New Kicks

A few weeks ago I mentioned I had seen a podiatrist and been professionally fitted for sneakers. Well it’s been a few weeks and I am VERY happy with my choice to do this. Not only did I get a great pair of well-fitted sneakers but I learned a lot as well.

 

 

The appointment and analysis took about an hour. While I won’t get into the specifics of what is going on with my feet, because I am sure that information is interesting to only me, I did have a full stride and gait analysis. I also brought in my old sneakers, which I would recommend everyone to do, and they showed me my wear patterns and what they indicated. Shoes are very important in injury prevention and I think my old sneakers played a big role in my injuries.

 

 

I ended up being prescribed the Asics GT-2160 and after a few weeks of breaking them in I love them. They are a very cushioning and supportive shoe, which is exactly what my high-insteps need. Plus I love the icy-blue colour! In addition to learning all about my stride and gait I also learned a lot about the right way to wear and treat a sneaker. While I’m sure a lot of this is common sense to some, it never really occurred to me.

 

1. If you feel like you need more support in your shoe you should use the very top holes on the sneakers that people normally don’t use. I’ve never used mine so it was a good reminder that if I felt like I needed more support that would be a good change to make.

 

2. When you are taking off your sneakers don’t push off that heel with the other sneaker, this can damage the sole of the shoe (as seen below). I know I am guilty of this when I am in a rush!!

 

 

3. While 500 miles is the average of when you should switch out your shoes it really depends on your weight. Obviously the lighter you are the longer you can get out of a pair of shoes, after 500 miles you should go by feel, for example, if your feet or knees start bothering you then it’s time for new shoes. Also, once you are familiar with a brand of shoes you will have more of idea of how many miles you can get out of them.

 

4. When you put on your sneaker, before you lace up, kick your heel to the very back of the shoe (seen below) to ensure you get a tight fit!

 

 

Obviously a lot of these tips relate to runners but I firmly believe after my experience that no matter what exercise you are doing you should be professionally fitted for appropriate footwear. It ensures not only that you have well-fitted shoes but you will learn a ton! Also, I just learned to tie my laces properly thanks to Runner’s World. This knot is the best, my laces never come undone now and I don’t have to double knot!

 

What sneaker do you wear? Any Asics fans?

Do you get your shoes professionally fitted?

Do you double or single knot?

What I Ate Wednesday: Pancake Edition

I am thinking that Pancake Day aka Shrove Tuesday, celebrated yesterday, must be a Newfoundland thing. No one else seemed to be celebrating it other then us Newfoundlanders. In either case I celebrated, our tradition includes having Mac ‘N’ Cheese for dinner and then pancakes for dessert! Anyways I figured I’d share my pancake day eats on WIAW!

 

 

I have been obsessed lately with baked oatmeal. I make it on Sunday and then eat it for the first 3 days of the week, it is unbelievably good. It doesn’t include any veggies but lots of fruit.  

 

 

Banana-Blueberry Baked Oatmeal (makes 3 pieces)

• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• Cinnamon to taste
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 banana

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together except banana. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray and pour mixture into pan. Top with sliced bananas and bake 30 minutes. Slice loaf into 3 slices and top with nut butter when ready to serve!

 

For dinner I made Mac ‘N’ Cheese, using soy milk for regular and nixing the ricotta cheese. I also made banana choc chip pancakes using soy milk instead of almond. Both were a delicious, it was a dinner of comfort food.

 

 

I had some veggies for lunch but  overall it was a day that was low on veggies!!

 

Do you eat baked oats? Favourite combination?

Did you celebrate pancake day?

What’s your favourite type of pancake?

Canadian Blogger Series #5: British Columbia

Happy Pancake Day everyone! Today’s post comes all the way from the West coast of Canada, from Jaime who blogs at Embracing Balance. BC is on my list of places I want to visit within the next few years. Jaime’s post with the stunning pictures makes me want to even more so! From me alll the way out on the East coast, thanks for sharing a little slice of BC with us Jaime!

Other posts in the Series:

1. Saskatchewan by Meg from A Dash of Meg

2. Ontario by Lisa from Smores N More

3. Yellowknife by Scott from Your Inner Skinny

4. Ontario by Rose from Healthy Hipster

 

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for reading and supporting the Canadian Blogger Series, and an extra big thank you to Heidi for hosting us!

 

Over the past five years my blog and my life have moved from coast to coast and back again! I grew up on Vancouver Island in BC, lived eight years in Victoria, then moved to Halifax for a few years, and now I’m back in Victoria again. I’ve seen a good part of our huge and beautiful country due to that return move and I can honestly say that although I found a lot of amazing scenery and people along the way, Victoria is where it’s at!

 

 

No where else in Canada can claim as mild a climate as we here in Victoria can. With the exception of the odd snowstorm once or twice per Winter, and our fair share of rain we can find ourselves happily outdoors almost every day. Rain is just an excuse to splash in puddles and buy cute boots anyway!

I mean honestly, it’s mid-February and I just went out to the gym in just a hoodie and yoga pants.

 

 

It’s just so darn pretty! Maybe I’m biased but would my pictures lie to you?

 

 

 

Of course I’m enthralled by the food. Whether you want to eat out with friends, enjoy a romantic picnic in one of our bazillion parks, or just love to grocery shop like I do Victoria has it covered. All year round we have farmer’s markets, organic grocery shops, multiple micro breweries, award winning coffees, nationally renowned bistros, more cooking classes than you can imagine and of course there’s a variety of tempting bakeries and delicious cheese shops.

 

 

Mmmmm….cheese. Oh hi! Sorry cheese is distracting.

When faced with the decision of whether to continue my Halifax adventure, possibly move somewhere else, or to come back to Victoria the decision was pretty easy. As a good friend told me…I’d been homesick since I left and this is where I needed to be.

I have amazing friends, a lovely social media community, supportive family and all the fresh air I can breathe. Add to that the ability to walk my dog any day of the year, and the opportunity to drink a different local beer every weekend and I’m a very happy girl.

 

If you want to learn more about little ol’ me please pop on over to my blog Embracing Balance for a visit. And if you are ever heading to Victoria, please look me up!

 

Anyone ever visit Victoria?

What’s your favourite way to spend a weekend? I love Jaime’s idea of tasting a different local beer every weekend!!

Workout Recap and Plan Feb 20 – 26

This week went fairly well for cardio, not so great for strength training, lets recap shall we?

Monday I did 2.5 miles on the elliptical and the followed it up with what was supposed to be a yoga class but the teacher called in a substitute that only taught body flow so I went to that instead. The elliptical was as usual boring but body flow was good, I could really feel that my leg had gained strength during the balance track. Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, I headed to the gym at lunch for 25 minutes elliptical (2.5 miles) and 10 minutes on the treadmill. It was just 10 minutes but that is the longest I have run in ages and even on the treadmill my legs felt good for the entire 0.8 mile. My back still doesn’t feel 100% but it is getting there.

 

Wednesday was another lunchtime workout and I did 3.5 miles on the elliptical in 35 minutes again. Thursday & Friday ended up both being rest days because I was off sick from work Thursday and still recovering Friday. Such is life.

 

Saturday was AMAZING. I ran for 25 minutes (yes you read that correct) I did 4 minutes running 1 minute walk and it was awesome. My legs felt strong and my back had minimal pain, the weather was even great! I did 2.54 miles in 25 minutes my first mile in 10:54 and my second in 10:03. Ill be honest when I saw the second split come up on my Garmin I did a little dance out of excitement. It has been a long time since I have run that pace and it felt so good. It will be a long road back to my my comfortable 8:30 pace but you take the small victories when you can!

 

 

 

When I came home I stretched and foam rolled while watching the latest episode of Modern Family on my iPad. I finally got a foam roller and I love it! I think this will be my new Saturday tradition, long run followed my foam rolling, stretching, and Modern Family! That’s my idea of a GREAT Saturday!

 

Sunday (today) I had to fight with myself to get on the elliptical, after running outside yesterday I wanted to do that again. However, I forced myself on by turning on the Big Bang Theory to watch during my workout and ended up with my usual 3.5 miles. Hey whatever it takes!

 

So overall I managed 15 miles this week which was exactly what was planned. What I missed on was strength training (missed body pump) and alternative cardio. I think going forward I will schedule either spinning or swimming during the week. It’s too hard to attempt to do both! This week body pump is a priority, here is what’s planned:

 

Type	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Run (Minutes)			30 min	15 min	REST	29 min
Elliptical / Arc (Min)	30 min	35 min		15 min			40 min
Class	yoga	Body Pump		Body Flow			Body Pump

 

So as of right now I have no spinning or swimming planned, mostly because I am concerned about allowing my back and legs rest as I start to ramp up miles again. I still haven’t seen anyone about my back yet why? Because I am stubborn and just want it to heal on its own, plus I don’t want to admit to another injury. I am thinking though I may have to have it looked at this week. We’ll see what happens!

Did you have a long run the weekend? How many miles?

Favourite TV show?

How was your weekend? Do anything fun?

A Day of Love

I am one of those people who loves Valentine’s Day, even when I was single I loved it. I would always go out with my girlfriends to dinner and celebrate with them. To me Valentine’s is just a day about love, love with friends, family, or a significant other. It’s just a day of love and in my opinion there’s nothing wrong with that.  As usual I was spoiled on Valentine’s Day!

 

 

We are going out this weekend for brunch so for actual Valentine’s Day we cracked open a bottle of wine and cooked a fabulous dinner. We had Cesar salad, steak, mushrooms & onions, roasted potatoes, and asparagus. It was better then any fancy restaurant I have been to. I actually only ate half the steak and saved the rest for the next day – so much food! 

 

 

We spent the rest of the evening just relaxing at the house. I think it was one of my favourite Valentine’s Days in the almost 5 years we’ve been together! It was a lovely evening.

 

How did you spend Valentine’s Day?

What’s the best meal you’ve had recently?

Canadian Blogger Series #4: Ontario

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! My Valentine’s gift to you is another Canadian Blogger Series post written by Rose from The Healthy Hipster!! Just reading her post about one of my favourite Canadian cities to visit Toronto, makes me excited for my upcoming work trip there in early April. Toronto is such a fun city, I just love to visit! Thanks to Rose for this great post on Toronto, filled with healthy-living tips for the urban dweller.

 

Other posts in the Series:

1. Saskatchewan by Meg from A Dash of Meg

2. Ontario by Lisa from Smores N More

3. Yellowknife by Scott from Your Inner Skinny

 

 

 

Hi everyone!

It’s the Healthy Hipster here with the onerous task of representing Toronto in the Canadian Blogger Series.

 

I’ll start with a quick caveat: Toronto is a city of incredibly diverse lifestyles and experiences so I really can’t claim to represent "normal" or "typical" Torontonians…I’m pretty sure those people don’t exist. But it’s precisely this openness to new ideas, identities and people – what I like to think of as Toronto’s fluctuating cultural identity – that makes me love this place so much!

 

So to get back to the topic of today’s post I would go over some of the challenges I obstacles I faced I moved to Toronto as far as healthy living was concerned…along with some of strategies I came up with to overcome them. Hopefully these tips will serve up some inspiration for Hogtown residents like myself (don’t ask me to explain this nickname…I can’t) as well as as Haligonians, Vancouverites, et al.

 

Top 3 Obstacles to Healthy Living in an Urban Context (And How to Get Past Them!):

1) City living is exhausting.

One thing I noticed when I moved back to Toronto after years of living abroad was how incredibly run down I felt at the end of each day. It took a little figure out why I was feeling this way because I worked the same hours, slept the same amount and maintained a similar diet but clearly…everything was not as it had always been. Ultimately I realized that just the mere act of living in a city involved a huge amount of what I have since dubbed Cardio LIFE. Cardio LIFE involves the countless small acts of physical exertion we put ourselves through on a daily basis just to go about our daily lives. If you live in the suburbs and have access to a car, these tasks may be minimal. However, in downtown Toronto we’re basically in training for the Cardio LIFE Olympics.

A typical day in training involves…

- Walking…everywhere

- Lugging groceries

- Sprinting to catch public transportation

- Biking (for when you give up on public transportation)

- Laundromats & everything associated with them.

- Doing housework by hand (because you know we can’t fit a dishwasher/vacuum cleaners in our teeny apartment)

- Stairs. 4 story walk up to my apartment, anyone?

- And finally…pursuing any kind of social life because it often involves some combination of all of the above.

 

How I got past it:

Easy. I adjusted my food, sleep and fitness schedules to account for the added physical strain of urban living.

• I eat much more frequently now and I always bring food with me wherever I go. 
• I started working out and doing yoga in the mornings because I know I’ll have no energy by the time 6pm rolls around. 
• I started going to bed a little earlier on weeknights to account for the lack of sleep I’d probably get on the weekends.

Just a few small changes made a big difference and I’m happy to say that I’m back to my super-energetic-except-before-my-morning-espresso self.

 

2) No sense of "healthy living" community.

This was a bit of shock for me actually because there are so many people in Toronto who pursue healthy lifestyles! However, I never found very many places to really connect and could never shake the feeling that I was getting sized up every time I was in a group fitness class or standing in line at Whole Foods. I ended up feeling pretty alienated by this because I had loads of friends that I could see movies, go for coffee, eat brunch, go dancing and gossip with…I had nobody close to me that could tell me where to find the cheapest locally sourced kale or the best morning vinyasa class. I know, I know #firstworldproblems, right? But it still felt endlessly frustrating…

How I got past it:

Two words: Farmer’s Market. Find the local one in your area and become a regular. You’ll make fast friends with the vendors and other shoppers too…and trust me when I say that these folks will be your greatest resource for information on food, health, fitness and lifestyle tips that are specific to you and your community.

 

Some of my favourite Toronto farmers markets include: Dufferin Grove, Sorauren Farmers Market and the Evergreen Brickworks Market.

 

3) No access to nature.

Sure it’s hard to get that feeling peace and relaxation that comes along with being in nature when you’re in the heart of downtown Toronto but I’m skipping straight to the solution here….

 

LOOK CLOSER! See that? It’s a teeny tiny parkette awkwardly placed in the middle of that busy intersection. And over there? An actual park like Trinity Bellwoods that’s chock full of tall trees, hyperactive puppies and giggling babies. Way the heck over there? That’s High Park! Did you know it has a zoo inside? And outdoor shakespeare in the summer? And cherry blossoms in the spring? Or Riverdale Farm? That’s an actual farm smack dab in the middle of the East End! Not to mention other less central destinations like the Toronto Island or the Scarborough Bluffs.

There’s plenty of natural beauty in our urban landscape…all you have to do is see it.

 

I’ve got plenty more to say about the city but for now I’ll leave it at that! Thanks again to Heidi for hosting the Canadian Blogger Series. It’s been such a treat reading these posts week to week. And I hope you’ll all stop by and say hello over at The Healthy Hipster real soon!

 

Live in a large city? Anything you’d add to this list?

If you live in a small town why do you love it there?

Thanks again to Rose, drop by her blog and say Hi! 

Workout Recap and Plan Feb 13 – 19

I’d call this week a success in training during recovery from my injuries. I’m not back to 100% but I am getting there, that’s what matters. Lets recap this week! Monday I swam 1040 meters in 41 minutes, it was a great workout. Tuesday I did 25 minutes on the elliptical for a total of 2.5 miles and then went to body flow. Body flow was fantastic it was exactly what my legs needed. Wednesday I went to spinning and I loved it, the instructor was fantastic. Thursday I did 25 minutes on the elliptical completing another 2.5 miles and then went to body pump. I kept my weights low in body pump again due to my back but it was still a great workout. If this injury has taught me nothing else it’s to work within my abilities in that moment and not worry about what others are doing around me. Friday was a glorious rest day!

 

Saturday was a big day for me, I ran for the first time in over a month. It felt good to be back at it. I only managed 2.04 miles in 29 minutes and the majority of that was walking, but there were moments of running, moments I thoroughly enjoyed. Sunday I did body pump where I again kept weights low but I really enjoyed doing body pump at this time. My total mileage for the week was a huge 8 miles … I’ll take it!

 

This is what this week’s schedule looks like. The plan is to slowly, very slowly, up the mileage. This week is jam packed and I’m not even sure I can manage it, but I’ll give it my best shot (readjusting as needed)!

 

Type	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Run (Minutes)		10 min			REST	25 min
Elliptical / Arc (Min)	25 min	20 min	35 min				35 min
Class	yoga		yoga	Body Pump & Spinning		Body Pump
Swimming							40 min
Biking

 

What was your biggest training accomplishment recently?

What are your fitness goals for this week?              

For Sherry

 

I woke up today unbelievably hungover, I had a work party last night so I had pounding headache when I woke up. However, headache or not I was not willing to throw in the towel on my run for Sherry.  After reading about the  terrible things that happened to Sherry it really struck a cord with me. This run to me was about showing how something good can come from something so awful. To me the fact that the  running community can come together and turn this awful act into something positive shows that Sherry’s death was not in vain, she will live on in the miles we run each and everyday.

 

 

In addition to running for Sherry this run marks the first time I ran in over a month since my injuries. I headed out with the goal to run most of 10 minutes and walk the rest of the time. It seems like such a small goal, but for me accomplishing it was huge. I managed 2.04 miles in 29 minutes. My slowest ever I am sure, but getting out there and putting one foot in front of the other felt so good. It came back to me like riding a bike. Running my first miles in a month for Sherry was so fitting, I felt like running was bringing me back to life, it was healing. I thought of Sherry and her family the entire time.

 

 

 

I hope the healing I felt today gets passed along to Sherry’s family. What happened to Sherry was so unfair, unfair to her and those who loved her. Today the running community showed the world that with darkness there comes light, we turned something negative into something positive. Rest in peace Sherry, you will always be remembered.

 

Did you run for Sheri today? If so share your posts, I’d love to read them.

You Spin Me Right Round: A Newbie Perspective On Spinning

I’ve been converted to a new cardio love! Please don’t tell running I’m cheating on it with a bike. Though nothing will ever replace my beloved running, spinning is fast becoming a favourite way to sweat it out for me. I went to spinning last night and I am still running off the endorphin high so I figured I’d share a few things I’ve learned so far from my spinning adventures.

 

Don’t be intimidated – Just like any group class when you walk in and everyone seems to know what their doing, it can be intimating. Spinning even more so because you’ve got to figure out out to make sure the bike seat is at the right level and how to operate the gear. Chances are someone else is in the room is new as well, don’t freak out and ask the instructor for help getting set up! The seat should be at a level where there is a slight bend in your knee.

Bring water and a towel – You wouldn’t think that 50 minutes riding a bike would cause one person who is relatively fit to sweat as much as I did, but believe me you need a towel. I wondered why everyone had one when I showed up for my first class. Also, water is a must, spinning burns anywhere from 400 – 700 calories per 50 minutes class depending on your metabolism and how hard you ride so you are working really hard! It’s important to stay hydrated.

 

Instructor is everything – If you go once and you like spinning but don’t love it, try it again with another instructor. My first instructor was good but my second one was GREAT. It’s not that the first one was bad I just preferred the teaching style of the second one. She was really into creating visualizations around biking. She’d describe the track like a race, she was so into it her enthusiasm forced you to be into it. Which of course made the class even more fun!

 

Another form of the all important cross-training – It doesn’t matter if you’re a runner, weight-lifter, or a general fitness enthusiast – you need to switch things up and cross-train to prevent injury. Believe me I know all about injury, so I know how important it is to try new things as part of your training plan. Spinning works different muscles then other activities and works them in a different way. There is a lot of muscle isolation the instructor explained today. Plus it keeps things interesting and interest = motivation!

 

I am excited I have something new to throw into my training plan. I am especially happy I enjoy spinning because of my inability to run right now, it’s a great way to get a good dose of cardio without the impact of running. Though nothing will replace running I can see spinning as a regular part of my training plan. It’s a great way to cross-train and mix things up! Hopefully if you haven’t tried spinning before my perspective will encourage you to do so!!

 

Have you tried spinning? Anything you’d add to the list?

What’s your favourite way to cross-train?

What I Ate Wednesday: Weekend Edition

Normally my WIAW posts are about what I actually ate on Wednesday, I thought I’d try something different this week and share my weekend eats! I try not to eat completely different on the weekend, but rather make things I don’t have time to make during the week. I still try to keep things (mostly) healthy. This month for WIAW is love your veggies month, luckily I included lots of veggies in my post!  

 

 

I started my Saturday morning with 2 fried eggs, whole wheat toast, coffee and OJ. The perfect way to start the day!  

 

 

For a late lunch I had a slice of leftover pizza from Friday night and a big salad with spinach, red pepper, grape tomato, goat cheese, and my favourite homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, and fresh pepper! I love how on the weekends I have the time to make fresh salads for lunch and there is nothing better then homemade dressing. SO much better (and healthier) then the bottled kind. Salads are my favourite way to get lots of veggies in!

 

 

For dinner Bruce made chicken, bacon, buffalo sandwiches with roasted balsamic vinegar asparagus. I try and add at least one veggie as a side to each meal, asparagus is an easy was to do this and very easy to make! After supper I made homemade oatmeal, banana, and blueberry muffins and had one with a green tea! These muffins (recipe blow), like my pumpkin bread, are my own creation that I am very proud of. I took a lot of trial and error to make these, but they (eventually) turned out great!

 

 

Oatmeal, Banana, & Blueberry Muffins (makes 12)

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp margarine
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup blueberries
• Cooking spray

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the first 6 ingredients (dry) and then separately the next 6 ingredients (wet). Combine the 2 and mix thoroughly. Add in the blueberries and mix well. Spray cooking spray in each muffin tin and pour in even amounts of batter (I don’t use paper muffin cups). Bake 20 – 25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

 

 

What’s your favourite type of muffin?

Do you eat differently on the weekends?

What’s your favourite weekend breakfast?

How do you get your veggies in?