FAQ Installment 24:
201. Nadia asks, “I have a question for you – might be a silly one, but I’ve been wondering for a while now. How do you figure out how many calories you have burned using your heart rate monitor? I always just went with what the treadmill said, but now realize that it’s not always right. I’m debating purchasing a heart rate monitor now that I’ve started slowly jogging with my daughter in a jogging stroller, but am curious to how you can figure out how many calories you burn using one.”
No silly questions! When I wear my Polar RS200 Heart Rate Monitor I place a strap around the top of my rib cage. This is the device that monitors my heart beat. This information is then transmitted to my HRM watch, so I can see how many calories I burn throughout my workout. It also stores all of the information into the watch and this info can be uploaded to the computer (although I have never bothered to do this myself). I LOVE my Polar RS200. I also purchased it with a foot pod that tracks distance and speed when I run outdoors. If you just want one for the basic ability of measuring calories you can get away with buying a lower end model and save money. Polar has a wide range of HRM’s starting for just around $30.
202. Milca asks, “What a beautiful shower and a sweet thoughtful gift. I’m curious though, how did you meet Leah? Did you meet her from the Blog?”
Thank you! Leah and I met in our 1st year of university. It is crazy to believe that we have known each other for 8 years now! We have both been through so much together and I am really lucky to have her as a friend. I hope she moves back to Ontario soon! Hehe.
203. Christina asks, “Hi Angela, Did you go to a sports doctor (or other type of specialist) for your pelvic injury, or just a primary care doctor? When you first started walking/running again, did you feel any pain at all or does your pelvis area feel completely back to normal now? Did your doctor say whether you will have any long-term limitations in exercising due to this injury? I’m completely devastated that I can’t run right now- how did you mentally get through your time off from exercise? Not only do I miss running, but I’m afraid of gaining weight, losing muscle mass, losing endurance, etc. Did you experience any of these?
Thanks for your great blog! It definitely helps keep me going during this tough time. By the way, I wanted to let you know that I tried the REN Glycolactic Peel Mask and the Koores Wild Rose Face Moisturizer after seeing it on your blog and I love both products! Your product reviews/recommendations have been really helpful!”
This was the question that I actually made the video for the other day! Unfortunately the video file corrupted and didn’t work. It was 14 minutes too! Doh! Anyways, sorry about that Christina. Thanks for your questions and I am really sorry to hear about your injury. I know how hard they are to deal with. I am going to answer your questions in the points below to save some time:
1) Yes I went to a Sports Medicine Doctor because I felt like I would receive more specialized and knowledgeable treatment as compared to a GP. I absolutely loved my sports medicine doctor and I am so glad I went.
2) When my Sports Med. Doc approved me to start working out again, she said it is perfectly normal to experience some degree of pain when I started working out again. It is because I had been off exercise for so long and my body was no longer used to the exercise. When I started up I did feel a bit sore every now and then, but it wasn’t anything to be concerned about. If the pain had of been bad, I would have had to stop and wait longer before exercising.
3) My doctor said I just had a pelvic muscle pull and because it wasn’t a fracture there are no long term implications. I have heard people who have been injured when running and were told that they couldn’t run anymore. Luckily that wasn’t my case and I hope it isn’t for you as well.
4) I got through it mentally by a lot of support from my family and Eric. I vented, I complained, I cried, I got angry. I let it all out when I was feeling sad. I wrote about it on Oh She Glows. Writing is such a great release for me and helps put things in perspective. Everyone on here was so encouraging and uplifting and that really helped me during those 2 months.
5) I experienced weight gain (tighter pants anyways), loss of muscle mass and endurance. The thing to remember about these things is that they are temporary. The body bounces back quicker than you (or I) think! While the weight gain wasn’t fun, I realized that it was bound to happen as I was not getting in any movement except around the house and occasional walking in public. For me, I also ate much worse when I was injured. For some reason when I am exercising I find it much easier to eat healthy than when I am not. I guess the two go hand in hand for me. My best advice is not to focus on these negatives, but try to think about the positives. For me, my injury taught me a lot and I now appreciate my body much more and what it does for me each day.
I hope this helps you out! Feel free to write me any time to vent or ask me any more specific questions.
I am also glad you liked the face mask and moisturizer!
204. Cori asks, “Hi Angela, I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of months now, and like everyone else seems to say– I find it very inspiring and informative! My situation seems to be similar to yours- I gained a lot of weight in university. I graduated three years ago and still weigh 145 lbs (I’m 5ft 3). I’ve yo-yo dieted since then, but now I’m very ready to make a commitment. In terms of food, I feel like I have a good routine and that I’ll be okay in that respect. I do have a specific question about fitness, though. I do cardio interval training and am really happy with it, but I’m not sure what to do in terms of strength training. I really want to tone my arms and stomach, but they’re both pretty ‘flabby’ (that word makes me laugh, don’t know why:) ) and I’ve heard that lifting weights, doing crunches, etc. can build muscle over fat and therefore, my arms and stomach would keep to their original size. Is that true? When you were losing weight, what did you do aside from cardio?
Also, about GloBakery– I live in Israel, but really want to try some of your products! In particular, the chocolate bars that you just posted look really amazing– have you shipped internationally before? Do you have any idea in terms of cost? And will the bars keep?”
Thanks for your comments Cori. I am glad to hear that you are ready to make a commitment to living a healthier lifestyle! There is no way that you can target fat on specific parts of your body. Unfortunately, due to genetics, each of us has places where our bodies like to store more fat. You can lose fat overall by doing cardiovascular exercise, but there is no guarantee that you will lose fat from your arms. You can definitely improve the tone and appearance of your arms by doing strength training. Yes, the muscle will build over the fat, but it is my opinion that toned arms look better regardless of whether they still have some extra fat on them. Remember, 1 pound of muscle burns about 50 calories a day while 1 pound of fat burns only a couple calories. With more muscle, there is a greater chance that you will succeed in your goal to lose extra weight. When I was losing weight I did resistance exercises like lunges, push-ups, squats, and core work for about 10 mins. 3 times per week.
Currently, I am not shipping internationally, but if and when I do I will be sure to announce it on Oh She Glows!
205. April asks, “How often do you wash your hair? I’ve heard its best to do it every other day, but after a long cardio session I always feel gross and want to wash my hair! It gets so dry this way though. Any tips?”
I wash my hair every other day. My hair gets too dry if I wash it every day. My favourite product for greasy hair is Oscar Blandi Dry Pronto Shampoo (powder) found at Sephora. After a workout I will shower with a shower cap (if it is my off day for washing my hair). When I get out of the shower I dry my hair with a blow-dryer (if it is damp) and then I sprinkle on the Dry Pronto Shampoo and rub it in with my hands. The powder absorbs any grease and gives my hair some body and bounce. It is a great option for the days you don’t want to wash your hair or when you don’t have time. I have many friends that swear by this trick as well!
206. Amy asks, “Hi Angela! My name is Amy, I’m from St. John’s, Newfoundland. I happened upon your blog a few weeks ago while I was on You Tube actually! I had ordered Jillian Michaels’ 30-Day Shred and I was on youtube looking for some info about it from people who had tried it…..and I came across your video! I’ve been following your blog ever since and I just wanted to write and tell you how much I enjoy it. You have a lot of practical advice and useful tips on there, it’s fantastic. I don’t read any other blogs – just yours! Just wondering if you have any suggestions on effective arm exercises. My arms are getting toned slowly, but I’d like to get them super duper toned and get rid of that little part that hangs down..you know what I mean?!
As well….I know your recipe section is being updated, but I’m just wondering if you can post the recipe for that chocolate beet cake….looks DELISH!”
Hi Amy! It is nice to see a fellow Maritimer on OSG! I am originally from NB. Thanks for your question. I find the best arm exercises to be regular push-ups, tricep dips, and downward dogs poses (they really do work the arms!).
Email of the Day:
“Hi Angela, I’ve been reading your blog for about a month now and I just really wanted to thank you. You may not realize it, but you are such an inspiration to clean living and you have had a profound effect on my (and my husband’s) lifestyle. I got married in May 08, both my hubby and I lost a lot of weight and looked and felt fantastic. After the wedding, with the stress moving into our new home, busy work schedules and a very stressful job (I work with people on life support), we reverted back to our old habits and both gained it all back. Now we are at square one and have decided to take a different approach. Making better choices. Listening to our bodies. Daily exercise. Moderation. I’ve even started the green monsters and we are both feeling more energized. Thank you for sharing your journey with me. You are truly an inspiration! The weight is coming off, but it’s going to be a process and not just a quick, fad/starvation diet. I’ll keep you posted.
Also, I wanted to let you know, from one tea lover to another, you MUST try Harney & Sons. Google them. The greatest tea ever. They are famous for their custom blends. I’ve seen them at a couple of Chapters locations, but not the full line. St Annes Spa also sells a few different kinds on their website. I generally just order from their website and have them shipped to my home and have never had to pay any duty on them as they are shipped from the US. They are a little pricey but SO worth it.
One more thing, I know you mentioned you’re not buying your Ezekiel bread and you said you have a breadmaker. Tosca Reno’s Clean Eating diet cookbook has a recipe for homemade Ezekiel bread.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. And best of luck in your Glo Bakery venture. You have a lot of spirit and drive. Whatever you put your mind to will be successful.
All the best, have a wonderful, beautiful day despite this weather!”
Thank you so much for your email! You truly made my night. I am so happy to hear that you and your boyfriend are on the road to a healthy lifestyle! Also, thanks for the tips about the tea makers and the Ezekiel bread recipes. I will take a look!
And some not so happy stuff…
I also wanted to take this time to address a few comments I received today accusing me of having a ‘slight eating disorder’ and being a negative example for others. Not only are these comments hurtful, they are misinformed and judgmental. There was a comment made that I only ate some Glo Bites for my breakfast. Firstly, that isn’t true. That was a energy dense snack before my workout. My breakfast followed. And secondly, even if it was my breakfast I am the only person who is at liability to judge how hungry I feel and what food I need. Obviously I eat enough because I am maintaining my healthy weight. If I wasn’t, I would be losing weight. I am open to different viewpoints judging from the wide range of questions that I answer with honesty on OSG, but I will absolutely not put up with accusations such as this that are false and bring down the morale of not only myself but my readers as well.
I am always honest on this blog. I was honest about my unhealthy behaviours in the past and I am honest about the changes I made to free myself from the negative internal pressures I put on myself for years.
I pour so much of my heart and soul into OSG to help other women improve their self-image, happiness, and confidence in themselves and I think I am doing a pretty good job based on the emails I receive daily. I have inspired others to stop calorie counting and to listen to their bodies. I have inspired others to ditch the scale and stop obsessing about their weight. I will continue to do these things on Oh She Glows and set a positive example for my readers!
And to end on a lighter note, Eric sent me this funny cat video today and I almost lost it! :) I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!
Garfield is real!!! LOL!!!
“I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”
– Martha Washington