Back Pain Makes You Annoying

I threw my back out about 10 days ago - not good when you teach fitness for a living and have upcoming rides.  Yesterday it was feeling good and I'd been teaching a few indoor cycling classes in the previous days so thought I was out of the woods.  I taught my first class and felt great, then I taught my second class and felt great...until I got off my bike.  As soon as I got off my bike I knew I was in trouble.  So here I am back on the couch flat on my back almost back to square one.  I must say, eating on your back sucks - unless you like keeping a detailed food diary on your shirt.

Over the past 10 days I've come to realize something.  You know all those annoying people who move super slow?  They walk slow, they drive slow, they come to almost a complete stop when trying to make a simple right turn and you just can't figure out how someone can move that slow through life?  I've come to realize that they all must have back problems!  I know this because I have become the annoying slow moving person.  Making a fast right turn in the car can be excruciating! 

So now when I'm stuck behind some slow person, I feel sympathy rather than frustration and think 'Ah, poor guy.  He must have a back problem'.

Your back rules your world, take care of it ;)

Got Back Pain?

This morning I taught my Cycle Fit class at the Arbutus Club and it went fine.  I chatted with the members a bit, cleaned up and went to grab my bag - that's when it happened.  That familiar radiation of pain spreading throughout my low back (I had a disc bulge years ago and it flairs up now and then) - and once it starts there's nothing I can do except accept the fact that I'm gonna be in A LOT of pain as the day goes by.

I was in a bit of a state of denial as I slowly hobbled out of the Arbutus Club thinking 'maybe the ride home will make it feel better'.  It didn't.  When I got home and tried to get out of my car I knew I was in trouble.  When you feel the need to scream a bit getting out of your car you just know.  I had to do the thing I hate the very most - I had to cancel a class at the very last minute!  I had to let Tash at Cadence know that I couldn't teach the class that I was supposed to teach in about 2 hours.  There are only two things that will cause me to cancel with no notice - sudden stomach flu/food poisoning (puking in a class is just not good for business) or back pain so bad that I can't walk properly (it just doesn't look good when the instructor hobbles, hunched over and cursing up to the bike to teach a spin class, and has to use the bike to hold her up).

So here's what I've been doing today: cancelling on multiple classes for today and tomorrow (just as painful as my back but in a different way), lying on an ice pack with my legs over some cushions, lying on my nice cold, hard tile kitchen floor stretching my glutes and hamstrings, using the same nice floor to roll a tennis ball under my glutes (hurts at the time but really helps) and, of course, cursing.

I'm hoping another day of this will do the trick - I really don't think I can stand not being able to teach my classes for any longer than that.  I should be fine by Saturday for the Ride to Conquer Cancer and will be super angry if I'm not.

If you have any good back pain remedies leave a comment ;)

The Ride to Conquer Cancer

Next weekend I'll be riding in my 3rd Ride to Conquer Cancer.  These past 3 years I've managed to fund raise over $2500 each year thanks to the generosity of my friends, family and bootcampers - if you donated to me and are reading this, thank you so much!

I rode today with my club - Terminal City/Click Cycling and had an awesome ride!  Unlike last weekend when we rode up Cypress and then I had to get my boyfriend to come and pick me up because it was too damn cold to ride down!  Hypothermia was setting in!  No more Cypress or any mountain in Vancouver until August.

So this time next weekend I'll be in Seattle - thank you again to anyone who donated.  Fingers crossed that we get some nice weather this year (PLEASE!!!!!!!!)

Burn Fat with Food!

I was watching Dr. Oz the other day and he had these great and easy fat burning recipes.  Just in case you didn't get to see it I thought I'd share ;)

Orange and Avocado Salad

You just chop up 3 oranges, 1 avocado, mix them together with 1 tbsp of olive oil and voila!  Full of monounsaturated fats and goodness!

Brazil Nuts & Raw Onion Quinoa

I can't remember exactly how much, but you finely chop up some Brazil nuts and a raw (must be raw) onion and add it to cooked quinoa - mmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmm!

Super easy, super healthy and it gets your body burning fat for fuel instead of storing it for later ;)

Stay tuned for the grand opening date of Wholey Fit Studios!!  There'll be indoor cycling classes, awesome HIIT classes and more!

Eggs - Great Source of Protein & How To Store Them For Up To 1 Year

You may or may not know that eggs are one of the best sources of protein.  The bioavailability of protein in your food is ranked with a biological value - this tells you is how much of the protein from the food you're eating is actually available for absorption/use by your body.  Eggs have a biological ranking of 100 whereas some meats are as low as 77.  Whey protein is the best at 100-159, but eggs are non-processed, delicious and satisfying! 

Some people avoid eggs due to the bad reputation they gained as a high source of cholesterol.  They are high in cholesterol, but guess what?  Our bodies are way smarter than we give them credit for.  Cholesterol is something that our body makes naturally - we need a certain amount of cholesterol. When we take in extra cholesterol from natural, non-processed foods (ie foods found in nature, NOT man made foods) our body produces less of it's own to maintain a healthy balance.  So unless you have unusually high cholesterol (talk to your doctor if you do) you can safely eat eggs every day!

Did you know it's possible to store them for up to 1 year?  The other night 'Doomsday Preppers' was on - not a show I would normally watch, but I just couldn't stop (kind of like watching a train wreck - you can't believe what you're seeing and you can't look away!)  Anyway a lady was busy preparing different foods to last forever and I learned a really neat trick for eggs.  They won't last forever, but you can safely store them for up to 1 year!  All you do is completely cover the egg's shell in mineral oil!  This prevents oxygen from getting to the egg - oxygen exposure causes things to go bad more quickly.  Then you just store them in a cool, dark place. 

So the next time eggs are on sale buy em all up, pick up some mineral oil and voila!  A full year's supply of the ever versatile, nutritious and delicious egg!

Get Rid of Heart Burn

I was watching The Doctors earlier today and they were talking about heart burn (acid reflux).  Many people have a problem with this - it's that burning feeling coming up your throat that you sometimes get after eating a meal (especially after an unhealthy high fat meal). 

When people get this they often reach for the antacids or other medication.  These medications are meant for occasional use only and some people are taking them on a regular basis to deal with their horrible eating habits (remind you of any commercials?  'Eat all the junk you want and then just pop an antacid to deal with the discomfort'.  If your food is causing you discomfort, don't eat it!).  Did you know that people taking too much of these medications have a higher incidence of anemia, osteoporosis and hip fractures?  What on earth is that medication doing to our insides??

So now you're probably asking 'well what am I supposed to do?  Just suffer?'.  One thing you can and should do is eat a healthier diet - keep saturated fats low and absolutely NO trans fats.  Develop a taste for healthy natural foods - not only will your heart burn go away, you'll have way more energy.

I know that we don't always eat what's best for us though.  So what do you do if you've had a not so healthy meal and you're suffering from heart burn?  Eat an apple.  That's right!  An apple!  Clears it right up.

A while back I heard about this from a guy on the Internet (I wish I could remember who because I'd love to give him credit - his dad suffered from horrible acid reflux and his quality of life was greatly diminished because of it.  Apples literally saved his life.).  I was curious if it really worked.  The next time my boyfriend had heart burn I told him to try eating an apple.  He tried it and it worked!!  We now always keep apples on hand.

How awesome is that?  So the next time you get a little heart burn go get an apple and get ready for sweet relief :)

Got any natural cures you'd like to share?  Comment below.

Losing Weight/Gaining Weight

Last week I sent out an e-mail to my subscribers letting them know why they may be having problems losing weight.  I got a huge response!  Most people responded to thank me for the helpful information, but a few wanted to know what to do if they had the opposite problem: trouble gaining weight.  That seems so foreign to me - I've always found it very, very easy to gain weight.  Anyway I looked into it and sent out another e-mail with information on how to gain weight and I thought I'd share it with you :)

If you like this article and would like to get regular information from me regarding all sorts of things health and fitness related (including healthy recipes and fun workouts) you can sign up in the box on the right ;)

Here's the last article I sent out:

Yesterday I sent out an e-mail regarding what may be stopping you from losing weight.  I got a huge response!  A few of those responses were actually on the flip side.  They wanted to know why they can’t gain weight.  To a lot of us that sounds like a dream come true – not a problem!  But people who have a hard time putting on weight (hardgainers) are just as frustrated and self conscious as those of us who are always struggling to lose weight.  There’s a ton of information out there on how to lose weight, now here’s a few tips on how to gain weight:

1.   Lack of Food. Most hardgainers eat less than they realize.  You should be eating every 2-4 hours and your meals need to be dense in healthy calories.

2.   Wrong Food Choices. Eating too many carbs and not enough protein and healthy fats will not help you gain weight.  Be sure to include protein, a healthy fat and some healthy carbs in each meal (think whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes).

3.   Too Much Activity. The typical hardgainer (or ectomorph) is always on the go.  They tend to be quite active and often forget to eat.  A physically active job will burn calories and these calories need to be replaced.

4.   Training Wrong. If you just work one muscle group at a time (think bicep curls) you won’t get anywhere near the results you would get by doing compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts.  Talk to a trainer to get a proper program set up.

5.   Avoiding Fat Gains. When trying to put on muscle gaining weight without gaining fat is slow & hard so don’t be afraid of gaining a bit of fat.  Gain weight first, then lose the fat. 

6.   No Consistency. No approach will work if you miss workouts, neglect to meet your daily caloric needs and change your approach all the time.  Find an app on your phone to track your calories and your workouts.  Stay accountable if you really want results!

Best Foods to Gain Weight. Calorie dense foods that are healthy are the best ones for weight gain.  Here’s list of some good ones:

·         All natural peanut butter

·         Dark chocolate

·         Raw almonds, cashews and other nuts & seeds

·         Fruit (especially dried fruit)

·         Whole grains, whole wheat pasta and brown rice

·         Potatoes and yams

·         Beans and other legumes

·         Avocados

·         Dairy such as cheese and yogurt

·         Fish high in omega 3’s such as salmon and tuna (watch your intake of tuna due to mercury)

·         Red meats with the word ‘round’ or ‘loin’ in the name

·         Olive oil, flax seed oil, hemp seed oil

       

- If you can't get enough calories from food, try a meal replacement shake. Add peanut butter, flax oil, fruit, etc to make it even more calorie dense.  Vega has some really good ones!  (p.s if you order Vega off my website I do get a little kickback.  That’s not why I promote it though – I promote it because I use it and it’s an extremely high quality product that I’m proud to recommend on my website).

So there you have it!  Just as someone who is struggling to lose those last 10 pounds, hardgainers must be diligent and consistent with their nutrition and physical activity - if you want it enough you’ll do the work and get the results!  Contact me anytime with your questions!

Heather Lind
Wholey Fit Inc.
We make healthy bodies!www.wholeyfit.ca

http://wholeyfitvancouver.blogspot.com

info@wholeyfit.ca

604-773-4660