Thirsty Thursday and Upcoming Sunday Funday Boot Camps!

If your Saturday Night looks something like this...





You need to get up Sunday and drink lots of this.....




and then come sweat it out at 11:15am with a little of this...




and finish off with this yummy Oreo Cheesecake Protein Shake!




Sunday Funday Drop in Boot Camp
Sunday, Sept 9th at 11:15am
UTC in the Magna Centre in Newmarket.
RSVP or Just drop in!
acain@allicain.com

September Fitness Goals

Setting 4 fitness and personal goals for September. Announcing them to the blogworld to hold myself accountable!

1. Experiment with pumpkin spice for shakes and gluten-free fridays!



I enjoyed my first pumpkin spice tea this morning. Nice and relaxing amongst the craziness that is the morning rush hour commute.

2. Expand my palate with new foods like this one:


Click to learn more.

Looks pretty interesting as a "rice substitute" and as something to eat to keep cals low when I am hungry (late night snack attack). Soy-free, gluten-free and calorie free and boasting numerous health benefits, this is something I want to test out and research to see if it will be making regular appearances in my diet.

3. Try a new recreational activity - rock climbing? Paddle boarding? Boxing?





5. Take Sunday afternoons off to watch Football.



I have mentioned before how tough I find it to just sit and do nothing. I feel so unproductive! I always want to be making progress on something.. However, the NFL, and specifically the Baltimore Ravens deserve 4-5hours of my time on Sundays, and I intend to give it to them. Don't call, don't text... but feel free to come over and watch the game with me! :)

What goals have you set for September? How are you holding yourself accountable?

Mini Challenge #2 and TOUGH MUDDER reflection

Happy Monday to EVERY muscle fiber in my body. I think each muscle group is competing for who can be more sore after completing the tough mudder. Not going to use it as an excuse though, workout is done for the day - just some cardio and hot yoga to come!

My Hot Yoga Mini Challenge is over and here's what I figured out about myself....

- shutting off my brain requires more conscious effort than thinking does
- I am a sucker for trying new things (already have mini challenges 3,4 & 5 planned)
- I will keep up the hot yoga for the next 30 days.... because I got suckered into buying a 30 day pass! lol
- I like the 60 minute classes as opposed to the 75-90 minutes classes
- doing a heavy lift or a run before yoga makes me much more relaxed when I am in the class.

Weekend was packed full of athletic events & fun with friends!

Friday I went down to the CanFit conference - my chiropractor Dr. Adam Wade of Chiropractic on Main was nice enough to give me a ticket to the expo, so I wandered around and looked at all the new fitness products on the market. Let me tell you, once I am no longer on a student budget.... fitness equipment shopping might become more fun than grocery shopping for me!

Saturday was the TOUGH MUDDER!!!! I can't say enough good things about this event! I'll admit, I was nervous at first.... I wasn't sure how to prep for a "race" like this, a 16km uphill-both-ways course with 19 obstacles that challenged you physically, and also mentally in overcoming certain fears. What allowed me to relax and really just enjoy the day was looking at it as a challenge, and not a race. A challenge it certainly was! I had a great time with our team "Depth Training."



For anyone thinking about doing it next year - DO IT!!
Training should include a good endurance program as the hills are absolute monsters. The obstacles actually felt more like a break when you got to them after running/walking/crawling up the mountain :)


Mid event with more mud to come !

Saturday night was time to see my girls downtown! My legs were furious with me for choosing dancing over relaxing, but my attitude this summer has been "say yes to everything fun" and seeing my friends is a very fun time :)



Sunday you could have found me on the patio for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a light lift mixed in and a boot camp finisher.

Kind of perfect if you ask me!

Mini challenge check-in & fitness ramblings....

Hey everyone!

The sun is shining here today after what seemed like 5 days straight of rainy, tempermental weather! When the weather can't make up it's mind, I can never make up my mind about doing an indoor or outdoor workout. Yesterday, I did both... a mix of strength in the gym, outdoor sprints and finished with hot yoga.

My self-imposed hot yoga challenge has been interesting to say the least. Remember when I blogged about having convo's with myself when I run? I am definitely doing something similar in these hot yoga classes.

One of the things that every yoga class seems to emphasize, is setting an 'intention.' My first two classes last Friday and Sunday, I set the intention of "not having any ego," remembering a year ago getting mad at myself that "all of these other people can hold poses and I couldn't! I'm strong, I'm an athlete, why aren't I good at this too?"

My intention was to do what I could do and to NOT BE HARD ON MYSELF! It was my first class in a long time, and when someone comes to one of my boot camp classes without having a fitness background, I always tell them to take it at their own pace. Time for me to take my own advice!

Both classes flew by and because I had already done a heavy lift prior to doing the hot yoga, I felt okay that I spent probably a good 10-15 minutes of this class lying in 'corpse pose' (not even going to try to attempt to spell the yoga language they use).

Monday, I went for the full 75 minute class.
I hated it.
I forgot to set an intention.
Everytime the instructor would say "and now, come back to your intention" I screamed in my head "SHUT UP! I don't have one!"
This class was much harder, and they moved into very advanced poses, so I sat and watched in amazement/wtf at the level of athleticism of some of these athletes.

Yoga is an interesting workout - you really can't judge the level someone is at by looking at their body type the way you might be able to judge if someone can lift a lot of weight or not. People of all shapes, sizes, ages and genders can do some pretty amazing things.

Those were my first three classes on my challenge. I'll post the remainder of my week shortly!

Fitness Ramblings...

Did you know that I love talking about fitness? Here is an excerpt from a convo I had with my friend Carly, and I just loved how she described her health & fitness journey. Carly is doing her own 90 day challenge, and is aspiring to transition from a career that isn't satisfying her passion for fitness, into becoming a fitness instructor. So proud of you!



"It feels so right, just where I am in life and where I want to be. I am totally taking this challenge and I'm going to work the F out of it! I'm soo proud of myself already and I'm having sooo much fun doing what I love and staying focused! Couldn't be happier right now" - Carly D.

Mini Challenge #2

Happy Monday everyone!

Another week to work towards your goals and get better.

I need to always switch things up because I get bored easily, and like to keep busy! This week, my plan is to revert back to my vegetarian diet, and to also incorporate hot yoga into my fitness routine for 7 days straight.

Comparing my regular diet to the week long vegetarian diet I tried out, I find that I felt better when I was not consuming meat and poultry. My energy levels were higher, and I never felt bloated. These past two weeks, energy levels have been lagging and there has been that heavy feeling in my stomach.

Yoga is something that I tend to avoid. I love high intensity cardio, lifting weights and moving quickly through a hard workout. The pace of yoga just isn't my cup of tea. That being said, I know the benefits of stretching, and know that although I incorporate mobility and activation exercises into my workouts, that having someone guide me through stretching will most likely benefit my flexibility, and decrease my muscle soreness. I've done two classes already, and went into each with the intention of not getting frustrated with myself, or with the pace of the class, and just enjoy it for what it is - a hot, sweaty girl on a slippery mat trying out a new type of fitness. I'll keep you posted!


You sure won't find me doing that last pose!

I challenge YOU to try to do something every single day this week!

Nutrition and Fitness tip:

Try one or some of the following:
10 pushups before everyday before you sleep
Running for 10-20 minutes everyday
Eating no sugar for a week
Cutting out any type of "fast food" for a week.
Swapping a protein shake for breakfast for 7 days.

Training song of the week: Shoutout to Carly D. for this one

7 Day Mini Challenge

Hellooooo everybody!

I don't like status quo and am always looking for new challenges. So, I've decided for the next 7 days, starting Monday to embark on this self-made challenge

1) Vegetarian
2) Log my 60-90 min workout everyday (I will post workout)
3) At least 1.5L of water everyday
4) 2 shakes, 2 snacks and dinner
5) Log my food intake
6) Gluten-free
7) Sugar free

Fitting in the workouts will be the easiest part. These will be tailored to running and include different types of training runs, core workout and TRX workouts.

Shakes will be no different than what I do right now, except that I vary between and 2 shakes, depending on the day.

Water intake will be interesting. Besides coffee, water is the only liquid I consume, however, I have never really tracked my intake.

Gluten-free and sugar free will be a bit harder, I tend to eat 80% gluten and sugar free, but plan to completely avoid it this week.

Vegetarian will be the HARDEST of all of these challenges as I am the most carnivorous female you will ever meet! I have no real reason for incorporating this into my challenge, other than the sole fact that I want to expand the vegetables I eat and explore other sources of protein so that I can better aid the vegetarians I train.

I blog so that I hold myself accountable. I think stating a goal to others is important as it solidifies it as something you truly want to achieve. Keeping a goal to yourself leaves far too much room for you to negotiate with yourself and make excuses.

I set forth a goal for my 10.5km race yesterday, and stated to people close to my that I would like to place top 3 in the race. At the time, looking at previous years results, my results from 10k's I have ran this year and knowing I felt strong, I felt this top 3 finish was realistic. Race day proved otherwise, and I ended up playing 7th (we're talking gender placing). If you had been in my head during the run you would have been hysterical at the conversation I had with myself.

"Omg, another female passing you Alli, wtf you didn't train hard enough you don't deserve to reach your goal"

"No, it's fine, run your race, your pace is right on track. Settle in and grind away."

"Are you effing kidding me, is that another hill? That wasn't marked on the effing map. EFFFFFFFFFFF"

"Ok, just pump your arms and work your way up, hills are your fave training day, and you can kill this hill."

"Ok, there's no way I can finish top 3. What am I going to write in my blog? Everyone is going to know I failed my goal. I can't lie! Maybe I'll just pretend this race didn't happen"

"No, Alli, not everyone achieves their goal the first, second or third time. This just leaves room for improvement."

"Just keep running, Just keep running." (To the tune of just keep swimming from Finding Nemo"

"Where the EFF is the water station!!!!!"

"Ahhhhhhhhh finito. That wasn't THAT bad!"

Ya, soooo I'm a bit crazy when I run. So vastly different from team sports where I pretty much blackout and my body goes into autopilot. I do that when I'm driving too haha






Do you talk to yourself when you run? Please let me know I'm not the only one.

Dear Hard Work

Dear hardwork,

I used to avoid you
To put forth the minimum effort and expect extraordinary results

They didn’t come.

I worked a little harder
Got a little better
And liked how success felt.
So my effort levels increased, and goals were set.
You got me out of bed in the morning and
we’re the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep
You challenged me, made me
Stronger
Smarter
Successful
You showed me what I can do
That the only limits
are the ones I set for myself
You've allowed me to accomplish my dreams
And to set my sights even higher
I will never give you up.
I will always

Do the hard work.

mmmmmmMojito

Hey everyone!

TGIF:) and I'm ready to hit the weekend in full force! I can't explain to you my obsession with mojitos. My friend Kim made me a blueberry mojito when we were hangin' poolside midday and I HAD to share it with you! Minus the rum you add ( a little, or a lot....) it's a healthier drink option, super delicious and looks pretty!

Ingredients
12 fresh spearmint leaves
Blueberries
7oz sparkling water
2 drops stevia
1/2 lime
Rum (to taste!)

In a tall glass, muddle the mint, lime juice and stevia. Add the blueberries and muddle gently. Add crushed ice, rum and then sparkling water. Garnish with a lime and some mint leaves and enjoy!



Be sure to implement my weekend drinking fitness tips!

Nothing matters but the weekend from a Tuesday point of view

This post is fueled by alcohol. No, I'm not day drinking.... but I had a few conversations this morning about everyone's weekend and obviously with it being summer, weekends revolve around drinks, food and overindulgence! When the regular routine comes back on Monday, you don't want to be a) experiencing a 2-day hangover or 2) only fit into your winter hibernation clothes. So, I've put together some tips.


Drink clear liquor. Might mean you’re playing flip cup with vodka.... be careful! While maintaining your fitness would ideally mean no alcohol whatsoever…. that’s not practical for many. So, stick to your clear liquors, like vodka which is about 60cals a shot. Beer and coolers are notoriously high in cals and sugar… so be proactive in your battle on bulge and if you drink, make it a clear liquor. Also, someone alerted me to the fact that Canada 67 beer is decent too!


Avoid snacking. I might be a snackasaurus rex, but I'm trying to make my breed extinct. Saying no to snacking is like Kim Kardash saying “no” to money. However, meals in the summer time, and long weekends specifically, tend to be ginormous. Hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, potato salad, corn on the cob etc. etc. If you avoid the in between, just something-to-do snacking on chips and pop… and either wait for your meal or try something more nutritious then you can keep your total day calorie intake in check and still enjoy the wonders of the BBQ (and hopefully your sexy grillmaster/cabana boy) offers you!




Join in the fun! Frisbee, volleyball, wakeboarding….. all great summer activities that burn cals. Get out there and play!





Plan your workouts in accordance to partying. Get in a workout before AND after you drink/eat your body weights worth of burgers. This isn’t the way to make progress with your fitness, but it will keep you from gaining too much.


Healthy, active living is the best lifestyle!

P.S. Make the healthy choice and opt for MAN CANDY instead ! :)

I love summer!

Hey loves!

Hope you had a fab weekend! I certainly did :)
Saturday morning I worked a few hours at the chiro clinic which I really enjoy. Although I am grateful for the break from CMCC, I worry that I will go back to school in Sept. and forget everything I learned this year. Being in the clinic keeps me fresh.

After work I made a few housecalls to people doing their 90 day challenge, and then did a shopping workout :) Credit card sure worked up a sweat... ! One of my purchases were these 4.5 inch heels!



I am a tall girl and wearing these, I stand at about 6'3! I choose to embrace my height and wear these skyhigh heels though... wouldn't want my ankles to get bored.

Saturday night we went downtown to celebrate JMann's bday!



Overindulgence may have happened, and I watched Shawshank Redemption multiple times while lying on the couch Sunday in "recovery" mode. I put myself together at around 7:30pm and went for a nice, long run. Weather was perfect at this time, and I decided to run through a part of Newmarket that I don't normally visit. It was so nice and peaceful, and I found some cute new communities that I didn't know existed!

My day today consists of 3-way calls, training, the driving range and a hill workout tonight.

Start your week off right and get in a workout!

Elaine's Boot Camp and Body By Vi experience

Last September, my husband and I moved to Newmarket and I finally decided to use this moving month to make some changes in my fitness and lifestyle that were a couple of years overdue!

I found Alli through a simple on line search for a bootcamp and decided to give it a try. I was not looking for a gym with a lot of people or an individual program as I do best with a small group plus it is more affordable!

My first day was tough as it had been awhile (as I explained to Ali) but I had been my best a couple of years before this and was pretty sure I could do it again. It was time! Alli reminded me to do what I could, baby steps and the rest would come. Of course she was right. I loved that I finished the first session..that was a good step. The rest was to build up my endurance, and keep going.

Did I mention that I also had my 50th birthday in February and this was also my commitment to myself for my 50th year  . To be healthy and fit again. Menopause had also arrived early - bringing with it lots of hormonal changes, little energy, etc..I needed to do this first step in hopes that it would help with the rest.
It’s now 8 months later and all is going great – down two sizes and 30lbs. Thank you Alli for such a great boot camp! I love the classes and really enjoy the creativity in each one. The fact that each class is different is also what keeps me coming back. Each exercise is always explained in detail and this really helps me to hopefully do it right. I never knew you could do so much with a medicine ball , kettlebell, TRX and weights, etc.

I still have a ways to go..and will reach my next step as well.

Your recommendations on healthy eating program, etc has also helped and provided the energy I needed to get back into things.. I travel a lot and run a business with my husband so we are constantly on the road for both work and our own personal passion of travel. The Vi progam has also helped me to get back on track with an easy breakfast and lunch and additional energy. I’m now sharing with friends who are asking me what I’ve been doing. ..

I wished they all lived in Newmarket and we could add another boot camp class to the week!

Thanks again,
Elaine
(Elaine Carnegie, Newmarket, ON)

Thanks for sharing, Elaine! Your transformation has been incredible! You are doing this the right way; setting small, measurable goals and ticking them off one by one before setting a new one. I am proud of you!

Another new goal!

I am officially excited! Flying out to Rome TOMORROW!

Now, getting out of a routine is something that gives me anxiety (enter self-talk alli from this post) . However, I am taking control of this anxiety by putting things in to place back home with someone covering my boot camps, by setting up with an internet account while away so I can keep tabs on the online business, and by packing my shakes and a mixer so I can have a healthy option if there aren't any available to me while I am away. So with my anxiety conquered, now all I have to do is worry about fun!

OH! So I have added another summer fitness goal to my list... the tough mudder! It is a 21km obstacle course that's being held in August. I was humming and hawing about joining and finally read this:



and accepted the challenge!!

What challenges have you set for yourself this summer?

The courage to start

This picture sums up my thoughts.

The courage to start is the hardest thing to do. You can think about it, you can talk about it.... but few people BE about it. Taking the first step in your journey is the hardest thing to do because it is a LEAP outside your comfort zone into the unexpected.

One of the hardest things I face as a trainer, is hearing the people I work with put themselves down. "NO! Shut up!" I want to scream at them. You're here, you're doing this! Consistency and winning everyday is what will get you there. Putting yourself down does NOTHING. You are brave and courageous and doing better than a hell of a lot of other people still in bed, or sitting on the couch.

Seriously, stop it. It's up to you to have the positive mindset, I can't have it for you. I believe in you, but you have to believe in you first.

Take on your challenge. It's not easy, but it's worth it.

Summer Break Week Two

My intentions for this week is to get PACKED for Europe! I am slowly getting more excited at the realization that I will get to see the highlights of 7 or 8 different countries over two weeks. I am travelling with my fam - we're flying into Rome and then boarding a cruise ship which will take us to many different destinations. I think this will be an interesting way to travel, as the time spent actually moving from place to place will be while we are sleeping and therefore we can maximize activity time off the ship. "Soooo much room for activities!"

In terms of sticking to healthy nutrition while I am away, I will definitely be packing my shake mix and my shaker. I'm far too into the routine of eating 5-6 small meals a day to tour Rome on an empty stomach! My plan is to make healthy choices 80% of the time, and to indulge in food that I have not tried before to get the full "european experience" ;). In my eyes, there is no sense in working so hard for months prior, just to kill it in a week with overindulgence. No deprivation, just smart choices.

Keeping with the topic of smart choices, I feel like a bear coming out of hibernation when it comes to summertime and drinking! I can go the entire fall/winter/spring with minimal alcoholic intake, but once the sun is out... pour me a drink! Alcohol has to be the number one fitness killer. Not only does it offer the body no nutritional value, but it packs on the lbs like no other. However, it's a fun, social activity..... so when I drink, I ensure that I choose a clear liquor (like vodka) and pair it with a non-sugary mix (like water and lemon).

All of us girls making smart choices before a night out in TO :)



I am still sticking to my fitness plan to a T, and even adding in extra cardio just because I love being outside in this gorg weather. Yesterday, I set out for a run on the Tom Taylor trail.... the goal was 19K. It was just too hot though, so I cut my out and back route off short and ended up managing about a 15K. I was still satisfied with this, as I then had a golf date with my two friends out in Bradford. We went out at about 5pm and walked 9. I don't often set low expectations for myself, but golf is the exception. I consider it a success if I 1)make contact with the ball or 2) manage not to lose my ball completely in the bushes. Taking baby steps to become competent at this sport! I actually felt pretty decent about yesterday's game... especially with my new golf bag :)



Make the most of your week, everyone!

UTC workout video

Nothing matters but the weekend from a Tuesday point of view!
But.. make the most of whatever spare time you have today and do something good for yourself! Get to the gym, out for a walk, make a healthy meal or spend some time with friends!

I have to 'pump the tires' of the gym that I train at and work out of UTC. As you can see from my videos, including the one I have posted below, UTC makes a variety of equipment readily available to their members that most other gyms do not even have. In my workout, I lined up a spin bike, kettlebell, stability ball, box and set of weights so that I could complete the pyramid circuit as fast as possible. When I've trained elsewhere, I found that when I try to do this style of workout that someone else interrupts my exercise flow by starting to use "my" equipments. grrrr can't you see my adrenaline is pumping, man! I don't want to wait! (I try to be nice though).

Check out the workout of the week from UTC:



Today I had a 6am boot camp, will fit in a track workout and then head back for the 6pm boot camp. I am also doing a core strength demo and body by vi shake sampling for the Newmarket running room tonight! I like spending my "spare time" still being productive and helping those runners to cross train and focus on nutrition to help their training goals.

P.S. Has anyone done the tough mudder or thinking about doing it? The thought has crossed my mind recently! I need someone to talk me into it.

Janina's competition prep check-in

For those of you who I am facebook friends with, you may have seen the pictures I have posted of my friend Janina who is currently prepping for her first fitness competition. I've asked her to share her training, nutrition and feelings of the process so far. Have a read below :)
- Alli

So after years of contemplation…I have finally decided to compete in my first fitness competition! I am planning on competing in OPA’s Henderson Thorne Classic; bikini division on July 7th…just under 7 weeks away, yikes! So far my training has consisted of 6 workouts a week, which have included a mixture of strength training, P90X workouts and Insanity workouts. I have had to do a mixture of workout’s because of my hectic school schedule and because I like to keep things interesting. I also try to play basketball at least once or twice a week. In terms of my nutrition plan I eat about 6-7 small meals a day with about 2-3 hours in between depending on my schedule. I have egg whites mixed with vegetables, chicken, lean turkey, salad’s etc. I try to experiment with different recipes as much as possible. I also have 2 ‘Body by Vi’ shakes each day, one for breakfast and one after my work out. These shakes have been awesome for me. They take care of 2 of my meals and taste delicious which really helps me stay on track with my nutrition because unfortunately I have a HUGE sweet tooth and these shakes help satisfy that which is awesome! I have been using the shakes now for about 45 days and have definitely noticed a difference in my energy levels, yay!

My exercise and nutrition regimen are quite strict, however I did not go into my fitness competition training ‘cold turkey’ so to speak. I have been working out 6 days a week since August where before that I was doing 4 days a week. I also cut out dairy and bread from my diet since this past December. So, when the idea of competing in a ‘Fitness Competition’ was brought to my attention once more I felt that I was already in the right mindset to train. This type of training is not for everyone. I wake up on numerous days of the week at 4:30 AM to train because I have long days at school and won’t be able to train later or I know I will be to exhausted to train. I go to the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College to become a Doctor of Chiropractic (in 3 longggg years, almost done year 1! :) and some days I am at school for 10 hours and then I commute. So I get my work outs in first thing that way I have no excuse for missed work outs, and call me crazy but I prefer early morning work outs! Eating healthy also takes a lot of preparation. I try to cook every 3 days and prepare my meals for the next day so that I do not get off track. Some days I bring 3-4 meals to school! Once again the Vi shakes have been a lifesaver because they are a quick, nutritious meal! With my nutrition I think the toughest times to stay on track are ‘social gatherings.’ It is tough to find nutritious meals at restaurants so I usually stick to a salad because I know its safe, or at least I hope it is! What is even tougher is watching my friends eat things that I can’t have. However that being said, its tolerable and my goals are more important to me then getting off track. Will power and determination is key!

I am still learning though. Now that I am finally training for a fitness competition I learn new tips every day on how to adequately train. So far what I have mentioned above has worked for me. I have lost 5 lbs and 2.5 inches in my first month and this was not even my goal (can’t say that I am complaining though!). I don’t think I will lose any more weight or inches but it was definitely nice to see an objective change. Since this is my first competition, yes I do hope to place but I will not be completely disappointed if I don’t. How could I be? I am proud of myself for even pursuing this health fitness goal and I have learned so much in the process and I know I will learn so much more once its finished, which is more then I can ask for. I am doing my best to prepare by sticking to my exercise and nutrition regimen and will be having posing lessons with IFBB Canadian Pro Fitness Champion Mindi O’Brien.

So far I have loved my experience with my training both with the exercise and the nutrition because like I said it is not a huge difference from what I was doing before except for the incorporation of the Vi shakes. I feel great and I see positive changes to my body. I am extremely excited to compete and am thankful to my friends and family who have supported me. This may be my first fitness competition…but it won’t be my last!! Wish me luck!

--Janina Duliunas, Bkin
www.janinaduliunas.bodybyvi.com

I have been taking some pictures to track my progress…take a look!





Here is my baseline photo taken exactly 12 weeks prior to my competition on July 7th.

Measurements: Shoulders- 39’, Chest- 33.5’, Waist- 29’, Hips- 39’

Weight: 136 lbs




Here is a photo taken at 4 weeks.

Measurements: Shoulders: 39’, Chest: 32.5’, Hips: 38’, Waist: 28.5’

Weight: 131 lbs

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?

Happy Monday!

I was feeling inspired this morning by many of my friends who completed half and full marathons this weekend. I think I had a bit of "runner's envy," actually!
Luckily, that envy is fuel for my training, and I got up extra early to put in a workout before school.




My Workout this morning was based on the UTC metabolic boot camp circuit (www.utcnewmarket.com)

Drop set of 20/15/10/5
- Snatches
- Pushups
- KB Deadlift
- Push Press
- Stability Ball In/Outs
- Coreboard steering wheel
- Slideboard lunges
- Pullups
- Bike kcals
- Rope Slams
- 50 double unders
5 hill sprints to finish

Felt good!

This weekend I will be running the sporting life 10K with my Mom and Dad (his 90-day challenge goal), so I anticipate my strength training this week to be more body weight based, and my runs to be anywhere between 8-15km, with one track workout, and a hill workout (tonight).

Have you ever thought about your top three exercises? It's hard for me to pick just three, but in terms of the exercises I see popping up most often in my plans, I would say my top three are:

- double unders (I love these, my record for consecutive double unders is 63 and I always am trying to beat it!)
- deadlifts (I love what they do for my glutes and hams, and it's a bit of an ego boost because I can put on lots of weight lol)
- pullups (These do the opposite to my ego as what deadlifts do, I still have yet to do more than 2 pullups without assistance. It's a goal though, and it keeps me coming back to try to improve.)

What are your top three?


Training tip: Get outside! The weather is beautiful, and if you live in the Newmarket area, the Tom Taylor trail is a beautiful place for a run, walk or bike ride.
Nutrition tip: Turkey Muffins are a great protein source. Quick to make, and easy to bring with you.
Chop up peppers, celery, broccoli or whatever veggies you have. Mix it with some ground turkey, and use bbq sauce to keep them together. You can add spices, flaxseed etc. Bake in a muffin pan. Enjoy :)
Song pick: Kid Cudi - Up, Up and Away

Be sure to check out my other websites!
www.acaintraining.com
www.allicain.bodybyvi.com

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.