fitness journey

Nov

2018

How To Spend A day At Marmot Basin As A New Snowboarder

I remember the first time I ever tried snowboarding. I was 16 years old and indestructible. Well more or less. It took me probably an hour just to stand up. The next day I was so sore I could hardly move. Regardless, I loved it. I went a handful of times over the next couple of years, and only once to Marmot Basin . Then, when B and I got together, the babies came and I had little to no free time. Still, do to be completely honest. So I wasn’t able to hit the hill for years. Probably 7 or 8.

When L and Big H were gifted snowboarding lessons from their aunt and uncle last Christmas I was so excited. I was finally going to get back to the hill. But this time, I was going to take lessons myself.

B and I booked lessons at Jaspers Marmot Basin at the same time the boys took theirs. We booked the two-hour group lesson for beginners. Even though I had snowboarded before, it had been so long since I had gone, and B had never even tried it.

Included with the lesson was a Full Day Rental, Lower Mountain Lift Ticket, and of course the 2-hour lesson on the bunny hill. You can upgrade to include the full lift ticket if you want, but realistically it probably isn’t necessary for a beginner. – The kid’s lessons included their rentals, lift tickets, lessons, lunch, and time in childcare as well. –

The website suggests arriving an hour beforehand to get your rentals. I suggest longer. We were there an hour and a half before and were a few minutes late for our lessons. Weekdays are, most likely, less busy than the weekends.

When the lessons started, we had about 8 more people in our group and our instructor, Christian. Dispute the large group he was able to devote time to each student and help them as needed.

He went through the basic steps of standing up. Toe edge and heel edge, and switching between the two. Practising each thing a few times between adding in the next step. When you reached the bottom of the little hill you took the magic carpet back up to the top and started all over again

By the end of the two hours, my husband was done. Exhausted. Not at all surprising. So, we headed up to have a bite to eat where we met up with my brother and sister-in-law (who had injured herself on the hill). Her and B stayed there for the rest of the day.

Now, I have an irrational fear of chair lifts, which makes for a great time on the chairlift. So my brother fed me some liquid courage before dragging me to Eagle Express Quad Chairlift.

After the panicking inducing departure from the lift, we followed the Sleepy Hollow run down to Old Road back to the chalet. It took me about 2 hours and ALL of my energy.

At that point, we grabbed the kids and headed back to our hotel in Jasper for the night.

I have been to a couple of different ski hills over the years, but Marmot Basin my favourite to date. Next time I return I plan on doing lessons again, to increase my skills and maybe learn something new before heading up that dreaded lift up the mountain.

Do you have a favourite ski hill in your area?

Nov

2018

How To Get Active After Taking A Break

So, you took a bit of time off your workout regime, and now you’re struggling to get back at it. Maybe you extra day went from one day to a week. Maybe your break has really encompassed your entire life and you’re ready to change your lifestyle. Sometimes a break is the result of vacation, illness, or in my case laziness. Whatever the case may be, getting active after taking a break is one of the hardest things to do.

Find A Buddy

Finding a work out buddy is one of the simplest ways to get active after taking a break. Having someone to go to the gym with gives you accountability. When one of you doesn’t want to go, the other makes them, and while working out you have a spotter if necessary as well as someone to push you a little harder.

Do What You Love

Have you always had one particular exercise style that you love to do? Running. Deadlifts. Mine is swimming. If possible to go back to doing what you love to do, that might just give you all the motivation that you need.

Invest Some Dollars

It’s a fact that most people are inclined to get their monies worth out of something. If that something is a gym membership or a registration fee then so be it.

Take A Class

Signing up for a class is another great way to get back at it. The group setting is also great for accountability, and you might even fall in love with a new work out style. Take a peek at my HITT post if you’re looking for some inspiration.

Get Out Of The House

I know so many people who are able to work out at home, I am not one of those people. I need to get out of the house and workout somewhere else. Somewhere like a gym works best for me. Having other people around makes me more inclined to work hard. Others peoples results are often my own motivation.

Start Small

If you take a significant amount of time off from your work out routine, you can not expect to jump right back in where you left off. Start off slow, shorter distances, lighter weights. Before you know it you will be back where you were before you took time off, and soon surpassing those.

Getting back into your program is one of the hardest things to do, in regards to a workout routine. Whatever your reason for the break, the important thing to remember is that you’ve made the decision to get back at it. Hopefully, these tips help you get back on track.

Oct

2018

How To Drink More Water. 12 Tricks To Help You

One of my tasks in my weight loss journey was to start to drink more water. I used to drink very little water and a lot of Coke. If it wasn’t water it was coffee. While I have known for years that this is not the healthiest option, I was only recently ready for the change.

Prevent dehydration
Promote healthy organ function
Keep your muscles energised
To keep your skin looking good.
Probably a million other reasons…

So really there is no reason to not drink it unless you’re sticking to the age-old “Fish F*uck in it” excuse.

My entire life I have been told that a person needs to drink 8 – 8oz glasses or 64 oz a day. While that is a good start, it is not necessarily enough. Doctors are now recommending half your body weight (in pounds to oz) to be more accurate.

Your Weight in LBS/2 = oz recommended in a day.

So if you weigh 200 lbs you need drink 100 oz of water. Not the commonly heard 64 oz. I, weighing in much higher than I should need to drink about 100 oz, nearly double what I thought.

Easier said than done – shocking I know – Increasing your water intake isn’t necessarily as simple as it would seem. Especially when you’ve been surviving on caffeine filled drinks to get you through the days. So I compiled this list of tips and tricks to make it easier.

Start Slow

Start by gradually increasing the amount of water you drink in a day. Add another 1/2 glass or glass a day until you reach your daily goal.

Drink the water you like

I don’t care what anyone says there is the difference between waters. Find one you like and drink that one.

Add some flavour with fruit or herbs

The amount of water infusion recipes you can find is literally endless.

Try different types of water

Mineral, spring, sparkling, there is a water out there for everyone.

Use a water filter

This will save money over bottled water, and in some cases taste buds over tap water.

Buy a new cup or bottle

Having a fun bottle or cup to use might make it easier.

Use a marked water bottle for easy tracking

Either having time marked on it, or even just OZ can help.

Drink at least 1/2 a glass before every meal

If you can, make it a full glass. Either way, this will also help prevent you from overeating.

Track it with an App

I personally use my Fitbit App but there are others out there.

Set a reminder

If the App doesn’t remind you then try just setting hourly reminders on your phone or watch.

Keep your cup handy

Keep it with you always

Use a straw

I drink way more water when using a straw, compared to just a glass.

I can absolutely do this! I now drink an average of 4L of water a day. It is harder when I drink other things during the day but I still manage to get it done.

I do seem to spend an absurd amount of time in the bathroom these days though.

What are some of your tips and tricks to drink more water?

Sep

2018

What To Do When Your Weight Loss Doesn’t Show On The Scale

I was so confident. I had drunk nothing but water for 6 weeks, I had done an exercise of some sort every single day, and I have tried to control my portions at meal times. I was going to step on that scale and see a big difference. My weight loss journey was finally going to show some results.

I was ready.

I was wrong.

I had actually gained 2 pounds. Luckily my grandmother was there to give me a tin of cookies to make me feel better – I never did eat them. – But when I sadly returned home my husband, so kindly, reminded me that muscle weighs more than fat.

Even though I was losing fat, I was gaining muscle, specifically in my legs -thank you squats. – This is when I decided to take a different tactic when it came to measuring my weight loss.

Throw Away The Scale

Not literally, unless you are comfortable with that, but at least stop being chained to it. The scale is one thing. Your weight; and while that is a part of being healthy it is not alone in.

Your weight fluctuates day by day, and even hour by hour. If you don’t weigh yourself under the exact same circumstances every day there is no real way to guarantee accurate results.

If you must keep weighing yourself, try to do it once a week at most.

Take Measurements

While this is something best done by a second person, to get the most accurate results possible, they are a great way to put a number on weight – fat – loss.

These numbers also can very be based on different circumstances, so try to make sure you.

Measure in the same place
Do it at the same time of day – preferably first thing in the morning, before any potential bloating sets in.
Don’t measure after a workout, when your muscles can be a bit swollen.

Benchmark Outfit

You always see the weight loss commercials where someone is standing on one leg of the pants they used to use. This is very similar.

Pick an outfit that you started out in. Keep trying it on and watch it get looser and looser. Any time you feel like you’re not seeing results, try it on and see if you can see a difference. You may not be standing in one leg like those viral images, but you can probably notice a losser fit.

Goal Outfit

That outfit you’ve always wanted to wear, buy it. Keep looking at it as motivation. With some hard work and dedication, you will be able to rock it in no time. Then it won’t matter what the scale says.

Feel It

This is my biggest and most important note – one I would do well to remember – instead of focusing on what the scale says, or what the tape measure says to think about how you feel. Even the little things. Maybe you’re a little less tired then you used to be. Maybe you can walk up a flight of stairs easier than you used to be able to. I promise there is something, some non-scale-victory somewhere. a win is a win, and those my friends are definitely wins.

Scales are probably going to disappoint you more than encourage you. Weight loss is not a straight downward line on the graph. It moves up and down and laterally at times. Add to this that your ideal body weight may not be your ideal body shape. 160 lbs of fat will look very different than 160 lbs of muscle. Your height, your shape, and your muscle will play such important roles in your weight, more so than any number on the scale.

Apr

2018

Activewear Underwear What It Is And Why You Need It

Activewear has been some of my favourite clothing for as long as I can remember. They stretch they breathe, they look good. They are functional as well as stylish. I’ve always loved it, but I only recently started using it for its intended purpose. With my new found love for actually being active, I realized there is a whole level of activewear I had never noticed; yet is so very important. Activewear underwear. I’m not talking about the ever-popular sports bra. No, I am talking about actual activewear underwear.

This was a bit of a learning curve for me. I mean underwear is underwear right. You have those special “date night” ones, but working doesn’t need any special treatment. Boy, was I wrong. Nobody wants to bunch up fabric riding up your back, midway through a run. Or worse yet, odour from trapped moisture. Activewear underwear is here to help solve both those potential issues.

Choosing Activewear Underwear

When looking for activewear underwear, choose a pair with sweat-wicking fabric. Just like the rest of your activewear, it eliminates moisture quickly so you can stay dry even when you’re working up a real sweat. This won’t just make your workout more comfortable, it will also keep your underwear from becoming a breeding ground for bacteria. – Which sounds like a recipe for disaster – Add in the order eliminating technology that goes hand in hand with any activewear and you’re on the path to a winner. Activewear underwear generally doesn’t come in fabrics that aren’t, workout-friendly fabrics, but just in case steer clear of cotton, silk and lace because they’re not very breathable.

Making sure your activewear underwear is sized properly is another important step to consider. The tighter it is, the more it’s going to uphold against you and potentially trap moisture, bacteria, and sweat that can lead to that bacteria growth we were talking about earlier.” If, when you put it on, you fee feel restricted, or you see indentation lines in the skin, they’re probably too small.

Just like regular underwear, activewear underwear comes in all the cuts. Yes, even thongs. So, depending on what sort of activity you’re doing there may one or another that works better for you. Whether you’re a fan of thongs or boyshorts, you’re looking for something that hugs your body enough to stay in place without riding or bunching. I generally spend FAR to much time worrying about panty lines with my leggings so I steer towards thongs, however, when running they can rub in all the wrong places.

Deciding what type of activewear underwear you prefer may take some trial and error. Every woman is shaped differently and has different style and preferences. So try a few brands, sizes, cuts, and fabrics. Not that you needed an excuse to go shopping. Right?

Do you have a favourite activewear underwear?