Set an intention, and you’re 99% there. Your goal is as good as realized if you have a big enough WHY, and the intention to carry it through. It’s how I got through 3 natural births. I just set the intention to do it, and although it wasn’t easy, I knew that setting the intention meant that I would come out on the other side in just a matter of time.

How can you push yourself to run faster and longer? It starts with the intention. Ok, done. But how do you execute that intention? One step at a time. When I was enduring natural back labour, I took it one second at a time. One breathe at a time. Looking into the future or back at the past does you no good in the “right now.” There’s no sense worrying about having to run for another minute to finish an interval when you are working in seconds.

It also helps to have a workout plan. If you’re flying by the seat of your pants then you’re planning to fail. My go-to workout at the moment is Treadmill Trainer Volume 1. Every time I use this workout, there is a point where I seriously think about giving up, and every time Yuri comes on and says “Do not give up. You’ve committed to this interval so let’s finish it!” And every time it gives me that extra mental push I needed. Do you think I could run uphill intervals for an hour by myself. Heck no. It helps to have a guide.

Whether my interval lasts 45 seconds, 90 seconds, or 3 minutes, I take it one second at a time. In order to quiet the mental chatter, I count to 10. Over an over. My mental chatter sounds like this: “1, (breathe out) 2, (breathe in) 3, (breathe out) 4, (breathe in)…10 (breathe in) ONE!” That last ONE meaning I have finished one set of 10. And I just keep on counting until my interval is over, at which point I congratulate the crap out of myself for making it through, mostly in my head, until the end of my workout. Then there is one massive outward celebration that usually includes dancing and people staring at me :). I texted the hubby this photo today because I was so proud and wanted to share my moment with him:

You have to celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may be, because doing so adds gratitude, excitement, and happiness to your life and invigorates your Spirit. Happiness is vital for the momentum to keep going. If you hate working out, you’re not going to get very far with your goals. Find enjoyment in the process!

Don’t get comfortable. Break through your ceilings, again and again. Push yourself to get to that next level. Don’t leave the gym thinking that you could have gone harder. Put in the work and celebrate your successes as they come! Be grateful for your ability to push yourself and be grateful for the benefits as you notice them. For instance, you may notice that it’s easier to get up off the couch, you can lift your kids easier, it’s easier to breathe, you can breathe deeper, you’re happier, the people around you can feel it, and they’re happier because of the energy you’re bringing home.

Joy and Grounding in Nature

April 17, 2014April 27, 2014Leave a comment

boysriver This past weekend was amazing in Toronto. We took the kiddos for a long walk each day and enjoyed breathing in the negative ions along the Humber River. Going for a long walk in nature is not only beautiful, but it is very grounding as well.

Kids just naturally gravitate toward nature. The boys were playing in the dirt and hurling sticks over the rocks and into the water. Without even knowing it, they were grounding themselves in nature and having a joyful time doing it. The result: happy kids.

As the weather gets warmer I intend to be out there every day with my boys getting dirty and having fun. That’s one of the reasons we had kids after all – to take a break from being adults and remember what it’s like to let loose, make a funny face, and be ridiculous!

The grounding effect is just a bonus. It will calm your nerves and your mind, and reduce your stress. So when is the best time to get outside and ground yourself? Right now!

126 More Days.

September 21, 20101 Comment

There are only 126 more days; 18 weeks; or 4 months until this little baby is due. Any way you look at it, there’s not a lot of time left! And with time slowly closing in on the date, there is much to do!

And with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I am reminded of all the things that I am thankful for. First of all, I am thankful that I am retiring from the world of waitressing in exactly 17 more days. Given, I’ve only been working 1-2 times a week, so I have already checked out for all intents and purposes. There is nothing quite as relaxing as the care-free nature of checking out early. I think it even makes me a better waitress. You can yell at me just because you’re in a bad mood (and believe me, some people do) and I won’t give a shit. So go ahead and try me.

Secondly, I am thankful that I will get to stay at home with our kids and raise them to be little mindful free-thinkers. They won’t be babysat by someone’s television like I can remember, nor will they be chased around a basement and spanked for being too noisy during nap time. What was the point of relegating us to the basement if we couldn’t do anything whilst there? I am thankful that they won’t have memories of the babysitter scolding them for chewing the chicken in their chicken noodle soup. “You don’t need to chew the chicken. Just swallow it!” Are you kidding? I was only 6 and I knew this woman was a wacko! Please kids, chew your chicken.

Thirdly, I am thankful for pumpkin pie. If you are a pie of the pumpkin variety and you get within eating distance of me, you should be afraid – very afraid. The whipped cream is waiting, my friend. So please, do stop by for a bite to eat.

After the pie, I am thankful that I have a boyfriend slash husband who values the same things I do in life. To be honest, he wouldn’t be my boyfriend slash husband if he didn’t! We both want to escape the city and raise our kids somewhere where the air is clean, the lake is close, and the community is tight. We’ll carry the kayaks to the water in the summer, and cross country ski and skate in the winter. We’ll have a yard where we can grow a garden and the kids and dogs can play, and a driveway worthy of some good, competitive street hockey.

And although there are many more things I am grateful for, such as puppies, flip flops, Dexter’s return this weekend, maternity pants, and green juice, if I listed them all, you’d have to read a novel. So, go bake yourself a pie, top it with real whipped cream, and think about all the things that make life grand!

Holistic Nutrition – It’s Brain Food Too!

February 15, 2009August 25, 2014Leave a comment

Being a Holistic Nutritionist isn’t just about telling clients to eat their veggies. It’s almost like being a life coach, helping people reach their lifestyle goals. Nutrition just happens to be a huge piece of the puzzle.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading recently about making my life the one I most desire to lead. And I’m getting inspired. Some people may shy away from the self-help section of the library/bookstore, but this is the section that is going to change lives! You are the only person that can take the steps to make your life the one of your dreams. And most of us need some help!

There are some amazing leaders in the field of self-help. Tony Robbins, Joe Vitale, Robin Sharma all come to mind as front runners in their fields. There is so much information in their books that I feel I’ve got to read them over and over again to extract all of their yummy brainfood. I just finished Robin Sharma’s “The Greatness Guide.” I couldn’t put it down. There were 101 short chapters – and some amazing lessons.

Some of the lessons aren’t new, and some of them are. All of them are inspiring. I could pull hundreds of quotes out of this book. But the quote that awakened me the most was this: “The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret.” This is precisely why I started getting up at 5:30am every day.

I jump out of bed, put on my yoga clothes, and I’m on the mat in a heated room by 6am. I’m home by 8am and have had the most serene, yet exhilerating workout before I would otherwise have woken up! This past week has been the best week of 2009 – simply because I took action. I took a step to get more out of my days – and my life.

This simple habit has made me more productive, happier, and more energetic. It’s really unbelieveable when you think about it. If you simply get up 2 hours earlier every day – you will add 14 hours to your week and an entire month to your year! By getting up 2 hours earlier I have added 2 hours of productive time to my days – all because I took action to change my life in the direction I want it to go.

If you want to change your life – take action now. Read some books. Learning is so important to stay young and full of life. Learn something new every day. Exercise your mind. You just may learn something that will change your life – and the lives of those around you. It must be impossible to read a Robin Sharma book and not let it touch your life. The second you make a change in your lifestyle – you will change in a way that people will notice. Just today I was accused of being “very bubbly and happy” – and I responded “that’s because I am!” And the woman smiled. Don’t be scared of the self-help section any longer! Pick up a good book and change your life. Take action, now. Oh yes, and please eat your veggies!

Running is SO Easy!

August 13, 2008August 25, 20141 Comment

Treadmill Trainer Volume 2

I just got in from an accidental run that turned out to be my fastest, happiest run to date!

Sitting at my computer enjoying some raw chocolate pudding and a fabulous green juice, I simply had too much energy to sit still. So I got out my ipod, downloaded Treadmill Trainer Volume 2 onto it, and set out for the boardwalk.

This is the first time I’ve finished the entire workout, and I seriously had a smile on my face the whole time! There are 2 spots where Yuri says you can stop, and I’ve taken him up on his offer times before, but I was in the zone and feeling like I could just kill the workout. And I did! I even ran home after I finished stretching!

I love his workouts and the way he talks to you as if he’s right there beside you. I even talk back to him and answer all of his questions out loud! For example, when the workout was over he asks: “How are you feeling right now?” Amazing! “How did you feel 10 minutes ago?” Amazing! “How did you feel when you woke up this morning?” Umm…not this good…no. (I had to talk myself into going to yoga this morning) Then I patted myself on the back (because he told me to) and congratulated myself on running 10 k in approximately 45 minutes…and I’m not a runner! For comparison, I ran a 5k in April and my time was 29:41…and I was dead tired and wanted to throw up…a lot. What a difference!

I just recently started running, and I’ve only run two 10 k’s before tonight. I usually just do 5 k’s because I get bored of running after 30 minutes. But since I signed up for a half marathon 5 months ago, and put off training until pretty much right now, it’s time to get serious…hence the Treadmill Trainer series of workouts being downloaded to my ipod. After tonight I feel certain I am going to have a competitive time in the run, and I really can’t wait to do it! I think I’m going to do intervals during the run. I’ll just listen to the Treadmill Trainers even then. That would be funny. The motivation he gives during the workouts is priceless. I’m seriously going to listen to the training audio when I run the race.

I should definitely add: I highly recommend Volumes 2 and 3 plus all the hill running stuff, but only get Volume 1 if you are JUST starting out. It involves walking and running, perfect for beginners, but you may find it too slow if you have any experience. That being said, Volume 2 will kick your a** no matter what level of runner you are! If you disagree and think you’re some big time runner, then you HAVE to try it. It’ll step up your game so much and you’ll be thankful for the challenge!!! Happy running 🙂

Creamy Coconut Cashew Nut Milk and a Creamy Strawberry Shake

July 28, 2008August 25, 2014Leave a comment

Creamy Coconut Cashew Nut Milk

2 cups filtered water
1 cup cashews
2 tbsp coconut butter
4 dates
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/4 of a vanilla bean, seeds only)

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. If you don’t have a high speed blender like the vitamix, you can place all ingredients in a blender and let them sit for a couple of hours until the cashews and dates soften.

I HIGHLY recommend investing in a vita-mix. It’s so powerful that it can turn an ipod into dust – I’m sure you can find some interesting videos on youtube. I use my vita-mix at least 4 times a day. You can make nut milks without having to use a strainer, and make the smoothest raw cheesecake you’ve ever tasted.

And since I happened to have fresh strawberries in the fridge – voila! Instant strawberry shake.

Creamy Strawberry Shake

1 batch Creamy Coconut Cashew Nut Milk
1 cup fresh strawberries

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth.

The funny thing about strawberries is that when you pick them yourself, their size range from that of a raspberry to…a slightly larger raspberry! They taste so sweet and just downright incredible. When you buy them imported from who knows where, they’re the size of peaches and they taste sour and just gross! If you missed them this time around, don’t miss out on picking your own (or buying, although picking your own can be fun) local berries next season!

So Happy.

July 25, 2008August 25, 2014Leave a comment

yammy1 I am literally smiling all the time. My skin looks better every day. Tell me again why I went off raw?

Yesterday I spent about 4 hours cleaning the kitchen. Now it’s so bright and inviting! Today I cleaned out the pantry and I threw out so much crap – including some white flour we haven’t used in more than 2 years!!! Gross. I also managed to spill the flour all over the floor, and the dog didn’t even move, and if the dog won’t eat it – you know it can’t be categorized as food!

I just got in from a run and whipped up some nori wraps, but this time I made a raw almond dipping sauce that was out of this world!!! I was so eager to eat that I didn’t take any pictures of it. The dipping sauce kicks my lame almond paste’s butt!

Raw Almond Dipping Sauce

4 tbsp raw almond butter
2 tbsp water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp tamari or Braggs
1 tbsp lime juice

I also picked up some E3Live at the health food store since we’re in-between wheat grass harvesting “seasons” (which last 10 days). E3Live is a highly concentrated shot of greens. It’s even darker than wheatgrass juice – and more bitter. When you take greens as green and as bitter as E3Live (or spirulina, kale, collards, etc.) it means your liver is getting detoxified hard-core. This also explains why I have had a pretty intense breakout of eczema on my right middle finger. It’s so swollen that I can barely bend it! I really hope the swelling goes down through the night because it is so uncomfortable.

If you’re going raw for the first time or starting to take concentrated greens like this, keep in mind that you could go into a healing crisis and feel a lot worse before you feel better. This is because the liver has the tools it needs to release toxins into the bloodstream for elimination…and this can be extremely intense if you are higly toxic. I have done my fair share of cleanses, and usually the nausea/sickness goes away 4-5 days after starting/modifying a cleansing program -for me, but all experiences are unique. So hang in there if you find yourself in a healing crisis!