Running brings clarity...

Happy Sunday, Everyone!

I had a pretty fantastic weekend, despite having 5 exams written and 8 to go until SUMMER.

My life lately and for another 3 weeks.... ewwwwww



Friday I drove downtown to visit my good friend and former roommate Jess at her new condo - such a nice place! (Check out her blog). Some other friends from uni were there too, and it was great to visit with everyone for a bit. Saturday was a surprise bday party for TJ, who owns UTC (which is where I run ACAINtraining out of). I loved this surprise party but I couldn't even say Happy Birthday to him all week because I was so scared I was going to ruin the surprise! lol I was tame (Miley Cyrus would be mad) because I was running the sporting life 10K this morning and wanted to do well (more on that later!).

Sometimes, I struggle to maintain balance in my life. I like to have my hands in so many things, that I say 'yes' to everything, and have to allocate my time appropriately in order to ensure success in all of my ongoing projects. I love everything I do - studying to become a chiropractor, running a training business, training myself 6x/week, working on a research project and helping others with their health and fitness through nutrition changes and Body By Vi. Being back in school for another 3 years, I often find myself saying to others "my life is on hold until I graduate," and most times, due to my busy nature, time spent with friends is sacrificed. Recently, I have had several epiphanies, and at somewhere about the 8k mark it really came clear to me that my life is not on hold - this is my life.

It's time for me to just reallocate how I spend my time! I've made a real effort to visit my family and friends more frequently, to drop what I'm doing and have people over, drive to where my friends are or meet up for a coffee. So maybe I stay up a little later, get up earlier, or cut my workout a minutes short - family and friendships are more important. My busy lifestyle needs to always include my amazing friends!

Fitness is part of my busy lifestyle. Fitness IS my lifestyle. Whenever I really start to think about my personal "brand" or the type of person I hope others see me as, I do often associate with that term. Lifestyle fitness, to me, means that you train for your personal health, your personal goals and to make yourself happy. Lifestyle fitness is part of your weekly schedule and soon becomes as routine as brushing your teeth - whether its 1x/week or 6x/week, if it's going to the gym or for a leisurely bike ride - it fits YOU. So, in my "struggle" for balance in my life, I want to make visits with friends as routine as my fitness, as routine as my 'daily hygiene.' lol. I am lucky that my two closest friends live the fitness lifestyle too, and we have committed to golfing at least once a week this summer! :)


The race! Well, the weather this morning was just how I like it - overcast and just a little bit of rain. I started off my morning with a coffee and a shake, brought my 'GO' for just before the race and a post-race snack as well.


I drove down with my Mom (happy mother's day!), and family friends and then met up with my Dad who flew in from Saskatchewan for this race. This was his 90-day challenge goal if you remember me mentioning it in this post.

Here he is! Down 35 (233lbs-198lbs)



I ran a personal best time of 40:59sec, placing 11/1092 in my age category and 336/17500 overall! Successful weekend! Mom ran 51min and Dad ran 54min!

Now back to the books...

My favourite topic...

Food!

If I'm not in the gym, you can find me in the kitchen. Seriously, you want a sandwich? PLEASE let me make it for you! I love cooking, baking and experimenting with different recipes.

I subscribe to the 80/20 rule, whereby 80% of my meals are healthy - lean proteins, unlimited veggies, lots of water, complex carbs and good fats... and 20% is whatever I want.... banana bread, wine and pizza usually make up this list.

In my experiments with food, I have come across some particular favourites that I always stock up on in the 80% category ;) The 20% stock is usually available by the pizza delivery boy or at the local lcbo haha

Broccoli slaw


I love my broccoli slaw mixed with chicken and then I usually use an olive oil dressing like this:


(why did the tomato blush? he saw the salad dressing... ;))


Chocolate almond milk is another staple that I always blend with my meal replacement shake for breaky or post-workout


Egg whites for breaky or late-night snack... great with mrs.dash!




I would describe my daily nutrition as pretty consistent... these are foods I enjoy eating, that make me feel good and that I don't have any adverse reactions too. While I don't specifically have any food intolerances, I definitely notice a difference when I eat certain things like bread. A couple weeks ago during a 20% rule kind of day I had a chicken schwarma... I swear I thought my stomach was going to fall out...

Now, nutrition is a crazy tricky thing.... there are pros and cons to every food, everyone has different likes and dislikes and some people care more about what they feed themselves than others. As a trainer, I get tons of questions about nutrition and therefore I try to keep current with the literature surrounding different products, recommended daily intakes, intolerances and etc. I see people who will promote only foods NOT to eat, without ever giving alternatives or congratulating someone for making a BETTER choice, even if it's not necessarily the BEST choice.

My stance on nutrition is simple; we take a look at wherever you are on the current spectrum of health and make it better. If that's switching your double big mac to a small burger.... that's a good step! If it's someone focusing on lean proteins and veggies, and eating 5 small meals a day, that's a good step too. Take whatever you're doing and go in a healthier direction and I'm happy! I don't ever want to force MY own lifestyle on you.. I want to provide people with my insight and let them make their decision.

What are some healthier choices you have incorporated into your diet?

What I did on vacation.

You want to know what I did on vacation?




Haha Ok, besides pretending to be a Victoria's Secret Model.

I took it easy.

Shocked? I was!

In all the vacations I have ever taken, I have always stuck to a strict regimen of working out and good nutrition. Many times, I would go on vacation in the middle of a half-marathon training program, or prior to a bball tourney, so I couldn't afford to miss a week of training, or drink alcohol.

This time was different. I had worked very hard prior to leaving for Dominican and was feeling the effects of my rigourous half-marathon and strength training schedule, exam schedule and different work and research projects. I was mentally and physically fatigued, had a sprained knee, a bruised nose and my brain was fried.... my motivation was beginning to dwindle.

My week still consisted of physical activity - tennis, beach workouts, and a couple light runs. I also still had a shake here and there, I stuck to water/vodka if I did drink, and had a slew of veggies with each meal.... but compared to my regular routine, I eased up! And I convinced myself not to feel guilty about it.

Naturally, when I returned, I was 110% motivated to get back to my regular routine. Starting Monday, I began my second 90-Day challenge and began back into a 10k training program. It has been 5 days of focus and determination and here is what I have to show for it!

Monday post-vacation weight:

Friday: 4 days back to normal fitness routine:

*note: first weigh-in was after a flight, so weight is higher due to water retention in addition to my week-long vacation. Next picture was taken in the morning after breakfast.

The body needs a break, and you deserve to have fun. Work hard, play hard. Set your fitness goals, your nutrition goals, and stick to them - but allow yourself to get the rest time your body needs to recover, know that it is OK to get off track once in a while, and that you will come back to your goals refocused and more motivated.

St. Patty's Day "Shamrock shake!"

8oz almond milk
1tbsp sugar-free pistachio jello pudding mix
2 scoops Vi-Shake mix
5 ice cubes... blend!
...
Stay motivated with variety!
www.allicain.myvi.net


Also... if you haven't seen it yet, here is my "motivational" video to get you out to FREE Sunday 9:30am runs and 11:15 Boot Camps!