100 Reps Challenge: Day Two

We’re looking at abs and a little cardio today, seeing as yesterday was mainly arms and legs. I’ll try to make sure that the workouts will balance out so that we won’t be doing 100 push ups one day and 100 shoulder presses the next- arms might turn to …

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100 Reps Challenge

Boot camp finished the Friday before last for me- and this time (unlike back in the summer months, when I took my first hiatus from boot camp), I did not freak out. Instead I have been enjoying a week of doing virtually no exercise, which frankly is st…

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Sandwiches are beautiful

When I go out to eat with friends, there’s about three suggestions that I nearly always make for what we should eat: sushi, curry, or sandwiches. Or cake (alright, that’s four. Math was never my strong point). However, most people that I know either do…

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Poll: Health Inspections

For my final research project in my Investigative Journalism class, we had to research, investigate, and write a piece on any topic of our choice (my topic was misleading nutrition claims on food products, which I will talk more about another day). One…

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Life Lessons: Your Principles

It has been a month since our last poll, and the results are in!The question: How does justifying your food choices affect you? The results: I often feel the need to justify what I’m eating and it makes me feel bad 42% Sometimes I’ll explain why I’m…

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Life Lessons: Winning by Losing

I’ve been tagged again- thanks CP! This time we’ve got a music meme:Music to cry to: Viva la Vida by Coldplay. No joke, every time I hear this song it brings tears to my eyes. One day I was driving home from boot camp and this song came on the radio, a…

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Binging

I know I’ve already written quite a bit about cookie dough, but I have one last thing to say about it, and then I’ll be done!The cookie dough is gone. The batch that was made on Saturday and put in the fridge to “nibble” on- gone! I’d like to be able t…

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How to eat a pile of cookie dough

I think I ate my own body weight in cookie dough this weekend. Oof. Thank goodness for pajama pants.Yesterday I filed a police report about my wallet, and I don’t expect it will turn up but at least I feel like I’ve done everything I could do for it. T…

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Analyzing Stress and Control Issues

I am a naturally very lucky person. For the most part, the stars seem to shine on me with the things that get handed to me on a silver platter and with the opportunities that I am presented with- with some things I’ll work very hard to get to where I w…

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The Tag Game: Share!

I have been tagged by Stevia ‘n Spice! I’m pretty sure everyone in blogland has seen this before but the idea is to share 7 random/weird facts about yourself:1. I LOVE pearls and cameo jewelry2. One year on St. Patrick’s Day, the pub that I was at ran …

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Why do we diet?

After coming across this post from Diet Blog, I started thinking about all of the studies and real-life experiences which show that diets* really just do not work in general.I am puzzled. If diets don’t work, then why does everyone diet?I was speaking …

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Roasting a Pumpkin

This weekend I thought about working on my research projects that are all due in another couple weeks. I really did think about it. And then I decided after doing a bit of reading and writing some paragraphs that I would be far more productive in cooki…

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Beer ads

I love beer ads and beer commercials. They’re usually clever, funny, and silly. They have excellent marketing strategies in that people really do enjoy them!But I think what I like most about them is the wealth of information they hold; what they say a…

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Life Lessons: Overdoing it

All last week I had horrible stomach cramps. Doing jumping jacks was even uncomfortable. My tummy was not pleased with me so I set out to determine what the culprit was.My first guess was dairy- it seems that just about everyone is susceptible to minor…

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Cookbook Review: “Diabetes & Heart Healthy Meals for Two”

The American Diabetes Association recently came out with this cookbook, filled with recipes all designed to make just two portions. Excellent for us students living on our own! The recipes are categorized into Appetizers, Snacks, and Beverages; Soups; …

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Happy Halloween!

I have wonderful memories of Halloween. As a child, I remember going overboard for the holiday. My mum would sew our costumes, the house would be decorated to the nines, and of course there would be plenty of candy come Halloween night!Sometimes unfort…

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All About Tea

I adore tea.I didn’t always like it, but when I went to Istanbul I knew that it would be incredibly rude if I refused their Turkish cay, which everyone seems to drink round the clock there. So I found myself drinking it every day and pretty soon I love…

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Preparation for Busy Days

Mondays are especially busy days for me. This 4-week boot camp session is extra early, so I wake up at 5am, go to boot camp from 5:30-6:30, race home to change and shower before walking the hour to work, work 9am-4:30pm, then walk back home for a quick…

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Poll: Justifying food choices

First of all, read this post from Elastic Waist.People do this all the time around me. They seem to think that because I’m a health writer and am trying to live a healthy lifestyle, that automatically means that I’m judging them for everything that th…

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New form of exercise: dodging cars!

If there’s one thing that’s essential to being healthy, it’s being alive.This is something which Winnipeg drivers, if my recent experiences as a pedestrian are any indication of, have a conflicting interest with.I happen to value my life. And I’m goin…

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Book Review: “Joining the Thin Club” by Judith Lederman

Look at my cute little cousins!!! My auntie was telling me that there’s a lot of things she didn’t know about pregnancy and after the birth that no one thought to tell her. Even simple things, like fluid remaining in the body. Some thing…

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Life Lessons: Try and Try and Try Again

I’m still getting used to the oven at my new apartment. It is very hot so I learned quickly that I need to turn it down about 25 degrees less than the temperature should be. Even so, sometimes I have a few problems with it, like yesterday.I had decid…

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Don’t leave room for regret

Whether we like it or not, we are defined by the choices we make- be they active choices or indirect. We notice when people change their ways, and we make assumptions and draw conclusions from that. After eating the turkey leg at Thanksgiving for the…

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Happy Thanksgiving!

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year with our usual big family dinner yesterday- although our number was reduced by two around the table because of something special that happened last week… my auntie had twins! Girls (Taylor and Alexa) and so so cu…

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Life Lessons: Fashion Choices for Exercising

Lace up those shoes! We had such a nice discussion going about walking the other day that I feel the need to elaborate some more on it today.I am lopsided. My right leg is a good inch (roughly) shorter than my left leg. All of my shoes have to get l…

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Walking

For me, walking is life. When I’m stressed, overwhelmed, or upset, my treatment of choice is to go out for a long walk. It clears the head and is very relaxing. It is fantastic for the health of your body. The great outdoors also provides wonderful…

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How about a new take on celebrities?

Last week I saw the new Woody Allen film, Vicky Christina Barcelona. Besides it being a fantastic movie, I couldn’t help but be totally amazed by the real beauty that Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, and Penelope Cruz all possess.I mean, just take a …

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The Abs Challenge!

Tim Rosanelli was kind enough to send me a link to the new challenge he has created.That’s right, everyone. Inspired by the one hundred push up challenge, this challenge is to work on your abs: 60 sit ups in one minute!(Yes, that high-pitched girly sq…

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Life Lessons: Learning your Likes and Dislikes

It took me 8 years of piano lessons, competitions, and hours of practicing, to figure out that even though I won first or second place fairly often, music just isn’t for me. I have zero natural music talent. And after I quit piano lessons, I had no i…

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Book Review: The Brain Trust Program by Larry McCleary, M.D.

When I was asked to write a review on this book, I jumped at the opportunity- not only did it come at a very opportune time (learning about the brain and how this book offers to “improve memory, enhance attention, and boost mental energy” is very usefu…

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Life Lessons: Rhetoric

The other day in my Academic Writing class, we had to get together in small discussion groups and do a quick intro of ourselves before ripping each others essays to shreds (I mean, edit them). As I was talking with my 3 other group members, I noticed …

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Today I turn 20!

There’s no better way to start off your birthday than with some grueling workouts at boot camp. And as an added bonus it was too cold for the mosquitoes this morning!I celebrated my birthday last Saturday in conjunction with my housewarming party. It…

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Apartment Photos and Some Super Links!

Today was my first day back at boot camp! It is wonderful to be back with it again. I have the same instructor but everyone in the class is different. And it’s starting at 6am instead of 6:30 now, so it is pitch black out at the beginning of our ses…

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Life Lessons: The teacher makes the class

It’s one of the first things you learn about in university. If you’ve got a boring, rude, or not-so-very-knowledgeable professor, then good luck with enjoying that class, no matter how interesting the topic might be! Professors have the power to insp…

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Dealing with Stress

Last week I wrote this post about how we need to remember that someone else is always going to be busier than we are and that we have to take the time to be grateful for what we’ve got. Well, we all know how life does love to test us, and ever since I…

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Reasses your Goals & Banish that Frown!

After coming home from Italy, I’ve found it difficult to get back into the strength training routine. I’m a cardio lover, but sometimes weights can get boring/tedious for me. And so I just kind of ignored all strength training (except for those push …

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One Hundred Push Ups!

As of about ten minutes ago…I successfully completed the One Hundred Push Up Challenge!!!(Cue banners, streamers, balloons, flashy lights etc etc).Wow. It’s certainly taken me a while to complete that 6-week program, considering I began it mid-June….

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Limitations

This was my first week back at university, and I have to say, it’s shaping up to look like a very full but fantastic term. I’m taking Investigative Journalism on Monday nights (taught by the managing editor for CBC), Reading & Writing Online (my f…

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Interview with Tosca Reno

You’ve read the review for her book, now its time to ask the author herself some questions! Tosca Reno was kind enough to agree to an interview with me, so here it is. Enjoy!1. Your whole philosophy is eating clean, but sometimes its difficult to ju…

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It’s All In Your Head

I love the idea of an icy cold Coke. The commercials really do it for me; the way the liquid splashes into the glass and wraps around the ice cubes. There’s such satisfaction when the drinker quenches their thirst, relishing in the sweetness and smoo…

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Wanderlust is content and the travel bug is fed

I’m home at last from my travels and back in blogging business! That was an incredibly long vacation- gone for a full 22 days, between first stopping to see my grandparents in Ontario and then from there going to Italy. By the end of it, we were all …

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Sagan will be back soon!

Hello all,I am picking up Sagan late tomorrow night when she returns from her trip to Italy and I will be returning this blog to its rightful owner. Thank you for responding to my posts. As a first time blogger it has been an interesting, enjoyable a…

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Guest Post: Unusual Food Stories

At one time or another all of us have been in a situation where we either voluntarily, or are forced because of the expectations of the social situation, try a food or drink that is a ‘challenge to the palate’. Sagan recalls a family trip we al…

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Guest Post: A Question Concerning the High Price of Bread

Sagan and I sometimes go grocery shopping together and she often takes a very critical eye of the ingredients in bread. Being the one in the family who is the ‘bread winner’, I take a critical eye of the price of bread nowadays. Where we live a…

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Guest Post: Growing Herbs

We live in a south-facing condo in downtown Winnipeg. Fortunately we have a very large balcony that has permitted me to put out a half dozen large clay pots in which I planted herb seedlings including basil, oregano, thyme, dill, sage and Italian pars…

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Guest Post: Best Caesar Salad Ever

This is my first experience as a ‘guest blogger’, or blogger period for that matter and I’m honoured Sagan has asked me to fill in for her while she is away. I have been an avid cook for many years and I make almost of our meals at home. Un…

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Goodbye for now!

This is it! Tomorrow I leave early in the morning for Ontario to visit my grandparents. On Wednesday, August 20th my plane departs for Rome (!!!); we’ll be heading straight to Palermo, Sicily for 3 days. Then we’ll take the train back to Rome for 5 …

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Cookbook Review: Quick & Healthy Recipes and Ideas by Brenda J. Ponichtera, RD

This cookbook is perfect for where I am right now. Being a student (fingers crossed I’ll be moving into an apartment with my sister on September 1st!), I need to have recipes that are non-fussy and tasty. Between work and school I won’t have a great …

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Cookbook Review: “The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids” by Tosca Reno

This excellent book was recently sent to me to review, which I was delighted to do. Tosca Reno is an inspiration to women everywhere; not only is she both a mother and a fitness model, but she also found her way after losing a significant amount of we…

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The Blackberry! (Phone. Not fruit. Although some blackberries would be tasty if you’ve got some and would like to share).

At the moment I am the proud owner of an ancient pay-as-you-go cell phone. It does the necessary functions that a phone should do- that is, it rings, I answer, we talk, and hang up. And it’s even got the awesome futuristic feature of having text mess…

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