Saturday night, Eric and I were on our nightly walk and we passed by our neighbours sitting outside enjoying a pitcher of Sangria. They invited us over for a drink and we couldn’t think of a reason not to join in on the fun! Drinks led to more drinks, hours flew by, conversation flowed, and we found ourselves home long past midnight with a wonderful evening behind us.

Anxiety tends to make me over-analyze everything…what if this happens, what if I say this, what if…but I realized when I do things spontaneously, I don’t have time for all that crap to go through my mind. I barely had any anxiety which is unusual for me when getting to know new people. There was something magical about doing something on the spur of the moment. It happened so quickly my anxiety didn’t have a chance to say boo!

It was a powerful learning experience and I was quite proud of myself for living in the moment. Overtime, these small decisions can lead to a big change.

Weekend Revelation #1: Stop over-analyzing so much and JUST DO IT!

Weekend Revelation #2: Raw Buckwheat Porridge.

You knew food had to be involved, right?

On Saturday morning, I was cruising You Tube vegan recipe tutorials, like any cool gal would do when procrastinating a workout. My Degree from the You Tube School of Culinary Arts should be arriving anytime now.

I came across a video for Raw Buckwheat Porridge and I instantly knew it was an idea I could have fun with!

According to Renegade Health, Raw Buckwheat Porridge is simply soaked buckwheat groats processed with agave, cinnamon, and vanilla to make a raw porridge. There isn’t any cooking involved and it’s incredibly easy and nutritious!

I thought it would be fun to amp up this mixture and turn it into something that was similar to my beloved Vegan Overnight Oats. I added chia seeds to boost the nutrition + volume as well as almond milk for even more volume. In the original recipe, the serving sizes were very calorie dense and tiny so I knew I would have to increase the volume to satisfy myself physically and visually. I’d rather eat 1 cup than a 1/3 cup, any day.

After that, I loaded on the fruit with a sprinkle of chopped nuts to finish it off.

The result was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a long time. It’s also gluten-free, vegan, and packed with nutrients like calcium, protein, fibre, magnesium, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

Here’s how I made it:

Soak raw buckwheat groats in water for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Strain and rinse the groats well with water. The groats will have a slimy texture, but that is perfectly normal!

Set aside 1 cup of groats (to stir in later). This will give your creamy porridge a nice chewy texture.

In a food processor or blender, add your soaked buckwheat groats (except for the reserved cup), almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, chia seeds, sweetener, and a pinch of salt. Process until almost smooth or leave it chunky, whatever you like.

Stir in the reserved 1 cup of groats for a nice texture..

Stir in optional chopped banana or simply adjust sweetness to taste.

You can stop here (it tastes amazing already!) or keep going like I did.

Add your desired toppings: Fruit, nuts, seeds, granola, nut butter, coconut, dried fruit, etc. The sky is the limit.

Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy for quick and portable breakfasts for the next few days!

I was really surprised by how much I loved this porridge. I’ve had some bad experiences with buckwheat, but its normally strong flavour wasn’t very pronounced in this and I found it just delicious.

It’s also really filling and no cooking is involved making it a perfect breakfast for hot summer mornings. I’m excited to play around with this first attempt using different amounts of buckwheat, chia seed, and almond milk ratios.

I’ve already made a second batch in all the excitement…

Peanut Butter and Cocoa powder were involved and things got a bit crazy.

To be continued.

Given Weekend Revelation #1, I’m going to stop thinking about my workout and just do it!

“With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.”  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I think about my struggles with anxiety, I realize that I live in the future too much. It’s crazy how much I worry about things that haven’t happened yet and probably never will happen. I’ve spent my entire life battling the anxiety monster and I’ve missed out on so many great opportunities due to debilitating fear.

Not knowing what will happen makes me anxious. I like predictability and when I’m in situations without it, I can feel it creeping in.

So what does my mind do with the unknown?

I predict what will happen. And anxiety dictates that it’s mostly negative. This creates more anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle.

Control is an illusion, anyway. I can’t ‘control’ what happens to me, but I can learn how to deal with anxiety in a positive manner. I studied psychology for 7 years in university and I’ve read countless studies about the effectiveness of therapy. I’m a believer in it, but I’ve never taken the time to really apply it to myself as much as I could. I can learn coping mechanisms, countering thoughts, breathing techniques, mantras, and visualizations to help. I can work with a Cognitive Behavioural psychologist to work on changing my thought processes. I can talk to people about it. I can write. I can be creative. I can run. I can do yoga. I can be honest about how I feel.

I can laugh about it with Eric when I tell him what I’m anxious about and the look on his face makes me burst into laughter, realizing how ridiculous my worries sound out loud.

Insanity can be defined as repeating the same behaviour over and over and expecting a different outcome. Well, lock me up and throw away the key! If we don’t change our behaviours, thoughts, and actions, we will never grow. If I keep doing what I’m doing now, my anxiety will never get better. However, when we’re struggling with something, we can always open other doors and explore other avenues…

That’s why my goal for July is simple:

To live in the present as much as possible.

I want to get out of my own head, fears, and negative stories on loop. I want to stop losing so much time to the future (and past) and be present in the moment. Of course, it’s good to think about the future and past sometimes- that’s part of the excitement of life- but I also think being present is something that I must work on.

As someone whose mind is always spinning constantly about the past and future, I’ve never had a clue how to go about living in the present. After some research, I’ve come up with an action plan. I’m going to print this list off and put it in a couple places where I will see it daily- my bathroom mirror and my desk.

How I will live in the present:

1) BREATHE

Breathing fully and deeply does not come natural to me. Well, I’m sure it did at one point, but somewhere along the line I became a shallow breather. The more wound up I get, the less I breathe. I’m trying to be mindful of my breath, especially in those moments when I need it the most. Before entering an anxiety provoking situation, I try to stop and take at least 3 deep breaths before proceeding. I used to do this when I gave many presentations in grad school and it really helped calm me before jumping in.

2) Be a Minimalist

Remove your unneeded possessions. We just did this last weekend and Eric and I both felt a huge sense of calmness when we parted with half of the things we own. Physical clutter turns into mind clutter and removing everything but the essentials restores a feeling of tranquility and reminds us what is truly important in life. It sure isn’t material things. Minimalism doesn’t just happen overnight, but the more I approach this lifestyle, the more mindful I am when I make every purchase. This also applies to grocery shopping. Lately, I’ve been more mindful not to bring in new food before the food in the house is used up!

3) Smile

Throughout my life, I’ve been known for being a smiling, happy girl. My teachers even used to write that on my report cards. However, when I let my anxieties weigh me down, my face turns into an anxiety monster. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about something and I notice that I have a huge frown on my face just due to a mere thought. Thoughts are very powerful, but they don’t define who we are and we shouldn’t allow them to change our mood so instantly. Acknowledge your thoughts whatever they may be and then smile. One of my favourite things to do is to smile at a complete stranger because you never know how it will impact their day.

4) Forgive the past

I’ve been through some crappy things in my life and no matter how long ago these past hurts occurred, I will catch myself thinking about it as if it is happening to me now. Sometimes memories are so vivid and real. By failing to forgive things that have happened in my past, I fail to move forward and to be present in the moment. Forgiveness is a personal choice, but when I chose to forgive the past, I feel more free.

5) Dream big, but work hard today.

There is no better moment to accomplish your goals than right now. Planning is motivating, but it’s important to focus on what we can do in the moment and not get too caught up in the future. As we know, things don’t always happen as we predict. All we have is this moment right now.

6) Do one thing at a time.

I’m a chronic multi-tasker like many women. Sure, I make to-do lists occasionally, but that doesn’t stop me from tackling 8 things at once. Due to multi-tasking, I feel like my attention is never 100% where it should be. I may decide to work on a writing project for a certain amount of time, but I’m often composing emails, responding to comments, editing photos, shipping orders, and writing a blog post at the same time. I don’t think that all multi-tasking is negative, but I need to focus on being in the moment for the task at hand. If I tried to do one thing at a time, I think my goal for mindfulness would be easier and I would feel less frazzled.

7) Do less.

It seems like society is always encouraging is to do more, and more, and more. To fill our days to the absolute brim. Where does it get us in the end? Feeling frazzled with half-assed accomplishments? Doing less could mean that you accomplish goals with better concentration and better quality. Rushing things rarely leads to mindfulness. Sometimes, I like to start a writing blog post (like this one) and chip away at it over the course of 2-3 days. When I take it slow, ideas will often come to me over time. Had I hit publish on my first draft, I never would have fully developed my ideas.

8.) Add space

Along the same lines of ‘do less’, add space between your tasks. Don’t schedule things super close together for 12 hours straight. Give yourself a little wiggle room to breathe. If you write a to-do list, leave a few blanks so you can fill them in as things pop up during your day. Things ALWAYS pop up!

9) Cleaning as meditation

I tend to look at cleaning tasks as one dreaded chore after another. There never seems to be enough time for cleaning and when we tackle the list, it’s always a mad rush to bust through it. Cleaning can be a form of mindfulness though and rituals are often calming. Next time you clean, put your full attention into each task, concentrate, and do them slowly. Look at cleaning (and exercise!) as a stress relief in your day rather than a chore.

10) Spread the love

Do something nice for someone everyday. Smile at strangers. Hold the door open. Buy someone a coffee. Give to the needy. Call a loved one. Give someone your seat on the train. Compliment someone. Say ‘I appreciate you’. It just feels so damn good.

[For my research, I used one of my all-time favourite blogs Zen Habits. If you aren’t already reading this blog, you must check it out!]

~~~~~

After I wrote my ‘We Are Never Alone’ post and talked about going back into therapy, I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. And then I read your beautiful comments and emails, and I was overcome with gratitude. I will never second guess posting something that is so much a part of who I am. Once we remove the shame from how we feel, true healing can begin.

And I must say, while writing this post I was really living in the moment. Writing is a great release!

“If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is.” -Unknown

I recently read an article about productivity at work and I thought it would make a fun post.

Savvy Sugar reports that the average woman’s work day consists of 35% ‘productive work’.

Where does the rest go?

• Email 20.8%
• Looking for stuff 18.75%
• Interruptions12.5%
• Internet searches 13%

[If you ask me, email, looking for stuff, and interruptions are also work!]

I think most of us can agree that we wish there was more time in the day to get things accomplished. Here are some of my favourite tips and tricks for maximizing the work day productivity!

1. Cross it off

Before you go to sleep, make a list of what you want to accomplish the next day, starting with the most important things first. Make sure you include easy-to-accomplish tasks too! Crossing things off a list is fun and it gives you confidence to keep going.

Making a list before sleep is also thought to help you fall asleep faster because you are able to ‘empty’ your mind. Having a good night’s sleep is also crucial for a productive morning!

2. Make rising fun

Give yourself something to get excited about first thing in the morning so you feel eager to get out of bed. My motivation is usually spending time with Eric before he goes to work, a delicious breakfast, or even getting excited about an early morning workout. When I know the weather is nice, I pump myself up for a great run and imagine how good I will feel after. Oh, and Sketchie helps with rising…but you knew that already

Other motivation: Peanut Butter and Jam Vegan Overnight Oats!

3. Get a buzz, but don’t overdo it.

Caffeine in the form of loose leaf Japanese Sencha Green tea always makes me feel focused within seconds without that jittery feeling. Occasionally, I also like to have a cup of French press coffee in the afternoon if I need a boost, especially when doing a boring task…like entering 170 recipes into Recipage!  Oh yes, I drank a lot of coffee to complete that mission!

4. Get the blood pumping

I’m not always successful at working out first thing in the morning, but when I do I feel my best all day long. I start my day feeling upbeat and accomplished! It helps if I pump myself up the night before, pick a few new workout songs, and also get my workout gear ready next to the bed. The easier I make it for myself to get up and go, the more likely I am to do it. I’ve never regretted a workout first thing in the morning.

[source]

5. Plan Breaks

Most people function best when they have regular mental and physical breaks to look forward to. When I’m doing a rather boring task like entering business expenses into Excel, I like to take a 5 minute break for every 30 minutes of work. I am able to focus much better when I give myself a stimulating break.

Make your break a reward time for you! Walk around to get blood flowing, do your desk stretches!!!, hit up your favourite websites, chat with a friend (talking actually stimulates and energizes your mind!), drink some water. Breaks keep my motivation high, happiness up, and I’m able to focus on the task without my mind wandering. If I can squeak out 50 minutes of productivity for every hour, I’m a happy girl!

6. Mid-Morning Fuel

When I workout in the morning, I typically like to have a small mid-morning snack to keep me going until lunch (which is usually around 1pm).

My fav snacks? Protein-packed hummus, crackers, and veggies or an apple and almond butter or ABU (image above).

[source]

7. Nix the email & Twitter compulsion

Email and social media is a huge time suck for many of us (you too, Grandma!). It’s not practical to say that you shouldn’t check your email in the morning, so what works for me is scheduling a certain amount of time for email at regular intervals. I devote a certain chunk of time to email in the morning and another chunk of time to email in the afternoon. By chunking email this way, I’m able to get a lot more accomplished instead of checking it every 10 minutes and then getting distracted. I used to start my day with email, but now I like to check a couple important things off my list before I even open it.

I’ve also stopped keeping Twitter open during the day. When I take a break, I may open it and spend a few minutes on it, but for the most part I get so much more done when it’s not distracting me!

8. Turn up the Baroque!

Studies show that you are able to concentrate better, relieve stress, block out noise, and improve communication when listening to Baroque music. The key is to listen to music that doesn’t have a beat. This way, it won’t be distracting and will create white noise blocking out all other sounds (like annoying coworkers!). Don’t know where to find it? Try Grooveshark- it’s free and easy to use.

9. Find Your Prime

Figure out when you work best and then schedule your toughest tasks around that time. I am 100% without a doubt, a morning worker. I have my most productive hours between 8am and 1pm. My mind is clear, I’m able to write, and I can crank out a to do list like nobody’s business. My alertness and focus starts to dwindle by mid-afternoon, so I typically reserve my baking/cooking and photography for the afternoon and keep my writing/desk tasks for the morning.

Find out what works for you and plan your day around your body’s cycles!

What are your tips for a productive (I just typed ‘reproductive’, whoops!!) morning? Share below!

I received this message from a reader named Serena and thought it was so powerful I asked her if I could share it with you.

From Serena:

If I have one Universal message for you it is this:

You are loved, supported, valued, cherished, appreciated, honoured, admired and respected. At every moment.

By the Source that holds you in love at every moment.

There is no moment here you have been left, nor could be.

You can do anything. The very best is wanted for you.

You are never alone. You are always loved.

No matter how difficult things seem, you are always being lifted up, even when you feel alone.

No matter how big a leap in life seems, you are greater than the distance you must jump.

You are free. You are able. You are complete.

Lots of love,
Serena

Coincidentally, Serena ended up leaving me this message on ‘one of those days’ when I was feeling pretty crappy and just needed to reframe my perspective. Lately, the anxiety that I’ve struggled with for many years, has started to creep back into my life and I’ve had a difficult time dealing with it on my own. Sometimes it’s anxiety about not feeling good enough or about my body; other times it’s about judgment from others or even feeling alone. If you’ve ever suffered from anxiety, you probably know that it has no limits and it can quickly impact your day to day life. To this day, I strongly believe that my eating disorder was a coping mechanism for my anxiety.

Anxiety usually breeds more anxiety which sucks. I feel more anxiety because I’m not supposed to be struggling with this anymore. I’m supposed to be past this. I’m supposed to be inspiring others. How can I do that when I’m struggling myself?

But I’m only human.

It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture and get bogged down by negative thoughts that loop in our minds, but often, all it takes is a positive message to set those thoughts on the right track again, or even give us hope that we can change. That is what Serena’s message did for me. Her message reminded me that we all struggle and even if we’ve made great progress with things in our lives, sometimes they need more care and attention once and a while.

I receive a lot of emails from other women (and occasionally men) who are struggling with accepting themselves, finding a career they enjoy, ending a bad relationship, illness/injury, or even feeling accepted by their own family. Our struggles may be different on the surface, but what remains true for most of us is that we want to feel love and support from the people that matter to us. That will never change.

And usually that love and support is already there, but we fail to see it. We fail to open ourselves to accept it. We have to be vulnerable to let love into our lives. We have to take risks to make progress.

I’ve always loved quotes. I’ve always loved writing with my heart on my sleeve, knowing that others will connect with words on a screen, in a way that I will never know. I’ve always loved the power that a simple message can have.

Serena’s message inspired me to start working on my struggles with anxiety again. But, I know that I can’t do it alone, so I’ve decided to start seeing a psychologist again to help me with some unresolved issues in my past. I’ve had great success with therapy, and I know I will again. It’s scary though- even for me who has done it before- to open up and make myself vulnerable, but I know that I’ll be just fine. I debated for a while whether I would write this post or not, but I realized that if I didn’t, I would be missing the point.

I’m sharing this with you today in hopes that it connects with you on some level, no matter what you may be dealing with at this very moment. Maybe you got up this morning and the first thing you did was examine your stomach and thighs in the mirror, cringing, while vowing to lose weight. Maybe you struggle with alcoholism, bulimia, abusive relationships, shopping addiction, or perhaps you have the life you dream of and just feel guilty over the thought that something is still missing. 

The best thing we can do when we’re struggling is reaching out to another person. The worst thing is to assume that no one cares or will judge us for our struggles.

We are never alone.

~~~

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”~Ambrose Redmoon

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” ~M. Scott Peck

“We are all functioning at a small fraction of our capacity to live fully in its total meaning of loving, caring, creating and adventuring. Consequently, the actual­izing of our potential can become the most exciting adventure of our lifetime.” – Herbert Ottto

Happy June 1st!

Lately, my meals have been all about the H20. It’s easy to get dehydrated without knowing it, but I have to be especially mindful of my water intake now that I’m taking the hot yoga classes, sweating out water I didn’t even know was there. One way that I sneak in a little extra water is having a cucumber with my lunches. Cucumbers are mostly water and they are just so versatile. Throw them into a salad, scoop them into yummy dips, pump up a smoothie, or top a sandwich.

This cucumber mint salad is something I’ve been enjoying lately. It is refreshing, light, with a hint of minty goodness. It goes along perfectly as a side to my favourite avocado and veggie sandwiches.

The dressing is great with just a touch of sweetness added in. The agave goes along nicely with the mint and a pinch of salt helps bring out the flavour even more. You can have fun playing around with the dressing…there isn’t an exact way to make this salad and that’s why I love it!

…and….hydrate!

My set up:

I know, it’s like finding out Santa Claus doesn’t exist right?

Back on Track Month Recap

At the beginning of May, I wrote a post about being in a major slump. In early Spring, I was side-lined with a Sciatic injury for over a month. Shortly after that, I was sick for 2-3 weeks. This, combined with crappy weather, had me feeling really out of balance in all areas in my life. I felt out of shape, my cravings were all over the place, and I just felt like I lost my zest for life.

On May 1st, I decided to make some small changes that would add up over time. Not only was my birthday approaching, but I knew that I wanted to get things back on track for the upcoming Summer season.

So, I devised a plan!

I first had to identify the slumps in my life and then create solutions for each:

Then, I broke the slumps down into achievable goals for May.

Exercise Goals For May & How I did:

Exercise Goals: Strength – Stretch – Cardio – Rest  every week.

• Strength: 1 Body Pump class per week
• Stretch: 1 yoga class per week (I’m going to try hot yoga soon), plus stretching after workouts
• Cardio like running, hiking, elliptical 5-6 days a week for ~30-60 minutes each.
• 1 Rest day a week, or as needed

How did I do?

• Strength —> Body Pump: I didn’t achieve this goal! I did just 2 Body Pump classes in May.
• Stretch –> Hot yoga was definitely the surprise of May! Little did I know that it would not only be a great stretch, but also a killer strength class. My muscles have gotten so much stronger since I started hot yoga and I prefer it over Body Pump.
• Cardio –> I achieved this goal, focusing on elliptical, walking, and low-mileage running 6 days a week.
• Rest: I took 1 rest day a week.

All in all, May was a fantastic month for getting my exercise back on track. I’m so thankful I put my fears aside and tried hot yoga because now I can’t see myself without it.

Eating Goals For May & How I did:

• Eat more veggies: wash & chop up a bunch every Sunday and keep in containers in fridge as a time saver.
• Green Monsters few times a week
• Juicing most mornings
• Structure Meals and limit snacking: Good sized breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, light dinner & treat.
• Cook! I’ve been going through a major cooking slump (basically not wanting to cook at all), but I want to get back to cooking more dinners and having more structured meals.
• Meal Planning: Along the same line of cooking more dinners, I need to plan out meals that I can cook each week. I hope to do this on the weekend before grocery shopping for the week.

How did I do?

• More veggies: When I went to the grocery store, I was mindful to fill the cart up with mostly veggies and fruit. Having so much produce in the fridge forced me to use it up before it went bad, so I definitely increased my consumption.
• Green Monsters: I’ve been enjoying a few Green Monsters a week and so glad to have them in my diet consistently again.
• Juicing: I was juicing every morning for the first two weeks in May and then I fell off the bandwagon ever since. I’m very hot and cold with juicing. Sometimes I love it and other times the thought of cleaning the machine just makes me run from it!
• Structured meals and limit snacking: I did not achieve this goal! I’m such a snacker and often do not take enough time for proper sit-down meals when I’m busy. I need to continue to work on this in June.
• Cook: In May, I still struggled with cooking slumps on and off, but I think I have finally gotten my groove back. Making large meals with leftovers has been a great time-saver for quick lunches and leftovers.
• Meal planning: I wouldn’t say I have been good for meal planning or that I even enjoy it, but I do try to plan my meals 1-2 days in advance now. I will never be a weekly meal planner though! It’s just not in my personality.

While I didn’t achieve all my eating goals for May, I still consider it to be a success. My eating feels back on track and much more balanced. My cravings for sweets have gone down a bit too.

In just 1 month, I feel like a lot has changed. My energy has increased and I just feel happier all around.

I’ve realized that slumps aren’t always a bad thing; they tell us that something is out of balance and we need to change. While this can be uncomfortable and anxiety-provoking, approaching it with small, achievable goals can help. If I hadn’t gone through my slump, I probably never would have fallen in love with yoga and rekindled my relationship with myself. While I consider exercise and eating goals to be important, my biggest gain from this month has been an unplanned one- improving inner peace and self-love.

Coming up, I’ll tell you what my goals are for June. In the meantime, let me know if you have any goals for this month!

What do you hope to achieve in June?

[Image source]

I will never forget the day that I was interviewing for a summer position at a local YMCA.

The two girls who were interviewing me were ‘camp leaders’, maybe a few years older than I was. I don’t know why, but I instantly got a bad vibe from them; they were harshly looking me up and down and judging me from the first moment I walked into the room. ‘Nice highlights’, one of them quipped with a smirk.

I tried to ignore my bad gut feeling and just give the best interview that I could.

One of the many interview questions they asked me was, ‘Who is a role model to you?’

I said, Oprah was one of my biggest role models.

The two girls proceeded to burst out laughing, trying desperately to stifle their laughter like a group of 14 year old girls would do in high school.

‘OPRAH!?’, one of them mocked, rolling her eyes.

Yup, they were ‘mean girls’, just as my gut had told me.

I was not only embarrassed by their unprofessional response, but I was angry. I wanted to stand up and walk out of the interview, not looking back. Instead, I carried on with the interview trying to ignore their cattiness, just waiting for it to be over.

A few days later, I got a call offering me a YMCA position. I quickly turned it down with satisfaction.

While I don’t regret turning down the position (I eventually found another summer job working for great people), I regret not sticking up for myself in the interview. I was quite young- only about 18 at the time- and I felt intimidated by the interview environment and the older girls, not feeling like I had the option of calling them out for their rude behaviour.

Only later did I realize that I always have the option to stand up for what I believe in, I just didn’t know it at the time.

Oprah has remained a role model in my life, regardless of whether that is ‘cool’ or not. Oprah’s last show was everything I could have asked for and more. Did you catch it? I loved that it wasn’t about a huge giveaway or ‘things’, but simply the life lessons that Oprah has learned over the past 25 years. The theme of the show was to remind us all of the power we have to change our own lives. I don’t think she could have gone out with a bigger bang.

On our real ‘job’ in life:

"What I knew for sure from this experience with you is that we are all called. Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it. Every time we have seen a person on this stage who is a success in their life, they spoke of the job, and they spoke of the juice that they receive from doing what they knew they were meant to be doing. We saw it in the volunteers who rocked abandoned babies in Atlanta. We saw it with those lovely pie ladies from Cape Cod making those delicious potpies. … We saw it every time Tina Turner, Celine, Bocelli or Lady Gaga lit up the stage with their passion. Because that is what a calling is. It lights you up and it lets you know that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. And that is what I want for all of you and hope that you will take from this show. To live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living; I understand that. But you also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world." ~Oprah

A universal desire:

"I’ve talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common: They all wanted validation. If I could reach through this television and sit on your sofa or sit on a stool in your kitchen right now, I would tell you that every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire. They want to know: ‘Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?’ ~Oprah

Powerful stuff! You can read the full transcript and watch a video clip on the Oprah website.

Did you catch the final show? Is this Oprah’s final goodbye to television, or will she be back?

A Mother is…selfless in every way.

A Mother is someone who lets you cry in her arms after your boyfriend dumps you and tells you that you don’t need a boy to be fabulous. You already are.

A Mother is someone who gets up early to make your lunch for school and sneaks in a written note to say she loves you.

A Mother is someone who can rock an 80’s perm like nobody’s business.

She can also style a mean side pony when she has to.

A Mother is someone who cuts the crusts off your bread even though she doesn’t have time to butter her own.

A Mother is someone who communicates well. When she calls you by your first, middle, and last name you know you are in deep trouble.

A Mother is also someone who is a master of non-verbal communication. With just one look, you know she knows what you did…and that’s never good.

A Mother is someone who writes Operation Beautiful notes and leaves them wherever she travels.

A Mother is someone who defies the aging process because she radiates love and beauty.

A Mother is someone who supports your love of singing, tutus, furry pets, and rollerskates.

A Mother is someone with patience. She understands that your terrible twos and troublesome teenage years will pass. And when they do, she misses them.

A Mother is someone who teaches you the power of the written word.

A Mother is someone who is awake at night worrying when you are going through a tough time. Whether you are a toddler with a bad cold, a 16 year old girl with a broken heart, or a 25 year old woman struggling with a career decision. She’s used to not getting much sleep.

A Mother is someone who cries when she reads your cards.

A Mother is someone who misses you when you are not around. She reads your blog, calls you, and emails you. She even learns how to use Twitter and Skype just so she can be more connected. (still working on the texting, but we’ll get there!)

A Mother is someone who takes a picture of a recipe that she made because she knows you will be proud.

A Mother is someone who gives you the last piece of cake and exclaims that she ‘isn’t hungry’ after all.

A Daughter is someone who thinks her Mom deserves to eat more cake.

Thankfully, Mother’s are forgiving because this recipe I planned to share with you yesterday did not taste good!

I have a feeling that if I could be with my mom today, she would love this cake anyways.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers who make this world go round.

Today was the first morning in 2 weeks I woke up without a sore throat! Holla. (literally).

Right now I can swallow without any pain and it’s a MIRACLE. A bad flu really makes me appreciate when I am in good health I tell ya. I just need to get rid of this tickly cough now!

Yesterday, I mentioned that May is going to be my ‘getting my groove back’ month. April’s injury and sickness left me feeling crappier than crappy and I’ve been feeling out of shape and just, blah.

May also happens to be my birthday month, so naturally I want to be feeling my best to kick off my 28th year with gusto.

First, let’s talk about slumps.

Slumps are also known as ruts, rough patches, potholes, *&^*#&!!, or damn I feel crappy lately.

[Slumps are different than depression though, so if you think you might be depressed please talk to a professional as soon as possible.]

Even though I blog about healthy exercise and eating, I go through slumps just like any other person. I’m human…I mess up…I trip up…I get down on myself. I like to blog about the good times and the bad times because I think both are equally important to talk about. Whether they are exercise slumps, eating slumps, business or school slumps, health slumps, relationship slumps, or even, I don’t know why slumps…they just happen.

Slumps can occur at the same time and create a vicious cycle that is hard to get out of. First, I had my sciatic injury which put me out of my half marathon training. That negatively impacted my exercise, eating, and mood. My mood impacted my eating. Then I got the flu which took me out of exercise completely and also affected my eating habits. This impacted my work and personal life. Negative mood –> official SLUMP!

It is hard not to feel down when going through a rough patch, but I’ve found that if I take matters into my own hands and create positive solutions, I feel much better, faster.

To help create a plan for myself, I first had to identify the slumps in my life and then create solutions for each.

I’m a very goal-oriented person so I broke the slumps down into achievable goals for May.

Exercise & Eating Goals

Exercise Goals: Strength – Stretch – Cardio – Rest  every week.

• Strength: 1 Body Pump class per week
• Stretch: 1 yoga class per week (I’m going to try hot yoga soon), plus stretching after workouts
• Cardio like running, hiking, elliptical 5-6 days a week for ~30-60 minutes each.
• 1 Rest day a week, or as needed

While I was at the end of my half marathon training in March before this all began, I won’t be jumping back into training just yet. I want to ease into running and focus on my overall fitness before getting lost in a training plan again. I feel like this is a good chance for me to direct my focus elsewhere.

Eating Goals:

• Eat more veggies: wash & chop up a bunch every Sunday and keep in containers in fridge as a time saver.
• Green Monsters few times a week
• Juicing most mornings
• Structure Meals and limit snacking: Good sized breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, light dinner & treat.
• Cook! I’ve been going through a major cooking slump (basically not wanting to cook at all), but I want to get back to cooking more dinners and having more structured meals.
• Meal Planning: Along the same line of cooking more dinners, I need to plan out meals that I can cook each week. I hope to do this on the weekend before grocery shopping for the week.

Not only do I think these goals are achievable, but by the end of May (and probably sooner) I will be back in the groove. I also hope to blog more about these goals throughout May to let you know how I am doing.

Oh, and I’m printing out my goals and putting them where I can see them.

Right now, I’m off to do some meal planning for the week. Any ideas for me?

Do you struggle with eating or exercise slumps? How do you get back in the groove?

"Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." ~Lao-Tze

If you are a new reader, you may not know that just over 1 year ago, Eric decided to eliminate pop from his diet.

Since he was a young boy, he was hooked on pop, specifically Coke. During university, he often drank up to 6 cans a day as a way to stay awake during late nights. He cut back after university, but he still drank 2-3 cans of Coke during the work day to give him a boost.

Back in 2008, Eric wanted nothing more than to have his picture taken beside this retro Coke truck in Istanbul!

If you would have asked him back then if he would ever give up pop, he would have laughed in your face!

But he suffered from constant sugar cravings, migraines, fatigue, cavities, and more which he believed were mostly due to the large amount of pop he consumed each day. He knew that something needed to change, but he didn’t quite know how to make the change. Or if he could succeed.

When we vacationed to Florida last March, Eric decided to drink pure fruit juice to satisfy his cravings instead of relying on pop. The sunny, warm weather and delicious fresh fruits and vegetables made it relatively easy for him to focus on drinking natural juices and smoothies while on vacation. It was also during this time that he decided to give up his favourite cereal that contained High Fructose Corn Syrup, instead opting for an organic cereal by Nature’s Path. It took a couple bowls to get used to, but after he did, he said it was a really easy switch. Now he eats Nature’s Path Spelt cereal and sprinkles some raisins and chia seeds on top. I never thought I would see the day!

He also discovered that he really loves drinking juice and smoothies and felt more energized than ever.

This vacation was truly worth its weight in GOLD health!

Inspired by how great he felt while away, he decided to stick with his new eating plan. He drank 100% pure juice, tea, or smoothies when he craved pop and he also kept buying organic cereals free of HFCS.

And then he said something that I never thought I would hear come out of his mouth…

‘Ange, I have decided to completely cut out pop from my diet….for good.’

I was so proud of him at that moment because I know how difficult it would be for him. I could tell that he was a bit scared, but he was also very proud of his accomplishments, now 2 weeks without pop. With each day, he gained momentum, but the road wasn’t always a smooth one!

When Eric told some coworkers that he was cutting out pop from his diet, he got a lot of flack and teasing for it (in addition to his healthier eating in general) and this made it difficult for him, but the resistance from others actually made him want to stick to his guns even more! He was more convinced than ever that this choice was the right one for him. Whenever someone scoffed at him for passing up pop or junk food, it only made him more determined to stick with it. And he has also become very well versed with comebacks.

Today, we celebrate Eric being 100% free of ALL POP for 1 year! Congrats Eric!

I asked Eric to comment on his journey over the past year, so you can hear it straight from the man himself.

We did a little Q & A together last night…

How did you do it?

Cold Turkey.   With lots of support from Ange.

Did you ever feel tempted to cheat, if so how did you overcome it?

Not really tempted to “cheat”, but there were times after doing work outside (in the yard) when I craved a Coke.  I usually would try to get my fix through something else. Originally, I thought it was the caffeine that I craved, so I would try to drink Tea, but then I realized that didn’t really help much. I figured out that it is the sugar that I craved so I would drink a juice instead.  While juices aren’t much better in terms of sugar, I would make sure there was no HFCS/glucose fructose in it, and at least this way I’m having a more natural sugar source. I also realized that it is very difficult to find juice without HFCS/glucose fructose hiding in it. Sometimes, the restaurant or café I go to for lunch doesn’t have any options at all. I tend to look for 100% pure apple juice and I can find it at places like Subway. I would guess that 98% of the juices for sale have HFCS/glucose fructose in them.

Was it as difficult as you thought to kick your pop habit?

I actually didn’t think it would be that hard, but it was fairly difficult.  Mostly from peer pressure.  Co-workers constantly try to give me pop and they place them on my desk in front of me. Sometimes they would hide cans of Coke in our house too.  Most of my co-workers don’t see the need to eat healthy so it is difficult on me when I am the only one out of the group who wants to eat better.

Do you think you will ever go back to drinking pop?

No.  I’m tempted to get a rum/coke sometimes for a drink when we go out as I used to have it as an alternative to beer every once in a while, but I feel like I would be cheating so I don’t even do that.

How do you feel now?

It took quite a while to feel any difference. While drinking coke I would get the 2 or 3pm slump, but to get over it I used to drink even more coke (it’s a vicious cycle).  After a few months of not drinking coke (and I think it took at least 3 months to feel this way), the 2 or 3pm slump wasn’t nearly as bad.  Sure, every once in a while I’m tired in the afternoon, but nothing even close to what I was back then.  I also don’t drink juice as much as I did when I first quit drinking coke, so now I’m probably a little lower in sugar intake. I don’t get the highs and lows as much as I used to. The juice was a good substitute initially, but I find I don’t ‘need’ it as much anymore. I also lost about 10 pounds which was an added bonus.

Any final words to those people out there who want to kick a bad habit?

Definitely go for it! You may think it is such a small change and it may take time to notice anything, but it will make a huge difference in your life. I found that by making this healthy change in my life, I was inspired to make other changes in my life that I never expected. One healthy change gives you momentum for other healthy changes. When I eliminated pop my coworkers stopped drinking it as frequently too. While my coworkers would argue that it had nothing to do with me, I think healthy changes rub off on other people overtime, even without asking anyone to change.

We made one of his favourite smoothie combos to celebrate.

Strawberry Banana Chai Smoothie

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen bananas
• 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
• 2 cups non-dairy milk
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 scoop Vega Vanilla Chai protein powder

Serving Suggestion: Close your eyes, sit in front of a space heater, and pretend you are in Florida.

Have you ever made a healthy change in your lifestyle? If so, what was it and how did you do it? Did you have any peer pressure or resistance from other people?

Or are there any changes that you want to make in your lifestyle this Spring?

Eric’s 1 year anniversary has encouraged me to question what positive change I could make in my own life this Spring. Yesterday, I decided to bring out my juicer and start juicing a few times a week again. We juiced a lot last summer and felt amazing, so I would really like to start this up again. Spring is always a great time to make a new change!

A couple weekends ago when I was feeling under the weather, I picked up the book Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi.

(Ok, ok I also bought a new mug…busted!! haha)

In Unbearable Lightness, Portia talks very candidly about her struggles with an eating disorder, being a ‘closet’ lesbian, and the pressure she felt from the modeling and acting world to have the perfect body. The book is beautifully written, heartfelt, and honest. I ended up reading the book cover to cover in one evening. It completely sucked me in and I found myself crying, smiling, or laughing right along with Portia. I commend her bravery for sharing her story in such an honest way. I know she will help many women.

My only small complaint was that Portia didn’t go into her recovery as much as I hoped she would. In just a small chapter at the end of the book, she talked about some of the things that helped her recover- such as horse-riding or her relationship with Ellen. I finished the book wanting to know much more about her recovery. I really hope that she writes a second book as a follow up!

I also think the book could be triggering for some people who are currently struggling with an eating disorder. Portia is very specific and detailed about numbers and behaviours while she was suffering. This book is definitely a read at your own risk. I personally was not triggered by the material, but if I had read this book 3 years ago, it would have been another story.

Given that it is Eating Disorder Awareness week in the US, I thought it would be a good time to share some of my favourite RECOVERY quotes from the book. The last chapter is so inspiring and I found myself highlighting much of what Portia wrote.

"Do I love myself the way I am? Yes. (Well, I’m working on it!) But that doesn’t mean I love my body just the way it is. People who recover from eating disorders can’t be expected to have higher standards than the rest of society, most of whom would like to alter a body part or two. The difference now is that I’m no longer willing to compromise my health to achieve that. I’m not even willing to compromise my happiness to achieve it, or for the thought of my thighs to take up valuable space in my mind. It’s just not that important.

“I’m very grateful for what [my body] does. I thank my thighs for being strong and allowing me to walk my dogs around my neighbourhood and ride my horses."

"I find that if I can concentrate on getting better at something, rather than getting fitter or looking better, I accomplish all three things- the latter two being happy by-products of the original goal.”

"The fact that I stopped restricting food made it less appealing. I began tasting food and listening to my internal nutritionist as it told me that I truly wanted to eat a crispy salad rather than fries. When it told me that fries were what I was craving, it said, ‘Eat as many as you want knowing that you can always have them again tomorrow.’ So I’d eat just a few or I’d rat the whole damn serving until I couldn’t eat anything else on my plate."

"I stopped weighing myself. I simply didn’t care about weight anymore because it was always a comfortable good weight for my body. As I listened to my internal nutritionist, I stopped wanting to eat eggs, meat, and dairy. While I have never felt more healthy and energized, the most important thing that happened to me when I stopped eating animals was a sense of connectedness. When I was suffering from an eating disorder, my life was solely about me. I was living through my ego. My decision not to eat animals anymore was paramount to my growth as a spiritual person. It made me feel like I was contributing to making the world better and that I was connected to everything around me. Healing comes from love. And loving every living thing in turn helps you love yourself."

"I made the mistake of thinking that what I look like is more important that who I am- that what I weigh is more important than what I think or what I do. I was ashamed of being gay, and so I only heard the voices that said that being gay is shameful."

"Ellen taught me to not care about other people’s opinions. She taught me to be truthful. She taught me to be free. I began to live my life in love and complete acceptance. For the first time I had truly accepted myself."

"I met Ellen when I was [at my heaviest] and she loved me. She didn’t see that I was heavy; she only saw the person inside. My two greatest fears, being fat and being gay, when realized, led to my greatest joy. It’s ironic, really, when all I’ve ever wanted is to be loved for my true self, and yet I tried so hard to present myself as anything other than who I am."

I get chills reading those quotes…many of them really ring true for me.

It is long overdue as women, we start embracing our bodies instead of holding them up to some unattainable ideal. A big part of the battle is learning how to re-frame our negative thoughts.

Instead of cursing my thighs, I now thank them for being strong, powerful, and for helping me run in races.

For me, happiness and self-acceptance does not always come easy. The difference between now and then is that I am now willing to put in the effort if it leads me in a positive direction, rather than a negative one.

There is no ‘happiness finish line’ in my world. It’s an on-going effort requiring daily work, love, and attention. I know if I put that effort in each day, I will be in a good place.

Thankfully, I’ve never minded a good challenge.